Editing War of the Third Coalition (section)

===French plans and dispositions===
Days before any actual fighting, Napoleon had given an impression to the Allies that his army was in a weak state and that he desired a negotiated peace.{{sfn|McLynn|1997|p=342}} In reality, he was hoping that they would attack, and to encourage them on this mission he deliberately weakened his right flank.{{sfn|Brooks|2000|p=109}} On 28 November, Napoleon met with his marshals at Imperial Headquarters and they informed him of their qualms and fears about the upcoming battle, even suggesting a retreat, but he shrugged off their complaints and went to work.{{sfn|Fisher|Fremont-Barnes|2004|p=48}} Napoleon's plan envisioned that the Allies would throw so many troops to envelop his right flank that their centre would be severely weakened. He then counted on a massive French thrust, to be conducted by 16,000 troops of [[Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult|Soult]]'s IV Corps, through the centre to cripple the Allied army. Meanwhile, to support his weak right flank, Napoleon ordered Davout's [[III Corps (Grande Armée)|III Corps]] to force march all the way from Vienna and join General Legrand's men, who held the extreme southern flank that would bear the heavy part of the Allied attack. Davout's soldiers had 48 hours to March {{convert|110|km|mi|abbr=on}}. Their arrival would be extremely crucial in determining the success or failure of the French plan. The [[French Imperial Guard|Imperial Guard]] and [[Charles XIV John of Sweden|Bernadotte]]'s I Corps were held in reserve while the V Corps under [[Jean Lannes|Lannes]] guarded the northern sector of the battle.