A moment later, everyone had arrived. Augustus nodded slightly, like a stone dropping into water, sending ripples outwards. The previously bustling camp gradually quieted down, leaving only a few sporadic noises.
Augustus held up the golden scepter in his hand. The cross at the scepter's tip symbolized supreme majesty in the Catholic world. Under the dazzling firelight and the cool moonlight, the cross scepter exuded a chilling aura of slaughter amidst its holiness.
After walking around the high platform facing the crowd, Augustus returned to the large megaphone in the center, raised the sword in his left hand high, and proclaimed, "Soldiers, what is our relationship with Venice? Why are we fighting today? And where will we go next? I know you all have many questions in your hearts.
Previously, to prevent news from leaking and to ensure the smooth execution of the plan, some things were not told to everyone. I hope you can understand. Now, it's time to make them public!"
The attention of over twenty thousand soldiers was quickly drawn, and for a moment, the entire assembly fell silent, with only the occasional crackling of burning flames.
Augustus cleared his throat twice and announced straightforwardly, "Venice, from the very beginning, was not our ally but the first enemy of this war. Everything I have done related to Venice since my return from Venice has been to secure a greater chance of victory in this battle. At this moment, the Papal States' declaration of war has already reached Venice!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire assembly erupted in an uproar. Although some astute soldiers had anticipated it, they didn't expect it to come so quickly. However, after a brief surprise, the soldiers showed almost no resistance. On the contrary, many soldiers were eager for battle, rolling up their sleeves.
Augustus knew that the efforts of these past few days had not been in vain. His constant forbearance of Pisani and his Venetian soldiers' arrogance, though personally frustrating and damaging to his prestige, successfully ignited the soldiers' hostility towards Venice, making war with Venice the will of the army.
After explaining the current situation, he also needed to clarify the reasons, to let the soldiers know that this war was not just an outlet for individual hatred, but also a righteous war with a just cause. Only then could the soldiers fight without restraint on the battlefield and maximize the army's combat effectiveness.
Augustus paused to allow the soldiers a brief discussion, then continued, "For the effective implementation of the plan, we have kept some information about Venice, which we obtained beforehand, confidential. Now, we can tell you all of it.
Firstly, Venice participated in the previous assassination attempt against me. The previous assassination attempt against me was actually carried out by traitors of the Papal States in collusion with Venetian forces. All weapons used by the bandits were supplied by Venice, resulting in injuries to me and several Swiss Guard soldiers.
Secondly, Venice colluded with the Ottoman Empire, harming its own kind. During Austria's war against the Ottoman Empire's invasion, the Venetians not only never ceased their trade with the Ottoman Empire, engaging in weapons and equipment transactions to profit greatly from the war, but also leveraged their years of operations in Austria and the trust of the Austrians to obtain confidential intelligence, which they then used to collude with the Ottoman for their own gain.
Thirdly, during my personal visit to Venice, to achieve its sinister objectives, Venice threatened the lives of the delegation. Originally, to show sincerity, I personally visited Venice to discuss forming a coalition to resist the Ottomans and aid Austria. However, the Venetians turned a blind eye to the suffering of their brothers in faith, made no mention of resisting the Ottomans or aiding Austria, and were solely focused on forcing me to tacitly approve their presumptuous actions of independently dealing with clergy, and to acknowledge their illegal right to seize the rightful territories of clergy within their borders, even going so far as to threaten the personal safety of the delegation. Ultimately, after the delegation's strong arguments, a temporarily acceptable solution was barely reached.
Fourthly, Venice extorted the Papal States under the guise of resisting the Ottomans and aiding Austria. Venice, under pressure from international opinion, had no choice but to symbolically join the coalition. However, it used the opportunity of joining the coalition to extort the Papal States, demanding a large sum of military funds and making extremely unreasonable demands regarding the distribution of battle spoils from resisting the Ottomans and aiding Austria.
Fifthly, everyone knows this. After the Venetian reinforcements arrived, they received extremely high treatment. However, even so, instead of uniting sincerely to resist the external enemy, they repeatedly provoked our army and the Tuscany soldiers, causing numerous conflicts and bloody incidents. Even worse, after the offending soldiers received their due punishment, they even gathered their troops to attack the friendly forces of Tuscany, and even after the Papal States' grand army came to suppress them, they remained unrepentant and resisted stubbornly, resulting in over two thousand casualties on both sides!"
"Kill! Invade Venice, capture the Doge of Venice!" As soon as Augustus finished speaking, the soldiers below were already filled with righteous indignation, and a furious roar erupted.
"Kill! Invade Venice, capture the Doge of Venice!" Immediately after, hundreds of thousands of soldiers followed suit. The shouts covered the sky and shook the stars, making the earth tremble.
Augustus admitted that among the five charges he listed against Venice, some were fabricated, and some were slightly altered in their presentation. However, the fabricated parts might not be untrue, and where the statements differed, Venice could not prove itself innocent.
With such a narrative, believing it or not depended solely on willingness. From the effect, the soldiers' response was excellent, and their emotions were completely stirred up. This was mainly the result of his own leading by example and enduring humiliation these past few days. It was also thanks to Claudio's excellent execution, and he was indeed put in a difficult position. Claudio is truly useful.
At the start of the war, Venice's various crimes, along with the news of the declaration of war, would be spread to every corner of Europe by the Rome Newspaper. The difference was that the content in the newspaper would be more detailed, the language more objective, matters concerning himself would be more subtle and respectful, and evidence would be attached where available. This news article was personally penned by Katerina and had been drafted before the army assembled, with minor revisions and additions made a few days ago based on the news sent back.
After the shouting, the camp returned to quiet. Augustus said with enthusiasm, "Good! All soldiers, your courage is commendable! I and several generals have already made detailed and thorough arrangements for the operation against Venice.
We will set off at dawn, dividing into two routes: Karl's National Defense Force and Giovanni's Navy, along with Riccardo's Tuscany reinforcements, will head straight for the capital of Venice; Duke's Field Army and the mercenaries will advance north, capturing Venice's fortress towns. The specific operational plans will be at the discretion of the generals.
At that time, the entire strength of the Papal States will also be used to support your actions, striving to achieve success in one fell swoop! The future of the Papal States rests with all of you!"
After the speech, the passionate soldiers of the Papal States returned to their respective quarters to rest and recuperate, preparing for the true battle ahead.
Riccardo returned to his large tent, completed the notes he had just taken from the Pope's speech, and then reviewed them carefully several times to confirm their accuracy. After that, he had someone summon all the Tuscany soldiers for Tuscany's own pre-battle mobilization.