Chapter 92: Taking Milan Easily

（Go out for a drink, come back and continue writing.）

"General, the enemy's artillery fire is extremely fierce. It's not safe here anymore. We need to go to the underground shelter," said a staff officer.

"All right," nodded General Vasilii, following the staff officers to the pre-built underground shelter. Even inside the shelter, they could feel the ground shaking, indicating the intensity of the French artillery fire. As for the Austrian troops defending on the surface, their situation was even more perilous.

"It seems a bit wasteful to use these large-caliber cannons against the Austrian defenses," Napoleon said with some frustration. Although the heavy artillery had great power, its cost was too high, and using expensive shells here made Napoleon feel a bit uneasy.

"Your Excellency, the position of Milan is extremely important. Once we take it, the next target is Turin. There, the Austrians have built a formidable fortress. Our heavy artillery will come in handy then. Besides, if using some shells can help us take Milan smoothly and reduce our losses, then it's not a bad result," chuckled the artillery commander, Berlaidi.

Napoleon nodded. "Milan is just an appetizer. Turin is the main course. That fortress has been painstakingly built by the Austrians over several years and won't be easy to conquer. However, when our heavy artillery support joins the battle, with our number increased to 60 cannons, perhaps that will be enough to crack Turin's shell."

The French artillery barrage lasted less than half an hour, and the Austrian defenses outside Milan had already been swept away. The Austrian officers and soldiers stationed in those defensive works had long been blasted into pieces. Even those hiding in the trenches couldn't survive.

The heavy artillery, with a caliber of over 25 pounds, might not have directly hit the Austrian soldiers, but the shockwaves from the explosions were enough to kill them. If a direct hit occurred, it would utterly destroy the gun emplacement, burying everyone inside alive.

After the artillery barrage, the infantry, already prepared, launched their attack. Under the intense bombardment, the Austrian army suffered heavy losses, and their morale teetered on the brink of collapse. In such circumstances, the French advance encountered little resistance.

After a day of fighting, the French had cleared the Austrian positions outside Milan and began advancing towards the city. General Lannes even claimed that they would capture the entire Milan before sunset.

"General, the outer defense line has completely collapsed, and we've suffered heavy losses. If we continue to defend Milan, our army will be annihilated," a staff officer, looking weary, approached General Vasilii and offered this advice.

General Vasilii stared at the map in silence for a long time. He really didn't want to give up Milan just like that. It had only been three days since the war began, and Milan was already on the brink of falling. If he left like this, how could he justify it when he returned home?

"Damn it! It's all because we lost too many cannons at the beginning. Otherwise, with Milan's fortifications and artillery, the situation wouldn't be so disastrous," Vasilii thought bitterly. But unfortunately, there was no remedy for regrets in this world. No matter how much Vasilii regretted it now, it was of no use.

"General, we can't hesitate any longer. We must abandon Milan and retreat to Turin. We have strong defensive works there to confront the French. Besides, Turin is closer to Venice, so Archduke Karl can support us more quickly," continued the staff officer. In war, the most taboo thing was indecision. If they didn't take the opportunity to leave now, they might be trapped by the French in the future, and then it would be too late to leave.

Milan was a commercial city, and its fortifications were not very strong. If Napoleon decided to, he could destroy the city entirely with artillery. Fighting in the streets here would be akin to suicide. On the other hand, Turin was the largest and most formidable fortress in Italy, and the Austrian army had prepared well there. If they retreated there, the outcome would undoubtedly be better.

"Very well, order the entire army to retreat. Command the garrison at Turin to prepare to support us!" General Vasilii finally made up his mind.

As a general, Vasilii naturally had some connections. As long as he still had his troops, there was hope. If he could retake Milan in the future, today's failure could be covered up. On the contrary, if he exhausted his troops and still couldn't hold Milan, then he would be doomed!

...

With Vasilii's decision to give up resistance, the remaining more than 30,000 Austrian troops immediately abandoned Milan and retreated quickly to the west. Vasilii's swift abandonment of the position and rapid retreat took Napoleon somewhat by surprise. Originally, they thought Austria would hold out for a while longer.

Napoleon had no choice but to dispatch Murat and Davout to lead the cavalry in pursuit, attempting to eliminate as much of the Austrian army's manpower as possible.

Napoleon knew that Milan was just an appetizer. The real challenge lay in the Austrian fortress of Turin, located in the central north of Italy. The Austrian defenses there were incredibly strong, and the French would undoubtedly face a tough battle to capture it.

If these Austrians were allowed to escape, future battles would be even harder to fight. That's why it was imperative to eliminate Vasilii's forces as much as possible now. The more Austrian troops were wiped out now, the easier it would be to fight in the future.

Upon Napoleon's command, all French cavalry attacked together. For a moment, the thundering sound of hooves and the slashing of swords filled the air. Countless French cavalrymen swung their swords at the fleeing Austrian soldiers.

To evade the French pursuit, Vasilii had to leave behind troops as rearguards. However, these rearguard soldiers were often dispersed by the French cavalry's charge as soon as they were engaged.

This forced Vasilii to continually leave rearguard troops along the way, and these troops were quickly defeated by the French cavalry.

By the time he led the remaining troops halfway through the retreat, the original over 30,000 soldiers had dwindled to less than 20,000, and most of them were unarmed, dressed in tatters like beggars. More importantly, the fear was evident in their terrified eyes. These soldiers could no longer be considered effective fighters. Even if they were sent to the battlefield, they wouldn't be able to exert any combat power.

Murat, being an experienced veteran of many battles, knew that although the morale of the Austrians had hit rock bottom, their vast numbers still posed a significant threat. Therefore, Murat chose not to directly charge the enemy's large formations but instead stuck close to the Austrians like a leech, slowly whittling away at their forces to achieve the strategic goal of annihilating the Austrian army's manpower.

Meanwhile, the French army followed the Russian army closely, advancing directly to a point less than a hundred miles from Turin. As Vasilii was relentlessly pursued, he became thoroughly panicked. He kept sending urgent requests for reinforcements to Turin, hoping that Turin would dispatch troops to assist him.

In the Austrian staff headquarters in Venice, Archduke Karl held the telegram sent by General Vasilii, roaring furiously, "That fool Vasilii! What is he doing? Fifty thousand troops, and in just a few days, he's lost them all. Now he's being chased by the French like a stray dog. He has brought shame upon the Austrian soldiers. When he returns, I will send him to a military tribunal!"

Archduke Karl angrily exclaimed, not knowing whether it was the fierce French attack or Vasilii's incompetence that had led to the loss of Milan in such a short time, allowing the French to advance into Italy.

Although Archduke Karl knew that it would be very difficult for Vasilii to resist the French attack with the forces at his disposal, he only hoped that Vasilii could consume as much of the French strength as possible, preparing for the future decisive battle. But even such a simple request, Vasilii couldn't fulfill.