Just half a month after the Renaissance Army declared war on the Great Empire, another piece of news shocked the whole of Europe.
Emperor Joseph I of Austria declares war on Prussia.
At this time, most German states supported Austria and regarded Prussia as the aggressor.
These states supporting Austria include: Saxony, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, Hannover, Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Darmstadt and Nassau.
Therefore, Prussia and its allies were almost enemies of the German Confederation.
Only some northern states supported Prussia.
These states include Oldenburg, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Braunschweig, as well as the free cities of Hamburg.
In addition, the Kingdom of Sardinia formed an alliance with Prussia, hoping to retake Venice occupied by Austria and unify Italy.
At this time, Italy had been promoting the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy.
In the previous Three Kingdoms War, the Italians were victorious. As the victorious side, the Kingdom of Sardinia was defeated in the end and did not take back Venice.
Instead, the French army, as an ally, entered Rome and became the protector of the Pope.
The Italians' hopes of recapturing Rome once again became slim.
This greatly disappointed the progressive forces within Italy.
They began to understand that Italy must embark on the path of unity and self-reliance before it could be manipulated by others.
Therefore, some states called for the formation of the Kingdom of Italy with the Kingdom of Sardinia as the main body.
France, who was stationed in Rome, came out to sing the opposite tune and stop this unification trend.
They completely ignored the fact that the two sides had just been allies. Moreover, the Italian army had paid a huge price in the previous Three Kingdoms War.
Austria's northern front seems to have a great advantage. In fact, they are facing the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.
Although war has been declared, both sides need time to prepare, and the war has not started yet.
The Port of Cagliari in the Kingdom of Sardinia, Italy, is the largest port on the island of Sardinia. The Mediterranean climate here makes people feel very comfortable.
There is a wine estate ten kilometers east of the port.
In the middle of the manor is a white Baroque building.
Green grapevines decorate the entire manor like a maze.
A black carriage slowly stopped in front of the white building.
The Chinese man in a tuxedo slowly stepped off the horse with the support of his guards.
He wore a black hat and a blue tuxedo and looked very energetic.
Two rows of soldiers lined up at the entrance of the villa.
An officer with a beard stood at the front of the queue.
The man was short in stature and had shoulder-length brown curly hair. There was a scar on his right cheek.
However, you can feel the unique temperament of a general who has fought a hundred battles from his body.
"Nice to meet you, General Garibaldi." Wang Tao greeted him in proficient Italian with a smile.
"Hello, Mr. Wang." Garibaldi also said hello very politely.
"Mr. Wang, please come in!"
Wang Tao followed Garibaldi and walked into the room.
Wang Tao was followed by several young men. These were his assistants.
"I have long heard that Mr. Wang is a very knowledgeable orientalist. Today I finally met him in person."
"Haha, I have been fascinated by Mr. Garibaldi for a long time. Mr. Garibaldi fought all his life only for the freedom of the people and never considered his own selfish interests. The liberal forces in Europe say that you are a freedom general." Wang Tao took a sip of Garibaldi.
Bodi handed over the red wine and said without compliment.
Wang Tao began to pay attention to Garibaldi very early.
It is said that Italians are not good at fighting, but this Garibaldi is an anomaly.
Giuseppe Garibaldi was born on July 4, 1807. He joined the Young Italy party in 1833.
The uprising failed in 1834 and he fled to South America, where he participated in the republican uprising in southern Brazil and the war to maintain Uruguayan independence.
After the outbreak of the Italian War of Independence in 1848, he returned to China and organized volunteers to participate in the battle to defend the Roman Republic.
He has a high prestige among Italian liberals. Every time he fights, he can respond to everything and quickly organize an army.
In 1858, he was awarded the title of Major General of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
In the previous Three Kingdoms War, the volunteers led by Garibaldi fought guerrilla warfare with the Austrian army in the northern Andes Mountains and defeated the Austrian army's partial divisions many times.
Contained a large number of Austrian troops.
Even the French admired the Italian general very much.
"Minister Wang, I heard that your Renaissance Army also practices a republic, and your young president refused to proclaim himself emperor."
"His moral character is very admirable. You must know that few people can resist the temptation of power. So I am very willing to establish friendship with your country."
"Yes, Mr. Garibaldi, our President is also a defender of free institutions. He will use his actions to cut off some people's thoughts of restoring the imperial system. Times have changed, and those ancient systems should have become
history."
"However, in my opinion, religious rule is even more backward than the monarchy. It is hard to imagine that the traditional capital of your country is still under the control of the Holy See."
