Chapter 115: The Emperor's Request

After Napoleon changed tactics, the French army ceased its fierce attacks on Rome and instead began bombarding Austrian fortresses with heavy artillery. While still intense, this approach significantly reduced casualties, mainly concentrated between the French and Austrian artillery.

Inside Rome, the Austrians were very pleased with this outcome. They shamelessly proclaimed that Austria had defeated the French offensive in Rome and claimed victory in the defense of Rome. They held onto Austria's last piece of territory in Italy and asserted that the French army was now at its weakest, poised for Austria to launch a counterattack. The final victory would surely belong to Austria.

Despite this rhetoric, informed observers from various countries knew better. Austria had suffered a disastrous defeat in the early stages of the war, and unless they could decisively reverse the tide in the upcoming battles against the French, talk of victory was baseless.

However, many ordinary Austrians believed the government's narrative. Dissatisfied with previous failures, many Austrians had become optimistic about the war again, especially after receiving Philippe's exaggerated war reports in Vienna.

In his reports, Philippe claimed a major victory in Rome, boasting that he had annihilated over thirty thousand French soldiers, including two generals.

Most Austrian officials did not believe this exaggerated report; they were not fools. However, Emperor Franz II of Austria firmly believed in the validity of this war report.

This was not due to his foolishness but because, after several previous defeats, Austrian society was currently filled with despondency. Austria urgently needed a major victory to boost morale, and a victory in the Roman war seemed like a good starting point.

After Napoleon changed tactics, the French army ceased its fierce attacks on Rome and instead began bombarding Austrian fortresses with heavy artillery. This approach, while still intense, significantly reduced casualties, primarily between the French and Austrian artillery.

The Austrians in Rome were very satisfied with this outcome. They shamelessly proclaimed that Austria had defeated the French offensive in Rome and claimed victory in the defense of Rome. They held onto Austria's last piece of territory in Italy and asserted that the French army was now at its weakest, poised for Austria to launch a counterattack. The final victory would surely belong to Austria.

Despite this rhetoric, informed observers from various countries knew better. Austria had suffered a disastrous defeat in the early stages of the war, and unless they could decisively reverse the tide in the upcoming battles against the French, talk of victory was baseless.

However, many ordinary Austrians believed the government's narrative. Dissatisfied with previous failures, many Austrians had become optimistic about the war again, especially after receiving Philippe's exaggerated war reports in Vienna.

In his reports, Philippe claimed a major victory in Rome, boasting that he had annihilated over thirty thousand French soldiers, including two generals.

Most Austrian officials did not believe this exaggerated report; they were not fools. However, Emperor Franz II of Austria firmly believed in the validity of this war report.

This was not due to his foolishness but because, after several previous defeats, Austrian society was currently filled with despondency. Austria urgently needed a major victory to boost morale, and a victory in the Roman war seemed like a good starting point.

In the command headquarters in Venice, Archduke Karl was deeply focused on studying the military map in front of him. Combining the map with his observations, he was assessing the current situation. Although he had achieved a rare peace with the French army, he was not naive enough to believe that the war was over.

On the contrary, the end of one war was always the beginning of another. His task was to prepare adequately before the next war began.

"Archduke Karl! News from Vienna," a man dressed in the uniform of a brigadier general walked into the headquarters.

This man was Major General Melfort, one of Austria's finest generals, skilled in both cavalry and infantry warfare. He had been sent by Emperor Franz II to assist Archduke Karl.

"What is it, General Melfort? Is there something urgent?" Archduke Karl asked with a puzzled expression as Melfort entered.

"Your Highness, a message has arrived from Vienna. His Majesty the Emperor hopes that we can launch a counterattack to regain the initiative in the war and the lost territories," Melfort said, handing over the order signed by Emperor Franz II.

"Another counterattack?" Archduke Karl muttered to himself as he took the letter.

"Your Highness, even without the Emperor's orders, I believe we should begin the counterattack. Do you know, Your Grace? Just recently, His Majesty the Emperor signed a promotion order. He promoted Major General Philippe, who is stationed in Rome, to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed him as Governor of Rome, in charge of all Austrian military affairs there," Melfort said, his words tinged with jealousy.

Melfort was also a major general, and in terms of ability, he was no less than Philippe. However, it was Philippe who had been promoted to lieutenant general, which filled Melfort with jealousy.

Melfort believed that Philippe was merely lucky. If it had been him, he could have defended Rome as well. By then, it would not be Philippe promoted to lieutenant general but himself.

Therefore, Melfort was eager for Archduke Karl to engage in war with the French. This way, he would have ample opportunity to gain merit.

"Yes, you make a valid point. His Majesty the Emperor values the idea of a counterattack greatly. Just recently, our reinforcements and logistical supplies have arrived. Currently, all of Napoleon's attention is focused on Rome. Now is the perfect time to initiate the war," Archduke Karl nodded in agreement.

As a commander, one must constantly be aware of the changing sentiments of subordinates. Archduke Karl knew that after the Emperor rewarded Philippe, many of his officers had developed unusual thoughts—they were eager for war, as it was their only chance to gain promotion and titles.

Archduke Karl could only comply with such behavior, as otherwise he would risk losing the loyalty of his soldiers. However, most importantly, Archduke Karl was confident that he could win this war. After a long wait, the Emperor had called up 100,000 fresh troops from across the country, and they had now arrived in Venice by land.

With these 100,000 new troops, he now commanded an army of 150,000. This force was already sufficient, and he was confident he could surpass French Major General Moro.

In the Venetian theater of war, Austria was feverishly amassing troops. Several transport wagons arrived daily from Vienna, packed with Austrian soldiers cramped together like sardines, along with various war supplies. The journey of the 100,000 troops from Vienna to Venice took quite some time.

Simultaneously, the daily consumption of war materials was not an insignificant amount. Preparing for war with over 150,000 troops was no easy task. Fortunately, the Austrian victory in Rome had restored some dignity to Emperor Franz II, reducing his urgent desire for further victories. Therefore, apart from urging the front lines to counterattack, no additional orders were issued.

This provided Archduke Karl with the opportunity to calmly make his preparations.