Wellesley looked at the map on the table. "I'll have to redeploy our forces along the Rhine River.
"Who will be sent to Switzerland? General Picton?"
The Duke of York nodded again. "Yes, though the corps is mainly made up of men from Hesse and Thuringia."
Picton's Corps had thirty thousand United Kingdom soldiers, all of whom had remained along the Rhine River this time at the Duke of York's request.
After some thought, Wellesley said, "Your Highness, please tell General Picton that it would be best not to launch any offensive. Switzerland's terrain makes it very easy to fall into an ambush.
"He only needs to establish a defensive line at Basel. When the French Army prepares to withdraw from Switzerland, he should hinder them as much as possible. If he can force Massena to detour through Lausanne, it will delay their arrival on the Baden battlefield by a month."
Basel had a river on one side and mountains on the other, and could receive reinforcements from nearby Freiburg. It would be difficult for the French to break through there in a short time.
Rather than risk venturing deep into Switzerland to rescue the Prussians, holding Basel was far more advantageous.
Massena Legion should have fifty to sixty thousand soldiers. If that force could be pinned down in Switzerland, it would be a tremendous loss for France, whose forces were already at a disadvantage.
The Duke of York had clearly thought of this as well. He nodded. "I'll write to him personally."
Wellesley complained again, "First Switzerland, now Hanover—the French Army's diversionary operations are always so effective.
"And look at what we've done—Regent João spent nearly four months occupying only three small towns, while the Americans haven't even sent out their troops yet!"
The Duke of York spread his