Chapter 96: The Ruthlesness of Politicians
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Upon receiving the battle report of the Venice Campaign, Charles Albert felt as if he had lost his soul. He lost all of his energy all of a sudden and kept muttering, “It’s over! It’s over! It’s all over!”
The Minister of War, Li Qi, hurriedly reassured him, “Your Majesty, things haven’t reached the worst yet. We still have a chance to turn the tide.”
Charles Albert’s eyes shifted, and he smiled bitterly, asking, “What chance? Badoglio, that incompetent waste, has squandered all the accumulation of so many years in just one battle!”
In the recently concluded Battle of Venice, the Kingdom of Sardinia not only suffered the loss of nearly a hundred thousand troops but also lost the morale and spirit they had painstakingly accumulated.
It takes courage for a smaller country to challenge a large nation. To challenge Austria, the Kingdom of Sardinia had spent more than a decade consistently propagating the decay and vulnerability of Austria. This effort was aimed at boosting the morale of their own troops. However, now it all seemed to have evaporated in an instant.
Can an army fight without morale?
Charles Albert was a shrewd individual, fully aware that the Kingdom of Sardinia’s preparations for challenging Austria this time were far from sufficient.
Had it not been for the pressing domestic situation and the apparent decline of Austria’s power, he would have never taken such a risk.
Li Qi explained with what he believed were reasonable grounds, “Your Majesty, we still hold Lombardy, and we can rally the local populace to resist the Austrians. Even if we can’t defeat them, we can delay their advance for a while!
As long as the situation reaches a deadlock, we can call upon the British to mediate. We owe the British a substantial amount in loans that the Austrians won’t acknowledge. For their own interests, the British will have to support us!”
John Bull had invested heavily to support the Kingdom of Sardinia in unifying the Italian regions. They had poured tens of millions of pounds in loans altogether. If this support suddenly evaporated, even with their significant resources, they wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences.
TN: John Bull is the national personification of the UK just like USA’s Uncle Sam.
Charles Albert shook his head and said, “Things aren’t that simple. Austria isn’t an easy target and the British aren’t in the business of charity. Unless we can withstand Austria’s military might in Lombardy, it will be challenging to come out of this situation unscathed!”
It has always been the case that great powers bully smaller nations. This time, the Kingdom of Sardinia broke the norm, challenging Austria as a small nation, but unfortunately, they suffered a brutal defeat, which was truly tragic.
In history, the Austrians spared the Kingdom of Sardinia due to the Hungarian rebellion, lacking the capacity to deal with both matters simultaneously.
Now it was clear that Hungary was no longer a factor, and even without sending reinforcements, Austria’s current forces in the Venice Region alone can render the Kingdom of Sardinia history.
“There’s trouble, Your Majesty. We must immediately control the spread of information. If word gets out about the failure in the Battle of Venice, the domestic situation could spiral out of control!” Prime Minister Azeglio exclaimed, belatedly recognizing the gravity of the situation.
Suddenly, everyone understood the gravity of the situation. They were all tied together like crickets on a string—no one could escape when trouble arose.
It could be said that the Kingdom of Sardinia’s long-standing vilification of Austria through political propaganda had sown the seeds of this predicament.
Impulsive nationalism is the most susceptible to spiraling out of control. People driven by it often disregard practical considerations and are even less tolerant of failure.
Charles Albert had already awakened to reality. As a competent politician, he would make the choices that would best serve his own interests.
“The government must immediately step in to refute the rumors, while also disseminating false information. Let it be known that we are currently locked in a decisive battle with the Austrians and that the situation is at a standstill.
At the same time, initiate a nationwide mobilization, incorporating all able-bodied men into the army. Especially focus on those young students—get them onto the battlefield.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should swiftly establish contact with the British, urging them to mediate in this war. As long as the terms proposed by the British are not overly extreme, we should readily accept them!”
Charles Albert didn’t want to be overthrown by radical nationalists; the only option was to send these people to their deaths.
“Your Majesty, should we consider replacing Badoglio?” Minister of War, Li Qi, asked.
Charles Albert fell into deep thought. If possible, he truly hoped that the Kingdom of Sardinia could produce a hero to turn the tide.
“Forget it, changing commanders just before battle is a big taboo in military strategy. Let him stay and try to redeem himself through merit!”
After much hesitation, Charles Albert abandoned the idea of replacing Badoglio. At this point, whoever took over might not drastically alter the outcome, and there was a risk that the situation might even worsen. It was better to let Badoglio bear all the responsibility.
……
Budapest.
As the interim capital of the Hungarian Government and one of the few cities still under the control of the revolutionary parties, it had become a sea of crimes.
Pet?fi could no longer bear watching this. He felt that his ideals were drifting farther and farther away from reality. Apart from bringing the so-called freedom to Hungary, the revolution was nothing but disaster.
“Mr. Kossuth, we must restore military discipline. The current National Guard has turned into a group of bandits and thieves. If this continues, the revolution will be ruined!”
Kossuth, who used to be full of energy, was now sitting there with a melancholic expression. His sharp eyes were a bit bloodshot, but his spirit remained strong.
Upon hearing Pet?fi’s words, Kossuth nodded and then sighed with bitterness.
“Engaging in prolonged battles with the enemy is stifling. Soldiers are humans too, and they need an outlet to vent out. At this time, imposing strict military discipline might lead to even more unpredictable consequences!”
How could he not know about the chaos in the city? However, they had no choice now. Trying to talk to the soldiers about life and ideals was perhaps less meaningful than discussing their pay.
With the war having progressed this far, the Hungarian Republic had long been drained of resources. With no funds left for military pay, they had no option but to let the soldiers resort to looting.
“But Mr. Kossuth, if things continue like this, we’ll lose the people’s support!” Pet?fi protested unwillingly.
As an idealist, compassion was just a small part of him. If victory could be achieved, Pet?fi was not averse to sacrifice.
But now there was a voice telling him that continuing like this was unsustainable. He hoped that Kossuth could step in and prevent the unruly soldiers from causing more harm.
Kossuth remained composed and said, “Revolution always demands sacrifices. These sacrifices could be you or me, they could be the National Guard, or they could be ordinary Hungarian citizens!
History will remember the sacrifices they made, and we will settle this debt with the Austrians sooner or later!
If Budapest can’t be held, then leaving everything here for the enemy isn’t worth it. It’s better to destroy it all!”
“You want to destroy this city? You’re crazy!” Pet?fi exclaimed.
Kossuth responded passionately, “It’s not me wanting to destroy this city, it’s the Austrians wanting to destroy it! The enemy has already built dams upstream. If we continue to persist, they’ll flood the city with water!
Imagine the massive losses that will be inflicted downstream once the Austrians flood the city. There could be hundreds of thousands, even millions of people left homeless. These people will become our allies, and together, we will bury this decaying empire!”
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