Chapter 904 King of Rome

Chapter 904 King of Rome

"Messenger from the Austrian Empire?"

Angelo Nebuti, the actual leader of the Fourth Roman Republic, was overjoyed.

Although the Austrian army was already approaching the city at this time, since the other party sent an envoy, there was still room for relaxation.

In fact, Angelo Nebuti has been busy arranging the defense of Rome these days, and he feels that his efforts must be effective.

In fact, the defense deployed by Angelo Nebuti was full of loopholes. Although there are many literati in history who have devoted themselves to the military and made extraordinary achievements, there is also no shortage of astonishing talents who know everything.

But Angelo Nebuti obviously does not have that ability. The defense he deployed is full of loopholes. It is strange that there will be no problems for an amateur to command an expert.

Angelo Nebuti's biggest problem was that he deployed all his troops on the outer defense line and did not leave enough reserves.

In fact, it is not accurate to say that there are not enough reserves left. It should mean that there are no reserves at all.

Once an internal rebellion breaks out in this defensive configuration, all lines of defense will fall apart. There happened to be a large number of Pius IX believers and Austrian spies in Rome.

However, Franz did not want to attack by force unless he had to, so the envoy came to visit at this time.

But unlike Angelo Nebuti's imagination, the Austrian envoy was not here to negotiate, but to make a final announcement.

In fact, Franz did not think that the so-called Fourth Roman Republic had any capital to negotiate, but even if they had the capital, Franz would not let this happen.

The so-called final announcement is also very simple. It is still the most commonly used trick in history, "Only kill the first culprit, never ask questions about threats."

A great man once said: "Unite the many to defeat the few."

This is the best way to divide and disintegrate the enemy, and it is also an eternal truth.

So Franz initially changed the target of attack from the entire city of Rome to the Fourth Roman Republic, and then positioned the so-called culprits on those high-ranking officials and backbones.

The most important thing is that the Austrian side still holds the excommunication order issued by Pius IX, so he lost the moment Angelo Nebuti and the Austrian envoy entered the door.

Because the Austrian envoy only needs to express his intention, then the people in Rome will naturally weigh the interests.

Soon people will find that there is no need for them to fight, because they are just being coerced, and Pius IX has already forgiven them.

Of course, if this is all, and if the senior officials of the Fourth Roman Republic have some loyal supporters, then the Battle of Rome may still be unavoidable.

But Franz will naturally not let go of these guys who manipulate public opinion easily. In fact, it doesn't matter, he just announced the rewards for these people.

As the saying goes, there must be a brave man under a heavy reward. The rewards for the high-ranking officials of the Fourth Roman Republic were quite high, and at least ordinary farmers and ordinary citizens would not be able to spend them all in a few lifetimes.

So the battle royale mode started in the city of Rome. The hungry, angry, greedy, and fanatical people screamed and started crazy killings against the backbone elites of the Fourth Republic of Rome.

Everything happened too fast and too suddenly. One second Angelo Nebuti was rubbing his hands and making plans in his mind, but the next second the accompanying Roman official had fallen into a pool of blood.

Angelo Nebuti had no time to stop all this from happening. He only saw the Austrian envoy casually throw away the scroll in his hand, and the Roman citizens and soldiers roared and rushed to the Congress Hall of the Fourth Republic (the former Pope). (Rome City Hall).

While everyone in the Roman Fourth Republic was busy running for their lives, two people felt very depressed. One of them is Mazzini. To be honest, he has just arrived in Rome on his second day and his butt is not yet warm.

But at this time, Austria's official bounty list was second only to Angelo Nebuti, Prime Minister of the Fourth Roman Republic.

Fortunately, Mazzini had just arrived and no one knew him. The few people who knew him were also wanted, so Mazzini could safely escape the center of the storm with his mistress and adopted daughter.

Except for the owner of the small hotel where he stayed, when Mazzini and his party returned to the hotel to pack their things, the small hotel owner took out a sharp knife and blocked the door of the room.

"Hehe! Giuseppe Mazzini, I recognized you at first sight! Hehehe, it's time for me to make a fortune today."

The fat shopkeeper wiped the corners of his greasy mouth and the uncontrollable drool.

