Turin, the most dazzling pearl at the foot of the Alps.
Since the time of the Roman Empire, this city has guarded the strategic route between Lombardy and Gaul, and has been a strategic military location that military strategists have fought for for thousands of years.
The calm Po River runs through the east side of the city, and the rich and fertile Po River plains have continuously brought countless wealth to the city.
Although there is still a gap between it and a world-class city like Paris with a population of 600,000, Turin, with a population of nearly 200,000, is definitely one of the richest cities in the entire Apennine Peninsula.
With thousands of years of history, this city has witnessed Hannibal crossing the Alps to invade the Apennine Peninsula, and also witnessed Emperor Constantine's defeat of the Western Emperor Maxentius. The Renaissance has left a legacy here.
, the scars of several wars are still vivid in my mind.
On October 9, 1771, after four days of rapid march, the Corsican army was less than 70 miles away from this important ancient city.
...
On the morning of October 9, in the back garden of the Turin Palace
"Our country will be happy to provide you with military assistance for the counterattack on Sardinia..."
The British Ambassador drank the black tea slowly and looked at the old King Carlo Emanuele III aside:
“But it seems that Corsican talent on your own soil should be your top priority.”
In the strategic plan of Carlo Emanuele III, Prince Vittorio did not have to rush to a decisive battle with the Corsican army. Since the main force of the enemy army has landed in Liguria, it is better to take the opportunity to take back the empty defenses of Sardinia and Corsica.
The two islands of Sijia.
In this way, the Corsican army, which has lost its homeland in the rear, will undoubtedly become a turtle in the urn. It will not even require a bloody battle, and the Corsican army will take the initiative to surrender to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Such a strategy of subduing the enemy without fighting is naturally favored by a seasoned diplomat like Carlo Emanuele III.
If you want to counterattack Sardinia and Corsica, you will naturally need maritime assistance from the British. The two countries had secretly reached a number of military agreements before the outbreak of the Italian War.
Although Great Britain has signed a complementary treaty with France and jointly promised not to interfere in the Italian war, it is still feasible to secretly provide some assistance to the Sardinian navy like the last siege of Ajaccio. Such behavior has long become a common practice among major powers.
The tacit secrets of proxy wars.
Carlo Emanuele III did not drink tea. He lay tiredly in an armchair and seemed to be concentrating with his eyes closed.
For an old king who is seventy years old, being involved in political affairs is already physically and mentally exhausted, not to mention that the Kingdom of Sardinia has now taken the initiative to jump into the quagmire of the Italian War at the instigation of the British.
If he hadn't thought about getting Corsica without any effort, Carlo Emanuele III would definitely have stayed out of the Sicilian War of Independence just like he did the Seven Years' War.
"There is no need to worry about the war in the homeland."
The old king looked at the British ambassador, his voice weak but extremely firm:
"Vittorio will contain the Corsicans, and I need you to deploy your fleet as soon as possible and restart the attack on Ajaccio."
The British ambassador nodded slightly. Although he preferred to start a decisive battle with the Corsican army in Liguria, Carlo Emanuele III obviously did not want to take any more risks.
After all, when Colonel Bartland invaded Ajaccio, the whole country believed that Corsica could be easily captured. If anything went wrong in the war in Liguria, the Kingdom of Sardinia's standing army would almost be
The losses are all gone.
What's more, the main force of the Sardinian army is still Prince Vittorio. As the heir to the kingdom, he cannot make any mistakes on the battlefield. The seventy-year-old king no longer has time to train another heir.
Just as the two were preparing to discuss the details of the second invasion of Ajaccio, the Kingdom's Minister of War hurried into the back garden.
The Minister of War was already bloated, and when he ran, he trampled all the famous flowers and herbs in the garden to pieces like a wild boar.
When he ran up to the king and the British ambassador out of breath, and before he spoke, Carlo Emanuele III's brows were already frowning, obviously he was extremely dissatisfied with the interruption of the meeting:
"What the hell do you want to do?!"
"I'm extremely sorry, Your Majesty, but there are two urgent reports that I must report to you."
The Minister of War knelt on one knee, not daring to raise his head to look into the King's eyes, and gasped loudly:
"First of all, the news we received late yesterday, we determined that the Republic of Genoa was attacked by the Corsicans. The Genoese were completely defeated and were forced to sign a treaty with the Corsicans."
The British ambassador was still holding a teacup in his hand and didn't seem to care about the news. In his opinion, the grievances between the Corsicans and the Genoese were nothing more than a trivial fight:
"It's really interesting that the Corsican people still have the energy to take care of their old friend Genoa."
Carlo Emanuele III just nodded. He does not care about this commercial republic now. The focus of the kingdom now is to recapture Sardinia and Corsica as soon as possible:
"I understand, but don't bother me with such trivial matters anymore. You will only disgrace us in front of the British guests..."
