A few days later, the day for departure to Florence arrived.
It was still dawn, and the sun had not yet risen above the horizon. Augustus left early, a little ahead of the agreed time, only to find Dracula leading a small contingent of the Swiss Guard and a convoy already waiting at the gate.
The members of the Swiss Guard wore ornate helmets with elaborate carvings and a 'flame' on top. They were dressed in artistic half-plate armor, with the abdominal part of the plate armor slightly bulging.
This was not, of course, because the members of the Swiss Guard all had beer bellies, but rather because this design could reduce the possibility of damage caused by the armor deforming under heavy impact, while also serving to deflect projectiles.
There was also a somewhat absurd theory that this was equivalent to carrying a portable drum, which could be struck with a sword at any time to boost morale or intimidate the enemy. Augustus could hardly imagine a scene of Swiss Guard soldiers patting their bellies with swords.
"Your Holiness, everything is ready," Dracula reported respectfully to Augustus, his eyes as firm as when they first met, but on closer inspection, they seemed to hold a different kind of emotion.
Augustus nodded and boarded a simple, unadorned carriage. However, with such a well-equipped and well-trained Swiss Guard surrounding it, this carriage, which was severely out of place with its surroundings, became particularly conspicuous. Augustus couldn't help but suspect he had done something superfluous.
Because it was still early, the streets of Rome were not as bustling as usual, and there were few pedestrians, so the journey was very smooth, with almost no stops.
Upon leaving the city of Rome, Augustus met the rest of the Swiss Guard at the city gate. After a successful rendezvous, the group set off majestically towards Florence.
In the evening, when Augustus's convoy and Guard reached the border between the Papal States and Tuscany, it almost caused panic among the Tuscan defenders.
The Tuscan garrison here numbered only about a hundred men, and the equipment of the soldiers before them was, to them, unprecedentedly excellent.
"Troops ahead, this is the territory of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Please stop immediately and state your purpose to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings." The Captain tried to make his voice sound less panicked, but he gave up after only a slight attempt.
Catching the Captain's voice trembling slightly, Augustus smiled faintly. It seemed the training of Tuscan officers needed improvement. A Captain should at least have some experience and have seen some of the world, yet he was already afraid before fighting.
If all the Tuscan soldiers were like this, breaking through Tuscany's border defenses would be effortless.
Although Augustus hoped Tuscany could become an ally, often an ally is not necessarily better if stronger. Or rather, an overly strong neighbor can easily prevent becoming an ally, at least not an equal ally.
Tuscany, relying on its unique advantages, had a very developed economy. If its military strength were also too formidable, Augustus would not be happy to have a powerful ally, but rather apprehensive.
At the same time, the Captain's reaction once again confirmed the might of the Swiss Guard; even without announcing their numbers, their powerful deterrent force was enough to make their opponents gasp for breath.
After receiving a signal from Augustus, Dracula stepped forward and replied loudly, "Sir, I am Dracula, Captain of the Swiss Guard. The Swiss Guard under my command is responsible for guarding the Pope. The Pope has been invited by the Grand Duke of Florence to attend a family banquet. Haven't you received notification from above?"
Seeing that the other party had no hostile intentions, the Captain breathed a long sigh of relief. Then he stared at the attire of this army before him; it indeed seemed almost identical to the rumored Pope's Swiss Guard, only it seemed to have something more than he had imagined.
He recalled that he had indeed received a notification a few days ago saying that the Pope would pass through in the coming days, instructing him to allow passage and to treat them well. However, the Pope arrived a few days earlier than expected, and what puzzled him most was why the Pope would bring an army of such a scale to a banquet?
An army of this size crossing the border would require him to report to his superiors, but if he did, he didn't know how many days would pass with the back and forth. Stopping the Pope's convoy and delaying the Grand Duke's family banquet would offend both sides.
He was about to allow passage and offer hospitality, but when he noticed the extremely simple carriage that could not possibly be associated with the Pope's carriage, the Captain hesitated again.
Feeling a surge of doubts, another unlikely possibility emerged in the Captain's mind: someone was impersonating the Pope and the Swiss Guard to invade Tuscany!
Although this possibility seemed absurd, once suspicion arose, it was difficult to dispel without confirmation. Moreover, this was by no means a small matter; allowing over two hundred fully armed individuals of unknown identity to enter the country would cost him ten heads, let alone one.
So the Captain mustered his courage and decided to ask for clarification: "Is the Pope seated inside the carriage? Why would the Pope ride in such a simple carriage? And why would the Pope bring so many fully armed people to escort him to a banquet?"
The Captain fired off several questions in rapid succession, which made Dracula very uncomfortable.
Dracula impatiently pursed his lips, his tone no longer as polite as before: "The one seated inside the carriage is indeed the current Pope, His Holiness Augustus. His Holiness prefers to be low-key and does not wish to be too ostentatious, which is why he chose this simple, unadorned carriage. As for the entire Swiss Guard accompanying him, that was my suggestion; the Pope's personal safety allows for no mishaps. Do you have any other questions?"
The Captain was dumbfounded facing the imposing two hundred-man Swiss Guard, thinking to himself: Low-key, this is truly low-key.
After a moment of hesitation, the Captain still felt uneasy and continued to demand, "But I still cannot confirm that His Holiness the Pope is seated in the carriage. Please ask His Holiness to alight for an inspection."
Before Augustus could reply, Dracula sternly rebuked, "Impudent! Are you asking His Holiness the Pope to alight and submit to your questioning? And have you ever seen the Pope? What good would it do for you to see the Pope?"
Augustus did not feel offended at all; instead, he found it rather amusing. It seemed this Captain was truly terrified. However, from Dracula's reaction, he also understood that it would be inappropriate for him to alight. So Augustus simply handed the invitation letter Ferdinand I had given him to Dracula, asking him to pass it to the poor Captain.
After receiving the letter and scrutinizing it for a long time, the Captain finally confirmed that the letter was not forged. He then opened the checkpoint and also stated, "Your Holiness, please forgive my impoliteness. The Grand Duke has instructed us to host you. If you have any needs, please do not hesitate to ask; we will do our utmost to fulfill your requests."
Thinking about the long journey from Rome to the Tuscany border, over ten hours, Augustus himself was sore and aching from sitting in the carriage, yet the Swiss Guard, who had walked the entire way, showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever and could still scare the Captain of Tuscany silly. Such physiques truly made Augustus feel awe.
However, people are not made of iron, and basic human care is still necessary. Therefore, Augustus decided to rest here for the night, allowing the Swiss Guard to recuperate, and then set off for Florence tomorrow morning.