While things may seen quiet elsewhere, there has been dancing in the alps.
Following the repulse at Vaduz on January 20th, the Austrians fell back to lick their wounds and were grateful that Moreau did not pursue. On the 25th, they received enough intelligence to allow them to attempt a gamble, hoping to take advantage of interior lines.
Leaving a force in the south to screen, to prevent the French from knowing that he had pulled out, Louis then marched his divisions north to Vaduz. Great care was taken with corps composition, road priority, forced marches so that twelve Austrian divisions were on the battlefield for the second battle of Vaduz. Lannes' XV withdrew to Chur.
Anticipating that the French would mass themselves at Chur in such force as to make attacking impossible, Archduke Louis took a second roll of the dice. The Ott Hussars put up a cavalry screen toward Chur and the Austrian army in its entirety began a force march to Zurich, via Lindau. Road congestion required that the extraction from Vaduz would require two days. Would Moreau allow it?
The Freisner Hussars and Archduke Louis halted at Konstanz on the night of the 30th but is startled to hear artillery fire from Zurich. The Second German Division has already attacked Zurich. That division, on the morning of the 25th of January, was at Scoul and is now fighting its second battle in five days while marching seven road lengths. It is two days ahead of the rest of its fatigued Corps.
Moreau though has not been idle. Either sensing the maneouver of Louis or getting intelligence from Zurich, he has pressed forward and driven off the courageous Ott Hussars at first Vaduz and then Lindau. The also caught two militia divisions at Lindau who were not good enough marchers to keep up with their Corps. They are no Second German Division.
From this position, things become quite tense. Does Moreau drive on Innsbruck? Anticipating the fall of Zurich and the loss of the Helvetic Republic, does he look to fall back onto a new line of communication? Pressing forward would entirely cut him off from any couriers from Italy or any replacements but the road to Innsbruck seems open. For Louis, can he somehow prevent the fall of Innsbruck? More troops are hurrying to the theater but we do not know what Moreau now intends to do
