Katerina had vaguely guessed before, and now she was certain why she could remain in such a top-secret planning discussion among the high-level core of the Papal States. She was also a crucial part of the plan; the Pope wanted her to launch a public opinion offensive to cooperate with the Papal States' actions when the time came.
"Okay, I understand." Katerina immediately grasped what she needed to do. "Before the plan is finally executed, I will not leak a single word about anything related to it. I will make full preparations, completing all preparations independently.
Once the plan begins, the Rome Newspaper will immediately enumerate Venice's various crimes and widely publicize them. This will guarantee the legitimacy of the war and allow our Papal States to occupy the moral high ground in public opinion.
After the war begins, we can also report on the progress of the battles as needed, firstly to boost morale, secondly to deter enemy soldiers, and thirdly to prevent those countries observing from the sidelines from making rash moves..."
As Katerina spoke more and more, the smile on Augustus's face grew deeper. Every word perfectly matched his intentions. Everything he had considered, Katerina had considered; everything he had not thought of, Katerina had also thought of.
"Excellent, let's do it this way! If you need any more information, just contact any of these gentlemen present."
After speaking, Augustus slightly lowered his gaze in thought, then cast inquiring glances at Karl, Duke, and Giovanni to his left.
Giovanni was the first to ask, "Your Holiness, I have a question. Venice will send the Venice Navy over at that time, but the crew members are all Venetians. How will we control these ships then?"
"We certainly cannot let Venetians sail Venetian ships to attack Venice with us. We must find a way to deal with them before we can use these ships for ourselves."
After thinking for a moment, Duke rephrased, "Or, at least, temporarily detain them. If it doesn't affect the outcome, try to kill as few people as possible."
"Duke is right, kill as few people as possible. After we conquer it, we still need to govern, and too much killing is not conducive to management. Moreover, after winning, most of these people can be used by us anyway."
Then Augustus changed the subject, "Of course, we cannot throw out the baby with the bathwater. The most crucial thing is to win. Whatever is necessary is essential!"
"As long as the Venetian ships dock, taking control of these 'dolphins' once they are ashore will naturally be as easy as turning over one's hand." Karl clenched his fists. "However, there are still a few things I'm unclear about. Do we need to wait for the coalition to assemble? If the coalition assembles and finds the target has changed and is unwilling to participate, will it have an adverse effect on our plan? When do we start the operation?"
Augustus pondered carefully for a long time, and only after confirming everything did he give a meticulously worded answer: "There is no need to wait for the entire coalition to assemble. We will act before other countries arrive. Although it's called a coalition, everyone here probably knows how many people other countries will actually send. Moreover, the coalition is meant to counter the Ottoman Empire; using them to fight Venice is inappropriate and not worth the effort.
However, Tuscany is an exception. I had a secret agreement with the Grand Duke a long time ago, and they will also contribute to fighting Venice. The number of ships the Grand Duke has promised to send to assist this time is considerable. Venice's instigation of an assassination attempt on me within Tuscany's borders suggests a frame-up, so Tuscany's participation in the war is reasonable and legitimate.
According to the date, the Tuscan fleet should arrive in these next few days. They will rendezvous with our fleet in Fiumicino, then sail around the Apennine Peninsula, and proceed together to Ferrara, awaiting the Venice Navy.
After the Venice Navy arrives, we will use the excuse of waiting for the coalition to assemble to entertain them well in Ferrara, looking for an opportunity to disarm and detain them. Then, we will transfer sailors from our ships to pilot the ships brought by the Venetians, and recruit additional sailors from the surrounding areas to fill the crew vacancies.
At that time, I will also bring some officials to Ferrara in person to send off the army. This will not only stabilize the situation but also shorten the round-trip time, allowing for the fastest response.
The exact start time of the operation will be decided by you. Once you succeed, we will declare war on Venice, catching Venice off guard!"
"This way, our chances of winning against Venice will be maximized. This is truly a brilliant plan!" Karl's face was filled with excitement, and he once again exclaimed sincerely.
Everyone also clapped their hands in approval, praising the Pope's strategic brilliance, expressing their belief in victory, and their determination to fight to the death.
Only Faol showed concern: "Are we going to attack immediately after declaring war? This might not comply with international norms and will draw criticism. And if we include the operation to seize control of the Venice Navy, then it would be considered a direct undeclared war."
As soon as Faol spoke, everyone instantly fell silent. The tent was plunged into a deathly stillness, so quiet that you could clearly hear a pin drop on the ground.
Everyone knew that Duke's words were true. If they did this, the label of an undeclared war would certainly stick, and they would be very passive in public opinion. Other countries would also have a very reasonable excuse for intervention. However, if they didn't do this and gave the Venetians time to prepare for war, the difficulty of defeating Venice would increase exponentially.
After a while, Karl had a flash of inspiration and came up with a countermeasure: "We can send an envoy to declare war in advance, and have him 'kidnapped by anti-Papal States Venetians' upon his arrival in Venice. Then, at the appointed time, he can be 'rescued' by our own people from the Papal States, and the declaration of war can be delivered to the Doge's Palace. This way, the responsibility will be entirely with Venice."
"Brilliant!" Augustus clapped his hands in admiration, then looked at Enzo, "Enzo, can you do it?"
"A piece of cake, leave it to me! I guarantee it will be seamless." Enzo gave a sly smile. Such a tactic had a bit of his own flair, and he couldn't help but look at Karl with renewed respect.
"But how should we explain the operation to seize control of the Venice Navy?" Faol pressed.
"That's even easier. The Venetians provoked trouble and created friction. A certain soldier of the National Defense Force, unable to bear it any longer, retaliated. The Venetians, unwilling to show weakness, escalated the conflict, which finally ended with several regiments of the Papal States uniting to disarm all Venetian soldiers. As long as it is characterized as a local conflict initiated by the Venetians, it will never be considered an undeclared war on our part," Karl replied very skillfully.
"You truly are a talent!" Augustus couldn't help but laugh.
"But will others believe that? When all the events are linked together, everyone should see that we were prepared and set a trap for Venice," Faol still worried.
"Whether they believe it or not is not actually important. What powerful nations capable of intervention want are, firstly, interests, and secondly, an explanation. Interests can be negotiated, and we have already provided an explanation. As long as we handle things properly so they can't find any problems, that's all that matters.
What if we were prepared? What if we set a trap for Venice? As long as the outcome is not an undeclared war on our part, and our strength remains after the war, no one can do anything to us!"