Things were much better on the Austrian Empire's side. Even after a major battle, the Austrian Empire's troop numbers had actually increased.
Naturally, this was not because the Austrian Empire had somehow achieved zero casualties, but because they had picked up all sorts of strange reinforcements along the way.
First were the spiritual Austrians, most of them small landowners or intellectuals from the Bulgarian region.
The Austrian Empire's repeated military and diplomatic victories had not been without value. Humans were born with an instinct to admire the strong. A powerful Austrian Empire would naturally gain countless supporters.
Then there were opportunists and criminals with nowhere left to turn, slaves who had risen up with poles in hand, and drifters floating like duckweed. These people had nothing to begin with, so naturally they had little attachment to the land of Bulgaria.
They too regarded the Austrian Empire as a lifeline. Especially after witnessing the crushing defeat of the Anglo-Turkish Allied Forces and the Russians' incompetence, the might of the Austrian military stood out all the more sharply.
Third was the Church's influence. Who knew whether those missionaries constantly scurrying about had already paid this place a visit? The priests accompanying the army merely took the opportunity to preach while passing through. That was not too much, was it?
These people were equally outstanding at grassroots agitation and stirring up hatred.
Thus, opinions of the Austrians in North Bulgaria became sharply polarized. Some saw the Austrians as saviors, while others saw them as scoundrels taking advantage of a crisis.
But beneath the Austrian Empire's powerful propaganda machine, people could hear only the first kind of voice. This greatly satisfied the Austrians' vanity.
As for the latter voices, what voice could a group of people without any right to speak possibly have?
Yet