The Fox of France

Chapter 103: Toulon 1

Chapter 103: Toulon 1

When the news of Toulon's fall reached Joseph, he immediately realized he was in trouble. Because once Toulon was lost, France's control over Corsica would be almost reduced to zero.

"Damn it, my family is still in Corsica!"

Compared to France, Corsica was, in some sense, safer. At least the holy relics of the improved Great Revolution hadn't been shipped to Corsica yet. But now, the brilliance around Napoleon was starting to emerge. Though not as dazzling as it would later become, it was at least... a firefly, right?

"Once Toulon falls, it's just a matter of time before Corsica ends up in British hands. Well, Paoli had close dealings with the British. He's not likely to let this opportunity slip. But Napoleon hasn't severed ties with Paoli completely, and Paoli is a bit smarter... Anyway, we need to get them out of Corsica. But the trouble is, France seems even more dangerous than Corsica right now."

With these thoughts in mind, he was suddenly interrupted by a song coming from outside the window: "Everything will be fine, everything will be fine, the profiteers are hanging from lampposts..."

Joseph furrowed his brows and turned to look outside, where a group of men with spears, dressed in rags, sang as they walked down the nearby street. At the front of the group, a head was impaled on the tip of a spear.

"I wonder who that unlucky soul is. Probably a flour shop owner," Joseph thought, and then realized that bringing his family to Paris might not be such a good idea after all.

"They haven't seen all of this before, and it's enough to terrify anyone. But leaving them in Corsica isn't a solution either. This is a headache! Maybe I should discuss this with Napoleon."

However, Napoleon had returned to Paris, but he wasn't staying in the city. His army couldn't be stationed in the heart of Paris. Napoleon's Fifth Corps was now stationed near the Montmartre Heights to the north of the city. In the years to come, this area would become one of the most charming in Paris, home to famous establishments like the Moulin Rouge. But for now, it was just an ordinary highland.

During lunch, Joseph told Carnot that he needed to go to Montmartre to meet with Napoleon. He entrusted his two younger brothers to Carnot's care temporarily. They had already gotten used to getting free meals at Carnot's place.

"Why are you going to see Napoleon at this time?" Carnot asked.

"Lazare, you know that our entire family, my mother, and several sisters are in Corsica. With Toulon in trouble, Corsica might face turmoil as well, so I'm worried."

"That is a problem," Carnot said. "You should take a leave and discuss it with Napoleon. Corsica will likely fall into the hands of the British for a while. Find a way to bring them to France, but both you and Napoleon shouldn't go there."

"I understand the stakes, Lazare," Joseph said. "If we go, it would only increase the danger for them."

"Alright, take my carriage then. I'll also send some guards with you. The roads aren't very safe these days."

...

Napoleon also agreed to bring the entire family out of Corsica, but he believed they shouldn't come to Paris. They needed to find a safer place for them.

"Let Lucien go get them," Napoleon said. "He's old enough to do something useful. Once they arrive, we'll buy a secluded estate in the provinces and have them stay there for a while, with Lucien taking care of them."

"Lucien?" Joseph was still hesitant. "He's not the most reliable."

"Come on, Joseph," Napoleon shook his head. "You've always believed that no one is reliable except yourself. Lucien might not seem dependable, but it's because he thinks he has a safety net. If we entrust him with a real task, he'll handle it."

Joseph thought for a moment and realized that he had to involve Lucien in this. But he wanted to find a reliable companion for him. So he asked, "Do you have someone in your ranks who is particularly clever?"

"There are a few bright young officers, but most of them have become captains, even majors or colonels by now. To have them help us in our personal matters..."

"Don't worry," Joseph said. "We can use our connections to have one of them transferred to the south. They can take care of our affairs."

"I think Captain Chrysler would be a good choice. He's cautious and can complement Lucien's shortcomings. What do you think?"

"He's your subordinate, so you know him better than I do. All right, you decide and give me the list. I'll take care of the rest."

In the vicinity of Toulon, the French had only recently formed new units, and due to the recent chaos, these units were not even fully equipped. As a result, the French struggled to organize an effective counterattack.

At this moment, if the British could quickly assemble a substantial force and land in Toulon before marching north, it would pose a significant threat to France, considering the influence of the royalists in the south. However, the British Prime Minister, Pitt, had recently cut the army by a quarter to save expenses. Therefore, raising a large army wasn't an easy task. Furthermore, the British had little interest in French mainland territory. They were more focused on capturing French colonial territories.

Although the French had lost their colonial holdings in India to the British during the Seven Years' War, they still had significant colonies in North Africa and North America. Now that the British controlled Toulon, they effectively severed France's connection to North Africa. It was a strategic move that would provide significant benefits for the British. While the British had no intention of moving north and aiding the Austrians and Prussians in the fight against France, they were eager to secure the North African colonies.

In light of this, the British government and Pitt decided not to allocate significant additional troops to Toulon. However, under pressure from Austria and Prussia, they did make some efforts to persuade Spain and the Kingdom of Sardinia to send troops to Toulon.

Spain initially agreed to send 10,000 troops, but upon their arrival in Toulon, they found that British troops were disembarking and embarking simultaneously. The ones disembarking were combat troops, while those embarking were mostly hastily recruited engineering units. The Spanish realized that this was a sign that they could use the opportunity to shift their forces to North Africa to seize territory, especially since the British presence in Toulon cut off the French connection to North Africa. Consequently, the Spanish stopped their reinforcement efforts to Toulon.

The Kingdom of Sardinia had also initially agreed to send 5,000 troops, but by the time they were ready to embark, they noticed the unusual movements of both Spain and Britain. They realized that it would be unwise to engage the French on the mainland, as there was no chance of territorial gain. The French, on the other hand, held significant colonies in North Africa and North America. Therefore, the Sardinians decided not to send troops to Toulon and instead focused on the Mediterranean and island territories.

As a result, during a critical period, the number of foreign troops in Toulon not only didn't increase significantly but the truly effective foreign forces inexplicably decreased.

Of course, the three countries were playing their cards close to their chests to avoid alerting the Austrians and Prussians. They shared the roster of the troops sent to Toulon, but they conveniently omitted the fact that most of these troops were stationed on the Mediterranean side of France.

This strange time delay gave the French more time to react. Carnot first sent a corps under General Poup aimed at attacking Toulon and ordered Napoleon's Fifth Corps to prepare to move south to support the Toulon front.

Seizing this opportunity, Joseph proposed to Carnot that a "vanguard" should be dispatched to Toulon to assess the situation.

This request was quickly approved by Carnot, although he knew that both Joseph and Napoleon were using this opportunity to help their families still in Corsica.

The vanguard was dispatched, with Lucien serving as their "guide." Napoleon began preparations to lead his troops south, while Joseph suggested another plan to Carnot.