Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 186: Push Onwards

Eastern Lombardy, Between Mantua and Verona

February 12th, 1836.

The cold still held across the plain, but it no longer slowed movement the way it had in January. The roads had already been broken in by days of marching. Tracks were set. Routes were known. Units moved through them without hesitation.

French columns advanced in sequence, each unit maintaining distance from the next. Infantry led, spread across the road and adjacent fields. Artillery followed behind, positioned close enough to respond quickly but far enough to avoid congestion. Supply wagons moved in timed intervals, never bunching, never delaying the line.

There was no rush.

But there was no pause either.

Ahead of them, Austrian forces had pulled back again.

Not far enough.

A cavalry scout returned just after first light, his horse breathing hard from the ride.

"They’ve taken position near the Mincio crossing," he reported. "Light fortification. Infantry and guns. Not a full line."

The French colonel nodded as he studied the map laid across the field table.

"They’re trying to slow us before Verona."

"Yes, sir."

"Then we don’t give them time."

He looked up.

"Signal the artillery forward. Infantry will not stop."

The order passed down the line immediately.

To the south, a second column moved in coordination.

Piedmontese units advanced along a parallel route, following roads that cut through smaller settlements and farmland closer to the river. Their officers rode ahead with local guides—men who had already begun moving against Austrian control long before the French arrived.

The difference now was scale.

A Piedmontese captain rode alongside a French liaison officer as they approached another village.

"They’ve been waiting," the captain said. "Not for us specifically. For this."

"For pressure," the French officer replied.

The captain nodded.

"They couldn’t move openly before. Too many patrols. Too many reprisals."

"And now?"

The captain looked ahead as the first buildings came into view.

"Now the Austrians are moving back."

The village did not resist.

It opened.

Not in celebration, not loudly, but clearly.

Doors were no longer shut. Men stood in the open, watching as the columns passed. Some carried weapons. Others did not. None of them stepped aside in fear.

They were measuring.

The Piedmontese officers moved first, speaking directly to them. Questions were asked. Routes were discussed. Austrian movements were described in short, direct terms—where they had passed, how many, how long ago.

The French officers listened.

Then they marked the information.

Within minutes, the village became part of the advance.

By midday, the two advancing elements began to close distance toward the same objective.

The Mincio crossing.

A narrow stretch where the river could be held if properly defended. The Austrians had chosen it because it forced movement into a controlled approach.

But they had not prepared it long enough.

The French reached observation range first.

A captain moved forward with a small team and raised his field glass.

"They’re in position," he said. "Infantry along the bank. Guns set behind."

The lieutenant beside him nodded.

"Spacing?"

"Too close."

The artillery did not take long to come forward.

Guns were unlimbered in sequence behind a shallow rise overlooking the crossing. Crews worked without delay, adjusting elevation and direction based on the coordinates already provided by the observers.

No one shouted.

Commands were given clearly, then carried out.

The first rounds went out within minutes.

The shells crossed the distance and landed along the Austrian line near the riverbank.

The effect was immediate.

Not total destruction.

But disruption.

Men shifted. Sections compressed. Officers moved to correct spacing.

The second volley came in tighter.

This time, the shells landed directly among the positions.

The Austrian guns attempted to respond, but their alignment was slower. Some fired early, some late. The return fire lacked coordination.

The French guns did not.

They adjusted once.

Then maintained.

Behind the artillery, the infantry continued to move.

They did not wait for the bombardment to finish.

They advanced in intervals, using the ground where they could, spreading out as they approached the engagement zone.

The Piedmontese units moved along the southern approach at the same time.

Their advance was less direct, guided by the local men who knew where the ground dipped, where the paths cut through, where the Austrian line was thinner.

"They’re heavier on the road," one of the guides said.

"Then we avoid it," the captain replied.

They moved through the fields instead.

At the crossing, the Austrian line began to weaken.

Not all at once.

But in sections.

One battery withdrew too early, leaving a gap in the line. Infantry nearby tried to cover it, compressing inward. That made them easier to hit.

Another section held too long and took the full weight of the artillery before pulling back.

The coordination was not there.

"Advance," the French captain ordered.

The infantry stepped forward.

A machine gun team was brought forward on the left flank.

The tripod was set low behind a broken section of wall. The gunner aligned the barrel across the approach where Austrian infantry were attempting to regroup.

"Ready."

"Fire."

The gun opened.

Not in short bursts.

In sustained fire.

The sound carried across the riverbank, cutting through the noise of artillery and rifles. The effect was immediate. The section of Austrian infantry attempting to reform stalled under it, then broke apart as the fire continued across their position.

"They’re pulling back," the sergeant said.

The lieutenant watched.

"Not yet. Keep pressure."

To the south, the Piedmontese units reached the flank.

They did not charge.

They appeared.

That was enough.

Austrian officers saw movement where there had been none minutes before. Orders shifted. Attention split. The line that had already been under pressure now had to account for a second direction.

It didn’t hold.

The withdrawal began.

First in pieces.

Then across the line.

Infantry pulled back from the riverbank. Guns were limbered where possible. Some were left behind when the teams could not move them in time.

The French did not stop.

They crossed.

By late afternoon, the Mincio crossing was in their control.

French infantry secured the road. Artillery was brought across in sequence. Engineers moved in to check the crossing points and ensure they could support continued movement.

The Piedmontese units linked with them on the far side.

The line had shifted again.

The colonel stood near the bank as the last of the light settled over the river.

"They won’t hold before Verona now," one of his officers said.

"No," the colonel replied.

"They’ve lost too much ground too quickly."

He looked ahead.

"And they’re losing control behind them."

The officer glanced back toward the road they had come from.

Villages were no longer silent.

Movement followed the army now, army and people.

The colonel turned back toward the east.

"Prepare the columns," he said. "We move again at first light."