Chapter 108: The Fall of Turin
Forming alliances is no easy task, especially considering the numerous conflicts and contradictions among the major European powers. Austria can only ally with one country since once they aligned themselves with one nation, the others would consider them as enemies.
Perhaps Metternich had insight into the essence of this situation early on. After the Napoleonic Wars, Austria actively contracted its sphere of influence and worked to balance the power of various European countries, positioning Austria in a superior position.
From the perspective of that era, these diplomatic measures could be considered successful. However, the only failure was the internal reforms within Austria, which didn’t keep pace with the country’s growing power.
Without sufficient strength, Austria naturally couldn’t continue to sustain the Vienna System. Therefore, Austria had to make a new decision.
“Let’s wait and see what cards the British will put on the table. If they continue to support Italian unification, then Sardinia can’t remain.
Worst case scenario, we might have to take some losses and help the French manage their piece of territory for now. When their domestic situation stabilizes, we can then sell it to them!” Franz said firmly.
In the matter of Italy, the French could undoubtedly be swayed. They have long been eyeing the Italian region, while Austria’s strategic focus was not here at all. There were no core conflicting interests between the two sides.
……
In the case of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Charles Albert found himself in a precarious situation, far from what he had anticipated. The era of modern warfare had arrived, and it was no longer solely about numerical superiority.
Even with the unprecedented fervor of the Sardinian troops, with their morale boosted by 200% for fighting on their home soil, it couldn’t change the fact that they were essentially an undisciplined mob.
Moreover, the severe shortage of weapons and ammunition left many soldiers armed with outdated equipment from the era of cold weapons. No matter how high their patriotic fervor, it couldn’t protect them from the hail of bullets.
“Your Majesty, we must hurry! The enemy is almost at the city gates, and Turin can’t hold on much longer!”
Prime Minister Azeglio, displaying unwavering loyalty, immediately urged Charles Albert to flee when the defensive lines collapsed. With no other option, the Kingdom of Sardinia, with its limited territory, was left with little choice but to prepare for the defense of Turin once the frontline forces crumbled.
Charles Albert, in despair, said, “No, I won’t go anywhere. I will stand with Turin to the end!”
“Your Majesty, for the future of the Kingdom of Sardinia, you must leave here immediately,” urged the Minister of War, Licht. He had a mournful expression on his face.
In continental Europe, monarchs were significant assets. If Charles Albert, the king, were captured by the Austrian army, it would spell disaster for the Kingdom of Sardinia. This wasn’t about manipulating the king’s authority but controlling the monarch opened doors to various possibilities, including forcing Charles Albert to sign a series of treaties that would be detrimental to his kingdom or even outright annexing Sardinia.
Other major powers, even if they wanted to intervene, lacked a strong moral ground, which was highly unfavorable for the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Charles Albert roared, “Incompetents, fools, idiots... If it weren’t for you lot, how could we have failed? And now, instead of thinking about how to fight back, you’re thinking of fleeing…”
As time passed, with everyone taking turns to persuade him, Charles Albert eventually left. Of course, whether his departure was related to the Austrian vanguard forces arriving at the gates of Turin was unknown.
When the British Foreign Secretary, Palmerston, arrived in Vienna, news of the Austrian army capturing Turin had already reached them.
Palmerston, even with all his preparations, found himself vexed by the situation in the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Things had not gone according to their plans. According to the British, at this point, Austria should still be locked in a struggle with Sardinia over Lombardy. At most, Austria would have just regained its lost territories.
However, Sardinia’s performance had disappointed them. Perhaps the first time they experienced a nationwide mobilization had drained them of their resources. And the second mobilization they had essentially led their troops to their doom.
Especially those “patriots” and “Italian nationalists” – they had expected these individuals to fight the Austrian army to the bitter end. The ultimate outcome, however, has shown the world that talk is cheap.
The ones who shout the loudest often turn out to be the quickest deserters on the battlefield. Just as the battle began, they vanished into thin air.
Charles Albert had put these people on the front lines as cannon fodder, but he never expected that they would turn around and deliver the positions directly to the Austrians.
This situation left Palmerston in a predicament. Negotiating with the Austrian army before they occupied Sardinia came at a different cost than negotiating with them after they had taken control.
If it weren’t for the instability in France’s internal affairs and Austria losing its ally making it difficult to swallow Sardinia on its own, Palmerston might as well have packed up and left.
These worries didn’t last long as the welcome banquet prepared for him by the Austrian Foreign Ministry began.
……
Berlin.
With the diplomatic support of Austria, the liberal bourgeois government’s confidence soared once again. In their view, having the entire German Confederation as a backing, the Russians were not as scary.
Despite the outward support for the Danes from various European nations, in reality, only the Russians will actually take action. The Swedes’ aim was just to ensure that the Kingdom of Denmark wouldn’t be completely wiped out, but had no plans of helping the Danes regain their lost territories.
Especially after witnessing the French people’s determination to support the Polish revolution, leading to the June Rebellion, the resolve of the liberal faction to support Polish independence became even stronger.
Frederick William IV could no longer tolerate this situation. Allowing the liberals to have their way would lead to a war between Prussia and Russia. 250,000 Russian troops had already arrived at the Prussian-Russian border.
The patience of the Russian government with the Kingdom of Prussia had reached its limits. Any actions that further provoked the Russians would be unwise.
Before the Crimean War, Russia had a formidable reputation on the European continent and was not in the same league as the Kingdom of Prussia, which had not yet unified Germany.
Under his instructions, the Junker(Prussian) nobility, who opposed the revolution, formed the “ Property Defense League.” Simultaneously, efforts were intensified to control the military and find various pretexts to purge republicans from the army.
A counter-revolutionary coup was brewing within the Kingdom of Prussia. The bourgeois government, lacking experience in such struggles, seemed oblivious and continued to pursue its idealized plans for unification.
……
The negotiations between Britain and Austria had begun. Palmerston was concerned that if the talks dragged on, the Sardinian government might surrender to Austria, jeopardizing their investments in the region.
After the initial pleasantries, Palmerston got straight to the point, saying, “Mr. Metternich, for the sake of world peace, we need the Austrian government to handle its conflicts with the Kingdom of Sardinia carefully.”
Metternich chuckled and replied, “Mr. Palmerston, our conflicts with the Kingdom of Sardinia will soon cease to exist. The situation in the Italian region will stabilize very soon, and your country has nothing to worry about.”
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