Chapter 89 039 Suvorov Crosses the Alps

Chapter 89 039 Suvorov Crosses the Alps

Chapter 89 039 Suvorov Crosses the Alps

On the way, Suvorov even had the mood to write a letter to Archduke Karl, denouncing Emperor Franz's stupid behavior.

"The departure of 60000 Austrians ultimately led to the near annihilation of 20000 Russians"

Don't worry about this for now. The Russian army now has only one way to go, which is to turn east to Liechtenstein and then to southern Germany.

At a military meeting the night before, Suvorov heard an argument between his Austrian and Russian generals.

In addition to Werosser, several Austrian generals expressed their opinions. They believed that they should go to the Austrian camp in Wessen, where there were several warehouses that could be used to ensure the supply operation of the legion.

At this time, Grand Duke Constantine stood up, his eyes wide open, like an angry beast.

"I think you Austrians have not taken into account the intelligence we have obtained. The French have already defeated Korsakov's army in Zurich. Even if General Hotz is still in Wessen, he will find it difficult to resist Massena's 60,000 men! If you want to die so badly, you can take your men there and stick out your necks for the French soldiers to chop with knives!"

This hot-tempered young archduke, considering his status, was so bad that even Emperor Franz's brothers could not suppress him in terms of status, and these Austrian generals were helpless, and what he said made sense.

Suvorov was satisfied with the growth of His Highness, but he could not express his opinion. Werosser, who was the chief of staff, was also not in a position to express his opinion on behalf of the Austrian side.

"I think it's time to listen to General Rosenberg's opinion. His column encountered the French before nightfall."

Werosser did not express his own opinion, but gave the right to speak to the generals on the Russian side. Considering that Rosenberg was a German from the Baltic Sea and had the second highest military rank among those present, the words of such a senior general could obviously play a role in reconciling things.

"Alexander Vasilyevich, Your Highness, General Werosser, and all the Russian and Austrian generals, when we reached the pass, the Cossacks who went to the north to make contact came back, and an hour later, we were attacked by the French army. According to the confessions of the captured prisoners, a French division commanded by General Soult has cut off our way to Wessen, regardless of the outcome of the battle between him and General Hotz. In this situation of severe shortage of supplies, severe consumption of ammunition, and even few artillery, it is difficult to use 20,000 people to fight against 60,000 French. The battles we will encounter in a few days are likely to be more brutal than those we encountered in the previous Italian campaign, especially now that the initiative is in the hands of the French."

"Well, thank you, Andrei Grigorievich, you spoke very well and I can say that you have a very good understanding of the enemy's situation."

Several Austrian generals were now silent. They were still a little afraid of the young and manic Archduke Constantine, who had been wiping a pistol, as if he was ready to jump out and duel with anyone who disagreed with him.

"Then let's vote. There are eleven of us sitting at the table. Let's go to Liechtenstein and fight the French in Wessen. If it's five against five, I will make the final decision."

Suvorov believed that it was not appropriate to fight at this time. The Russian commanders, in terms of grand strategy, liked to take the initiative on large battlefields, and their on-the-spot command was itchy.

In this kind of voting, even if Werosser was included, the number of Austrians who expressed their views was less than half, and the Russian army itself accounted for the majority of the columns entering Switzerland this time.

"Okay, that's it. General Rosenberg will lead the troops to the rear. General Offenburg's Austrian column is familiar with the mountain roads, so they can go in the front. Bagration and Miloradovich will be behind, and the Guards will be in the middle. We will go east to Panix, and only after we cross this mountain pass will we be a little safer, but we cannot let our guard down. The French are trying to cut off our supply lines and retreat routes to the mountain passes to the south, while blocking our way in front of us. This battle will be difficult to fight, and we only have five days of rations. It will take at least ten days to go this way to Liechtenstein."

This journey was obviously not easy, and Suvorov was mentally prepared.

They even had to discard a lot of unnecessary things. Even without the French chasing them, marching in the mountains would have been a considerable price to pay.

"It's not easy now. We are all trapped in the mountains. Solovyov, what are you doing there?"

Suvorov made a decision in the cabin and came out, and saw Solovyov seemed to be measuring something.

"I'm roughly observing the height of the opposite mountain. If we really want to retreat this time, the French may launch attacks at several key strongholds. Alexander Vasilyevich, you always want to take the initiative, and this time the initiative is in the hands of that old soldier who loves robbery and women more than winning battles. He will definitely want to trap us here, just like the Turks in Izmail Fortress were trapped by you."

"Good idea. I think you have studied Massena?"

"I just heard that this old soldier is used to looting and is very lustful. He relies on his keen battlefield sense in battle and is not so good at military science."

"Sounds like a Russian general, a natural born fox. He loves women and... like Count Kutuzov. I remember when you wrote to me, you said that when your father was an adjutant, he was always sent to Kutuzov by Grushetsky. That greedy fat man has also met you."

"Yes, you remember everything very clearly, and nothing can be hidden from you!"

"We must be more careful when dealing with such cunning people! Thank you, child, for your hard work in studying these Frenchmen."

"Just ask General Scherer and you'll know a lot. The French are chatty. Give him some gin, steak and cream soup and he'll pour you everything."

"Yes, you have caught a big fish. He used to be the French Minister of War, a position that many generals should be familiar with."

Suvorov was also looking at the mountains in the distance. He had now begun to plan the Russian army's next marching route.

"Also, Misha, you are of no use to me. Go to the Guards Column and accompany Grand Duke Constantine. I am worried about the adjutant there, and his Guards Regiment has to protect our most precious baggage. Without food, we can't get out. We can only kill horses and finally be trapped here to death."