"Friend, we are all Italians, you can let me go."

Mazzini was not panicked, and his calmness made the two women around him feel relieved, but the shining knife was really scary.

"Hehehehe! Let you go? Okay, let your wife and daughter play with me. When I'm in a good mood, we can talk."

The wretched shopkeeper weighed the knife in his hand and continued.

This time Mazzini had a straight face and said seriously.

"This Mrs. Sang is not my wife. You must apologize to my friend and my adopted daughter."

"Hmph! Why don't I apologize?"

"boom!"

Mazzini raised his hand and shot the opponent's skull in pieces. The latter's eyes widened in disbelief, as if to say, "You have a gun, why didn't you tell me earlier."

"You didn't ask!"

Mazzini has been hiding overseas for so many years and has many enemies. If he really didn't have any strength, how could he survive until now?

Garibaldi, on the other hand, was even more depressed because his reward was higher than that of Angelo Nebuti, and it was as high as one million florins.

Neither Garibaldi nor Riberio understood why they were so hated. Did they unintentionally offend some big shot?

And they and their Redwood Army are not as inconspicuous as Mazzini. So they had to take off the Redwood Army's most iconic red scarf.

Although the Sequoia Army's combat effectiveness is strong, the Roman citizens and city guards who are not afraid of death are even more terrifying at this time.

The most important thing is that the members of the Sequoia Army have also changed their hearts. What are they going through life and death for?

For the Italians? Are the Italians going to kill themselves? This is all Garibaldi's fault. He should not have returned to Italy, let alone be on the Austrian black list.

So what if I could kill Garibaldi? Since the Papal States and the Austrians didn't want him, wouldn't he become a hero?

Fuck the heroes of the two worlds, I just need to be my own hero!

Many members of the Sequoia Army had completely changed their thinking at this time, because they felt that it was not worth risking their lives for those people.

However, when they tried to kill their leader, Garibaldi and Riberio were nowhere to be found.

In fact, because of her background, Riberio has never trusted any white person except her husband.

So since arriving in Rome, Riberio and the tribesmen he brought secretly dug a tunnel.

But Garibaldi, who was hiding in the tunnel, did not feel lucky to survive the disaster at all. All he had was betrayed, fooled and angry, and full of anger with nowhere to vent.

On the second day, Roman citizens sprinkled water to clear the streets to welcome the royal army.

Pius IX looked at the open city gate and the people lining up to welcome him with some disbelief. He seemed to have returned to the time when people affectionately called him "Pionono".

But Pius IX knew very well that all that was just an illusion. These unscrupulous people in front of him might turn into demons at any time. Perhaps finding mercenaries from Switzerland and Austria is a more feasible way.

In fact, the senior leaders of Umbrella Company have already consulted with Pius IX on national security issues, and the latter is willing to hire Umbrella Company as a national strategic advisor to be responsible for the military and security issues of the Papal State.

In addition, Pius IX is also preparing to hire the Royal Overseas Development Company of the Austrian Empire as the economic advisory group of the Papal State, responsible for the economic development strategy of the Papal State.

The Austrian Imperial Army entered the city without encountering any obstacles. The corpses piled up on both sides of the road silently told the tragedy of yesterday.

Franz did not waste a single soldier in this battle, but Albrecht came up with several combat plans, which made the latter very unhappy.

So Franz was going to entertain his uncle well in the Eternal City.

In fact, Albrecht was not the kind of stingy person, and he was unhappy when he was unhappy, but he fully agreed with Franz's approach. After all, he was prepared for anything.

In case Franz's plan failed, there were remedies.

However, in Franz's eyes, his own plan could not fail. Human nature is the last thing that can withstand scrutiny.

Most people are mortals, and there are only a very small number of people who have lofty ideas and can put them into practice, and it is not easy to overcome the human survival instinct of seeking benefits and avoiding harm.

In addition, Prime Minister Metternich's work for so many years was not in vain. The city of Rome was full of Austrian internal agents, and there were even many Austrians in the Fourth Roman Republic.

So Franz knew that his plan would succeed.

Although the city of Rome had just been baptized by war, the main ones destroyed were modern buildings and residential areas.

