‘Even if we are to lose, we must land a solid blow. Then, we will secure our political stake through negotiations.’

The Integrationist faction unanimously opposed the Independents’ idea.

“That’s absurd!”

“To demand a stake, you must possess strength! Do you really think they will listen to our demands after we’ve wasted our military power in a pointless battle?”

The Integrationists’ point was a sound one. But the Independents would not back down.

“What good is a strong army if we don’t use it! If we bow our heads and crawl to them now, we won’t get our fair price! We have to show them a powerful blow! An impression that says, ‘Venice is strong!'”

“And for that one impression, you want to throw away our precious military strength? We’d be far better off preparing for a siege against the Habsburgs camped below us!”

“Battle is the only answer! Only then can we secure Venice’s autonomy and sovereignty after the unification! Our glorious Venice! We cannot place our home under the likes of Florence, Milan, or Genoa! Especially not Genoa! To beg for negotiations from the very losers who once cowered before us! This is a humiliation! It must never happen!”

The members of the Integrationist faction lamented at the Independents’ cries.

“This is madness, sheer madness…”

“They’re going to ruin everything for the sake of pride…”

Unfortunately, most of the citizens of Venice thought much like the Independents.

-We have to bow our heads to the misers of Florence and the losers of Genoa? Absolutely unacceptable!

-We are the citizens of the great Venice!

-No one can look down on us!

-Above all else, we can never tolerate being at the beck and call of those Genoese bastards!

In the end, it was Genoa that drove the ruling class and citizens of Venice to make and support the irrational decision to ‘fight first, negotiate later.’

***

The Battle of Chioggia in 1380, which had branded Genoa as the loser, was the source of Venice’s pride; it was their everything. Through that victory, they had brought about Genoa’s downfall and firmly established themselves as the dominant power in the Mediterranean.

-No matter what anyone says, the Mediterranean belongs to us, Venice!

However, this Venetian glory began to fade rapidly after Hyang’s direct intervention. At some point, Florence began to rise as a major Mediterranean power, and with the establishment of the Suez route, Venice was continually pushed to the periphery. Meanwhile, Genoa, which had been nervously watching the surrounding great powers amidst its own unstable politics, was once again stretching its limbs. An investment made through connections with the Spanish aristocracy had paid off handsomely.

While it was vexing enough for Venice to be supplanted by Florence, the revival of Genoa was infuriating. To make matters worse, when Florence’s Medici family took the lead in calling for the ‘unification of Italy’ and urged them to join, most Venetians, regardless of their station, reacted with outrage.

-Unification? Fine! But the protagonist of that unification must be us, Venice! Not those Florentine money-grubbers!

It was in the midst of this social consensus, as Venice was making its own preparations, that news of Genoa’s defeat arrived.

“Hahaha! Those Genoese losers have lost again!”

“A loser is just a loser!”

“This calls for a festival!”

But the rumors that soon followed the news of Genoa’s defeat were enough to turn their joy into rage.

-They say the Genoese are flocking to join the army!

-For the unification of Northern Italy, they say!

“The only place left in Northern Italy is our Venice, isn’t it?”

“Those bastards!”

Ultimately, the old, deep-seated grudge against Genoa had obliterated the reason of the Venetian people.

***

Venice’s movements were relayed to Florence by spies planted by the Medici family. Analyzing the reports alongside Lorenzo de’ Medici, Hyang wore an expression of disbelief.

For heaven’s sake!

Right now, Venice’s choice was simple.

-If I hit them with one really good punch, they’ll get scared and negotiate, right?

Countless nations have been ruined by that logic, and they’re choosing to do it? Ah! This is a long time before their era, isn’t it?

Grumbling internally, Hyang looked at Lorenzo and the others. “If I were Venice, I would preserve my military forces to use as a bargaining chip in negotiations. But they’re going to waste this precious asset in battle? I don’t quite understand.”

“I can explain that part, sire.”

At Hyang’s words, Piero Coleone, who had been sitting to one side, spoke up. He was a man who had risen from a condottiero¹ of the mercenary band defending Florence—or more accurately, the Medici—to a key commander in the Florentine army. As a man of proven career and ability, the others looked at him with serious faces.

Clearing his throat softly, Piero got straight to the point.

“To put it bluntly, it is because Venice’s land army is still primarily composed of mercenaries.”

Before Piero could even finish, Hyang interjected, “Does that mean they can immediately replace any significant losses?”

“That is correct. Until the coffers of Venice are empty, they can recover from any losses to their land forces.”

“But it takes time to turn new recruits into an effective force… Ah! They’re mercenaries.”

“Precisely. While strengthening standing armies is the trend these days, the core of Venice’s army remains mercenaries. And if time is an issue, the Habsburg army is currently stationed near Venice. They will make use of them.”

