Immediately after re-boosting the morale of the Continental Army, Washington summoned several of the top generals of the Continental Army to his tent.
The former Continental Army was encircled and suppressed by the British and Prussians, so after fleeing to Missouri, there were only more than 1,000 troops left, and then with the efforts of Washington, the strength of the Continental Army reached 3,000 men.
Although the size of the Continental Army was not very large, in the Continental Army, there were a large number of officers, except for Washington, who was appointed marshal of the Continental Army, among the rest of the officers there were more than two dozen generals alone.
This also leads to a very comical phenomenon, that is, a major general may command an army of less than two hundred people.
Later, after the Continental Congress decided to re-start the war against Britain, especially the passage of the emancipation plan, the strength of the Continental Army was greatly expanded, but the ratio of officers to soldiers in the Continental Army was still very imbalanced.
Taking the army of more than 10,000 people led by Washington as an example, although there is only one lieutenant general in the army, there are more than a dozen major generals, and as for the brigadier generals under the major generals, there are naturally even more.
Originally, at the beginning of the establishment of the Continental Army, because the Continental Army imitated the British ** system, the ranks of officers in the army were suppressed to a certain extent, and the highest at that time was Washington's rank of lieutenant general.
However, when the Continental Congress was forced away from Missouri by the British and Prussians, the Continental Congress made an exception to promote the ranks of many officers out of the need to attract military talents.
After all, the Continental Congress at that time had nothing other than military rank to appease these officers.
Under such circumstances, the only major generals and the only lieutenant general under Washington who are qualified to be summoned by Washington for decision-making meetings on the armed forces are those who are qualified to do so.
"Ladies and gentlemen, according to the current progress of the tunnel excavation, it is estimated that it will take four days.
We will be able to dig the tunnels under Dayton, and in such a situation we will have to cover up as necessary in order not to be discovered by the British, so I think that an attack like this will be carried out during the day!
” After Washington finished speaking.
There was a moment of silence in the tent, and then a lieutenant general of the Continental Army spoke: "Your Excellency, you have seen the attack during the day, and not only did our attack not make progress, but we ourselves suffered heavy casualties as a result.
If we start an attack like this during the day today, I'm afraid our soldiers will be wiped out!
” The words of the lieutenant general can be said to have played a representative role among these generals, after all, as he said, the attack during the day caused the Continental Army to suffer heavy casualties, and the key is that it did not have any effect, except for the consumption of the British army's ammunition, of course.
In this case.
No general would want his troops to engage in such casualties.
"Putnam, I know your concerns, but as long as we can capture Dayton and annihilate the main force of the 3,000 British army, the casualties we suffer so far will be worth it!
According to our tip, the British have concentrated the entire state of Ohio in Dayton, which means that as long as we can conquer Dayton, then at least for a short time we will be in Ohio!
So the sacrifice is worth it!
” Putnam is one of the most senior generals in the Continental Army.
When the Continental Congress created the Continental Army, three divisions were formed, and Putnam was one of the division commanders.
In such a situation, even Washington, in the face of Putnam's objections, can only slowly persuade him.
And after Washington finished speaking, he also secretly made a color to a major general in the military tent, and this major general was Washington's henchman Nikolai.
And on top of the original history, this Nikolai can also be said to be famous.
In May 1782, the North American War had already won an all-out war.
On behalf of some of the generals in the army, Nikolai wrote a letter to Washington, asking him to become the king of the new government that was about to be formed!
This letter, and the reply that Washington categorically rejected, is known in history as the Nikolai affair.
However, in the original history, Nikolai was not as valued by Washington as he is now, mainly because of the attacks of Britain and Prussia in this time and space.
After the Continental Congress fled to Missouri, despite many efforts, there were still very few forces that could be gathered, and many officers and soldiers were unwilling to flee to Missouri, so they surrendered to Britain and Prussia.
In this case, Nikolai has both military qualifications and can be said to be Washington's hometown, and in Missouri he is naturally cited by Washington as a confidant, so he can be reused.
Nikolai noticed the color of Washington, and after Nikolai thought for a while, he immediately spoke: "General Putnam, the price to pay is a bit high, but it is very necessary.
During this period of expansion, most of our army were inexperienced recruits, and although they seemed to be outnumbered, their combat effectiveness was very low and questionable.
Under these circumstances, continuing to attack Dayton, in addition to covering our operations, can also play a role in training our soldiers, and in this case, it is completely acceptable to pay these costs!
” Hearing Nikolai's words, several more generals stood up in solidarity, all of whom were close to Washington.
