The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1062 War begins

On the east bank of the Ticino River, the frontline headquarters of the Italian Legion of the Austrian Empire.

"The French are still so arrogant. We have almost twice as many troops as them at this time, and they actually dare to withdraw troops from the front line."

An old staff officer who had experienced the anti-French war said, but his words were immediately questioned by a colleague.

"Could the French be doing this to us on purpose? Our intelligence shows that their food supply will not last more than a few months.

Could it be that they want to lure us into a decisive battle before the food runs out? "

This sentence is actually not unreasonable, because with the end of the war in other battlefields, the French army is in a state of comprehensive contraction, so the Austrian Empire can mobilize more troops to go to the Italian battlefield.

In addition to the troops of the Austrian Empire itself, there were also a large number of new soldiers and volunteers from the German states. More than 400,000 troops were gathered along the Ticino River alone.

One hundred dung trucks and three hundred workers were needed just to clean up the 120 tons of excrement produced by the soldiers every day.

Fortunately, the military camp was not far from the farm, but soon the septic tanks in the nearest villages were full, and the collectors had to travel further afield to peddle the waste.

"How is that possible? Your Excellency Marshal, the volunteers we sent are only ten thousand people. How could it be possible for the French to go to war in such a big way?"

The Austrian army also organized an Irish Brigade, but the officers were basically Austrians.

Although Radetzki has not received the information yet, he still has his own judgment.

But for the vast majority of Irish refugees, this is already a paradise-like life. At least they don't have to worry about starving to death.

Most of the scavengers in the army were Irish refugees that Franz had accepted before. Without the language barrier, they could only do this simple and easily despised job.

"You coward! How many French troops are there on the other side?"

"In the past month or so, the French have built a large number of fortifications on the other side of the river. Coupled with the existence of the Ticino River, it is not that easy to fight through."

"Yes, Your Excellency, Marshal. A sergeant only carries the false name of a commander. He is not even qualified to stand on the chessboard."

"A decisive battle? Do they dare?"

The old staff officer who had experienced the anti-French war had never encountered such a rich battle, and he really didn't know how to lose.

But this sounded unbelievable to the staff.

"You reckless man! There is no point in having more people! The enemy has the advantage! They are just waiting for us to take the bait!"

"This time, Archduke Franz's infiltration tactics must have worked."

Most of the grassroots officers of the Austrian Empire have learned how to communicate with soldiers without using language through long-term practice, so language is not a problem, but "Thirty Words Must Be Replied on the Battlefield" still needs to be learned.

Marshal Radetzky stopped the quarrel among his subordinates.

"enough!"

“It is true that we sent less than 10,000 volunteers, but there are tens of thousands of Sardinian soldiers and millions of residents in southern Sardinia.

As long as the timing is right, even an ant can affect the overall situation. What's more, he is not an ordinary ant.

Looking at the bounty the French have placed on him, I'm afraid that all of you together can't even compare to a fraction of their reward. The enemy's evaluation is often the truest. "

The staff officer was silent. Indeed, they were not even qualified to receive a reward.

"And we don't have time. On August 1848, 8, the two sides will officially armistice. If we can't give the French a hard blow now, we can only watch them retreat."

"But Marshal, what should we do with the enemy's trenches and fortifications? If the troops crossing the river cannot stand firm, then what awaits us will be a big rout."

This time, it was the old staff officer who had participated in the anti-French war who spoke in frustration. Marshal Radetzky patted the old brother on the shoulder.

"Old man, times have changed. The airships have been deployed and they will clear the way for us."

"Oh my god! Stop joking! Mr. Marshal, do you really believe those balloons? How many truths do those magicians say?"

In fact, the Austrian Empire was also dubious about airships. They really doubted that these slow-moving large balloons were as powerful as the Pope boasted. Many people even believed that this was a hoax created by Archduke Franz and Pius IX.

Due to the lack of basic technology, the speed of the Austrian Empire's airships at this time was only six kilometers per hour under windless conditions, and it usually took more than a minute to fly one hundred meters.

Even the stupidest, thinnest, and most lazy soldier does not need a minute to run 100 meters, so many officers doubt whether this weapon can be used in actual combat.

"I believe it." Marshal Radetzki said firmly.

"Look at the Empire's new rockets, and look at those Congreve rockets in our warehouses. What's the difference between the latter and the ignited sticks?

Look at those steel cannons and lever-action rifles. These are things we couldn't even imagine in the past.

As Archduke Franz said, 'We must believe in science.'"

Seeing that the old marshal had made a decision, the staff had no objections and were just working out the best attack plan.

However, the armistice and peace talks between France and Austria surprised many people. After all, the Austrian army had not yet invaded France at this time, and I always felt that the actions of both parties were a bit too hasty.

Early on the next morning, all the artillery and rockets of the Austrian Empire's Italian Corps fired at the French positions on the opposite bank.

The destructive rain of bullets fell on the French position, with mud flying and blood flying everywhere. A French officer stood up and tried to stop the soldiers running around, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the explosion.

A heavy rocket fell into the trench, and an entire row of soldiers was blown to pieces in an instant. The scene of blood raining down made the survivors lose the will to resist on the spot.

All the Austrian artillery used were new-style explosive shells, which were much more intimidating than the big iron balls in the past. Especially the shock caused by the successive explosions made people feel extremely desperate, like being in an earthquake.

The doomsday storm gradually subsided, and everywhere was filled with smoke, the smell of burning, and a disgusting stench.

In fact, during the shelling just now, Marshal Radetzki specifically asked the artillery to focus on the French toilets.

Whether gunpowder and feces are the cause, the answer is feces exploding the sky.

The shells flew into the manure pit and ignited the methane gas. The huge explosion caused the excrement in the manure pit to rise into the sky, creating a small rainfall in the next few seconds, which fell cracklingly on the nearby French troops.

Some people were even buried alive in the trenches by these sticky objects that fell to the ground. The stench soon spread in the French positions, making people unable to open their eyes.

Some French officers wanted to direct their troops to fill the front line, but they inhaled the disgusting gas and couldn't help but retched.

But soon they couldn't close their mouths, because countless ferocious beasts in the sky were slowly approaching their positions, and the Austrian army on the other side of the river also began to cross the river in full force.