When the news of Venice's victory arrived, the Papal States Field Army camp outside Verona completely erupted with excitement; most of the soldiers were overjoyed, but some, including Duke himself, felt a sense of regret.
To thoroughly defeat Venice's proud navy, capture the capital of Venice, and take the Doge of Venice alive—what immense military achievements these were! It was only a pity he had no part in them. Even if he were to conquer all remaining cities in Venice like a hot knife through butter, his military achievements in this war would be hard-pressed to surpass Karl's, especially since he had just stepped into Venetian territory and was immediately blocked by Verona, unable to advance an inch.
Along with the good news came materials and items proving the victory, including captured military banners, artifacts from the Dodge's Palace, and Donato's sword. This was not because Karl feared Duke wouldn't believe him, but rather for Duke to use.
Duke naturally understood Karl's intention. He ordered these items to be placed in the most conspicuous locations, had soldiers take turns shouting, informing the city's defenders about the situation in Venice, and tried various methods to persuade them to surrender.
The surrender demands initially caused quite a stir within the city, but Capello successively executed more than a dozen officers who wavered in their resolve. He then confidently analyzed from various angles that what the Papal States said must be false, regaining control of the situation. The soldiers had no choice but to believe it, whether they wanted to or not.
No matter how the Papal States soldiers outside the city presented facts and reasoned, Capello simply insisted that the items were fake and the news was false. Duke had no doubt that even if the Doge of Venice, Donato, were truly brought over, he would claim Donato was a fake, so he had no choice but to give up.
At night, Duke was discussing battle plans with his generals. With the great victory in Venice, the overall situation was now decided, and Verona was truly a tough nut to crack. There was no need for unnecessary sacrifices, and most generals agreed to bypass Verona for now, heading to Treviso to rendezvous with Karl and his forces to capture other areas of Venice.
Although this meant there would be no significant military achievements for him, Duke was not a commander who would disregard the lives of his soldiers for the sake of glory, so he agreed to the plan and would set off at dawn.
Just then, a guard at the door reported that Claudio requested an audience.
Duke felt a sense of unease and puzzlement. Claudio was in charge of logistics; what major event could make him personally come to the front lines? Could Venice still have troops that had infiltrated Papal States territory to cut off the supply line? If it were just that, under the current absolute advantage, it wouldn't be a big deal.
"Lorenzo has rebelled."
Claudio's first sentence upon entering the room stunned everyone present.
"Lorenzo has rebelled?" Duke's face changed drastically. "Where is he now?"
"This is a letter Lorenzo sent me, wanting me to stall you all to buy him time." Claudio pulled a secret letter from his Arms and handed it over. "Lorenzo has looted Urbino and is heading straight for Rome."
Duke hastily tore open the envelope, quickly scanned the letter, and then slammed his fist heavily on the table: "Damn it! His target is His Holiness the Pope! Rome only has two regiments of defenders; how can they withstand tens of thousands of Lorenzo's men! The Venice campaign can no longer be our concern; we must return immediately to reinforce!"
"But if our army returns to Rome by land, the distance is simply too far, and we will be intercepted along the way. It would be great if we could use the navy's ships to transport us to Ancona," Juan said worriedly.
Claudio dusted himself off and reassured them, "There's no need to be too nervous. Before I set off, I already sent people to Venice and Rome respectively to inform Karl and His Holiness the Pope.
When Karl receives the news, he should depart immediately, meaning he can reach Ancona before dawn. The messengers' speed will certainly be much faster than the army's, and Lorenzo's subordinates are all low-trained reservists, so they definitely cannot march overnight. If Karl is fast enough, he might be able to intercept the rebels before they reach Rome.
Although Lorenzo nominally has fifty thousand men, he can actually only gather at most twenty thousand in a short time. If His Holiness the Pope receives the news in advance and prepares, holding out for a few days should not be a problem. As soon as Karl's army arrives, Lorenzo will undoubtedly be defeated."
As soon as he finished speaking, Karl's messenger also arrived. The letter was very concise, with only two sentences, the content clear at a glance: one was about their movements, and the other was a request for Duke's side.
Indeed, Karl's National Defense Force had already set off, and just as Claudio said, they would be transported by ship to Ancona to land, aiming to intercept the rebels before they reached Rome. Duke trusted Karl's combat effectiveness, which finally put his mind slightly at ease.
After feeling relieved, Duke said with lingering fear, "Claudio, thanks to you, otherwise I truly don't know what the consequences would have been."
"This is all what I should do, it's just a pity that my abilities are insufficient, and I cannot stop the rebels myself," Claudio said modestly.
Duke's thoughts turned, and he solemnly promised, "It is already a disgrace to the Papal States for someone as untalented and immoral as Lorenzo to occupy the position of Military Minister. Who knew he would not only fail to appreciate His Holiness the Pope's benevolence but now even audaciously incite rebellion? He is truly unforgivable.
Once Lorenzo's rebellion is quelled, the position of Military Minister will naturally be vacant. You are crucial in this suppression of the rebellion, and His Holiness the Pope also appreciates you greatly. If you were to become the new Military Minister, we would have no worries on the front lines in our future campaigns. If you also have this idea, I am willing to lend you a hand."
Claudio's heart stirred, understanding Duke's meaning, but after careful consideration, he politely declined, "Thank you for your kindness, but His Holiness the Pope has his own judgment, and advice from others might backfire. If my merits and abilities are sufficient for this position, and I am favored by His Holiness the Pope, I will certainly do my best."
Duke nodded slightly and said no more.
"General, Karl is leading his army back to defend, asking our army to remain on the front lines to suppress Venice. Do we still need to adjust our original plan?" Alfred asked.
Juan grinned, "The original plan was to rendezvous with Karl's forces in Treviso, but now, as you see, there's no force to rendezvous with. I wonder if you all still remember, when we discussed this afternoon, we mentioned another idea?"
"You mean, to trick the Verona defenders out for a decisive battle?" Karl immediately thought of it, because this was exactly the tactic he most wanted to use, but he was at a loss for how to do it. "Have you thought of a way?"
Juan pointed to the secret letter Lorenzo wrote to Claudio: "Isn't this a ready-made solution?"
Duke understood immediately: "Brilliant! Let the Verona defenders know about Lorenzo's rebellion, making them mistakenly believe that Claudio, who is in the rear, has also rebelled and controlled Ferrara in the rear, cutting off our supplies.
Then, we feign a grand army bypassing the fortress and returning to quell the rebellion, leaving one regiment to besiege Ferrara. Then, Claudio, pretending to rebel, sends someone with Lorenzo's personal letter to Verona to request aid. Are we still worried about not being able to lure the snake out of its hole?"
"Good! However, this matter must be kept secret. The main army must truly bypass Ferrara, and then turn back in a hidden place. After returning, I will also create a false impression of rebellion on my side, and then have the former Venetian surrendered soldiers go to request aid."
Claudio was overjoyed; if this plan succeeded, he would gain new merit. Most of the high-ranking officials under Lorenzo were his trusted confidantes, and they would inevitably be purged after the war, while those of lower rank could not possibly have greater military achievements than him in this war. The originally unattainable position might truly fall into his hands.