Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Chapter 101, The Reclamation of Lombardy

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After the Battle of Venice, Marshal Radetzky didn’t stop; he only allowed his troops two days of rest before marching towards the Lombardy Region.

The Sardinian Government overestimated their standing in the hearts of the local people, who, having experienced deception, now detested the Sardinian Government.

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At this very moment, the aura of Marshal Bardorio as a famous general was shattered. The Venice battle broke the backbone of the Sardinian Army, and after losing faith, the destructive force of the disheartened soldiers was terrifying.

In every place they went, they brought calamity; without waiting for the government to mobilize the masses, they maximized the hatred against themselves.

Without a comparison, there was no sense of harm; ordinary people suddenly found that life under the rule of the Kingdom of Sardinia was even worse than during the Austrian Government’s reign.

At least the decaying Austrian Government had established a societal order; despite the oppression from the government, nobility, and capitalists, the overall societal order was stable, and people could make do with their lives.

But after the arrival of the Kingdom of Sardinia, it was continuous warfare, with exorbitant war taxes even harsher than those of the Austrian Government, plus the ongoing oppression from the nobility and capitalists, and now also harassment from the disorderly soldiers.

On June 1st, the Bread Tragedy in Milan erupted. Workers, struggling to survive, besieged the bakeries, leading to a bloody suppression by the Sardinian Army, with hundreds beaten to death on the spot.

On June 3rd, a peasant revolt broke out in Pavia; the Rebel Army grew to over three thousand strong at one point and even publicly flew the flag welcoming the Austrian Army.

The people’s war that the Sardinian Government had envisioned to strike at Austria had overwhelmed them first.

Lombardy Region had fallen into their hands too easily; apart from a cleansing of republican supporters, the Sardinian Government hadn’t made significant moves, and now the consequences were emerging.

Having ruled here for so many years, how could Austria not have its supporters?

If the Kingdom of Sardinia had continued to be strong, the loyalty of these people might have waned significantly, but now that Austria obviously had the upper hand, they couldn’t help but emerge.

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Add to that a large number of opportunists wishing to switch sides; the labor and peasant revolutionary movement in Lombardy Region began fervently, leaving Marshal Bardorio no choice but to fight the Austrians on one front and extinguish fires everywhere else.

Before the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Sardinia could arrive, the Austrian Army was already at the gates of Milan City.

In just a matter of days, Marshal Bardorio seemed to have aged twenty years, and now all he had left were regrets.

If he had known it would come to this, he wouldn’t have sought this merit in the first place. Now, he had realized that Marshal Radetzky’s abandonment of Lombardy was nothing but an invitation for the enemy to advance further into the trap.

Alas, they had all been deceived by political propaganda, wishfully thinking that the Austrian Empire was in decay and their army was utterly worthless.

“Marshal, the enemy is at the gates of Milan City, order a retreat now!” Major General Messe said anxiously.

“Retreat? Where can we possibly retreat to?” Bardorio said, scoffing.

Looking at the general before him, whose advice had led to erroneous decisions, Bardorio wished he could simply execute him on the spot.

But that was just a prior thought; now his heart was dead. As the supreme commander of this military action, he had to take responsibility for the failure of the war.

Unable to bear the agony of a tarnished name and disgrace, Bardorio preferred to die on the battlefield rather than face trial in a military tribunal.

“Of course, we’re heading back to our homeland. Milan City can no longer be defended, and most of the Lombardy Region is likely indefensible as well. The Austrians won’t just let it go; we still have a homeland defense battle to fight.”

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“At this time, we must preserve our strength as much as possible. Otherwise, who will protect the Kingdom of Sardinia?” said Major General Messe as if it were a matter of course.

Marshal Badoglio shook his head and said, “It’s precisely because we need to preserve our strength as much as possible that we can’t retreat. If we don’t tie down the main Austrian forces, can the other troops even withdraw successfully?

We’re running ahead while the enemy is pursuing from behind. How many soldiers do you think will remain by the time we run back to the Kingdom of Sardinia?

Besides, the homeland defense battle requires time to prepare domestically. We must hold the enemy at Milan City to buy time for the nation!”

At this time, he had put aside his personal safety. As a soldier, he was prepared to secure a glimmer of hope for the Kingdom of Sardinia.

If the Battle of Venice was a head-to-head fight, then the defense of Lombardy was far too quickly lost. The Austrian Army was sweeping through like a brisk autumn wind through fallen leaves.

Initially, Badoglio believed that with over a hundred thousand troops and fortified positions, they could hold out for two or three months at least.

With such time, the Kingdom of Sardinia would have completed another national mobilization. Fighting on home soil, with the support of the populace, they might have had a fighting chance.

Unfortunately, the Sardinian Army had lost its fighting spirit, and such a force, no matter how numerous, was useless. Badoglio had no choice but to place his hopes on the defense of Milan.

After all, the Hungarian Republic was resisting the Austrian forces for over a month based in Budapest, and it still hadn’t fallen. There was no reason they couldn’t do the same.

Marshal Badoglio wanted to hold Milan City at all costs, but King Charles Albert did not agree. The Kingdom of Sardinia’s entire army had been committed to this war. If the entire force was lost, then the Kingdom of Sardinia would be finished.

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In the end, Badoglio made the decision to leave ten thousand soldiers behind to make a last stand in Milan City, to buy time for the rest of the army to retreat.

On June 10th, after fighting bitterly for two days and nights, the Sardinian Army was unable to hold back the Austrian offensive. With the cooperation of the city’s civilians, Milan City fell into Austrian hands once again.

As Milan fell, Marshal Badoglio committed suicide in the governor’s mansion, preserving his final dignity as a soldier.

On June 12th, the Austrian Army reclaimed the Lombardy Region, and their spearheads were pointed directly at the Kingdom of Sardinia. The Ausa war had entered a new stage.

Turin

The swift defeat in the defense of Lombardy left the Sardinian Government dumbfounded, as they had not expected to lose so quickly.

After all, Marshal Radetzky had originally held back an assault of two hundred thousand Sardinian troops with less than a hundred thousand of his own, leveraging the defenses.

In their view, the Sardinian forces in the Lombardy Region still numbered around one hundred and twenty to thirty thousand, nearly matching the Austrians in terms of manpower dedicated to the offensive. Even if their combat strength was slightly inferior, as the defending side, they should have been able to compensate through the advantage of terrain.

King Charles Albert asked anxiously, “Li Qi, how many troops have we withdrawn from the front lines? Can we stop the enemy’s advance?”

Minister of Army Li Qi replied with a wry smile, “Your Majesty, we have withdrawn a total of seventy thousand troops. Domestically, we have mobilized another one hundred and fifty thousand. But the latter, having been mobilized later, haven’t undergone formal training. I’m afraid their combat effectiveness…”