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

Chapter 1281: Surrender Tide

With the defeat of the Spanish government forces and the death of Catalan Governor Varna.

There was a wave of surrender in Catalonia. In addition to the large number of people who could not survive in the Spanish government-ruled areas, there were also a large number of Spanish government soldiers, as well as Varna's subordinates and confidants who were afraid of being affected.

The Catalan military camp, which theoretically should have 50,000 troops, now had less than 5,000 people left, and there was almost no one to be seen on the streets of Salt.

Farmers outside the city were also fleeing in large numbers, and the most frenzied were probably the Spanish serfs in the large estates.

Due to the constant wars in this era, the Spanish government did not promulgate the "Law of serfdom" in order to win over the nobles, so there were still a large number of serfs throughout Spain.

At the instruction of Franz, the Spanish Church spread the news that those who fled to the liberated areas of the Austrian Empire could be freed from their serf status and become free people.

Out of revenge, the Spanish priests even compared Isabella II and her minions to the Arabs from the East.

In the past, anyone and anything related to the symbol of Islam would not have a good ending in Spain. After all, when Spaniards saw this symbol, they would think of the years when they were ruled by Arabs.

Although the Arab rule was cruel, it was still not as severe as recorded by the Spanish Catholic Church.

However, the church had been promoting this for hundreds of years, and even if it was a lie, the Spaniards believed it. Moreover, during the years when Isabel II ruled, the whole of Spain had visibly turned into a living hell.

The facts were before their eyes, and the serfs had no choice but to believe them.

The serfs then connected all of this together, and now they had to rebel against the Spanish government for their freedom, their faith, or just to survive.

These serfs were the most oppressed on a daily basis, so their outbursts were the most violent.

They rose up in rebellion, stormed into the homes of landlords and nobles, crucified all the members of their families, and carried them from one manor to another.

The bodies of opponents were scattered all along the way, and some were even crucified alive. The serfs looted villages everywhere, and even some poorly defended towns became their targets.

The serfs loved to use fire, and wherever they passed by, thick smoke would always billow. The flames lit up the sky red, and villages and towns were reduced to ashes in the flames, leaving only a mess.

The serfs shouted "Freedom! Justice!" at the top of their lungs. They seemed to have found some kind of relief in this crazy feast.

However, the price the serfs paid was also painful. Landlords, nobles, and Spanish government forces all regarded them as their number one enemy. Some even extended an olive branch to the Austrian Empire to suppress them together.

The crude weapons in the hands of the serfs were no match for the combined forces of the Spanish landlords, nobles, and government, and the latter had no intention of letting the former go.

Then even bloodier scenes were staged again, and the serfs could only flee into the forests, mountains, or the distant Austrian Empire.

They could only pray that "justice" would come sooner rather than later. Fortunately, the army of the Austrian Empire did not make them wait too long.

The Austrian Empire's comprehensive transformation in the occupied areas gave the Spanish coastal areas a new look. Farmers had farmland, citizens had jobs, merchants had businesses, and Franz even restored Spain's foreign trade.

Although this cycle has just begun, it has made Spain, a lifeless country, feel alive again. The people are indescribably happy, and they just want to do something to maintain this short-lived hope.

The Spaniards were very enthusiastic about joining the army. In less than a month, the Austrian Empire recruited more than 50,000 soldiers from Catalonia.

About a third of these soldiers had military experience, and a considerable number were deserters from the Spanish government army.

Fifty thousand people is a red line drawn by the Ministry of War based on the actual situation in Catalonia. Once this red line is exceeded, the meaning of conscription will no longer exist.

In fact, controlling the Catalonia region does not require more soldiers. More soldiers will not only fail to speed up the occupation, but will increase the logistical burden.

After all, with the productivity of this era, for every person who left his job to become a soldier, several or even dozens of people would be needed to provide logistical support.

Moreover, as one side gains strength while the other loses strength, the Spanish government forces in Catalonia will definitely fall into a state of decline.

The facts were just as the War Department had estimated. After eliminating the threats in the occupied areas, the Austrian army launched a large-scale offensive.

The Austrian Empire's offensive did not encounter much resistance along the way. Most areas chose to surrender, and the few areas that attempted to resist were even overthrown by the local Spaniards themselves.

The plan went surprisingly smoothly, which made Gabrenz and Benedek seem a little disappointed. After all, they came here for military merit.

The result was a rather disgraceful battle of annihilation outside the city of Barcelona.
In fact, Gabrenz and Benedek were both the key training targets of the Austrian Empire at this time. After all, the older generation of generals were too old. In this era of transition, the new generation must grow up quickly.

The best way for a general to grow is actual combat. Only through the baptism of war can a soldier complete his transformation.

The success of a general is the result of the sacrifice of hundreds of soldiers. This is not a joke, but a bloody fact.

There have indeed been famous generals in history who showed extraordinary talent the first time they went to the battlefield. However, the vast majority of famous generals in history were honed in actual combat, with mountains of corpses and seas of blood behind them.

Gabrenz and Benedek are not without talent. In fact, if they had changed the location and time, Gabrenz would have won when he got around the rear wing of the Spanish government forces.

A cavalry charge would be enough to throw the enemy into disarray, but this was Spain, with mountains and hills everywhere, and Barcelona's legion was short of cavalry.

The conditions for a flank attack were simply not met, and in the end it could only be a clumsy line-up shooting.

According to Benedek's idea, withdrawing troops to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the opportunity, and then pursuing the enemy when they retreat is theoretically a sure-win approach, after all, they have several times more troops than the enemy.

The question is, this is Spain. Does anyone really dare to rashly enter the mountains to pursue the enemy?
But it is better to make a mistake now in Spain than in Austria in the future. Radetzky, Anton von Puchner, Jelachich, Prince Windischgrätz and others will have to retire eventually.

It was impossible for Franz to go to the front line to command battles every time. What's more, he did not think that his level of command was very high. On the one hand, he was able to win because of the advantage in numbers and equipment, and on the other hand, he relied on the support of the people and the general trend.

It is impossible for these conditions to be met every time, so in order to maintain his record and image, it is better for Franz to go to the battlefield less often.