Chapter 132: A Stunning Reversal

"It's not good to keep talking outside. Come on, let's go inside." Napoleon then led the group into the city of Thunay.

"How about it? This palace is quite nice, right? It used to belong to Karl, but now that I've won, it's naturally mine." Napoleon pointed to the palace in front of him, showing it off to Roland and the others as if presenting a treasure.

Clearly, the victory over Karl in the war made Napoleon very excited and proud.

"What's the casualty report, Moreau? Has it been compiled?" Napoleon asked Lieutenant General Moreau.

Although the French army ultimately won the Battle of Thunay, their losses were not insignificant. Especially the First Infantry Division of Marshal Lannes and Moreau's Second Infantry Division, with casualty rates exceeding 80%, they were nearly wiped out.

"Report, First Consul! Our army suffered over 22,000 casualties in this battle, while the Austrian army lost more than 60,000. First Consul, this battle is a great victory for us!" Moreau said excitedly, holding a report as he approached Napoleon.

At the cost of over 22,000 casualties, the French army wiped out 60,000 Austrian troops, which could indeed be considered a great victory.

With the victory in the Battle of Thunay, it also meant that the French army had decisively won in Italy. From now on, Austria would no longer have the capability to interfere in Italy.

Italy had now completely become French territory.

This war marked a great victory for France. At the same time, it caused ripples like a stone thrown into a lake. The Austrian army's offensive with 200,000 troops on Thunay, leading to a decisive battle with the French army, naturally attracted worldwide attention.

Almost all major nations sent various intelligence agents to investigate this war, scrutinizing every detail on the battlefield and analyzing the battle as much as possible to uncover the methods behind France's victory and Austria's defeat.

The war between the French government and Austria was undoubtedly the largest-scale conflict since the beginning of the 19th century. The outcome of this war, regardless of who won or lost, had enormous implications for the entire European situation.

Initially, countries around the world did not hold high hopes for France. Although France was powerful, it had just gone through a revolution, leaving the country in a state of desolation.

But what about Austria?

Austria has always been a strong power in Southeastern Europe and the main state of the Holy Roman Empire. In terms of both population and military strength, it surpasses France. The war between the two was more like a fight between a recovering patient and a robust man. However, the outcome of the war shocked all the nations.

First, the French army achieved a decisive victory on the Italian front. Except for Rome, all of Austria's Italian colonies had fallen. The counter-offensive battle that the Austrians had pinned their hopes on ended in disaster, with the loss of 200,000 Austrian troops and Archduke Charles fleeing in disgrace.

In a report to the Duke of Wellington, the commander of the British Army, a British intelligence officer stated that the combat effectiveness of the Austrian army was abysmal. Their training was lax, and their equipment was rudimentary. It was hard to imagine how such a country could be considered the overlord of Eastern Europe and dominate Europe for decades.

In contrast, the French army seemed to have emerged from the chaos of the revolution. These soldiers were not only well-trained and tactically adept but also equipped with significantly upgraded weaponry. Especially during the battle in Florence against the Hungarian hussars, the French used the 01-type rifle, which proved exceptionally effective against cavalry.

All these factors indicated that the Austrian army was no match for the French. Even though the Austrians had a numerical advantage, this advantage was negated by Napoleon's tactics.

It was foreseeable that Austria had suffered a crushing defeat in this war. Not only did they lose in Italy, but they also lost in the decisive battle on the Thunay battlefield. The 200,000 troops deployed in Thunay were Austria's only army in the southern region. If they wanted to continue fighting, they would have to redeploy troops from the north and southeast, but strong enemies were eyeing those regions, making such redeployment impossible.

As a result of this war, the British became even more wary of Napoleon. They had originally hoped to contain France through warfare, but Napoleon's brilliance in this conflict forced them to reconsider their strategy.

They did not want to face a disastrous defeat like Austria, so after this battle, any plans within Britain to go to war with France were indefinitely shelved.

…

Meanwhile, in Vienna, the capital of Austria, inside the Schönbrunn Palace, Emperor Francis II of Austria sat with a grim expression on his face. Before his luxurious desk stood Austria's top military and political officials, all with their heads bowed, not daring to meet the gaze of Emperor Francis II, let alone face his wrath.

It was no wonder that Emperor Francis II was furious. What was expected to be a certain victory ended in such a disastrous result. Over 100,000 elite Austrian troops were lost in this battle, and the Italian territories he had painstakingly acquired were now completely occupied by the French army.

The French army now held all the advantages, making it exceedingly difficult for Austria to win this war. This outcome made Emperor Francis II, who had been eagerly anticipating a victory to harshly punish France, feel utterly humiliated.

Before the war broke out, he had repeatedly proclaimed that Austria would win this war. But in the end, reality struck like a series of resounding slaps across his face.

"Gentlemen, is this the answer you give me? Twenty thousand elite troops, vast expenditures of military funds, and this is the result?"

Emperor Francis II's voice was icy, like a cold wind blowing from the Arctic, causing the temperature in the office to drop several degrees. Even though it was still summer, the Austrian military and political officials present couldn't help but shiver.

Everyone remained silent, unsure how to respond. In fact, none of them had anticipated such an outcome. Before the war broke out, they all believed France was merely a colossus with feet of clay. Daring to challenge the might of the great Austrian Empire would surely lead to its crushing defeat by the Austrian army. But the result was astonishingly different.

They had invested an entire 200,000 troops in this battle! And yet, they didn't even make a splash. Even if they had sent 200,000 pigs charging at the French army, they could have trampled a few French soldiers to death!

"Damn it, speak up! Have you all gone mute?" Emperor Francis II roared in anger. These men, who had been so full of bravado at the start of the war, were now silent, trying to evade responsibility as soon as things went wrong. This infuriated him.

At this moment, Prince Windisch-Grätz, the Austrian Minister of War, was undoubtedly under the most pressure. As the Minister of War, he bore the primary responsibility for this defeat. He even sensed that he would soon be dismissed by the enraged emperor.

"Your Majesty, the French army's combat effectiveness was far beyond our expectations. Our troops were unprepared for such strength, which is why..." Prince Windisch-Grätz said, bracing himself. He had no choice but to attribute the defeat to the underestimated strength of the French army.

"What? What kind of logic is that? Are you saying that the great Austrian Empire's army is inferior to those Frenchmen?" Emperor Francis II's eyes were bloodshot as he glared angrily at Prince Windisch-Grätz, looking as though he was about to devour him.