Chapter 55: Bitter Days Are Coming

  Chapter 55: Bitter Days Are Coming

Badorio still underestimated the impact of defeating Austria, and for the sake of political necessity, King Charles gave him the rank of marshal straight away.

For the Italians, the defeat of Austria in this era is too inspiring, if the victory continues later, I am afraid that the Italian states will award him the rank of marshal.

Through the momentum of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Badoglio soon became the hero of Italy, but this hero is not good to leave a stain.

For example, now, the people in the city of Milan can not buy food, people look for him to solve the problem, who let him be the planner of this arson of grain?

As the hero of Italy, words must be kept, before the promise to provide food to everyone, now must be honored.

General Badorio still passed his political class, no now it should be Marshal Badorio, even though he hasn’t been formally enshrined yet, it doesn’t hurt.

Lombardy region is also so large, a short time the Austrian army is impossible to requisition all the food, grain merchants in the hands of the grain is gone, the nobleman manor will always leave a part of their own consumption.

He urged the domestic transportation of food on the one hand, and on the other hand, the Lombardy area nobles, from their estates to get a part of the food.

Unfortunately, in this era, the development of light industry in Lombardy is good, most of the nobles will sell the grain to the processing plant, and now it is just the spring plowing period, there is not much food in the hands of everyone.

After scavenging in the neighborhood, Badorio helplessly realized that this is a drop in the bucket, it has been scavenged once, how much can be left?

“Your Excellency Marshal, the food from the country hasn’t been shipped over yet, the food we have collected in the city is very limited, according to the current situation, together with our military rations it can support us for three days at most.

The food collection teams that were sent out may still have some harvest, but they have already been raided by the Austrians, and I’m afraid that there won’t be much harvest in the area around Milan!” Major General Manstu said with a worried frown (promoted)

At this time, the grain from the Sardinian Kingdom was actually already being transported to the city of Milan, but the transportation in the Italian region in this era was not good, and the capacity was very limited.

To satisfy the consumption of these hundreds of thousands of people in the city is not that easy to do. This is just the beginning, it won’t be long before the countryside will also have a shortage of food.

It can be said that the occupation of Lombardy by the Kingdom of Sardinia not only could not strengthen its power in the short term, but also was a heavy economic burden.

Badoglio had already felt the pressure, and the democrats in the city of Milan had already demanded independence from him, only to be temporarily snubbed by him.

In addition, at this time, the city lack of food they have to rely on the Kingdom of Sardinia, so that no one trouble, once the crisis has passed, I am afraid that it is another situation.

“I will explain this situation to the people. Right now many residents in the city still have a little bit of food stored in their homes, from tomorrow onwards everyone will only be issued seven layers of rations.

Together with the food collected from Milan’s neighboring areas, it should be able to last for five or six days, and by then the food from the country will almost be ready to arrive.” Marshal Badorio analyzed

There was no doubt that reducing the distribution of food would inspire the people to be dissatisfied with them, but having thought of everything he needed to think of, it was impossible for him to turn out food.

The Sardinian Kingdom had no roots in the Lombardy region, and now to maintain the stability of the city of Milan, they all had to rely on the nobles and capitalists in the city.

Including the distribution of rations to the populace, it also had to be done by these groundlings. These people were no good, and to be able to live under Austrian rule was not something that honest people could do.

Without Marshal Badolio knowing anything, the underground black market had opened, and if anyone paid attention, they would have realized that the food sold here was relief food from the city.

Corruption, this is the tradition left over from the Austrian era, the local nobles are likewise the tools of the Austrian government to rule the area, and naturally inherited this fine tradition.

Capitalists, not to mention, their modesty is no modesty, can make a profit from it no one can refuse, including part of the Sardinian army officers also participated.

When distributing food, just a little bit of deduction, that is a considerable amount of money, how could they give it up?

How could they give it up? They still had to make up for the losses incurred in the war.

Now that the amount of ration distribution has been cut, doesn’t this just make them rich?

Marshal Badorio may not really know, or he may be pretending to be confused.

In any case, all the people originally should be distributed seven layers of rations, the final fell into the hands of the people less than five layers. Even in these last five layers, the bread was mixed with messy things.

The lucky ones might have just added bran, mixed with a portion of straw powder, and if they were unlucky enough to receive black bread, they might have added wood shavings, leaves, small stones, and other materials directly into it.

There is nothing you can’t do, only you can’t think of. The good thing is that this stuff, the bottom of the people have long been accustomed to. Anyway, they usually eat black bread is also so, when fighting can also take it as a brick, two birds with one stone.

The people who have the economic ability, have become the customers of the underground black market, no this can not be said to be a black market, people are open for business in a fair and square manner.

Only, prices are slightly higher, especially food prices, directly soared to more than ten times the pre-war, even part of the petty bourgeoisie can not stand.

The poor, of course, just one way out, endure, anyway, Marshal Badolio gave them a guarantee, just a few days.

Everyone is a patriot, for the sake of the country, for the sake of the nation, endure starvation for a few days, or can hold out.

……

Paris, France.

At this time, the bourgeois Provisional Government was busy with internal struggles.

The contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie was ignited in Paris on March 17, when the Blanquists organized 150,000 people to take to the streets in demonstrations.

When the Kingdom of Sardinia decided to send troops to attack Austria, the Provisional Government was still supportive, but of course this support was limited to words, they were not in a position to give substantial support.

Franz still misjudged the situation in France, which was not good now. The Provisional Government, representing the interests of the bourgeoisie, introduced a series of policies in favor of the capitalists, which naturally harmed the interests of the general public.

For example: on March 9 the Provisional Government issued a decree providing for the reduction of cash payments from the savings banks and the payment of depreciated state securities to anyone withdrawing deposits in excess of 100 francs �.

Another example: on March 16, the Provisional Government issued a decree imposing a surcharge of 45 centimes per franc on the four direct taxes paid by the peasants on land, chattels, windows and doors, and business.

(1 franc = 100 ducats, about 0.29 grams of gold, this value may not be accurate, the value of the franc changed during the Revolution).

(End of chapter)