From the highest tower of Mantua Fortress, Beaulieu and Würmser watched four riders gallop out of the fortress together. Under the concentrated fire of the French Army, they quickly vanished from sight.
The two Austrian commanders silently made the sign of the cross over their chests, praying that the cavalrymen would break through the encirclement and deliver their jointly signed plea for aid to Vienna.
Outside the fortress, the French Chasseurs armed with Rifled Guns swiftly shot down three of the riders. Then the Jäger company commander hurriedly pressed down the guns in his soldiers' hands, though they had not yet had their fill.
"Let him go! Hey, nobody fires!"
This was Napoleon's order.
Letting the messenger go was meant to urge Austria to send reinforcements to Mantua as quickly as possible, while killing the other three would heighten Vienna's sense of urgency.
Vienna.
Schönbrunn Palace.
In the Great Gallery Hall, Mayer, the Mainz Diplomat, knelt upon the scarlet carpet. Wiping away his tears with his sleeve, he choked out to Franz II:
"The people of Mainz desperately await salvation from the great His Majesty the Emperor... Every day, people flee here from the western bank of the Rhine River, while those within Mainz pour into Frankfurt.
"Across the river, seven or eight thousand French soldiers watch Frankfurt like hyenas. We beg you to grant us an Eagle Standard, so that we may have the Courage to face their cannon..."
Maximilian, Crown Prince of Bavaria, loudly interrupted him. "His Majesty the Emperor, the French clearly do not care about North German Confederation.
"More than thirty thousand French soldiers are currently marching south. At any moment, they may cross the Rhine River and attack Memmingen. We are the true target of the French.
"You know that our country lost a