Isola della Scala, Villa Pindemonte- 4 April 1848, early evening
"You are telling me that you do not know General d'Orleans' whereabouts, Augusto, just that he left Villa Pindemonte?Why? Did he receive information regarding a possible attack by the enemy?"
Ferdinando's tone was very dry, and Augusto di Cavour blushed deeply: "Your Highness, there has been no report of enemy movements. However, I do have some news of sorts for you, even though..."
"Which news, Captain?"
"A note from the Count of Cavour, Your Highness. He informs that the Countess of Rivoli and the Compte d'Ormes are headed do Villa Borghi."
To that, Ferdinand eased, and nearly chuckled. Puzzled, Augusto went on,
"If you require the presence of General d'Orleans for the dinner, I can keep searching for him."
"No need for that... It seems you knew more than you think. I urge you to ponder over that a bit... send for General Menabrea, he can replace d'Orleans, and you'll join the dinner too. From what I have seen in Venice, you are quite able to mingle with Venetians without embarrassing yourself. But I must warn you: there will be no ladies tonight, don't be disappointed."
Augusto's handsome face turned from red to outright purple.
................
The dinner had gone smoothly, in a convivial atmosphere, and Monsignor Corboli Bussi has proved to be a witty and charming person.
He had apologized for his unannounced arrival, and excused himself pretty early, alleging to be fatigued after a long ride.
The prince had obviously granted him leave to retire, and invited him for a meeting in his study next morning.
On the face of it, everything was fine, but Ferdinando thought that he had seen a hint of worry and tension in the eyes of the Monsignore, which was out of character for an accomplished diplomat.
No reason to worry now, better to pay attention to the delegation from Venice.
Daniele Manin was the first to speak: "Our warmest thanks for your hospitality, Your Highness. I am pleased to inform you that we bring good news from Dalmatia: the coast is already completely freed, and population has joyously welcomed the resurgence of the Republic of St. Mark and the promise of freedom. The flag of the Lion has been raised from Zara to Spalato to the Bocche di Cattaro and Ragusa, and Dalmatian delegates are under way to give their allegiance to the Republic. Even Signor Tommaseo, the best of friends and a true patriot, but also a morose and pessimist man to the core, is sending back glowing reports. General La Marmora has carried out the occupation of the island of Pago (1) in the north, and is supervising the construction of defensive position along the Tedanio (2) river, from Obrevazzo (3) to Possedaria (4), the former border of the duchy of Dalmatia. General La Marmora is confident that he will be able to hold the border, given the poor roads in the area and our complete control of the sea. Admiral Graziani will provide all necessary information about our naval strategy."
"Very good news, Signor Presidente. There are good news also from our side: the avant-garde of Gen. De Sonnaz Corps has reached Udine, and the rest of his troops should be there in two-three days. A second Corps, under Gen. Bava, has departed three days ago: within a week they should also be in Udine. General d'Orleans, who will command the eastern theatre, will leave the day after tomorrow, with some additional cavalry: he should be able to overtake Gen. Bava's Corps and reach Udine with him. We are however in need of more information about Friuli, in particular with whom our troops should liaise with on the political side. We are going to need guides, and also pilots who know well the Isonzo river. Some jaegers from the mountains would also help."
"Signor Cavedalis (5) from Udine, whom you met in Venice, was supposed to be part of this delegation, but he decided to go back to Friuli in order to be of assistance to your troops: he's outstanding experience as a military engineer, and knows the region very well, in particular the easternmost part. Then there is signor Antonio Dragoni (6), Podesta' of Udine, a stout patriot and a member of the Provisional Government of Friuli, and many others which would be too long to name. I will make an exception for Captain Calvi (7), whom we sent to Cadore from Venice to organize the insurgents. The first news we have received back from him confirm that the Cadore is in full insurrection and he has already started to organize battalions of Jaegers from the region to keep watch on the mountain passes between Friuli and Austria. Captain Calvi is an able and dedicated man, a former senior lieutenant in the Austrian army who resigned his commission upon receiving news of the insurrection of Venice and joined us without hesitation.
He will need guns and ammunitions, but he should be able to put in the field 4,000 or 5,000 volunteers, all familiar with the mountains and the woods of Cadore. Finally, the Provisional Government of Friuli has unanimously voted to join the Republic of St. Mark, on the basis of a perfect equality of rights and duties (8), which is also the basis on which the Republic of St. Mark stands."
