Toulon (6)

General Pope had just lost his eldest son in another unsuccessful offensive. This saddened him greatly, but it also brought him a sense of relief—now, no one could accuse him of intentional treason for his previous poor performance.

So after losing his eldest son, General Pope immediately halted almost all offensive operations and engaged in a stalemate with the Britain. By the time Napoleon arrived with the Fifth Legion, the two sides had been locked in a stalemate for quite some time.

Napoleon's movements were not swift, as he had been training his troops on the new toy Joseph had provided him on the way. However, once his army arrived, Napoleon acted quickly.

Napoleon first visited Pope to learn about the intelligence he had obtained at the cost of his soldiers' lives regarding the enemy's defenses. Pope provided this intelligence readily, knowing that General Napoleon had close ties with certain high-ranking officials. He feared that sabotaging Napoleon at this juncture, even with the deaths of his eldest and second sons, would not yield any positive results.

After receiving this intelligence, Napoleon bid farewell to Pope very politely. However, as he left Pope's camp, he couldn't help but say to the guards accompanying him, "I really don't understand how he could launch such a surprise attack without any preparation? How did he become a general?"

However, this cannot actually be blamed on Pope, as this practice was widespread. France generals during the Republic era largely lacked experience and talent, and the soldiers were generally poorly trained, unable to execute complex tactics. This led to a common habit among the French Army during the Republic era: indecisive action on the battlefield. Even worse, the Republic's army actually won many victories using this approach. These victories further reinforced the practice's prevalence. As a result, this mindless recklessness became the orthodox method of the French Army.

Back at his camp, Napoleon carefully studied the maps he had brought back, then summoned Davout and others to assign reconnaissance tasks. After several days of reconnaissance, Napoleon gathered his division and regimental commanders to discuss the attack.

Napoleon believed that Fort Mulgrave was the key to this battle. If they could capture the fort, they could directly bombard the port of Toulon with the cannons mounted there. Once the port of Toulon was exposed to cannon fire, the Britain would be unable to guarantee the supply of Toulon, and they would have no choice but to retreat.

"General Pope's initial actions were clumsy, but even the clumsiest actions have their purpose. General Pope's attempt to break into Toulon from the front was certainly foolish, but his foolishness also led to foolish responses from the Britain. According to our intelligence, the Britain should have focused their main force on the front of Port of Toulon. As a result, they somewhat neglected the defense of Fort Mulgrave. Look, this is a map of Toulon when it was still in our hands. And this is a new map we drew based on reconnaissance."

As he spoke, Napoleon uncovered the outdated map spread out on the table, revealing a new map underneath.

"You see, since Toulon fell into Britain hands, Fort Mulgrave has clearly expanded in size. At its current size, it should be able to be equipped with more than thirty cannons. Moreover, to defend it, the Britain have built two smaller forts, one here and one here, echoing Fort Mulgrave. If these forts have enough defenders, taking them would likely require enormous sacrifices. However, some time ago, the flags on these forts changed; the Britain flags were replaced by Spain flags. This means the Britain have deployed more combat troops to the front lines; they feel this is not our primary target."

"General, when shall we launch our attack?" Augereau asked.

"Not yet, we need more preparation. First, we need to make the enemy believe that our main attack is still on the front," Napoleon said. "Therefore, I need to maintain a certain level of pressure on the front, so that the Britain will believe that our next offensive will also target the front."

"General, are you planning to launch a feint attack from the front?" Davout asked, frowning. "But the extent of a feint attack is difficult to control. If we commit too few men, we won't attract the enemy's attention; if we commit too many, our own losses will be too great."

Napoleon chuckled, "Do you think I'm that stupid? I'll tell you a way, you can..."

After breakfast, Lieutenant Hale, as usual, climbed to the lookout post on the gun emplacement and peered towards the France. Although the France weren't charging in as relentlessly as before, it was always good to be vigilant.

The France haven't made any moves; it seems they've given up. However, France reinforcements have just arrived, and they might act at any time, so they still need to be cautious.

Just then, something seemed to move on the distant horizon. Hale quickly raised his binoculars and looked in that direction.

"The France! The France are coming again!" Hale shouted.

The France came again, but the large contingent of France troops stopped outside the range of the cannons. Then Hale saw through his binoculars that the France began to swing hoes and shovels, seemingly digging trenches.

Digging moats around fortified cities to cut off their access to the outside world was a common practice in Europe. But Toulon was no ordinary city; it was a seaport. Could the France really have dug a moat out into the sea?

Although Hale was puzzled, he quickly reported this information to his superiors.

Soon, a group of officers appeared at the lookout post. Everyone was looking in that direction through their binoculars.

What are the France doing?

"They're digging trenches, but... it seems they're not horizontal, they're vertical," an officer suddenly said. "They're trying to dig right up to us!"

"A bunch of ground rats!" an officer sneered. In this era where sportsmanship was valued, such ground rat-like behavior would indeed be looked down upon by many.

But many others didn't laugh. Digging like moles was certainly unimpressive and unseemly, but upon closer examination, they realized the France had a valid point. This method significantly reduced the effectiveness of their artillery. If the France were to suddenly charge in with bayonets, it would be a serious problem. The Britain and Spain had limited numbers, but Britain France Spain far more manpower. If such a chaotic battle ensued, Toulon would be in real danger.

"It will take them at least three or four days to dig enough to launch an assault," one officer said. "We need to prepare for a fierce battle."

The France diggers moved faster than the Britain anticipated. Even at night, they didn't stop, advancing relentlessly by torchlight. The Britain tried firing a few cannon shots, but shells had difficulty penetrating the trenches, especially since the trenches were slightly curved, making it difficult for shells to hit their targets. Seeing the poor results of the artillery bombardment, the Britain simply stopped and prepared seriously for the ensuing hand-to-hand combat. The France were in high spirits and performed well in bayonet fighting, but the Britain Lobsterbacks' bayonets were no pushovers either.

Based on the number of trenches the France had dug, a single charge could involve thousands of men. Therefore, the Britain concentrated all available forces on the front lines, preparing to withstand the France onslaught.

"General, we have observed that about two companies of Spain have left Fort Mulgrave. They have probably been transferred to the front as well," an officer told Napoleon.

"Very good. Davout, you should be within attack range by tomorrow morning, right?" Napoleon asked, turning his head.

"If we dig one more night, we'll definitely be within attack range by tomorrow morning," Davout replied.

"Alright, tomorrow morning, Davout, you lead the troops to the starting position and make it appear as if you're about to attack. Augereau, tomorrow morning, we'll launch a general assault on Fort Mulgrave together. Davout, you need to make sure the posture is confined and draw the Britain away, buying time for our attack."

"Understood, General!" Davout and Augereau replied in unison.

That evening, the Britain and Spain continued to push forward against the France guerrillas, France were also building fortifications further away. Both the Britain and Spain knew that tomorrow would be the decisive moment.

Lucien and Chrysler, along with the women of the Bonaparte household, quietly slipped out in the dark. For ease of movement, the girls had changed into boys' clothes. They made their way to the seaside, where several fishing boats came into view.

"A ship like this? Is there anything wrong with a ship like this?" Letizia asked.

"Don't worry, Mother! It's fine. We came here on these ships," Lucien said nonchalantly. Then he turned to Chrysler and said, "Mr. Chrysler, do you think my brother and his men are already fighting with the Britain in Toulon? We're rushing over now, but we don't know if we'll even see the fighting."

"I don't know about that," Chrysler said. "But General Bonaparte is still in Paris. Even if he were to head south, it probably wouldn't be so soon."

"I actually hope to see a war," Pauline suddenly interjected.