“I see… In that case, to inflict a serious blow on Venice’s forces and compel them to negotiate, we must also be perfectly prepared.”

“Yes. And we must neutralize Venice’s navy before their army.”

“Their navy?”

“Yes. The navy is primarily crewed by citizens, not mercenaries.”

“Hoh…”

At Piero’s explanation, the eyes of Hyang and Lorenzo lit up.

“The navy…” Hyang muttered, his eyes gleaming.

The Imperial Navy commanders shifted in their seats. No one was more desperate for a naval battle than they were.

‘I’m sick and tired of shore bombardment! I want to go out to sea!’

‘I want to tear through the enemy fleet, shredding their ships with our cannons!’

‘A naval battle! A naval battle! It must be a naval battle!’

A naval battle was the best way to prove their worth, and the naval commanders looked at Hyang with desperate expressions. Whether he knew their feelings or not, Hyang continued his conversation with Lorenzo, looking at the map.

“Thanks to Portugal siding with us, the French navy is unable to move freely. That leaves Spain… What are the chances of France and Spain launching a joint attack on Portugal?”

“Surprisingly, not high. To defeat the Portuguese navy, they would have to accept considerable losses, and neither country wants to be the one to suffer them.”

“The greed of man… no, is it selfishness?” Hyang muttered with a bitter smile.

Still, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t understand why the two countries were being so cautious.

***

Raising skilled sailors took just as long as building a proper army. For every ship lost, two or three hundred such skilled men were lost with it. For the latest large battleships, a crew of at least five hundred was needed to fight effectively. And the losses they would incur in the process of subduing the Portuguese navy would be far more than just one or two ships.

That was why France and Spain were hesitating, each warily watching the other.

-We have to deal with Portugal, but I don’t want to go first. Can’t you go first?

“We in France are facing England, so it is difficult to commit our forces. If Spain makes the first move, we will follow immediately,” the French envoy would say.

“We in Spain are not in a position of leisure, either. We must supply the Kingdom of Naples and also keep the Imperial Navy, which is holed up in Genoa and Livorno, in check. England has been quiet lately, so I believe it is best for France to move first,” the Spanish would retort.

The two countries pushed each other forward, offering plausible excuses. Portugal right before them was a problem, but the Empire standing behind Portugal was an even bigger one. And the competition for expansion into the New Frontier, which was certain to erupt after the war, regardless of who won or lost, was the biggest problem of all. To gain an advantage in that competition, one needed to have many well-built ships and skilled sailors. That was why they were pushing each other’s backs instead of taking the lead.

***

“Your Majesty’s strategy of tying down the French and Spanish navies with a single map never ceases to amaze me,” Lorenzo praised.

“You flatter me,” Hyang replied modestly, though his eyes never left the map.

It seems I can probably move with a select group of Turtle Assault Ships and other battleships, but the Kingdom of Naples is in the way.

Currently, there were two routes for supplies to reach the Imperial forces stationed in Italy. One was from the New Frontier across the Great Eastern Ocean—the present-day Atlantic—and the other was via the Suez route. Due to issues of production capacity and distance, about 70% of the supplies needed by the Imperial and Allied forces came through the Suez passage.

This was where the Kingdom of Naples became a nuisance. The sea lane from Prince Henrique Port to Livorno passed between Naples and Sicily. For now, things were fine because the Imperial Navy’s escort fleet was moving with the transport convoys. However, if their forces were dispersed for an offensive operation, there might be those who would attempt something risky.

“Even if that happens, our navy will be victorious!” the Imperial naval commanders declared, guaranteeing victory.

But Hyang could not shake the anxiety brought by the word ‘if.’

-If we lose even one or two transport ships, the soldiers’ morale will drop as they worry about supplies.

-Seeing this, the enemy will target our supply routes even more relentlessly.

-To prevent this, we would have to commit more battleships to escort duty. But then Livorno and Genoa could be attacked.

-The best solution is to increase the size of the fleet altogether. But it’s difficult to pull more forces from the New Frontier because of the sea barrier issue. And it would take too long for forces from the homeland to detour around Africa.

“Hoo~.”

Letting out a small sigh, Hyang looked at the map and muttered, “The Venetian navy… is there no way to make use of it?”

At that same moment, the naval staff of France and Spain were having a similar thought.

“What if we use the Venetian navy? With a side of the Habsburgs, if possible.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Then let’s move at once!”

The monarchs of France and Spain immediately approved the navy’s plan, and envoys from both countries rushed to Vienna and Venice.

“Is not the naval power of Venice the strongest in the Mediterranean? We ask that Venice become the main force of the allied fleet!”

“The Habsburgs also need access to the sea, do they not? This time, do not just watch from the sidelines! Step forward!”