Under the last rays of the setting sun, Augustus's army, personally led by him, met Lorenzo's rebel forces on the outskirts of Umbria. Augustus's army was high-spirited and well-equipped, while Lorenzo's army was exhausted and lightly armed, a clear difference in strength.
Even without wearing a cassock, Augustus, with his specially designed banner and his expensive, uniquely shaped armor emblazoned with divine emblems, made it clear to the enemy troops hundreds of meters away: the Pope had arrived!
"This, this… the Pope? Didn't they say our uprising was a secret? How could the Pope arrive here so quickly to intercept us? Could it be that the Pope truly communicates with God's will!"
Seeing the Pope personally present, the rebel army's morale immediately plummeted. The continuous theological propaganda they had received since birth had instilled in the Papal States's lower-ranking soldiers a piety far exceeding that of other nations, and an extraordinary reverence for the Pope.
With the discipline of various ranks of officers, the coercion of the large army, and the drive of self-interest, it was not difficult to incite them to rebellion. If their retreat was cut off and they had a certain chance of winning, a battle was not impossible.
But now, it seemed as if everything was within the Pope's expectations. Was the Pope a human or a god? Some soldiers instinctively knelt down, and some officers stood frozen in place, at a loss.
Sensing the commotion behind him, Lorenzo completely panicked and roared behind him, "What are you doing? We have already revolted! Augustus is our enemy! We have no retreat! Do not harbor any unrealistic fantasies! Stand up! No kneeling! Pick up your weapons!"
Augustus smiled disdainfully. As he had expected, few of Lorenzo's soldiers were truly determined to rebel against him. It was not in vain that he had made this trip himself to reduce their casualties.
"Lorenzo, I have treated you well. Why do you rebel?"
A casual question easily stirred up the resentment in Lorenzo's chest: "Treated me well? You first took away my army command, and that wasn't enough. Then you took away my navy, seized all related industries and handed them over to your trusted subordinates, and did everything you could to suppress and exploit my relatives, friends, confidants, and old subordinates, making me, a once-important Military Minister, a mere figurehead. Do you call that treating me well?"
Augustus did not argue, feigning surprise: "Oh? I thought you had some grand reason for your rebellion. I didn't expect your rebellion to be merely for your own self-interest. I wonder, when you were preparing your rebellion, did you tell the soldiers behind you the same thing?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the rebel army behind Lorenzo, which had just stabilized slightly, became agitated once again.
"So that was his true purpose! We were all used by him!"
"Yes, yes. I can't believe General Lorenzo is such a person!"
"Augustus, stop trying to incite discord here! Do you dare to meet me on the battlefield and explain your tyranny of these past few years clearly!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lorenzo himself felt that this taunt was too clumsy, but what was done was done, so he had to bite the bullet and continue the act.
"Actually, no matter what tricks you want to play, if I just order an attack, these few thousand people behind you can be wiped out in an instant. But after all, they are all soldiers of my Papal States, and I am unwilling to slaughter them indiscriminately.
The grievances between you and I began with us, so let them end with us. Why involve the lives of so many soldiers? There's nothing much for you and I to discuss. Why don't I grant your wish and give you a chance? How about a duel?"
Augustus understood Lorenzo's intentions, but he intended to minimize casualties as much as possible, so giving him this opportunity was the best outcome.
"Your Holiness, no! You are of noble status; I am willing to fight in your stead!" Dracula was stunned with fear when he heard the Pope wanted to duel someone.
"You cannot replace me in this. If you replace me, Lorenzo will also find someone to replace him, and then this duel will be meaningless. Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion."
A duel? Lorenzo's heart tightened, yet he also saw hope: he had neglected his martial arts for many years and was already old. How could he be a match for Augustus, who was in his prime? But as long as he could lure Augustus out of the formation, his chance would come…
"This is bad, General! The enemy troops coming from behind are less than a thousand meters from our rearguard! The other side is the National Defense Force, well-equipped and well-trained. Our few men won't last long at all." A dust-covered soldier reported, further solidifying Lorenzo's desperate idea.
"Good! Augustus, I accept your challenge! Life and death are fated. Let this duel settle the grievances between us. No matter who loses, that side must lay down their weapons and surrender, how about it?"
After his impassioned speech, Lorenzo immediately whispered to Loretto beside him, "I will feign defeat and lure Augustus back. Then you lead your men to swarm him and make sure to capture him!"
Without waiting for Loretto's response, Lorenzo impatiently spurred his horse and charged out of the formation. He understood that once the National Defense Force from the rear arrived and Augustus changed his mind, he would lose even this last chance to turn the tables.
Augustus was not unaware that the National Defense Force had already reached the rebel army's rear, but he had no intention of delaying or changing his mind. He also spurred his horse forward to meet the charge.
Augustus charged directly at Lorenzo, meeting him with a horizontal slash of his sword. Lorenzo hastily responded, barely parrying the blow, but the shock caused his tiger's mouth to split, and he almost dropped his sword.
Steadying the sword in his hand, Lorenzo followed with a diagonal thrust towards Augustus. The sword had barely thrust out when Augustus sharply deflected it. The already split tiger's mouth immediately bled profusely, and his entire arm trembled uncontrollably, forcing him to quickly switch to holding the sword with his left hand.
Knowing that Augustus practiced martial arts diligently, but only thinking it was a child's play, Lorenzo never expected his strength and skill to have reached such a level. Even in his prime, he wouldn't have lasted more than a few rounds. Lorenzo realized that if he continued to fight, it would no longer be a feigned defeat; he would truly die here. So, he swung his sword a few times in the air and then turned and retreated, attempting to lure Augustus into pursuit.
Augustus did not hesitate. He drew the latest flintlock gun developed by the Rome Military Factory from his waist and fired it with a raised hand.
With a loud bang, the bullet hit Lorenzo directly in the back of the head. Lorenzo immediately fell backward, tumbling from his horse and crashing heavily onto the ground, his lifeless eyes wide open, and a pool of blood spreading from his head.
The entire battlefield instantly fell silent. No one had expected this duel to end so quickly and in such a bizarre manner.
Some quick-thinking officers among the rebels immediately threw down their weapons and led the way in kneeling, causing a ripple effect of kneeling all around them. From a high vantage point, it looked as if several stones had dropped into water, creating ripples.
Augustus reined in his warhorse, which reared high: "The rebel leader has been executed! All soldiers who participated in the rebellion immediately lay down your weapons. No one will be held accountable for aiding the rebellion! Those who stubbornly resist will be killed without mercy!"
With the Pope's assurance, the rebel army no longer had any reservations and laid down their weapons one after another. Loretto tried to escape, but before he could even move, he was pulled off his horse and tied up by several soldiers nearby.
However, the troops Lorenzo left behind to block the National Defense Force were not so fortunate. The overwhelming disparity in strength made the battle a one-sided slaughter. Nearly a thousand people were killed or wounded. It wasn't that they were unwilling to surrender, but rather that Karl simply gave them no chance to surrender.
In less than half an hour, a large-scale rebellion was thus quelled.