Chapter 93: False Military Intelligence
The gentle dawn unveiled its curtain, the ground was painted red with blood.
Against the backdrop of the rising scarlet sun in the east, the air carried a thick and nauseating smell of blood, as if recounting the brutality of the previous night.
The war had come to a close, and groups of Austrian soldiers were busy cleaning up the battlefield.
Every now and then, a group of prisoners would be escorted past, serving as evidence of who emerged as the victors of the war.
Gregory gave the order, “Dispose of the enemy’s bodies as quickly as possible; we don’t have enough priests in our army to bid them farewell!”
The summer of 1848 arrived unusually early, with temperatures already soaring to 32°C in May.
To prevent the outbreak of disease, they had no choice but to cremate the bodies.
……
As the roaring fire began to blaze, a group of priests emerged from among the captives and participated in the farewell ceremony.
Gregory didn’t stop them.
Religious beliefs were an unavoidable topic on the European continent.
Providing the deceased with the most basic respect was an essential moral obligation for nobility.
As they bid farewell to their enemies, the Austrian Army also bid farewell to their fallen comrades.
Watching each familiar young soldier being laid to rest in the soil, Gregory’s once uplifted mood now sank into silence.
One general’s success leads to the withering of ten thousand bones.
Last night’s battle went smoothly, but even so, the Austrian Army still paid a huge price.
Nearly a whole battalion’s worth of troops was wiped out, especially among the more than 800 soldiers who participated in the assault.
Less than half of them survived, including a hundred wounded.
The casualties were heavy, but the results were astonishing.
They killed more than 3,000 enemy soldiers, captured over 7,000 prisoners, and seized a considerable number of supplies, achieving the largest victory since the outbreak of the war.
With the triumph in the Battle of Trento, the situation on the Venice Battlefield underwent a dramatic change.
The true weakness of the Sardinian Army’s combat capability was exposed.
The Austrian Army was greatly encouraged by this victory, and many generals were eager and ready, preparing to seize the opportunity for a major offensive.
Trento played a crucial role in the War of Venice, where Marshal Badoglio deployed a substantial force.
Other areas were not as fortunate, even if they had numerical superiority, it was not by a large margin.
The Battle of Trento became a turning point in the Austro-Sardinian War.
After this battle, the momentum shifted, and the Austrian Army launched a wave of counteroffensive.
……
Sardinian Army Headquarters, Major General Mantuya reported, “Lord Marshal, the current situation is highly unfavorable for us.
The Papal Army is in retreat and has already left the battlefield, indicating their intention to withdraw from this war.
The Tuscan forces suffered a severe defeat earlier and are now in a state of disarray, stationed in Brescia, fifty kilometers away from the battlefield.
Even if we intend to engage the enemy, it will take two days to reach them. As of now, we are fighting alone.”
Marshal Badoglio frowned deeply, realizing that some of his officers were inexperienced and lacked the necessary military knowledge to command such a large army effectively.
Not only him, but in the entire Sardinian army, there was no general capable of effectively leading a force of two hundred thousand soldiers in battle.
There’s no way around it – true military leaders are forged on the battlefield.
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The standing army of the Kingdom of Sardinia only had twenty to thirty thousand soldiers, and the highest-ranking officers were at the level of division commanders at best.
Suddenly being promoted to command a corps, with twenty times their original forces, required one to undergo an adaptation process.
Currently, Marshal Badoglio is still in the process of adaptation.
Since the Battle of Venice began, the Kingdom of Sardinia’s army has experienced varying degrees of chaos, putting him under immense pressure to manage the situation effectively.
Rubbing his forehead, Marshal Badoglio spoke, “Let’s not worry about the Papal States’ Army for now.
They are facing internal conflict and probably won’t be able to focus on this war.
As for the Tuscan troops, they are now reduced to merely one battalion, practically insignificant in this conflict.
If it weren’t for political considerations, I wouldn’t mind having them leave the battlefield immediately to avoid wasting provisions!”
Clearly, Marshal Badoglio held deep resentment toward these two allied forces that did not obey his commands, and he had completely lost confidence in them.
“Marshal, Marshal, there’s big trouble!” the guard exclaimed in panic.
Marshal Badoglio glanced in the direction of the voice, and deep down, he had already passed a death sentence on this panicking and clueless guard.
He was contemplating where to send this foolish fellow to eat dirt.
“Slow down, the sky hasn’t fallen down yet!” he replied with impatience.
The guard tried to calm himself down and said, “Marshal, there’s news from the frontline. Our forces besieging Trento were ambushed by the enemy last night, and we suffered heavy losses. General Messer is now retreating to Bergamo!”
As soon as the words were spoken, Marshal Badoglio threw his command baton, hitting the unfortunate guard right on the forehead.
Before the guard could react, Marshal Badoglio rushed over, grabbed him by the collar, and asked with a murderous tone, “How is this possible? Are you sure you’re not fabricating military intelligence?”
At this moment, the guard was almost trembling in fear, and he finally understood why he was chosen to report the military situation to the marshal.
The guard nervously replied, “Marshal, these are all frontline battle reports, and we have verified them. They are absolutely accurate!”
Hearing this answer, Marshal Badoglio became even more furious.
He pushed the guard to the ground with a single hand and stared at him with a deadly look, saying harshly, “Why didn’t you report it sooner?”
The guard laid on the ground, looking clueless. Report it sooner? How could he do that when the situation was uncertain, and the losses were unknown?
Should he have come here to report that the frontline might have suffered a major defeat, with casualties ranging from zero to thirty thousand?
Facing the fiercely angry Marshal Badoglio, everyone present chose to remain silent and observed from a distance.
Even they were eager to know what exactly had happened on the frontline and why General Messer had been defeated.
After venting his anger, Marshal Badoglio gradually calmed down, suppressing his emotions, and continued, “You useless fool, get up now!”
Two quick-witted young military officers promptly helped the bewildered guard to his feet.
“Tell me, what exactly happened on the frontline? Can it be Messer, that idiot, couldn’t defeat the enemy’s single regiment with his three divisions?” Badoglio inquired.
In the Kingdom of Sardinia’s army, the infantry divisions were not very large in size, but they increased from the army expansion, usually consisting of about 8,500 to 12,000 soldiers.
No matter how small their troop size was, facing an Austrian regiment of just over two thousand soldiers, they should have an absolute advantage with no possibility of an upset.
The guard spoke anxiously, “Marshal, we’ve been deceived. The enemy forces in Trento are not just one regiment.
Our preliminary estimation indicates there are at least five infantry divisions, which is why we suffered a defeat!”
Undoubtedly, this was false military intelligence.
Even if they were to punish General Messer severely, he would never dare claim that the enemy had only three regiments, as that would mean he would face a military tribunal.
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