The situation was very clear. After Suvorov planned the marching route, the Russian rear guard, the Rosenberg Column, fought a fierce battle with Massena. Both sides suffered heavy losses. It is said that General Chubarov, whose reputation had been damaged before, fought bravely in this battle. Although one of his grenadiers failed to capture the French general, his epaulettes were torn off.

This person might be General Massena. It sounds incredible and very much like the traditional Russian funeral wedding. For example, a soldier of the Korsakov Corps managed to hide the military flag in his underwear after being captured, and escaped by chance. In the end, he was promoted to second lieutenant of infantry as an exception.

There were too many such things happening in Russia, which led to Suvorov not wanting to listen. He only cared about the results.

"Rosenberg did a good job. At least the enemy won't chase us, and we won't advance towards Altdorf, but eastward. Werosser, don't add any word about retreat in your orders. We are not 'retreating', but fighting out!" He still maintained his usual positive attitude and wanted to fight his way out.

This was extremely difficult for the Austrian army and Bagration column at the front. The troops were short of everything. Even the Austrians, who had only fought one battle during the St. Gotthard detour, lacked supplies, and many of them had lost their leather boots.

As soon as they passed the mountain pass and found a way out, the French came from behind through a mountain pass and tried to intercept the Russian troops behind them.

Bagration's column fought bravely here and fought on the bridge for a whole day until Miloradovich's column behind caught up and bombarded the French with the last two light artillery pieces that still had ammunition, and only then was they able to cross the bridge.

This stone bridge, where fierce fighting took place, became known as the "Suvorov Bridge," and the vanguard of the Russian army had only now escaped danger and continued to advance.

Among the soldiers who were short of supplies, only the general and the adjutant who delivered the message could still ride horses. Most of the remaining baggage was now carried on the saddles of the Guards column. Even Grand Duke Constantine led the horse.

At least their morale was high, and even His Royal Highness did not ride on horseback, but used his good horse to carry vodka to keep the soldiers warm. The elderly Marshal Suvorov also walked among them, not wanting the support of servants, but walking forward with the support of two veterans who had served for twenty years.

French General Molitor, who had been pursuing the Russians, was still encouraging the French and Swiss militia in an attempt to intercept the Russians.

The Russian army did not stop fighting while retreating.

"Look, the French have sent us a letter asking us to surrender. They are really interesting. They can't stop us, so they try to use this to shake our will. What should we do with this kind of garbage?"

When Suvorov raised this question, the Grand Duke was the first to speak. He had matured a lot during this period.

"Alexander Vasilyevich, you will keep this little French trinket and read it to the brothers for amusement when we go out. Misha has a loud voice and a nice voice, so you can ask him to translate it into Russian."

"What a joke, Your Highness. I thought you were going to tear this thing off."

"It would be a shame to tear it up. Pour some kerosene on it and light it with a fire bottle. It can also be used to start a fire."

There was also a passing guard who interrupted the conversation, but everything is fine now.

However, there were also wounded soldiers who could not be taken away. They were concentrated in a village on the road, and the French would definitely chase them there.

Although General Massena was fond of robbery and women, he never robbed wounded soldiers.

"Citizen General, this is a personal letter from the Russian Marshal."

"Open it and read it to me. If the words are too complicated, I won't understand them!"

"General, your worries are unnecessary. This old man's words are quite concise. Even if you haven't been to a military academy, anyone who has passed the 'bar' test can understand him."

"Really? Then I'd better take a look, so that the Russians won't find out and laugh at me, thinking that I'm really semi-illiterate. I can still write love letters to Italian women!"

This guy felt uncomfortable when he spoke without dirty jokes, but after he received Suvorov's letter, he knew the other party's attitude.

"We have to take in these Russians too. They have 1,300 wounded and sick people, all of whom are gathered in the village ahead. We will send them to our military stations along the way and properly house them!"

Massena's adjutant looked at this old soldier and knew his superior's old faults. Although he usually looked unreliable, he was loyal to his subordinates and fully respected his enemies.

Bagration's column was the first to reach the Pasnik Pass. Once they crossed the pass, the Russian army was safe. No French army could come down from the top of the mountain where snow had already begun to accumulate and cut off their retreat.

When he got here, he could not forget one thing, which was to widen the road and use the remaining supplies to replenish the follow-up troops. Those Cossacks who still had horses were also sent to nearby villages and towns to collect food.

After eleven days of arduous action, the marching columns of the Russian army finally escaped the pursuit of the French - although Suvorov identified it as an "offensive" and did not recognize this action as a retreat.

All the guns and superfluous wagons, and not a few horses and mules, were abandoned on the road, and some boxes of military funds were thrown on the road or captured by the French.

But escaping from danger is more important than anything else.

Now that the Russian army has crossed the pass, it can continue its advance towards Liechtenstein, and then turn to southern Germany, where it can join up with General Korsakov's troops and the royalist corps of Prince Condé and resume its defense.

After the French reached the mountain pass, they only saw these things abandoned on the road, which prevented them from using the road to pursue quickly. Moreover, the mountain pass was not suitable for the French army to enter.

After forcing back Suvorov's troops, Massena turned back to Zurich and marched towards Bavaria. The war in Switzerland ended in such a whimper for both sides.

When Tsar Paul learned of the betrayal, he had already made up his mind to have Russia withdraw from the anti-French alliance and no longer send troops to join the war.

(End of this chapter)