Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 929

929. The Imperial March (2) – Armored Assault Ships Run on Land (17)

The French army’s route into Italy began in Lyon, traversing the Duchy of Savoy, passing through Turin, and ultimately heading towards Milan.

The challenge lay in the road from Lyon to Turin, which snaked through the mountainous terrain of the Alps.

The narrow and rugged roads made it difficult to move large numbers of troops and transport heavy artillery simultaneously.

Fortunately, this Alpine route fell within the Duchy of Savoy, mitigating the risk of interception by the Swiss army.

Initially, this wasn’t the French army’s preferred route.

Their original plan also involved crossing the Duchy of Savoy, but via the coastal road from Marseille to Cannes and then to Nice.

This coastal route would have allowed for the rapid deployment of a large number of troops. Moreover, the mostly flat terrain would have facilitated the easy transport of large-caliber cannons.

Of course, this route presented the problem of traversing Genoese territory. However, this was considered a minor issue, as negotiations with Spain were progressing favorably.

However, the Imperial Navy’s bombardment and subsequent landing operation, which led to Genoa’s capture, effectively eliminated this option.

With Genoa in Imperial hands, the coastal road from Nice to Genoa became unusable.

* * *

The Imperial Navy’s capture of Genoa sent shockwaves throughout Europe.

“A coastal city with adequate defenses can be neutralized by battleship cannons alone!”

At the time, and even in earlier history, naval landing operations were common.

However, even after the advent of cannons, naval guns played a supporting role in these operations.

The firepower of battleship cannons was generally insufficient to inflict serious damage on thick walls.

The task of breaching walls fell to siege guns, transported on ships escorted by battleships and reassembled on land.

Battleship cannons primarily provided fire support to boost morale during the securing of a bridgehead and to divert attention by engaging coastal batteries.

However, in the Battle of Genoa, the Imperial Navy’s Challenger-class battleships and Armored Assault Ships literally reduced Genoa’s straight walls and coastal batteries to “piles of rubble.”

With its defenses shattered by the bombardment, Genoa was left defenseless against the Imperial Navy’s landing forces.

The renowned Genoese navy had already been decisively defeated by the Armored Assault Ships.

* * *

The Empire’s capture of Genoa forced the French army to take the Alpine mountain road.

“Or rather, were forced to?”

The French commanders exchanged wry smiles as they studied the map.

Transporting large-caliber artillery along this route was virtually impossible.

“Let’s look on the bright side. This is the fastest route to Milan, isn’t it?”

“True….”

The other generals reluctantly agreed with the young general’s assessment.

As he pointed out, the chosen route was the most direct path to Milan. And the terrain from Turin to Milan was flat.

This was ideal for the ‘Gendarmerie’ [elite French cavalry], another source of French pride, to demonstrate its capabilities.

Of course, the Gendarmerie’s equipment and tactics differed significantly before and after Hyang’s intervention.

Before Hyang’s intervention, the Gendarmerie was a heavily armored lancer cavalry, with even the horses wearing armor. After the intervention, they became light armored cavalry equipped with simple cuirasses [body armor] and helmets, breech-loading rifles, pistols, and cavalry swords.

Consequently, their tactics also changed dramatically.

Previously, the Gendarmerie relied on heavy armor and spears to deliver a powerful shock to enemy lines. Now, their mission was to exploit their lighter weight and firepower to break through.

The modern Gendarmerie was designed to use the horse’s mobility to jump over enemy trench lines and charge into the enemy’s rear, inflicting maximum damage.

And it was a good tactic.

If it weren’t for the Empire, which always employed ‘barbed wire with trenches’.

“If we take this shortest route to Milan, the Empire won’t have enough time to properly set up that ‘barbed wire’.”

“That’s right. The problem is how long Milan can hold out….”

“Aren’t they the ones who first imitated the Empire’s damn ‘thorn fortress’? They should be able to hold out for a while.”

“True….”

“Genoa was just a straight wall along the coast, so it collapsed easily. Milan is different, right?”

The generals’ faces brightened as they recalled Milan’s newly constructed walls.

* * *

The butterfly effect of Hyang’s intervention was far-reaching.

The fortress, dubbed the ‘damn thorn fortress’ or ‘fortress worthy of being cursed’ by generals across Europe, including France and the Ming Dynasty, was a prime example.

The Empire’s fortress, built by combining the cheat code of reinforced concrete with the concept of the European star fortress, had gained notoriety since the lumber dispute with the Jurchens before the Liaodong War.

Europeans who witnessed the Empire’s fortresses at every Imperial Army garrison, including Seonamdo, Temasek, and Suez, quickly recognized their advantages and began to emulate them in their own military strongholds.

Milan was the first to adopt this approach.

Milan’s walls, arranged in three layers, were nicknamed ‘The Theodosian Walls of Italy’.

