Napoleon could understand Junot’s concern. Each of the divisional commanders would have been hoping to become the new commander of the Army of Italy. Instead the post had gone to a man eleven years junior to the youngest of them. Moreover, Napoleon had never commanded any force larger than the artillery train which he had used to bombard the defences of Toulon two and a half years earlier. They were bound to regard him as a political appointment.The puppet of Paul Barras and the other Directors at the head of the government in Paris. Well let them think that, Napoleon mused.The more wrong-headed they were the easier they would be to impress once the campaign began and he won his first victories against the Austrians and their rag-tag allies in the Italian peninsula.

He turned away from the window and took his seat at the head of the long table in the merchant’s finely decorated dining room. The members of his personal staff, Junot, Berthier, Murat and Marmont, were seated either side of him as they waited for the three generals to be admitted to the first meeting of the army’s senior officers.

The double doors at the end of the room were opened by a pair of corporals and Napoleon and his staff rose graciously as the divisional commanders entered the room in their fine dress coats, laced with gold braid. They handed their hats and swordbelts to the corporals and took their places at the table. Napoleon made the introductions before resuming his seat to begin the briefing.

‘Well then, gentlemen, Paris has asked us to drive the Austrians from Italy.At the same time we are to make allies of any Italian kingdom that we can, and overawe or crush the rest. All in a day’s work for the soldiers of France, I think you’ll agree.’

The officers chuckled easily enough at the remark and Napoleon continued.‘However, I have to say that the task will not be quite so easy given the current condition of the Army of Italy. I was told in Paris that there were forty-two thousand men in the army. What I discover when I get here is that there are no more than thirty thousand, and most of them are hungry and poorly equipped and haven’t been paid for months. In one unit I passed through yesterday the men were wearing goatskins for coats and many of them did not even have boots. The army’s artillery train consists of twenty light mountain guns and a handful of transport mules.That’s not going to frighten any enemy. Small wonder that the morale of the officers and men is as low as it is.’

General Augereau laced his fingers together and leaned back in his chair. ‘Well, you can’t believe everything you hear in Paris, it would seem. Perhaps you should return there and tell them the truth, sir.’