Just then, Massena and a staff officer briskly entered the tent.

Moro lazily got up, saluted with his hat, and said, “I’m delighted to see you on such a cold day, General Massena. It warms me immensely. Shall we play chess or continue discussing opera today?”

Their camps were very close to each other, and the two of them often visited one another.

Massena gestured for the staff officer to hand Sharp Signal Tower’s official document to Moro and said solemnly:

“This is an order just sent from the General Staff, Lieutenant Colonel. Your troops must be ready to move within two days.”

“Move?” Moro unfolded the order with confusion, and immediately his face lit up with joy, “Cross the river? Thank the Crown Prince, you’ve finally remembered me!”

But he quickly looked at Massena with some uncertainty: “General, are you sure you’re only giving me 15,000 men…

“If we’re to attack Bavaria, we have to advance deep into the heart of Germany. This amount of troops may not be reliable enough, right?”

The General Staff’s order instructed him to lead four regiments of the Royal Third Infantry Division, several Royal Light Infantry Camps, and one artillery camp to immediately move north to Strasbourg, then cross the Rhine from there, passing through Baden to strike Bavaria directly.

Massena nodded: “Do you know why the General Staff has kept us stationed idly in Alsace?”

“I suppose they were waiting for changes on other battlefronts.”

“Your mind is always so agile.” Massena said, “Just yesterday, Alvinczy’s main forces arrived in Mantua, totaling over 85,000 men.

“This means that Austria can now spare no forces to reinforce Bavaria.

“Moreover, the General Staff hasn’t assigned you any combat tasks.”

Moro excitedly straightened up and said, “General, I guarantee we can begin heading north by noon tomorrow.”

Currently, Bavaria should still have around 30,000 troops, but previously, because Massena’s corps of 30,000 troops had been eyeing them from the other side of Basel, their main forces were deployed south of Munich.

Including Austria’s Latour Army, which was also stationed on the northern side of Basel in Freiburg to guard against Massena’s offensive.

At this time, when Moro’s army suddenly crossed the river from the northern Strasbourg to attack western Bavaria, the armies of Austria and Bavaria couldn’t return in time for defense.

This is completely a case of the “darkness under the lamp” effect.

France’s Strasbourg faces Baden. Austria and Bavaria subconsciously believed that a country was blocking the front, so they felt no need to worry.

But Baden, even though a state of the Holy Roman Empire, had long had its soul shaped like that of France.

Such a country opposite Strasbourg not only doesn’t delay the French army but can even provide logistical support for Moro’s forces.

Once Moro’s army entered Bavaria, it was essentially like a tiger among a flock of sheep, freely “attacking at will.”

The reason only 15,000 men were brought along was mainly because Baden’s supply capability could only support an army of that size.

Additionally, it was important to maintain sufficient forces on the opposite side of Basel; otherwise, it might arouse Latour’s suspicion and thereby alert Bavaria to prepare.

Moro appeared careless every day, but in reality, his army was always in a state of high readiness.

After receiving the order, these troops immediately switched from defense to march mode and reached Strasbourg within two days.

This was Joseph’s comprehensive counterattack plan.

With Austria’s main forces mobilized, France simultaneously moved from Italy, the southern section of the Rhine, and Portugal, leaving the Anti-French Alliance unable to attend to all fronts and thus losing strategic initiative altogether.

…

London.

Ten Downing Street.

William Pitt Junior irritably handed the document in his hand to General Windham of the Army Committee and then looked at the Marquess of Wellesley:

“It’s quite clear; Austria is embroiled in a bitter struggle in Northern Italy.

“Although their forces there outnumber France, most are newly mobilized recruits from a few months ago.

“Now we can only deploy your new troops to Mantua to stabilize the situation there and afterward find a way to launch a counter-attack on the west bank of the Rhine River.”

After the Duke of York’s forces were defeated, the 30,000 new troops trained by Wellesley were currently the only legion Britain could immediately deploy.

This was also Britain’s most powerful fighting force. The entire unit was equipped with new percussion cap guns, the artillery followed the French model, and mounted artillery were extensively organized.

Wellesley even equipped the soldiers with a kind of bullet-proof insert. However, due to not fully understanding the manufacturing process of the French insert, they could only use a large amount of cast iron, resulting in their protection being inferior to the French version, and the weight being nearly double.

As for training, Wellesley did indeed have a method of his own.

His new army excelled in formations, physical fitness, shooting skills, and discipline among the main European armies, save for France.

Under the immense pressure from France’s new army, Wellesley’s unit appeared seven to eight years ahead of its historical timeline.

However, what he had to face was not Napoleon’s Old Guard from history.

But a new French army built by Joseph with later military concepts.

This doomed Wellesley’s future to be a tragedy.

Wellesley pondered for a while before gently sighing, meeting William Pitt Junior’s gaze, and said:

“Prime Minister, with all due respect, continuing to deploy troops in Italy or on the Rhine River line has lost its significance.

“Even if we can help Austria hold onto Mantua, it won’t allow us to achieve our initial strategic objectives.”

Indeed, when Britain initiated the Anti-French Alliance, its goal was to utterly nullify France’s ability to dominate the European Continent, turning it into an ordinary great power. At the same time, by using war to destroy France’s industry, British goods would face no competition throughout Europe.

But as things stand now, France’s sphere of influence has greatly expanded since before the war, occupying the Rhineland, commanding Northern Italy, and its army sweeping over European nations, starting to show its dominance over the continent.

Industrially, though France experienced a brief trade slump in the early stages of the war, it quickly regained control of the Mediterranean Sea, and coupled with the new markets developed in Italy and along the Rhine, its current trade volume has significantly increased compared to pre-war levels.

On the other hand, due to its massive war expenditures and the huge subsidies spent on sugar, Britain’s financial situation has been steadily worsening, having ended many years of fiscal surplus last year with a deficit as high as 6 million British pounds!

The most troubling part is that Britain’s allies, such as Prussia, Austria, and Holland, which it relied on, are all in decline, and it can be foreseen that they won’t recover for at least seven or eight years.

Britain essentially has no leverage left to continue challenging France on the European Continent.