The sun never sets in America

Chapter 368 European War: Battle of Florence

"Crash!!"

The warm wind blowing up from the Mediterranean at the end of summer makes the entire Italian peninsula wet.

The wetness is manifested by non-stop light rain and moderate rain. There are also heavy rains, but basically not much. After all, the Italian mountains in the south block most of the moisture leading to the northern plains.

Looking at the continuous drizzle outside, the soldiers hiding under the military tents were warming themselves by the fire, and looked indifferently at the increasing water accumulation outside. Finally, when the water came over, the so-called "living" It’s coming.

Watching the rain and moving the water away is what they have been doing from eight o'clock this morning to four o'clock in the afternoon now, and they are even a little too skilled in doing it.

Major Emil looked at the rain falling slightly outside, but soon it started to rain again, and he cursed irritably:

"Damn, these rains are just like those Austrians, disgusting and shameless!!"

A chorus of empathetic recognition soon followed, followed by curses about the rain and Austria.

Since the rainy season, they have been stuck in a city as small as Bologna.

Although this is considered a good city in Italy, in the eyes of these French people, it is just as full of absurdities as their worst cities.

…………

Napoleon III set his sights on the Minister of War.

Napoleon III looked at the battle report from the front and was so angry that he wanted to change his general.

"If the Austrians calm down, can they still win??"

"More troops must be added!!"

The Minister of War wanted to say something, but in the end he acquiesced to His Majesty's willfulness.

When the Austrians stationed troops in Florence with the intention of launching a "defensive counterattack", Bologna, a gateway city, naturally received the "courtesy" it deserved.

Napoleon then asked about the situation in Austria.

It is also because of this huge gap that the entire French army is filled with a rotten atmosphere, as if it is not the French army if it "does not collapse".

This is the case for a place like Bologna. Because this city is close to the northern city of Florence, most of the supplies are provided by the industrial areas around Florence. Before the war, this was a good retirement town. After the war, this was " A thorn in my side because it's so close to Florence.

Napoleon III looked at this so-called "companion" with no expression on his face, making it unclear what his attitude was.

Wow! !

It has begun to bear fruit, but reselling is still a very hot business locally.

Originally, in peacetime, the logistics of a place and the connections between places, although the prices of goods in different places are different, can basically be purchased. However, if it is in a state of war, then for those places with low production capacity, or being In the besieged city, materials have become a hard currency more in demand than money.

It wasn't until Enzo was almost "scared" that he said:

"The war in Italy is very important and we cannot slack off at all. Although it is said to be due to the weather, it is still in place. Doesn't it give the Austrians more breathing time??"

This also allowed the British strategy to be adjusted.

"According to our intelligence, although Austria lost at least 70,000 people before, after domestic supplements, there are still at least 140,000 people. At present, our army is still in the lead in terms of numbers."

The Minister of War emphasized the lead, but did not believe it at all. He just said lightly:

"One hundred and sixty thousand versus one hundred and forty thousand, that's only 20,000 more people. What's the advantage? If you ask me, if you want to increase it, just increase it, and add 40,000 people."

"Your Majesty, after several increases and decreases, there are currently 160,000 people."

Enzo, the cabinet minister who supported Curzon, stood up directly to express his support for Curzon after Napoleon III had just finished speaking.

It can be said that a warm current in the Mediterranean almost changed the situation in the entire Europe.

"Why haven't we attacked yet? We said we would attack last time, but now, we still ask for a postponement!!"

The Minister of War answered simply, or in other words, this is the upper limit of the number of people that can be reached in the current situation.

The military discipline of the French army was declining rapidly. Curzon, as the commander of the Mediterranean, could naturally see this, so he launched an "anti-trafficking" that lasted for more than a week.

“Where are the Austrians??”

Napoleon III paced back and forth, and finally made a decision:

In his eyes, the victory of the war is above all else at this moment. Let alone 200,000 people, even if it is increased to 500,000 in one breath, he will not frown at all. He will only ask, "Is 500,000 enough?" Instead of worrying about losses.

Although the arrival of the French solved the local "security" to a certain extent, it also brought about a bigger security problem, that is, smuggling.

In fact, he really wanted to say that Austria had been held back by the Prussians and Italy was destined to lose, so there was no need to invest more chips. However, Napoleon III obviously did not think so. He would only think that if he lost the war, it must be because there were not enough people. reason.

Smuggling has always been a huge problem in wars. Even in the earliest Sino-Mexican War, smuggling activities never stopped.

"I think this Kezon can no longer be used. We need to replace him quickly."

In Napoleon III's eyes, he didn't seem to care about the feelings of the "numbers" at all, but his indifference increased, and he didn't even have any intention of decreasing it.

"Your Majesty, we can't change it now. The war is approaching at this time, but it's just because of the weather. When the weather improves and the rain stops, I believe General Curzon will be able to give your Majesty good news!!"

