The remnants of Venice's navy fled back, quickly spreading fear throughout Venice, causing panic among the Venetians.
The Dodge's Palace spread the belief that Dodge Donato would perish with Venice, attempting to strengthen the Venetians' confidence in defending the city, but it had little effect.
Especially for the commercial and political elites who had a thorough understanding of Venice's situation, they only thought Donato had lost his mind; the more determined the Dodge was to defend the city, the more they knew they wouldn't die with Donato after the city fell.
Thus, a large number of Venice's commercial and political elites were almost all busy packing their valuables, recruiting guards, preparing carriages, and fleeing north with their families.
For these commercial and political elites, as long as they had their assets, money, and weapons, they would have a place wherever they went.
In any era, elites always play a significant leading role, and despite their low profile, they could only hide for a short time before being discovered.
Seeing the normally high-and-mighty nobles scrambling to escape, ordinary commoners didn't bother to think about what was happening; they just assumed chaos was imminent and rushed to flee with their families, quickly creating a wave of refugees that completely blocked the road from Venice to Treviso.
Only a very small number of calm commoners believed this had little to do with them; no matter how fiercely the Papal States and Venice fought, they wouldn't massacre commoners of their own faith upon entering Venice.
The Pope, after all, was the Catholic leader, and he needed to maintain some semblance of dignity; perhaps he would even implement some benevolent policies for show.
The Venice nobles, big and small, who had claimed during conscription before the war that not a single person could be squeezed out, now sporadically organized household guard teams totaling more than twice the Venice defenders.
Some were even fully armed and well-trained, but at this time, they were not heading to the front lines but directly in the opposite direction.
Their money was not spent in vain, nor were their household guards raised for nothing; some left by boat, while others did not hesitate to use their household guards to clear a path by force, dispersing the huddled commoners to ensure their own priority escape.
Othello, who had just received his commission, was filled with excitement; he held the commission tightly as if he held the entire world and enthusiastically began his pre-war deployment.
First, Othello dispatched a small number of soldiers to guard several main buildings and key routes in Venice, then personally went to the opposite bank of Giudecca Island, and along the long coastline, using shore cannons, all artillery, and most of his soldiers, facing the Giudecca Canal and the Grand Canal, constructed the first and only truly meaningful line of defense.
Once the Papal States navy broke through this line of defense, with their massive numerical advantage, no matter how the subsequent deployments were made, they could advance unimpeded.
Even Othello, who was still not entirely clear about the current situation, could fully recognize this point, so he gambled everything by placing most of his forces here.
However, the long coastline stretched Othello's limited troops thin.
Othello never imagined that the capital of the mighty Venice Republic would have so few defenders left, and many of them didn't even have complete equipment.
But as long as the coastal defense line could withstand the first wave of attack without falling, the militias and noble private soldiers Othello envisioned being temporarily conscripted later would continuously fill in, allowing the Papal States to fall into a vast ocean.
Subsequently, Othello set off with his remaining few soldiers, traveling by boat along Venice's various canals to mobilize for conscription.
Venice was now at a true moment of life and death, and Othello thought that both prosperous citizens and nobles who had received national favor for generations would surely step forward.
However, the sight along the way chilled Othello's fervent heart as if it had been thrown into ice water, filled with coldness and suffocation.
The once bustling streets were now filled with people carrying large and small bags, busy fleeing with their families, and the buildings along the streets were mostly empty.
This kind of scene usually only appeared during invasions by foreign religions or ethnic groups, as immovable property like land and houses cannot be taken away, and for some commoners, this was their life's work or ancestral inheritance.
The reason it was appearing in Venice now, in addition to the herd mentality, was a very important one: most Venice citizens, accustomed to democracy and republicanism, were indeed unwilling to endure the Pope's theocratic rule.
However, they were certainly unwilling to abandon everything and fight desperately against the Papal States' army.
Othello certainly couldn't give up; even if so many had fled, Venice still had tens of thousands of people, and not that many could escape in such a short time.
The common people might not understand, but the nobles still had a sense of righteousness; everyone in the meeting had clearly been moved by his emotions and many stood with him.
