Holy Roman Empire Chapter 65 - We'll Run Out of Money If We Don't Fight

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        Late at night.         In a small alley in the city of Turin, inside a mercantile, three middle-aged men were gathered together, speaking to each other in hushed tones.         The eldest among them asked, “Amor, how are things going?”         “The plan is going remarkably well. The patriotism of the people is fervent. Even without our help, I believe they will take to the streets in protest on their own!” Amor replied with a smile.         “We must not be careless. The more critical the situation, the more careful we must be.”         “Did you manage to avoid attracting the attention of others?” the older man asked worriedly.         “Don’t worry, Carmelo! My current identity is that of a patriotic merchant from Venice. Everything I do now is perfectly in line with that identity.         On the surface, it appears that I will receive generous rewards as long as the Kingdom of Sardinia occupies Venice.         In such a situation, I must show hostility toward Austria and it would not arouse suspicion,” Amor explained.         There is no shortage of capitalists who, driven by their own interests, are in favor of attacking Venice. Amor, at most, is just showing a slightly more proactive attitude, which is no big deal in the grand scheme of things.         “Good, that’s reassuring. As professionals in our field, it is most important to be careful and complete our assigned tasks. We must never become too greedy. Cecilio, how far along is your mission?” Inquired the middle-aged man known by the codename Carmelo.         “Not very well. I’m just a nobody, and the big newspapers don’t need my articles. At the moment my writings only appear in the cheap street papers,” Cecilio answered helplessly.         He was just a literary enthusiast, and his written articles were good, but they weren’t of the magnitude that would shake the world. He lacked a distinct advantage in the culturally rich region of Italy.         Fortunately, the article he was about to publish was perfectly in line with the current situation, using various means to denigrate the Austrians and praise the bravery of the Sardinian army.         Recently, such articles have been appearing frequently, but Cecilio’s articles were more explicit and their content more radical, perfectly suited to the tastes of the passionate youth.         “Don’t worry, just take your time. The nationalistic sentiment in the Kingdom of Sardinia has exceeded our expectations. Even if we didn’t orchestrate it, public opinion would still force the government to send troops to Venice. We're just speeding up the timing.         Now that the momentum has been created, it doesn’t matter if we directed it or not.         It’s time to change our propaganda approach. Let’s emphasize the brutal rule of Austria. You are free to fabricate the content as long as it tarnishes Austria to the extreme.         If you can’t come up with anything, dig up the dark history of the nobility and capitalists of the Kingdom of Sardinia, rewrite it, and apply it all to Austria.” Carmelo nodded and said.         As Carmelo thought about it, he couldn’t help but chuckle. He had certainly set a record for himself. As a spy, he was actively slandering his own homeland. It was unlikely that anyone would believe it if the truth came out.         Even his two local associates, unaware that they were serving the Austrian government, believed they were part of a secret British intelligence organization, as Carmelo had always told them.         Now, by inciting the Kingdom of Sardinia to attack Venice, it was all in line with the strategic interests of the British Empire, which aimed to establish a unified Italy.         Under the influence of money and spiritual encouragement, neither of them felt that their actions were wrong. They firmly believed that everything they were doing was for the unification of Italy.         There was no other choice as these were the orders of their superiors. To get the Kingdom of Sardinia to attack Venice quickly, they had to fan the flames of national sentiment and put pressure on the Sardinian government.         There were many individuals involved in carrying out this mission, most of whom disguised themselves as members of British or French intelligence organizations. Some even boldly infiltrated radical groups without arousing suspicion.         At the time, there were no identity registration systems or efficient communication methods. It was easy to create a false identity from the Italian region because there was no way to effectively verify it.         Moreover, with the rise of nationalism in the Kingdom of Sardinia, as long as one assumed the role of a patriot, their actions were considered politically correct. Even if their true identities were discovered, the Sardinian government would be reluctant to arrest them.         ……         With someone to set the tone, the nationalist fervor among the supporters of the Kingdom of Sardinia grew even stronger. Under the pressure of public opinion, King Charles Albert could no longer hold out.         It should be noted that after the outbreak of the February Revolution in France, the revolutionary spirit in the Kingdom of Sardinia began to rise. Had it not been for his shrewd move to declare war on Austria and shift the focus of the conflict, the question of whether he could retain his throne would have remained uncertain.         In reality, Charles Albert had no intention of defeating Austria. His original plan was simply to engage in a limited conflict, gain some advantages to appease domestic demands, and call it a day.         Having already occupied Lombardy, he had exceeded expectations in accomplishing his mission. Continuing the offensive into Venice was too risky, and the chances of military success were not high.         “Where are our allied troops, Azeglio?” Charles Albert asked worriedly.         Prime Minister Azeglio’s expression darkened. All the benefits had been devoured by the Kingdom of Sardinia alone. Could they still expect other nations to assist them?         In addition, the Italian states were heavily influenced by Austria, and now everyone is being forced by public opinion to participate in this war, which they were originally unwilling to do. Without motivating incentives, it’s only natural that there will be a lot of procrastination and hesitation.         “The 5,000 volunteers from Tuscany are already on their way and are expected to arrive in Lombardy by the end of the month. The 7,000 troops from the Papal States have already arrived on the Adige River. As for the 40,000 reinforcements from Naples, it is expected that only part of them will arrive by May.” Azeglio replied with a worried expression.         “Urge them to speed up their pace and continue to demand an increase in the number of reinforcements from other countries. By May, we will have to launch an attack on Venice!” King Charles Albert pondered for a moment before speaking with determination.         This was already his last resort. Public opinion could no longer be suppressed. At this point, King Charles Albert regretted announcing the annexation of Lombardy too soon. Otherwise, he could have used the division of Lombardy as bait to appease Tuscany.         But the idea quickly faded. At a time when public sentiment demanded unification, it would be politically fatal to engage in territorial division.         “Your Majesty, now is not the time for a decisive battle against the Austrians. At the very least, we should wait for the escalation of the Austrian civil war and the arrival of the 40,000 troops from Naples before we launch an attack. That would be the optimal time for an attack,” was the advice of the Minister of War, Antonio Franzini.         The Austrian government has not yet begun to suppress the Hungarian rebellion. At this point, an attack on Venice would only further provoke the Austrian government. The main Austrian forces may then redirect their aggression to the Italian region.         Charles Albert reluctantly explained: “From a military point of view, that is indeed the case. But politically, we can no longer afford to delay. There are also financial concerns, as the cost of occupying Lombardy has far exceeded our expectations.”

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