Within the ornately carved and painted Forty Columns Palace, the ambitious pronouncements of the Persian monarch and his ministers echoed, shaking the entire Middle Eastern geopolitical landscape and astonishing Facio and his entourage.
Seizing the moment, Facio stepped half a pace forward: "Your nation's aspirations align perfectly with those of my Papal States. All I have seen and heard on this journey speaks of a great nation; to meet Your Majesty in person reveals the demeanor of a true king. From emperors and generals down to commoners and slaves, all share this common belief. How can the Ottoman Empire not fall, and the Persian Empire not rise?!"
Despite Facio's enthusiasm, Abbas the Great grew distant: "I already understand the purpose of your envoy's visit. The Ottoman Empire spans three continents and has countless enemies. We believe we will have many trustworthy friends, but truly helpful ones are few and far between. The reason is simple: a vast disparity in strength."
Facio understood that Abbas the Great wanted to know the true strength of the Papal States and what it could do to jointly resist the Ottoman Empire.
Without hesitation, Facio stood tall and declared: "The Papal States is the leader of all Catholic nations, the core of Catholic nations, and the organizer that calls upon all Catholic countries to launch a Holy War against the Ottoman Empire! Before my departure for this mission, His Holiness the Pope had already finalized a plan for tens of thousands of our Papal States troops to enter the Hungary battlefield to resist the Ottoman Empire."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a chuckle came from beside Abbas the Great. Facio, utterly bewildered, looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a minister beside Abbas calmly step forward, oblivious to the almost imperceptible frown on Abbas the Great's face.
"For the past few hundred years, the Papal States, in conjunction with a host of Catholic nations, has launched countless grand sieges against the Ottoman Empire. Yet, all anyone has seen is the Ottoman Empire growing stronger day by day. With such results, how can one trust the capabilities of the Papal States?"
Facio's expression darkened, clearly embarrassed, but he quickly responded: "In the past, the Papal States indeed lacked sufficient strength. However, since His Holiness the current Pope ascended, he has carried out drastic reforms, and both our financial and military power far exceed what they once were.
Furthermore, before my departure, His Holiness the Pope had already formulated a meticulous plan with complete confidence to annex the Venice Republic in a single war. By now, the entire territory of Venice should already be a part of the Papal States, and the Papal States' navy can now roam the Mediterranean unchecked!"
Far away in Isfahan, Facio was completely unaware of the recent situation in the Papal States. Boasting so confidently at this moment clearly carried a certain risk, but if he didn't speak this way, this diplomatic mission would be very unlikely to yield any results.
Unexpectedly, the minister once again laughed uncontrollably, as if no one else was present, and it took him a while to recover: "Ha? Annex the Venice Republic in a single war? Is your His Holiness the Pope still dreaming? In my opinion, you might not see the Papal States annexing Venice when you return; instead, you might not be able to find the Papal States at all!"
As soon as these words were uttered, they immediately drew laughter from several other ministers, but upon noticing Abbas the Great's solemn expression, they quickly reined themselves in.
"Mind your words!" Facio, inexplicably humiliated, was seething with anger but found it difficult to erupt, restraining himself through gritted teeth.
To his surprise, the minister escalated: "Even if the Papal States were lucky, the Protestant Reformation is now in full swing. I fear your Pope no longer has the ability to organize a Holy War against the Ottoman Empire, which means he is even less capable of posing a threat to the Ottoman Empire.
With all due respect, the mere Papal States, and all other weak Catholic nations for that matter, cannot pose any threat to the Ottoman Empire whatsoever and are not qualified to be our allies. We can defeat the Ottoman Empire by ourselves, and only we can do it! You should stop fantasizing about dictating to us!"
Facio was momentarily speechless, left without a retort. Although angry, he couldn't deny that, from Persia's perspective, what the other party said seemed to be without fault.
Previously, Catholic nations had indeed launched multiple Holy Wars, large and small, against the Ottoman Empire, yet they had produced no noteworthy results. Now, with many countries either splitting into Protestantism or suffering greatly from the Protestant Reformation, they couldn't even organize a decent siege anymore.
However, it was truly peculiar that the other party wanted to completely block off the path without even listening to the conditions, and how could people from the Persian Empire be so knowledgeable about the European situation?
Just then, Abbas the Great finally spoke: "Farzad, are you trying to make decisions for me? And you have repeatedly spoken disrespectfully to a guest who has come from afar. What is your intention?"
Farzad, unperturbed, believing he had used his eloquence to sever any possibility of an alliance with the Papal States, explained righteously: "Your Majesty, I have no such intention. My heart is solely for the Persian Empire. If the Papal States wishes to form an alliance, it should demonstrate commensurate strength. However, it clearly did not, and instead spoke falsely, which I exposed!"
"Good, you've done very well!" Abbas the Great first clapped his hands lazily a few times, then his expression suddenly hardened, and he spoke chillingly, "Drag him out and beat him to death."
Farzad's face was filled with shock. Only when two guards rushed over and grabbed his shoulders did he confirm he hadn't misheard. He immediately cried out hoarsely: "Your Majesty, what are you doing, Your Majesty? I am loyal to Persia, loyal to you, Your Majesty!"
Abbas the Great did not respond. Only after Farzad had been dragged away did he coldly add: "All immediate family members are to be executed, and the rest of his clan are to be confiscated as slaves."
The sound of beating sticks from outside the palace and a final, abrupt scream announced Farzad's death, but the sound of the sticks continued.
Such a scene sent shivers down everyone's spines, especially the English adventurer Robert Shirley, whose head was now bowed so low it seemed about to bury itself in the ground.
Facio was even more dumbfounded, recalling that before his departure, His Holiness the Pope had told him that the monarch of the Persian Empire was a brilliant strategist but a ruthless man. At the time, he had thought it was just a rumor His Holiness the Pope had heard somewhere, but seeing it today, it was indeed true. His Holiness the Pope was truly a divine man!
Abbas the Great's decision to execute Farzad was certainly not a spur-of-the-moment whim, but a long-planned move. Abbas the Great had long noticed the increasingly serious infiltration of British influence in various aspects of Persia, especially its growing impact on foreign relations.
While this could secure more support from the British, in the long run, it would severely restrict the Persian Empire's diplomatic maneuvering space, severing ties with all Catholic nations, and ultimately leading to it hanging itself on a single British tree. This was something Abbas the Great could not tolerate.
As the pro-British faction grew increasingly brazen, Abbas the Great had long been determined to make an example of someone. Since Farzad had stepped forward on his own this time, his life could conveniently serve multiple purposes. As for whether what he said was right or wrong, or whether he was truly loyal, that was clearly no longer so important.