When Cavaignac learned that the Austrian Empire's grand army had already finished assembling, he was seized by profound fear.
Such speed of assembly, such a scale of forces—this was plainly a trap. The French Army's plan to exploit the opening, to pull the firewood from beneath the cauldron, was about to fail.
The surrounding generals and staff officers were all ashen-faced. Austria claimed to have an army of two hundred thousand; even if that figure was inflated, there had to be at least over a hundred thousand men.
Everyone knew that speed was the key to this surprise attack. They had to take Vienna before the Austrian Empire's troops could return to defend it.
Otherwise, the Austrian Empire had nearly six hundred thousand troops and a population of forty-seven million. With the entire German Confederation added in, if they failed to take the city after a prolonged assault, Russia might even send troops to assist. Then, no matter how powerful France was, it would likely find itself unable to withstand the blow.
And now, not only had the Austrian Empire prepared itself, it had even launched an attack. The French Army's generals could not help entertaining thoughts of retreat. After all, they had yet to enter Austrian territory, so there was still room for reconciliation between the two sides.
Yet when Cavaignac learned that the Austrian grand army had crossed the Ticino River, he laughed aloud.
"The Austrians truly are a pack of arrogant fools! That old fossil Radetzky must have gone senile!
Did he really think that defeating those antiques of the old age and scraps of the new would let him forget himself? We should make Radetzky remember the terror of France properly!
And let the Austrians remember too: there is no country in this world that can