The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1906 Backyard on Fire
War would not be avoided, and the direct humiliation might even drive them to madness.

Did they really expect the Ticino River to stop the Austrian attack? Even the French couldn't do it, let alone the old-fashioned soldiers of Sardinia.

Plumbier knew his own situation well. Apart from the country bumpkins in the Savoy Valley who were truly willing to fight to the death because of their military tradition, the loyalty of the rest of the Sardinian army was not as high as that of foreign mercenaries.

The Genoese were a prime example; these ordinary citizens not only fled on their own, but they also taught the honest, hardworking farmers of Piedmont to flee with them.

As for the idealists in the Kingdom of Sardinia, the successive wars have proven that they are indeed utterly useless, extremely undisciplined, always unable to resist firing prematurely, and unable to resist being the first to flee.

In the hearts of the farmers of Piedmont, the outcome of the war was not as important as their own crops. Whenever they launched an attack on the Kingdom of Sardinia in the spring and autumn, they could always see groups of Sardinian deserters harvesting crops in the fields.

Back when Napoleon launched his spring offensive, it was discovered that the Sardinian army always managed to get ahead of the French army and disappear without putting up any resistance.

Many people thought that the army of Sardinia was terrified by the French army, but little did they know that the farmers of Piedmont only had their crops in their eyes.

Furthermore, the Genoese had absolutely no sense of belonging to the Kingdom of Sardinia. After all, when Genoa was forcibly ceded to Sardinia in 1815, more than 100,000 of the city's 120,000 inhabitants stood up in opposition.

However, all they received was a cold, dismissive remark from British diplomat Castleray: "You have no right to discuss this," followed by decades of repression.

When the army of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Sardinia entered Genoa on January 3, 1815, there was no welcoming crowd, and many Genoese chose to close their windows in protest.

Genoese people even called it "political rape".

The first thing the Kingdom of Sardinia did after acquiring Genoa was to disband Genoa's proud navy, which was the very foundation of Genoa's nation.

The second thing was to revoke Genoa's free port status, which directly destroyed Genoa's economic lifeline—something the Venetians hadn't been able to do for centuries.

Then came the abolition of all political institutions in Genoa, the forced adoption of the laws and administrative system of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the exclusion of Genoese people from the government.

Of the 204 seats in the so-called Genoa Parliament, only 12 belong to Genoese people.

After completing these tasks, they began to crack down on Genoa's merchants and bankers. In the more than thirty years that the Kingdom of Sardinia took over, the port throughput of Genoa decreased by 60%, and the number of merchant ships decreased instead of increasing. By 1845, the original nearly 1,000 merchant ships had been reduced to less than 500, and the 45 banks had been reduced to only 18.

The language, culture, and customs of Genoa were completely banned, including even the anniversary of the founding of the city of Genoa and the commemoration of past heroes.

The official textbooks of the Kingdom of Sardinia describe the Republic of Genoa as a corrupt and decadent land in dire need of salvation, and comprehensively deny and criticize the heroes and outstanding figures in Genoa's history.

In addition, Genoese people face discrimination, and the entire region of Genoa bears high taxes and more military service.

This is also a major reason why uprisings in Sardinia often originated in Genoa. When Mazzini declared his intention to oppose Sardinia, the Genoese joined the movement without even asking why.

When the Austrian Empire's army entered Genoa, the Genoese people wept. They not only led the way but also helped find the Sardinian spies hidden in the city.

That's what you call settling scores and getting revenge.
To the Genoese, the Austrian Empire's army was not an invader, but a liberator.

When the Austrian Empire demanded the lease of Genoa and the restoration of its free port status, the Genoese had gone completely mad. They were convinced they were Austrians, and who the rulers were really of little concern to them.

Not to mention the large investments Franz made in Genoa, which were all real money.

As for the Po River Guard, the Genoese see it as their navy. They don't care at all why the river guard has a navy.

Importantly, the Po River Guard had a large number of Genoese, and its headquarters were even located in Genoa. To them, this was their home army, and the governor sent by the Austrian Empire was a pro-Genoa governor.

