Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 949 - 412, Desolation

Chapter 949: Chapter 412, Desolation

Turin, amidst the roaring sound of artillery fire, billowing thick smoke rose, and the entire city was engulfed in gunpowder smoke. The eagle flag fluttering in the wind had become tattered and ragged, seemingly on the verge of collapse at any moment.

In the ruins of collapsed buildings, corpses lay strewn on the ground, and from time to time, the screams of the wounded echoed, faintly revealing bleeding wounds, yet no one stepped forward to tend to them.

The heavy stench of blood mixed with the smell of sweat filled the air, acrid and unpleasant. Yet the war continued relentlessly.

Outside the city, Italian soldiers had already charged, undulating like waves, their shouts vibrating the earth and sky.

This was the cry of the soul, voices infecting and inspiring one another, dissipating many of the unnameable fears within their hearts.

In the fortress, the Gatling still spat out tongues of fire, dragging long notes with its bullets, cutting across the clear sky like a locust swarm, soldiers falling to the ground continuously.

But these hidden firepowers didn’t gloat for long, as after a pause in the assault, artillery shells soon followed, leaving nothing but ruins.

After the artillery fire, Italian soldiers at the rear once again launched an attack. Heart-wrenching screams, frenzied slaughter, and the blazing fires of war made both armies almost crazily desperate, escalating the fierceness of the battle.

Aboard the airship, Mörck had already put down his binoculars as if he could not bear to witness the scene unfolding before him.

Had Mörck not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that the troops fighting below were Italian soldiers.

Although the scene was somewhat chaotic, and it was obvious there was a lack of training, the combat will displayed by the Italians had surprised him.

Heavy casualties did not deter the Italians. To be able to seize the position at the earliest moment after the barrage, many Italian soldiers lay prone and stealthy more than a hundred meters away.

One must know that in those days, artillery aiming had no high-tech guidance; even if coordinates were set, they were only approximate, with hit rates relying entirely on the artillerymen’s experience and luck. Any slight deviation might mean an error of a hundred or eighty meters.

This meant that the Italian soldiers, with no retreat, not only had to face the enemy’s artillery threat but might also be taken out by their own artillery.

This kind of desperate spirit contrasted starkly with the rumored Italian Army known for feigning death on the battlefield and slacking off.

While being shocked, deep down Mörck also heightened his vigilance towards Italy, finally understanding why there was domestic opposition to the unification of the Italian area.

With so many willing to risk their lives for the country, it wouldn’t take long for a unified Italian area to become another middle power.

For Austria, which already had the French Empire to the west and the Russian Empire to the east, it was unnecessary to have another power in the south adding military pressure.

Even though in the short term, France and Italy would become deadly enemies, who could ever say for certain with politics?

After regaining his composure, General Mörck instructed, “There’s nothing more to see, descend back to command.”

Austria’s aim had been achieved, using the Italians to deplete the French manpower, not only increasing the hostility between France and Italy but also adding to the difficulty of Italian unification.

Turin was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the battle to reclaim the capital was the undeniable responsibility of the Sardinian Army. Now, the main force of the Italian Army on the battlefield was led by the Kingdom of Sardinia.

War is cruel, and considering the current situation on the battlefield, by the end of this campaign, this 300,000-strong Sardinian army would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses.

With the strongest regional power in Italy weakened, the power gap between the sub-states would narrow after the war, achieving the Vienna Government’s regional balance policy, and everything was developing in a favorable direction.

…

At the French Command, Marshal Adrien, his face ashen with rage, demanded, “Is this the ‘impregnable’ fortifications you spoke of?

The Austrians were supposed to be the ones bleeding dry? It seems you’re prepared to let the young men of France bleed dry instead!”

It wasn’t that Marshal Adrien wasn’t strong-willed enough; the reality simply slapped him in the face. Under the heavy artillery attack of the Austrian army, the planned fortifications directly became targets.

Because of the heavy artillery losses in the previous battles, the defense force of Turin lacked sufficient heavy firepower to even carry out a retaliatory bombardment.

Of course, this was not a big issue. After losing air superiority, the French Army, even with enough heavy artillery, couldn’t utilize its full potential.

After all, once the artillery positions were exposed, they would face the enemy’s aerial attacks. Heavy artillery was hard to move, and exposed to air raids, they wouldn’t even be able to run.

Dispersed deployment within the fortress would not leverage the collective power of the artillery; after all, besieging a city required only creating a breach. If any area were breached, entering street combat after, the immobile artillery in the city would then become mere decorations.

Major General Tom, responsible for the construction of the fortifications, hastened to explain, “Marshal, we did not anticipate the enemy’s firepower to be so fierce beforehand.

