Outside the city of Turin, more than a hundred heavy artillery pieces had gathered. Even the smallest among them had a caliber greater than 150 mm. With barrels ranging from a few meters to as long as over twenty meters, their destructive power was self-evident. Two of the giant cannons stood out in particular. With barrels measuring 24.7 meters in length, a caliber of 380 mm, and shells weighing 600 kilograms, they were undeniably the most eye-catching weapons on the field. There was no doubt about it. These powerful guns shared one major drawback: they were incredibly inconvenient. Transporting them was difficult, and operating them was just as troublesome. Still, compared to their firepower, these minor issues hardly mattered. After all, these cannons were never designed for field use by the army. Their real purpose was coastal defense. But to break through Turin as quickly as possible, General Morkes had these behemoths hauled in to deal specifically with the French fortifications. “Fire!” At the commander’s order, the thunderous roar of the cannons shook the air once more. This time, however, the sound was accompanied by the collapse of buildings. There had simply not been enough time. In just a few short months, it was unrealistic to expect a fully fortified city to be built from scratch. Perhaps it was due to the rush to meet deadlines. Perhaps the Italian workers deliberately sabotaged the construction by cutting corners. Or perhaps it was a combination of both. At the beginning of the war, the French government had been overly optimistic and never truly believed that Turin would be threatened by fighting. Strengthening city defenses and building fortifications was seen by many as just another scheme for bureaucrats to line their pockets. In this kind of environment, no one expected the contractors to behave ethically. If the French army won, Turin would be untouched by war. If the army lost, the government would be in chaos and no one would be held accountable anyway. Cutting corners was bad enough, but the fact that the construction was done by Italians only made things worse. To sabotage the French war effort would have perfectly aligned with the propaganda of the independence movements. By the time the front collapsed and the military began taking city defenses seriously, it was already too late. The damage was done, and the best anyone could do was try to keep the truth hidden. Even the best fortifications could barely withstand fire from such massive guns. As for these hastily built, poorly constructed walls, they crumbled almost instantly. Any structure hit by a 600-kilogram shell was reduced to rubble. Inside the French command post, upon hearing the tremendous crash of a collapsing building, Marshal Adrien, who was personally overseeing the command, urgently asked, “Send someone to see what’s happening outside!” After a moment, the aide-de-camp replied, “Marshal, the enemy has used heavy artillery. The city’s buildings could not withstand the attack and have collapsed, including some of the fortresses.” It was clear the young officer was trying to downplay the situation, but the news was still difficult for Marshal Adrien to accept. The collapse of regular buildings was not surprising. After all, civilian structures were never meant to withstand artillery fire. Their destruction was unfortunate but expected. But the collapse of the fortress defenses was another matter entirely. These were the very fortifications Marshal Adrien had hoped would bleed the Austrians dry. Now, before the battle had even begun in earnest, that plan was falling apart. Unlike other types of combat, a siege did not require the attackers to break through every defense. The Austrians only needed to create one breach in the city’s defenses to pour in. According to the original plan, the French army had intended to use the fortress network to hold out for at least a month, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy in the process. Given the current situation, holding out for even one more day was no longer guaranteed. After studying the map in silence, Marshal Adrien let out a sigh and said, “Pass down my orders. All units are to begin urban warfare preparations immediately. Also, send someone to investigate why the fortifications collapsed.” Plans never keep up with the pace of reality. The failure of the city’s defenses to buy time left the army with no choice but to begin urban warfare earlier than expected. But war is a chain reaction. The earlier the urban combat begins, the sooner it will end. A million French troops had already failed to stop the enemy, and Marshal Adrien had no illusions that the city of Turin could turn the tide. Anyone with clear eyes could see that France’s defeat was only a matter of time. Adrien himself no longer believed victory was possible. His decision to defend Turin was not only based on strategic considerations. More importantly, he was trying to buy time. Time for France, and time for himself. When a war ends in failure, someone always has to take the blame. The emperor and the government alone would not be enough. The military also needed a high-ranking figure to be held accountable. No one wanted to bear the shame of being labeled incompetent or useless, and Marshal Adrien was no exception. The current situation made it very clear that whichever front collapsed first, the commanding officer there would be the primary scapegoat. He did not hope to turn the tide of war, but if he could just hold out longer than his peers on other fronts, that would be enough. Ideally, he would hold the line until peace negotiations began. That would be perfect. As for the investigation into the collapse of the fortifications, that was merely a formality. The French army had proper systems in place. When something went wrong, someone had to look into the cause, and those responsible had to be held accountable. … War, by its very nature, is a game of winners and losers. While the French troops inside the city were shrouded in gloom, the Allied forces outside were filled with joy. The French defenses did not consist of a single line, but that hardly mattered. If the outer fortifications could not withstand artillery fire, the inner lines would not hold either. In modern warfare, the power of urban combat had been significantly diminished. Unless a city was specifically built as a fortress, a typical city could be reduced to rubble by artillery once attackers had full freedom to strike. Buildings were once considered the best cover in urban combat. Unfortunately, they were not designed to withstand artillery. In many cases, trenches might offer better protection. The ideal conditions for urban combat required either a city built with war in mind, where structures could resist heavy fire, or a situation where political concerns limited the attacking side’s actions. Of course, there were exceptions. For example, the defense of Stalingrad in the original timeline shattered that assumption. It proved that, with enough manpower and sacrifice, a city could be defended even if reduced to ruins. Clearly, Turin had none of those advantages. Though the city held significant political, economic, and cultural value, none of that mattered to Austria. Even the Italians might not be too concerned. Driving out the French took top priority, and any damaged buildings could simply be rebuilt after the war. The only remaining uncertainty was whether the French army was willing to throw in enough lives. But for the Austrians, who already had an abundance of cannon fodder, this no longer mattered. To observe the battlefield more closely, General Morkes had boarded a dirigible. At that moment, he was using a telescope to admire the work of his artillery. Watching one fortress after another collapse in thunderous crashes, Morkes smiled with satisfaction and said, “Send a telegram to the Italian Corps. Launch the attack in one hour.” The wireless telegraph was another cutting-edge technology in the continental war. Of course, at this stage, the practical value of the wireless telegraph was still quite limited. The signal was unstable enough, but more critically, the transmission range was extremely short. Had Morkes not suddenly thought of observing the battle from the airship, wireless communication likely wouldn’t have been introduced into the military so soon. The slow development of wireless radio was partly due to Franz’s poor academic aptitude. He knew that radio used electromagnetic waves to transmit signals, but had no idea what electromagnetic waves actually were. Completely confused himself, he could only present the demand and leave it to the scientists to figure things out. Progress mainly consisted of proving countless methods didn’t work. Only in 1883, when a man named Hertz at the Royal Academy of Sciences discovered electromagnetic waves, did things begin to change. Once the transmission medium was found, radio technology truly began to develop. From an initial range of just over 200 meters, it had now reached a theoretical distance of 100 kilometers, which was a significant breakthrough. Unfortunately, that 100-kilometer range existed only in theory. Obstacles, bad weather, electromagnetic interference, and a host of other issues all impacted signal transmission. With so many limitations, the value of wireless communication technology was greatly diminished, and its widespread adoption remained a distant dream.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH) Support the translation and read more chapters at https://ko-fi.com/dragonlegion
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