Chapter 648: Don't Be Nervous, I'm Just Passing By
Count Segur smiled faintly: "Thank you for the reminder, but I believe it's not too late. In fact, soldiers of the Royal Guard Legion will arrive here in three days."
The Guards Corps, which had previously been on its way to Baden for drills, was still en route. Upon receiving orders, they immediately marched south. After a series of forced marches, they had now reached the vicinity of Turin in Sardinia.
Ercole III's eyes widened instantly: "That fast?! But..."
He toyed with his cane, his eyes glancing at the ground: "I still need to call my ministers for a discussion."
As a small nation with a population of only 800,000 and an area less than a fifth of Switzerland's, Modena had no desire whatsoever to get entangled in the disputes between behemoths like France and Austria.
Count Segur spoke earnestly: "Your Majesty, you should be well aware that Austria's current drills are not solely aimed at the trade agreement.
"The 30,000 strong army poses an enormous threat to the entire Italian region."
He took a sip from his teacup: "Especially since Modena has disputes with Parma and Lucca, both of whom have close ties with Austria.
"If one day Parma requests Austrian support, it wouldn't even require 30,000 troops; merely a fifth of that force would be more than your nation could withstand."
"It's fair to say that your nation faces constant danger."
The Duke of Modena looked at him, somewhat puzzled: "What do you mean?"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince believes that France and Modena can seize this opportunity through the drills to engage in military cooperation," Count Segur stated. "Specifically, our nation can help train your army, provide weapons, and even garrison troops directly."
Ercole III's heart stirred. If he could secure France's support, Modena's security would undoubtedly be better guaranteed. However, France itself posed a threat to Modena, especially the presence of garrisoned troops...
Count Segur smiled faintly: "If you deem it necessary, we can sign a military agreement, or even a secret pact, which would allow you to avoid threats from Austria."
Seeing Ercole III still hesitating, he brought out the "bait" given to him by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince: "Oh, the sales of our particleboard furniture are constantly increasing in the Italian region, so we plan to build a partitioning and packaging factory here. If our two nations cooperate, I believe Modena would be the ideal location for the factory."
Ercole III nodded almost immediately: "I very much look forward to Modena cooperating with the great France. Let us choose a date to sign the secret pact."
It was well known that particleboard furniture was selling like crazy in Italy. If Modena could undertake the partitioning and packaging work, it would mean a share of the profits from all French furniture sold in Italy.
For a small nation like Modena, this was an income significant enough to substantially improve its national finances.
Four days later.
The Austrian army, having concluded their drills, departed from Pisa in Tuscany under the command of General Keim. They headed north through Lucca, preparing to return to southern Austria via Parma.
In truth, heading north from Tuscany through Modena would lead directly to Austria, but because their allied state Parma was at odds with Modena, the Austrians chose a detour.
Just as the 30,000-strong Austrian army arrived near the town of Tersuko, at the border junction of Parma, Lucca, and Modena, a Modenese diplomat suddenly rushed up to inform General Keim that France and Modena were about to conduct military drills.
Keim was initially surprised, then burst into laughter, remarking to the officers beside him: "The French want to conduct drills too? Don't they think it's a bit late?"
The officers chuckled along. Just yesterday, Parma had also announced it would raise tariffs on French goods, so by the time the French army arrived for drills, the trade dispute would already be over.
The Modenese official bowed respectfully, then turned his horse and departed.
General Keim paid no mind to this brief interruption, leisurely chatting with his staff as he continued forward, occasionally waving to the curious residents of Tersuko in the distance. However, as the Austrian army approached a narrow hollow, a thunderous roar erupted from their rear-flank.
"Cannons!"
An officer exclaimed in surprise, looking around: "Rangers, what's happening?"
Then came another volley of fierce cannon fire. Keim suddenly remembered: "Could this be the French conducting their drills?"
The officer beside him froze: "Why would they come here to drill?"
Before they could ponder it further, dense gunfire erupted from the eastern slope.
These seasoned officers immediately recognized that there were at least two to three thousand soldiers there.
Since Keim had not taken the French drills seriously before, he hadn't informed his soldiers, and consequently, the entire Austrian contingent grew tense under the impact of the gunfire and cannon fire.
With a thud, a large patch of earth was torn up on the grassy ground several hundred paces away, clearly indicating a cannonball had landed there.
Panic immediately erupted among the Austrian forces, and junior officers began shouting: "Enemy attack, sound the alarm!"
"Form ranks! The enemy is to the southeast!"
"Gather around me! Quick! Pick up your rifles, you fools!"
The next moment, the Austrian army was filled with a chaotic mix of drums, bugles, and shouts. Some companies prepared to form ranks to meet the enemy on the spot, while others intended to rally around their regimental commanders, quickly dissolving into disarray.
Keim's face turned ashen. He loudly commanded his adjutants to tell his subordinates that it was merely the French conducting drills, but just then, the ground began to tremble, and a cavalry detachment of nearly a thousand riders appeared on the Austrian right flank.
These cavalrymen were in perfect formation, galloping like the wind, almost brushing past the Austrian army as they simultaneously raised their carbines and fired into the air.
The Austrian soldiers, knowing only that a large cavalry force was attacking and hearing gunfire, were already scared witless and instinctively fled in the direction away from the cavalry.
The middle-to-rear section of the long, narrow Austrian formation instantly fractured, like an earthworm severed by a bird's beak.
Approximately half an hour later, Keim's orders finally reached the officers. The regimental officers began scrambling to rally their soldiers.
However, at that very moment, several individuals carrying notebooks swiftly approached Keim, shouting to him from behind the guards:
"General, we are journalists from the Genoa Commercial News. Could you please tell us why your army fell into disarray just now?"
Keim's face darkened, and he ordered them to be driven away. As he looked up, he saw over a dozen more journalists mingling among the chaotic troops, questioning soldiers, and reporters in the distance even seemed to be interviewing the residents of Tersuko.
A sense of foreboding immediately welled up within him.
The next day, after General Keim had finished washing, he casually picked up the newspaper his attendant had ironed, and his vision momentarily blurred. The headline on the front page screamed: "5,000 French Soldiers Drill Southwest of Modena, Causing 30,000 Austrian Troops to Flee in Panic."
The content below vividly described how the Austrian army had fallen into chaos upon hearing gunfire and cannon fire, how they had stampeded due to the approaching French cavalry, and how even dozens had been injured by friendly trampling.
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