Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Europe Trembles
With the successive fall of Milan and Turin into the hands of the French army, the situation for the Austrian army in Italy has become even more critical. Now, Napoleon has taken the initiative in this battle. The fall of Milan and Turin is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Archduke Charles, the commander of the Austrian southern front.
It's worth noting that the war started on the 23rd, and it has only been half a month since then. The Austrian army has already lost both Milan and Turin, along with nearly sixty thousand troops. The losses are indeed devastating.
"Damn Vasily, what on earth is he doing? I was away from Turin for just a week, and he lost the city and so many troops. How am I supposed to continue this war?" Archduke Charles was raging in the Venice command post. If he could, he would have personally executed the incompetent Vasily.
Unfortunately, Lieutenant General Vasily is now in a French prisoner-of-war camp. If Charles wants to kill him, perhaps he will have to wait until they exchange prisoners with the French.
"Order all troops to assemble in Venice. All units are to enter the highest state of readiness. Also, send an urgent request for reinforcements to Vienna. We need more troops. Ask them to provide as much support as possible," Archduke Charles commanded. Although Venice is an island with narrow terrain, making it easy to defend and hard to attack, he wasn't confident about holding it with such insufficient forces.
The only fortunate thing was that the French did not have a strong navy. Otherwise, if the French had dispatched warships to bombard the island of Venice, he wouldn't even have a place to stand.
Archduke Charles's urgent telegram for reinforcements, along with the battle report, was sent to Vienna. The early defeat of the Austrian army in the war caused a huge uproar throughout Vienna.
At the outbreak of the war, everyone in Austria was very optimistic. In the previous war with the former French government, they had easily defeated the French army, capturing tens of thousands of their troops and seizing large territories in Italy. This had made the entire Austrian population look down on France.
Most Austrians believed that the brave Austrian army would easily defeat the French forces and once again create a glorious victory. Unfortunately, the development of the war did not go as they had expected. At the very beginning of the war, they lost Milan, and even the heavily relied-upon fortress of Turin was breached by the French.
"My God! How could this happen? The brave Imperial Austrian Army was beaten so badly by those French fools. Could it be that the great Imperial Austrian Army cannot even defeat those Frenchmen? And Vasily, that fool, he dared to surrender to Napoleon. Who gave him the courage to do that?" The angry voice of Emperor Francis II of Austria echoed through Schönbrunn Palace.
The Austrian ministers and military officers could only lower their heads, allowing Francis II to vent his fury. This time, the performance of the Austrian army was so poor that even if they wanted to plead for the army, they wouldn't know what to say.
Prince Windisch-Grätz's face was pale, as if he already saw that the angry emperor would dismiss him due to the war's failure.
"Your Majesty, at present, the combat effectiveness of the French army has indeed exceeded our expectations. Napoleon is indeed a genius in warfare," Governor Josip Jelačić said, analyzing the situation while also defending his friend, Prince Windisch-Grätz. He knew his friend's abilities, and if the emperor punished him for this defeat, it would be too unfair.
"However, the key point is that the French launched their attack before we were fully prepared for war, catching us off guard. Otherwise, we wouldn't have lost so badly. The situation in Italy is indeed very tense now. But Venice is still in our hands. As long as we hold Venice, we have not completely failed. We can use Venice as a base to gradually launch counterattacks and recover lost territory."
Francis II nodded, seemingly accepting this viewpoint. Then he continued to ask:
"Can Charles and his troops hold Venice? I don't want to receive news of Venice falling soon," Francis II looked at Prince Windisch-Grätz and asked.
"Your Majesty, we have the strongest southern fortifications in Venice, along with numerous large-caliber fortress cannons. Additionally, Venice is situated on an island, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Although the French have equipped themselves with many heavy cannons, destroying Venice's defenses is nearly impossible unless they attack from the sea. Furthermore, our relationship with the Ottoman Turks has recently improved. We can try to recruit some troops from the Balkans. The soldiers there have extensive combat experience from fighting the Turks, and their assistance would undoubtedly increase our chances of success."
Upon hearing Emperor Francis II's inquiry, Prince Windisch-Grätz quickly responded. He felt a sense of relief, knowing that he had passed this test.
Francis II nodded, "Send word to Charles that he must hold Venice at all costs!"
...
The war between France and Austria had already captured the world's attention. While 19th-century Europe was not entirely peaceful, large-scale wars were relatively rare. This clash between two of Europe's military powers, France and Austria, was significant. Both countries boasted strong armies, and their combat tactics represented the pinnacle of European military strategy. The outcome of this conflict would greatly influence the European political landscape.
As technology advanced, military techniques also made significant progress. New weapons and technologies needed to be tested on the battlefield, so every nation was closely watching this war. Britain, being Austria's ally and a crucial part of the plan to counterbalance France, was particularly invested in the Austrian campaign. Thus, at the onset of the war, the British authorities dispatched numerous military observers to monitor the battlefield.
This allowed them to gain detailed insights into the use of new weapons and tactics and enabled their nation to keep abreast of the war's developments. Before the war began, most countries believed the conflict would reach a stalemate and eventually turn into a prolonged war of attrition with heavy losses. However, the actual outcome took everyone by surprise.
The war had only been underway for half a month, and Austria had already lost over 50,000 men in Italy, as well as the cities of Milan and Turin. This meant they had lost the initiative in Italy. It's important to note that only half a month had passed since the war began! The speed of the French advance was astonishing. If the French army could maintain this pace and continue to decimate the Austrian forces, wouldn't that mean they could expel the entire Austrian army from Italy within another month?
Moreover, the formidable strength displayed by the French army had greatly shocked other nations. Some countries, such as Turkey and certain Balkan states, were pleased by this turn of events. Austria, as a European power, often bullied weaker nations with its strong military. If Austria were to be defeated in this battle, it might be forced to keep a lower profile for a while.
In contrast to the Turks' joy, the British were deeply concerned about the situation. They had welcomed the outbreak of the war, hoping that both France and Austria would become mired in a prolonged conflict that would drain their resources. However, the war's outcome had defied their expectations. The French army's combat effectiveness was too strong, and the Austrians were too weak.
As a result, the British had to consider other strategies.
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