Furthermore, Franz's original intention was to alleviate the already overloaded burden on the port of Venice, which meant that Genoa would once again be competing with Venice for resources.

Even the enemy has returned?
The Genoese are incredibly energetic.

Other regions might not dare to compete with Venice, which was already a behemoth. For example, Trieste, despite repeated support from the Austrian Empire, never really took off.

But Genoa is different; these guys really get fired up when they play against Venice.

At this time, the Genoese in Italy were more like Austrians than the Austrians themselves. After all, these people were not stupid; they knew how they got their good life and what the consequences of losing it would be.

After the Ticino River Crisis broke out, Genoa began to guard against the Kingdom of Sardinia with a high degree of vigilance, and even spontaneously organized a militia.

They were ready to fight to the death if the Sardinian army dared to return. In fact, most of the casualties of the Po River Guard came from Genoa, and they had absolutely no goodwill towards the Sardinian Kingdom.

In terms of public opinion alone, Genoa's reaction may be even more intense than Vienna's, since they are genuinely suffering from the pain and can empathize with the situation.

Prombier did not achieve his goal, and the so-called negotiations naturally came to nothing.

However, as time went on, the pressure on the Kingdom of Sardinia increased, because Franz was not just talking.

The Austrian Empire's fleet has blockaded the ports of Sardinia, and its army has set up camp on the east bank of the Ticino River.

Once the fifteen-day deadline has passed, the Austrian Empire will launch a full-scale attack on the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Panic gripped the entire Kingdom of Sardinia. In the past, they could keep quiet by covering their mouths. But now, with the advent of the telegraph, news arrived instantly wherever telegraph lines passed, leaving them no chance to even keep quiet.

Vittorio Emanuele II finally awoke from his dream of Anglo-French intervention.

"Damn Frenchmen! Damn Britishmen! Damn them!"

Still not satisfied with his rant, he summoned the advisors who had urged him to support Italian independence and gave them a dressing down.

What a load of rubbish! Now he might not even be able to keep his own throne. Vittorio Emanuele II witnessed the despair of Carlo Alberto before his death, and he has no intention of following in his footsteps.

"Those people weren't sent by us either. What business is it of us Sardinians if they're Italians? The Austrians can't be unreasonable!"

"If they want revenge, they should go after the Italians!"

Victor Emmanuel II's statement left his staff feeling both disheartened and helpless.

Victor Emmanuel II was the only hope for Italian nationalists; if all else failed, they could only hope that Austria would unify Italy and give him to one of his brothers.

Unfortunately, they had already said these things to the Austrians, but the Austrians simply didn't acknowledge them. The concept of Italians was too abstract, but their entry into the Austrian Empire from the Kingdom of Sardinia was traceable.

In addition, the previous publicity has actually confirmed the matter.

"Your Majesty, we now have no choice but to fight the Austrians to the death, or we must meet their demands."

"We have nowhere else to go." A desperate gamble? Or just a joke?

Emperor Emmanuel II did not believe that his troops could defeat the invincible Austrian army; in fact, he would likely become a laughingstock if a real battle broke out.

"Meet the Austrians' demands? With what? Your wife?"

Enraged, King Victor Emmanuel II had no time for composure; he desperately needed a way out of the impasse, but he couldn't come up with anything.

That advisor was a ruthless man, and he spoke up on the spot.

“Your Majesty, if my wife can persuade the Austrians to withdraw their troops, then I would not mind offering her to the country.”

At this point, the so-called wife is actually more like a kind of property of the husband, and theoretically he really does have this right.

Emperor Emmanuel II was speechless. If women could hold off the Austrians, then he could have sacrificed all the women in his family.

Just as Victor Emmanuel II was struggling with his decision, a loud bang was heard outside.

"what happened?"

The attendant quickly picked up his binoculars to check, but what he saw immediately turned his face extremely ugly.

"Your Majesty, it's the direction of the armory."

After the attendant finished speaking, he unconsciously swallowed, and this action seemed to be contagious, as everyone in the room subconsciously swallowed as well.

