Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 956

Episode 956: South, North, and the Middle (3)

The commanders who heard Lee Si-ae’s decision all nodded.

The Noale-Mirano-Venice defense line itself clearly showed the intentions of the Habsburgs and Venetians: ‘If anything happens, we will break out!’ The information brought by the scouts was turning this guess into certainty.

-As a result of checking the military standards, the main force of the Habsburg army was stationed in Noale, and the main force of the Venetian army was stationed in the direction of Venice.

-Mercenaries are placed as the central force on both sides of the defense line.

-Only mercenary units exist in Mirano.

-The mercenary unit stationed in Mirano is organized around Landsknecht.” ”

It appears that Landsknecht, who was faithful to the contract, is planning to hold back while buying time.”

As Lee Si-ae realized the intentions of the Habsburgs and Venice, he took Mirano. He was determined to strike.

-Only by taking control of Venice can he achieve the symbolic result of the ‘unification of Northern Italy’.

-Afterwards, he would push back the ground forces of France and Spain remaining in Northern Italy, and later establish an alliance with Southern Italy. If we are thinking about war, we must reduce troop losses now.

We must reduce losses not only in Venice but also in Milan and Genoa.

-In that case, the best way is to attack Mirano.

When Lee Si-ae told his staff of this decision The staff expressed their doubts:

“Then wouldn’t it be better to hit Noale? It is a foreign power that intervened in Italy along with France and Spain. “I think now is the right time, as the Habsburgs have lost their will to fight.”

“That’s right. The Landsknecht is famous for people who strictly adhere to their contracts as long as they are paid. In some ways, they are more toxic than Swiss mercenaries. Mirano is where those guys are stuck in a dead end. You may incur more damage than necessary.”

Lee Si-ae smiled slightly and responded to the advisors’ comments.

“If you attack sincerely, then yes. And if they really intend to fight, that would be the correct answer.” ”

Yes?”

* * *

According to Lee Si-ae’s plan, the artillery of the Imperial-Italian alliance struck the Venetian and Habsburg defense lines.

Boom! Boom!

“It’s artillery fire!”

“Get into the trench line!”

As soon as the Allied artillery fire began, the Habsburg and Venetian soldiers hurriedly hid themselves in the trenches. As time passed, some among the soldiers hiding in the trenches began to express doubts.

“ ‘The artillery fire is weaker than expected?’

This was because the current bombardment was considerably weaker compared to the terrible bombardment experienced in Padua and Vicenza. Of course, if you were even a little careless and exposed yourself or got hit directly by a cannonball, you would still end up in the afterlife.

“It’s strange…”

“This makes me even more anxious.”

The lighter-than-expected artillery fire actually made the Habsburg and Venetian soldiers more anxious. And that anxiety soon came as a shock that shook the ground.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!

The bombardment was so intense that even the bombardment experienced in Padua and Vicenza felt like a breeze. The Imperial Army artillery joined in the bombardment. The bombardment of the Imperial Army artillery was as good as its reputation. The first line of trenches, where Habsburg and Venetian soldiers were hiding, was still destroyed by the first salvo.

“Hit it slowly! Hit it slowly~.”

“Yay yea.”

bang! Quack!

The expressions on the faces of the commanders from Milan and Genoa as they looked at the imperial artillery firing shells with moderately relaxed facial expressions and gestures were truly complex.

“It reminds me of the nightmare I had when I was hit by that bombardment.”

“Don’t say anything. I’m still having nightmares.”

The commanders from Milan shuddered as they clearly remembered the sight of their proud castle walls collapsing under the bombardment of the imperial artillery. On the other hand, the Genoese commanders had mixed emotions.

“The Empire, both the Army and the Navy, are terrible bastards.”

Commanders who had experience of being bombarded by the Imperial Navy while conducting defensive battles in Genoa’s coastal defense fortresses shuddered in a similar way to those from Milan. On the other hand, the commanders who saw the Imperial Army’s artillery fire for the first time were frightened.

“Wait? Are you saying that the artillery fire is gentle? So what happens if we hit it properly?”

Having destroyed the Habsburg and Venetian first line of trenches with a first concentrated bombardment, the Imperial artillery chose to move instead of a second bombardment.

“Where are they going?”

Habsburg and Venetian commanders paid close attention to the movements of the imperial artillery. Mirano was where the imperial artillery, which moved openly in front of them, was gathered. The gun ports of the imperial artillery massed in and around Mirano were aimed at the area between Mirano and Noale and the trench line in front of Mirano.

“Hit it properly this time! Make sure to move!”

“Yay! Yay!”

“Let go!”

“He is the Lord!”

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

Due to the sincere bombardment of the Imperial Artillery, the trench line in front of Mirano and half of the trench line between Mirano and Noale began to be swept away.

“This was the breakthrough line! The rest were checks!”

The Habsburg-Venetian command, thinking it had figured out the intentions of the Allied Empire and Italy, made the same decision.

“Retreat!”

Habsburg and Venice decided to retreat at the same time, but in different directions. The Habsburgs headed toward Treviso, while the Venetian troops passed through Oiago and headed toward their hometown, Venice.

