Chapter 110: The Dilemma of Rome

Rome, Austria's final and most crucial stronghold in Italy, held immense strategic significance for the French. If they could seize Rome, Austria would lose its last foothold in Italy. However, achieving this goal was proving exceptionally difficult.

Rome, with its already formidable walls and defenses, had been further strengthened by the Austrians since their occupation. They had deployed heavy artillery extensively at the western fortresses to prevent any potential naval assaults on the city. In the north, fortifications had been erected to repel attacks from that direction.

Furthermore, to protect the city center, Archduke Karl had allocated funds for extensive fortifications. Many civilian homes had been demolished and repurposed into strongholds, effectively turning Rome into a massive fortress from the outside in.

As the French consolidated their control over other parts of Italy, Rome had become the last line of defense for the Austrians. Despite their reduced numbers, General Philip, an Austrian cavalry commander, remained hopeful. With the solid defense works in place, he believed they could easily withstand the French assaults. If lucky, they might even inflict heavy casualties on the French, which would greatly aid Austria's future counterattacks.

For Philip, holding Rome was imperative. The city's comprehensive defenses, coupled with Archduke Karl's recent victory in Venice against Napoleon, bolstered their morale. Though it had been a mere defensive victory, it had ignited widespread celebration throughout Austria, hailing Karl as a hero and the only Austrian general to have defeated Napoleon. Some even began to refer to him as the Austrian military genius.

All of this made Philip extremely jealous, he knew it now. The failure of the war had cast a shadow over the entire Austrian society, so once a victory was achieved, it would attract everyone's attention. Karl was just lucky.

Philip believed that he could do what Karl could do. If he could defeat Napoleon under the walls of Rome, he would receive the same treatment as Karl. Then, not only would his military rank be promoted, but he would also be hailed as a hero in Austria.

Just thinking about it made Philip excited, and he could already imagine himself being cheered by the Austrian people in the future.

Inside the command headquarters in Rome, Philip strode in vigorously, wishing for a bright future, constantly inspiring him to move forward.

"Gentlemen, the situation we face now is extremely dangerous. Those damned Frenchmen have taken over all of Italy except Rome. But I can assure you, they won't take Rome. The fortresses and strongholds we have painstakingly built over decades will make them pay a heavy price!" Major General Philip smiled.

"Yes, Your Excellency, you are absolutely right. Rome is the largest city in Italy. Even if the French all die here, they won't take Rome," said Colonel Aniaga, the fortress guard.

He suffered a terrible defeat on the plains outside Florence, causing the Austrian army to lose Florence. Originally, Philip wanted to execute him to maintain military discipline, but unfortunately, Aniaga had given him too much. To save his own life, Aniaga also spent a lot of money, and he saved nearly 3 million Austrian florins for Philip.

You know, Philip's annual salary is only 50,000 Austrian florins. These 3 million Austrian florins are his entire 60-year salary. So let Philip quietly take this money while cursing that Aniaga will only be corrupt and corrupt.

However, even so, Aniaga's disastrous defeat in Florence could not be simply ignored. This failure had a huge impact on the situation throughout the Italian Peninsula, so Philip demoted Aniaga's rank from Brigadier General to Colonel as punishment.

Aniaga, who had temporarily saved his life, dared not be arrogant anymore. For a long time, he behaved honestly as if he were invisible. On the one hand, he was afraid of crossing Philip's path again, and on the other hand, he had his old rival, Yegor. This guy was really reckless; Aniaga was furious when he heard that Yegor had even thrown a celebration party after being demoted recently due to his defeat. If his subordinates had not restrained him, Aniaga might have taken them to smash the party.

"I agree with Colonel Aniaga. We can defend Rome. I am confident of this," General Yegor said on the other side of the conference table, emphasizing the rank of Colonel. It was as if he were reminding Aniaga. Aniaga was itching with anger, but he had no way to respond.

"You all make valid points. Rome must be defended, and it will be defended. This is our last city in Italy. There's no turning back," Aniaga and Yegor, ignoring the big picture, were still at odds. But at this moment, Philip couldn't control them both. The immediate priority was to defend Rome.

If Rome fell, everything would be lost. If Napoleon couldn't be repelled and Rome couldn't be defended, not only would Philip not be promoted, he would also be sent to a military court.

Facing Philip's request, all the Austrian generals present nodded in agreement and expressed confidence in defending Rome. However, in a corner of the command headquarters, there was a middle-aged man in a suit whose face showed no smile. This man was none other than Mayor of Rome and Commander of the Roman City Defense Corps, Snook.

"General Philip, I must inform you that because Rome is in the rear, the military headquarters never considered it would become a battlefield. As a result, the city is not adequately prepared with ammunition. Additionally, I must tell you that our food supplies are also running low. There are still 170,000 civilians in the city, along with over 30,000 troops, totaling over 200,000 people. With our current food supplies, we can hold out for at most three months. If reinforcements from the homeland do not arrive within three months, we will likely starve to death," said Mayor Snook, his face grim.

As a civilian official, war was not something he should have been concerned with. His role was to ensure logistics and provide timely assistance to Philip to achieve victory. But the current situation made it impossible for him to assist. After all, no one anticipated that the French army would come to Rome before the war began. Therefore, the city was not prepared with weapons, ammunition, or food. Although Philip believed the likelihood of the French taking Rome was slim, Snook worried that if the French resorted to siege tactics, over 200,000 civilians and troops would starve to death.

After hearing Mayor Snook's words, the lively discussions among the Austrian generals came to an abrupt halt. Initially unaware, they now understood that even if the French did not breach the city, without supplies, they too would perish.

"Mayor Snook, how much gunpowder and shells are left in Rome?" asked one Austrian officer, his face pale with concern.

"We have less than a ton of gunpowder and about two tons of shells," Snook replied after a moment of thought.

As Snook's words echoed, the faces of the Austrian generals turned grim. While they indeed had the world's most formidable fortresses, without weapons and ammunition supplies, and with insufficient food, they would not be able to hold out for long.