The Italians wanted to change the color at first, but then Frost became more and more powerful and his reputation became bigger and bigger. In addition, after Frost's unification, Italy's economy began to improve and people's living standards improved, so they decided to change the color.
No one mentioned changing the color.
Now, the red army is coming in a mighty manner.
Several officers in red army uniforms rode their horses to Massena, dismounted and saluted: "Your Excellency, the Italian Sardinian, Milanese and Venetian joint forces are at your disposal."
"This is our French war, and you don't have to participate." Masséna put his hands behind his back, "You have no obligation to participate."
The red-coated colonel shook his head: "We have, Your Excellency General. Your Excellency Frost said that we need to defend our own freedom. We never want to be ruled by the Austrians anymore. We Italians must be an independent country in the future.
A country of Italian people!
"We must have the ability to withstand the Austrian army without relying on France."
The red colonel paused and then said: "I still have to have the ability to resist France without relying on anyone, so that we can have real freedom. So we must get used to war and learn to fight."
Massena pursed his lips and asked, "What's your name?"
"Giovanni Domenico Garibaldi was originally a captain and lived in the Kingdom of Sardinia. To be honest, I am not familiar with commanding people on the ground. Please give me a chance to practice!"
Massena nodded: "Okay, you will get this opportunity. Let me tell you the truth, we really lack enough troops to give the enemy a final blow. How many of you are there?"
"A total of fifty thousand, Your Excellency General." Giovanni raised his head and proudly declared, "They are all men from Northern Italy. We are eager to soak our bayonets with the blood of Austrians!"
Massena: "Oh? Then should I regard you as a new army of citizens, or an army of the old kingdom?"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone from the troops marching nearby shouted: "We are free citizens!"
Then there was a chorus of response from the Italian troops: "Yes! Citizen!"
"Let us attack in skirmish formation, we will never retreat!"
It seems that Frost's theory that citizen troops will not be easily broken is already well known in Italy.
Massena: "It's useless to talk empty words. We will soon know what kind of troops you are! Chief of Staff, arrange for them to go into attack."
The chief of staff immediately saluted: "Understood! You will rest where you are first, and the officers will come to me."
**
About an hour later, the Italians launched their attack.
Massena watched the red front of the Italians advance and suddenly thought: "You said that if Austria becomes a republic again in the future and has a unit wearing white military uniforms, can we put the national flag color on the offensive formation?
Already?
"The French army is on the left, the Austrians are in the center, and the Italians are on the right. Do you think so?"
The chief of staff laughed directly: "I really want to see that scene. It will definitely scare all the monarchs in Europe to wet their pants."
Massena also laughed, and just then he heard singing coming from the Italian line.
"And singing... I even learned this."
The French army likes to sing when they attack. This is also a tradition started by Frost. Generally, the French army will sing Roman odes.
The music the Italians sang was very brisk and not as majestic as the Roman ode.
The chief of staff listened carefully and said, "Your Excellency composed the song. It seems to be about an Italian soldier saying goodbye to his woman."
Massena: "As expected of an Italian, even on the battlefield he never forgets women."
The staff officer looked askance at Massena. The entire French army knew that Massena was lustful and would find beautiful girls to sleep with when he arrived in a new place.
There was even a joke in the army that if you needed to find the general in an emergency in the morning, you should knock on all the widows' doors in the city and you would be sure to find him.
But the chief of staff did not complain about the general.
Massena: "Oh, the Austrians opened fire. Yes, the Italians showed no signs of wavering. But whether it is a citizen army depends on its performance when fighting with bayonets."
The greatest characteristic of the French army is that they are not defeated by skirmishers and are not afraid of bayonets. The French army has defeated the Austrians with bayonets many times.
The Italian Red Front rushed into the Austrian positions, and bloody hand-to-hand combat began.
The Austrian army may have also been hit by the bayonet resistance, but they did not retreat immediately. The red and white troops were mixed together on the position.
Finally, the white retreated.
Massena clenched his fist: "Okay! Great! The Italians are indeed very capable! Much more capable than the Austrians! Continue the attack! Take back all the remaining positions!"
However, as soon as Masséna finished speaking, he saw people starting to run back on the remaining Austrian positions.
"What the hell?" Massena muttered in confusion.
Chief of Staff: "Maybe after seeing so many new Italian troops participating in the war, morale finally collapsed?"
**
At this moment, the Austrians were shouting:
"It's red! The red Roman legion! The Roman legion is coming!"
Yes, the Austrian soldiers who have been stationed in Italy for a long time, even if they are illiterate, know that the Roman legions are red.
Moreover, according to logic, since the Roman legions appeared, the man should also have arrived.
"Frost! Frost has brought the Roman legions to kill us! We can't win, so run away!"
"Our army is defeated, our army is defeated!"
Just like that, the Austrians retreated!
Massena never imagined that he would win like this!
**
At Schonbrunn Palace, Francis II's face turned green after receiving the report.
"Frost appeared in Italy? How is it possible? Alvinzi also reported that he was by the Danube! How did he get to Italy?"
The Italian and Austrian commander with a gray face said: "But my soldiers saw Frost's eagle flag and the Roman legions."
Franz raised his head and glared at him fiercely: "What legion?"
"Roman Legion..."
Franz looked back in confusion at the double-headed eagle symbol of the Holy Roman Empire hanging on the wall of his butler's office.
"What legion did you say again?"
"Roman Legion!"
Franz grabbed the globe on the table and threw it on the ground: "I am the emperor of the Roman Empire! My legion is the Roman legion!"
The commander of the Italian Army hesitated to speak.
Franz got angry and said: "Are you trying to say that we are neither holy nor Roman nor an empire? Is that what you want to say?"