Seeing these people speaking one after another, Putnam didn't know what Washington was thinking, at the moment Washington did not force orders as the commander of the Continental Army, it was nothing more than because Putnam and the other two generals in the military tent were old Continental Army officers, in this case, Washington wanted the Continental Army to have no objections, and it was bound to obtain their understanding.
There was silence for a long time, and all eyes in the tent were focused on Putnam.
"Well, since His Excellency the Marshal and all the generals think so, then naturally there is no objection below!"
Hearing that Putnam was soft-mouthed, Washington was overjoyed and then spoke: "Since there is no objection from everyone, I will now announce the order to fight.
The order was to attack Dayton in turn, starting tomorrow with the 1st Brigade under Putnam, the 2nd Brigade under Nikolai, and the 3rd Brigade under Horatio.
As for the fact that I will personally lead the Fourth Brigade as the supervising team, it is understandable that the strength of each department will be retained, but the offensive strength must not be weakened, otherwise the military law will be ruthless!
” After Washington's order was given, all the generals in the military tent stood up and loudly agreed.
From the next day.
Under Washington's personal supervision, Nikolai led the 2nd Brigade of the Continental Army to Dayton.
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Because of the strength of the Continental Army, Washington's troops were in the position of 2,000 to 3,000 men per brigade, except for those black slave soldiers. .............................................
The Prussian attack on Venice lasted two days, and in two days, the Prussian army captured two stone bridges at one point.
But then it was recaptured by the Venetian army.
It was not until the third day that Henry's ship arrived in a river not far from Venice.
May 12, 1794 The Prussian army unexpectedly appeared on the moat outside Venice by boat, and the Venetian defenders were shocked when they saw this scene, and hurriedly mobilized artillery to attack the water, and at the same time that the attention of the Venetian army was attracted by the river, the Prussian army also launched a total.
More than an hour of fighting.
With nearly half of the Prussian casualties on board, the remaining Prussian soldiers climbed to the rear of the stone bridge, which was quickly captured by the Prussian army from both sides.
After capturing the stone bridge, the Prussian artillery moved forward rapidly, and then under the heavy artillery fire of the Venetian city, the Venetian city gate was bombarded by the Prussian artillery.
After the gates were broken.
The Prussian army quickly stormed the city of Venice, and in the evening the Prussian army occupied the Grand Council of the Republic of Venice and the Doge's Palace and other important buildings in the city, and the last remnants of the Venetian city in St.
Mark's Basilica were also annihilated by the Prussian army the next morning.
Although it was not long, the Prussian army paid a considerable price, the attacking Prussian army suffered huge casualties under the stubborn resistance of the Venetians, nearly 3,000 soldiers were killed, and as many as 5,000 Prussian soldiers were incapacitated.
This meant that Prussia had lost 10,000 troops in Venice alone, and William was very angry about such huge casualties.
After the destruction of Venice, William ordered all the high-ranking members of Venice to be arrested and killed if resistance was allowed.
May 13.
In addition to Domingo, who committed suicide in the Basilica of San Marco, and some of the deputies who were killed, more than 160 members of the Grand Council of the Republic of Venice reunited in the Great Council.
It's just that the mood of these councillors at the moment can be described as very complicated, because unlike every time they used to enter the big council with their heads held high, at this moment.
Behind these Venetian parliamentarians were bright bayonets.
After hearing Hornder's report, William entered the Great Council under the escort of a royal guard.
William's face was rather gloomy, after all, a Venice had cost him a terrible casualty.
After ascending to the high platform in the middle of the Great Council, William unceremoniously took his seat on the throne of the Doge of Venice.
As soon as William sat down, Henry went to the oratorium on the high podium and spoke: "Venetian councillors, of course, you will lose this title forever when you walk out of the doors of this building, but for now, I will call you councillors.
By the orders of His Majesty William, the King of all the Romans and the supreme ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, from this day on, the Republic of Venice will forever lose the title of Republic, Venice will become the free city of the Empire, which will be administered by His Majesty Wilhelm, and the other territories of the former Republic of Venice will be under the direct command of the Holy Roman Emperor!
” With that, Henry took a step back.
William's face was gloomy as he scanned the council hall, his gaze indirectly resting on the faces of the Venetian councillors, who were surrounded by heavily armed Prussian soldiers.
Upon hearing Henry's words, many Venetian parliamentarians immediately became stunned, unable to imagine that the pre-war threat of the Prussians had really become a reality, and that the Venetian Republic, which had once been a great place in the Mediterranean, had become history.
