Back in Rome, Augustus immediately began preparing for other matters without delay.
During the meeting, everyone expressed different opinions on the agreement Augustus brought back from Venice.
Romeo believed that there was no need to make such a big concession to Venice, and if he had gone, he could have reached an agreement with a smaller cost; Lorenzo felt that the cost was well worth it, not only for successfully reaching the agreement but also for greatly benefiting the repair of relations between the Papal States and Venice; David, although pained by the large sum of money spent, believed that as long as naval supremacy in the war against Ottoman with Austria's aid could be achieved with the help of the Venice Navy, the money spent would be worthwhile…
Regardless, the die was cast. Whether satisfied or regretful, nothing could change what had already been decided. All that could be done now was to quickly and safely send 500,000 to Venice so they could begin preparations as soon as possible.
Sending people casually to Venice risked them being intercepted halfway, and active soldiers had more important preparations to make. To prevent any mishaps, after discussion, it was unanimously decided that Lorenzo would dispatch a portion of the conscripted soldiers for paid escort to Venice.
With Augustus's return, the envoys who had been pre-scheduled to seek military support from other countries could now depart.
The main reason for involving as many countries as possible was not because the Papal States lacked troops, although more troops were always better. More importantly, involving more countries made things easier.
Of course, having other countries provide support was not without compensation; they would not only share the results but might also need to be given some tangible benefits beforehand. However, the Papal States did not concern itself with the demands of smaller nations.
The reason why Augustus did not send out envoys to other countries simultaneously before his trip to Venice was intentional. Augustus planned for Venice to first assemble its fleet and dock it along the coast of the Papal States, awaiting the arrival of armies from other countries.
The time gap during this period was crucial for utilizing the Venice Navy.
Other countries were mainly needed to provide support and lend influence, but the military strength of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was quite promising.
Firstly, Tuscany had considerable strength among medium-sized countries, especially its navy, which was second only to Venice and the Papal States in the Italian region, and historically defeated the Ottoman Empire navy in 1608; secondly, Augustus had close ties with the Medici Family and an early secret agreement, and the two nations were interdependent, making it highly probable that Tuscany would provide assistance.
Willingness to send troops was one thing, but how many troops they could send was another. In terms of numbers, the Papal States still had to strive for as much as possible. Therefore, Augustus took out the secret letter he had already written to Ferdinand of Tuscany and gave it to the envoy preparing to depart for Florence.
Ferdinand read the letter and naturally understood the importance of Tuscany's assistance, what kind of assistance was needed, and what benefits would be gained from providing it.
Besides the European allies, the strength of another country was worth noting. That was the Safavid Dynasty of the Persian Empire, which had achieved successive victories against the Ottoman on the eastern front and was about to enter its golden age.
Abbas the Great, the most renowned ruler of the Persian Safavid Dynasty, began his conquests after completing sweeping reforms in internal affairs, military, religion, economy, and other aspects.
Within a few years, the Persian Empire eliminated the Uzbek incursions, successively recaptured territories from Khorasan to Herat, brought everything south of the Amu Darya into its sphere of influence, and forced the Afghans to submit.
With the eastern front temporarily settled, Abbas was about to wipe away the Persian's century-long humiliation against the beleaguered Ottoman Empire.
From 1603 to 1604, he swept through the Caucasus region, and in 1605, he achieved his first major victory against the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Lake Urmia.
The war between Persia and the Ottoman Empire had just begun. The ambitious Abbas the Great's goal was not only to reclaim the old capital of Greater Tabriz but also to re-control the Caucasus Mountains and the Two Rivers region to open a direct connection from the Indian Ocean to the Black Sea, expelling Ottoman influence from East-West international trade.
And because he could not withstand such a sudden blow, the former Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III died suddenly. The newly enthroned Ahmed I was only 13 years old, and power completely fell into the hands of the Janissaries. This gave Persia an even rarer and excellent opportunity.
In the original timeline, Persia still achieved final victory. Now, under the influence of his own human factors, Austria did not end the Long Ottoman War with the Ottoman Empire in 1605, allowing the Ottoman to fully concentrate on Persia, and he would also commit a large number of troops to continue fighting the Ottoman Empire. What glorious results would Abbas the Great achieve then?
The enemy of an enemy is a friend. To curb the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, cooperation, communication, and exchange between the Papal States and the Persian Empire were indispensable.
Augustus had always eyed Suez, wanting to dig the Suez Canal to open up the East-West sea route. If he could cooperate with Persia, it would undoubtedly yield twice the result with half the effort. Of course, these were all matters for later.
Sending envoys to Persia was different from sending them to European countries, with the vast Ottoman Empire lying in between. Everyone now knew that the Papal States was about to go to war with the Ottoman Empire, so sending envoys to Persia at this time, even a fool would know what it meant.
If they were sent with great fanfare, they might be detained by the Ottoman Empire halfway or die from "bandit" ambushes. After all, it was common for the Ottoman Empire to execute foreign envoys in their own grand hall.
Furthermore, conducting diplomacy with the Persian Empire was completely unfamiliar to all diplomatic personnel of the Papal States. Therefore, even though Romeo knew the Pope wanted to send an envoy to Persia, he had not prepared a candidate.
Augustus pondered for a moment, and a person came to his mind.
"There was a young man who performed exceptionally well when he accompanied me to Venice. How about sending him to lead the mission to Persia?" Augustus asked for opinions.
"A young man? I'm afraid his qualifications are too shallow, and he might not command respect," Romeo deliberated.
"Young people need more experience, otherwise their qualifications will always be shallow. Moreover, young people have a lot of drive. Sending them to an unknown environment might have an unexpected effect, don't you think?"
Seeing the Pope's intention, Romeo no longer objected, but out of obligation, still reminded him: "The journey to Persia is dangerous. If you intend to cultivate this young man, you should try your best to ensure his safety."
"That is natural, but it's hard to guarantee absolute safety in anything, let alone in an unfamiliar environment. We can only do our best to prepare him, but once he's there, we can do very little to help him."
Romeo nodded: "May I ask the young man's name?"
"Facio."
For Facio, this was both an opportunity and a challenge. The final outcome would depend on his own abilities!