After enduring two rounds of volleys, Pisani recovered and, following suit, ordered his soldiers to re-form their ranks, having the pikemen cover the musketeers as they exchanged fire with Tuscany across various obstacles.
At such close range and with such dense troop distribution, the accuracy of both sides' muskets was quite high, and even with many repeat hits, the casualties inflicted were far greater than at fifty meters away. The front lines of both sides quickly piled up with layers of corpses, and in some high-frequency impact points, the bodies had already formed new cover.
Since the two nations had comparable firearm technology and similar proportions of musketeers, Tuscany, despite a slight advantage in manpower, could rely on cover. For a time, both sides fought back and forth, with casualties being equally high.
At the Papal States Camp, deployments were being made in full swing at this very moment. To prevent information leakage, not many people knew about this plan beforehand.
Carl and Duke first urgently summoned the various generals to their shared military tent, where they presented the sword personally bestowed by the Pope as proof of legitimacy, demonstrating their authority to deploy troops and stating that they were conveying the Pope's will.
Seeing the two commanders' solemn attitudes, the generals understood that something major was about to happen. Each one fell silent, awaiting their commanders' orders.
At this time, Carl and Duke still did not intend to reveal the Pope's entire plan. Firstly, to extend the period of secrecy as much as possible; secondly, there was no time to introduce the entire plan in detail, and saying half was worse than saying nothing; thirdly, to defeat the three thousand Venice soldiers surrounded, it was more than enough for the soldiers to vent their accumulated anger from many days, and there was no need for everyone to understand what was going on.
After confirming there were no objections, Carl and Duke exchanged glances. Duke nodded slightly, and Carl directly stated the situation: "I just received reliable news that Venice soldiers were detained for unprovokedly starting a dispute at the Tuscany Camp, and Tuscany has deployed defenses at the camp boundary.
When Venice soldiers came to retrieve them, another conflict broke out, and that old geezer Pisani actually led his army to charge the Tuscany Camp. Both sides directly engaged in fierce combat, and the situation is very intense, possibly having already caused hundreds of casualties.
His Holiness the Pope is not here, but we cannot stand idly by. Let's discuss what we should do?"
"Venice soldiers provoked trouble and attacked friendly forces, and Pisani's troops mutinied, which is tantamount to rebellion. We should immediately dispatch troops to suppress them!" Having understood the intentions of the two commanders and indeed having been holding back for days, Juan, the commander of Duke's Field Army Eighth Regiment, immediately declared with conviction.
As soon as these words were uttered, the other generals also seemed to awaken from a dream, understanding the commander's intentions, and each was both surprised and delighted.
"Well said!" Duke praised without stingy, "Indeed, he is a man who climbed out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood with me; his words are truly impactful. I have also been holding back too much. Previously, when Venice soldiers provoked trouble, we endured it, but this time they actually launched an organized attack on friendly forces, causing hundreds of casualties. This is utterly lawless!
If His Holiness the Pope were here, he would certainly not tolerate such actions from the Venetians. The battle is still ongoing, and the number of casualties is still rising. To promptly control the situation, we must immediately send troops to suppress them.
I propose we deploy all our forces and launch attacks on Venice from all directions, ending the battle with overwhelming force, striving to subdue all Venice soldiers in the shortest possible time, and await His Holiness the Pope's return for disposition. Those who dare to resist will be executed without mercy!"
"We must send troops to suppress them! I completely agree with this point." Carl first expressed his approval, then offered a different opinion, "However, we have too many people, and a chaotic charge might not be effective. If we were to commit all forces from all directions, coordination and deployment would be a major problem, and using long-range weapons could easily cause friendly fire. Once chaos ensues, it would instead give Venice soldiers an opportunity to escape.
My suggestion is that General Duke and I each lead an elite force to reinforce the Tuscany Camp from the north and south, assisting the Tuscany soldiers in crushing the Venice formation directly in front of them. The remaining units will establish defensive lines at the camp boundary and hold their ground firmly, to prevent Venice soldiers from breaking through and escaping.
At the same time, all artillery in the army should be moved behind the first defensive line to bombard enemy positions before our army attacks. It is crucial to carefully determine the boundaries and control the range to avoid friendly fire during artillery attacks."
Duke, being straightforward, thought for a moment and felt that Carl had indeed considered things more thoroughly. He nodded in approval, saying, "A good strategy. I was not thorough enough before. We will follow your suggestion."
The musket exchange between Venice and Tuscany continued, but after some time, both sides showed signs of fatigue, with their firing speed and accuracy significantly decreasing. Also, as the corpse-formed cover in front of the positions grew higher, the casualties caused by each round of firing decreased significantly.
While all of Venice's attention was focused on the battle with Tuscany directly in front of them, defensive lines had quietly been established in other directions around the Papal States Camp. Behind the Papal States' lines, hundreds of cannons were already aimed at the Venice Camp, and hundreds of elite cavalry were poised for action.
Neither Carl nor Duke, who were aware of the plan, nor the indignant Papal States soldiers, had any intention of holding back against Venice.
Pisani was fully concentrated on the battlefield before him, completely unaware of the changes occurring in other directions. Looking at the horrific scene of blood flowing like rivers, Pisani felt a slight pang of heartache but nodded with satisfaction.
Having fought to this extent, it was a satisfactory explanation for both the soldiers and the nation. The soldiers of both sides remained clearly separated, not intermingled in a chaotic melee. This was the perfect time for a truce, to use the opportunity to withdraw. Once at sea, he would have nothing to fear even if the Tuscans pursued him.
Just as Pisani was about to order a retreat, a tremendous roar erupted in his ears, shaking him so much that he barely managed to steady himself, only to be instinctively tackled by several personal guards beside him. In the center of one square formation, several Venice soldiers' bodies were instantly torn to shreds by artillery fire and flying gravel.
"Get off me!"
Pisani angrily pushed away the personal guards on top of him and scrambled to his feet, looking in horror towards the direction from which the cannonball had come. That was the Papal States Camp; his worst fear had come true.
The Papal States army had come to help Tuscany, and he had no chance of escaping unscathed; the enemy's reaction was so swift, they must have been prepared long ago; and the immediate use of artillery bombardment without a word meant that there was no room for negotiation.
Pisani understood, but Riccardo looked astonished: "Didn't you say it was just a lesson? Why use cannons right away? Bombarding such a dense formation with cannons can cause as many casualties in the blink of an eye as I inflicted in half a day just now. And this is just the beginning. If the Papal States soldiers charge again, how many of these three thousand Venice soldiers will be left? If it comes to this, how can we possibly continue to cooperate?"