At this point in Italy.
Davout rode on a tall horse, observing the Austrian lines through his binoculars, the reflection from his bald head brighter than the snow beside him.
"How come they have so few people?" Davout muttered.
Davout’s Chief of Staff hesitated, "General, the Austrian Army facing us has eighty thousand men, nearly equal to ours, and half of our forces are Italians."
Davout looked at the Chief of Staff perplexedly: "Isn’t that enough? Not to mention forty thousand Italians, give me forty thousand French soldiers and I could beat their eighty thousand. Our soldiers are all brave and good at fighting, while the Austrians are just a bunch of pigs driven together by noble officers."
The Chief of Staff hesitated to speak further and changed the topic: "The Italian troops seem unhappy with our decision to have them fight on the flank."
Davout replied, "I can understand the enthusiasm of the Italians. But the current battle could determine the situation in Northern Italy for years to come, I cannot entrust the central army to them."
Anning probably couldn’t have imagined, it has been almost two years since he left Italy, and such great changes have occurred there.
Back when Anning was in Italy, the voucher system he implemented to make money, with continuous military victories by Davout and Massena, gradually became widely accepted as the circulating currency throughout Northern Italy.
Not only had the Milan Republic, established by Anning in Milan, accepted this, but also the neighboring regions of Veneto, Fruili, and Venice widespreadly accepted it. Even the Sardinian Kingdom, which was currently at war with the French Army, had gradually accepted it.
Since the area of acceptance was so vast, the demand for it soared, consequently causing monetary deflation.
To avoid a plummet in the value of vouchers, Anning had set a very rigid issuing ratio back then, making the issuance of vouchers strictly proportional to the actual deposits.
Then, the officials responsible for this exceeded the issuance secretly after consulting with the high ranks of the Republic.
Gradually, vouchers became widely accepted as paper money in Northern Italy.
Naturally, Anning made a hefty profit; the workshops and businesses he supported and invested in Italy received massive interest-free or low-interest loans, turning the benefits of minting rights into tangible income.
But the beauty of the matter was, not only Anning made a fortune.
With the unification of the paper currency and the accompanying establishment of a primary financial system, the long-standing currency exchange issues troubling Northern Italian traders were solved instantly, revitalizing the entire Northern Italian economy, bringing about a commercial boom.
In just two years, the average income in Northern Italy increased generally, and everyone was happy.
Then these changes were all initiated by Andy Frost leading the French Army to beat back the Austrians and establishing autonomous republics.
After Anning established the Milan Republic, he creatively decided not to levy taxes, granting complete tax freedom to the Republic, appearing entirely like a philanthropist.
In the original timeline, Italians viewed France as invaders, but that was not the case in this timeline.
Italians generally viewed the French Army as their liberators who helped them fight against the evil Holy Roman Empire.
Additionally, after establishing the Republic, Italian nationalists extensively promoted the ideals from France, awakening Italian nationalism. As a result, more and more Italians were willing to join the Redwood Army to confront the Holy Roman Empire.
Moreover, the combat will of these Redwood troops was as firm as that of the French Army, both being national armies with a clear understanding of what they were fighting for.
Initially, Davout underestimated the Italian troops, but after many battles, he began to trust and hand over the flanks to the Redwood troops.
Now, the Redwood troops even wanted to lead the main attack.
Anning probably never thought that the covert money-making method he initially used unintentionally bore much fruit, planting a loyal ally in northern Italy.
Moreover, this ally seemed to have intentions to expand; now, the whole of Venice was eagerly waiting for the arrival of the French Army and the Milan Republic’s troops, almost ready to revolt.
According to Davout’s estimates, after today’s decisive battle with the Austrians, it was likely Venice would rise up, and the end of Austrian rule in Northern Italy was just a matter of time.
Davout commanded, "Artillery, commence firing."
The Chief of Staff nodded and immediately signaled the Messenger Soldier.
The booming of the cannon signified the beginning of a great battle that would decide the fate of Northern Italy.
At this moment, a Messenger Soldier holding a small flag, shouting "Urgent message from General Massena," rushed up to Davout, saluted, and handed over: "General, an urgent message from General Massena."
Davout muttered, "This Massena, he better not have messed things up."
He tore open the letter from one side, disregarding the seal, swiftly read the paper, and then burst into laughter.
The Chief of Staff asked in confusion, "General, what makes you laugh?"
"The Sardinian Kingdom has surrendered, the Sardinians have arrested their own King and want to establish a Republic, the Kingdom Army has also defected. Massena’s main force is marching quickly towards us."
Having said that, Davout pulled out a note, wrote hastily, and handed it to the Messenger Soldier: "Return immediately the same way and deliver this to General Massena."
The Messenger Soldier saluted again, spurred his horse, and sped away.
The Chief of Staff asked, "What did you write?"
"I told him to divert north, the Papal State has been restless recently, reportedly mobilizing several divisions. Let Massena keep them quiet."
Davout finished speaking, turned his attention back to the ongoing battle, and soon called out, "What are the Italians doing? Why are they moving so far forward?"
At that time, a song sung by the Italians echoed from their left flank.
Davout fell silent upon hearing the song because he had heard General Frost hum it once.
It was said to be a song reworded from an Italian folk song.
But having been in Italy for over two years, Davout had never heard this melody before; those who could sing it were all Italian Revolutionaries.
After a moment, Davout ordered: "We cannot be outdone by the Italians, order all French Army units to advance."
The Chief of Staff asked, "Advance? Are we abandoning the tactics originally set?"
"Yes, tactics need to be adjusted based on the battlefield situation in real-time. If we don’t advance now, won’t we be exposing the Italian flank? Rest assured, the Austrians are just a bunch of pigs driven together by officers; once we charge with bayonets, they’re finished!
"Order the troops to advance, and then start singing as well, sing the Hymn of Rome, and make sure it’s louder than the Italians! We must be louder than them!"