On 8 March, the Austro-Hungarian army broke through the line of the Russian 8th Army. In the four days since Rudolph returned from the front, the Russian army launched a continuous offensive in the south and east of the city. The battle was fought so fiercely that Rudolph sent all his troops.

The 133rd Regiment was stationed at the junction in the southeast corner, the 3rd Battalion of the 41st Regiment was supported to the Eastern Front, and more than 2,000 supporters were also replenished into the 41st Regiment. There are also 17 battalions, who are running around the city, filling in the gaps one by one.

Rudolph issued rifles to everyone, and the logistics staff were called upon to fight. However, the situation did not deteriorate to that extent. The casualties of the artillery were not small, they moved out all kinds of artillery left by the Russians, arranged them on the streets, bombarded the enemy troops visible to the naked eye, and the artillery aimed directly was extremely accurate, and the Russian troops hiding in the houses could not be guarded. But this tactic is tantamount to suicide, the Russian army can easily determine their position, and after a round of shelling, these open-air artillery positions will be completely destroyed.

On March 9, the Russian army stopped its assault on the city, and the 24th Army had to draw up its forces to cover the retreating 8th Army.

The 24th Army was also at the end of the crossbow at this time, and in these four days of fierce fighting, an average of two battalions had to be scrapped every day, and in addition to the previous battle outside the city, although the three divisions of the 24th Army were not broken, they were also defeated and defeated.

The tens of thousands of horses and horses that Rudolph put together also suffered more than 3,000 casualties in the past few days, of which 2,000 were volunteers. However, Rudolph was already very satisfied with the result, the Russian army suffered nearly 6,000 casualties, although it was due to the advantage of defense, but it was more dependent on the will of the officers and soldiers. Especially those volunteers, their bravery and courage are admirable.

On March 11, reinforcements conquered positions on the outskirts of the city, and the 23rd Brigade of the 45th Division entered the city first. Rudolph was saved, and after seeing these Hungarians, a relieved Rudolph blurted out Hungarian directly.

On March 15, Rudolph was ready to leave the city. He met with Lieutenant General Puscarlo, commander of the 23rd Division, and the two had a very happy conversation, and there was no suspense about victory. The Russian 7th Army and the 12th Army withdrew first and then withdrew, and these two armies had long since lost their combat capability. The 8th and 24th armies fought and retreated, and it was not until they withdrew to the border on the 15th, and under the cover of the 11th Army, the Austro-Hungarian army stopped the pursuit.

After this battle, the Russian Eighth Army suffered a devastating blow, and only the 24th Army remained on the front line. The rest of the troops had to be withdrawn to the rear and reorganized.

Rudolph's troops had also lost their strength and were now subject to reconditioning and replenishment. Rudolf was recalled to Vienna, the most important figure in this crucial battle, and his future is not difficult to imagine, with flowers and praise waiting for him.

Rudolph didn't leave immediately, he wanted to say goodbye to the city and its people. He held a funeral for the fallen officers and soldiers. The volunteers were also in attendance, and they laid down their arms, but they were still wearing tattered uniforms, which were their medals.

"You have sworn to defend our motherland to the death and carried out our values. The Emperor salutes you, you have shown strength and courage, and now you can rejoice in victory to your heart's content. ”

"But death cannot be compared with honor, and too many people have fallen for this land. Tombstones are the habitat of souls, and their honor needs to be remembered. We grieve for the loss of our comrades, they are strong people, they are kind people. ”

Mourning gunshots rang out, for the dead and for the living, who were nothing more than survivors.

The military department is naturally responsible for the merits of the officers and soldiers, but those volunteers have become forgotten. Rudolph did not forget that he applied for more than 5,000 crosses for civilian contributions, although most of them were made of bronze, and the higher ones were only silver or gold-plated. But it is a symbol and honor, a memory and a remembrance.

Rudolph was not exempt from vulgarity, and although talking about material things somewhat tarnished these noble qualities, he did so. Rudolph applied to the military department for a bereavement pension for the volunteers, whether they died or not. The Grand Duke gladly agreed, and Rudolph opened the storehouse and distributed food for them, which was worth far more than the soldiers' pensions. But this can't be seen as a reward, it's more like Rudolph wants to express his gratitude.

The volunteers returned home, maybe they would do their military service, maybe there would be a chance to say goodbye. Rudolf stepped on the return train ahead of time, and a celebration party was waiting for him in Vienna.

Along the way, Rudolph basically slept, and when he was awake, he read the newspaper and chatted, which was very comfortable. Florence also followed him back, and the two chatted a few words along the way, after all, they had been on the battlefield together. Florence told Rudolph that the photographs she had taken had been sent back and should be available in the newspapers by the time she arrived in Vienna. Rudolph suddenly remembered his promise, and he immediately asked Fran to give her a Leica 135 camera when he returned.

As soon as he got out of the car, he was surrounded by a group of officers, all of whom had come to greet him. Florence had just finished buying the newspaper when he saw Rudolph being taken away. She hurried over and handed over the newspaper. Rudolph took it, and didn't have time to look at it. He's going to go on a street parade now.

Outside the train station, flamboyantly dressed royal guards form a passageway. Rudolph walked over, and then was taken into an open-top car.

The streets were filled with cheering crowds, and the battle was of great significance. Not only was it the first victory for Austria-Hungary since they entered the war, but it also meant that they had regained their territory.

Rudolph waved to the enthusiastic crowd as if the war had been won once and for all.

"Hit St. Petersburg!"

"Long live the Empire!"

The fervor for the war has not subsided, and people's lives have not been directly affected. But the trauma of the war was already beginning to be felt, there were few young people on the streets, and women appeared on the trams as conductors.

Rudolph was in a state of great emotion, he enjoyed the courtesy of a hero, and the praise and applause were intoxicating. He held the newspaper in his hand, and the reason why he was able to become a hero in the spotlight of all people was inseparable from the propaganda of the news media, and these newspapers could be regarded as having made great contributions.

He opened the newspaper in his hand, and a familiar figure appeared, it was he holding a rifle, half-kneeling behind the brick wall. He glanced at the long report, the story was wonderful, about when the situation in Lemberg was critical, Rudolph went to the front line, picked up a rifle to fight the Russians, he was a master marksman, he did not miss a shot, and repelled the enemy army alone.

After reading this report, a general who took the lead and a ruthless warrior immediately jumped on the page.