Chapter 784: The Siege of Genoa
At first, Argentau thought the French were only pretending to attack. Given the current situation, retreating west to secure the Cadibona Pass seemed like their most logical move.
It wasn't until Voltri fell that he finally realized—Dimoulin was serious.
Panicked, he immediately recalled the troops he had sent on diversionary attacks, but it was already too late.
The vanguard of Dimoulin's army, the Moulin Corps, was right on the heels of the Austrian forces as they reached the Turchino Pass—and then launched a fierce assault.
The Turchino Pass, located west of the port of Genoa, marked the final stretch of the Alps.
Though several kilometers wide, it was the last defensible position on Genoa's outskirts.
As the French cannons roared from the high ground to the north, Argentau turned to his aide and shouted:
—So, when will our reinforcements arrive?!
—General, according to yesterday's report, the Tavigny Corps has already left Milan.
Argentau's face darkened.
Even at full speed, it would take a week for them to reach Genoa.
He had never expected the French to risk everything, throwing nearly all their forces into this battle.
With only 7,000 men, it would be nearly impossible to hold off more than 20,000 attacking French troops for an entire week.
As he desperately searched for a way to buy time, a captain rushed over in a panic.
—G-General! Two hours ago, a group of Genoese rioters set fire to our warehouse on Canivet Avenue…
The so-called "rioters" were actually a group of young Genoese nobles.
Acting under secret orders from Doge Abbiasso, they had infiltrated the Austrian supply depot. The warehouse had originally belonged to the Agrati family, one of their own, making access easy.
Once inside, they gathered the local workers—who had been forced to serve as porters for the Austrians—and coordinated a simultaneous arson attack at multiple points.
The result?
Two entire ships' worth of British-supplied provisions, delivered just two days earlier, were reduced to ashes.
—Canivet Avenue? —Argentau's expression changed instantly. That warehouse stored the army's rations… and a portion of their artillery shells.
Genoa produced no grain of its own. But thanks to its lucrative trade, the city could always buy food from North Africa or Sicily.
However, the sudden presence of 7,000 Austrian soldiers had caused an immediate food shortage.
Originally, the supplies delivered by the British would have lasted for over two weeks. But now, with the warehouse burned down, Argentau's army would run out of food almost immediately.
The next supply convoy wouldn't arrive for another fifteen days.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the Moulin Corps surged forward in tight infantry columns, forming battle lines on the Austrian left flank. A storm of musket fire erupted from their ranks, shaking the Austrian defense.
Argentau hurriedly ordered a reserve battalion forward to stabilize the line.
But then he saw another French infantry formation emerging to the north of the pass.
And behind them—more than ten cannons rolling into position.
Watching the overwhelming French assault, Argentau's heart sank.
At this rate, his defenses wouldn't last more than three or four days—assuming the food supply didn't run out first.
Food…?
A realization struck him.
The French had committed all their forces to attacking Genoa, completely ignoring their western flank.
That meant Cervoni's corps would soon seize the Cadibona Pass—the French army's supply line.
If he kept fighting here, it would be pointless.
Instead, he should let the French take Genoa. That would buy time for the reinforcements from Milan to arrive and link up with his army.
Once the French ran out of food, they wouldn't even need to fire a single cannon—they would be forced to surrender.
Argentau's plan was sound.
In the historical Battle of Marengo, Napoleon had used Genoa as bait. French General Masséna, starving and outnumbered, had held out for more than fifty days before being forced to surrender.
But this time, Masséna wasn't here—Joseph had sent him to the Rhine.
Instead, it was Dimoulin playing the role of the bait.
However, Dimoulin was lucky.
This time, the French would receive supplies from the Mediterranean—delivered by the French navy.
History would not repeat itself.
Two Days Later
At dawn, Dimoulin ordered a new round of attacks.
To his surprise, the Cadibona Pass was silent.
Argentau's forces had withdrawn eastward overnight.
Two days after that, General Jubert led two infantry regiments into Genoa—welcomed with open arms by the citizens.
Dimoulin wasted no time.
After a brief period of rest, he ordered Jubert and Augereau to begin constructing defensive lines around Genoa's outskirts.
Meanwhile, he personally visited the Doge's Palace and publicly read a proclamation from the Crown Prince:
"France will always support Genoa's neutrality and will never interfere in its internal affairs."
He also took the opportunity to remind the Habsburgs to repay the debts they had owed Genoese banks for decades.
Yes, Genoa's decline in the 18th century had a lot to do with the Habsburgs.
They had borrowed vast sums of money from Genoese banks and never paid them back.
Of course, most of these loans had originally been taken by the Spanish Habsburgs. But who could keep track of such old debts?
As for the money France owed to Genoa?
Joseph reassured them:
"The French always honor their commitments. We will repay every cent—with interest."
Of course… once the war in Italy was over, those debts would be transferred to Austria as war reparations.
France would never default on its debts!
One Week Later
General Colli and the Sardinian army arrived in Novi Ligure.
At the same time, Cervoni's corps advanced from the west toward the Turchino Pass.
Now, nearly 50,000 Austrian and Sardinian troops had completed their encirclement of Dimoulin's army.
After a few days of rest, they launched a full-scale assault on Genoa.
Northwestern Italy, Novara
In a French army tent near Novara, Napoleon quickly sketched three arrows on the map.
His eyes burned with intensity as he looked at the officers before him.
—We have three choices.
He pointed to the first arrow.
—We can march south and attack Turin. This could force Sardinia to withdraw from the anti-French coalition.
Then, he moved to the second arrow.
—We can move southeast—the longest route—to Genoa and strike Melas's army from behind. If General Dimoulin coordinates properly, we could trap the enemy in a pincer attack.
Finally, he pointed to the third arrow.
—Or we can move east—toward Milan. Seizing the Austrian stronghold in Italy.
Marmont didn't hesitate.
—Commander, we must prioritize General Dimoulin's safety.
—According to yesterday's reports, he is facing nearly twice as many enemy troops.
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