Austria-Hungary declaring war on Italy was nothing short of bad news for Napoleon III in the midst of the war.
Napoleon III wearily told the French generals, "Now we can be sure, the Austrians won't act in our conflict with Prussia, which also means we will face more Prussian troops."
This news was undoubtedly a heavy blow for the French army. Before the war, France underestimated Prussia, but once the fight began, France found itself caught in Prussia's endless wave tactics.
The current battle situation had turned disadvantageous for France. The Rhine corps was passively defending, while the southern division led by McMahon had completely fallen into a disadvantage, at risk of collapse at any time. Even the fifth army sent to support had achieved nothing, though an unexpected attack had caused significant losses to Prussia's fifth army, but the standoff in the Saverna area persisted due to reinforcements from the Heixinggen brigade and the third brigade led by Robert.
