Chapter 326: Near Effortless Victory
Days had pa.s.sed since the Company of Jaegers led by Captain Andreas reached the main force and informed Berengar of their troubles. Berengar had a long conversation with the female agent about her failed mission before dispatching her on another cla.s.sified operation.
Eventually, the Jaeger Corps returned with minimal losses from their operation; having cleared the entire path forward, Berengar and his army marched onto the city of Milan, where they were now outside its gates.
A siege camp was rapidly constructed in the same fas.h.i.+on that Berengar usually established; an extensive trench line was based around the encampment, surrounded by barbed wire. Embedded within this trench line were the Cannons and Schmidt guns that bombarded the city and defended the camp.
Observation towers were set up, with snipers atop them, giving the Austrian army a select view of their surroundings and the ability to react to any threat that might appear. The thousands of tents were used to house the soldiers and their supplies within the center of the trench line.
Though the siege camp was established, Berengar had not yet ordered the bombardment of the city. Instead, he was within his command tent, overgoing the strategy of how the Austrians intended to take the city in the most efficient manner possible.
Surrounding Berengar was his highest-ranking officers, each one commanding a large section of his forces. Among them was the Colonel tasked with leading his elite Jaeger Corps, who, unlike the rest of the soldiers that were dressed in renaissance style armor and attire, was clad in relatively modern equipment.
Spread out on the table before the officers and their King was a map of the city; Berengar had marked the various gatehouses in the town and had begun to address his General, who was tasked with leading the Artillery Brigades.
"I want the cannons fixed on these gatehouses, I want the gates turned into splinters, and the entire gatehouse brought to ruin. Once the gatehouses have crumbled, our armies will charge into the city and slaughter any resistance they might come across!"
When the artillery General heard this, he saluted Berengar before responding to his strategy.
"It will be done, your majesty!"
As Berengar heard this, he smiled before addressing the officer in charge of the infantry brigades.
"After the artillery has brought down the gates, I need your men to penetrate the gaps as quickly as possible; I want this city picked clean by sunset. There is no reason to prolong this siege; the longer we stay here, the longer the enemy has time to prepare for our advance."
The infantry General quickly responded to Berengar"s concerns in the same manner as the artillery General; after doing so, Berengar began to address the Colonel of the Jaeger Corps.
"As for you, I want you and your soldiers to gather what supplies you need and prepare to move out at a moment"s notice. I want the path towards Parma cleared before we even begin our march forward. We have spent far too much time already bogged down here in Milan."
When the Jaeger Colonel heard this, he nodded his head in response before uttering his acceptance of Berengar"s terms.
"Don"t worry, your majesty, we Jaegers are the spearhead of the Royal Austrian Army; I promise you won"t see a single skirmisher on your journey to Parma!"
As Berengar heard this, he smiled and nodded before dismissing his officers.
"Alright, you all know your plans, quickly set to the task; I want our troops prepared to move out before nightfall!"
When Berengar said this, all of the gathered officers quickly saluted him before responding in the affirmative.
"Yes, your majesty!"
After saying this, they all exited the tent before preparing their troops for battle. As for Berengar, he pulled out a golden chalice and poured some fortified wine within it before taking a sip for himself. Thanks to his influence, the world was rapidly changing, and he knew it would not be long before his enemies began to adapt to his weapons.
Sieges would not always be this easy, and as such, he had to savor the swift victories while still managing to achieve them. When he returned from this war, he desperately needed to begin the industrialization process of Austria; he had already advanced to the limits of pre-industrial society. If he wanted to maintain his dominance, the era of steel and steam would need to occur.
As he was thinking about such things, the cannons began to echo in the distance as they unleashed their fury onto the gatehouses of the City of Milan; with his current prowess, Berengar estimated that at most it would take an hour before the city gates were brought to ruin and his soldiers could swarm the city like an army of locusts.
As such, Berengar spent the remaining time of the bombardment within his command tent, overgoing his plans. The longer this war dragged out, the less beneficial it was for Berengar; he needed to quickly make his way to Bologna. However, there were several small cities in between, such as Parma, which he needed to pa.s.s through first.
After doing so, he would head to Florence to capture the Medici"s wealth and bring down the Imperial Crown. If things kept going as planned, this war would take at most last a few months. As Berengar was making these plans, an officer arrived within the tent, where he informed Berengar of their progress.
"Your majesty, the gates have crumbled, and our soldiers have begun to advance into the city!"
As Berengar heard this, he smiled before grabbing ahold of his burgonet and placing it upon his head. An army of roughly 50,000 men was rus.h.i.+ng into the city and ransacking it for its worth; it would be a matter of hours before they began to depart. As such Berengar intended to enjoy the sights and take a stroll through the city. With this in mind, he informed the officer of his decision.
"Gather my guard; I will be entering the city..."
The officer nodded before departing from the tent; his guard was already established when Berengar entered the camp a few minutes later. Most of these men were among their respective units" elites and had formed a rudimentary protection unit for some time now.
When Berengar saw this, he realized that he was now a King and needed a dedicated unit to protect himself and his family; he decided that after this war was over, he would establish a proper Royal Guard.
After gazing fondly upon his soldiers, Berengar mounted his steed where the unit tasked with his protection followed suit; after seeing that the team was prepared to enter the city, Berengar called out his commands.
"Forward march!"
With this said, the King of Austria and his Guard marched into the burning city as conquerors. As they pa.s.sed through the gatehouse that was now nothing more than splinters and debris, Berengar noticed the pile of corpses, which mainly consisted of the Italian Defenders. The rear echelon of his forces was already piling the bodies up into wagons so they could be properly disposed of.
The scent of smoke and blood filled the air as Berengar advanced further into the city; what he saw was his troops looting everything of value and restraining the citizens so that they could not resist. It became increasingly clear that the level of resistance Berengar"s army faced after entering the city was practically non-existent. Aside from a few hundred Italian Defenders held up within the City"s Castle, the rest of Milan had already surrendered peacefully.
The city"s citizens gazed upon Berengar with a mix of awe, and hatred, as they saw the legendary figure in the flesh, striding forth on horseback as if conquering their city, was as natural as breathing air.
In just a few hours, the once-mighty city of Milan had fallen, and its riches plundered by the Austrian invaders. Despite this, no citizens chose to resist; they were well aware of the futility of fighting against the Royal Austrian Army.
News of the defeat of Verona had already spread across Northern Italy, as well as the disastrous defeat in the Adriatic that sent the remainder of their navy to the depths of the Mediterranean. In the eyes of many Italian citizens, this war was already over, and the Empire had lost.
Despite this, the Emperor did not offer terms of surrender, nor would Berengar accept them, not until he had seized Florence and taken the vast fortune of the Medicis for himself. In doing so, he would cripple his most giant enemy financially, and that was the Catholic Church.
With this in mind, the City of Milan fell in a near-effortless victory for the Austrian Royal Army; what could have taken days of brutal conflict lasted a mere matter of hours. This would not be the last time Berengar ransacked a city in such a manner; after all, the will of the Italian people to fight against such an overwhelming foe who wanted nothing more than independence was waning by the day.
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