The setting sun, like blood, stained the vast sea, stirring one's heart; the warm wind, like fire, swept across the flat and expansive Po River Plain, making one's blood boil.
The Venice fleet had been stationed in Ferrara for some time, and in the blink of an eye, July was drawing to a close.
Austria was still locked in a bitter struggle with the Ottoman Empire on the Hungary front, and seeing that the Allied Army had assembled but was slow to depart, letters of Urge flew in like feathered arrows, accompanied by gold, silver, and treasures for bribery. However, Augustus always brushed them off, citing that the Allied Army had not yet fully assembled. No matter how eloquent Austria's envoy was, the Allied Army remained as still as a mountain.
The various nations had little interest in this unprofitable battle. The Papal States' envoys sent to various countries to seek reinforcements also worked tirelessly day and night, relentlessly pestering the monarchs of each nation, much to their annoyance.
At this time, an envoy from the Papal States sent to Venice had successfully "disappeared" in Venice. Rumors claimed that there were forces within Venice hostile to the Papal States attempting to use this to damage relations between the two countries.
However, with a major war imminent, this minor interlude was not enough to affect the relationship between the two countries. The envoy's status was low, and no one in Venice knew why he had come to Venice, only considering it insignificant, merely putting on a show of searching for him with all their might.
In these days, Claudio strictly followed Augustus's requirements, prioritizing all supplies to Venice, making it widely known, and even acting obsequiously in front of the Venetians.
As a result, the Papal States' army was not just critical of Claudio; they were gnashing their teeth. Not only did the officers and soldiers of various armies scoff at Claudio, but even some of Claudio's own capable assistants started to shirk the tasks assigned to them with various excuses.
Claudio had not forgotten the Pope's instruction to strengthen security. Fortunately, thanks to the Papal States' military discipline, the special circumstances he worried about had not yet occurred.
Among the National Defense Force and the Field Army, a very small number of officers and soldiers guessed that the Pope was unlikely to be unaware of this and might have ulterior motives. But more soldiers who didn't know the truth became unbearable and reported it up the chain of command, until Karl and Duke, who knew the truth, suppressed it. Even more, seeing Karl and Duke unmoved, some higher-ranking generals bypassed the chain of command and jointly reported to the Pope.
In response, Augustus symbolically summoned Claudio and publicly reprimanded him. Of course, Claudio continued to do as he pleased after returning, without the slightest change.
There were already many conflicts between the Papal States and Venice, and now Tuscany was also involved. Coupled with the close proximity of the various camps and the unrestricted movement between them, the result was minor skirmishes every three days and major brawls every five, with constant conflicts.
For this, Augustus specifically established the Allied Army Arbitration Court to handle disputes between nations. Pisani strongly lobbied, and Augustus went along with it, so Venice, with the fewest people, ended up occupying the most seats in the Arbitration Court.
Thus, the problem became even greater. In the subsequent arbitrations, all cases related to Venetians, without exception, favored the Venetian side. The soldiers of the Papal States and Tuscany were full of complaints.
Unbeknownst to them, the Venetians gradually developed the illusion of being superior, and their actions became increasingly arrogant and overbearing. They even trespassed into the camps of the Papal States and Tuscany to provoke trouble. When conflicts arose and went to the Arbitration Court, if they won, it was simply overlooked; if they lost, the opposing soldiers were held accountable. Venetians were generally eloquent and adept at twisting facts. Pisani did not stop such acts of promoting national prestige, letting them run their course.
Augustus's almost accommodating attitude towards Pisani gradually made Pisani relax his guard. To reciprocate Augustus, and for his own sake, Pisani sent letter after letter urging for reinforcements back to Venice, forty kilometers away.
Under Pisani's constant urging, more ships and soldiers from Venice arrived at Ferrara one after another. There were already 150 ships from Venice, and the number of soldiers had reached over three thousand.
The number of ships had already exceeded half of the total number of ships Venice had assembled, although they were still primarily transport ships and small oar-sail warships with weaker combat capabilities.
However, when Pisani again requested Venice to send more reinforcements, Venice flatly refused, claiming that the remaining navy had to be used to maintain national maritime security, which made Pisani curse loudly in his military tent.
Upon receiving the news, Augustus understood that these were all the forces that could be extracted from Venice. There was no point in delaying any further. The time had come.
Previously, Karl had repeatedly suggested informing Riccardo of the truth, but Augustus had flatly rejected it. The reason was simple: it was not a distrust of Riccardo, but some things only appear natural when done unknowingly.
Ever since Augustus discovered the advantageous condition of Riccardo's strained relationship with Venice, Riccardo had unknowingly become a crucial part of the plan. And to trigger this part, Karl was needed.
On a distant mountaintop, Karl and Riccardo stood side by side, looking down, with the entire camp in full view.
"Karl, why did you call me all the way here?" Riccardo's mood, having endured much from the Venetians these days, was naturally not good.
Karl, however, was in no hurry: "What, I can't look for you without a reason? Look at this vast sky and setting sun, how beautiful it is!"
"It's beautiful, but if this continues, it will be replaced sooner or later. Look over there, the moon has already come out to compete for glory. Who knows how long this setting sun can last." Riccardo pointed in the opposite direction, where a silhouette was faintly visible in the clouds.
"Riccardo, you have a hidden meaning in your words." Karl's smile did not diminish.
"Even in our own territory, we have to obey the Venetians. When we get to sea, we'll be at their mercy."
Karl immediately retorted: "How could that be? Here, it's only because His Holiness the Pope is watching us that we repeatedly tolerate them. When we get to sea, His Holiness the Pope won't be with us, so how can we let Venice continue to be so arrogant!"
"Really? Then I hope we set off soon, so I don't have to suffer here." Riccardo said bitterly.
Karl pondered for a while, then slowly began: "To tell you the truth, these days we've had to give way to the Venetians everywhere. When conflicts arise among the men, even if it's Venice's fault, it's always pushed back on us. The soldiers below feel aggrieved, and His Holiness the Pope blames me for not controlling my subordinates well. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I'm thoroughly fed up.
I have a small plan to teach the Venetians a lesson. Are you interested in joining?"
"Oh? Tell me about it." Riccardo's spirits immediately lifted.
"Don't the Venetians like to wander into our camps? The Arbitration Court is full of their people, and in minor skirmishes, we always end up losing. Since that's the case, why don't we…"