Chapter 273: Chaos All Around
Just as the Ferdinand was about to attack, the Caesar suddenly raised a white flag, leaving the Austro-Hungarian Navy momentarily stunned.
With the Caesar's surrender, the other Italian warships also ceased resistance, bringing the Adriatic Sea battle to an end. Control of the Adriatic shifted fully to Austria-Hungary.
By now, three of Italy's principal battleships had been sunk. Since they had surrendered, the Austro-Hungarian Navy—having been going at them full force just a moment ago—began fishing men out of the sea.
The threat at sea was removed. Meanwhile, the 50,000 Austro-Hungarian troops prepared at Trieste were about to depart, transported by merchant ships to Italy's eastern coast, opening a third front there in conjunction with Papal forces to seize the eastern part of the Kingdom of Italy.
…
Venice
The sound of artillery reverberated non-stop. For the people in the city, life was nearly unbearable, with death potentially looming at any moment—it all depended on luck.
At a supply depot, Venetians, following city hall's arrangements, lined up to buy grain and basic necessities. Several hastily hired armed guards maintained order.
"Mr. Aross, the price of flour is way too high! It's doubled since yesterday!"
"Take it or leave it!" Aross shouted impatiently at the crowd. "Because of the war, the entire city's short on food. Add to that the tens of thousands of royal troops requiring supplies—where else would the food come from? We're the ones risking our necks gathering this grain from the countryside!"
"That can't be right, Mr. Aross! This Pisa brand flour isn't a local Venice product—did you also collect that from the countryside?" asked one citizen, pointing to some inexpensive flour imported from East Africa.
"That's from an older stockpile, and there's not much of it," Aross retorted.
"But this is still a port city, right? The sea route isn't blocked. I saw ships coming and going at the docks this morning, so how can you say there's no food?"
Aross replied, "Sure, there are ships, but they're not carrying grain. The fighting at sea has started, so no one's going to care if you're a grain-hauler or not—if the enemy sees you, they'll blow you up. Only the truly bold dare risk it." He was spouting nonsense, as Austria-Hungary had not actually blockaded the Adriatic.
"Mr. Aross, can't you lower the price a little? My factory shut down when the war broke out, so I haven't earned a wage in days."
"Either buy it or don't. If you won't, plenty of others will. In wartime, stockpiling grain is never a bad idea," he sneered.
"But even if we have to pay, why is the Pisa flour the same price as the other brands? Isn't it usually the cheapest?"
"The city's short on goods. You saw Pisa was cheaper before, but it's also in high demand now. Besides, flour's flour; it's not that different in taste. Maybe you happen to like this brand," Aross said offhandedly.
Some in the crowd still grumbled, so Aross took out his pen and, right before their eyes, crossed out the current price and raised it by another 20%.
"Don't push your luck. The whole city's short on supplies, and you're still picky? Starting now, I'll raise the price every half day. If you want to save money, buy immediately. Otherwise, you might lose even the chance to regret it," Aross declared smugly.
Sure enough, everyone caved. It was better to grab some food while they still could, and the more the better. Nobody knew how long this war might last.
Though expensive by Venetian standards, the price was still almost "reasonable" compared to some gougers. Not because Aross was kind, but because many competitors were even greedier. Aross was not a typical Italian grain merchant – just last year, he had entered the trade after spotting an opportunity in East Africa's cheap exported grain and began importing it to Austria-Hungary for resale in Italy.
Five days earlier, when city officials passed the motion to seal the city, Venice's bigwigs carved it into zones, each monopoly granted to a different family or business. Aross's family got to control the western district. Besides his family's workers and muscle, all residents of that area were confined there, movement restricted.
As for popular complaints, the city bosses already had a scapegoat: General Raffaele Cadorna, the Italian commander-in-chief, would take the blame. They told the Venetians that because of the war, General Cadorna had enforced martial law, forbidding people from going out unless the army gave them passes or the government issued permits—"transit passes," basically. And if you want one, you apply at a government office, which is painfully slow. There is a quicker way, of course—pay up at certain places to get it instantly.
Without a pass, if the patrol catches you, you're labeled a spy and must pay a hefty fine or do a month of "re-education." The Venetians were unhappy, but they blamed it on the army. The city hall claimed they were just acting "under duress." After all, nobody can oppose a commander with tens of thousands of troops, so it must all be Cadorna's fault.
…
Florence
Three days ago, the Austro-Hungarian Expeditionary Force attacked here. But the defenders, with their walls and ad hoc reinforcements, managed to hold out until reinforcements from the west arrived. Realizing it was pointless, General Karl's force withdrew.
Still, just the fact that the "enemy" had reached the capital threw the entire Kingdom of Italy into panic. This blow was huge. Fortunately for Italy, the Expeditionary Force was small, had minimal heavy weapons, and couldn't capture Florence. Otherwise, Italy might have lost the war right then.
In the aftermath, Victor Emmanuel II demanded Florence be defended more rigorously. Units shifted from the Franco-Italian border now handled city defense. As for that border, France had troubles of its own, so no large Italian force was needed there.
So where did the Austro-Hungarian Expeditionary Force go, having failed to take Florence? The answer: the old Kingdom of Sardinia, the royal foundation of the Italian House of Savoy. There, General Karl led his forces in a spree of destruction, especially targeting factories and cities, causing utter chaos in the region. The Italian government found itself powerless to stop them, wary that if they peeled off too many troops from Florence, the enemy might slip back in for another surprise attack.
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