Those magnificent ruins are still standing, and Albrecht was very fond of the city in front of him, believing that it was as much the origin of Western civilization as Constantinople.

Franz was also shocked by the grandeur of the city of Rome, which was completely different from Vienna in style. The ancient grandeur of the city of Rome, especially standing in the center of the ancient Roman Arena, really makes you feel like you are dominating the world.

This feeling was so wonderful that it almost made Franz get carried away. You must know that after so many years of forbearance, this is the first time that Franz has behaved in a scornful manner in front of others.

But this did allow Pius IX to make a decision, a decision that he did not regret.

The third day, the Pantheon in Rome.

Although Vienna is theoretically in danger, Rome is really a magical city, and no conqueror is willing to leave here.

Franz received a letter from Archduke Friedrich, who was working on a big plan at this time.

Yes, he had already learned the news about the airship unit's victory in the first battle.

In fact, Friedrich also had an airboat force in his navy, so he had another bold idea.

Capture of Gibraltar.

This has been a common dream of all Mediterranean countries for hundreds of years, but due to the dangerous terrain, no country has ever been able to accomplish this great feat.

The main reason is that the fleet cannot play a role, and it is very difficult for the army to land on the island.

But the emergence of the airboat force has changed this situation, because the airboat can directly attack it without being affected by the shore defense artillery.

As long as those coastal defense guns are destroyed, the fleet can approach and shoot at close range to provide cover for the troops landing on the island.

In addition, the emergence of the Austrian Marine Corps was also one of Friedrich's sources of confidence. The Marine Corps had previously played an extremely prominent role in Egypt and Crete.

Without the presence of these special forces, the two battles would have become a protracted war, and in the end even a victory on the Austrian side would not bring much benefit.

Friedrich's battle plan was very feasible, and it was indeed a good opportunity to capture Gibraltar at this time.

Because the technological revolution of artillery had not yet begun at this time, those huge and feared coastal defense guns still fired solid bullets and early blooming bullets.

But if military technology is allowed to continue to develop, and the British are allowed to hide 300mm cannons in mountains and add anti-slope fortifications, that is not a problem that can be solved by airship airdrops.

Even the giant aerial bombs used by aircraft during World War II may not be very effective, unless you have ground-penetrating bombs to solve these troublesome fortifications.

But it's not time yet, and capturing Gibraltar now will have too great an impact on the situation in Europe. At that time, not only the British will not let them go, but the French, Russians, and Prussians will all point their swords at Austria.

Therefore, the delicious food can only be given up now, otherwise it will be bad if the stomach is full.

The Pantheon is a relatively well-preserved ancient building from the Roman Empire. It was built in the first century BC by Agrippa, the first emperor of the Roman Empire and the son-in-law of Augustus Octavian.

Franz arrived at the Pantheon as promised. Although a thousand years have passed, the magnificent building is still fascinating.

At this time, Franz suddenly discovered that not only Pius IX seemed to be in the Pantheon, but also most of the celebrities of the city of Rome and officers of the Austrian army had come to the scene.

Franz was a little confused, but Colonel Bordeaux had already dispersed the guards.

At this time, Pius IX came over wearing full robes.

"Archduke Franz, I want to give you a gift."

"His Majesty the Pope, what does this mean? Why is such a huge battle necessary?"

The fact that Pius IX appeared here in person proved that this could not be a conspiracy, but the situation at this time was indeed unexpected by Franz.

Because Pius IX had already agreed to his deal, he had no reason to waste money or energy on himself anymore.

"Archduke Franz, Brother Rauscher has always said that you are a saint."

"Archbishop Rauscher was like that, he always liked to use those exaggerated words of praise."

"No, Archduke Franz. I think you deserve better, as an emperor who is to serve the world. I think you need this."

Pius IX touched the ground with his staff, and random cardinals began to tap the ground with their staffs.

A choir boy came over holding a tray with a small crown inside. This is in no way comparable to the collection of the Habsburgs, let alone the Austrian crown, or the crown of St. Stephen.

But this crown is very old, and it may be the earliest crown in the world.

"Archduke Franz, please kneel down and I will crown you."

Pius IX took out the crown from the tray and placed it on Franz's head.

"From now on, you are the King of Rome."