lines of communication were too long, with hostile and disgruntled cities
on their flanks. Napoleon saw clearly enough that his chief problem was
going to be that of taking Mantua while the Austrians were trying to
relieve it, even while diverting significant parts of his own army to keep
control of conquered territory. He became impatient when no word was
received from Moreau and Jourdan on the other fronts. Unless they took
the offensive soon, Austria could pour troops into Italy. On 8 June he had
written testily to General Henri Clarke in the Topographical Bureau in
Paris: 'I see only one way of avoiding being beaten in the autumn: that is
to arrange matters so that we are not obliged to march into the south of
Italy. According to all the information reaching us, the Emperor is
sending many troops to his Italian army. We wait impatiently for news
from the Rhine.'
Under pressure from the Directory to lay hands on the wealth of
Florence, Rome and Naples, Napoleon decided to risk a quick southern
expedition before bringing the siege of Mantua to a conclusion. He sent
two divisions south to occupy Bologna, Ferrara and Tuscany. Augereau
defeated the forces of the Papacy near Bologna, and negotiations opened
with Pius VI. Napoleon played a double game, writing fiery philippics
about the 'infamy of priestcraft' to the Directory, while writing secretly to
Cardinal Mattei about his great reverence for the Holy Father. The Pope
soon signed an armistice, conceding the occupation of Ancona and
agreeing to pay a huge indemnity, including art treasures to be taken
from the Vatican galleries. Faced with this defection, Tuscany surren
dered, Florence and Ferrara opened their gates, and the French occupied
Leghorn (29 June), thus denying the Royal Navy a valuable base.
Napoleon's life after Josephine's arrival was schizoid, divided as it was
between quickly snatched meetings with his wife in Milan and urgent
rushing to a political or military flashpoint. Just before she arrived he had
visited Tortono, Piacenza, Parma, Reggio and Modena. Later he was in
Bologna and was lionized by the Grand Duke in Florence. As far as
possible he left the day-to-day siege of Mantua to Serurier. In Milan he
moved his military headquarters from the Palazzo Serbelloni to the Villa
Crivelli at Mombello outside the city, where it was said that a vast throng
of army officers, administrators, contractors and lobbyists could always
be found in a huge marquee he had set up in the ga rdens. He never really
cared for the Serbelloni Palace but spent his time with Josephine there.
Under her influence he began to cut a quasi-imperial dash, dining in
public or parading with an escort of three hundred red-uniformed
lancers.