Chapter 867 Mantua Offensive and Defensive Battle: First Relief

"As for Lieutenant Colonel Desai's troops," Napoleon lightly flicked the reins and continued, "do you really think they've been carrying out sniper tasks in Verona all this time?"

Verona is the city north of Mantua. Over a month ago, Napoleon had Desai lead more than twenty thousand soldiers there, posing as if to delay Wilmze's reinforcements.

Oreal asked in surprise, "Isn't that the case? However, Desai's Army has indeed slowed Wilmze's march southward."

"Of course not. Three days after the Austrian reinforcements chose to bypass Verona, I ordered Lieutenant Colonel Desai to move along the Adige River to the east of Mantua."

The Adige River is Italy's second-largest river, located north of Mantua.

And Verona is the most important crossing point in the middle of the Adige River. Controlling it can severely disrupt supplies from Austria to Mantua.

To bypass it, Wilmze had to cross the Adige River at Trento to the north, while the left flank bypassed south towards Mantua.