"What? You want to appoint him as the Admiral of the Navy for the Papal States? Your Holiness, how could you not consult us at all beforehand?" At the meeting, as soon as Augustus announced Giovanni's appointment, Lorenzo slammed the table and stood up.
Originally, as a dignified Military Minister, both the army and the navy were supposed to be under his jurisdiction. Last year, the military power of the army was completely taken away, and he gritted his teeth and endured it.
Now the Pope, without a word of warning, was about to take away the entire navy as well. What would he have left in his hands then? Conscripted soldiers? He would become an empty shell.
If he didn't fight for it now, there would be nothing left to fight for in the future, nor any bargaining chips to fight with. A Military Minister without a single soldier or a single cent would surely become a laughing stock among nations.
Augustus was stunned. He had indeed miscalculated Lorenzo. He had thought that Lorenzo had already given up when he had handed over the army's military power before, but he didn't expect him to stand up and stop him at this point.
Because Augustus didn't take this appointment seriously, he didn't even discuss it with his confidants beforehand, so this situation completely caught him off guard.
"Lorenzo, how can you speak to His Holiness the Pope with such an attitude? Sit down and talk properly if you have something to say," David said, feigning anger to mediate.
At this moment, Lorenzo also realized that he had overreacted, so he sat down accordingly: "I apologize, Your Holiness, I was too emotional just now. I apologize for my inappropriate words."
After a moment of contemplation, Lorenzo organized his thoughts and continued: "Of course, you have the power to decide personnel appointments and dismissals in the Papal States, but for the sake of the Papal States, I believe it would be better for us all to discuss and decide on some major matters."
Seeing that Lorenzo's attitude had softened considerably compared to just now, Augustus judged that there was still room for maneuver.
"You are right, I was negligent. Such an important matter should indeed be discussed and decided by all of us," Augustus first gave a frank affirmation, then changed the subject, with hidden malice, "I had originally thought that everyone had no objection to this appointment, but it seems I was indeed wrong. It's not too late to discuss it now, Lorenzo, tell me your reasons."
Augustus understood that if the navy were to be taken from Lorenzo's hands again, his title as Military Minister would truly be a misnomer. Other ministers also showed more or less dissatisfaction with his centralization of power, so he had to convince them with reason and silence the gossip, otherwise Lorenzo would not easily back down, and the other ministers would be happy to push Lorenzo to the front to stir up trouble.
Lorenzo argued with reason: "Your Holiness, although Mr. Giovanni comes from a prestigious family and belongs to the same Medici Family as you, and has served as a Field Marshal in Spain, he is not a native of our country after all, has no experience in naval command, and has not undergone any training or established any foundation in the Papal States. All of us know very little about him, and I'm afraid even you yourself don't know much about your uncle. If you directly place him in the position of Admiral of the Navy for the Papal States, I fear it will be difficult to convince the public."
Lorenzo addressing Giovanni as "Mr." clearly indicated that he did not recognize Augustus's appointment at all; deliberately emphasizing the Medici Family was nothing more than an implicit accusation of the Pope's nepotism; and the various unsuitabilities mentioned later clearly implied that the Pope was a poor judge of character. With words spoken to this extent, even if the tone was respectful, it was already a tense situation.
Facing Lorenzo's aggressiveness, Augustus no longer held back: "Lorenzo, I remember that when I appointed Karl and Duke, your reasons were largely similar, also saying that they were not natives of this country and so on.
But the facts now prove that they have done very well, building a strong army and being deeply loved by the soldiers and people of this country. They are currently outside clearing out bandits for our Papal States, and the results of these days are also obvious to all."
"The situation of Mr. Giovanni and Generals Karl and Duke is still different. Although Karl and Duke are not natives, they are from the army and have experienced many battles, their abilities are beyond doubt, and General Duke even came with his previous mercenary team.
Excluding identity issues, their abilities are absolutely qualified, and their appointment as army generals is still reasonable. Our initial doubts were only about their loyalty, and now they have proven themselves very well.
But Mr. Giovanni has no experience in commanding the navy. If you were to say that he has extremely high talent in naval matters, I'm afraid it would be nonsense. So, are you recommending a virtuous person for the Papal States, or do you have other motives?"
"Lorenzo, how dare you!" David angrily rebuked again, this time genuinely. If he had known Lorenzo was so reckless, he wouldn't have helped him mediate just now.
Augustus raised his hand to signal that there was no need to make such a fuss over a single sentence. Regardless, he had to convince them with reason this time, rather than using coercion to silence others.
"In the Battle of Lepanto, the Ottoman naval commander Ali Pasha was also an army officer and had never commanded a naval battle before," Augustus said calmly.
"But didn't the Ottoman Empire lose that battle?" Lorenzo was confused. His memory should not have been mistaken. Could it be that the Pope could misremember such a major event?
"But I think he fought well," Augustus spread his hands and added, "Actually, I haven't finished speaking. In that naval battle, our side's commander, Don Juan, also had all his previous achievements on land.
Two army generals with no naval battle experience commanded the largest naval battle in hundreds of years. It sounds a bit ridiculous at first, but that's how it is."
"But what does this have to do with your appointment of Giovanni?" Lorenzo was completely confused.
"Of course it has something to do with it. What I want to say is that even without any experience, one can be entrusted with such a great responsibility in a crisis. So, what's wrong with Giovanni serving as the Admiral of the Navy for the Papal States? Appointing Giovanni now gives him time to learn, improve, and understand, isn't that much better than pushing someone in at the last minute when the situation is urgent?"
"According to you, then the position of Admiral of the Navy could be held by anyone, so why must this person be Giovanni?" Lorenzo retorted sharply.
"Strictly speaking, many people can indeed be competent, but there is definitely a difference between good and not good. Appointing Giovanni, in my opinion, has at least these three advantages: Firstly, Giovanni previously served as a Field Marshal in Spain, and there are areas where the navy and army can be integrated, making learning more time and effort-efficient; secondly, as you said, Giovanni and I are family, compared to others, I naturally trust and understand my own family more; thirdly, this also sends a signal, indicating that our Papal States' navy is willing to introduce excellent talents from other countries. If you have a better candidate to recommend, feel free to speak up, tell us the advantages, and we can discuss whether it is more suitable."
Lorenzo had no prior knowledge and was completely unprepared, and he usually didn't pay attention, so he had no good candidates to recommend at the moment and was speechless.
"What about the others? Is there anything else you want to say?" Without waiting for Lorenzo's reply, Augustus scanned the room and asked.
The others saw that the Pope was speaking eloquently, and since it didn't concern them, they realized the atmosphere was not right and no one was willing to stand up for Lorenzo.
"Alright, since there are no objections, let's settle it for now. After all, war is already upon us, and if there are any issues later, we can make changes."
Lorenzo was still indignant, but had nothing to say.