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

Chapter 1257 Cloudy turns to sunny
Duke Uvarov's sentiments were shared by all Russians. In fact, while the Austrian Empire was too busy looking east, Russia could have continued its advance into the Balkans.

Unfortunately, Russia was also hampered by internal rebellion at this time and missed the opportunity.

On December 1849, 6, it turned cloudy and sunny.

Naval base in Barcelona, ​​Spain.

General Joaquin Iglesias sat in front of the nautical chart, unable to calm down for a long time.

"Declaring war on the Austrian Empire is a stupid idea. Her Majesty is crazy! She actually asked us to take the initiative to attack. Now those broken ships in the navy shipping are almost as old as me!
We shall be thankful that our fleet does not sink immediately after leaving the port!"

After complaining for a while, General Iglesias returned to his seat and stared at the nautical chart in a daze.

In fact, General Iglesias had taken almost all possibilities into consideration, including reefs, coastal artillery, waves, monsoons, and he even considered feigning surrender.

But the results of his speculation all pointed to defeat, and he had to admit that his fleet posed no threat at all.

It’s not that the old warships are unusable, but that this batch of old warships can no longer be used.

The old wooden hull was already decaying even before it was launched, and just like this ancient empire, it could collapse at any time.

Although General Iglesias did not know the details of the Mediterranean naval battle, it has not yet been determined whether it was the French Navy or the Austrian Navy that defeated the British.

But he had witnessed the Austrian Navy's bombardment of Gibraltar, the terrifying fleet, and the overwhelming fire.

As a soldier, Iglesias could not tolerate the two countries fighting in Spain's inland waters. Many Spanish naval generals at the time could not accept this.

They couldn't defeat the British, but the Austrian navy was not well-known, so they wanted to see for themselves.

However, when the Austrian Navy's fleet passed by, even though the flag was lowered to half-mast out of courtesy, the sense of oppression made many Spanish naval commanders breathless.

In fact, no matter whether you know about the navy or not, cannons and huge ships can give people the most intuitive shock.

The main fleet of the Austrian Navy undoubtedly meets this requirement. The tonnage of the entire fleet exceeds 3,000 tons, which means that each ship can serve as a battleship or flagship in the Spanish fleet.

The rumbling black smoke marked the gap between the times. The whistle used by the Austrian Navy to salute actually scared the Spanish Navy soldiers into falling into the water.

Is this still the invincible Spain? Is this still the invincible fleet?
Obviously not.

The sun has set and the afterglow is fading.

Continuous wars, plagues, floods, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, locusts, greedy and stupid officials, corrupt and incompetent governments, churches that only know how to make money and seize power, and cruel and licentious monarchs are repeatedly tormenting this land.

Joaquin Iglesias was born into a prominent family. He had seen darkness that ordinary people could not imagine, so he was determined to revitalize Spain since he was a child.

After the Anti-French War, Joaquín Iglesias went to Britain, the world's most powerful navy at the time, to study naval technology. However, when he returned after completing his studies, he found that this country could not accommodate him at all.

No one wanted to reform the navy. There was no funding, no sponsorship, and not even enough maintenance costs. The only thing was that no one deducted the salaries of officers and soldiers.

In fact, this is not difficult to understand, because no matter who comes to power, he has to win over the military.

The army also has its own logic, that is, making trouble can bring benefits. Therefore, every time the regime changes, the army will always make some trouble.

Even if there is no trouble, you have to report the rebellion to your superiors, because only in this way can you get better treatment and become a useful person in the eyes of the new government.

General Joaquín Iglesias finished his recollections and opened the door, which was already crowded with young officers who came to ask for battle.

After all, Spain was once glorious, and even at the end of its dynasty there were still countless passionate young people.

"General! Give the order! We are not afraid of death!"

"For the dignity of our country! Let's fight them!" "Spain will win!"

"No one can stop us from sacrificing our lives for our country!"

Tears welled up in Joaquin Iglesias' eyes. He was once a passionate young man like this, so he could empathize with the others.

Joaquin Iglesias gritted his teeth as if he had decided something, then he took a deep breath and said.

"Good! Spain will not perish as long as you are here. But now the gap between our navy and the Austrian navy is too big, and taking the initiative to attack is tantamount to hitting a rock with an egg.

We will fight the Austrian navy in the port, and the shore artillery and reefs will help us. Even if the gap between the two sides is huge, they will not be able to take the port in a short time.

I need you to leave now."

"Why?" The young officers obviously did not understand the general's approach. They were the backbone of the army, and their superiors either did not understand military affairs or were timid and cowardly.

Soldiers? What do those farmers and tramps know? What concept of a country do they have in their heads? They are lazy and gluttonous all day long. They are brave and aggressive on weekdays, but they have diarrhea when they fight.

Without these young officers, the army would soon fall apart.

"I need you to go to Cadiz and Valencia to ask for reinforcements, and we old guys will stay here to hold back the Austrians.

Then we can cooperate with the outside forces to destroy the Austrian Navy in one fell swoop."

The young officers couldn't help but gasp. It seemed that the general was going to sacrifice his life for his country.

They also felt the heavy mission on their shoulders and had to immediately notify the friendly forces in Cadiz and Valencia and gather the entire Spanish Navy to destroy the Austrian Navy's vanguard.

The young officers set off on the boat without thinking too much. They knew that time was running out and a second's delay would make the battle situation more critical.

After the young officers left, the naval port returned to calm and a soldier hurried into the command center.

"Commander, the fleet of the Austrian Imperial Navy is here!"

Joaquin Iglesias took a deep breath, stood up and said.

"Let everyone gather in the square."

A quarter of an hour later, Barcelona Naval Base Square.

The soldiers who usually act in a lazy manner were surprisingly well-organized today.

Iglesias walked through his troops and onto the podium, where the top military brass had been waiting for a long time, all dressed in extraordinarily formal attire.

The dark clouds hanging overhead made people feel depressed, and the square fell into a brief silence.

"Spanish soldiers! The fleet of the Austrian Imperial Navy is parked on the sea five kilometers away. They have the best and largest ships in the world, their troops are endless, and their supplies are as high as a mountain.

They will surely liberate Spain and save our country from the rule of the evil queen!
Long live the Habsburgs!"

"Long live!"

The dark clouds in the sky seemed to be dispersed by the soldiers' shouts, the sun shone through the clouds, and everyone seemed to be bathed in the light of peace.

"Raise the double eagle flag!"

　Thanks to my book friends Zhan Wuliang and Zhige for the tip.

(End of this chapter)