Chapter 951
Outside Turin, more than a hundred heavy guns had now been assembled. Even the smallest had a caliber exceeding 150 mm, and with barrels ranging from several meters to over a dozen or even twenty meters long, their power was self-evident.
Two of the massive guns stood out in particular. Whether it was their 24.7-meter barrels, their 380 mm caliber, or their 600 kg shells, all of it made them the brightest stars on the field.
Without question, these immensely powerful guns shared one trait—they were inconvenient. They were troublesome not only to transport, but also to operate.
Yet compared to their firepower, such minor flaws were hardly worth mentioning. After all, these guns had not originally been intended for the army. Their true mission was to serve as coastal-defense artillery.
To capture Turin as quickly as possible, Morkes had brought these behemoths over specifically to deal with the French fortresses.
"Fire!"
At the commander's order, the thunder of artillery rang out once more. But this time, the cannonade was accompanied by the sound of buildings collapsing.
There had simply not been enough time. In just a few short months, building a true fortress city had been far too difficult.
Perhaps they had rushed to meet the deadline; perhaps Italian workers had refused to cooperate and slipped a little something into the construction; or perhaps it had been both.
After all, at the outbreak of the war, the French Government had been exceedingly optimistic. It had never believed Turin would face the threat of war. Reinforcing the city defenses and building fortifications had merely been a means for bureaucrats to line their pockets.
Under such circumstances, there was naturally no expecting capitalists to possess any integrity. If the French army won, Turin would not suffer the flames of