As time passed, more detailed information began to flow in from the spies who had infiltrated Florence and Livorno.

The catch, however, was that while the information was detailed, it wasn’t necessarily certain.

A summary of the information sent by the spies was roughly as follows:

• -The scale of the newly arrived Imperial fleet in Livorno is around 20 ships.
• -About half of these are a transport fleet, scheduled to return soon.
• -Among the large ships stationed in Livorno, one is a dedicated transport vessel. However, it is said to be the fastest ship in terms of speed alone.
• -The two steamships are known to be ironclads.
• -Due to the strict Imperial guard, they could not get close, but it is estimated that the number of gunports on their sides is the same as the Challenger-class.
• -As a result of sorting through credible rumors, the Imperial forces to be stationed in Florence are estimated to be approximately 4,000 for the army and 4,000 for the navy.

“Hmm…”

The naval command of the great powers, upon receiving the spies’ reports, once again racked their brains and began their analysis.

“The claim that the transport ship is the fastest makes sense if you look at the number of sails… but the problem is the steamships.”

“Agreed. It would be most reasonable to view them as ironclads, wouldn’t it?”

“That seems most logical. No matter how crazy those ‘Land of Flowers’ bastards are, even they can’t manage a full iron ship.”

Most of the naval officials of the great powers agreed with the opinion that the Assault Turtle Ships were ironclads, not iron ships.

• -No matter how high the Empire’s technological level is, a full iron ship is impossible! It’s out of the question!

It was a conclusion they considered most rational, tailored to their own level of understanding.

However, a fiery debate erupted among the naval officials over the next item.

• -Is the armament of those steamships truly the same as the Challenger-class warships?

On this issue, the naval officials were split in two.

“What kind of bastards do you think the ‘Land of Flowers’ are? They’re at least twice the size of a Challenger-class! And you think they’d put the same number of cannons on a body that much bigger? Unless they’ve all lost their minds, there’s absolutely no way that’s happening!”

“You have to consider that they’re steamships! Think of the iron horse! It’s a machine that needs to be filled with water and coal at every opportunity! This is a ship, a ship that’s much bigger than that! It’s certain that space is for filling with water and coal!”

“Their iron horses are more efficient than the ones we’ve built! You have to consider that! Of course, they’ll fill the extra space with water and coal, but not all of it! I myself would definitely have added more cannons! At least ten more!”

“You have to think about the steam engine! If you add more cannons, you have to carry more gunpowder and cannonballs, and you can’t store them next to a blazing steam engine! If you think about the safety of the ship, there’s a definite limit!”

While the officials, split into these two factions, were engaged in a blood-splattering debate, others came up with a different idea.

“Speaking of the steam engine, something just occurred to me. Those bastards came from the west, didn’t they?”

“They did. So what?”

“The Atlantic is no small sea, is it? And they crossed that sea? What about drinking water and food? And the coal and water to run the steam engines?”

“What you’re saying is…”

In an instant, all those engaged in the fierce debate had expressions like they’d been sucker-punched.

Although they had been unable to obtain information about the New Frontier due to the Empire’s persistent interference, the European great powers had secured considerable information about the eastern Atlantic.

And according to that information, to the west of the Azores Islands, secured by Portugal, lay a vast, boundless ocean.

“Hmm…”

“I think we need to rethink this from the beginning.”

It wasn’t just talk; the naval officials of the great powers re-analyzed everything from scratch.

“Of the 4,000 Imperial Navy personnel stationed in Livorno, the number that arrived with that fleet is at most 3,000 and at least 2,500. Even at the minimum, the food and supplies they would consume are…”

“If the scholars’ calculation of the Earth’s circumference is accurate, their voyage would have been a minimum of two months and a maximum of six. Taking that into account…”

Those who embarked on calculations based on their own standards and data looked at the numbers filling their vision and immediately called for their subordinates.

“Bring the abacus! Or at least the counting frame!”

“Sir!”

Those who casually received the abacus and counting frames paused for a moment. Staring intently at the tools in their hands, they soon burst out into a smirk.

“Using an Imperial invention to do calculations for a fight against the Empire… what an irony.”

In any case, the naval admirals wore grave expressions as they looked at the conclusion that came out of this re-analysis from scratch.

“Perhaps they’re empty ships. Or at most, capable of one battle.”

“No matter how you look at it, the possibility of them being empty is nil, so viewing it as one battle is the most likely scenario…”

“One battle… hmm… if we do this…”

While the hawkish admirals were devising their own plans, the more cautious admirals wore cynical expressions.

“You’re not thinking we can actually win that one battle, are you?”

“If we play our cards right, isn’t it possible?”

“You’re not ignorant of our warships’ firepower, are you? That ‘playing our cards right’ wouldn’t happen to be praying for a miracle in a cathedral, would it?”

“…”

“Our navy’s entire strength would be wiped out in that single battle.”

The hawkish admirals yelled at the points made by the cautious admirals.

“Then what do you propose we do?! Just hand over the Mediterranean to those bastards?!”