Thinking this, Othello decided to slightly modify the process; he would first find some administrative officials in Venice and have them organize people to assist him in conscription mobilization.
If that didn't work, as long as they could provide manpower, they could also go to the front lines at critical moments to some extent, alleviating the shortage of personnel at the front.
However, when Othello arrived at the residences of the various administrative officials, he found that most of the representatives who had just been speaking eloquently in the conference hall had already left.
Some, however, had not left, but they were even more infuriating than those who had fled; they had surrounded their mansions like iron barrels with household guards who appeared from who knows where.
Othello thought he saw hope and wanted to borrow people, but when the gatekeepers heard it was Othello, they all, without prior agreement, informed him that their master was ill.
Venice's major flag factories had received an overwhelming number of Papal States flag orders in recent days, most of which were placed by more foresightful Venice nobles, and they had already received them.
But these were relatively low-level; the higher-level ones had already contacted the Papal States through informants, completed negotiations early, and were preparing to welcome the royal army with food and drink.
Some nobles were even more outrageous; they weren't at home, weren't rushing to flee, and hadn't contacted the Papal States, but instead, they actually took their household guards and took advantage of the chaos to loot and rob on the roads.
Venice's armed forces had almost all been deployed along the coast, and there was no longer any power to maintain order.
Once such a thing happens, there will be countless more.
If nobles are like this, what concerns do commoners, who have nothing to lose, or even slaves, have?
The oppression suffered over the years and the accumulated dissatisfaction erupted with astonishing force at this moment; nobles with money but no guns became the primary targets of all parties...
From members of parliament to citizens and slaves, everyone at this moment displayed endless creativity, truly each showing their unique abilities.
Just as Othello was still running around trying to conscript soldiers and was at his wit's end, the mighty fleet of the Papal States had already appeared within sight of Venice's coastal defenders.
"Damn it! How could they arrive so fast!" The defenders deployed next to the Sant'Elena Church, at the easternmost point, were the first to spot the Papal States' fleet. Its size, equipment, and imposing presence were unlike anything anyone present had ever seen, completely different from what Othello had told them. They were immediately thrown into disarray.
The reinforcements Othello was so certain of were nowhere in sight, and he himself hadn't returned. With so few people, they couldn't even prevent illegal crossings, let alone defend such a long coastline against an attack from such a large fleet; it was simply a pipe dream.
The first officer to regain his composure immediately ordered, "Quick, go report to Lord Othello! The Papal States' Navy has launched an attack. Please tell him to quickly deploy the conscripted reinforcements to the front line and return to take charge of the overall situation."
"Hmm, not bad." Giovanni observed Venice's defenses and praised them sincerely, then shook his head. "The layout is well-proportioned, but it's a pity. Without city walls and with so few men, trying to stop us with just these few cannons is simply overestimating themselves!"
Riccardo nodded slightly, but showed great disdain: "Indeed. It's clear their top priority for defense is this area on Venice's east bank. But what good will it do? As long as our fleet bypasses their weak points and attacks, their cannons and manpower won't have time to be redeployed, rendering them useless!"
In this battle, the Tuscany Navy led by Riccardo had already suffered too many casualties. Although Grand Duke Ferdinand had ordered him to fully assist the Papal States, it wouldn't look good to bring so many people and have few return alive.
Now that victory was assured, Riccardo was unwilling to clash head-on with Venice's carefully arranged defenses and incur more unnecessary casualties, so he proposed a plan to reduce losses in this manner.
"Venice is crisscrossed by waterways, with a canal running north to south. How about we sail our ships into the canal and land from within, hitting them with a central assault?" a military officer suggested, wanting to show off.
"No. The internal waterways of Venice have complex hydrographic conditions and narrow channels, and the enemy is far more familiar with them than we are. Rushing in might lead us into a trap, leaving us in a dilemma and giving the enemy an opportunity."
Giovanni immediately rejected this plan. A central assault might be useful as a last resort when at a disadvantage, but with such a huge advantage now, it was natural to seek victory steadily and minimize risks.
