Napoleon’s mind raced. It was true that he had been asked to draft some plans for the campaigns of the Army of Italy, and he had written some assessments of the war capability of Genoa, but did that qualify him as an expert? If he assumed the role too readily he risked being thought impudent. On the other hand, this might be a chance to improve his prospects. He straightened his back and nodded modestly as he replied.

‘It is true that I have a thorough knowledge of the Italian theatre, citizen.Though I have been out of touch with operations for some months now.’

‘Then you are not aware of the latest reports from the front?’

Napoleon shrugged. ‘I read the newspapers, citizen.’

‘The newspapers are hardly intelligence reports.’ Carnot sniffed. ‘Besides, even they don’t yet know of the latest situation. But they will soon enough. Some fool or other on the Committee will blurt it out to one of his friends and it’ll be round Paris quicker than a dose of the clap.’ Carnot eased himself forward and stared directly at Napoleon. ‘General Kellermann and his men have suffered another defeat. The Army of the Alps is in full retreat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kellermann had scurried halfway back to Paris by now.’

Napoleon was irritated to hear the hero of Valmy spoken of so dismissively and instinctively rallied to a fellow officer’s defence. ‘The general must have his reasons for withdrawing, citizen.’

‘Oh, I’m sure he does.’ Carnot wafted a hand. ‘But let us call a spade a spade, Bonaparte. This is no withdrawal, it is a retreat pure and simple.The man has been beaten.What the Committee wants to know is whether it is worth renewing our efforts to take Italy from the Austrians, or whether we should be content with just defending the frontier. Now, you know the terrain, you know the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses and you know what our men are capable of achieving. So, then, which course of action would you advise?’

Napoleon hurriedly marshalled the knowledge he had of the Italian front and mentally composed his response before he spoke. There was only a short pause before he began, ticking the points off with his fingers.

‘We need Italy. France’s treasury is almost empty. There’s plenty of wealth to be had from seizing Austria’s Italian provinces. We might even be able to exact enough money to pay for the war. Besides, it’s not as if the Italians are keen to stay under the Austrian yoke. If France promises them freedom and political reform, then we can be sure of winning over all but the most entrenched of their aristocrats. We could also make good use of the enmity that exists between Genoa, Lombardy,Venice, Rome and Naples. Play them off against each other and we can take each one in turn.’