The next morning, Augustus led a group of gaudily dressed nobles and all 225 members of the Swiss Guard on a grand procession, heading towards the Field Army camp outside the city.
Augustus brought the entire Swiss Guard not only for protection but also to allow them to exchange experiences with the Field Army.
The Swiss Guard's reputation across Europe wasn't solely due to their fearlessness; there were plenty of cannon fodder on battlefields, and fearless people were everywhere.
For a long period, the Swiss Guard's combat effectiveness was among the best in Europe, which was closely related to their efficient training.
"Dracula, once you arrive at the Field Army camp, observe and understand their training methods, noting their similarities, differences, strengths, and weaknesses compared to yours.
You can exchange and learn from each other; I believe this will benefit both sides."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
The grand procession attracted many citizens who stopped to watch, some even speculating about what major event was happening.
Augustus smiled at their guesses; what needed to be known and what they wanted to know would likely be easily discovered.
Although he had suggested going to the military camp to understand the situation, it might not appear that way to the public.
With many people in the city, the large contingent's movement was inconvenient, and some areas required crowd dispersion, so the convoy was delayed for a long time in the city before leaving Rome.
Looking back, this was Augustus's first time leaving Rome.
After leaving the city, Augustus clearly felt the road becoming much bumpier.
The road conditions outside the city were not comparable to those within, and with fewer people, the speed increased, intensifying the bumps.
After driving for a while longer on the bumpy road, they finally arrived at the Field Army camp.
The car ride on this road was even more nauseating than sailing on the sea previously, and Augustus was quite shaken, but seeing some of the nobles looking unwell made him feel much better.
Exhausted from the journey, some nobles already regretted coming on this trip.
Augustus had sent someone to inform Duke yesterday, so normally, someone should have been there to greet them.
However, everything was as usual; a few soldiers stood guard at the gate, Duke was nowhere to be seen, and routine training was underway inside the camp, which surprised Augustus somewhat.
Before Augustus could speak, a noble couldn't hold back and walked up to the soldier standing closest to the gate, asking arrogantly, "Does Duke know that His Holiness is coming today?"
To his surprise, the soldier didn't even look at the noble, walking directly to Augustus and reporting, "Reporting to Your Holiness, General Duke received your message and knew you would be arriving today, so he specifically ordered me to wait here at the gate for a long time.
The General has official duties, and I will lead everyone on a tour of our camp shortly."
The ignored noble immediately became enraged and shouted loudly, "Duke knows His Holiness is coming and still avoids him?
Does he intend to rebel?"
His voice seemed to hope that everyone in the entire military camp could hear him, and as he spoke, the noble glanced at His Holiness from the corner of his eye, hoping to catch a slight change in His Holiness's expression, but unfortunately, he found nothing.
Since he appointed Carl and Duke, the rumors and slanders against them that reached his ears had been endless, but Augustus had never taken them to heart.
The reason was simple: they had no reason to do such a thing.
Not everyone who spoke ill of them had a vested interest; on the contrary, most people had no connection to it at all.
Just because they were not natives was enough to provoke countless criticisms; xenophobia is human nature.
This time, the soldier did not ignore him, but his tone was full of disdain: "You can ask the General these questions in person when you see him; I believe the General will give you a satisfactory answer."
"Who wants to tour your camp? We are here for serious business.
Quickly, have Duke come out to see us, and that Juan too," another noble expressed his dissatisfaction.
Augustus waved his hand, showing considerable interest: "No matter, since we are already here, let's take a tour.
Don't disappoint Duke's good intentions; consider it a day trip.
I also want to see the current state of the Field Army; that matter can wait until after the tour."
"I don't see any good intentions from him," someone muttered softly, and everyone pretended not to hear anything.
Walking into the military camp, passing through the camps of various regiments, they saw well-disciplined troops and high morale; even the Eighth Regiment, which had only been formed two days ago, seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.
Many of the nobles in the touring party had visited the troops before these soldiers were integrated, and at that time, all units were at the same level, so they didn't feel any issues.
However, now with this comparison, the disparity became evident.
The nobles were dissatisfied with Duke's high position upon his arrival, but upon seeing the significant improvement in the army's combat effectiveness, they had to admit that Duke indeed had a knack for training troops, and their attitude towards Duke changed accordingly.
Regardless of their stance, when the country becomes stronger, normal people are genuinely happy.
Even for extremely selfish people, a strong country is in their self-interest.
Some nobles even began to feel that having an experienced veteran like Duke serve the Papal States was a good decision.
If sacrificing a portion of their own interests in the short term could significantly enhance the nation's strength, they might not be unwilling to accept it.
When the pie gets bigger, would they still worry about getting a smaller slice?
Generally speaking, the more one sacrifices, the more one gains in return.
The nobles were deeply moved by their own seemingly selfless thoughts.
However, a very small number of stubborn individuals were not happy at all.
In their view, Duke and they were ultimately not on the same path, and the more achievements he made, the greater the threat to them.
Only what they held in their hands was truly theirs; if it wasn't theirs, no matter how strong the country became, it had nothing to do with them.
Augustus was quite satisfied with Duke's training results; of course, they couldn't compare to modern armies centuries later, but compared to the quality of the army when he first took over the Papal States, it was definitely rapid progress.
Looking at Dracula, he saw him observing as he walked, occasionally stopping, nodding after a moment, and then continuing forward; it seemed he was gaining something, which made Augustus feel that bringing the Swiss Guard was the correct decision.
Then looking at the nobles, with their varied expressions, Augustus now roughly understood Duke's intention; the tour was not just for him, but primarily for these nobles, serving as both a display and a deterrent.
It seemed Duke was not as reckless as he appeared, but rather had a subtle side to him.