Emanuele II did not have much time to deliberate, because the French had given him only one hour.
France's advance troops had already arrived outside Turin, with a steady stream of reinforcements still on their way.
Cavaignac had calculated well. Sending an envoy was a case of courtesy before force, while also buying time to wait for reinforcements. The Kingdom of Sardinia could only choose to surrender—or be forced to surrender.
Yet the tiny Kingdom of Sardinia was not on his mind at all. This time, the target was the heart of the Austrian Empire—Vienna.
According to intelligence from the French Intelligence Department, the Austrian Empire's main forces were in Transylvania and Spain.
At this moment, the Austrian Empire was like a giant gripping sharp blades in both hands. It looked terrifying, but its center was wide open. Cavaignac's forces only needed to avoid the blades on either side and drive straight into the giant's heart to win with ease.
Now was the perfect opportunity to attack the Austrian Empire, and neither he nor the Republicans had any road left to retreat down.
In this war, Cavaignac and Albert de Lafer had bypassed President Louis Napoleon. If they won, France would no longer need Napoleon as president; but if they lost, the French Republicans would be finished.
It was a desperate gamble, but they were brimming with confidence. After all, they were not mediocrities like Bellevue, nor were they empty talkers like Lamartine.
Cavaignac and Lafer also believed that as long as they produced results, the British would certainly honor their agreement and join the war. When that happened, the situation would be turned on its head.
In the most ideal scenario, they would not even need the British. They could march to Vienna's gates and force the Austrians to