"No, you don't have the right to do that.
Even if you are the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, you cannot dismember or even forcibly occupy the Republic of Venice!
You executioner, God will not forgive you, you will go to hell!
You will live forever and eternally with demons!
” A Venetian councillor was stunned for a moment, and immediately began to shout frantically, as if he had been greatly stimulated.
Hear this councillor's swearing.
Not only William, but the entire Prussian people in the council hall turned ugly.
Seeing William's face and the bruises on his forehead, Horn immediately ordered several royal guards to pull the councillor out of the council hall.
And when the councilor's body was controlled by several Prussian soldiers, it was obvious that he knew what price he would pay for cursing at William before, so he continued to curse without the slightest intention of stopping: "Damn Prussian barbarians, mongrels.
Exit Venice!
You are not welcome in the people of Venice, you all deserve to go to hell, you all deserve to die without a place to bury!
” A Prussian soldier tried to cover the parliamentarian's mouth to stop him from making the next big indiscriminate, but apparently the parliamentarian did not stop protesting when the soldier's hand covered his mouth.
He slammed his teeth into the soldier's hand, apparently ready to bite off a piece of flesh.
The Prussian soldier's eyes were furious, and he suddenly pulled out a dagger from the waist of his comrade-in-arms and stabbed it into the councilor's chest.
In full view of the parliament hall, the councillor was stabbed to death on the spot by Prussian soldiers.
"This will be the fate of anyone who rebels against His Majesty's will!"
Prince Henry's tone was very fierce, and for a moment there was so silence in the council hall that even a needle could be heard falling on the ground.
"Venice has to pay the price for its previous actions, and as the soon-to-be ruler of the entire Holy Roman Empire, I came to Italy with a friendly attitude.
But apparently Venice's actions made me very angry, because Venice's actions before were completely a betrayal of the Empire!
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The people of Venice are also subjects of the Empire, so I am not prepared to impose any cruel tyranny on the subjects of the Empire.
But as a price to pay against me, those of you who make the decision must pay for it!
I declare that all Venetian parliamentarians who had previously agreed to fight Prussia would be to have all their property confiscated, and that all their families, including members of their families, would be sent to work in the Prussian mines as compensation for their crimes, and that all who resisted and tried to escape would be punished by death!
” After William finished speaking, he ignored the Venetian parliamentarians and walked out of the council hall, which at this moment were no different from the fish under the knife in his eyes.
After William left, many of the Venetian councillors in the council hall were in an uproar, but after killing some of the most troublesome councillors.
The rest of the parliamentarians also understood that the Prussians' determination would not waver, so they no longer challenged the Prussians' bottom line with their lives.
The Prussian army stopped in Venice for two days, during which the Prussians were busy raiding the houses of the parliamentarians, and Wilhelm was also thinking about the possible impact of the capture of Venice.
According to the search of the Prussians.
In Domingo's residence, he found correspondence between Domingo and the Florentines and Pisa, and when he saw the Duke of Florence scolding the Prussians for being shameless and despicable, William's hands couldn't help but clench into fists.
According to the Florentine plan, the 4,000 troops they gathered were supposed to arrive under Venice two days before the Prussian army conquered Venice, but now, according to the information of the scouts roaming the Prussian periphery, no movement of the Florentine army was currently found in the Venetian area.
At present, after the conquest of Venice, the only countries that could pose a threat to the Prussian army in Italy were the Kingdom of Florence, Rome, and Sicily.
Of these, Venice had already been captured by Prussia, and Florence had an army of only 4,000 men, who did not pose much of a threat to William.
As a result, only Rome and Sicily remained.
In William's mind, the factor that could pose a threat was the ability to gather an army of 5,000 men or more, and in addition to Florence, which had 4,000 troops, Rome had an army of about 10,000 men, which was about the same as Venice, and the Kingdom of Sicily had more than 16,000 men.
Domingo's residence contained letters from the powerful in Rome, but according to the contents of these letters, it is clear that resistance to the Prussians was not a unanimous opinion in Rome.
For most of the powers in Rome, they didn't particularly care who would ascend to the throne of Holy Roman Emperor, and they only cared about one thing, and that was whether the monarch would pose a threat to Rome and the Pope when he came to power.
For the time being, it is clear that the ascension of Wilhelm, who ruled Prussia, to the throne of Holy Roman Emperor would not pose a threat to Rome for at least a while, since the Prussian rule was based in the north and not in Italy.
After much consideration, William decided to leave five thousand troops behind in Venice, and the remaining fifteen thousand troops would follow him on to Rome.