Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On April 1, 1848, after the Austrian army had given up Lombardy, the Army of the Kingdom of Sardinia could not wait another minute and quickly took over.
The soldiers of the Kingdom of Sardinia entered the Lombardy region to the cheers of the people and without shedding a drop of blood, as if the good days they expected were already coming.
Marshal Radsky had given them a hand with propaganda before he left. As a result, in everyone’s mind, it seemed that the Kingdom of Sardinia could meet the interests of all people, including the Republicans.
The three-color flag was flying in the wind, and the people in the streets were congratulating each other.
“Long live the Republic!”
The noise spread throughout Lombardy, and during that time, an interim government headed by Kazzati was established.
The Austrian army seemed to leave in such a hurry that they did not even have time to bring their political prisoners with them–so they then became members of the interim government.
If someone thought to check, they would find that the granary in Milan was empty. After the declaration of war between the Kingdom of Sardinia and Austria, Marshal Radsky had collected the food from the Lombardy region on the grounds that he would ensure fair distribution of food.
Though the policy was not implemented in rural areas, food in Milan was indeed concentrated.
The Austrian army secretly transported a portion of the supplies out of the city, and the rest was, as planned, doused with oil and set on fire.
Even though all the food was gone, the public was not panicked at all, as the Army of the Kingdom of Sardinia had already entered the city.
Before the withdrawal of the Austrian army, there had been rumors that King Charles wanted everyone to burn all the food in the city and force the Austrians to withdraw, so as not to destroy Milan in the war.
Therefore, Marshal Radsky sent people to burn most of the food two days in advance, and Austrian soldiers also called on the citizens to put out the fire.
The Milanese, who were eager for independence, surely would not give in. They chose to refuse very bravely. Even if they were beaten, they still would not give in.
In the end, they won the battle, successfully burned the granary, forced back the Austrian army, and saved the city of Milan.
President Kazzati, who was extremely proud of his success, had just had an unfriendly talk with General Bardolio of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which quickly wiped out his good mood.
The timid army of the Kingdom of Sardinia did not dare to pursue the Austrian army, which simply ruined the reputation of the great Italian nation.
This time, it was different from history. The Austrian army was evacuated by itself and not driven out. The rebels in the city had long been wiped out.
The army, subject to the interim government of Kazzati, was still being formed, and even he himself had just come out of prison.
Those with so much weight on their shoulders had to bow.
The interim government did not have the chips to negotiate with the Kingdom of Sardinia. If they did not go after the enemy, Kazzati had no way to force them. Anyway, the interim government could not send even one soldier to chase the enemy.
Zilaya, the new Minister of the Interior, ran over in a hurry and said, “Mr. President, there is no food in the city, so we have no ability to provide rations for ally troops!”
This was an embarrassing problem. They should have discovered these problems long ago, but they were all in prison when the food was set on fire.
In addition, without any ruling experience, everyone was celebrating the hard-won victory. Who had the time to care about food?
Kazzati asked uncertainly, “What should I do, then? I have just made a promise to them that I will provide food and fodder to the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Can we collect a batch of food from the people for this emergency?”
Zilaya explained, “Mr. President, that is impossible. In order to hold the city of Milan, the Austrian army collected all the food in the whole city. Everyone was given food according to the ration system, and only two days of food were distributed each time.
In order to defeat the Austrians, the Kingdom of Sardinia sent spies to burn the food in the city of Milan, and our people cooperated with them.
In fact, the Austrian army still had the power to fight us. It was because we burned the granary that they fled in a hurry!”
Feeling tricked, Kazzati’s anger could no longer be suppressed, and he shouted, “Damn it! The Sardinians did it on purpose. And they didn’t mention anything about burning food at all, so I promised to provide food and fodder to the Army entering the city!
They are toying with us! No, things are not that simple. In the conversation just now, the Sardinians’ intent to annex Lombardy was clear. This is their conspiracy!”
Hearing the news, Zilaya was scared stiff. The interim government had no negotiating power. If Sardinia threatened to withhold food, they would not be able to refuse their conditions.
He hurriedly said, “Mr. President, we must take action. When we set fire to the food, they promised to provide us with food; otherwise, our people wouldn’t have cooperated with them!”
Kazzati came over. He knew that swearing would not solve the problem. Even if they had to be merged into the Kingdom of Sardinia, they would have to sell at a good price; anyway, it was impossible for him to make it simple to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
“You are right. Spread the news and warn our people to be careful and vigilant. I am worried that the Sardinians will be angry and turn against us!”
…
At that time, Charles Albert, the King of Sardinia, was still feeling the joy of winning Lombardy without a fight.
The top officials of the Kingdom of Sardinia were also celebrating, and some were thinking about how to annex Lombardy. In short, everyone was feeling very optimistic.
No one noticed that they were falling into a trap. Everyone was a politician, and their way of looking at a problem was naturally different.
Deliberately giving up Lombardy was not something a politician could imagine. The fact was that the situation in Austria was not very good. The normal way of managing it was to concentrate on suppressing the rebellion to scare off the ambitious schemers.
In the Sardinian military camp in Milan, it was time to eat, but the food promised by President Kazzati had still not arrived.
The senior officers didn’t care. They had been invited to dinner by celebrities in the city. No matter how short they were of food in Milan, these wealthy men wouldn’t starve.
The European nobles were all related, and everybody accepted that. The nobles in Milan and the nobles in Sardinia had a strong relationship that could not be broken by anything.
However, the remaining officer, Colonel Manstu, had a headache: when it came time for supper, the soldiers all looked to him. If they hadn’t all been suffering together, these soldiers might have gone mad.
Even so, Colonel Manstu had a hard time. First, he comforted the army to calm them down, and then he sent someone to urge the interim government to send food quickly.
The Austrian army had withdrawn too fast, so they’d entered the city early without much preparation. All the goods and materials were left in the camp twenty miles away. At the time, it was natural to reach out to the interim government.