"Yes, Mr. Wang, this is the biggest obstacle to the unification of us Italians." Garibaldi said angrily. Religious forces are a stumbling block to the unification of Italy.
Wang Tao continued: "Sir, I am here this time not only to represent the Renaissance Army, but also to help my old friend Mr. Bismarck convey his commitment."
"We have a common desire, which is to unify Italy as soon as possible."
"This war with Austria is an important opportunity for the Italians."
"I hope people like Mr. can play a more active role in this war."
After listening to Wang Tao's encouraging words, Garibaldi suddenly showed a disappointed look: "Yes, Mr. Wang, I know this is a good opportunity, but I am only a major general now, and I don't have much in my hands.
troops."
"Let me tell you the truth, the Kingdom of Sardinia does not trust me very much. You know, some of my political ideas are different from theirs. It is only now that they are facing foreign enemies that they can tolerate me."
"So it's difficult for me to play more of a role." Garibaldi was a little frustrated. His status was indeed a bit embarrassing in Italy.
Wang Tao said: "General Garibaldi, but you have a high prestige in Italy, and you have many supporters, don't you?"
"Mr. Wang, you are a diplomat. You may not understand war. War does not only require people."
"Even if I can recruit volunteers, I can't let these people go hungry and carry sticks to fight."
Hearing Garibaldi's words, Wang Tao laughed: "Hahaha, General Garibaldi, we Chinese have a saying that a penny can stump a hero."
He winked at the secretary beside him.
The secretary took out a check from the Bank of Paris from his handbag.
Wang Tao took it and handed it to Garibaldi with both hands.
The fifty-year-old general looked down and seemed a little excited.
"Mr. Wang, thank you very much for your generosity, but I will not betray Italy's interests for political donations." Garibaldi returned the check to Wang Tao.
"Hahaha... Mr. Garibaldi, don't worry. This is not a political donation. You can treat it as a political investment. Our Renaissance Army is thousands of miles away and will not seek special interests in Italy."
"Then, what do you want, sir? My friendship with Garibaldi is not worth so much money."
"General Garibaldi, don't get excited. Our president appreciates your free spirit very much. He feels that only you can represent Italy in the future. We have no other requirements, we just hope to maintain good relations with you."
"You know, because of the Great Empire, many countries in Europe are not friendly to us. But you also know that our Renaissance Army has not violated their interests. Just like Italy, we have never done anything to harm Italy.
things."
"Mr. Wang, if this is just the case, I can definitely agree. But I can only represent myself. If I have the power to decide, I can guarantee with my personality that as long as you do not infringe on our interests, then we will
Always maintain good relations with the Baath Army."
"Okay, then I wish us happy cooperation." Wang Tao handed over the check again. This amount of money was not a small amount. It was enough for Garibaldi to organize an army of five thousand people.
Wang Tao is also very optimistic about this person, mainly because his reputation is too great.
He is the idol of many young people.
Therefore, Wang Tao feels that this political investment is worth it.
At this time, almost every household in Europe had a gun.
As long as Garibaldi could raise enough food, there was almost no limit to the number of volunteers he could recruit.
"I also hope that the general will perform well in this war."
Garibaldi also knew that in order to gain more say, he must have his own army.
Otherwise, no one will pay attention to your opinions on founding the country after the war.
Those countries have their own little calculations.
He cannot place his hopes on those kings.
He is already in his fifties and has little time and energy left to fight for the country he loves so much.
This is indeed an opportunity for me to get enough support this time.
Get to the top by defeating Austria.
At a time when Europa's diplomatic arena is in turmoil for the coming war.
The distant Eastern Renaissance Army launched its attack on the Straits Settlements with thunderous momentum.
The 11th and 20th day of the fourth year of Fuxing.
The Chinese farms on the Malay Peninsula suddenly launched an uprising.
The farm militia quickly moved towards the nearby port.
The Sultanate of Pattani, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, and Johor lost their coastal port areas almost at the same time.
When they were about to organize a counterattack, transport ships of the Renaissance Army appeared in various ports in the eastern part of the Malay Peninsula.
A large number of troops landed.
This is when the Renaissance Army mobilized troops from the Southwest Military Region and the Southern Military Region to form a southbound army of nearly 100,000 people.
The commander-in-chief of the corps is Lieutenant General Yang Bingchun.
Finally it was Lao Yang's turn to lead the army to fight.
He and Wang Congzhi have always been Dong Shuheng's two favorite generals.
The Renaissance Army adopted lightning tactics and occupied Johor Bahru City in the Sultanate of Johor a few hours after landing.
