In the days after the war broke out, Archduke Albrecht was in no hurry to attack, but he still had to put on a show.
On the main battlefield, Albrecht did not intend to have his troops charge straight in, because he himself feared that Italy would not withstand even a single assault. Therefore, he ordered the Austrian forces beyond the Alpine defense line to feint from the north, creating the illusion that the Austro-Hungarian Empire intended to break through from that direction.
This move worked very well. The northern line was far longer than the Southern Defense Line, though the roads were difficult to travel and neither men nor supplies could pass through easily.
Yet behind the northern line lay not only Venice, but also Lombardy. The southern line, meanwhile, was short and confined to the narrow plains east of Venice. But Archduke Albrecht's aura as a famous general forced the Italians to take it seriously. What if Albrecht truly intended to catch Italy off guard from the north?
Thus, as soon as the Austrian forces made the slightest move, Italy began reinforcing the north. Since the northern line relied on the Alps, strengthening those areas also placed considerable strain on Italy's logistics.
Moreover, doing so would scatter Italy's forces even further, forcing the Kingdom of Italy to draw more troops from its rear.
About ten kilometers southwest of Rome, in the outskirts of the Papal States, lay the encampment of the Austro-Hungarian Army.
Antonio and the other Austro-Hungarian soldiers were shedding the Italian country clothes they had worn for nearly two months.
To make troop training more convenient, they had previously dressed as Italian farmers. Though this place was already remote, if someone with ulterior motives discovered them, the news could easily leak out.
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