Chapter 3, The Brave Italians

The Sardinians on the opposite side clearly became emotionally charged. They dragged more than ten wooden boats out from the overgrown grass and, in a fervent manner, pushed the boats into the river despite the hail of gunfire coming from the other side.

The largest is undoubtedly the Milan Governorate in the north. Next is Naples in the central region, followed by Palermo on the southern island of Sicily. The Taranto naval base in Taranto Bay belongs to the navy, while the heavy cruiser Salt City, which provides heavy artillery support for the mercenaries, has come from Taranto Port, located more than ten kilometers away from the heat of the bay.

Just like the battle that Zhang Cheng is participating in at this moment. The cause is merely that the governor of Milan in the Ming Empire was attacked by tenants on his own estate

"I will give you a squad, and you will command it!" The captain similarly assigned this task to Zhang Cheng.

The captain could tell that the young man before him was certainly not an ordinary mercenary. Judging by his marksmanship and performance on the battlefield, he must have had military experience, and he had indeed seen combat!

Is this really the Italians? Zhang Cheng stared in astonishment at the fiercely courageous Sardinians charging across the river, murmuring in disbelief.

In the more than one hundred years following the war, the overseas colonies of the Ming Empire spread across the globe, with the flag of the Ming Empire, adorned with the sun, moon, and golden dragon, rising under the sun at every moment on Earth. The Ming Empire became, in the truest sense, a genuine empire on which the sun never sets

With the ports blockaded, maritime trade severed, and cities under bombardment, the European nations, facing dire straits, were compelled to sign humiliating treaties of defeat with the Ming Empire. The Ming Empire established colonies in nearly all European countries. The Second Global War concluded with a resounding victory for the Ming Empire

"Captain!" Zhang Cheng rushed over and grabbed the anxious captain, looking directly into his worried eyes, his voice serious. "This won't do; once those Sardinians land, we won't be able to hold this position!"

At the peak of this war, the Ming Empire possessed over 10,000 sailing warships! The regular army equipped with advanced firearms numbered as high as 1,000,000! A powerful military force is the solid foundation for victory

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, fully concentrating all his attention on the sighting reticle.

Regardless, these mercenaries are all of the same Huaxia descent as he is. Moreover, the time spent together has been quite pleasant; witnessing each of them die before his eyes, Zhang Cheng feels as if his heart is beginning to ignite.

The Sardinians engaged in combat are not the tenants from the estate who initiated the uprising. They are all regular troops of the Kingdom of Sardinia

Every year, a large number of radical Italians are captured and executed by the governor's office, yet this fails to dampen the rising national sentiment among the Italians. Of course, there is undoubtedly the shadow of France at play behind this.

Zhang Cheng immediately turned around and crouched down against the trench after confirming that the rifle on the opposite side had fallen, letting out a long sigh of relief

The reserve team of the company was quickly assembled, and the captain did not waste any time with unnecessary talk. After appointing Zhang Cheng as the commander and outlining the general tasks, he waved his hand and commanded, "Attack!"

In the brief moment it took to lift the ship out and send it into the river, at least dozens of Sardinians were knocked to the ground. Yet, they seemed to be caught in a kind of inexplicable frenzy, completely ignoring the massive casualties and the stray bullets flying around them, as they roared and charged towards the mercenary trenches on the opposite bank.

Unfortunately, whether it was the large-scale riots of the charcoal-burning faction or Garibaldi's expedition of the Red Shirts, these broadly defined Italians initiated one attempt after another to unify Italy, all of which were predictably suppressed by the powerful Ming Empire

Lower the muzzle! Aim and fire! The captain's face was filled with anger and anxiety. Most of these mercenaries had poor marksmanship, barely able to shoot under normal circumstances. At this moment, in the intense battlefield filled with flying bullets and smoke, the tense atmosphere directly caused their already poor skills to deteriorate even further.

Wow! The battle that Zhang Cheng personally experienced completely overturned his perception of the Italian army. If all Italian soldiers possessed such fearless courage, then the powerful German forces in the north would not dare to underestimate them

As the long gun on the opposite side slowly moved its muzzle to once again aim at the machine gun position on the other side of the mercenary stronghold, the marksman who had already shot multiple mercenaries was astonished to discover that the muzzle of a rifle in the opposite trench seemed to be pointing directly at him

In the age of sail, this was also a protracted war

The marksmanship of the mercenaries is lacking, but they have no problem throwing grenades. Moreover, although the river in front is not very wide, the current is quite swift and the water is also deep. It would not be easy for a person to resurface once they sink. Additionally, the Maxim gun on the opposite bank has already been destroyed, so the threat faced by the soldiers is not very significant

After mobilizing the vast resources of the empire, the tide of war began to turn. Following several decisive naval and land battles, the influence of the Ming Empire was restored in Europe

The mercenaries' counterattack greatly surprised the Sardinians on the opposing side

Bang! Before the heart of the sharpshooter, whose heart suddenly contracted, could react, a bullet traveling at a speed exceeding 750 meters per second pierced through his head in less than a second

In the era that Zhang Cheng arrived, Italy was merely a geographical designation; it was not yet a nation

Family members understand their own affairs. The captain is well aware that most of these mercenaries are just desperate civilians and fugitives; being Chinese and yet becoming mercenaries indicates how dire their situation is. Although these Chinese individuals are not lacking in courage, once these mercenaries, who have hardly undergone any training, find themselves in real close-quarters combat, it will inevitably lead to a complete collapse.

