Chapter 946

Episode 946: Battle of Corsica. (2)

‘Even if we lose, we give a good blow. Afterwards, political stake is secured through negotiations.’

The integrationists unanimously expressed opposition to the idea of the independence faction.

“Nonsense!”

“You have to have the power to demand a share! “Do you think they would listen if I asked for a share after wasting my strength in a useless battle?”

The integrationist’s point was reasonable.

But the independent faction did not retreat.

“What do you do when the power is strong? If you bow down here, you won’t even get your money’s worth! I need to show you something powerful! ‘Venice is powerful!’ “Such an impression!”

“Let’s waste all our energy just because of that one impression? “It would be much better to stage a sit-in war against the Habsburgs camped down there!”

“Battle is the only answer! Only then can we secure Venice’s autonomy and sovereignty even after unification! Our proud Venice! We can’t let our hometown be under the control of Florence, Milan and Genoa! Especially not in Genoa! How dare you beg for negotiations from those who were only paying attention because they lost to us! This is a disgrace! “It should never happen!”

People from the integration faction lamented the cries of the independence faction.

“That is madness, madness...”

“You are going to ruin everything because of your pride...”

Unfortunately, most Venetian citizens had similar thoughts as the independents.

– Should we bow our heads to the misers of Florence and the losers of Genoa? This is absolutely unacceptable!

-We are citizens of great Venice!

-No one can look down on us!

-More than anything, I absolutely cannot stand looking at the Genoese bastards!

In the end, it was Genoa that led Venice’s main ruling class and citizens to make and support the irrational decision of ‘post-war negotiations’.

* * *

The Battle of Chioggia, which defeated Genoa in 1380, was Venice’s pride and everything.

The victory in that battle brought about the fall of Genoa and firmly established it as a leading player in the Mediterranean region.

-No matter what anyone says, the Mediterranean is our Venice!

However, this glory of Venice quickly disappeared after the full-scale intervention of incense.

At some point, Florence began to emerge as a Mediterranean power, and as the Suez Passage became established, Venice continued to be pushed to the periphery.

On the other hand, Genoa, which had been paying attention to the surrounding powers amidst the unstable political situation, was stretching itself again. This was thanks to the successful investment made through connections with Spanish nobles.

Venice was uncomfortable just because Florence was pushing out Venice, but Genoa’s revival was annoying.

When the Medici of Florence were the first to step forward and call for the ‘unification of Italy’ and to join in, most Venetians, regardless of their status, became outraged and took action.

-unity? It’s good! But the protagonist of that unification must be Venice! Not that Florence miser!

Amid such social sympathy, news of Genoa’s defeat came to Venice, which was making its own preparations.

“ha ha ha! Those Genoese losers have lost again!”

“A loser is just a loser!”

“It’s a festival!”

However, the rumors that soon reached Venice, which was rejoicing over Genoa’s defeat, were enough to turn their joy into anger.

-The Genoese are flocking to the army!

-It’s for the unification of Northern Italy!

“The only place left in Northern Italy is Venice, right?”

“These!”

In the end, the old grudge against Genoa had blown away the Venetians’ reason.

Raising proper sailors was as time-consuming as creating a proper army.

For every ship lost, 200 to 300 such skilled sailors were lost.

No, the latest large battleships had to carry at least 500 people to properly fight.

And the losses suffered in the process of suppressing the Portuguese navy were not the equivalent of one or two battleships.

Therefore, both France and Spain were hesitating and only observing each other’s thoughts.

-We need to take down Portugal, but I don’t want to take the first step. Can’t you go first?

“It is difficult for France to put in all its effort because England is holding on. “If Spain takes the lead, we will follow immediately.”

“We, Spain, are not in a position to afford anything. We have to supply supplies to the Kingdom of Naples and keep the imperial navy in check in Genoa and Livorno. “England is quiet these days, so I think it’s best for France to take the lead.”

These were two countries that had each other’s backs, making plausible excuses.

Portugal, just around the corner, was a problem, but the empire standing behind it was an even bigger problem. And whether they won or lost, the biggest problem was the competition to advance into new territories, which was certain to occur after the war.

In order to gain an advantage over the competition, it was necessary to have well-built ships and many skilled sailors.

That’s why, rather than taking the first step, they were pushing each other’s backs.

* * *

“I cannot help but be amazed every time I see the plan you used to tie down the Spanish and French navies with a single map.”

“That’s too much praise.”

Although Hyang was humbled by Lorenzo’s praise, he couldn’t take his eyes off the map.

‘It seems like we can move the assault ships and other battleships appropriately, but the Kingdom of Naples is giving us trouble.’

There were currently two routes through which supplies were delivered to the imperial forces stationed in Italy.

One was to cross the Great East (now the Atlantic Ocean) from Shinji, and the other was to use the Suez route.

Due to problems with production capacity and distance, approximately 70% of the supplies needed by the Imperial and Allied forces came via the Suez Corridor.

This is where the Kingdom of Naples encountered difficulties.

The route from Prince Henry’s port to Livorno passed between the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily.

Nothing much happened because the Imperial Navy escort fleet was now moving along with the transport fleet. However, if the forces were dispersed for offensive operations, there could be people who made dangerous attempts.

“Even if something like that happens, our Navy will definitely win!”

The Imperial Navy commanders assured victory, but Hyang couldn’t shake off the anxiety brought on by the word ‘what if’.

-If even one or two transport ships are lost, soldiers will worry about supply and their morale will drop.

-And enemies who see this will target the transport route even more persistently.

-To prevent this, we must also deploy more battleships to escort. But then Livorno and Genoa may be attacked.

-The best thing is to increase the size of the fleet. However, it is difficult for Shinji to withdraw any more power due to problems with the sea defenses. This takes too long because we have to bypass Africa.

“Whoa~.”

Hyang sighed softly, looked at the map, and muttered.

“It’s the Venetian Navy... Is there any way to use it?”

At the same time, naval staff in France and Spain were also thinking similar thoughts.

“How about using the Venetian Navy? “If possible, the Habsburgs should also be included.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“Then let’s move right away!”

After hearing the naval plan, the monarchs of France and Spain immediately gave permission, and envoys from both countries rushed to Vienna and Venice.

“Isn’t Venice’s naval power the strongest in the Mediterranean? Let Venice become the main force of the alliance fleet!”

“Not even the Habsburgs need the sea! “This time, don’t just pay attention and come forward!”