The defensive fortifications of Turin were already at the top of the world, mainly designed with the intensity of the Prusso-Russian wars in mind. No one anticipated that the enemy would actually…”

Admitting to cutting corners was out of the question, as it involved a massive web of interests. Once unraveled, everyone involved would be in serious trouble.

In that context, the only option was to let the designer take the fall. Only if the designer accepted responsibility could this issue be glossed over.

Before Tom could finish, Marshal Adrien interrupted, “Shut up, I don’t want to hear this nonsense. The current problem is, our defensive fortifications can’t withstand a single blow, and this must be resolved immediately.

If the fortifications fail to function, then street fighting will have to start sooner. Right now, the Italians are taking the lead. No matter how many we kill, Austria won’t feel the pain.

Don’t expect the enemy to have any reservations. This is Turin City, and it is of no significance to Austria. They won’t care about the fate of the civilians here.”

In fact, before the defense of Turin began, the French had considered evacuating the civilians, but there was widespread opposition from the public.

From the perspective of France, Turin was their own territory, and they needed the Italians to sacrifice their lives; the French Army naturally couldn’t overstep.

Moreover, evacuating civilians might sound straightforward, but the process couldn’t be completed in just a day or two. The garrison simply didn’t have that much time.

Everything has two sides. A large number of civilians remaining in the city increased the logistical pressure on the defenders, but it also made the enemy hesitate to attack indiscriminately. After all, this was the European Continent, and no one wanted to be infamous for slaughtering civilians.

However, reality was a slap in the face. From the enemy’s unrestrained use of artillery to bombard the city, Marshal Adrien knew they had miscalculated.

Times had changed. Before the wars on the European Continent began, Austria was just one of the European powers and naturally cared about the reactions from the European world.

But now things were different. If France were defeated, Austria would dominate. As the hegemon of Europe, a few rumors and slanders were no longer a threat.

What’s more, the main force assaulting the city was the Sardinian National Independence Army. For political reasons, the future Sardinian Government would also come forward to justify Austria’s actions, pinning the blame on the French.

After hesitating for a moment, Tom said resolutely, “Marshal, since Austria is using the Italians as cannon fodder, then we can use cannon fodder against cannon fodder.

Arm all the able-bodied men in the city, confine their families as a threat, and force them to participate in the defense.”

Conscripting men has never been a new tactic and has occurred throughout history. However, with the advent of the Age of Hot Weapons, it was found that conscripted men were not very effective.

Visit fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm for the best novel reading experi𝒆nce.

With the rise of liberalism, the cost of conscription grew too high, leading to loss of public support. Additionally, due to population increases, nations no longer lacked soldiers, and the instances of forced conscription gradually decreased.

Tom dared to make this suggestion because it was not without basis. In terms of public sentiment, France had never possessed it here, so there was nothing to lose.

Considering the current situation, the French Army definitely couldn’t stay long in the Italian area. With the deep-seated conflict between France and Italy, they were bound to oppose each other for a long time after the war. Forcing Italians into the battlefield now was essentially weakening the enemy’s power in advance, reducing the pressure on post-war France.

A short while later, Marshal Adrien shook his head, “It’s useless. The Italians won’t be so obedient.

Even if we detain their families and threaten them onto the battlefield, these people will still find ways to cause trouble.

Think about the Italian soldiers we recruited before. Rather than saying they were fighting a war, it’d be more accurate to say they were on a picnic.

Most importantly, you can’t punish everyone. Even if we accuse them of being deliberately lazy at work, we can’t really deal with all their families.

We must consider the post-war situation now. The homeland is trying to connect with the Anti-French Alliance, and we can’t give the enemy excuses to make negotiations harder.”

If we can’t win, we negotiate, that’s the tradition of the European world. The French government’s secret contact with the Anti-French Alliance was an open secret among the senior officers.

By breaking this news, Adrien was essentially expressing his complete despair over the war, especially since the enemy had already invaded deep into France from Switzerland.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly fell silent, and Major General Tom sighed, “If that won’t work, then we have no choice but to let the young men bet their lives on it.

With our military strength, it’s not difficult to hold out for a while, but we won’t be able to control the casualties.”

It was evident that Major General Tom was not just posturing, he was genuinely worried about the fate of France.

Making money is one thing, but as a member of the vested interest group, his interests were already tied to France’s fate.

The shoddy construction was not entirely his fault. From the beginning of constructing Turin’s defensive fortifications, the objective was to make money; there was never any consideration that they would be attacked by the enemy.

Furthermore, the outbreak of the war on the European Continent was so sudden. Building materials had to be prioritized for the frontlines, and if true fortifications had been intended for Turin, there simply wouldn’t have been enough time.