Like all nations that rise to great heights and then decline, the magnificent Ming Empire soon fell into a period of decline without rivals after its glory. Conservative forces flourished domestically, and the colonies gradually became unstable. While European countries were diligently climbing the technological ladder and regrouping, the Ming Empire lay back on its laurels, living a leisurely life. It completely ignored those defeated nations that, after their defeat, worked hard to catch up and strive for progress. The Ming Empire lay back on its laurels, living a leisurely life, completely disregarding those defeated nations that were striving to catch up after their defeat.

"Do you have any solutions?" The captain calmed down slightly and looked at Zhang Cheng with a serious expression.

"Run in a zigzag with your body bent! Everything else depends on fate!" This is what Zhang Cheng said before leaping out of the trench

Over the years, regardless of which kingdom they belonged to, these Italians have never given up on the dream of unifying Italy

Raising his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Zhang Cheng made a gesture of success to his anxious captain who was watching him.

Isn't the legendary Italian army known for only liking pasta and not for fighting? Isn't it said that the legendary Italian army couldn't even defeat the indigenous people of Africa and resorted to using poison gas? Isn't it true that the legendary Italian army shot down its own air force marshal from the sky, and that a single division could be captured by just one enemy company?

Good! The captain understood Zhang Cheng's meaning after a brief contemplation and immediately nodded in agreement

"Counterattack, sink all their ships with grenades before they land!" Zhang Cheng stated his opinion with unwavering determination

After achieving a great victory in the Second Global War, the Ming Empire seized several colonies in Italy

Wind, angle of sunlight, shooting surface, perspective... I found you! Zhang Cheng's eyes suddenly brightened as he finally spotted an extremely stable rifle protruding from a slightly raised mound of earth beside a patch of wild grass on the opposite bank of the river

The Governorate of Milan in the north was ceded from the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Naples and Palermo, as well as Taranto, were forcibly taken from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

As the only nation primarily composed of Italians, the Kingdom of Sardinia has never relinquished its aspiration for the unification of Italy over the years. They even went so far as to engage in warfare against the immensely powerful British Empire! However, the ultimate outcome was defeat, resulting in the cession of vast territories! Nevertheless, the desire of the Sardinians for the unification of Italy has never been abandoned.

"Fire! Fire!" The captain, with a grotesque wound on his face, shouted furiously, commanding the mercenaries in the trench to open fire and retaliate, insisting that they must not allow those Sardinians to land

Zhang Cheng did not say much, only nodding vigorously. In such a battlefield, playing any tricks is tantamount to seeking death. War is a collective movement; once defeated, Zhang Cheng does not believe he can remain unscathed.

Under the suppression of the heavy machine guns, the enemy's charge was abruptly halted. However, the quality of the enemy troops was quite remarkable; they quickly turned their heavy machine guns to engage in a firefight with the mercenaries. Seizing this opportunity, hundreds of enemy soldiers shouted in unison, "Viva l'Italia!"

Bang! Another mercenary, just pushed onto the machine gun nest by the captain, had his head blown off. Not far away, the blood vessels in Zhang Cheng's eyes had become even more pronounced.

The mercenary battalion stationed at this position, including reserve forces, consists of only about 170 to 180 personnel. The total heavy firepower amounts to merely two Maxim machine guns. Although they achieved victory in the exchange of fire with the opposing Maxim, successfully destroying the enemy's heavy machine gun, they also lost one of their own. Consequently, the suppressive firepower was suddenly reduced by half

The Sardinians shouted slogans as they jumped onto the wooden boats, using the rifle stocks as paddles to row vigorously towards the opposite shore

During this period, Zhang Cheng has not been idle in Milan and Genoa; at the very least, he can understand a few simple phrases in Italian now. The Sardinians across from him shout words that he could hear almost every day while in Milan, and their exclamations, tinged with the Tuscan dialect, proclaim "Long live Italy"

The intense continuous fire from the heavy machine guns at the mercenary position finally began to demonstrate its formidable power. Many figures among the Sardinians quickly fell in the face of such sustained and concentrated fire.

Where? Zhang Cheng, with only his eyes exposed, was holding his breath and intently observing the battlefield, trying to locate the sharpshooter on the opposite side

At the outset, the Ming Empire lost all its colonies in Europe and was also expelled from the African continent, resulting in a very unfavorable situation. However, the Ming Empire possessed an exceptionally profound foundation, and centuries of maritime endeavors fundamentally altered everyone's perception of the ocean. It is widely acknowledged that the future lies upon the sea