Trento

Close to a week had passed, and Lieutenant Colonel Gregor's thoughts had changed. He had realized that the Sardinians not only lacked military training, but also lacked the courage to fight to death. In this era, most common soldiers used muzzle-loading smoothbore guns which didn't have especially high firepower or rate of fire, unlike the rifled guns used by a few French and British corps. As a result, even skilled soldiers could only shoot three rounds per minute while most regular soldiers could only shoot two rounds per minute. This meant that capturing Trento fortress was not impossible. Despite its decent fortification, Trento was not impregnable. If the Sardinians had been willing to lay down their lives to allow their comrades to approach the fortress, they could've likely captured it by now.

Lieutenant Colonel Gregor felt regretful. Knowing how cowardly the Sardinians were, if he had listened to the advice of his nephew Ambrose and sent soldiers to steal the guns dropped by the escaping Sardinians, he might've obtained a lot of merit and might've been deemed a rising star in the Austrian army. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret, and by now the enemy troops had gained another division as reinforcements.

Alas, Lieutenant Colonel Gregor's depression soon subsided. After the enemy received reinforcements, Marshal Radetzky had also sent three brigades to reinforce him. After the reinforcements arrived, he could no longer hold back his excitedly beating heart. There had been no major wars in Europe since the Napoleonic Wars which was a good thing for the people and the economy, but it was a terrible thing for soldiers who wished to gain military merits and promotions. 

Although it may seem foolish to take on an enemy which outnumbered them close to 4:1, Lieutenant Colonel Gregor didn't think that it was impossible, mainly because he was certain that the majority of the Sardinian soldiers were expanded troops or conscripts. For example, Major General Madruzzo, the enemy commander, had not even been a Colonel before the army's expansion. At best, he could've been seen as a promising officer, but he had suddenly become a general.

Although a battalion with enough soldiers and weapons could become a division, how effective would such a counterfeit division be in war? Granted, it would still be stronger than the original battalion with less than 1,000 men. After all, the advantage of advanced weaponry had still not become obvious in this era. For now, the most important factor between victory and defeat was still the size of the armies as overwhelming numbers was still the most effective tactic.

* * * * * * * * * *

The two new brigade commanders that had arrived as reinforcements were Lieutenant Colonel Gregor's acquaintances. ​​Venice was not an especially large city, and its Austrian military circle was even smaller, so most middle-level officers knew each other.

"Griggie, you're amazing! Your single brigade was able to block three enemy divisions for a whole week! Once this war is over, you will certainly be promoted and there might even be a noble title waiting for you!" Lieutenant Colonel Bartz said enviously.

Any commander who is able to hold back close to 30,000 soldiers for a week with less than a tenth of their numbers and without an especially tough stronghold can be said to have left his mark on military history.

Lieutenant Colonel Gregor waved his hand and modestly replied, "It wasn't that great. Actually, there were only two divisions until the day before yesterday and I only blocked them for six days, not a whole week."

The other officer named Heinz, a Colonel, smiled and said, "No need to be so modest, my friend. Regardless of whether it was six days or seven days, you were able to stop them for so long without requesting the headquarters for reinforcements. I guess it won't be long before I will have to address you as General."

"That's right! Griggie, how did you manage to block the Sardinians for so long?" asked the curious Lieutenant Colonel Bartz.

Lieutenant Colonel Gregor did not answer directly, but asked, "Bartz, Colonel Heinz, do you two want to help me do something big?"

"Something big?"

They asked in unison.

Lieutenant Colonel Gregor answered with a solemn look on his face, "We join forces to annihilate the enemy!"

The two stared at Griggie with a stunned expression before Bartz yelled, "Griggie, have you gone mad?!"

Colonel Gregor waved his head and said, "Don't be so dramatic, alright? The enemy is much weaker than you think. Let me explain. Before this war began, the Sardinian army was only 23,000-strong, but now it has more than 200,000 soldiers. The three divisions bearing down on us are the same. I am sure that prior to conscription, they were no more than battalions.

From the outbreak of the war in late March to the present, a little over two months have passed, but the Kingdom of Sardinia has expanded its army by more than ten times. Both of you have experience with training soldiers. Can you say that you can turn a peasant into a regular soldier within just a month? Not to mention that more than 40% of Sardinian soldiers are from Lombardy. We are all aware of the level of soldiers from Lombardy. Maybe if this battle were being fought in Lombardy, they could've been effective but they're nothing more than pests here.

Now, do you still think that I have lost my mind?"

After listening to Lieutenant Colonel Gregor's explanation, a strange light flashed through the eyes of the two officers. As soldiers of the Austrian Empire, they were proud men. The Austrian Army's combat effectiveness still ranked among the highest in the world. As a result, they had a psychological advantage over the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Colonel Heinz thought for a moment and said, "Gregor, even though I outrank you, you're Trento's garrison commander, so we both have to obey your commands. If you think that this is the best move for Austria, you can do as you wish."

Lieutenant Colonel Gregor glanced at him with disdain. If it were that simple, why would he share merit with the two new arrivals?

"Don't talk nonsense, Colonel. If you don't want to work together, just say so. Bartz and I can also suffice!"

Gregor was not stupid. Even though he was quite sure that he could land a severe blow on the Sardinians, nothing was set in stone. The more people that participated, the less responsibility he would have to bear in case of failure.

* * * * * * * * * *

During the wee hours of the next morning, a squad of 800 men secretly assembled outside the Austrian military camp inside Trento.

For armies of this era, night raids were still a very challenging task with the biggest problem being that many soldiers suffered from night blindness and could not maneuver correctly at night. Lieutenant Colonel Gregor was aware that many soldiers could not see at night, so he carefully selected this 800-man death squad.

"Ambrose, are your men ready? If you're scared, it's not too late to quit now. No one will laugh at you," Lieutenant Colonel Gregor warned.

"No, I will not quit. Commander, I must become a great aristocrat!" Ambrose, a Captain, replied earnestly.

Under the stimulation of a great reward, many brave men had assembled here. Most of the death squad, including Ambrose, had decided to participate in this operation because of Gregor's promise: enough money to buy ten hectares of land for each person, regardless of success or failure. In case of success, the five people with the most merit would be awarded with honorary knighthood, which was something Marshal Radetzky had personally confirmed.

-TO BE CONTINUED-