This nickname reflected their perceived strength, comparable to the legendary walls of Constantinople, known for their impregnability.

Hyang, upon hearing this, smirked and muttered.

“That wall also fell, didn’t it?”

* * *

The French generals, recalling the walls of Milan, felt more optimistic.

The most challenging aspect of war games simulating an attack on Milan was the triple-layered wall.

To breach this wall, which eliminated blind spots and allowed for concentrated firepower, required large-caliber cannons with immense destructive power.

Not just a few, but as many as possible.

In the war games, the generals deployed 20 cannons, twice the number of large-caliber cannons France possessed at the time.

“We’ll be able to reach that number soon, so it’s not entirely unrealistic. Right?”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

Despite this, the war games consistently yielded unfavorable results. The French cannons suffered from a limited range.

The process of approaching within firing range, protecting the batteries, and maintaining them against Milanese counterattacks resulted in significant losses.

This problem, which caused many French generals sleepless nights, proved to be advantageous this time.

Of course, the French generals were well aware of the Imperial Army’s characteristics.

-Obsessed with cannons.

-However, the Imperial Army’s cannons in Suez had a range as short as our own. They used exploding bullets, but their firepower was insufficient to penetrate the walls.

-Conclusion: No matter how obsessed the Imperial Army is with cannons, attacking the walls of Milan will not be easy.

While the Imperial Army focuses on the formidable walls of Milan, our French army will approach Milan via the shortest route.

The Imperial Army will be caught off guard by our unexpectedly rapid advance.

“And the Spanish army is also on the move.”

As soon as the Empire and Florence mobilized, France followed suit. Thanks to Louis’s negotiations with Spain, the Spanish army also joined the war.

The initial Spanish contingent numbered 40,000, surpassing the 20,000 French troops mobilized as the first unit by 20,000.

Spain chose the coastal road through Nice.

-From Spain’s perspective, relieving Genoa, an ally, is the top priority. Genoa must be retaken as quickly as possible.

-This is the only way to move such a large number of soldiers quickly.

-There will be sacrifices, but we have no choice but to accept them.

The Empire would be forced to divide its forces due to Spain’s decision.

The primary reason for the Imperial Navy’s attack on Genoa was to expedite supplies to their allies stationed in Milan.

This would naturally alleviate the burden on the French army.

-The number of Imperial troops attacking Milan will be reduced accordingly, the attack on Milan will be appropriately sluggish, and we can engage the weakened and tired enemy in terrain that favors our tactics.

“If we play our cards right, we might achieve a major victory?”

The French generals grew increasingly optimistic as they crossed the Alps.

This optimistic atmosphere permeated the ranks, reaching the soldiers.

The soldiers, initially apprehensive about the war, began to relax as they received encouraging news from the command.

As time went on, the incoming information fueled the French army’s growing optimism.

-Spanish army passes through Sanremo.

-The Spanish army’s losses from the Imperial Navy’s interception are approximately 1,000.

“Losses of 1,000? They defended well.”

The French command deliberately overlooked the fact that Sanremo was closer to Nice than Genoa.

The information received the following day further boosted the French command’s morale.

-Empire, Florence Allied Forces 30,000, changing course to Genoa.

-The number of Empire, Florence Allied Forces heading to Milan is 30,000.

“This is it!”

The French command clenched their fists upon confirming the information.

The strength of the Imperial Alliance that departed from Florence was approximately 80,000.

Of these, 20,000 went south to establish a defensive line in Siena, while 60,000 headed north.

Half of the 60,000, or 30,000, diverted to Genoa.

Furthermore, the area through which the Empire and Florence Allied Forces were passing was enemy territory. To ensure the safety of their supply lines, they would have to continue splitting their forces and leaving them behind.

In other words, the number of Allied forces arriving in Milan and Genoa would not exceed 25,000 at best.

“25,000 then….”

“Considering the size of the follow-up friendly forces….”

“If we factor in Milan’s defenses….”

The French command, recalculating the possibilities based on the new information, unconsciously made the sign of the cross.

“It’s a miracle!”

“The balance of power has shifted!”

However, upon arriving in Turin, the French army’s fortunes plummeted from heaven to hell.

-Milan surrenders.

“Surrender? You cowards!”

The Milanese officer, who had escaped from Milan to deliver the news, desperately defended himself against the French commanders’ accusations.

“We are not cowards! It was force majeure [an overwhelming, unavoidable event]!”

“Force majeure?”

“Force majeure? Even with those walls? Could there have been an internal traitor?”

The first thought that crossed the French generals’ minds upon hearing ‘force majeure’ was ‘internal traitor’.

No matter how strong the walls or how tightly closed the gates, they could be breached with a single key held by an internal traitor.

The Milanese officer shook his head in response to the French generals’ questions.

“There were no internal traitors. We were defeated by cannons.”