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

Chapter 793 From Strategic Offensive to Strategic Defense

However, as the boxes were opened one after another, everyone was dumbfounded.What was inside was neither gold, silver, jewelry, nor any big weapons, but stacks of yellowed indulgences.

"Soldiers! This is an indulgence personally consecrated by the Pope! As long as you hold this, no matter how many crimes you commit, you can ascend to heaven without any hindrance.

What are you waiting for!Go! ” shouted Bishop Minofil.

The morale of the Orthodox Alliance soldiers was plummeting. After all, everyone thought it would be something more practical.

Now the reward is gone, and morale is gone.

Pius IX actually really wanted to support the Orthodox Alliance in Switzerland, but the Papal State had no money and already owed hundreds of millions of francs to the French Bank. Not to mention the principal, even the interest had to be borrowed from Austria.

So the Pope could only send his strongest generals and loyal Jesuits to help, but it seemed a bit shabby to be left empty-handed.

At this time, Parma Monsi, Pius IX's most trusted secretary of state, suggested.

"Is it possible to send the indulgences that are unsold in the Holy City to Switzerland, so that the Orthodox Alliance can appreciate the grace of the Holy See and absorb the inventory, after all, the warehouse also requires money.

Moreover, this Swiss civil war is equivalent to promoting our indulgences. As long as we can build a reputation, orders from various countries will fly in like snowflakes. Are we still afraid that we will not be able to recoup the cost?
So I think the investment is worth it. "

The words of the Secretary of State just touched Pius IX's heart, which made the latter very satisfied.But Pius IX just nodded, because he believed that speaking less could increase the sense of mystery and make it easier to rule.

Back on the battlefield north of Friborg, the soldiers of the Orthodox Alliance were reluctantly driven into the narrow mountain pass.

The soldiers of the other side's Free Alliance were equally reluctant. The strength of the other side's troops was not known to be dozens or hundreds of times that of our own.

They joined the army just to get a better life, not to come here to die.

Mads Dickinson is the captain company commander responsible for garrisoning this fortress. In fact, he originally only had more than 50 people under his command who were just hanging around every day.

However, the Swiss Confederation's conscription law is really easy to use. In preparation for the war, his company was immediately expanded to 500 men.

But he knew everything here very well. As a veteran, Youzi knew what the soldiers were thinking.

If he really fights to the end, he is afraid that his group of big-headed soldiers will push him off the cliff before the enemy attacks.

But having said that, the fortress itself is very strong and built against the mountains, and there is only a narrow mountain road in front of it that is very steep. There are hundreds of people guarding here, not to mention tens of thousands, even millions of people cannot attack it.

"Captain! The enemy! The enemy is coming!"

The captain of the sentry ran in in panic.

"What's there to panic about? Can they fly up? The many rocks and wood just thrown are enough for them to move for a while."

Mads Dickinson said impatiently that if the young man in front of him was not his sister's biological son, he would not bother to care about it.

"Uncle, didn't you say you were going to run away last night?" the sentry captain asked cautiously.

"What nonsense are you talking about! We Swiss people have always been the most honest people! How can we escape casually since we have accepted the employment? And the military pay given by General Dufour is quite a lot."

Listening to his uncle's righteous words, the sentry captain was a little confused, and thought to himself: "Why is it different from what was promised!" The people around him were also a little confused. They didn't know what kind of illness the company commander had. It was dark at least under the mountain. There are tens of thousands of people.

They are not afraid of bullets while hiding in the fortress, but what if the opponent uses cannons?The artillery fired directly at close range, and the scene of blood and flesh flying after the shotgun shells, solid bullets, and explosive shells hit the human body was played out repeatedly in their minds.

Just as they were debating whether to make an accident by pushing the "stubborn" company commander off a cliff, Maz Dickinson said.

"We'll have to fire at least a few shots to be worthy of General Dufour."

"Yes! Your Excellency Captain!"

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. In fact, Captain Maz Dickinson had his own plans. The spirit of the contract was important, but his own life was more important.

However, it is still necessary to put in two casual shots. If the Orthodox Alliance wins, they say that they do not want brothers to kill each other for the sake of the peace of the Federation, so they abandoned the fortress; if the Free Alliance wins, they can also say that the enemy's offensive is too fierce. , they had to retreat when they ran out of ammunition and food.

However, the reality is that one shot can destroy hundreds of meters, making it invincible.The valley fortress was at least a few hundred meters away from the Orthodox Alliance army, but as soon as the gunfire rang out, "dead bodies were strewn all over the road hundreds of meters along the valley mountain road."

Even if someone didn't fall down immediately, everyone would fall to the ground after looking around for a while.The Tiantong Alliance soldiers in the back watched for a while and rushed down the mountain road with shouts.

"It's witchcraft! The people of the Freedom Alliance have sold their souls to the devil, run away!"

Captain Mads Dickinson looked at the rifle in his hand that was like a tactical nuclear weapon and was a little confused as to what to do.

The surrounding soldiers and relatives didn't even know where to praise him, because there were flaws everywhere.You may say that he is right, but this scene is a bit indescribable.
In short, Captain Mads Dickinson repelled tens of thousands of troops from the Orthodox Alliance with a single shot.

In fact, when the army first collapsed, Bishop Minofel actually planned to organize an exorcism ceremony, but unfortunately, the defeated soldiers fled too fast and did not give him a chance.

One of the priests who failed to escape was even trampled to death and became the only victim of the battle.

When Henri Dufour arrived and led the main force of the Swiss Free League, he did not find corpses strewn across the field and a smoke-filled battlefield, but mountains of stones and logs.

The smart thing about Captain Mads Dickinson was that he did not choose to fight hard or give up escaping directly. Instead, he chose the most primitive way to block the road with rocks and logs.

People can climb over these obstacles, but it is very difficult to climb over these obstacles and fight the fortress defenders. After all, once you climb over, you may not be able to come back.

That's why the Orthodox Alliance's army was shot to pieces dozens of meters away by Captain Maz Dickinson from a few hundred meters away.

Although these temporarily recruited farmers and unemployed workers were not highly educated, they were not stupid either. They could still distinguish between those who might die in battle and those who would definitely die in battle.

Moreover, the indulgences of Bishop Minofel and Pius IX were really weak, so the Orthodox Alliance army collapsed as soon as the gunshots were fired.

Historically, the Orthodox Alliance's army was not that strong, and they only suffered the bitter consequences of defeat when two people were killed.

These obstacles are a trouble for the Orthodox Alliance army, and they are also a big trouble for Dufour's Free Alliance army.

As a result, Dufour's main force had to carry out three days of obstacle removal work before the army could pass.

(End of this chapter)