I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1212 Stirring Up Venice

On the battlefield, which was more than two kilometers wide, firelight flickered like stars among the French skirmishers, and countless high-speed spinning Minié bullets continuously struck the bodies of Austrian soldiers, causing their momentum to be repeatedly thwarted.

The Austrian infantry regiments in the very center charged to within 30 paces of the French troops, but could no longer hold out and began to drop their weapons and flee for their lives.

The soldiers on the flanks only charged for a dozen meters before giving up.

There was no way around it; the French firepower was simply too overwhelming.

The rifled gun was incredibly accurate; it could hit its target almost every four or five shots.

The loading of Minié bullets is also very convenient and quick—just insert the bullet into the muzzle and poke it a few times, which is basically no different from a smoothbore gun.

This resulted in the Austrian army losing nearly two thousand men in a short charge. In particular, the first rank of the infantry line suffered more than half its soldiers killed.

Surrounded by his guards, Vernek hastily fled southwest, his last order being "to move the reserves into defensive positions."

Immediately, Major Nansutti led more than 700 hussars to cut in from the left flank of the Austrian army.

Because this side collapsed first, the soldiers were now in complete disarray. Cavalrymen could easily weave through them. Sabers were constantly slicing through their bodies.

The Austrian army's left flank became even more terrified, and in order to avoid the cavalry, they even began to run sideways to the south.

This blocked the retreat route of the soldiers in the middle lane.

Six or seven thousand soldiers collided together, pushing and trampling each other, their screams echoing everywhere, creating a scene resembling a living hell.

Immediately, the French skirmisher groups began to spread out to both sides, forming a semi-encirclement of the Austrian army.

The Austrian Fährmann corps, responsible for covering the rear, was so frightened by the sight before them that they dared not engage in battle. After firing a few symbolic shots, they immediately retreated westward.

Moro did not order a pursuit. His mission was to disrupt Archduke Karl's rear by using localized infiltration and cutting tactics, so he had to end the battle as quickly as possible and then move away rapidly, otherwise he would easily be surrounded by enemy forces with superior numbers.

Keep in mind that he only brought 33,000 men, while the entire Venetian region had 180,000 Austrian troops.

Oh, now there are probably less than 17 left.

Austrian soldiers who failed to escape in time quickly surrendered. The vast plains were filled with kneeling people.

Moro glanced at his pocket watch; only about two hours had passed since the battle began.

At 5 p.m., the French army threw the weapons and uniforms of the captured Austrian soldiers into the nearby Baquiri River, and then dispersed them in batches.

Savari, his face flushed with excitement, reported the day's results to Moro: "...We killed at least four or five thousand people, maybe seven thousand, you know, there are just too many to count."

"More than 5 prisoners were just dispersed. Five officers of the rank of major or above were captured."

"The only regret is that Wernek got away."

Moro smiled and said, "It's alright, his legion is finished."

Nansuti, who was standing nearby, asked, "General, where do we go next?"

Moro thought for a moment and then asked in return, "If you were His Highness Karl Ludwig, what place would you be most worried about us going?"

Without hesitation, Nansutti replied, "It should be Treviso, General. That's his most important logistical supply depot."

Moro nodded: "Then let's go to Treviso."

He waved to the messenger: "Have everyone rest where they are. We'll continue north tomorrow morning. Also, notify Victor and McDonald's regiments to return and rendezvous." "Yes, General!"

The following morning, Moro encountered McDonald's army on the west side of Vicenza. The two armies, totaling 26,000 soldiers, headed towards Treviso.

Two days later, when they arrived in the town of Konuda, they launched a half-hearted attack on the town and were repelled by the more than two thousand Austrian soldiers defending the town.

Then they walked more than ten kilometers north, and then quickly turned west and crossed the Brenta River.

At this point, they were completely in the heart of Venice, more than 90 kilometers from Verona, but only about 40 kilometers from Trento to the northwest.

……

Meanwhile, Victor led 5 soldiers around Montecio but never encountered the enemy. In a panic, Vernek fled west, thus avoiding Victor's interception.

Victor then received orders from General Moreau to assemble his troops, and upon hearing that they had won a great victory, he became somewhat dejected.

He hadn't gone far when he encountered an Austrian army of over 15,000 men passing by from the north.

He discussed the matter with his staff for a long time and concluded that launching an attack rashly might result in heavy casualties. Left with no other choice, he had to retreat eastward and let the enemy pass.

The following day at noon, when Victor's army set off again, they found that they were only 10 kilometers away from Padua.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he turned to look west: "Could that Austrian army from yesterday have come from Padua?"

The staff officer nodded: "That is indeed possible, Colonel."

Victor hesitated for a moment, then ordered, "Send someone to contact General Morrow and tell him we're not going to meet him. Let's go to Padua first."

The staff officer exclaimed in surprise, "This... could be considered disobeying military orders..."

Victor waved his hand: "The main mission of this raid is to divert the Austrian army's attention as much as possible. The general has granted us the right to make our own decisions."

"We are now quite far from the main force, and if we rush over there, we will likely encounter other enemy troops."

"We might as well go to Padua and take a look. If there's no opportunity, we can return to Mantua. At least that will serve to confuse the enemy."

The next morning, when the soldiers who had gone to Padua to scout reported to Victor that there seemed to be not many soldiers in the city, his eyes lit up.

……

Outside the town south of the Gotthard Pass, two men dressed as merchants rode into a farmhouse and whispered to the "farmer" in the yard: "Yesterday, a battle broke out at the Gotthard Pass. We discovered that the French have amassed over 1 troops there, along with dozens of heavy artillery pieces. The 'boss' wants you to pass this message on to the 'big client' as soon as possible."

The latter quickly repeated the content, and then lassoed his horse and headed towards Lake Garda.

Two days later, he arrived in the northern part of Mingqiao River and skillfully hid in a small village. After nightfall, he boarded a small boat that was already waiting on the riverbank and crossed the river.

The moonlight was dim, and the soldiers on the nearby bastions didn't notice him at all.

Verona, a major town north of the Mantua fortress.

In the headquarters of the Austrian Army of Italy, Archduke Karl frowned as he looked at Trento on the map and asked Radetzky beside him:
"What do you think the French are really trying to do?"

Just two days ago, the French crown prince led his army around the western side of Lake Garda and headed north along a trail in the Alps.

(End of this chapter)