"Am I… about to die?" Donato murmured, holding his sword across his neck.
In an instant, scenes from his past flashed before Donato's eyes: inheriting the family business in his youth, full of vigor, befriending various nobles; entering politics in middle age, treading on thin ice, struggling, and finally being elected Governor last year, enjoying unparalleled prestige… In just one short month, he had fallen from the peak of his life to rock bottom, the situation changing so quickly that he was caught off guard… Donato's eyes flickered with infinite reluctance, his heart filled with the desolation of a lost cause.
"For the glory of Jesus!"
Donato shouted, then prepared to commit suicide, but the moment the blade touched his skin, Donato's hand stopped: "Damn it, why is this sword so cold!"
"No! He's going to kill himself! Stop him!" Karl and Wyatt exclaimed in unison; Donato being alive was crucial for both of them.
Several Papal States soldiers rushed forward, intent on seizing the sword from Donato's hand.
"Governor, I'll go ahead!"
With that, Othello also charged forward with his sword, and after striking down several Papal States soldiers, he departed, filled with ambition and unwillingness.
Karl looked at Venice with renewed respect.
"For the glory of the Republic!"
Seeing that both his chief bodyguard and Othello had bravely gone to their deaths, Donato once again declared in a deep voice.
His right arm had been slightly dislocated when he was dragged earlier, and it felt difficult to exert force, so he switched the sword to his left hand, then changed the direction of the sword tip to approach his neck.
The accompanying soldiers, having witnessed the Papal States' indiscriminate slaughter of Venetians on the Free Bridge, were already irreconcilably opposed to the Papal States, and further encouraged by their commander, they one by one bid farewell to the Governor, rushing forward to block the advance of the Papal States soldiers, and were quickly cut down like chopping melons and dicing vegetables.
This time, even Wyatt, who had been determined to go all the way, lowered his head in shame.
"For the glory of the family!"
Seeing that everyone around him had already gone before him, this time, Donato made up his mind, gritting his teeth, vowing to preserve the last shred of dignity for himself and his family.
At this distance, the Papal States soldiers were too late to prevent Donato from committing suicide, so they simply stopped, waiting for the supreme leader of Venice to take his own life.
After a moment, the Doge of Venice across from them still maintained the posture of committing suicide, but only lightly grazed his skin with the sword tip, leaving a faint bloodstain.
The Papal States soldiers were stunned for a moment, then contempt and joy surged forth, and they swarmed forward, snatching the sword from Donato's hand and pressing Donato to the ground. Donato closed his eyes in relief, quietly awaiting the judgment of fate.
Wyatt's anger surged, and he backhanded Donato twice, scolding, "You despicable coward! You put on a heroic pose, but you can't even cut your own throat after all this time. So many brave Venetians died in vain for you!"
Donato saw stars, and his chubby face immediately swelled up. He had indeed been determined to commit suicide, but he had no combat experience and didn't know that this amount of force wasn't enough to kill himself by slitting his throat. In a moment of stunned, he was tackled to the ground by the Papal States soldiers.
Karl finally let out a long sigh of relief, rushed forward, pulled the ashen-faced Donato up with one hand, and shouted with all his might, "My Papal States has captured the Doge of Venice alive!"
What followed was the earth-shattering roar of the Papal States soldiers. Even if the soldiers didn't know exactly what it meant, they were certain it definitely meant something.
"General Karl, I suggest we find a large prisoner cart and parade Donato throughout Venice to display the might of the Papal States and break Venice's will to fight," Wyatt suggested, gritting his teeth, his heart filled with the pleasure of revenge, years of pent-up frustration swept away.
The familiar Venetian accent made Donato suddenly open his eyes, but before he could clearly see the person's face, he closed them again in despair, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.
"No need, we can handle Venice's affairs entirely on our own. Take him back to his former residence in the Dodge's Palace, let him rest well, provide him with the highest standard of food, and assign people to guard him closely to prevent him from doing anything foolish," Karl replied after careful consideration.
He paused, then added, "Bring his family over and settle them in too, so they can be reunited."
It wasn't that Karl was more merciful than Wyatt; Karl simply knew that Donato had greater use, and over-stimulating him, potentially driving him to suicide, would be a net loss. The Pope's strategy would be affected, and a great achievement would directly turn into a major mistake.
Wyatt felt a chill down his spine: the Papal States cared deeply about Donato's life and was adopting a conciliatory policy. If Donato came to his senses and cooperated with the Papal States, how would the Papal States choose between Donato, the Governor, and himself, a low-ranking officer? The answer was obvious.
At that time, how would Donato deal with him, the betrayer? He had intended to seek revenge and provide an explanation to the Papal States, then retire successfully, but he hadn't expected to fall into another, even more dangerous political vortex because of it.
Karl seemed to sense Wyatt's concern: "Wyatt, we were able to easily break through Venice and capture the Doge of Venice alive; your contribution is indispensable. I will report all your merits to His Holiness the Pope, and the Papal States will never forget anyone who contributes to it!
Your loyalty to the Papal States has been fully tested, and none of us are familiar with the situation in Venice, and we all have other matters to attend to. The post-war reconstruction and stabilization work in Venice will temporarily be fully entrusted to you. When the war is over, before His Holiness the Pope, I will strongly advocate for you to continue serving in Venice."
Wyatt had wanted to refuse; after reuniting with his red-eyed wife, he had completely lost his ambition and desire for power, wanting only a stable job and to dutifully stay by his family's side.
However, in the current situation, the Papal States was unfamiliar with Venice and would inevitably need to cooperate with local people. If he refused, even if the Papal States didn't cooperate with Donato, would other old Venetian nobles tolerate him?
He had already done so much for the Papal States; one could say that capturing Donato alive was largely his doing. Could he really retire completely unscathed if he wanted to?
Even if some old Venetian nobles eventually surrendered to the Papal States, they would still despise such a complete severance of retreat, not to mention that his merits and influence would pose a threat to their power.
Taking a step back, fortune and misfortune were unpredictable; taking a step forward, the future was bright!
"Thank you for your kindness, General. Wyatt will dedicate his life to governing Venice for the Papal States!" After much deliberation, Wyatt finally made up his mind.
Years of experience had taught Wyatt a truth: destiny is most reliable when held in one's own hands!
The remaining forces throughout Venice had been completely cleared, the battlefield was still being cleaned up, and post-war reconstruction had already begun. As the city of Venice fell, another battlefield also began.