Franz beckoned, signaling Archduke Albrecht to sit down, while he himself rose and went to the oak wine cabinet in the room.
"Care for some wine?" He gently shook the bottle, the dark red liquid like flowing rubies in the sunlight, emitting an enticing luster.
Franz skillfully pulled out the cork and poured half a glass for each of them.
Albrecht took the crystal goblet that Franz handed him, took a small sip, and the rich cherry aroma bloomed in his mouth.
He couldn't help but narrow his eyes, savoring it carefully for a moment, and then said, "Italy's Valpolicella, right?"
"Haha, you guessed it." Franz chuckled, also took a sip of the wine, and then his expression turned serious.
He asked, "Tell me, what's the situation now?"
Albrecht's expression immediately became solemn.
He took a deep breath and slowly said, "According to yesterday's intelligence, the commander-in-chief of the First Army Group, Duke Gyulai, is currently constructing a defense line along the Sesia River, attempting to contain the offensive of the French and Sardinia joint forces."
(Before the Austrian Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Sardinia, in response to the tense situation, it began mobilizing some reserve officers and soldiers, forming a massive First Army Group, totaling about 150,000 people.)
Franz nodded slightly.
These circumstances were still within expectations; it seemed history had not changed yet.
Next would be the time for that idiot Gyulai to be thoroughly beaten.
"Your Majesty," Albrecht suddenly lowered his voice, his face even gloomier, "Someone reported to me that Duke Gyulai is covering up his defeat as a victory.
In the Battle of Montebello, he falsely reported this defeat as a victory."
After saying that, Albrecht heavily placed his wine glass on the table, his tone icy.
This was simply an act of treason!
Gyulai's false report severely misled the Empire's General Staff's judgment of the war situation, causing the situation in Lombardy to become increasingly critical.
Franz nodded, then put down his wine glass, and after a moment of thought, said, "I will have my adjutant contact the highest-ranking official of the Empire's intelligence agency in the Lombardy-Venetia Kingdom and have him report the actual situation directly to me."
Franz stood up and continued, "Moreover, Duke Gyulai's telegrams sent to Vienna are inconsistent.
Initially, he reported a victory for the Empire's army, then it became a minor defeat, and finally, he swore he had routed the enemy.
Such contradictory reports naturally made us suspicious, which is why we hurried to Lombardy."
Franz paused, looked at Albrecht, and said, "Tell me, how many reinforcements have we brought this time?"
Albrecht thought for a moment before answering, "We have transferred about 20,000 men from the Bohemia Corps, including the 72nd Border Infantry Regiment and the 6th Uhlan Cavalry Regiment.
After that, we also conscripted troops such as the Tyrol 3rd Jäger Regiment, plus the Imperial Guard, totaling about 62,000 reinforced soldiers."
62,000 soldiers?
Franz's heart sank.
If he remembered correctly, in the subsequent decisive battle—the Battle of Solferino—the Austrian army numbered around 130,000.
As the commander-in-chief of the army in the Lombardy-Venetia Kingdom, Duke Gyulai held nearly one-third of the Empire's forces.
Counting like this, in less than two months, the Empire's army had suffered so many losses in soldiers and officers.
No wonder King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia said after the war, "We should erect a monument, not to ourselves, but to the Austrian commander-in-chief."
Franz pondered the current predicament.
It was June 1, 1859.
Duke Gyulai claimed to be setting up defenses on the Sesia River; in fact, Franz highly doubted whether he had set up any defense line at all, because according to later historical records, Gyulai neither sent out reconnaissance teams to monitor possible crossing points nor organized engineers to build any decent defensive fortifications.
This disorganized deployment was simply opening the door wide for the enemy's attack.
The main enemy the Austrian Empire faced now was the elite French army led by Napoleon III of France.
Some of this army had participated in the Crimean War, and some had experience in North Africa; it could be said they were battle-hardened.
As for the Kingdom of Sardinia, their King Victor Emmanuel II and Prime Minister Cavour were indeed outstanding individuals, but the quality of the Sardinia army was like that of the Kingdom of Italy's army in later generations—they were merely playing a supporting role.
According to memory, the combined forces of France and the Kingdom of Sardinia easily defeated the Austrian Empire's army commanded by Duke Gyulai.
Duke Gyulai even fled the battlefield at Magenta, collapsing all the way, losing Milan and the entire Lombardy Kingdom.
Thinking of this, Franz couldn't help but clench his fists.
No, first I must replace this idiot Gyulai.
After thinking carefully, Franz took a sip of the bright red wine in his glass, determined to take this crucial first step, and said to Albrecht, "Albrecht!
I order you to immediately lead Mendsdorf's Eleventh Cavalry Division to the front line and relieve Duke Gyulai of his command.
