Chapter 744: It's You, Napoleon!
All the officers instinctively turned toward the map, deep in thought.
Marshal Berthier frowned in confusion.
"Your Highness, what do you mean by 'right hook'?"
Before Joseph could answer, a voice from the back row suddenly spoke up in excitement.
Napoleon jumped forward, unable to contain himself.
"Italy! Yes! That's the perfect breakthrough point. Like a powerful right hook—striking Austria right in the jaw!"
Duke de Broglie shot an annoyed glance at the young officer, his tone sharp.
"Be silent, Colonel Bonaparte. You are out of line."
Joseph, however, was not offended at all. Instead, he smiled at Napoleon.
"Please, tell us why you believe Italy is the best breakthrough point."
Joseph knew very well—Napoleon's rise to fame had come from leading a ragtag army of recruits and using his brilliant tactics to blitz through Italy, securing one of France's most crucial victories against the First Coalition.
Perhaps fate was at work once again, drawing Napoleon's attention to Italy at this critical moment.
Napoleon glanced nervously at Duke de Broglie, then took a deep breath and bowed slightly to Joseph before speaking.
**"Your Highness, your words just now inspired me.
"We have been focusing too much on the northern front, which, while strategically important, is also heavily fortified with enemy troops.
"With the combined forces of Prussia, Austria, Hanover, and the Netherlands, the enemy has over 200,000 men in the north. Launching an offensive there would be extremely difficult.
"But in Italy, Austria stands alone!
"Yes, they may receive support from Sardinia or the British fleet, but overall, their forces in Italy are much weaker than those in the north.
"And most importantly—Italy leads directly into the heart of Austria!
"If we capture Milan, we can march swiftly through Venice—a city ruled by merchants who have no will to resist us. From there, we can advance straight to Campoformio.
"After that, there will be nothing standing between us and Vienna, except for the Sava River!"**
Joseph looked at Napoleon with admiration.
"Your military intuition is remarkable. The Austrians are so focused on attacking France from Sardinia that they have completely overlooked their own weakness in Italy."
The officers in the room were stunned.
They had assumed that Joseph's talk of an offensive strategy was just theoretical, meant to boost morale.
But now they realized—he truly intended to go on the attack.
And if they succeeded in crushing the Austrian army in Italy, as Napoleon predicted, the entire war could shift in France's favor.
Marshal Berthier glanced between Napoleon and Joseph, then cautiously asked:
**"Your Highness, isn't this too risky?
"If our campaign in Italy does not go well, it will be very difficult to retreat back to France."**
His concerns were valid.
The Alps formed a natural barrier between France and Italy. Though there were multiple passes, they were treacherous and often snow-covered, except during summer.
If the French army was forced to retreat, they could get trapped in the mountain passes and be annihilated by pursuing Austrian forces.
Joseph, however, was completely confident.
**"I have absolute faith that the soldiers of France will achieve victory in Italy.
"And even if our forces face difficulties, our troops advancing from Switzerland will reinforce them.
"If Austria tries to win on both fronts, they will fail."**
Berthier still looked uncertain, but when he saw the unwavering determination in Joseph's eyes, he took a deep breath and nodded.
"No, Your Highness, we will defeat them on both fronts!"
Joseph nodded in approval.
Then, he turned toward one of the senior generals in the room—Pierre de Dumouriez.
**"General Dumouriez, I hereby appoint you as Supreme Commander of the Italian Front.
"You will lead the Joubert Corps, Corsican Corps, Moulins Corps, as well as the Lyon, Montpellier, and Toulouse Corps.
"Your objective is to gather these forces as quickly as possible in Savoy and launch an offensive toward Milan."**
Milan was Austria's key stronghold in Italy. If the French could take it, Austria's influence over the entire Italian Peninsula would collapse.
However, after Joseph made the announcement, the officers in the room exchanged uneasy glances.
Dumouriez was already close to 60 years old and not in the best health. While he was respected, giving him command of a high-risk offensive seemed questionable.
Additionally, the troops assigned to him—despite numbering around 35,000—were all "traditional units" (what Joseph called the "old army").
Among them, only the Moulins Corps was considered elite. The rest were mediocre at best.
Even Dumouriez himself looked surprised. He had expected to remain at General Headquarters, helping with logistics—not to lead an army in battle.
Still, he immediately stood up straight and saluted.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Joseph nodded at him.
Then, he turned to the young Corsican officer who had just demonstrated incredible tactical insight.
**"Colonel Bonaparte, I hereby appoint you as Second-in-Command of the Italian Front.
"You will assist General Dumouriez in leading the Italian campaign."**
Napoleon's eyes widened in shock.
He had assumed he would command a small detachment, but Joseph had just made him the second-highest-ranking officer on the entire Italian front!
He stood there for a few stunned seconds before quickly snapping to attention and saluting.
"Yes, Your Highness! Thank you for your trust—I will not disappoint you!"
Joseph smiled.
"Go and do your best. I believe you will achieve great things."
This was exactly what Joseph had planned.
Napoleon's rank and experience were too low for many of the senior officers to take orders from him.
But by making Dumouriez his superior, Joseph ensured that Napoleon's authority would not be questioned—even though, in reality, Napoleon would soon become the true commander.
Dumouriez, being old and physically weak, would struggle to lead an army through the Alps. Once they crossed into Italy, Napoleon would naturally take charge.
By the time he achieved victories, his prestige would be undeniable.
And as for the quality of troops?
Napoleon had historically won the Italian Campaign with poorly trained conscripts.
Now, Joseph was giving him veteran soldiers—even if they were from the old army, they were not raw recruits.
With Napoleon at the helm, Austria was in for a massive shock.
Having settled the Italian strategy, Joseph turned his gaze to another elderly general in the front row.
"General Dugommier, I appoint you as Supreme Commander of the Rhine Front."
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