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

Chapter 1276 Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Part )
Did they know that although the Duchy of Liege was a territory of the Austrian Empire, it had a high degree of autonomy and could even retain 80% of its taxes for its own development?

The Duchy of Liege not only enjoyed the protection, economic and trade relations, and diplomatic privileges of the Austrian Empire, but also received economic assistance from its homeland.

Although these people also wanted independence, in order to avoid being annexed by France, they had to find a big enough backer, and the Austrian Empire was the most suitable choice.

Therefore, as the elite class, the Spanish nationalists did not oppose the coming of the Austrian Empire. As for the Austrian Empire's suppression of local nobles and landlords, it was actually beneficial to these emerging classes.

Coupled with the continuous victories on the battlefield, the vast majority of Spanish people soon turned to the Austrian Empire. Although the southeast coast of Spain was full of smoke, only a few people actually resisted the Austrian Empire.

Most of the nobles still had the basic survival wisdom. In the early stages of the war, most people were on the sidelines. However, those noble and landlord armed forces were really hard to resist.

On the other hand, the legions of homeless people and farmers were too brutal. They were afraid that those guys would take this opportunity to expand the range of their attack, so they chose to slide to their knees at the speed of light.

Not to mention renting out the land, most nobles were even willing to rent out their wives and daughters as long as they could keep their property. After all, in the eyes of the nobles at that time, wives and daughters were also part of their property.

In addition, although the Austrian Empire's army did not participate in many battles, it left a deep impression on the Spanish countryside bumpkins every time.

The combat effectiveness of the main force of the Austrian Empire and that of the Spanish army are no longer comparable. The gap between the two sides on the battlefield is like the gap between the Spanish conquerors and the Aztec natives.

The marching route that Gordon thought was covert had actually been discovered long ago, and many of the missing scouts were even killed by the locals.

Gabrenz touched his chin. Over the years, from Mexico to Africa, to Italy, Galicia, and Hungary, he was very familiar with the armies of these weak countries.

"Just let the Barcelona army and our main force attack from the front and back, and there will be no more war in Catalonia.

Varna must surrender or die."

"You also missed a possibility. He can still escape."

Benedek reminded.

"I think your tactics are too risky. Our mission at this time is to defend the occupied area, not to occupy the entire Catalonia."

General Gabrentz was not to be outdone.

"If we conquer all of Catalonia, we won't have to worry like you do all the time. No matter what our current mission is, our ultimate goal is always to occupy and liberate all of Spain."

“Now our Austrian Empire has three landing points in Spain, namely Barcelona, ​​Valencia, and Cadiz.

We are only one of the three routes, and our actions must be coordinated with the other two routes. It is in line with the overall strategy."

"Stop! What is the overall strategy now? How do you know that our actions will not help the actions of the other two routes?
If you stay in the city all day, will the Spanish surrender on their own?"

Benedek took out a stack of reports and threw them on the table.

"At least two brigades of the Spanish government forces in Catalonia have already rebelled. It won't be long before they become like the Italians."

"Then can you save some military expenses for our country? Do you know how much food those hundreds of thousands of mouths need to eat in a day?"

Gabrentz said angrily.

"Then do you know how many people will die if you fight along the way?"

Benedek asked in return. The two had different backgrounds and experiences, so their military philosophies were very different. "How can there be no casualties in war?"

Gabrenz finally got angry.

"It's not you nobles who will die in the war! You just need to drink tea and eat barbecue in the back! We commoners have to roll in blood and fire three times if we want to survive!

Have you ever been to the battlefield? Do you know what it feels like when a bullet flies past you? Do you know what it feels like when a comrade you've been with day and night dies next to you? "

Benedek was also angry. As an officer of civilian origin, although he graduated from the military academy with excellent grades, he still had to follow the rules and go to the front line to start as a platoon leader.

Benedek will never forget the night before his first battle. He couldn't eat anything and could only drink water and go to the toilet continuously. He couldn't fall asleep until the next morning.

After the battle, he vomited on the battlefield, but there was nothing in his stomach and only bitter bile came out.

Why should he suffer all this while those nobles could get a command post where they could enjoy a stable life in the rear even if they just slept, played cards and flirted with girls all day?

"Humph!"

Gabrentz sneered, then pulled off his eyepatch, revealing an empty eye socket.

"Not only have I been on the battlefield, I've also fought with a bayonet, and that guy's bayonet even circled in my eye socket.

But I killed him!"

Gabrenz is handsome and heroic, and is very popular with the ladies. With the eye mask, he looks even more mysterious and dangerous.

Benedek is a plain-looking man, but he worked hard to climb up step by step, while the nobles got their positions through bloodline and bribery, so he always thought that Gabrenz's eyepatch was just a decoration.

Looking directly at the scar made Benedek feel nauseous and he vomited again.

"Humph! Is that all the courage you have? You are just a lucky guy who survived the battlefield. But luck is also a part of strength.

Now our luck has come! The Spaniards will pay the price for their arrogance! You lead our 20,000 elite troops to defend the city, and I will lead the Barcelona Legion to attack them from behind. "

Gabrenz held out his hand to Benedek, who after a brief hesitation finally shook it.

The battle was easier than expected, and when Gordon arrived at the gates of Barcelona, ​​his army was already on the verge of collapse.

But don't jump to conclusions. In fact, Gordon is indeed very talented. If he were not there, the army would have collapsed long ago.

After learning that Varner was forced to resign, Varner's subordinates replaced most of the middle and low-level officers of the expeditionary force. The only ones left were a bunch of good-for-nothings and newly recruited soldiers.

That was why Gordon felt that this army was ridiculous and that its enemies were just like him.

However, as soon as he arrived at the city, Gordon discovered that something was wrong. The force displayed by Benedek was just enough to eliminate Gordon's bait.

A few hundred casualties at the beginning of the battle were not considered a lot for this war, but Gordon vaguely sensed the danger and he immediately ordered a retreat.

The Barcelona team led by Gabrenz has blocked his way back.