"Since that's the case, why don't we land at the mouth of the canal? Venice has no navy, making it difficult to defend there, and there's a larger coastline contact area, which facilitates landing. As soon as our tens of thousands of troops are ashore, the Venetians will have no choice but to surrender at the mere sight of us. Then we can first… then… then…"
Riccardo gestured continuously on the map of Venice, speaking with great animation and excitement, as if his great revenge had already been exacted.
"Good, good, let's do that." Giovanni echoed him repeatedly.
The Tuscany Navy's performance in this battle was truly commendable among allies, so even if some minor details weren't perfect, Giovanni gave them full respect.
After Riccardo finished speaking, Giovanni added, "But before that, we still have one very important thing to do."
"What is it?" Riccardo was puzzled. They were about to invade Venice; was there anything more important than that?
Karl understood immediately and blurted out, "I guess it's to blockade Venice's coastline, as well as the passage to Treviso, to prevent the big fish from escaping!"
"Precisely! If we can capture all of Venice's high-ranking officials in this battle, the subsequent fighting will be twice as effective." Giovanni nodded with satisfaction.
"Riccardo, the Tuscany Navy suffered heavy casualties in the recent battle. We would feel bad asking you to fight another bloody battle. How about we entrust this important task to you? Considering your severe casualties, you might be short-handed, so the warships we just captured and rebuilt will also be temporarily placed under your command."
"That's good, but I'm afraid many of Venice's high-ranking officials have already fled. It's a pity we couldn't encircle the Venice Navy just now; otherwise, if we had launched a sudden attack, not a single one of those cowardly rats would have escaped!" Riccardo said through gritted teeth.
Noticing Riccardo's dissatisfaction with the tactic of leaving one side open in the recent encirclement, Giovanni patiently explained, "There was no other way. Even if we had fully encircled them, we couldn't guarantee that no Venice Navy ships would escape, and it would have forced the Venice Navy to fight back desperately, causing greater casualties and prolonging the battle for a long time.
In fact, the Venice high-ranking officials who could see the situation clearly would have already fled. From the time the remnants of the Venice Navy escaped until now, not many more could have gotten out. However, judging by the current situation, many important figures, including the Doge of Venice, are still in Venice; otherwise, the defenses wouldn't be so orderly."
"You're right!" Riccardo said impatiently, "Since that's the case, there's no time to lose. Give me the captured ships, and I'll seal off Venice right away!"
A moment later, the naval forces to the east of Venice began to move. Riccardo's warships scattered around Venice like soybeans, and his flagship, along with several main warships, sailed directly towards Free Bridge.
All other Papal States' warships made a small detour to the south, avoiding the range of Venice's shore cannons, and headed straight for the Venice Canal.
Othello couldn't conscript many soldiers and knew that without reinforcements, this battle was unwinnable. After hearing that a large number of Venice's powerful figures, escorted by their retainers, were fleeing to Treviso via Free Bridge, he immediately chased them to Free Bridge to stop them.
When he arrived, he found that the fleeing powerful figures' security forces were far stronger than he had imagined; his small contingent couldn't stop them at all, and they were determined to run, so no amount of persuasion worked.
Unable to stop the powerful figures, and with no reason to let them go while stopping commoners, he could only try to persuade them one by one. However, in the surging crowd, Othello's efforts seemed particularly small. Fleeing was the prevailing trend, and Othello and his group became counter-currents in the crowd, being pushed and shoved.
The crowd continued to surge forward, with people constantly successfully leaving Venice. Not only did Othello fail to persuade anyone to turn back, but he himself was blocked on the bridge by the surging crowd behind him, unable to move forward or backward. More importantly, Othello was unaware of the enemy's arrival; the soldier sent to find Othello had just departed and didn't yet know Othello was at Free Bridge.
Observing the enemy's movements, with Commander Othello absent, the Vice General took it upon himself to shift the focus of defense westward from the easternmost point, following the Papal States' fleet. However, the slow speed of heavy equipment moving on land could not compare to warships, and they were quickly outdistanced.
The Papal States' tens of thousands of troops were about to face only a meager two hundred Venice defenders, equipped with just a few cannons, deployed near the mouth of the canal.
Meanwhile, Riccardo's warships, scattered around Venice, were seizing or directly sinking escaping Venice ships, and the fleet he personally led was about to arrive at Free Bridge.