This city is only separated from Singapore Island in the south by a shallow strait.
Ten miles west of Johor Bahru there is a stone embankment connected to the island.
Because the Renaissance Army arrived too quickly.
The Straits Governor's troops didn't even have time to blow up the stone bridge.
"Report to the Commander, the 1st Regiment of the 6th Division has already attacked the stone embankment, but was blocked by a British garrison on the other side." Yang Bingchun's regiment headquarters has been relocated to Xinshan City.
Singapore Island, as the seat of the Straits Settlements Governor's Palace, is the most important target in this phase of the campaign.
As for Bincheng and Malacca, only two partial divisions can handle them.
Yang Bingchun had nearly 100,000 troops at his disposal. The dispatch of such a large army would require a large amount of resources from the Fuxing Army.
Hundreds of transport ships alone will be mobilized.
Nearly half of the troops moved south along the peninsula from Moulmein and southern Siam.
"Have they not crossed the Channel yet?"
"Yes, Commander, there is no protection on the stone embankment, and the commando team of the Sixth Division and the First Regiment suffered heavy casualties."
"What are you doing to eat!" Yang Bingchun scolded.
Many people like to compare him with Wang Congzhi. Wang Congzhi was bold in his military use, while Yang Bingchun took a calm route.
"Hasn't the artillery arrived yet?"
"Yes, our cannons haven't arrived yet, and our howitzers and mortars don't have enough range."
"What about the fleet?"
"The fleet has gone south to the port in the south of the island to prevent the British fleet from escaping."
"Let the newly formed 101st Regiment collect the ships in the Johor Bahru port and strengthen the strait. It must be done quickly, and the Strait Governor's Office cannot be given time to respond."
At the same time, the artillery was urged to hurry up and advance.
In Penseng in the northeastern part of the Malay Peninsula, a regiment of Renaissance Army forward troops has rushed into the city.
They set off by bicycle from Trang in southern Siam, then joined the local farm militia in Alor Setar, and then attacked Penang directly.
The battle started from outside the city and entered the city.
Before the follow-up troops arrived, they had already entered Chengnai.
However, the British resisted resolutely.
The previous riots by the surrounding Chinese had already prepared them.
An emergency line was deployed outside the city.
It's just that the Renaissance Army came from the land, and the forts and coastal defense guns they originally built at the port were fixed and had no effect at all.
Lacking heavy firepower, the few British and Indian troops in Chengdu were no match for the Renaissance Army, which had heavy machine guns and mortars.
However, street fighting is still very cruel.
The Great Empire evacuated the old and the weak from the direction of the port onto the ship.
After leaving a way out for themselves, they organized all the young men in the city.
The Renaissance Army could only rob houses one by one.
Government House of Singapore.
"What? The enemy has landed in Woodlands? Did they fly over?" Brandel's roar came far away from the Governor's Mansion.
Woodlands is a place name in the northern part of Singapore Island.
The servants in the mansion stayed away from the governor's study as if they were avoiding the plague.
It has only been a few hours since the news of the Renaissance Army's landing on the Malay Peninsula came out.
"Your Majesty the Governor, they cut off the telegraph line in advance. The intelligence we got was delivered by intelligence personnel in person. So it was much later than usual."
"And according to what we know, the Renaissance Army used multiple landing points. They had an army land on the east side of Johor Bahru, so they quickly occupied Johor Bahru City."
"It is said that there were Chinese people who cooperated with foreigners in Johor Bahru City, allowing the Renaissance Army to occupy Johor Bahru City not long after."
"Have the troops we mobilized passed?" Brandel asked.
"Reporting to the President, a division of troops has been deployed urgently in the Bukit Panjang area. Please rest assured, Governor, our troops from the Great Empire will fight to the death."
The island of Singapore is all flat land, and except for the strong fortress in the direction of the port, it is virtually undefendable.
Those Chinese in Chengcheng, be careful of them."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Governor, I have sent troops to monitor. Recently we have been very strict in inspecting incoming and outgoing goods. Those Chinese have no weapons in their hands, so it is difficult to do anything."
"It's better to be careful, the Chinese are too cunning." Brandel was still a little worried.
"Once someone makes any unusual move, don't warn, just shoot them. Keep a close eye on these people. When the time comes, the Renaissance Army will use a defensive weapon and will not dare to bombard the city. Our chances of winning in defending the city will be higher."
ps: There is no May Day in Shanghai, and the fight against the epidemic will continue. I will go into the warehouse at three o'clock in the morning to work, and release a chapter on schedule in advance. Please vote for the beginning of the month!