As the saying went, strike a snake at its seven-inch spot. The Italian army had amassed 250,000 troops on the eastern front, while Archduke Albrecht had only 80,000 men in hand, so being unable to push toward Venice was perfectly normal.
However, once war had torn open a breach, blossoming across the board was the situation Archduke Albrecht wanted. On the eastern front, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's ability to face the Kingdom of Italy with a smaller force was already a victory. Next, it would depend on whether the Austro-Hungarian Navy could open up a new situation and carve out a new battlefield.
Adriatic Sea.
A massive fleet was speeding across the sea, led by the Austro-Hungarian Navy fleet that had departed from Rijeka in present-day Croatia.
"This time, it is our turn to strike back! Failing to press our advantage and retaliate against the Italian Navy last time has always been a regret in my heart. This time, we must make the Italian Navy recognize the progress of the Imperial Navy once again!" Wilhelm von Tegetthoff declared confidently from the deck to his subordinates.
"This time, we will certainly secure victory again!"
"Long live the Empire!..."
That was the confidence Wilhelm von Tegetthoff's name bestowed upon the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
After the victory at the Battle of Lissa, Wilhelm von Tegetthoff became an Austrian hero. Franz urged him south to the Dalmatian coast to ensure the development of naval bases in that region.
Unlike history, Wilhelm von Tegetthoff had carried out a comprehensive and systematic upgrade of the military bases along the Dalmatian coast. In the original timeline, in 1867, he had undertaken a sorrowful mission: transporting the body of his benefactor, Emperor Maximilian, who had been executed by Juárez Benito, back from Mexico to his homeland.
Now, Maximilian I