233: 226 Massena’s Great Victory at Koerl 233: 226 Massena’s Great Victory at Koerl Anning was unaware that, just outside his headquarters, a strange little group made up of a black writer (pseudo), an architect, and a lawyer had ford.
He was currently dealing with a headache over the selection of army leaders.
“Seven armies?” Anning was shocked; he had assud, following modern conventions, that 200,000 n would roughly constitute three armies, but Bertier told him it was to be organized into seven armies.
After all, in this era, an army was smaller, comprising only about twenty to thirty thousand n.
By modern standards, seven armies ant seven corps, and with seven corps, one could conquer the world.
Bertier: “Fifteen percent of division and brigade commanders are forr Nobles.
Regardless of their loyalty to the Republic, their military skills are solid.
The rest are professionals, intellectuals, and other notable civilians recruited from all walks of life, very loyal to the Republic, but with little to no military knowledge.
“We’ve urgently printed so pamphlets for training, but…
we can’t expect much from them on the battlefield.”
Anning held his forehead.
He had read about the Marshals in ‘Napoleon’s Life’; he rembered little about the regular officers, otherwise, he could have picked out those officers from the Napoleon Era who had hurriedly enlisted and later displayed exceptional performance based on his past life’s mory.
After all, with so many civilians becoming brigade and division commanders now, adding a few more would hardly be an issue.
Unfortunately, he did not rember that many.
Anning: “Under these circumstances, it’s clearly unrealistic for us to engage the enemy in conventional frontal combat; after all, they are a regular army.”
Bertier nodded: “Yes, it’s completely different from our previous situation.
In the past, our troops, although all of them ca from ordinary Patriot backgrounds and the officers were various civilians, had undergone rigorous training, which is why they showed the sa discipline and order as regular troops.
“Then the revolution gave them high morale, and it was normal that such troops would fight better than Austria’s army.
“But now, what we have is truly a rabble.”
Anning: “We can only resort to the tactics of digging in and engaging in protracted battles.
The good news is that we have several rivers to serve as defensive barriers.
“We’ll deploy staggered defenses along the river banks, trading space for ti and using nurical superiority to overwhelm the enemy.
Order the troops to set out imdiately.”
Bertier: “Reasonable.
But before the troops leave, we need to decide on the army leaders.
The selection of army leaders must be exceedingly cautious; I prefer to choose from old officers with so military experience, and there are still a few Generals who support the Republic.”
Anning smirked, wondering if after the enemy had been driven away, he would still have to wrack his brains to strip these old soldiers of their military power?
The old French Army system required a Noble heritage of four generations to beco a high-ranking officer.
Therefore, the Generals of the old French Army were largely from the Nobility, and considering the Republic’s guillotine production line for old Nobles, one couldn’t really count on their loyalty.
After brief contemplation, Anning dismissed the idea: “No, it’s justifiable for lower-ranking officers, after all, the impact of a Lieutenant Colonel is limited.
But soone commanding an army must be loyal and reliable.
Let’s select from the well-regarded societal figures to be army leaders.”
“Your word is final,” Bertier imdiately expressed his respectful agreent, but then he quickly changed tack, “However, these teachers, painters, and businessn surely cannot be expected to have excellent command abilities.
Is it not…
like before, that you should designate so individuals for the army leader roles?
Since we’re choosing inexperienced people anyway, why not just…”
Bertier always had so reservations about Anning’s various field promotions, but now he actively suggested that Anning propose so well-known society figures for army leadership, showing how desperate circumstances must be for the Chief of Staff to resort to such asures.
Anning, scratching his head, was in a dilemma; he needed soone with both renown enough to command respect and military talent to win battles…
The ones Anning had promoted exceptionally had all perford remarkably well, which led to persistent rumors in the military that “General Frost was divinely inspired.”
Such rumors had their downsides; if soone Anning endorsed failed, the backlash would be imdiate.
Thinking it over, Anning shook his head: “No, I don’t know such a person.
It would be better for you and Lazar to choose soone reputable for the task.”
In other words, don’t make the scapegoat if there’s a problem.
Anning now had so famous generals at his disposal, just waiting for wars to co so he could elevate their military ranks.
When that ti cos, it would be an opportune mont to replace these high-profile socialites if they perford poorly in battle.
Bertier did not know Anning’s calculations.
He frowned deeply, not hiding his concerns: “This is madness, to think we actually have to defeat the coalition of two established powers with an army almost entirely comprised of outsiders from top to bottom.”
Anning patted his Chief of Staff on the shoulder: “Believe in the great people of a great nation.
We are not facing the enemy alone; all of France stands with us.”
Bertier corrected: “Two-thirds of France, at least one-third of the regions have already rebelled.”
Anning thought to himself that this was nothing—he had encountered much worse situations before—in “Europa Universalis IV.”
Rebel armies defending their gates is no joke.
Sotis when Anning would have rebels bursting forth while being attacked by a foreign nation, he’d slip his army into enemy territory to wander around, waiting for the enemy to wipe out the rebels on their own land before coming back to fight an enervated enemy force.
Thinking back on his gaming experiences, Anning even sported a smile.
Upon seeing his smile, Bertier showed an expression that read, “The general is indeed unfathomable.”
Just then, soone ca in to report: “Urgent letter from Nice.”
Anning: “Give it to !”
With that, he moved swiftly to the ssenger, snatched the freshly produced envelope from his hand, and ripped it open.
The letter was written by Massena; he had led fifteen thousand of the French Army in a proactive attack and defeated over thirty thousand soldiers of the Sardinian Kingdom Army on the plains in front of Mondo, now laying siege to the city of Mondo.
Anning was overjoyed, and as he handed the letter to Bertier, he said: “We must massively propagate Massena’s victory; we’re in dire need of good news to boost morale!
“Tell our soldiers that the Republic’s army is a modern force, ard with the ideals of the Great Revolution, incomparable to those old Kingdom armies!”
Bertier: “Indeed, it should be widely publicized.
But, shall we not notify the Parliant?”
“The Parliant has special commissioners in Italy, they will know…
Hmm, it’s still better to inform the Parliant.
After all, in theory, the Parliant is France’s highest authority; we’re rely military leaders appointed by the Parliant.”
No sooner had Anning finished speaking than another ssenger arrived.
This ti it was a ssenger from the Parliant: “Report, the Parliant has just passed a bill to revise military ranks.
In order to ensure the smooth flow of the chain of command, Army General and Legion General ranks have been specifically added above the existing highest rank of Division General!”
Anning: “What nonsense, do they really have to change the old Kingdom’s military ranks?
It wouldn’t have been a problem if they didn’t modify such formalities, right?”
anwhile, Bertier asked the ssenger: “Who proposed this andnt?
We just gave orders yesterday to disregard the new ranks from the Parliant, and today they co with a revision, quite a quick response, huh?”
ssenger: “It was Bishop Talleyrand.”
Anning frowned: “Talleyrand?”
Damn it, this chaleon, he wouldn’t see as a wall, would he?
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