Radetzky hurriedly said, "Marshal, the enemy is clearly attempting to control Trento to alleviate the defensive pressure on Mantua."
Trento is located northwest of Venice, bordered by the Alps to the north; the city actually sits on a hillside. If the French Army occupies it, they can easily move south along the Adige River to harass Verona, or emerge east through the Dolomites Pass to threaten Vicenza and the area to the north.
Chief of Staff Verossi cautiously reminded, "But cavalry scouts report there are only a little over a thousand soldiers..."
Archduke Karl immediately waved his hand, "There must be a larger force near them."
Indeed, although the Austrian Cuirassiers only discovered a little more than a thousand French troops, they did not dare to be complacent. This army was comprised entirely of tall soldiers equipped with expensive warhorses and flew the Dolphin Iris Banner.
