The situation in Lombardy was extremely unfavorable for Austria. The Italo-Austrian War was nowhere near as simple as the history books made it out to be. At home, there were revolts by the bourgeoisie and the nobility; abroad, enemy troops were bearing down on them.
The reinforcements dispatched by the Vienna Government were currently suppressing the revolt in Venice. Only one Austrian division had reached the front, leaving Marshal Radetzky with fewer than thirty thousand troops at his disposal.
That was twice the number Austria had fielded at the same point in history. Otherwise, just as in the history books, they would already have retreated from Milan in disgrace.
After studying the map on the table and considering the current international situation, Marshal Radetzky made a decision at the military conference that left everyone utterly astonished.
"Order the troops to prepare. We will abandon Milan on April 1!"
"What? Your Excellency, you can't be serious!" Major General Victor asked incredulously.
"Major General Victor, I know exactly what I'm doing!" Marshal Radetzky replied, his expression unchanged.
"But, Your Excellency, we haven't reached the point where we have to retreat. Once the revolt in Venice is suppressed, our reinforcements will arrive. We'll have no trouble holding off the Kingdom of Sardinia!" Major General Victor challenged.
Victor wasn't the only one puzzled. The many officers present all found the decision hard to accept. If they could win, why retreat?
"It's simple. We can hold off the Kingdom of Sardinia's advance, but with trouble at home and enemies abroad, we don't have the strength to defeat them.
"The rebels in Lombardy have already colluded with the Kingdom of Sardinia. If the two sides remain locked in a prolonged standoff, the rebellion will continue.
"This also involves political and economic considerations. In any case, the Vienna Government has authorized me to handle the Italian question as I see fit. Your only duty is to carry out my orders!" Marshal Radetzky explained coldly.
Abandoning Lombardy would place enormous pressure on him and could even trigger a chain reaction. Under normal circumstances, no general would be willing to shoulder such responsibility.
Marshal Radetzky dared to do it in no small part because of the orders from the Vienna Government: so long as they won in the end, losing a city or a patch of land did not matter.
In his view, the high-ranking officials in the Vienna Government had also recognized the dire situation in the Italian theater. If they did not resolve the crisis quickly, the Papal States, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and the Kingdom of Naples would all pile in.
Marshal Radetzky had enough troops to deal with the Kingdom of Sardinia and the rebels alone. But if all these states joined the war, they would be in danger.
Rather than let that happen, they might as well abandon Lombardy for now and let the Kingdom of Sardinia occupy it. Then the other three Italian states would stay out of the war.
After all, they had declared war only because public opinion had forced their hands. The main forces of these states had yet to be deployed; those who had come so far were volunteers organized by private citizens.
Once the Kingdom of Sardinia occupied the territory, their people would have their answer. Even if envy and jealousy played a part, they would no longer send troops to help the Kingdom of Sardinia fight.
Without an external enemy, internal conflicts would erupt. The Italian states were rife with divisions of their own. For now, their politicians merely needed to redirect the people's hatred toward Austria.
But this situation could not last. People could be deceived about anything except an empty stomach; everyone had to eat.
The economic crisis was still ongoing, and Italy had no shortage of unemployed people. If that problem went unsolved, the unrest would erupt all the same.
Aside from the Italians, the attitudes of Britain and France were another concern.
The French wanted Lombardy and Venice to become independent states. They wanted Austria driven out, but they also did not want Italy to unify.
The British, on the other hand, wanted a unified Italy that could contain both France and Austria. But they did not want to see Austria collapse, either.
They wanted to weaken Austria while preserving enough of its strength to block Russian expansion.
Against this backdrop, if the Kingdom of Sardinia occupied Lombardy, the two sides would surely unite. France would then change its position, switching from support to hostility.
British support for the Kingdom of Sardinia would remain nothing more than words. They would urge Sardinia to be content with its gains, but shackled by public opinion, the Kingdom of Sardinia would have no choice but to keep fighting.
After shortening his lines, Marshal Radetzky would have more troops at his disposal, while the Kingdom of Sardinia's front would stretch farther.
The newly occupied Lombardy could not supply them. They would still have to rely chiefly on transport from home, which would put considerable strain on the Kingdom of Sardinia.
While fighting Austria, they would also have to feed Lombardy's people. Otherwise, once they went hungry, those people would rebel just the same.
With no substantial support from Britain and France, and three other states staying out of the war, the outcome was already decided. The Kingdom of Sardinia had limited national strength and could not possibly rival Austria.
Marshal Radetzky was confident that his forces alone could defeat the Sardinian army and recapture Lombardy. He might even be able to carry the war onto Sardinian soil.
Strategically speaking, this was no retreat. It was drawing the enemy in deep.
Of course, a private letter from Franz had told him to eliminate as many rebels in Austrian Italy as possible. That, too, was why he had made up his mind.
The term "rebels" was not so simple. Marshal Radetzky knew it referred to the capitalists and nobles of Italy. Without these people exploiting the masses, where would the rebellion have come from?
Once Lombardy was absorbed into the Kingdom of Sardinia, most of its nobles and capitalists would likely switch sides. After the war, they could be purged and counted among the rebels.
Their property could be used to win over the people. Austrian Italy would soon stabilize. After all, the people of Lombardy were Germans who had entered Italy, and without the obstruction of the upper classes, assimilating the two peoples would be much easier.
Every advantage came with a drawback, but Marshal Radetzky did not need to consider all of that. He had already seen the benefits: this could resolve the Italian question once and for all.
For the sake of final victory, both Lombardy and Venice could be temporarily abandoned. As long as they were recovered in the end, he would still be Austria's hero.
In the quiet conference room, a voice suddenly broke the silence. A middle-aged general stood and said, "Your Excellency, perhaps there's still something we can do. We can't let the Kingdom of Sardinia occupy Lombardy so easily!"
"Edmond, what plan do you have?" Marshal Radetzky asked with interest.
"Your Excellency, since the people of Lombardy welcome the Italians so warmly, why don't we help spread the word and give them an even better impression of the Kingdom of Sardinia?" Lieutenant General Edmond Leopold Friedri said with a cold laugh.
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