Chapter 273: Things are going crazy
Just when the Ferdinand was preparing to attack, the Caesar raised a white flag, which confused the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
With the surrender of the Caesar, other ships also gave up resistance, the Battle of the Adriatic Sea ended completely, and the sea power of the Adriatic Sea completely fell into the hands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
At this time, three of the main battleships of the Italian Navy had been sunk. Now that they had surrendered, the Austro-Hungarian Navy, which had just killed them, began to fish for people in the sea.
The threat at sea has been lifted, and the 50,000 troops that have been prepared in the port of Trieste are about to set off. They will be transported along with the merchant ships to the east coast of Italy to open a third battlefield. Together with the Papal State troops, they took over the eastern part of the Kingdom of Italy.
……
Inside Venice.
The sound of artillery fire comes one after another, which is really difficult for the residents in the city. Death may come at any time, it all depends on luck.
A material supply point where Venetian citizens buy food and daily necessities according to the arrangements of the city government.
A few temporarily hired armed personnel are responsible for maintaining order.
"Mr. Aros, the price of this flour is too high! It's twice as expensive as yesterday."
"Just say whether you want it or not! Now because of the war, the whole city is short of food, and the kingdom With an army of more than 100,000 people, where does the food come from? It’s not just requisitioned from the Venice area, we took the risk to collect it from the countryside,” Aros shouted impatiently at the crowd.
“Isn’t that right! Mr. Aros, the flour of this pizza brand is not our product in Venice, but is it collected by you from the countryside of Venice?” A citizen pointed to the cheap flour imported from East Africa. asked.
“Of course this is the previous inventory, so there is only so much left.”
“Our Venice is also a port city after all, so the sea routes are not cut off! There are still ships at the dock in the morning How could there be a shortage of food when entering and exiting?”
"There is a ship, but it is not a ship carrying food. Now there is a fight at sea. The enemy will destroy you on sight no matter what you do, so only the brave ones dare to take the risk." Aros explained. .
Actually, Aros was talking nonsense. The Austro-Hungarian Empire did not block the Adriatic Sea at all.
"Mr. Aros, can you make it cheaper? After the war broke out, the factory where I worked stopped working, and now I don't get any wages."
"Whether you want to buy it or not, If you don’t buy it, some people will. War During the war, it’s always a good idea to save some food.”
“Mr. Aros! We can pay for it, but the question is why is this pizza brand flour the cheapest? ! ”
"The market is out of stock now. Don't forget that pizza was cheap before, but now it is in short supply. Let's talk about flour! What a difference in taste, maybe you will like this one!" Aros explained.
Some people in the crowd were still dissatisfied, and Aros was not used to it. He took out his pen and crossed out the original price in front of everyone, and increased it by another 20%. Aros said arrogantly: "Don't be shameless. The whole city is out of stock now, and you are still picky. I am announcing now that the price will be raised every half day. If you want to spend less, pay the bill quickly, otherwise There will be no chance to regret it later.”
As soon as Aros said this, everyone couldn’t care less, so they had to grab a batch of food and save it first. The right way, and the more, the better.
Although the price is very expensive for Venetian residents, who knows how long this war will last.
Although the sales price given by Aros is very high, it is really "conscience" for the Venetian citizens. This is not because Aros is kind-hearted, but because his colleagues are darker. Aros is not a pure Italian grain merchant, but He only came into contact with this business last year. At that time, East Africa was vigorously promoting the export of cheap grains. He saw business opportunities, so he vigorously imported cheap grains from East Africa from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and then sold them in Italy.
Since the decision to close the city was passed at the city government meeting five days ago, the city government bosses have divided the city of Venice, and then the families and companies behind them have monopolized the interests in their respective areas. .
The Aros family is responsible for a city area in the west. Except for the workers of their own companies and the Aros family's thugs, all residents are managed in this area and their freedom is restricted.
As for the citizens’ complaints, the big bosses in Venice have long thought of a plan to shirk the blame, and the man taking the blame is General Raffaele Cadorna, the supreme commander of the Kingdom of Italy’s army.
So they and the citizens of Venice preached like this: Because of the war, General Raffaele Cadorna declared martial law throughout the city and residents were not allowed to take to the streets at will until the military notified them, or A certificate issued by the government means that you can travel freely after obtaining the pass.
As for how to get the certificate, you can apply at a government website and get approval, but what is the process? It is quite slow, and there is a time limit. Is there a way to get a pass quickly? Or, you can pay to buy it at a designated place. Once the money is available, you can pass immediately.
If you don’t have a pass, if you are found out, you will be punished as espionage, and you will either have to pay a fine or go to "reform" for a month.
Of course this caused dissatisfaction among the Venetian citizens, but the citizens also attributed this account to the Italian military. As for the city government, were they also out of "helplessness"? After all, no matter how powerful the city government is, It is also impossible to oppose the will of General Raffaele Cadorna, who has an army of hundreds of thousands. All this was directed by General Raffaele Cadorna.
……
Florence.
The Austro-Hungarian expeditionary force launched an attack here three days ago, but with the help of the city walls and improvised army resistance, the government of Emmanuel II waited for the arrival of reinforcements from the west. Lieutenant General Karl, unable to do anything, led the expeditionary force and left.
However, after the Austro-Hungarian Empire Expeditionary Force attacked Florence, the entire Kingdom of Italy is now panicked, and enemies appear in the capital. This is a huge blow to the entire Kingdom of Italy. Fortunately, the Austro-Hungarian Empire Expeditionary Force The army was small in number and had few heavy weapons, so Florence was not captured, otherwise the war would have ended in advance with the defeat of the Kingdom of Italy.
Because of this incident, Emmanuel II is now more interested in the defense of Florence. The newly mobilized Italian-French border garrison is responsible for the city's defense. As for the border areas, France cannot protect itself anyway. There is no need for an army to guard it.
Where did the Austro-Hungarian expeditionary force go that did not capture Florence?
The answer is the former Kingdom of Sardinia, the foundation of the royal family of the Kingdom of Italy. Lieutenant General Carl led his troops and began to wreak havoc in the territory of the former Kingdom of Sardinia, especially factories and cities. The entire Kingdom of Sardinia was destroyed by Austria-Hungary. The Imperial Expeditionary Force was in a state of panic, but the Kingdom of Italy was powerless against the Austro-Hungarian Expeditionary Force. They were also afraid that this was a plan by the Austro-Hungarian Expeditionary Force to divert the troops away from the mountain. What if the army left Florence and they made a sneak attack again? .
(End of this chapter)