"Thank you, signor Manin. General Menabrea, our General Staff Quartermaster, will take care of supplying guns and ammunitions to Captain Calvi, as well as to other volunteer forces that the Provisional Government of Friuli may raise. If nothing else, we have collected quite several thousands of Austrian guns on the battlefield of Goito which can be put to good use. " The prince's smile had a sharkish quality , and was joined by similar expressions around the table. "Of course, the main bottleneck would be distances. I intend to make good use of rivers and marine transportation, and for this purpose we will need a good port: I was thinking of Monfalcone, unless there is any problem I am not aware of. Maybe tomorrow Admiral Graziani and General Menabrea may sit down together, and discuss the matter. General Menabrea is also in charge of training, and as I remember we discussed the possibility of providing a training cadre for your newly enlisted soldiers in Veneto. Maybe now it is also the right time for Admiral Graziani to report on naval operations in the Adriatic."
"I am at your command, Your Highness. As President Manin already said, our naval forces are in full control of the Dalmatian coast, and we are proceeding to occupy all the islands there and also in the Gulf of Carnaro. This last task should not be too difficult, since there are only token Austrian forces on the islands, and the population is welcoming our arrival. The only fortress is on the island of Lissa, and it might require a formal siege to reduce it. Our navy is also blockading Trieste, Pola and Fiume: no enemy sortie has been attempted until now, and I am confident that the blockade can be kept as long as needed. I would not suggest to attempt a landing there, however, since the three harbours are protected by fortifications. Monfalcone is not so fortified, and I would suggest a shelling of the harbour together with a landward attack along the right bank of Isonzo. We'll try to get better intelligence on local forces and naval assets before proceeding, but it should be possible to take the town without having to fight a real battle."
"It looks like the Venetian navy is in full control of the sea, which brings me to my second question. A Sardinian taskforce was planned to be sent to the Adriatic, to support naval operations there, but from your report it does not look like it is really needed. The successful operation in Pola has made again Venice Queen of the Adriatic. " Ferdinand knew very well when it was necessary to be diplomatic.
"I do agree with your appraisal, Your Highness. What naval assets the Austrians still have are bottled in their home ports."
"In such a case, I have a suggestion to make. As you are probably aware, my sister, Princess Maria Cristina, has been offered the crown of Sicily by the parliament in Palermo. The formal offer will take place tomorrow afternoon at Villa Borghi, and you are all invited, of course. Unfortunately, the Sicilian Provisional Government has only a few naval assets at its disposal, and there is always the possibility that Ferdinando of Bourbon might try a landing in Sicilia to put down the insurrection. With your agreement, I would suggest to dispatch the Sardinian task force to Palermo, to show the Sicilian people that we are on their side in the battle for freedom. Furtherly, it would be useful if you would also join the task force with a few Venetian ships. A token force is all that is required, since this is mostly a political statement: it would show the world that the Italians are willing to stand by each other in the battle for freedom. I am going to make the same proposal to the delegates from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, of course, but I wanted to make it first to the Republic of St. Mark."
"Your suggestions are sound, Your Highness, and I can remember very well the help you provided, and continue to give, to the Republic. As a private citizen, I am very much in favor of showing our Sicilian brothers that we are willing to help. As the President of the Provisional Government, I have to discuss these proposals with my fellow delegates. With your indulgence, we'll give you our position tomorrow.
"One last question, Your Highness. I was surprised by the arrival of Monsignor Corboli Bussi. Do you know the reason for such a visit?" This was Avesani.
" Not yet, signor Avesani. I trust that tomorrow the Monsignore will tell me the reasons behind such an arduous voyage."
"Hopefully, it will not be anything hard to give him. I'm however concerned by the attitude of the Patriarch of Venice: he has always been a supporter of the Austrian government. After the insurrection, he has not made any public proclamation against the Republic, but he has also not made any sign of approval of these political developments. Let's hope for the best."
Footnotes
Island of Pag in Croat
Zrmanja river in Croat
Obrevac in Croat
Posederjie in Croat
Giovanni Battista Cavedalis, military engineer and patriot
Antonio Dragoni was one of the main promoters of the Provisional Government
Pietro Fortunato Calvi, the commander of the volunteers corps in Cadore who managed to hold at bay Austrian forces until the end of July 1848
- The Provisional Government of Friuli voted IOTL to join the Republic of St. Mark on the basis of this same wording