As for the so-called "easiness", in Napoleon III's view, it was simply impossible. He only saw everything he saw.

This is a law of war that applies to most wars.

The so-called army refers to the officers of the French army. As for the soldiers, their greatest ability is to be able to spend the night with Italian ladies with cigarettes.

“How many are there on the front line now??”

Rain falling from the sky for several consecutive days not only slowed down the march of the French army and plunged them into the quagmire of "trading", but also gave the Austrians a chance to breathe.

Finally, the request for additional troops was approved, and the rainy season in northern Italy that lasted for two weeks finally stopped.

Napoleon III was most dissatisfied with the current war situation because of the delay. Time was important to the French army and equally important to the Austrians.

Because of this, the French army's supplies became "hot cakes", and the trend of reselling suddenly became popular. The entire French army even experienced the collapse of seven out of ten armies.

When the rainbow appears over northern Italy, it also means that the French, who have been waiting for two weeks, and the Austrians, who are "sticking" in Florence, will truly "meet".

.............................................

Boom boom boom! ! !

The French army, born as artillerymen, always prioritizes artillery no matter what kind of war they fight.

After several rounds of tentative artillery fire, the smoke cleared. Florence's defense did not waver at all, and even the forward position was only slightly "damaged".

Curzon put down the telescope in his hand and smacked his lips. He knew that this battle would not be so easy to fight, because the two consecutive weeks of rain caused the Austrian garrison in Florence to not only strengthen their fortifications, but also the entire Florence. city, creating a real military fortress.

A military fort that even the French were a bit intimidated by.

Curzon looked carefully and finally made up his mind.

Boom boom boom! ! !

There was another round of shelling, but compared to the last simple shelling test, this time the French army took advantage of the artillery fire that had just ended, and bent down to enter the outskirts of the city of Florence, with more and more people.

This is Kezon's plan. Since pure firepower cannot work, it must rely on people, and people are actually "fate".

The essence of urban warfare is to risk your life, it just depends on who can outplay whom.

Boom! !

A burst of gunfire rang out, and seven or eight French soldiers who had just been attacking the bakery's commanding heights fell down. The sudden gunfire hit those French soldiers, like firecrackers being exploded, full of "dust."

Such a scene happened on the outskirts of the entire city of Florence. Soon, the 600 French troops who fought in front only occupied a few of the outermost houses and had nothing left. They also lost at least 80% of the troops. With vitality, the remaining 20% ​​of the living have basically become homeless dogs, with only one point left. Kezon, who was at the rear, saw this scene and said nothing. He just chewed biscuits silently. However, it can be seen from the frequency of chewing biscuits that he was actually in a state of tension inside. However, he was the commander. , the actual situation does not allow it.

"Click", another biscuit was stuffed into his mouth. Ke Song just chewed it for a while, and then began to withdraw his troops. There were more than 2,000 people when he left, but when he came back, there were no more than 1,000 people.

Looking at the panicked "broken troops", Curzon dismissed them without saying anything. For Curzon at this time, victory was the only solution.

Only victory can boost the courage of these guys like "bellows rats".

.........

The night in Florence was so dark for the first time. As a large city in northern Italy, Florence always has a high lighting rate, but this time it was surprisingly quiet.

Because the Austrians chose darkness for safety, the Italians who were still in the city were also forced to leave the city. Currently, in Florence, apart from soldiers and officers, there is no third possibility.

Outside the city of Florence, there are hundreds of thousands of French troops. They are like hungry wolves, surrounding the entire Florence. Even after the losses during the day, they can still smell a trace of "bloodthirsty cruelty" in the air.

Sleeping in such an environment actually requires courage, because war can break out anytime and anywhere without any reminder.

At night, Curzon looked at the pitch-black Florence opposite, with only a few glimmers of light, with a serious expression and waved his hand.

"Whoosh", hundreds of illumination bombs were fired, making the city of Florence briefly illuminated.

This kind of flare was first used by the Han Dynasty. It also appeared in the Black Sea War and was used for night operations.

Later, like mortars, they were copied by European countries and used in the Florence area, which also required night fighting.

Boom boom boom! ! !

The artillery fire this time was slightly weaker than during the day. After all, it was night, and the accuracy was somewhat weakened, so the impact was naturally reduced.

The storm dissipated and another round of siege began.

Tatata! ! !

When the sound of military boots hitting the ground appears on the streets of Florence, it also means that the most dangerous time has come.

"Hidden, hidden!!"

When the French battalion commander entered Florence, his first reaction was not to attack, but to avoid.

After all, he was part of the main attack during the day, and he knew full well about the dark spots where the Austrians were hiding behind and waiting.

So at this time, it is actually very stupid to choose to attack directly.

