Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 96:
Chapter 96: Chapter 96, The Ruthlessness of Politicians
Translator: 549690339
After receiving the battle report from Venice, Charles Albert seemed as if he had lost his soul; his vigor and spirit instantly faded as he muttered incessantly, “It’s over! It’s over! Everything is finished!”
Minister of Army Li Qi hurriedly comforted, “Your Majesty, things have not reached the worst point, we still have a chance to turn the tables!”
Charles Albert’s eyes darted, his face twisting into a bitter smile as he asked, “What chance? Bardorio, that incompetent, has squandered years of our accumulation in one battle!”
In the just-concluded battle of Venice, the Kingdom of Sardinia not only lost nearly a hundred thousand troops but also had their hard-earned morale shattered.
It takes courage for a small country to challenge a great one, and it was through years of propaganda depicting Austria as corrupt and easily defeated that the Kingdom of Sardinia was able to build up the military’s morale, which was now completely lost.
Could an army without morale still fight?
Charles Albert was a wise man; he knew that Sardinia wasn’t fully prepared for this challenge to Austria.
If it were not for the domestic situation forcing his hand, coupled with Austria’s seemingly declining power, he would never have taken the risk.
Li Qi offered what he believed to be a rational explanation, “Your Majesty, we still have Lombardy in our hands, we can mobilize the local populace to resist the Austrians; even if we cannot defeat the enemy, we can stall them for some time!
If the situation becomes deadlocked, we can ask the British to mediate. We still owe the British a substantial amount of loans, and the Austrians won’t acknowledge this debt. The British, for their own interests, must support us!”
To support the unification of Italy by Sardinia, John Bull had invested heavily, providing loans totaling tens of millions of British Pounds. If all of it were lost in an instant, even they couldn’t bear the loss.
Charles Albert shook his head, “It’s not that simple, Austria is no easy target, and the British are not running a charity.
Unless we can hold off the Austrian onslaught in Lombardy, it will be difficult to get through this.”
Great powers typically bully smaller nations, but this time Sardinia broke the mold by challenging Austria as a small country and suffered a disastrous defeat, leading to a tragic outcome.
In history, Austria spared Sardinia because of the Hungarian rebellion; they lacked the resources to settle scores with them.
Now that the Hungarians were clearly unreliable, even without reinforcements, Austria’s forces in the Venice Area alone could turn Sardinia into history.
“This is bad, Your Majesty. We must seal off the news immediately. If word of the defeat in Venice gets out, the nation will descend into chaos!” exclaimed Prime Minister Azelio, belatedly realizing the situation
Everyone snapped to attention; after all, they were all in the same boat, and no one could escape if things went awry.
It could be said that Sardinia’s long-term political propaganda of demonizing Austria had sown the seeds for the current predicament.
Impetuous nationalism is most susceptible to losing control; its adherents don’t consider the actual situation and cannot tolerate failure.
Charles Albert had come to his senses; as a qualified politician, he would make the choice most beneficial to himself.
“The government will immediately issue a denial, while spreading false news declaring we are in a deadlock with the Austrians in the battle.
Proceed with a total mobilization, enlisting all able-bodied men into the army, especially young students—they must all be sent to the battlefield.
The Foreign Ministry is to contact the British as soon as possible, asking them to mediate the war. As long as the British’s conditions are not too excessive, we can agree to them directly!”
Charles Albert, not wanting to be overthrown by the radical nationalists, could only send these people to die first.
“Your Majesty, shall we replace Bardorio?” Minister of Army Li Qi asked.
Charles Albert fell into deep thought. If possible, he truly hoped that at this moment a hero from the Kingdom of Sardinia could turn the tides.
“Forget it, changing generals on the battlefield is a major military taboo. Let him make amends through meritorious deeds!”
After much hesitation, Charles Albert abandoned the thought of replacing him. Changing the person in command at this point wouldn’t make much of a difference to the outcome, and it might even worsen the situation. It would be better to let Bardorio shoulder all the responsibility himself.
Budapest
As the temporary capital of Hungary and one of the few cities still under the control of the Revolutionaries, this place had become a sea of sin.
Petofi simply could not stand it any longer. He felt his ideals growing further and further apart from reality. Apart from bringing so-called freedom to Hungary, the revolution had brought nothing but disaster.
“Mr. Kossuth, we must restore military discipline. The National Homeland Defense Troops have turned into a bunch of bandits and robbers. If this continues, the revolution will be over!”
The usually energetic Kossuth was now sitting there with a look of melancholy, his sharp eyes bloodshot, yet he still exuded a strong aura.
After hearing Petofi’s words, Kossuth nodded, then said with a bitter smile, “The prolonged battle with the enemy is too suffocating. The soldiers, they’re human after all, they need to vent. At this moment, enforcing military discipline might lead to even more unpredictable consequences!”
He was well aware of the chaos in the city. But now, they had no choice. It seemed more meaningful to talk to the soldiers about their salary rather than about their lives and ideals.
The war had drained the Hungarian Republican Government by now, and without money to pay their soldiers, they had no choice but to let them loot.
“But Mr. Kossuth, if we continue like this we will lose the hearts of our people!” Petofi said unwillingly.
As an idealist, his compassion was only a small part of him. If it could lead to victory, Petofi wouldn’t mind making sacrifices.
Yet now a voice inside him said that this could not go on. He hoped Kossuth would come forward and stop the unruly soldiers from their misdeeds.
Unfazed, Kossuth replied, “Revolution always requires sacrifice, and that sacrifice can be you or me, the National Homeland Defense Troops, or the ordinary people of Hungary!
History will remember the sacrifices they made, and we will settle this debt with the Austrians sooner or later!
Budapest cannot be held any longer, everything left here will go to the enemy, it’s better to destroy it!”
“You want to destroy this city, have you gone mad!” Petofi exclaimed.
Kossuth said passionately, “It’s not I who want to destroy this city, but the Austrians who will destroy this city!
The enemy is already building a dam upstream. As long as we hold out a little longer, they will release the water and flood the city!
Think about it, once the Austrians flood the city, how much damage will it bring to the downstream areas?
By then, tens of thousands, even millions, will be homeless, and these people will become our comrades-in-arms. Together, we will bury this rotten Empire!”
