Before the French Army troops entered the city, they halted outside, and Anning gave a pre-entry mobilization speech to the entire army.
"We are the liberators of Italy, not plunderers. We must display our fine discipline and truly live up to what is sung in the military anthems: take not a penny, treat people with courtesy!"
Anning, mounted on horseback, loudly addressed all the troops.
His army included many who had joined after being defeated by Lafayette, and their military discipline was not as strong as that of his original foundation troops.
These troops were prone to looting, and in Diego, Anning had seriously dealt with a few looters, thus enforcing strict discipline.
If possible, Anning wanted to allow only Davout's division to enter the city, as it was composed of his original troops, who had undergone over a year of training and education, and certainly had much stronger discipline than the conscripted troops.