* * *

The retreat of Habsburg and Venice created two tragedies.

The first tragedy was the ‘Sack of Venice’. The Habsburg army, which was retreating from Noale to Treviso, organized a unit centered on the cavalry and dispatched it to Venice. The mission of the troops dispatched to Venice was plunder.

-I have no choice but to hand over Venice anyway.

-Venice that passes over like that will become an enemy of the Habsburgs and the Holy Roman Empire.

-Then take everything you can from Venice and destroy everything you can!

-The longer the restoration of Venice is delayed, the more the ‘birth of a unified Italy’ they want will be delayed!

According to this plan, the Habsburg soldiers who invaded Venice plundered and destroyed the city. This news immediately reached the Venetian army.

“Oh no! Let’s get back as fast as we can!”

“We’re going back with all our might!”

“You traitors!”

The enraged Venetian soldiers gritted their teeth and made their way home with all their might. And here the second tragedy was born. It was ‘the fratricide of the Landsknecht’. The Landsknecht stationed in Mirano firmly maintained their position despite suffering heavy damage from the imperial army’s bombardment.

“The orders we received are to defend Mirano. We will literally defend it!”

They faithfully followed the orders given by their employers and defended Mirano. But the problem began when Habsburg and Venice decided to retreat. As their employers retreated without any follow-up orders, the Landsknecht mercenaries defending Mirano were in a state of panic.

“What should I do? What should I do?”

The front-line commanders in charge of the mercenaries discussed countermeasures with confused expressions.

bang! bang!

“You damned bastards! You’re shooting cannonballs even under these circumstances!”

Even if you think about it in a quiet place, you can’t come up with an answer, but as the Imperial Army’s shells continued to explode nearby, the Landsknecht commanders started swearing.

“Wouldn’t it be right to retreat?”

“You idiot! There was no order to retreat! There was an order!”

The commanders repeatedly argued over ‘voluntary retreat’ and ‘shooting as ordered’. While they were arguing, messengers came running and delivered orders to them.

“Retreat immediately!”

The commanders made the sign of the cross and cheered at the orders brought by the messengers.

“I survived!”

As the order to retreat was given, the Landsknecht troops quickly withdrew from Mirano. The Landsknechts who escaped from Mirano divided into two groups according to the orders of their employers. The units employed by the Habsburgs headed towards Treviso, and the units employed by Venice headed towards Venice.

It was the beginning of tragedy.

* * *

The Venetian army retreated with all its might upon receiving the urgent message that ‘our hometown is being plundered.’ But what they saw was a burning Venice.

“Baduk! These guys!”

The Venetian army, unable to overcome their anger, tried to chase the Habsburg army, which was running away in the distance, but preventing the fire from spreading more and more was more urgent.

“Baduk! Those damned bastards! They deserve to be cursed!”

“Turn off the light first!”

“Damn it!”

As I was shaking from the overlapping bad news, I thought of the mercenaries hired by the Venetian military commanders.

“messenger!”

* * *

An order sent from the Venetian army arrived at the Landsknecht unit, which was withdrawing to Venice.

– Immediately turn around and strike the retreating Habsburg army’s marauding troops.

-If you eliminate the looting unit and return with the loot, I will pay you a very generous reward in addition to your wages.

After checking the order, Landsknecht immediately turned around. Using the messenger who brought the order as a guide, the Landsknecht troops began pursuing the Habsburg marauding troops. The Habsburgs, confident that Venice would surely pursue them, hid scouts at every corner of the road. And through the hidden scouts, Venice used the Landsknecht to give orders to the Habsburg army to the Landsknecht it had hired.

-Do your best to defend against the Venetian pursuers.

-Promises to pay additional reward if defense is successful.

The Landsknecht unit, which received the order on the way to Treviso, immediately turned around.

* * *

The place where the two Landsknecht units, which took on the diametrically opposed missions of ‘pursuit’ and ‘defense’, encountered was Preganciol, south of Treviso. In Mirano, the two units, which had been colleagues who had endured the imperial bombardment shoulder to shoulder, but now met as enemies, clashed.

Unlike the Italian mercenaries, who were famous for ‘match-fixing’, the two units fought with all their might and sincerity, and the results were disastrous. After a battle so fierce that the Habsburg and Venetian armies who rushed to watch for support shook their heads, the result was ‘common annihilation’.

It was the birth of a tragedy that was officially recorded as ‘the fratricide of the Landsknecht.’

* * *

With the complete destruction of the Landsknecht units hired by different employers, the Habsburg army withdrew from Italy. And Venice immediately hoisted a white flag and opened the city gates.

“We, Venice, will do our best to participate in the unification of Italy! Come on!”

The citizens of Venice – from nobles to ordinary people – gritted their teeth and pledged full cooperation. What the Habsburgs did in Venice quickly became known to other countries as well. After receiving the report, Hyang smiled bitterly and muttered.

“People who have a lot to protect have no mercy even when it comes to abandoning them, right?”

The monarchs of France and Spain who heard the story had roughly similar reactions.

“It may be a bit extreme, but it’s the best way to reduce losses.”