You will personally command the front-line troops."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Albrecht suddenly stood up, his heels clicked together with a crisp sound.
He performed a standard military salute and replied in a serious tone.
His face was somewhat flushed, appearing a bit excited.
In fact, although Archduke Albrecht had always been deeply trusted by Emperor Franz, the tasks the Emperor entrusted to him were often related to handling government affairs.
For example, serving as the governor of the Hungary region, and this year he was even sent as a special envoy to the Kingdom of Prussia to seek Prussia's support for Austria's interests in Italy.
However, as the son of the legendary commander Archduke Karl, Albrecht grew up hearing stories of his father's brilliant military achievements.
Deep down, he had always yearned to achieve great deeds on the battlefield like his father.
Now that he finally had the opportunity to personally command the front-line troops, it was undoubtedly a great honor for him.
"Wait."
Franz stopped Albrecht, who was about to leave, "Albrecht, remember to give a message to my chief adjutant—Count Grünne—after you find Duke Gyulai."
Count Grünne was currently on the Emperor's orders negotiating with Duke Gyulai and incidentally learning the true situation of the war.
"What message?"
Albrecht was a bit puzzled.
Give a message?
With the military situation so urgent, what message could it be?
Franz's voice was as cold as ice: "Grünne, you are relieved of your duties."
"What?"
Albrecht's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Franz, you can't be serious, can you?
Count Grünne is your close friend of many years and has always served the Empire loyally all these years."
Loyalty?
Franz sneered inwardly.
Grünne was indeed loyal, but his actions were slowly eroding the foundation of the Empire.
Franz's face was grim, and he heavily put down his wine glass; the dark red wine swirled in the glass.
The Emperor's chief adjutant, Count Grünne, had always been deeply trusted by Emperor Franz and also held important positions such as the chairman of the Austrian Military Committee and War Secretary.
Because of this, Count Grünne frequently interfered in many matters, especially military affairs.
The ridiculous thing was that this 'military expert' had absolutely no practical combat experience.
During the autocratic period of the Austrian Empire from 1849 to 1859, under the leadership of the old marshal Radetzky, the Empire's army began a series of reforms.
This renowned general of the time keenly grasped the future direction of warfare, advocating for small unit operations and emphasizing the mobility and flexibility of grassroots commanders.
He emphasized thoroughly training grassroots soldiers to adapt them to the new form of warfare.
However, Count Grünne had always been at odds with Marshal Radetzky, often fanning the flames of rumors in Vienna that were detrimental to the marshal.
He obstructed reforms at every turn, almost destroying the function of the War Ministry, making the coordination between the War Ministry and the Empire's General Staff virtually nonexistent.
He also reduced the pay of grassroots soldiers.
Whenever someone objected to this, he would always respond arrogantly, "I can find all the subordinate officers I need for a monthly salary of 24 florins."
(The florin was the common currency during the Austrian Empire.
Generally, the monthly wage of a skilled worker was around 30-40 florins.)
Duke Gyulai was a close friend of Grünne.
It was precisely on Grünne's recommendation that he obtained command of the army in the Lombardy-Venetia Kingdom.
This decision ultimately led to the near annihilation of the Empire's elite troops on the Italy battlefield.
Count Grünne was later exposed for accepting bribes during the investigation of military corruption.
It could be said that he was one of the main culprits leading to the decline in the combat effectiveness of the Austrian army.
As for the biggest culprit, it was undoubtedly Emperor Franz himself.
During the autocratic period of the Austrian Empire, the Emperor's authority reached its peak.
Why did Count Grünne have such great power to influence the army's reforms?
It was because his power came from the Emperor, from Emperor Franz's unconditional trust in Count Grünne.
This was somewhat similar to the eunuch dictatorship during the Ming Dynasty.
No matter how powerful Grand Eunuch Wei Zhongxian was, he was merely a shadow of the Emperor.
If the Emperor wanted him dead, he had to die; his power came entirely from the Emperor.
This was the problem with imperial autocracy.
Moreover, ultimately, this was all due to the Emperor's poor judgment of character, his ignorance of the true situation of the Empire's army, and his lack of effective administrative ability.
In fact, Emperor Franz had always believed that the Austrian Empire's army was one of the strongest in Europe, with combat effectiveness comparable to that of England and France.
Every time he reviewed the troops, watching the soldiers march in perfect formation, wearing their magnificent uniforms, looking magnificent and imposing, he couldn't help but feel proud.
How ironic!
Just as an Austrian proverb says, "We have such an excellent army.
What did those madmen do?
They actually sent this army to fight!"
"As for the reason, let him reflect thoroughly on the current state of the Empire's army!"
Franz suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp as he swept a glance at Albrecht, and then suddenly raised his voice and roared.