Chapter 88: The Battle of Milan"Thank you to user Y4RN1 for the recommendation ticket. I will update with an additional 10 chapters."

Despite some Austrian officers attempting to lead and command, their efforts proved to be ineffective. They had already missed the prime opportunity for a counterattack.

Helpless, some Austrian officers had no choice but to abandon their soldiers and flee for their lives. After all, soldiers could always regroup, but if they were to die here, there would be no redemption.

With the flight of the Austrian officers, the entire Austrian army lost its final chance for a counteroffensive.

Although the Austrian army had suffered a devastating defeat in the previous Turin War, the experience gained from it proved invaluable in constructing defensive positions. They built numerous artillery emplacements to engage the French forces, and the Austrian army prepared a substantial cavalry force to attack the French artillery positions.

If not for Napoleon's sudden assault, the battle would not have been so straightforward. Upon learning of Napoleon's intention to forcibly reclaim Italy, the Austrian forces in northern Italy had already begun active preparations. Archduke Charles, the commander of the southern Austrian forces, ordered all Austrian troops in the region to be placed on high alert.

The border of the Milanese city-state became a focal point for Austrian defenses. Consequently, the Austrians deployed a force of fifty thousand soldiers in Milan to guard against the French forces from Genoa.

Unfortunately, despite their thorough preparations, when the French artillery barrage commenced, the Austrian army was caught completely off guard. They had never anticipated the French would attack at this moment. After all, less than a day had passed since the declaration of war, and the Austrians couldn't fathom how the French had transported their artillery so quickly. Were the French cannons dropped from the sky?

Immediately after entering a state of war, the Austrian army's alert level was raised to the highest. However, after three consecutive days without any French attacks, the Austrian forces began to relax.

The lower-ranking Austrian officers even believed that the French were also gathering their forces and wouldn't launch an attack until their assembly was complete. Consequently, when faced with the French assault, they were completely unprepared.

Even General Vasiri, stationed in Milan, boasted confidently, "Our sturdy defenses will crush those foolish Frenchmen, and our brave cavalry will easily rout their formations and defeat them."

However, the Austrian defenses proved to be weaker than Vasiri's bravado suggested. It became evident that they had cut corners in building their defensive works.

These defensive fortifications, while appearing majestic and imposing, were swiftly demolished under the relentless bombardment of the French artillery. Even if a few defensive structures managed to survive, it was doubtful they could still be of significant use.

One hour after the French artillery barrage, General Vasiri slowly rose from his bed. Milan was not too close to the front lines, but it was certainly not far either. Consequently, he was unaware of the attack on the frontline defenses by the French forces. However, while he was still getting ready, his adjutant rushed in urgently.

"General, the French have launched an attack! Our frontline defenses and camps have come under intense artillery bombardment from hundreds of French cannons. Our troops have suffered heavy casualties, and our frontline defenses have been destroyed. It's expected that a large-scale French assault will commence soon," the adjutant said, panic evident on his face.

Milan might not be close to the front lines, but if the frontline defenses were breached, the French forces would surely advance towards the city.

"What? The French have attacked? How could they move so quickly? And why haven't I received any news?" General Vasiri exclaimed in disbelief. He quickly wiped the foam from the corners of his mouth with a towel, dressed, and headed straight for the command room.

However, as soon as he arrived at the command room, more bad news arrived. The defensive lines they had established on the border between Milan and Genoa had been breached by the French forces. Caught off guard, the Austrian army had suffered heavy losses.

Rough estimates suggested casualties of nearly ten thousand from this attack alone.

"Damn it! How could those French attackers be so powerful? They've broken through our defenses in just an hour? How is that possible?" General Vasiri said incredulously. The battle had just begun, and the Austrian troops on the frontline had already suffered severe casualties. This was a massive blow to the entire Austrian army, and there was even a risk of losing Milan if they weren't careful.

"Send an urgent military report to Archduke Charles, informing him that we've been ambushed by the French. We were caught off guard and are now in a disadvantageous situation. Ask him to dispatch reinforcements to us as soon as possible. Otherwise, our defensive lines are on the verge of collapsing. If the defensive lines collapse, the entire Milan region is at risk of falling," General Vasiri ordered.

"Yes, General," the adjutant nodded, immediately setting off to dispatch the message.

Meanwhile, on the frontline in Milan, the intense French artillery barrage had lasted only half an hour before ceasing. Following the bombardment, infantry units that had already advanced to the attack positions immediately launched an assault on the Austrian positions.

With the secure passage opened up by the French cannons, infantrymen could advance unscathed towards the Austrian positions to engage them.

"Hurry, get into formation! The French attack is about to begin!" Austrian officers who had narrowly survived the intense shelling began urging the soldiers to take their positions. They drove the ordinary soldiers like herding cattle. In reality, these officers never regarded the rank-and-file soldiers of the Austrian army as human. With different ethnic backgrounds even among themselves, they treated these soldiers as expendable commodities, easily replaced at any time.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Sporadic gunshots rang out as Austrian infantrymen crouched inside the destroyed trenches, firing outward. However, the French infantry was still some distance away from the trenches, and the marksmanship of the Austrian soldiers was hardly commendable.

It seemed like they considered their job done once they fired their bullets. As for where the bullets went or whether they hit any French soldiers, that was left up to God's will.

"Soldiers, don't panic, they're still far away! The Austrians can't hit us at all. It's more like they're firing salutes to welcome us!" 

As the attack progressed, Moro led the infantry relentlessly closer to the Austrian positions.

"Quick, fire! The French are advancing!" The Austrian officers were in a state of panic, waving their command swords frantically and shouting orders at the soldiers around them.

"Soldiers, we have two hundred meters left, keep moving forward." In stark contrast to the panic of the Austrian officers, Moro remained calm and composed. He continuously measured the distance between himself and the enemy to find the optimal firing position.

"We can't hold them off any longer; our losses are too great. We need artillery support! The French are closing in, and we won't be able to resist much longer!"

In the era of flintlock rifles, the accuracy of gunfire was not high, so soldiers needed to form dense lines to increase their chances of hitting the enemy. The more soldiers there were, the more bullets could be fired simultaneously, increasing the likelihood of hitting the target.

Conversely, with fewer soldiers, fewer bullets would be fired, and naturally, the hit rate would decrease. After the shelling, the Austrian army's formations had already been scattered. In this situation, the Austrians couldn't organize dense formations to counter the French.

At this moment, the Austrian army could only rely on their artillery, but at this moment, the Austrian artillery couldn't provide support to the frontline. Napoleon excelled in artillery warfare, so it's unlikely he wouldn't have made preparations. The positions of the Austrian artillery had been discovered by French scouts before the war even began. Once the shelling started, they became the primary target of the French artillery. As a result, the Austrian artillery suffered heavy losses at the beginning of the war, and many cannons were almost completely destroyed.