The armory was a highly sensitive location at this time; if the Austrians were responsible, it would be an absolute disaster.

But if it wasn't the Austrians who did it, then it must have been an even bigger disaster.

If it was done by the Austrians, then it proves that war has already begun.

Moreover, if even such an important place as the armory was attacked, then the information of the Kingdom of Sardinia has probably been unilaterally revealed to the Austrian Empire.

Armory is a vital area for a country. If it is destroyed, it will greatly weaken the war potential of the Kingdom of Sardinia, severely damage morale, and may even lead to defeat before the battle even begins.

If it wasn't the Austrians who did it, then it could only have been one of their own. Whatever the motive, it would most likely mean a civil war.

In addition, it also means that the Kingdom of Sardinia has lost the hearts and minds of the people and the support of society. Panic will spread rapidly and may even be more terrible than a direct attack from the Austrian Empire.

What was the purpose of those mobs attacking the armory? Was anyone cooperating with them?

Just thinking about it is enough to send chills down your spine.

"Who did this?!"

King Emmanuel II's panicked expression and terrified voice further demoralized the people.

The king's close advisors exchanged glances, and then one of them spoke.

"Your Majesty, it's dangerous here! We must escape!"

Others around him began to chime in, but in truth, Emmanuel II's question, "Who dared to do this?" was of no concern to anyone but him.

Because whether the Austrians arrived or there was a popular uprising, they only had one option: to run.

Don't think those nobles and bureaucrats are really that stupid. Except for a very few, most of them know what the consequences will be for the immoral things they do.

At this time, the shadow of the French Rebellion had not yet dissipated in the minds of European nobles, and the first thought of most nobles upon hearing of the rebellion was to flee.

King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was considered one of the more outstanding rulers of his time. Although he was not as good as Napoleon III, he was still much better than most humanoids.

However, compared to mediocre people, he was simply unable to remain unmoved even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, and his will was not exactly firm either.

As for the so-called divinity, it was mostly imposed by later generations. In a situation that was already extremely terrifying, he was easily swayed by the parasites around him and went with the flow.

Because it had been conquered by the French before, the Royal Palace of Turin now has no shortage of escape routes.

In fact, what was happening in Turin at this time was exactly what Victor Emmanuel II least wanted to see: the citizens of Turin launched a riot.

The cause is difficult to ascertain. Some say it was due to tax increases, others say it was due to rising food prices, still others say it was due to forced conscription, and some even say it was because Austrian spies infiltrated the country.
But in any case, the people of Turin had already broken down the gates of the armory. It was impossible for a group of ordinary people to breach the armory without any help.

This situation arose because an inside agent secretly opened the outer gate and lured away some of the guards with an explosion.

On the other hand, under immense pressure from the war, many soldiers of the Kingdom of Sardinia have lost their will to fight.

The Austrian army was encamped on the east bank of the Ticino River, and the mere sight of their imposing military might was enough to make many Sardinians tremble.

In comparison, the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia was like a group of elementary school students on a field trip, and their military camps resembled a shantytown.

Furthermore, the Sardinians still vividly remember the great battle between the Austrians and the French on the Piedmont plain—a battle of unimaginable ferocity.

The city and its surroundings were scarred with horrific wounds, the impact of which was even greater on the Sardinians. That war had shattered their understanding of war, and now that same terrifying pressure once again loomed over the land.

Because the Kingdom of Sardinia focused its main efforts and resources on construction and weaponry, ordinary soldiers received very little pay due to layers of deductions. They were considered to have earned their wages by not firing a single shot.

The Kingdom of Sardinia itself was a region heavily influenced by France. Those soldiers knew how the French army laundered their money and landed during the French Rebellion.

However, Turin was, after all, the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the commander in charge of the city's defenses, Lamarmora, was no mediocre man.

Even in the face of such a critical situation, he remained calm and composed.

"Pass on my order! Immediately assemble the troops and seal off the main streets!"

Then Lamarmora turned to look at his two adjutants.

"Zora, you go and contact the garrison outside the city right now and get them into Turin."