Chapter 1059: Joseph the Lame

No. 105 Joseph

Piedmont.

There was not a single cloud in the blue sky, as clear and bright as the reflection of the sea.

But no one stopped to appreciate the beauty of the blue sea and blue sky. The burning atmosphere filled the air and made people breathless.

The scorching sun shone on the earth without hindrance. The dry riverbed, the dried-up wells, the cracked land, and the yellowed plants all told of the ruthlessness of heaven.

In the palace, Belvi paced back and forth in the empty hall like an ant on a hot pot. He vaguely remembered how he sat on the throne of the King of Sardinia and pointed out the country more than a month ago.

At that time, the whole hall was crowded with his supporters and his generals were countless. Belvi vowed to march eastward, swallowing thousands of miles like a tiger.

The Sardinian people won food and followed, and the applicants could fill the conscription office. Every household in the city was extremely happy.

"That Italian cripple is just bluffing!"

The staff in the hall did not think that Cripple Joseph would dare to attack Savigliano.

Belvie's staff knew the importance of Savigliano, so the city was not handed over to the Sardinian army. The French elite brought by Belvie were stationed there.

Belvie's angry roar echoed in the palace, and his mistress, Countess Judith, sighed slightly and turned to leave the palace.

However, at this time, there was no option of first serving the people and then the army, so Belvie and his Italian Legion were destined to break with this land.

These academic staff had many ideas, but they often could not form a unified opinion.

Belvie was unbelievable about what was happening before his eyes, but what was even more unbelievable was that he had received the attack notice from Cripple Joseph.

Those who provide clues please go to the nearest gendarmerie. In order to protect the safety of the information providers, the government will ensure strict anonymity and confidentiality. ”

Then the question is, should we put the army first and the people second, or the people first and the army second.

Originally, this would be a long process, which might take months or even years.

But how could a true hero hide from place to place all the time? Or Garibaldi never thought of hiding.

Garibaldi led his men away under the cover of a blazing fire, and frightened the pseudo-President Sarco to flee back to Turin overnight.

Joseph the Lame was the light in the hearts of the Sardinians at this time, and the French also knew that this light must be extinguished.

Five days later, Bellevue in Turin received the news of the head of the Governor of Asti and the fall of the city.

Putting the army first and the people second in the occupied areas will inevitably lead to intensified contradictions, and guerrillas will be everywhere if you are not careful.

However, only one month later, Bellevue felt the powerlessness of Constantine XI.

But if the people are put first and the army second, the rear I don't know whether it can be stabilized, but the morale of the front line has collapsed. How can the soldiers fight if they don't have enough food?

The government will give a reward of 100,000 francs to individuals or groups who can provide accurate information about Garibaldi's whereabouts or directly capture him.

After killing French Governor Kilian and killing and injuring countless Sardinian puppet army commanders, Garibaldi did not escape immediately, but ambushed again.

When the French gendarmes swarmed in like a tide, Garibaldi detonated the arsenal next to him. The flames that shot up into the sky accompanied by the huge explosion directly stunned the French gendarmes present.

In just a few weeks, the French launched several encirclements against Joseph the Lame and his gang, but all failed, and the assassination of him also ended in failure.

"The water level of the Ticino River is falling, and the Austrians will not miss this opportunity. "

In the first French encirclement and suppression, Bellevue assembled a force of 38,000 men, led by Sardinia's pseudo-president Nicolas Sarco.

Since ancient times, people have always liked to tell stories of heroes, especially when faced with aggression, oppression, and the inability to change reality. Heroic legends can always inspire people, like a ray of light that illuminates people's hearts and gives them hope.

"Marshal, we don't think those guerrillas dare to attack Savigliano, and we should not withdraw precious troops to deal with those bandits."

"His target is likely to be Torre Pelice, where we only have two battalions of troops. "

When everyone thought that Garibaldi would hide away from the limelight, or should hide away, he chose to attack Asti vigorously.

But Garibaldi thought it was good, because the French would never catch him in this life with the bounty orders posted.

However, after Franz sent a large number of volunteers to the Piedmont region, the whole fermentation process became extremely rapid.

And the supplies of the Kingdom of Sardinia had been exhausted in the war with the Austrian Empire, so no matter how Bellevue collected, it was impossible to collect enough supplies for military expenses.

Just when other volunteers and guerrillas hid in the mountains to avoid the limelight, Garibaldi led a team of less than 200 people to directly raid the French headquarters in Cuneo.

The bounty order clearly read: "Lame Joseph", one-eyed, lame, bearded, Sicilian accent, likes to wear red shirts, has a big pipe, and is often followed by an extremely dangerous black mixed-race bodyguard.

"Damn Lame! I will kill all the cripples in Italy!"

Since all sea and land routes were blocked, the Bellevue Corps had not received any supplies or troops from France for a long time.

(Giuseppe translated into French is Joseph, and translated from French into Italian is Joseph. The level of translation at that time was about the same as Google Translate today. Everyone understands.)

Riberio was very unhappy and tore the bounty order to pieces. Garibaldi knew the reason for her unhappiness very well. The French not only got Riberio's gender wrong, but also her ancestry wrong.

More importantly, its strategic position. Once Savigliano fell, Turin would lose its southern defense barrier.

In 1848, Savigliano and Asti were both important cities in the Kingdom of Sardinia, not the unknown small cities of today.

"Yes! He may be misleading us!"

Without food and grass inside and no reinforcements outside, the overwhelming barbarian army was approaching step by step. All sea and land passages were blocked, and there was no one around.

Guerrilla attacking the city, this is simply an unheard-of joke. At least Bellvi thought so. Asti was not only a strong city, but also had tens of thousands of Sardinian Republican troops stationed here.

This person is suspected of murdering government officials and legitimate businessmen, arson, kidnapping, intimidation and sedition, intending to subvert the national order and openly defying the authority of France and the Republic of Sardinia. He is a public enemy of the state.

Joseph the Cripple's next target is Savigliano, a city only 50 kilometers away from Turin.

Garibaldi is worthy of being the "number one thug in two worlds", and his iconic red shirt is on the bounty again.

Bellvi is not used to being a decision maker. He prefers his subordinates to come up with a complete set of plans and then sign and approve them.

After much thought, Bellvi decided to send 10,000 people to Savigliano and Torrepelice respectively, and then transfer 20,000 people back from the front line to supplement Turin's defense.

Thus, the offensive and defensive battle of Savigliano, which completely changed the situation on the Italian battlefield, officially kicked off.