Upon arriving in the Papal States, Giovanni witnessed Augustus's firm stance and flexible methods, which further solidified his belief in his promising future.
"Besides appointing Giovanni as Admiral of the Navy, we have another very important matter to discuss today."
As he spoke, Augustus continued to glance at the dejected Lorenzo from the corner of his eye, worried that he might make an impulsive and excessive move. Fortunately, seeing that his emotions were relatively normal, he still needed to find a way to appease him.
After pulling back the thoughts of the distracted ministers, Augustus spoke eloquently: "We are currently enjoying peace, but the soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire are engaged in a bloody battle with the powerful Ottoman Empire. You should all remember that we previously promised Austria that, in addition to economic aid, we would also send troops to assist them against the Ottoman Empire.
It has been almost a year now, and the information collected by our observation group sent to the Austro-Ottoman border is detailed and complete. During this time, the reorganization and training of the army have been completed, and once this bandit suppression is finished, they will have gained some practical combat experience. After a period of rest, it will be time for us to send troops!"
The others did not find anything wrong, but Enzo, who knew the most, was completely bewildered. The Pope had clearly told him to prepare for Venice, so why were they moving against the Ottoman Empire first? He hadn't made any preparations for the Ottoman side; in fact, to perfect the spy network in Venice, he had even transferred some personnel from the Ottoman side.
Faol suggested: "Your Holiness, if we are to draft the specific details of sending troops, wouldn't it be better to wait until Generals Karl and Duke are present? They are the direct implementers and the most professional. If we make the decisions, firstly, it won't be professional enough, and secondly, we know too little about the details, which could easily lead to problems."
"That is natural. I am certainly not asking you to decide how to fight now, but rather to inform everyone in advance that we will fight, and then make arrangements and preparations before the war. These tasks must be done in advance; it would be too late if we waited until the eve of the war."
Faol nodded: "Then no problem, I misunderstood."
"The supplies and armaments needed for the war, we need to procure sufficient quantities in advance and transport them to the designated locations in advance. This important task must be undertaken by someone capable and prestigious. Who do you all think is most suitable?" Augustus asked, feigning inquiry.
Everyone understood that the Pope was not genuinely seeking their opinions to select a candidate, so they all remained silent.
"Lorenzo, how about you take this on?" Augustus decided to give this opportunity to Lorenzo. If he handled it well, he could use the opportunity to reward and appease him. If he didn't, he would naturally have no face to ask for anything more.
Lorenzo responded with a forced smile: "I guarantee to complete the mission."
"For the procurement of supplies, you might not be too familiar with some key aspects, so let Faol assist you. For transportation, you happen to have conscripted soldiers currently serving; selecting a portion to execute this should not be difficult. The necessary funds should be reported to Faol and allocated from the national treasury.
We don't need to transport the supplies to the Austro-Ottoman border so early, as the battle situation there is still unclear. If the place where the supplies are transported falls or they are intercepted en route, that would directly aid the enemy. Moreover, we still need to decide where to transport the supplies based on how the war is fought. For now, let's transport all requisitioned supplies to the Ferrara region, and also requisition ships and sailors from all coastal areas to be ready."
These contents were all thought out by Augustus a year ago and had been reviewed hundreds of times in his mind, so he spoke very smoothly.
"Your Holiness, I have a question." Enzo questioned presumptuously, "Do we need to prepare all the supplies ourselves? Not to mention the human and material resources consumed, the losses along the way are also a considerable amount. For some interchangeable supplies, can we provide funds and let Austria requisition them locally?"
Augustus was quite speechless. It was fine if others didn't know, but he had already told Enzo that he was going to move against Venice, and he was still foolishly asking this question. Couldn't he see that these preparations were ostensibly for confronting the Ottoman Empire, but were actually aimed at Venice?
He couldn't directly state the real purpose now, otherwise, all the previous secrecy would be in vain. The relationships between nobles were complex, and it was hard to guarantee that there wouldn't be an internal traitor among the high-ranking officials of the Papal States. If his plan were to leak out, it would directly fail.
Now, Enzo's question put Augustus in a very awkward position.
Just as Augustus was racking his brains trying to come up with an excuse, an unfamiliar voice sounded.
"Enzo, His Holiness doing this certainly has his own considerations. The main threat to the Papal States comes from the north. Transporting reserve supplies to the northern strongholds is not only to prepare for this war but also to deal with other potential crises that may erupt, and it can also allow such a supply line to operate as early as possible, which can be said to achieve multiple objectives." The person speaking was Liam, the acting Minister of Internal Affairs, who had been promoted by Enzo.
Liam was not originally Enzo's man. To avoid suspicion, Enzo did not directly insert one of his own people into the position of Minister of Internal Affairs, but instead genuinely found an internal person with good political achievements and no blemishes. However, having received such a great favor from Enzo, everyone, including Augustus, believed that he was Enzo's man, even if he wasn't directly.
Well said! Augustus secretly praised him in his heart. It seemed he should pay more attention to this person. If he proved capable, allowing him to be formally appointed was not impossible.
"What Liam said is exactly what I was thinking!" Augustus affirmed without hesitation.
After Liam's reminder, Enzo suddenly understood and realized the Pope's true intention, and the doubts in his mind vanished.
"Your Holiness is far-sighted; I am short-sighted and cannot compare!" Enzo's flattery was perfectly placed.
"There is one more thing: we need to once again persuade as many countries as possible to join us in resisting the Ottoman Empire and aiding Austria. Although very few countries will come, we must do what needs to be done thoroughly."
"I'll take care of arranging this matter," Romeo volunteered.
Augustus nodded, then shook his head: "Other countries, if they come, it's icing on the cake; if they don't, it doesn't matter much. Only one country has something that is crucial for this battle."
"The Venetian Navy?" Enzo understood everything.
"Precisely."
"Then I will personally go to Venice, but in recent years, Venice and our relationship has not been good, so it will be very difficult, unless we can offer great benefits," Romeo said with some difficulty.
"No, I will go to Venice myself," Augustus said with determination.
"What?" As soon as these words were uttered, several people exclaimed in unison.
"Your Holiness, please reconsider. You are of noble status; how can you humble yourself to personally visit Venice? The relationship between our two countries is not good. If anything were to happen to you, we would be eternally to blame." Faol, who had reacted, was the first to dissuade him.
Augustus waved his hand: "No, my mind is made up; you don't need to stop me. For the sake of the country, we should spare no effort or life; what is this small risk? Moreover, I must personally appear to negotiate with Venice; if I send you, some matters cannot be decided independently. By humbling myself and going personally, I give Venice enough face, which will also facilitate the negotiations."
Seeing Augustus's resolve, Faol no longer tried to dissuade him but instead reminded him: "Then we must ensure everything is foolproof; your safety is also a matter of national importance. All guards must be brought along."
"Good."