"No, no... Your Majesty, this is no small matter..."
The Minister of War boldly interrupted the king's accusation and said through gritted teeth:
"The second piece of news is what I just confirmed from the Ministry of War. The Corsican army that attacked Genoa did not return to Valdolidore, but went north into the Po River Valley. They marched straight towards Turin.
Come! I’m afraid it’s only a day’s journey from Turin now.”
Bang!
The British ambassador was stunned. The tea cup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered all over the floor. Even the hot tea splashed on his legs and there was no reaction.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The Corsicans are coming to Turin?! And it will be in one day?!
This was completely beyond the expectations of the British Ambassador and Carlo Emanuele III. Shouldn’t these Corsicans be restrained in Liguria by Vittorio?!
Carlo Emanuele III couldn't help but his pupils trembled, but he reacted immediately and asked:
"What about the size of that army?"
"About three regiments."
"It is the main force of the Corsican army..." Carlo Emanuele III frowned even more tightly, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be twisted together:
"Where are Vittorio's troops? They should have gotten the news from Genoa faster! Have they set out to intercept the Corsican army?"
Valdolidore is only two days away from Genoa. It stands to reason that Prince Vittorio should have already learned about the movements of the Corsican army, and should be leading his army to stop the Corsicans at this moment.
The Minister of War lowered his head even tighter, almost piercing his chest with his chin. He considered for a while before speaking carefully:
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince...His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's troops have not taken action. His Highness seems to think that the main force of the Corsican army is still stationed in Valdolidore, and his army is still confronting the garrison of Valdolidore."
Carlo Emanuele III suddenly felt dizzy and wanted to curse something, but after all, he was his heir and the commander-in-chief of the army he had appointed. The old king could only hold his forehead and let out a long sigh.
He didn't know what happened in Valdolidore to make his son have such a serious misjudgment, but this meant that, at least for the next period of time, Turin could only rely on its own strength to resist Corsi.
Marie Claire.
"Sorry, Mr. Ambassador, it seems we have to talk at another time."
The old king forced himself to sit up and issued an expulsion order to the British ambassador. At least until the crisis in Turin was resolved, the plan to counterattack Sardinia and Corsica was completely shelved.
The British ambassador nodded knowingly, and then left the Turin Palace with a gloomy look on his face.
He also knew very well that if the Turin Palace was really lost, then the Kingdom of Sardinia was destined to withdraw from the Italian War, and that was definitely not what Great Britain wanted to see.
After the British left, Carlo Emanuele III sighed again and once again regretted his participation in the Italian war.
But now the tip of the Corsican's knife has reached the tip of his nose, and regretting is of no use. The old king asked in a deep voice:
"How many troops can be mobilized around Turin?"
The Minister of War quickly replied:
"About 4,000 people, but 3,000 of them are the two new regiments recently recruited. The only ones with sufficient combat strength are the more than 1,000 people from the Royal Guards."
In order to make up for the loss of Colonel Bartland's entire army in Corsica, the Kingdom of Sardinia also recruited a group of new soldiers from Piedmont to join the army. However, this group of new soldiers who have not even completed basic training must not be of much use.
Especially on the field battlefield.
"Four thousand men...are not enough to repel the Corsicans, but if we just hold Turin and buy time, it is probably enough."
Carlo Emanuele III pondered for a moment, and his face was no longer as ugly as before. He immediately had a response strategy in mind and ordered with confidence:
"Immediately pass my order and ask the Ministry of War to send a letter to Vittorio, ordering him to return to defend Turin immediately; declare martial law and curfew inside the city, and no one can enter or leave without reason; order the Royal Guards and two new regiments to station in the southwest corner
Fort, accept my command; immediately demolish all bridges on the river outside the city to hinder the Corsican army's offensive..."
A series of instructions continued to pour out of the old king's mouth, with almost no pause. In Carlo Emanuele III's military life, this was not the worst moment, so he quickly entered
into the role of leader.
All the old king's deployments had only one purpose - to do his best to defend Turin by relying on the city's defense advantages, and to buy enough time for Prince Vittorio to return to the defense and relieve the siege.
And this is not a problem for the impregnable Turin.
When the last order was issued from his mouth and recorded by the Minister of War and the Palace Secretary, Carlo Emanuele III lay back on the armchair again, looking tired but without panic.
He closed his eyes and murmured:
"Let the Corsicans come next. When the magnificent walls and moats of Turin appear in the sight of these barbarians, they will realize their insignificance."
...
One day later, on October 10, heavy rain
After five days, the Corsican army, which had marched nearly 500 miles from Genoa, had arrived on the east bank of the Po River, only separated by a river from the magnificent ancient city on the other side of the river.
Lawrence did not order the army to attack immediately, but first stationed troops on two hilly highlands east of the river.
