Chapter 1062: War Begins

On the east bank of the Ticino River, the Austrian Empire's Italian Corps frontline headquarters.

"The French are still so arrogant. Our current strength is almost twice theirs, and they dare to withdraw from the front line."

An old staff officer who had experienced the anti-French war said, but his words were immediately questioned by a colleague.

"Are the French doing this on purpose? Our intelligence shows that their food can't last for a few months.

Could they want to lure us into a decisive battle before the food runs out?"

This statement is actually not without reason, because with the end of the war in other battlefields, the French army is in a state of full contraction, so the Austrian Empire can mobilize more troops to the Italian battlefield.

"And we don't have time. On August 1, 1848, the two sides will officially cease fire. If we can't give the French a hard blow now, we can only watch them retreat unscathed."

In addition to the Austrian Empire's own troops, there are also a large number of new recruits and volunteers from various German states. More than 400,000 troops have been gathered on the Ticino River alone.

"I believe it." Marshal Radetzky said firmly.

However, for most Irish refugees, this was already a life like heaven. At least they didn't have to worry about starving to death.

"This time, it should be Archduke Franz's infiltration tactics that worked."

Fortunately, the barracks were not far from the farm, but soon the septic tanks in the nearest villages were full, and the cleaners had to go to farther places to sell the waste.

The shells flew into the septic tank and ignited the methane. The huge explosion caused the excrement in the pit to rise into the sky, and in the next few seconds, a small-scale rain was created, which fell on the nearby French army.

A heavy rocket fell into the trench, and the whole row of soldiers was blown into pieces in an instant. The scene of blood raining made the survivors lose the will to resist on the spot.

The Austrian artillery used all new shrapnel shells, which were much more deterrent than the big iron balls in the past. In particular, the shock brought by the explosions one after another made people feel extremely desperate, just like being in an earthquake.

Most of the grassroots officers of the Austrian Empire have learned how to communicate with soldiers without language in long-term practice, so language is not a problem, but "Thirty Words You Must Return from the Battlefield" still need to be learned.

However, the ceasefire and peace talks between France and Austria were beyond the expectations of many people. After all, the Austrian army had not yet entered France at this time, and they always felt that the actions of both sides were a bit too hasty.

"Enough!"

However, this sounded incredible to the staff.

The old staff who had experienced the anti-French war had never encountered such a rich battle, and he really didn't know how to lose.

Looking at the bounty offered by the French for him, I'm afraid that all of you combined can't even match a fraction of theirs.

The enemy's evaluation is often the most real. "

In fact, the Austrian Empire was also skeptical about things like airships. They really doubted that these slow-moving balloons were as powerful as the Pope boasted. Many people even thought that this was a scam jointly created by Archduke Franz and Pius IX.

As Archduke Franz said, "We must believe in science."

Just to clean up the 120 tons of excrement produced by the soldiers every day, 100 manure carts and 300 workers were needed.

Due to the lack of basic technology, the speed of the Austrian Empire's airships was only 6 kilometers per hour in windless conditions, and it usually took more than a minute to fly 100 meters.

The devastating rain of bullets fell on the French positions, mud splashed, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and a French officer stood up to try to stop the soldiers running around, but his voice was soon drowned out by the explosion.

"You coward! How many French troops are there on the other side!"

"The volunteers we sent out were indeed less than 10,000, but there were tens of thousands of Sardinian surrendered soldiers and millions of residents in southern Sardinia.

"You reckless man! There is no use having more people! The enemy has the advantage! They are just waiting for us to take the bait! ”

The Austrian army also organized an Irish brigade, but the officers were basically Austrians.

The doomsday storm gradually subsided, and there was smoke and burnt smell everywhere, as well as a disgusting stench.

In fact, in the previous bombardment, Marshal Radetzky specifically asked the artillery to focus on the French toilets.

"Look at the new rockets of the Empire, and then look at the Congreve rockets in our warehouse. What is the difference between the latter and the former and the burning sticks?

"Old man, times have changed. The airship troops have been deployed and they will open the way for us."

The answer to whether gunpowder and manure can make a difference is shit explosion.

"Oh my God! Stop kidding! Marshal, do you really believe in those balloons? How many truths do those charlatans say?"

Marshal Radetzky stopped the quarrel among his subordinates.

"In the past month, the French have built a large number of fortifications on the other side of the river. Coupled with the existence of the Ticino River, it is not so easy to get there."

As long as the timing is right, an ant can also affect the overall situation. Moreover, he is not an ordinary ant.

"How is that possible? Marshal, we have only sent out 10,000 volunteers, how could the French make such a big fuss?"

Even the stupidest, weakest, and laziest soldier would not need a minute to run a hundred meters, so many officers doubted whether this weapon could be used in actual combat.

"But Marshal, what should we do with the enemy's trenches and fortifications? If the crossing troops cannot gain a foothold, then what awaits us will be a great defeat."

Early in the morning of the second day, all the artillery and rockets of the Austrian Empire Italian Corps fired at the French positions on the opposite bank.

"Yes, Marshal. A sergeant, with the empty title of a commander, he is not even qualified to stand on the chessboard."

This time, the one who said discouraging words was the old staff officer who participated in the anti-French war. Marshal Radetzky patted his old brother on the shoulder.

Look at those steel artillery and lever-action rifles, which were things we dared not think of in the past.

Most of the scavengers in the army were Irish refugees received by Franz before. They could only do this simple and easily despised work without speaking the language.

Although Radetzky had not received the intelligence yet, he still had his own judgment.

"Decisive battle? Do they dare?"

The staff officer was silent. Indeed, they were not even qualified to be rewarded.

Seeing that the old marshal had made a decision, the staff had no objections and just worked out the best attack plan.

Some people were even buried alive in the trenches by the sticky stuff that fell to the ground. The stench soon spread throughout the French positions, making it hard for people to open their eyes.

Some French officers wanted to command their troops to fill the front line, but they couldn't help retching when they inhaled the disgusting gas as soon as they opened their mouths.

But soon they couldn't close their mouths, because countless ferocious beasts in the sky were slowly approaching their positions, and the Austrian army on the other side of the river also began to cross the river in full force.