Napoleon noticed Victor's look of confusion and prompted him, "Do you remember Marshal Bolieu's age?"
"Ah, he seems to be about 69 years old."
"Yes, 69 years," Napoleon nodded. "He's been fighting wars for over 50 years and is extremely experienced.
If he finds that his vanguard encounters no resistance upon entering France, he will undoubtedly become highly cautious.
On the contrary, if we launch a fierce counterattack, he'll be convinced that Toulon can be easily taken."
Victor suddenly understood, "Indeed. A victory would encourage the Austrians to advance deeper quickly."
He then thought of the current deployment of the Italian Front Army and cautiously reminded, "Lieutenant Colonel Buonaparte, isn't our positioning too far back?"
Napoleon had stationed the French Army west of Nice, leaving the easternmost part of the Toulon Province completely undefended—Nice being the largest city on Toulon's eastern side was undoubtedly the optimal place to fortify.
