If you don't court death, you won't die. Mahler had clearly overlooked the fact that the Tuscan Army was lacking in combat ability, and they were suppressed by the Austrian Army as soon as the battle began.
"Attack for me!"
"Damn it, get up and attack for me!"
...
Mahler cursed angrily. The young officers displayed great valor, but the soldiers were very Italian in their performance.
They shouted slogans loudly, but before even seeing the shadow of an enemy, they were all lying on the ground playing dead, which was infuriating.
Without a doubt, the lower-rank soldiers did not want to fight the Austrians. Before the Anti-French War broke out, Tuscany was still a part of the Holy Roman Empire, and their ancestors had once been loyal to the Habsburg family.
Even now, Austria still had a strong influence in Tuscany; an influence that could not be eliminated in a short time. The soldiers' feelings towards Austria were complex.