After the defeat during the day, the French army learned from Han's "experience" in the Black Sea War.

A set of tactics for dealing with such urban warfare has been summarized, which are basically "delay" and "breakthrough".

All in all, it can be summed up in one sentence, which is to advance slowly.

Basically, it was grinding slowly, little by little, corner by corner, to wear down the so-called defense of the Austrian army, and finally win.

In fact, this tactic is very time-consuming, so when the French army applied to the country, it also encountered opposition, and it ended with another increase in troops.

Yes, increase the troops again. Since there are fewer people, there is more time, so add more people, day and night, and attack in rotation. They don't believe that these 140,000 Austrian troops are all robots and don't feel tired! !

In the military tent at the rear, Ke Song smoked one cigarette after another. It was not until the front reported back that some results had been achieved that he relaxed and gave the order in a relaxed tone:

"Send the order and launch a general attack!!"

Yes, now that we have established a foothold there and have some experience in dealing with it, a general attack has become inevitable.

With the influx of at least 100,000 French troops, the entire city of Florence's defenders clearly felt pressure. Especially when part of the periphery was lost, this pressure was greatly amplified.

Boom! !

Boom boom! !

The sound of gunfire, artillery, and the sound of bayonets in between dominated the entire battlefield.

Just like a concert that takes a lot of time, when the frequency is high, it is the most crazy time for both sides to kill, and when the frequency is low, it is often a time to rest.

This situation lasted until dawn.

The black curtain dissipated, revealing the smoking city of Florence. Italian man-made statues were blown up everywhere, and the reliefs on the walls looked even more "broken."

The Italians spent hundreds of years building Florence, and the French demolished it in one night. In the era of firearms wars, nothing could not be destroyed.

As an Italian poet said after the war:

"Look, Florence is crying, Italy is crying!!"

…………

London, Downing Street.

Since the war began, Russell's tasks have obviously become several times larger, and there are endless official duties to deal with every day.

The first thing I do when I wake up every day is to ask my subordinates what the fight between the French and the Austrians was like and who won.

During this period, the news he received was that wherever the French occupied and the French army had gone, Russell felt that the Austrians were incompetent and the British Empire had to step in.

It wasn't until the rain that lasted for two weeks that the situation in Italy, which was about to collapse at that time, was saved. According to the latest intelligence, the French army encountered fierce resistance from Austria in Florence, and they finally hit a "nail."

The Times even described Florence as "the fortress that saved Europe."

It can be seen how much the British hope that the French will fail.

Russell should have been happy, and he was indeed happy for a few days. He even mocked the French as "fat pigs with rotten teeth" who only knew how to eat but did not know how to filter what they could really eat.

But judging from the intelligence in the last two days, the Austrians may not be able to hold on anymore. Five consecutive days of day and night attacks have made the Austrian soldiers in the city feel nervous, and they even have a feeling that they are about to be defeated and surrender.

In fact, this is indeed the case. After a long and endless war, it is actually a miracle that these Austrian troops have not surrendered now despite only receiving limited support from Austria.

After all, the domestic situation in Austria is complicated, and the army is not much better.

The Austrian army is like a "zoo". There are all kinds of animals in it. They usually have nothing to do and even help each other. But in the face of a real crisis, the once friends become strangers.

After all, if you want a group of strangers whose languages ​​need to be translated to unite sincerely, then you can only pray to God not to include selfishness when creating humans.

"Ugh!!"

"These Austrians!!"

"It's really useless!!"

Looking at the confidential information about the contact between the Austrian army and the French army in his hand, Russell knew that the Austrian army in Florence was about to surrender.

Once Florence surrendered, the entire northern Italian plains were basically occupied by the French army.

In fact, the southern hills will not last long. After all, the main force of resistance is gone. With the remaining people, Russell might as well believe that Austria will fight to the death for Italy.

(Austria is basically divided into two factions regarding the defense of Italy, the maintenance and the abandonment. Among them, the abandonment faction has the upper hand in the country and has repeatedly asked for Italy to be negotiated with France in exchange for a breakthrough in the German direction, so as to suppress Prussia's ambitions)

Italy is destined to be occupied by France! !

This is the view of many sensible people in Europe.

Russell is no exception! !

But the more they understood, the more unhappy the British became. After all, it didn't matter whether Italy was important or not. What was important was that it was in a key position in the Mediterranean, which posed a great obstacle to Britain's control of the Mediterranean.

Once Italy gets rid of it, the French army will rely on the good harbors of the Italian peninsula to gradually increase its control over the Mediterranean. Finally, it will squeeze out the British forces and dominate the entire Mediterranean, completing Napoleon III's dream of a Mediterranean empire.

Obviously, this is not what the British want to see.

The British Empire has reached a crossroads of destiny. Whether it is war or peace, the decision may be made the next second after France takes over Italy.

(End of this chapter)