"What is it?" Duke's eyes immediately lit up, and he rubbed his fists together, eager to be given a task.
Karl said nothing, but he couldn't hide his expectant expression. In this regard, Karl was like Duke, desperate for an opportunity to prove himself.
"I want to entrust the Papal States' army to both of you!" Augustus said solemnly.
This was Augustus's main point; he had been eagerly awaiting their arrival, hoping to have reliable people help him control the army.
No matter what he wanted to do, whether externally or internally, it was absolutely impossible without military power in hand. Comrade Stalin had a soul-searching question: The Pope? How many divisions does he have?
The identity of the Pope was only effective for Catholics; for others, who would take the Pope seriously? Even in Catholic countries, by this time, to say that the Pope could directly bind any country purely by authority was a fantasy. In such circumstances, without strength as support, nothing could be done, and military strength was one of the most important manifestations of national power.
Strategies like strengthening the nation through science and education, or through talent, or any other development strategy, all required time, at least three to five years. If a country did not have sufficiently strong military power, it would cease to exist before the reform dividends arrived, and everything would be out of the question.
Perhaps due to international influence from Catholic countries, the Papal States currently faced no immediate danger of collapse, but being weakened by neighboring countries, becoming a puppet of great powers, internal upheaval, and threats to one's personal safety—these possibilities were all real.
A nation cannot stand without defense, and its people cannot be secure without soldiers. Moreover, he also planned to expand his territory; without an army, how could he fight? Such a heaven-sent opportunity was not always available. Establishing the nation through military power became the top priority. If Karl and Duke had not come, he would have had to consider selecting new people soon.
As for other aspects, it wasn't that Augustus didn't want to do them; advancing on all fronts simultaneously would naturally be better. However, those things didn't come with a complete plan just by him thinking them up; they had to be considered in the long run.
Karl and Duke were the only two people he currently understood well enough to entrust with important military responsibilities. They had both come here with nowhere else to go, yet they disliked each other. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing; if used well, healthy competition could exist. Moreover, if they had hit it off immediately, it would have been quite alarming.
"Augustus, are you really planning to hand over all of the Papal States' army to us two foreigners?" Karl felt as if he were dreaming.
"Yes, that's right! I trust you, and my country and my people will trust you!" Augustus replied with great certainty.
"I'm afraid things aren't as simple as you think." Karl frowned with some concern.
"Why are you afraid of everything?" Duke was still very carefree.
"We do this not because it's simple, and we won't not do it because it's difficult."
"Well said!" Duke strongly agreed with this.
"Of course we must do it. Since we must do it, we must succeed. How will we do it? Do you have a specific plan?" In his rational state, Karl had basically automatically ignored Duke.
"My plan is for one of you to integrate all existing domestic troops, primarily the Field Army, into the Field Army. From what I've seen these past few days, this is about ten thousand people. We will weed out those who don't meet the criteria in various aspects, and then expand the army to fifteen thousand people on that basis."
Speaking of this, Augustus remembered something. The Papal States' Field Army, the last time it shone brightly on the battlefield, must have been during the time of Pope Julius II, the War God Pope, over a hundred years ago. It had been silent for too long.
"What about the other person?" Seeing Augustus's thoughts wander mid-sentence, the impatient Duke didn't hesitate to speak up and pull Augustus back to reality.
Having his thoughts interrupted felt truly unpleasant. Augustus rubbed his nose with some annoyance.
"The other person will start from scratch, recruiting new soldiers completely outside of all existing structures, trying to prevent infiltration by various forces, especially at the high levels. In terms of personnel appointments, there will be no compromise with anyone, ensuring the absolute loyalty of this unit. They will also recruit up to fifteen thousand people. This unit will be trained entirely from new recruits, also to avoid picking up any bad habits."
"What will this army be called?" Duke pressed.
"Let's call it the National Defense Force."
A name is just a symbol; its function is never fully expressed through the name. When naming, being too aggressive is definitely not good. If he foolishly chose a name like the Northern Expedition Army, someone might launch a Southern Expedition before he even started his Northern Expedition. In comparison, the name National Defense Force is very good; it won't appear too threatening externally, nor will it make people internally feel like he's over-militarizing. No one would think defense is superfluous.
Of course, something like a name can't possibly deceive everyone. With an additional fifteen thousand soldiers appearing out of nowhere, even if they were called the Honor Guard, anyone with a bit of common sense would see that the Pope had intentions. At that time, he would have to release another smokescreen to make everyone believe it.
"National Defense Force? That name is too humble, isn't it?" Duke protested discontentedly, "Can I choose? I want to choose the Field Army."
"Of course, if Karl is willing, there's no problem." Augustus smiled.
"I'm fine with either, no problem." Karl generously agreed. Karl understood very well that even if it was called the National Defense Force, it couldn't possibly be used solely for defense. On the contrary, precisely because its status was deliberately downplayed, the National Defense Force was more likely to be the main force on future battlefields. An army not swayed by various factions and completely obedient to the Pope was the most trusted.
"That's good. I didn't come all this way just to be a watchdog for the Papal States." Duke added, relieved.
Karl, who had been perfectly calm moments before, instantly had black lines all over his head and said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "Duke, don't go too far! I've tolerated you for a long time!"
...
There was a moment of silence. Duke looked bewildered, and it took him a while to realize, then he quickly smiled apologetically: "Ah, my bad, my bad, I wasn't talking about you, I forgot, I'm sorry! Thank you for letting me have the Field Army. Now that I think about it, the National Defense Force is actually very good too!"
Augustus was amused by Duke's comical appearance. Indeed, these two, one who was singled out and messed with by his superiors, and the other who was uniquely sold out by his comrades, both had astonishingly low emotional intelligence.
Karl realized that this guy genuinely hadn't noticed, and he found it both exasperating and amusing. He flicked his sleeve, deciding not to bother with such an idiot. This guy still thought he had struck gold by taking over the Field Army. Who truly got the better deal would be revealed in due time.
"By the way, I'm not finished yet. I still have some specific ideas that I'd like to discuss with you to see if they're feasible." Augustus promptly changed the subject, breaking the awkward atmosphere.