Chapter 351: The Past
Samuel said, "When you're in unfamiliar territory, you must be even more cautious—especially in Eritrea. During the day, we can easily overpower the natives. But at night? That's when we risk having our supply lines cut or being ambushed."
Upon hearing this, Sapeto thought he had figured out why the Kingdom of Italy lost the Austro-Italian War. Even their so-called "military genius" was this timid—how could they ever hope to face the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire?
With a tone of disdain, Sapeto scoffed, "Hahaha, General! You're overestimating the Abyssinians. Are you telling me they'll charge us with spears against a fully armed Italian army?"
Samuel shook his head. "Mr. Sapeto, if that's what you think, you're making a big mistake."
"Oh? Then what's your perspective, General?"
Samuel asked, "Do you know how I rose through the ranks during the war?"
Sapeto shook his head.
Samuel recalled, "When I first enlisted, the Kingdom was rushing recruitment due to the threat from the Austro-Hungarians. My company was basically a bunch of farmers fresh from their fields. They couldn't even tell left from right, let alone understand military orders. I myself was a young recruit—barely knew anything about military affairs. Do you think a unit like that had any chance against the trained troops of the Austro-Hungarian Empire?"
Sapeto, who had once served in the military himself, nodded seriously. "No chance at all."
Samuel continued, "That wasn't even the worst part. Even the dumbest man on the battlefield knows when to advance or retreat. Give a farmer a gun, and even if he can't aim, he'll at least put pressure on the enemy. But you know what? Only half of my men had rifles—and even then, they were old antiques from the Napoleonic era. Many had no weapons at all and had to take turns training with a single gun. We didn't even get real rifles until the previous batch of front-line troops returned them. Some of those weapons were so defective, they were unusable. For someone new to the battlefield like me, it was a disaster."
Sapeto was stunned. "Surely the Kingdom wasn't so disorganized it couldn't supply its troops with rifles!"
"I thought the same," Samuel replied. "But it really happened. When I reported the issue, my fat, pig-headed battalion commander told me that Italy had been caught off guard by Austria-Hungary. But in truth, our mobilization began before they even declared war."
"Those damned corrupt officials!" Sapeto cursed. "Decades have passed, and they've learned nothing! When I was in the army, it wasn't quite that bad, but the officers still embezzled soldier funds. I'd bet your rifles were never even delivered—they were probably just written off the books!"
Samuel nodded. "I'd bet most of the war budget never reached the troops. The dead never received their due, and even after the war, payments were constantly delayed. And that's with Austria-Hungary not even demanding reparations!"
Now Sapeto's view of Samuel changed entirely. With newfound respect, he asked, "General, in that case, how did you manage to defeat the Austro-Hungarian forces?"
Samuel smiled. "Simple: surprise attacks."
"Surprise attacks?!"
"Yes," said Samuel. "It may not be honorable, but it was my key to victory. At a time when the Kingdom was facing life and death, we didn't have the luxury of choosing noble tactics."
In this era, European warfare clung to notions of "chivalry" and "honorable combat." Most armies preferred to fight openly, face-to-face. Of course, some broke the rules—like the students from Hechingen Military Academy, who loved ambushes and guerrilla tactics. Their curriculum incorporated many Eastern military classics to broaden their thinking. Still, most conflicts were settled on conventional battlefields.
Samuel said, "I faced Austrian and Hungarian joint forces. I knew Austro-Hungarian troops were well-trained, but many of their units were organized by ethnicity. That made centralized command difficult. Mistakes were frequent—and those mistakes gave me my opportunities."
"The Austro-Hungarian army often acted in odd, illogical ways. I took advantage of this. In the early stages, because of our poor equipment, I led my men on night raids. Under the cover of darkness, we crept close and engaged them in hand-to-hand combat. The Austrian Werndl rifle was far superior to our outdated guns—faster to load and shoot, and much more accurate. Even the Hungarians' Lorenz rifles were better than our junk. They had artillery too. So I realized that close combat was our only chance."
Sapeto nodded. "That really was your only option. Otherwise…"
Samuel finished his thought. "Otherwise, we'd have suffered massive casualties while barely scratching them. Unless we had overwhelming numbers to throw at them, we'd lose. But Austria-Hungary is much larger than Italy. That strategy would've hurt us more. I learned this the hard way during my first campaign."
"So you failed before?"
"Not exactly," Samuel clarified. "I was inexperienced and took some losses. But I quickly adjusted my tactics. We didn't get many chances to launch major offensives—Austro-Hungarian artillery made sure of that."
"How did you deal with their artillery?"
"Use the terrain. Retreat in good order. Never engage during the day. At night, we'd hit back."
"And what if your superiors ordered you to stand your ground?"
Samuel laughed. "You trust orders? The Italian command system was already collapsing. Everyone was just trying to escape. My original battalion commander vanished at the war's outbreak. But those who fled fastest were the ones who got wiped out. The Austro-Hungarians saw our fear and their morale soared. So I stopped coordinating with other units. Even retreating, I made sure we left no weak points. The enemy had no openings to exploit."
"But if your command system was broken, how did you get ammo or supplies?"
"To be blunt, we didn't. At least not from the Kingdom. So we relied on capturing enemy weapons. Their Werndl rifles were more reliable than our own. Honestly, in close combat, a machete was better than our antique guns."
"That's why I never underestimate Abyssinia. If I could fight off Austria-Hungary with blades and fists, why can't the natives do the same to me?"
Samuel was speaking from experience. He couldn't believe that a thousand-year-old empire like Abyssinia, with over ten million people, didn't have fighters just like him.
After hearing all this, Sapeto was genuinely moved. "General Samuel, you're a true soldier."
Samuel sighed. "I only did what any soldier should. I'm not the military genius they make me out to be."
His humility made Sapeto respect him even more. "General, I used to be an officer in the army too. Since retiring, I've had some success in Eritrea. I know the area well. From now on, I will do everything I can to support you."
"Thank you, Mr. Sapeto," Samuel said sincerely. "Your local knowledge will be a great help."
He then began asking Sapeto about Abyssinia and surrounding powers.
Sapeto replied, "Since the Suez Canal opened, new players have arrived in the region. Besides us Italians, there are the British, French, Egyptians, and Ottomans. To the south, there's the East African Kingdom, which I believe falls under the Germanic sphere."
Samuel raised an eyebrow. "The East African Kingdom? The one linked to Austria?"
He remembered that when East Africa was founded last year, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was the first to recognize it. And Austria was part of the German-speaking world.
Sapeto replied, "There's some connection, but it's not a big problem. As long as we don't provoke them, we'll be fine. Their king is Prince Constantino of the Hohenzollern family, so they're probably closer to Germany than Austria. Prussia has good relations with us, so if we coordinate well, they might even offer help."
"That's a relief," Samuel said. "I was just worried they might ally with Austria-Hungary and try to obstruct us."
In reality, East Africa had no interest in Italy. Even if Italy threw Abyssinia into chaos, East Africa wouldn't care. Its primary concern was the Boers.
Later, Samuel continued questioning Sapeto about Abyssinia. Sapeto tried his best—but as a man who couldn't even hold Assab, he didn't know much.
"We still don't know enough about Abyssinia," Samuel concluded. "Let's start by gathering intelligence. Once we understand it inside and out, we can make a proper plan. The Kingdom's future doesn't allow for mistakes."
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