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

Chapter 1333: The Decision of Vittorio Emanuele II
King Vittorio Emanuele II did not give much thought to time, as the French only gave him one hour.

The French vanguard has arrived outside Turin, and a steady stream of follow-up troops are on the way.

Cavaignac's calculations were very good. Sending a special envoy was a way of using courtesy before force, while also waiting for reinforcements. The Kingdom of Sardinia had no choice but to surrender, or be forced to surrender.

However, he did not take the small Kingdom of Sardinia seriously. This time his target was the core of the Austrian Empire - Vienna.

According to French intelligence, the main forces of the Austrian Empire were in Transylvania and Spain.

At this time, the Austrian Empire was like a giant holding a sharp blade on each side. It looked scary, but in fact the middle door was wide open. Cavaignac's troops only needed to avoid the sharp blades on both sides and stab directly into the heart of the giant to win easily.

Now was the perfect opportunity to attack the Austrian Empire, and neither he nor the Republicans had any way out.

This time Cavaignac and Albert de La Fer bypassed President Louis Napoleon. If they won, France would no longer need Napoleon as president, but if they lost, the French Republicans would be finished.

This is a big gamble, but they are very confident. After all, they are not mediocre people like Bellevue, nor are they guys like Lamartine who can only talk big.

Cavaignac and Lafleur also believed that as long as they could achieve results, the British would definitely fulfill their agreement and join the war, and the situation would then be reversed.

In the most ideal situation, they would not even need the British. They could march to Vienna and force the Austrians to surrender like Napoleon did.

Although Cavaignac became a marshal of the Second French Republic, his military talent had not yet been verified. This time he had to prove himself.

The French army was at the gates of the city, and Turin was in chaos. A year ago, Turin opened its doors to welcome the French army, but what they got was higher taxes, lower pay, and less respect.

No matter how they try to please the French, they are still second-class citizens in the eyes of the French, and can be plundered and bullied at will.

Seeing that the army and police in the city were indifferent, the Sardinians' painful memories once again resurfaced, and the citizens in the city took spontaneous action to defend the city.

Nobles and merchants opened their warehouses and provided weapons to the citizens, and retired officers with combat experience were assigned tasks to strengthen the city's defenses.

Many soldiers and policemen were also inspired by the people and joined the team defending the city. After all, this was their home. If the city was breached, both the home and the city would be destroyed, and they would not be spared.

The citizens of Turin did not expect to defeat the French army. They just wanted the French army to bypass Turin. After all, they still had the Po River Guard, which was much more reliable than the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Cavaignac also saw the action on the city wall through the telescope and snorted with disdain.

"Push up all the siege guns and let these country bumpkins open their eyes."

The French army learned from previous experience and found that the Austrians were very good at using heavy firepower. As a result, French arsenals produced a large number of heavy weapons suitable for field combat, such as the 36-pound cannons in front of them.

These heavy cannons were more powerful than the twenty-four-pound field guns used by the Austrian army, but due to material limitations their range was only two-thirds of that of ordinary artillery.

However, it was just right for dealing with the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Cavaignac did encounter resistance along the way, but he was quickly defeated by this new artillery.

In fact, in addition to these heavy artillery specially used for siege, Cavaignac also brought many good things, such as new rockets. The Austrian rockets left a deep impression on the French army in 1848.

The rockets flying all over the sky can destroy the morale of any army in a short period of time. This time, Cavaignac's team brought more than 30,000 rockets, which showed his confidence.

If the Austrians refused to surrender, he planned to use these more than 30,000 rockets to cremate everyone in Vienna.

Looking at the black muzzles of the guns, the Sardinians on the city wall drooled. They knew the power of these heavy guns. The city walls would soon collapse, the city would become a ruin, and many people would die.
The atmosphere on the city wall was extremely depressing. No one wanted to die, but no one wanted to give up either.

At this time, someone came to the top of the city carrying several large boxes. The heavy boxes were put down, stirring up a cloud of dust. The boxes were opened roughly, and the gold and silver coins inside sparkled under the light.

"Listen, boys! This is the money raised by our Chamber of Commerce. As long as we defeat the French, all the money will be yours!
For those who died in battle, each family will receive double the compensation!
For the Kingdom of Sardinia! For Italy! For Vittorio Emanuele II!"

The president of the Chamber of Commerce threw his bowler hat high into the air, and the soldiers on the city wall took off their hats and threw them into the air and cheered, and the fear was immediately swept away. The French outside the city did not know what the Sardinians on the city wall were doing and were a little confused.

"Marshal, those Sardinians on the city wall suddenly cheered. Aren't they afraid of death?"

Cavaignac said coldly.

"Hmph, they are probably preparing to surrender. Tell the artillery not to test the guns first, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble."

"As you command, Marshal."

An hour passed quickly, but the envoy from the Kingdom of Sardinia did not arrive.

"Marshal, shall we attack the city now?"

Cavaignac waved his hand and lit a cigar.

"Give them another cigarette. Those Italians are always so clumsy."

Two hours passed, and there was still no movement in Turin.

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

The generals beside Cavaignac looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Cavaignac could no longer hold it in. He pressed the remaining cigar hard on the expensive mahogany table.

"Fire! Prepare to attack the city!"

The loaded heavy artillery pieces emitted earth-shaking roars like the roars of ancient beasts.

The militiamen on the city wall felt the earth trembling. The buildings in the city were constantly being hit and collapsed. The collapsed houses immediately stirred up a cloud of dust.

A shell hit the city wall directly, and sand and gravel flew all over the sky. Then people's screams of fear were heard.

But this was not the end. The relentless bombardment continued until the city's outer defenses were reduced to ruins. Only then did Cavaignac nod with satisfaction.

"Tell the infantry to prepare to attack!"

"As ordered!"

The messenger rode on horseback and blew the attack trumpet.

"Brigade, forward!"

The French infantry marched in orderly steps towards the city of Turin.

An old retired general climbed up from the ruined city wall, drew his saber and shouted with all the strength of his life.

"Boys! For the Kingdom of Sardinia! For Italy! For Vittorio Emanuele II! Fight to the bitter end!"

"Fight to the bitter end!"

Countless Sardinian soldiers hiding in the ruins shouted to return to their posts.

At this time, a fast horse came from the palace, and the officer on the horse shouted loudly.

"His Majesty the King orders us to lay down our arms and surrender to the French!"