Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 923

923. The Imperial March (2) – Assault Guison, Running on the Ground. (11)

Even after the ‘dividing sides’ were somewhat settled, the envoys from each country continued to linger in the conference hall, engaging in heated debates.

It was a tedious war of words, later evaluated as a ‘desperate struggle to avoid being branded with infamy’.

The fact that they were engaging in such a tedious war of words was incredibly unusual for the mindset of the time.

Of course, even in this period, seeking justification for starting a war was a matter of course.

However, this was merely a formality. Negotiations often broke down as soon as they began, and war would break out on the grounds of that breakdown.

And when the war that broke out became sluggish or the outcome became ambiguous, the parties would rush to the Pope and insist that they were right. Then, the Pope would appropriately coordinate both sides and offer a compromise.

In most cases, a compromise that satisfied both sides was hard to come by. However, both sides had to accept the compromise.

-Refusal would result in excommunication.

Although it was inferior to the past, the Pope’s ‘excommunication’ card was devastating.

It was an open secret that the Pope and his close cardinals could receive considerable bribes in this process.

However, all of this was impossible at this conference.

First and foremost, foreign powers were meddling in Italy’s internal affairs.

Here, the Empire was the first to acquire the biggest justification.

-It is right that the Italians decide the fate of Italy. It is not right for foreign countries to intervene arbitrarily!

-Our Empire is the same. If the Italians decide for themselves through peaceful means, the Empire will accept it!

As soon as they arrived in Florence, the Empire was the first to obtain both absolution and justification due to the declaration of intent posted on the embassy wall.

Secondly, the Pope had lost his qualification as a mediator.

This was due to the Papal States in Italy. About 1/4 of the entire Italian territory, excluding Sicily, was the Papal States. The problem was that the area was one of the most fertile regions in Italy.

No matter how devout the Italians were, they could not simply overlook this. Likewise, the Pope would not simply give it up. In the end, the Pope’s representative had to participate in the meeting as a party concerned.

Finally, the predicted war was not going to be an easy one to end.

Looking at the current situation, it was simple.

Empire, Florence, Switzerland VS. France, Spain, Kingdom of Naples, Papal States.

And Portugal and other city-states in Italy were just watching.

In this situation, the biggest problem was how much force could be maintained for how long.

With Switzerland, famous for its mercenaries, allied with the Empire, all the remaining countries were having difficulty securing troops.

At least the Habsburgs had the Landsknecht [German mercenaries], a mercenary group that was born in the Swabia region and was gradually gaining prominence.

And it was this Landsknecht that complicated the calculations.

The most powerful military power besides the Imperial alliance was France. However, the problem was that the main force of the French army was a standing army. Because they were recruiting citizens, not mercenaries, there were limits to the finances for paying salaries and providing veteran care policies.

If the war dragged on, the Habsburgs, who could mobilize troops more easily, were likely to be the ultimate victors.

In other words, there was a high possibility that France would be ‘doing all the work for someone else’.

Spain also had a headache.

This was due to the problem that there was no land route from Spain to Italy. In order for the Spanish army to move by land, it had to pass through French territory.

It was an area where numerous border disputes had occurred between Spain and France.

No matter how much they had joined hands, there was no possibility that France would open its borders for the Spanish army.

If they had to transport troops by sea, the Imperial Navy, which was stationed in Livorno and Prince Henry’s port, would not simply let it pass.

They were putting pressure on Portugal to solve this problem, but Portugal was just watching.

The situation of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples was not so good either.

The risk of internal revolts was increasing.

The Borgia family of Pope Alexander VI and the Trastámara dynasty of the Kingdom of Naples were both rooted in Spain.

Many of the Italian cardinals and residents of the Papal States were unhappy with the Pope’s origins.

If the war became protracted and the burden they had to bear increased significantly, the residents of the Papal States were highly likely to rise up with this as a justification.

The Kingdom of Naples was the same. The current king, Ferdinand I, had a history of suppressing rebellions by nobles who resisted him several times.

In order to keep these nobles in check, he gave privileges to the free citizens and urban nobles of the city to keep the feudal nobles in check.

However, if the slogan of ‘Italy for Italians’ and the harm of a prolonged war were added, the urban nobles were also likely to turn their backs.

In other words, everyone expected that if they could not decisively suppress the Imperial and Florentine alliance in the early stages, they would enter a long-term war.

And the common thought of everyone except the Empire was that the Empire would be the most advantageous in a long-term war. It was thanks to Switzerland that they properly showed what would happen if the Empire was determined to spend money and run its factories.

“But there’s no way to avoid war….”

In the end, a tedious war of words continued as each side tried to find a scapegoat to bear the infamy, holding out until the very end.

