"Alright, so the bandit suppression is settled. We'll discuss any further issues as they arise. The thirteen years between Austria and the Ottoman Empire…" Realizing he shouldn't refer to it that way, Augustus quickly corrected himself, "The war that has been going on for thirteen years, what is the current situation?"
"As far as I know, the war between Austria and the Ottoman Empire has been in a stalemate for some time now. And this war has dragged on for too long. If I'm not mistaken, they should be making peace within this year." Romeo, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, had been closely following the global situation and was the most authoritative person to speak on the matter.
Augustus nodded. Romeo's estimate was quite accurate. In the original timeline, this protracted war indeed ended this year, but now he wanted this war to continue.
"I believe we should help our brethren in the Lord fight against the powerful enemy," Augustus said seriously.
"Haven't we always been providing war aid to Austria? For thirteen years! But this has had no impact on the war. We keep taking money from the national treasury, yet they've made no progress on the battlefield."
David had always believed that the Papal States' support for Austria in this war was a meaningless waste. Several Popes had changed, yet the war continued, which only strengthened David's original conviction.
"Indeed, merely providing war aid is far from enough." Augustus did not deny David's words, yet his tone shifted in the opposite direction.
"Your Holiness, with all due respect, unless other countries join the war, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for us to change the situation, no matter what we do." Clearly, David did not approve of increasing support for Austria; if anything, he hoped to cancel the war aid and let them fend for themselves.
"Didn't the Safavid Dynasty of Persia declare war on the Ottoman Empire a few years ago? And they achieved many good results. With a two-front attack, the Ottoman Empire must be under considerable pressure, right?" Augustus humbly inquired.
Lorenzo also disagreed with supporting Austria. Although Lorenzo and David did not get along well, they were very much in agreement on this point: "But distant water cannot quench a nearby thirst. Persia has been fighting the Ottoman for several years, yet the situation on the Austrian side remains deadlocked. This is enough to prove the point.
If you believe that dragging it out can exhaust the Ottoman, I can responsibly tell you that there is absolutely no such possibility. Austria will give out before the Ottoman. And for the Ottoman Empire, Persia is merely a minor nuisance, unable to harm its foundation."
Augustus was not surprised by Lorenzo's words. Many Europeans of this era, due to the terrifying lingering prestige of the Ottoman Empire from the last century, suffered from severe Ottomanophobia, often overestimating the Ottoman Empire's strength.
As for Persia, because of the greater distance, there was a lack of understanding. Even if they achieved some great victories, they were still not optimistic, merely assuming that the Ottoman had not exerted its full strength, and Persia had won by luck, creating only a minor inconvenience for the Ottoman.
"David, what did you just say 'unless' what?" Augustus asked, feigning ignorance.
"Unless? Unless other countries join the war. Is there a problem?" David looked confused.
"There can be, why not? Aren't we?"
At these words, everyone was stunned.
"Your Holiness, are you serious?" David asked tremblingly, his eyes filled with terror.
"Of course. Haven't you all guessed it? These past few months, our military expansion, implementation of conscription, integration, and training have all been in preparation for war, haven't they? Now I can tell you clearly: our opponent is none other than the Ottoman Empire." Augustus said spiritedly.
"But with our current military strength, it's a drop in the bucket for helping Austria fight the Ottoman!" David exclaimed.
"Do you have so little faith in our own soldiers?"
"No, that's not what I mean. Our soldiers are indeed excellent, but the enemy is too powerful." David just thought about the Ottoman Empire's territory and felt a wave of panic.
"It seems His Holiness is not discussing this with us, but rather announcing it." Enzo offered a kind reminder, implying that David should stop trying to persuade him.
David understood this point; it was very difficult to change the Pope's mind at this moment, but he still insisted on trying: "Our soldiers' training has only just begun. If they are directly put into battle, I'm afraid they won't be able to perform at their maximum potential."
"You don't need to worry about that. I am only announcing this matter to everyone and to the outside world for now; I am not dispatching troops to Hungary immediately. There is still some time before we truly join the war, which is enough for the army to complete basic training."
"But I'm afraid that as soon as we announce this to the outside world, the Ottoman will make the first move, crossing the Aegean Sea to attack us. Then we might all be in danger." David finally articulated his biggest fear.
"If the Ottoman still had the spare capacity to attack us, would the war with Austria still be a stalemate?" Augustus replied very calmly.
"I'm afraid that because of our stance, the Ottoman will be enraged, abandon Austria, and come straight for us. And even if the Ottoman can't spare troops now, what about later? What do we do if they seek revenge?" Due to fear, David's mind was in turmoil, and his words were somewhat incoherent.
"David, that's enough! Do you have any courage left? The Ottoman Empire has always been our enemy—it was in the past, it is now, and it will be in the future. If everyone were like you, we would truly be not far from destruction!" Francesco sternly rebuked him.
"The more privileges one gains, the less courage one possesses," Duke muttered softly, his voice so low that even those closest to him couldn't hear clearly.
"Do you think I'm doing this for myself? I'm doing it for the safety of our entire Papal States!" David argued, his neck stiff, his face slightly flushed. As if sensing it, David lowered his head and said no more after that statement.
After "persuading" David, Augustus continued to add: "We can also have our ambassadors stationed in various Christian nations lobby these countries to send troops to help Austria and fight our common enemy: the Ottoman Empire.
As long as the Ottoman-Austrian war is not over for a single day, they should persuade them non-stop until they succeed. After all, they are idle anyway; they can't just eat without working."
"Holy War?" Romeo asked involuntarily.
"Holy War? No, no, no, it's not a Holy War. It's just persuading various countries to resist the Ottoman and aid Austria, defensive in nature. Success is best, but failure doesn't matter. We'll try to gain as many as we can." Augustus patiently explained.
In the original timeline, this Pope, Paul V, indeed organized a Holy War against the Ottoman Empire, but not now, and it was unsuccessful. Simply put, few countries paid attention to him, and it fizzled out. Subsequent Popes never organized a Holy War again. Knowing it was futile, Augustus naturally would not pursue it.