The situation in Lombardy was extremely unfavorable for Austria. The war between Austria and Italy was definitely not as simple as what was recorded in history books. There was a rebellion of the bourgeoisie and nobles internally, while the enemy was pressuring the border.
The reinforcements sent by the Government of Vienna were currently suppressing the rebellion in Venice. Only one Austrian division arrived at the frontline, and Marshal Radski had less than 30,000 soldiers at his disposal.
This number was double the number in history. Otherwise, he would have retreated from Milan with his tail between his legs, just like in history.
After taking a closer look at the map on the table and considering the current international situation, Marshal Radski made a shocking decision during the military conference.
"Order the troops to get ready. We will abandon Milan on the first of April!"
"What? Marshal, are you sure you're not joking? "Major General Victor asked in disbelief.
"Major General Victor, I'm very sure of what I'm doing!" Marshal Radski said without a change in expression.
"But Marshal, we haven't reached the point where we have to retreat yet. Once the rebellion in Venice is suppressed, our reinforcements will arrive, and it won't be a problem to stop the Kingdom of Sardinia!" Major General Victor questioned.
This wasn't just Victor's doubt. Many of the officers present found it hard to accept. Why would they retreat if they could win?
"It's simple. We can stop the Kingdom of Sardinia's attack, but we don't have the ability to defeat the enemy when we're faced with internal and external troubles.
The rebels in Lombardy have already colluded with the Kingdom of Sardinia. If we stay at a stalemate for a long time, the rebellion will continue.
This also involves the political and economic aspects. In short, the Government of Vienna has given me full authority to deal with Italy. All you have to do is carry out my orders! "Marshal Radski explained coldly.
Abandoning Lombardy would definitely put him under a lot of pressure, and it might even cause a series of chain reactions. Under normal circumstances, no general would be willing to bear this responsibility.
The reason Marshal Radski dared to do this was related to the order from the Government of Vienna. As long as they won the final victory, they wouldn't care about losing a city or a territory.
In his view, the higher-ups of the Government of Vienna had also discovered the crisis in Italy. If they couldn't solve the problem soon, the Papal State, Tuscany, and the Kingdom of Naples would pounce on them.
Marshal Radski had more than enough troops to deal with the Kingdom of Sardinia and the rebels. Once these states joined the war, it would be dangerous.
Rather than that, it would be better to give up the Lombardy region first. The Kingdom of Sardinia alone occupied these territories, and the other three states of Italy would not participate in the war.
In any case, they were forced to declare war because of public opinion. The main forces of several states had not been mobilized yet, and the ones who came were volunteers organized by the people.
If the Kingdom of Sardinia occupied these areas, the people would be able to accept it. Even if it was out of envy, jealousy, and hatred, they would no longer send troops to help the Kingdom of Sardinia fight.
Without external aggression, there would be internal strife. The internal conflicts between the various Italian states were not small either. Now, it was only because of the political needs that the people's hatred was transferred to Austria.
But this situation couldn't continue. Everything could be cheated, but not the stomach. People needed to eat.
The economic crisis was still ongoing. There were many unemployed people in the Regions of Italy. If this problem could not be solved, conflicts would still erupt.
In addition to the Italians, the attitude of the British and French was also a problem.
The French wanted Lombardy and Venice to be independent. While chasing Austria away, they did not want Italy to be unified.
The British hoped for a unified Italy that could balance France and Austria at the same time, but they did not want to see Austria collapse.
While weakening Austria, they had to preserve Austria's strength so that they could stop Russia's path of expansion.
In this context, once the Kingdom of Sardinia occupied Lombardy, there would definitely be a merger between the two sides. The French's position would then change from support to hostility.
The British would only support the Kingdom of Sardinia verbally. They would ask the Kingdom of Sardinia to stop while they were ahead. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Sardinia could only continue fighting because of the public opinion.
After shrinking the battlefront, Marshal Radski had more troops in his hands, but the Kingdom of Sardinia's battlefront was stretched.
The newly occupied Lombardy could not provide them with supplies. They mainly had to rely on domestic transportation, which was definitely a pressure for the Kingdom of Sardinia.
While fighting Austria, they had to feed the people of Lombardy. Otherwise, if they were hungry, they would still rebel.
Without the substantial support of England and France, there were three less countries participating in the war. The outcome of the war was already decided. The Kingdom of Sardinia had limited national strength and could not compare to Austria.
Marshal Radski was confident that he could defeat the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia with his troops and recover the Lombardy region. It would not be a problem for the war to spread to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Strategically speaking, this was not a retreat, but a lure.
Of course, Franz had sent him a private message, asking him to do his best to eliminate all the rebels in Austria's Italy. This was also the reason why he made up his mind.
The term 'rebels' was not that simple. Marshal Radski knew that it was referring to the capitalists and nobles in the Regions of Italy. Without their exploitation of the people, how could there be a rebellion?
Once Lombardy was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia, most of the nobles and capitalists would probably side with the Kingdom of Sardinia. After the war ended, they could all be part of the rebels.
Using their wealth to buy the hearts of the people, Austria's Italy would soon stabilize. After all, the people of Lombardy were Germans who had entered Italy. Without the hindrance of the upper echelons, it would be much easier to integrate the people.
There were pros and cons to it. Marshal Radski did not need to think too much. He had already seen the pros, which could solve the problem of Italy once and for all.
For the final victory, he could temporarily give up on Lombardy and Venice. As long as he recovered in the end, he would still be the hero of Austria.
In the quiet meeting room, a voice broke out. A middle-aged general stood up and said, "Marshal, maybe we can do something. We can't let the Kingdom of Sardinia take over Lombardy so easily!"
"Edmund, what's your plan?" Marshal Radski asked with concern.
"Marshal, since the people of Lombardy are so welcoming of the Italians, why don't we help them spread the word and let them have a better impression of the Kingdom of Sardinia!" Lieutenant General Edmund Leopold Friedrich said with a cold smile.
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