Seeing this bloody scene, some people's faces turned pale with fright, and many who had been restless last night also joined the ranks of those who decided to wait and see. They had originally thought that Duke or Juan would definitely try to appease them and had prepared a bunch of countermeasures, chattering away.
Who knew that Duke, without consulting anyone, stripped a group of people of their official positions and directly appointed Juan as the Regiment Commander. Juan, furthermore, gave no room for discussion and executed a former noble Old Military Officer. Among the many charges listed, they had all committed some, more or less, and no one could say who would be next.
Juan's demeanor, chopping people down at the slightest disagreement, was not at all ambiguous; the corpse in the center of the camp was ironclad proof. From the incident to the execution, only a few short hours passed, with no opportunity to seek outside help or time to spread the news. If someone said that a Juan would dare to execute someone, they all believed it now.
The Eighth Regiment of the Field Army was now Juan's territory, backed by Duke's entire Field Army. Here, they were the fish on the chopping block, and all the things they were proud of were useless. Just like that executed Old Military Officer, he died just like that.
As for what kind of revenge Juan would face afterward, it had nothing to do with the dead.
Experiencing the threat of death at such close proximity, they were truly scared. The poor fear the ruthless, the ruthless fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who don't care about their lives. They were all born into wealth, and even if they took a step back, they would still be superior. Encountering Juan, this fellow who walked on the edge of a knife every day and was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, they were all at a loss.
However, their decision to do nothing for now did not mean they stopped thinking. A noble Old Military Officer being executed in the army would inevitably provoke dissatisfaction and anger from the entire noble class. If more than half of the noble class united to pressure the Pope, it might not be impossible to make the Pope yield.
But these were just thoughts; the action was best left to outsiders. Being in the thick of it, even a slight disturbance could implicate them, let alone bring disaster upon themselves.
On the first day of training, the Eighth Regiment did not adopt the same high-intensity training as other regiments. Instead, it planned to gradually acclimate the soldiers through a progressive process. Other regiments had trained for some time to reach that level, while the Eighth Regiment's previous foundation could be said to be zero, or even negative.
Juan was decisive, but he wouldn't act recklessly. Having survived many battles and being highly regarded by Duke, it was certainly not just good luck.
Subjecting soldiers who had been away from battle for a long time to such high-intensity training would not just weed out the black sheep. Those with potential would be worn out, and it would be questionable how many would remain.
During the training, Juan personally supervised, trained alongside the soldiers, and patiently helped them correct mistakes. For soldiers who repeatedly made mistakes, he rarely resorted to scolding or punishment, but rather focused on encouragement. For those who were truly beyond help, he gently advised them to change professions, and if soldiers couldn't endure, he allowed them to rest.
This made the soldiers realize that after the integration, their treatment improved not only materially but also spiritually. Before, the officers in the army, who considered themselves superior nobles and lacked effective supervision, would often abuse and scold soldiers, relying on their backing. The soldiers always swallowed their anger, daring not to speak up.
It was not that Juan deliberately did this to win over people's hearts; it was just that years of experience had taught Juan what worked best. In the eyes of the soldiers, this amiable Juan was a completely different person from the decisive and ruthless figure he had been before.
Juan also used this to convey a message to the soldiers: if they were of one mind with him, they were comrades and brothers, but if they had ulterior motives, they were enemies. Internal enemies were more harmful and hateful than external ones. The way of treating comrades and enemies was naturally vastly different.
During training, Juan displayed not only patience and tolerance but also extraordinary ability. As a result, many soldiers' fear of Juan was mixed with some respect, and they gradually began to acknowledge and accept Juan as their Regiment Commander.
At the same time, the death of the noble Old Military Officer had spread, causing an uproar in the Papal States, and discussions about the matter were taking place in many places.
In any country in Europe, the status of nobles was extremely high. Even high-ranking clergy, including the Pope, could be said to be part of the nobility, namely the religious nobility. Clergymen who could hold high positions usually had a prominent family behind them; they did not rise through piety, as piety could not be exchanged for money.
The death of a noble was a common occurrence; during times of unrest, countless nobles died each year at the hands of enemies or their own people. However, for a noble in the army to be condemned and executed by a non-noble outsider officer was simply too abnormal.
Those with intentions would see this as an insult and challenge to the entire noble class, and many who had no relation to the matter no longer stood by idly. Defending the honor of the nobility was the duty of every noble. This in itself was not a bad thing, but sometimes it was not a good thing either.
Upon learning that an officer under Duke had publicly executed a noble Old Military Officer, Augustus was startled. Wasn't this a slap in the face to the nobility?
Augustus's original intention was for a peaceful integration. Those who were unwilling to accept would be given a way out, to leave the army and go wherever they wished. He had discussed all of this with Duke, but who knew such an event would still occur. By doing this, Juan had indeed intimidated the army, but his own troubles were likely to begin.
Sure enough, not long after, a servant reported that a dozen people had arrived at the gate, requesting an audience with the Pope. The servant even recited their names one by one, some of whom Augustus couldn't recall, which made him admire the servant's memory.
An audience was certainly necessary. Holding the army in hand was not a panacea. The influence of the nobility relied not just on their empty title; they had money and connections. Their combined wealth could easily recruit tens of thousands of mercenaries, and through their connections, seeking help from foreign powers was effortless.
Although the Papal States now had thirty thousand troops, which was not a small number, it was completely insufficient to confront any major power alone, and they were severely lacking in training. If traitors emerged internally and colluded with external enemies, his time as Pope would be over.
However, how to meet them and what to say was a bit of a headache. What did they want? Obviously not compensation; if it were compensation, so many people would certainly not come. The spearhead would then be pointed at either Duke or Juan.
If they demanded Juan's life or merely his dismissal, he certainly could not yield. If he yielded at this point, all his efforts would be in vain. It would make everyone believe that the army was still the domain of the nobility, and the Pope could not act unilaterally, having to consider the nobles' opinions in everything.
But if he didn't yield, how could he give them a satisfactory answer? He couldn't really break with the nobility; that would turn good leeks into unremovable weeds. Troublesome.
"Let them in," Augustus said, rubbing his forehead.