After all, since Valdolidore marched to Genoa, this army has hardly received adequate rest. Now that the war is imminent, Lawrence does not want the soldiers to embark on the battlefield exhausted physically and mentally.
Moreover, in heavy rain, the rifled rifles of the Corsican Chasseurs were also unable to be used due to wet gunpowder. Before the firing needle guns and metal fixed-loading ammunition were installed, I am afraid that rainy days were a peace signal for a ceasefire and truce between the two armies.
Moreover, facing a heavily defended town like Turin, Lawrence and his staff officers must first formulate a reasonable plan.
In Lawrence's own camp, Chief of Staff Berthier spread a 1750 version of the Turin map on the table, pointed at the map and analyzed the crowd:
"This big river running from north to south is the Po River. We are currently stationed on the east bank of the Po River. As for Turin on the other side of the river... although the number of troops stationed there is certainly not large, I am afraid it will take a lot of effort to completely capture it.
The price is small; the city is completely surrounded by a moat and city walls. There are some small fortresses scattered on the city walls, and there is a large bastion in the southwest corner. The Turin Palace in the middle must also be extremely well-defended..."
Lawrence and all the Corsican officers listened attentively, and everyone's expression was extremely serious.
These Corsican officers are experienced in hundreds of battles, but this is also the first time they have besieged a large city with a population of 200,000 people with city walls, moats, and bastions. Compared with the city in front of them, they had been there before.
The sieges experienced on the battlefield in Corsica were all minor battles.
A Corsican officer couldn't help but sigh:
"It seems that a forceful attack is unrealistic."
Everyone also agreed that if the Corsican Chasseurs equipped with rifled rifles acted as defenders, after occupying favorable terrain in street fighting, and relying on their ability to accurately snipe enemy skirmishers, they would undoubtedly be able to defeat one against ten.
But if you are the attacker, you may have to pay a very heavy price to completely capture Turin.
And the most important point is that the Corsican army has always lacked heavy fire support such as artillery.
In the previous war with the Genoese, due to military budget constraints, the Corsican army itself did not have many artillery in the field. The only dozen artillery pieces were six-pound light field guns.
Although the military's war budget is now much generous, and the French have also provided a large amount of arms, the cultivation of high-quality talents in artillery, just like the pilots of later generations, does not happen overnight.
If you want to attack Turin by force, it may be difficult to destroy the impregnable Turin city wall just by relying on the dozen or so light field artillery in the army.
There was a brief silence in the tent, and the patter of rain outside could be heard clearly.
Because everyone also understood that a strong attack was indeed unrealistic, but they did not have time to engage in a protracted battle with the Turin defenders. Vittorio's troops could return to defend Turin at any time.
"Is there a letter from Andre? What are the movements of the main force of the Sardinian army?" Lawrence asked casually.
Berthier nodded, but his tone was hesitant:
"Davout's letter was sent yesterday. He stated that the enemy's main force is still not moving, and...he stated in the letter that the enemy's main force can be involved for at least a month."
After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at each other. No one thought that Andre Davout could really involve Vittorio in Valdolidore for a month. After all, the request for help from the Turin Palace would be sent to Vittorio within a week at most.
In the big tent of the military camp.
But Lawrence just nodded slightly and wrote a month on the map:
"A month... I'm afraid there will be no problem if the food in Turin can last for a month."
Even if Andre Davout really held Vittorio in Valdolidore for a month, it would not be enough to put the besieged Turin into a state of exhaustion of ammunition and food.
In Lawrence's estimation, if it is the worst case scenario and the Corsican army is really unable to capture Turin, they can only try to encircle the point for reinforcements and occupy a favorable terrain in advance to prepare for the battle with Vittorio's troops who came to support.
decisive battle.
But such a decision is undoubtedly very risky. The strength of Vittorio's troops is about three times that of the Corsican army, and the quality of its army is far superior to that of Carlo Emanuele III's long-term reforms.
The Republican Guards of Genoa shot.
It can even be said that the Kingdom of Sardinia under the rule of Carlo Emanuele III was at the forefront of European countries of the same era in terms of military technology.
Even with three regiments of Corsican Chasseurs in hand, Lawrence could not be said to be sure of victory, which is why the Corsican army had to do everything possible to bypass Vittorio's troops and attack Turin.
Once defeated in this battle, the Corsican army fighting against the enemy will have no way to retreat, and will end up in a situation where everything is lost.
"No, we still have to conquer Turin. As long as we can break into the Turin Palace, the war in the Kingdom of Sardinia will be over."
Lawrence thought silently and turned to look at the city of Turin looming outside the tent in the rain and fog.
Berthier also looked outside the tent, but his eyes were fixed on the Po River flowing turbulently in the heavy rain, and he suddenly realized something:
"Early October, late summer and early autumn, Po River flood season...wait a minute, Charles! I may have a way. As long as Davout can really buy a month, Turin will definitely fall into the hands of our army!"
