Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
President Kazzati, who thought that he had been cheated, surely would not pay any attention to the rudeness of the Sardinians. Even if he was willing to share, he did not have any food to give them.
Ordinary people had only a little food left, and it would not be long before they reached out to the interim government. At the time, it was only nobles and capitalists who had food in stock, and even they could not possibly have very much.
If they were not in the food business, who would hoard a pile of food at home?
If there were any food, the Austrian army would have come to collect it. Austria was not popular here, so they had no need to worry about the adverse effects.
Essentially, President Kazzati had no way to get the requested supplies. To put it bluntly, the interim government was like a troupe of actors with no script or props, though whether it was admitted or not was another thing entirely.
They had not seen those senior generals socialize with local nobles and capitalists after the Sardinian army entered the city, which meant that the officers didn’t take this interim government seriously.
It was no secret at all to top officials that the Kingdom of Sardinia wanted to annex Lombardy. Once they reached an agreement with the local power, the interim government could be dismissed.
The food still had not been delivered, and Manstu had no choice but to send someone to the officers who were attending the banquet to make a decision and pacify the troops.
The joy of entering the city had disappeared. If it weren’t for their patriotic enthusiasm, the Sardinian army would have taught the citizens the meaning of the anger of soldiers.
So, hunger it was. Anyway, they wouldn’t die from one missed meal. Soldiers in that era could bear plenty of hardship. Two meals a day were the norm in many places, so it was not unusual to be hungry at night.
The first night passed just like that. Early in the morning of the next day, the officers who came back from the banquet interrogated the interim government.
Originally, they just wanted to find an excuse to dismiss the interim government, in order to achieve the strategic purpose of annexing Lombardy, but then a good excuse was delivered to their doorstep.
Here was a turning point in history. Marshal Radsky had already prepared for it, and Kazzati and the others were arrested and put into prison right away, with no time to reach an agreement with the Kingdom of Sardinia.
When they were released from prison, the Army of the Kingdom of Sardinia had arrived just outside the city of Milan, and the negotiations between the two sides had begun.
Then, something happened that meant the Kingdom of Sardinia would surely not give up and could hold a gun to Kazzati’s head when they negotiated.
People with so much weight on their shoulders had to bow.
There was no doubt that at the time that Kazzati did not have the courage to refuse and would surely accept all the conditions of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
If it weren’t for their cooperation before, and the Kingdom of Sardinia’s need for the cooperation of local leaders to stabilize the Lombardy region, it was estimated that there would be no negotiations.
After the conditions were settled, General Bardolio took over the armed forces of the interim government right away, which really only entailed the local militia.
Everything went very smoothly, and the local nobles and capitalists also contributed a part of their food to resolve the urgent need.
But Badolio was not happy at all: there was no food in Milan, and moreover, the whole Lombardy area was short of food.
The local people still said eloquently that they burned down the granary to drive away the Austrian army. At the time, they were waiting for the Kingdom of Sardinia to provide food.
Bardolio swore to God that he had never sent anyone to burn the granaries, but unfortunately, he could not make himself believe it.
When two armies fought, burning the enemy’s food was usually a good strategy to break them. If he could take the city of Milan without shedding blood, he could not be blamed for any mistakes.
After he made up his mind, for his political future, Bardolio took credit for the achievement. After all, the Austrian people said that it was he who sent people to set the fire, and the people of Milan also swore it, so there was no chance that anybody would find out the truth.
If it had been the case that the Austrian army gave up the Lombardy area, and he had led the troops to take over, then there would be no military merit to speak of.
So he changed the claim: it was he who sent a spy to burn the Austrian granary and defeated Marshal Radsky without shedding blood. This would definitely make him a famous general!
Bardolio, together with several generals in the Army, had a discussion. Everyone divided the credit for military exploits, which meant the matter was made real and another famous general appeared on the European continent.
After the benefits were divided, the aftermath was troublesome. If it weren’t for the bad reputation of the Austrian government in the local area, and the local people’s mistrust of them, when the Austrian army had collected food, people would have run out of food right away. Instead, most of them tried to hide some.
Although the capitalists had promised that they would buy food from the outside as soon as possible, water from far away could not quench their urgent thirst!
Upset as he was, in fact, Bardolio was not too worried. He had already reported the situation to the authorities. As long as the situation was stable, the food issue would be other people’s problem.
…
Bad things came out of nowhere!
That was how King Charles Albert felt. The Kingdom of Sardinia was not ready, and if it was not for the pressure of domestic public opinion, he would not attack Austria.
Since he understood his own country’s affairs very well, he was definitely clear about the capacity of his own country. Only when Austria was busy with something else did he dare to send troops to test them.
He didn’t expect that General Bardolio would be so fierce that the Austrian army was driven away by only one trick. It was good that they had occupied Milan, but the problem of feeding 100,000 people in the city was thorny.
The Kingdom of Sardinia was also not wealthy, and it was not a grain-producing area. Instead, the Milan plain was the main grain-producing area in Italy.
Since it had to be done, it must be done thoroughly. The Austrian army forcibly took over the grain stores and warehouses of the local capitalists, and even the grain processing plants were not spared. All if it was destroyed in the fire.
Milan had already been occupied, and there was no way to return it to the way it was before. They could not give up Milan, either, because unifying Italy was the highest goal of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
“Castanto, immediately gather a batch of grain to be shipped to Milan. The more, the faster, the better!”
Charles Albert was still capable and made the right choice in the first place. No matter what happened, he must feed the local people first.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty, what do you think of the commendation of the front-line generals?”
Castanto’s words improved King Charlie’s mood in an instant: it was not just anyone, it was the famous Austrian Marshal Radsky who he’d defeated.
Whether there had been a fight or not, winning was winning, and this win was perfect, which earned him a great honor.
The press of the Kingdom of Sardinia had already praised Bardolio fiercely, as if he was the world’s No. 1 General, and King Charles surely could not mistreat the meritorious statesman.
“All the meritorious generals will be promoted one rank, and general Bardolio will be appointed the Marshal of the Kingdom of Sardinia. When the war is over, I will personally award him the title!”
…
(Note: Marshal Radsky became famous in the war against France, was promoted for stepping on Napoleon’s shoulder in the battle of Aspen-Aslin, and later planned the Battle of Leipzig. However, his role was not the commander-in-chief, but the chief of staff, and his reputation in history books was not outstanding.)