Eight o'clock in the evening, Napoleon, accompanied by his corps commanders and elite guards, arrived at Alessandria.
As their horses trotted along the streets, Napoleon noticed the whitecoats, glaring at them subtly, feeling bitter about their defeat against him. But he paid them no heed, as he focused on the task at hand.
Arriving at the Palazzo Ghini courtyard, Napoleon dismounted his horse and approached the man who was standing by the gates, who seemed to be the head of the Austrian Army of Italy, Melas.
Napoleon extended his hand, offering a handshake. "I'm the First Consul of France, Napoleon Bonaparte," he introduced himself in German. "Are you perhaps, General Melas?"
"I am indeed, General Melas of the Austrian Army," Melas responded in French, surprising Napoleon a little. "Why? did you assume that I can't speak your language like how you did earlier?"