To the hawkish admirals’ accusation, the cautious admirals replied with calm expressions.

“I believe the beginning of any operation to achieve victory against the ‘Land of Flowers’ is diplomacy.”

“Diplomacy?”

“Ah!”

The hawkish admirals, who were chewing over the words of their cautious counterparts, let out a collective gasp of realization.

The interesting thing was that regardless of the country, the navies of the great powers had all reached the same conclusion.

• -Alone, we are certain to be defeated.
• -In that case, what about joining hands with other countries?
• -With our strength alone, defeat is certain, but if we form a coalition, the outcome could change.

***

The monarchs of the great powers, upon receiving the recommendation from their naval command, wore troubled expressions.

“A coalition… an alliance, you mean?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“Good grief… to think we have to join hands with them of all people…”

The great powers competing over Italy were not on good terms.

This was because a vicious cycle of biting and being bitten had continued for a long time.

First, France and the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire were on bad terms over the interests at stake in Italy and the issue of Switzerland. And after Louis XI forcibly annexed the Duchy of Burgundy, the relationship had hit rock bottom.

And France and Spain were not on good terms either. This was due to frequent border disputes between France and Spain, and the conflict over the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily.

At least there were no particular disputes between the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, but their relationship wasn’t close either.

That was why the monarchs wore troubled expressions upon hearing the navy’s proposal.

Among the monarchs, the one who showed the strongest aversion was the new king of France, Charles VIII.

***

Although he lived longer than in the history before Hyang’s intervention, Louis XI died shortly after Charles VIII came of age.

Still, because Louis XI had lived a long life, Charles VIII was able to seize power directly without going through the regency of his sister, Anne de Beaujeu.

And Charles VIII’s subsequent marriage further worsened the relationship between France and the Habsburgs.

This was because Duchess Anne de Bretagne, whom Charles VIII married, was originally betrothed to Maximilian I of the Habsburgs.

However, France and Charles VIII, who could not hand over an important strategic point in southern France to the Habsburgs, had pushed the marriage through.

From the perspective of the Duchy of Brittany, the marriage to Charles VIII was an irresistible force.

Perhaps as a backlash to the history twisted by Hyang’s intervention, France’s national power grew strong relatively quickly.

In particular, the annexation of the Duchy of Burgundy, which occurred much earlier than in the history before the intervention, was a decisive event that brought about the rapid growth of France’s national power and the decline of the Habsburgs.

In the history before Hyang’s intervention, the master of Burgundy was the Habsburgs.

With the support of Spain, which had become an ally through marriage policies, and the national power gained through Burgundy, the Habsburgs had existed as France’s most powerful rival.

However, due to the twist caused by Hyang’s intervention, the Habsburgs had been demoted from France’s ‘powerful rival’ to the status of a ‘rival requiring caution.’

Because France had quickly returned to being the hegemon of Europe through the backlash of history, the Duchy of Brittany had no choice but to see the marriage between Charles VIII and the Duchess to fruition.

When Hyang heard this story later, he muttered to himself.

“They say reality is sometimes stranger than fiction… NTR[1], huh…”

***

Upon hearing the navy’s proposal, Charles VIII felt a strong sense of aversion, but he could not reject it outright.

This was because he understood the reason the navy had made such a proposal.

Therefore, Charles VIII gathered the generals of the compagnies d’ordonnance, the admirals of the navy, and his ministers.

“…And so, the navy has made this proposal. I would like to hear your opinions.”

At Charles VIII’s words, the attendees quietly exchanged whispers and shared their opinions.

After a long period of murmuring and exchanging views, the first to speak were the generals of the compagnies d’ordonnance.

“From the army’s perspective, the navy’s proposal is not a bad one. To be honest, considering our final objective, the Kingdom of Naples, it is a very good plan.”

France’s ultimate target in Italy was the Kingdom of Naples.

If they took Milan and annexed the Kingdom of Naples, France would be able to secure its own independent transportation route from Suez to France.

And if they secured that transportation route, France would be able to further strengthen its influence over Northern Europe.

No, it wouldn’t just stop at a simple expansion of influence; if they began to annex territories one by one, they might even be able to resurrect the Frankish Kingdom of the old Charlemagne.

‘Of course, the Duchy of Savoy is in the way…’

Although the Duchy of Savoy was situated on the path to Milan and Italy, it was not a major obstacle for France and Charles VIII.

‘Come to think of it, the Habsburgs and Spain aren’t major obstacles either…’

Having started to produce its own gunpowder, France was able to arm itself by independently producing the Eul-type long rifles and Eul-type Hwachas.

With the ability to independently produce and supply long rifles, Hwachas, and ammunition, France’s military power had grown by leaps and bounds, and in their eyes, the Habsburgs and Spain were not much of a concern.

France’s real worry was the Imperial Army stationed in Florence and the 100,000 Swiss mercenaries.

To be precise, it was the unknown number of Imperial Army and Navy troops, the Swiss mercenaries whose numbers were growing from 50,000, and finally, the 20,000-strong Florentine standing army.