Capítulo 143: Chapter 143: Boris's Helplessness
The moonlight spilled over the earth, casting its ethereal glow, but there was no one in the mood to appreciate its beauty. Inside Venice, ten thousand isolated Austrian soldiers shivered, whether from fear or the cold. In their relentless pursuit to capture Venice quickly, the French artillery bombarded the Austrian positions day and night. Only in the late hours of the night did the bombardment cease, offering the Austrian troops their only respite.
A gentle breeze swept through, carrying the agonizing cries of the wounded Austrian soldiers. Yet, no one had the luxury to attend to them. Each person was preoccupied with their own concerns.
The Austrian soldiers were severely lacking in medical supplies. Injuries went untreated, festering wounds turned septic, and maggots infested the wounds. This dire situation dealt a fatal blow to the morale of the Austrian army.
The Austrian command post was situated behind a small hill, hollowed out and reinforced with wood to form rudimentary defenses. Here, the senior Austrian officers, including Lieutenant General Boris, gathered.
"General, we cannot continue like this. The daily bombardment by the French has caused immense casualties. The morale of our troops is plummeting. If this persists, we will collapse soon," a colonel sorrowfully addressed Boris.
"General Boris, what should we do now? The French have surrounded us, we lack food, ammunition, and medical supplies. What's our next move?" another Austrian officer asked Boris.
"Staying here means certain death. We might as well attempt a breakout!" Boris proposed. He had no better solution at the moment. The power imbalance between the French and Austrian forces was glaring. Continuing to resist would only lead to inevitable defeat.
"A breakout? That's suicide! We have no food. Even if we manage to break out, we'll be walking into a death trap. The French will divide and surround us. We'll be picked off one by one. Don't forget, the French have tens of thousands of cavalry nearby. Once we scatter, we'll be easy prey for their horsemen. Being chased down by cavalry on the plains will be a nightmare," Boris's suggestion was immediately met with rebuttals.
"Damn it, nothing seems to work! Are we supposed to just wait here to die?" General Boris was furious. He felt deeply frustrated in his role as a lieutenant general, the highest-ranking commander in the Austrian forces present, yet lacking in authority. Many disregarded him. At this moment, Boris couldn't help but reminisce about the times when Archduke Charles was in command, how much easier it had been.
"General Boris, why don't we ask Vienna for reinforcements? With reinforcements, maybe we can hold out," someone suggested.
"Useless. We've already contacted Vienna. They're mustering troops internally right now; it'll be a while before they can send any reinforcements. Besides, His Majesty's orders are for us to hold Venice until reinforcements arrive," Boris replied.
"Well, General Boris, when can we expect reinforcements to arrive in Venice?" someone quietly asked.
"Probably... probably not until next year," Boris admitted hesitantly.
"What... what? Until next year? It's only August now. You mean we have to hold out for at least four months? How is that even possible?" Everyone present was shocked to hear Boris's words. It felt like a colossal joke.
Boris felt a deep sadness in his heart. He knew Austria was preparing to counterattack against the French, gathering strength, but that took time. For their surrounded army, it was like having water but unable to drink it. They had become expendable pawns.
In the grand scheme of things, everyone hoped they could continue the fight, even if it meant a mutual annihilation with the French. That would weaken the French and potentially facilitate future victories. But for them, such demands were undeniably cruel. No one wanted to die; everyone wanted to live.
Boris could have lied to them, telling them reinforcements would arrive in two weeks or a month. But in the end, Boris couldn't bring himself to lie. Perhaps it was because Boris himself didn't want to die.
"Your Excellency, are you... are you saying Vienna has abandoned us?" a trembling Austrian officer asked, seeming almost unable to believe the outcome. Could they be so easily abandoned?
"The entire 200,000-strong Tyrolean Army has been lost, do you think they care about our mere 10,000 men? Besides, even if Vienna wanted to help, there are no reinforcements coming from the homeland," Boris replied grimly.
"Aren't we negotiating with the French? This war is nearly impossible for us to win. Why can't we negotiate? Why do so many of us have to go to our deaths?" another person asked angrily.
His words echoed the sentiments of many Austrian military leaders. To them, the French were too powerful; victory was almost out of reach. In their eyes, negotiating an end to the war was the best choice. Though they were soldiers, none wanted to die in vain.
"The negotiations have already failed. The terms proposed by our government and the French are too far apart. We cannot agree to the French conditions. So, negotiations have collapsed," General Boris explained.
"Damn it! How could this happen? Those damned politicians don't care about whether we live or die!" All the Austrian officers were angry upon hearing Boris's words. For soldiers on the front lines like them, negotiation was the only hope of survival. Now that hope was shattered. The war would continue, and there seemed to be no choice left for them but death.
"Gentlemen, what should we do now? Should we continue to hold out until we are killed by the French, or should we launch a breakout and fight the French to the death?" General Boris asked, seeking their counsel.
But no one answered him because neither of those choices was what anyone wanted. Whichever path they chose, it was ultimately a dead end. Everyone hoped to survive in the end.
"General, is there any other choice?" a hesitant officer spoke up after a moment.
General Boris glanced at him, his eyes containing an inexplicable meaning, and replied, "Such as?"
"We've been abandoned by Vienna, and His Majesty the Emperor expects us to fight to the end. Normally, we would obey the Emperor's command without hesitation. But now, we are completely out of supplies. We simply cannot hold out any longer. In that case, why should we continue fighting? Why not surrender to the French? Perhaps that way, we could still have a chance to live," an Austrian officer suggested after thinking it over.
"Surrender? How could we do that? How could we surrender to those despicable Frenchmen?" another Austrian officer exclaimed angrily.
"Besides surrender, do we have any other options to survive?" the officer retorted immediately, the threat of death making rank irrelevant.
Seeing this, General Boris was taken aback. Apart from surrender, it seemed there really was no chance of survival. He opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, nothing came out. He realized that the looks the other commanders were giving him carried an inexplicable meaning. Clearly, everyone wanted to survive, even if it meant surrendering to the French. If he forcefully opposed them, the most likely outcome would be those wanting to surrender dealing with him first.
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