Chapter 98: Fierce Urban Warfare

"A ton of shells just for Tortona! If we were to attack Venice or Southern Italy, that number would multiply. It's quite worrying!" Napoleon said, furrowing his brow.

"Are the assault troops ready? We've delayed for so many days, it's time to take Tortona," Napoleon asked Lana immediately.

Napoleon couldn't wait any longer to capture the city. Tortona was considered an impregnable fortress by the Austrians. Breaking it would deal a huge blow to the morale of the entire Austrian army.

"Don't worry, Excellency. We are ready. This time, we will definitely take Tortona," Lana assured him.

After five days of intense artillery bombardment, the outer defenses of Tortona had been almost completely leveled, making it easy for the French to advance into the city.

The five days of intense artillery bombardment were a crucial means for the French to weaken the enemy, but for the Austrian commanders, it felt like an eternity.

At first, Vasily thought that the intense French bombardment would not last long and would soon stop due to lack of shells. However, he could only watch helplessly as the fortifications and defenses he had painstakingly built were destroyed in the fierce bombardment. The French shells seemed to rain down endlessly, as if they were free.

This made General Vasily realize that his plan to use the defensive works of Tortona to wear down the French forces had become a delusion.

"Damn it! If this continues, Tortona will be lost," Vasily thought angrily. He had already lost Milan and become a joke in the Austrian army. If he lost Tortona as well, no matter what his background in Austria was, he would surely be held accountable when he returned home.

"General, the French have launched a general assault. Our frontline positions have been lost, and the troops are retreating into the city," just as Vasily was agonizing over this, a frontline officer brought him bad news.

"Order the troops inside the city to prepare for urban warfare! We must resist the French no matter what," Vasily ordered with a grim expression. Now, he had no choice but to fight back.

Now, his life was inexorably tied to Tortona. As long as Tortona stood, so did his life. If Tortona fell, his fate would be sealed.

"Yes, I will issue the orders," Vasily said grimly, commanding his troops to hold Tortona at all costs. The Austrian troops stationed in the fortresses around Tortona had suffered heavy losses during the continuous five-day bombardment by the French.

Despite Vasily's orders to prepare for urban warfare, he had no confidence that they could withstand the French assault.

Outside the city, following Napoleon's attack orders, the French easily broke through the Austrian defenses around Tortona and entered the city. However, inside the city, they encountered stubborn resistance from the Austrian troops.

The Austrians used the buildings and even ruins within the city to resist the French. For every step the French advanced, they had to engage in fierce battles with the Austrians.

Urban warfare was undeniably intense, and this was the first time the French had engaged in such warfare. While the Austrian troops were not adept at urban warfare either, the fighting was fierce, and the French suffered significant casualties.

Fortunately, after five days of bombardment, the morale of the Austrian troops had plummeted, and the French had just broken through the outer defenses of Tortona. This gave the French some advantage.

"Raise your guns, fire!" Inside Tortona, French soldiers were seen engaged in combat with Austrian soldiers everywhere.

The French advanced quickly; in less than half an hour, they had broken through all the Austrian positions outside the city and advanced into the city.

At the same time, they faced fierce resistance from the Austrian troops at the city gates.

The Austrians had constructed a solid defense line relying on the city gates. From behind the gates, they could easily shoot at the French soldiers, who couldn't attack them due to the angle.

Outside the city gate, there were bodies of French soldiers everywhere. To break through here, they had already suffered more than 100 casualties.

"No, this won't work. The city gate is too strong; we can't even reach the Austrians holed up inside. Our brothers died here in vain," said a French soldier, his eyes red with fury, looking at the city wall less than a hundred meters away.

"Give me the explosives; I'll blast them!" Another French soldier in the trench couldn't bear it any longer. He grabbed the explosives from his comrade and charged out towards the Austrian soldiers defending the city gate.

"Look, it's a Frenchman!" As soon as the French soldier rushed out, the Austrians spotted him.

"Fire! Shoot him dead!" shouted a Austrian sergeant.

Upon hearing the order, Austrian soldiers raised their muskets and aimed at the French soldier running towards the city gate.

The distance from the French position to the city wall was less than 200 meters, which was enough for the Austrian soldiers to load their muskets.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

As soon as the Austrian soldiers finished loading their muskets, they immediately fired at the French soldier under the city wall. In an instant, bullets from a dozen muskets formed a protective net shooting towards the French soldier.

"Pfft~"

Instantly, the French soldier's body sprayed several splashes of blood, and then he staggered and fell heavily to the ground, never to rise again.

"No..."

Seeing another comrade die in front of him, the French commander responsible for the siege had bloodshot eyes and a grim face.

"Increase the artillery! Blast them!" Finally, the French commander almost screamed in madness. Large-caliber heavy artillery was useless in urban warfare, and the only thing that could be used was the 5-pound small-caliber cannon.

However, these cannons were of little use in large-scale artillery battles, so the French did not place much importance on them. This led to small-caliber cannons being rare in the French army, and even if they were available, they were mostly captured from the Austrian army.

Because they were scarce, they were precious, and with the French engaged in street fighting everywhere, these small-caliber cannons were simply insufficient.

Gradually, the battle before the city gate subsided, and the French stopped their advance, waiting.

They awaited the support of cannons, intending to use these captured Austrian cannons to send these detestable Austrians to the heavens.

"Sergeant, look, the French below the city are not moving," a bewildered Austrian soldier pointed out.

"That's because they simply can't break through, or maybe they've given up," the Austrian sergeant said dismissively, but soon he paid the price for his foolishness.

For just half an hour later, a cannon appeared before them. The fierce muzzle repeatedly reminded the Austrian soldiers on the city gate of its power.

Although these cannons had small calibers and insufficient killing power, their small size and light weight allowed for excellent mobility within the city.

Moreover, for the temporary defenses the Austrian soldiers had built, 5-pound shells were enough.

"Fire! Destroy those damn Austrians for me!" shouted the French commander, his face grim, while urging the soldiers around him to operate the cannons.

"Fire!"

As the French soldiers finished loading the gunpowder and shells, the command to fire was quickly given. At that moment, all the French soldiers were filled with a fiery determination. They had countless comrades who had died here, and they were here to avenge them.

"Boom!" A tremendous explosion rang out.

At that moment, the French soldiers lit the cannon, and the shells flew towards the Austrian soldiers and the city gate in their terrified gaze, resulting in a massive explosion on contact. It destroyed the city and the soldiers.