* * *

“…Based on the current situation, the battle lines of the war that will take place in the future are as follows.”

At the request of the envoys exhausted from the tedious war of words, a five-day recess was declared.

Hyang, Lorenzo de Medici, ambassadors, Imperial Army commanders, and finally, the highest-ranking commanders of the Florentine and Swiss armies gathered in the embassy conference room to receive reports on how the war would proceed if it broke out.

“Hmm….”

After listening carefully to the explanation, Hyang looked back at Yoo Eung-bu.

“To sum it up, a two-front war is unavoidable.”

“That is correct.”

“It’s become an uninteresting situation.”

“That is correct. The best thing is for uprisings and rebellions to break out in the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples in the south, loosening the southern front. Then, I think it is best to clear the south as quickly as possible and go north.”

Everyone except Hyang nodded at Yoo Eung-bu’s words. However, Hyang could not easily get rid of his frown.

‘Something feels uneasy….’

Thanks to being a considerable military enthusiast, Hyang, who had considerable knowledge related to war history, could not shake off an unknown uneasiness, a very unpleasant uneasiness.

Because of this, Hyang repeatedly examined the map on the wall and the report in his hand with a deeply frowned face.

Watching Hyang’s actions, the others began to feel increasingly uneasy.

‘What is it? I think it’s the most orthodox and stable strategy?’

‘What is it? What did I miss?’

As Hyang made others uneasy, he lightly shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk!”

‘Ack!’

As soon as Hyang clicked his tongue, the others screamed inwardly. Regardless, Hyang looked at the report and the map once again and asked Yoo Eung-bu.

“Why the south?”

“Yes?”

“Why did you want to clear the southern front first?”

“As you can see in the report, the main forces of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples are still soldiers and knights armed with swords and spears.”

“Is the most recent information certain?”

“That is not the case.”

“If I were the monarch of Spain, I would have sent weapons to the Kingdom of Naples first. And the newly appointed Pope must know how the world works, so he would have brought in a large number of guns and cannons. And….”

Hyang talked about what made him uneasy.

-Considering the time it took for Florence to prepare for the unification of Italy, there is a high possibility that the main weapons of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples have changed.

-Funnily enough, there is a problem with the geographical information we have. We have faithfully prepared for the northern region, but the quality and quantity of the southern region are insufficient.

-The uprising in the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples is literally wishful thinking. There is absolutely no possibility that it will happen.

-The Imperial Navy controls the sea route from Prince Henry’s port to Livorno, but it does not control the entire Mediterranean. If Spain and France use Sicily, they can use the Kingdom of Naples to build ships.

-In other words, if we attack from the south in this situation, we may fall into a trap.

“…That’s why I think ‘Southern Front Priority’ is a bit dangerous.”

Everyone in attendance became serious at Hyang’s point.

‘If you think about it that way… indeed….’

‘It’s a strategy based on a sufficiently conservative point of view, but why?’

Looking at the faces full of reflection and questions, Hyang continued.

“Of course, I understand why that strategy came out. ‘Deal with the easy enemies first and the difficult enemies later.’ The same goes for geographical information. Powerful land forces such as France and the Habsburgs are in the north and close to Florence, so it was natural to pay attention. The Papal States in the south are so weak militarily, and the Kingdom of Naples was in turmoil due to a rebellion just recently. But even so, going south right away is too dangerous. We lack proper geographical information, especially the sea is a problem. That sea is our strong wall, but it can also make us difficult. Hmm….”

After pausing for a moment, Hyang got up from his seat and walked to the map.

“Hmm….”

Looking at the map and thinking hard about something, Hyang looked back at Yoo Eung-bu.

“How about clearing the north first?”

“From the north?”

“That’s right.”

Hyang’s plan was as follows.

-The best route from Naples to Florence is only the route that comes up through Rome. Therefore, set up a defensive line in a suitable place and focus on defense.

-In the meantime, concentrate your forces and merge the northern Italian cities.

-In the process of this merger, gather troops from the first merged city and attack the next city.

-If you clear Northern Italy, use the Alps to block the way for France and the Habsburgs.

-After that, use the troops mobilized from the northern Italian cities as the main force to clear the south.

After explaining this far, Hyang smiled bitterly and continued.

“The justification is ‘the cause for the unification of Italy’, but there is another purpose here. To wear out those who are dissatisfied with Florence.”

“Ah….”

The attendees were speechless at Hyang’s too ruthless words. In particular, Lorenzo de Medici had a look of great shock.

‘Grandfather’s words were true!’

Cosimo de Medici once said this about Hyang during his lifetime.

-He is a wise and great monarch, but he is also a ruthless monarch!