Inside Vienna, in the underground command post of the Austrian General Staff Headquarters.
Archduke Friedrich, Duke Kaspar, and Baron Marshal von Heitzenforf all wore extremely unpleasant expressions. They had placed great hopes on this Battle of Vienna.
But now, the Austrian army's performance had been utterly dreadful. The German military had launched only its first wave of attacks, yet the Austrian army had collapsed across the entire line. Of the two hundred thousand Austrian troops deployed outside the city, a small portion had been blown to death by the German military's fierce artillery bombardment, some had surrendered to the German military, and most had retreated into the city with all fighting spirit gone.
Even worse, those cowards whose courage had been shattered were spreading word everywhere of the German military's strength and the terrifying horror of its artillery fire. This threw the troops inside the city into a state of panic as well. Quite a few units had reported that many soldiers no longer dared to continue fighting the German military. If this went on, before long, the Austrian army would not even need to fight—they might as well surrender directly to the German military.
"What should we do now? The troops have no will to keep fighting. If this continues, once the Germans attack the city itself, we won't be able to stop them at all!" Baron Marshal von Heitzenforf said anxiously.
"Indeed, there is nothing we can do. This Battle of Vienna we had pinned our hopes on will likely come to a close in a terribly ugly fashion," Duke Kaspar said as well.
Clearly, Duke Kaspar had completely lost confidence in this battle. The German military's offensive was too powerful, while the Austrian army was too fragile. On top of that, they did not even possess a