The Papal States certainly had enough soldiers in terms of quantity and quality, but their weapon outfitting faced an undeniable fact: the Papal States itself simply could not produce such a large number of weapons, and most of the weapons it could produce were already far behind the times.
This was inconsistent with recruitment propaganda and could not guarantee the combat effectiveness of the troops.
This was unavoidable; the Papal States had previously placed very little emphasis on its army, and there had been no wars for a long time, so weapon equipment was only updated once every many years, and the demand for weapons was very small.
Without demand for a long time, there was no market, and thus no production.
Not only hot weapons, but even spears and swords could not be fully equipped.
Even if production were to start immediately now, even if the entire process of investment, factory setup, production, and delivery went smoothly, it would still take a long time to produce equipment for so many people.
However, opportunities do not wait for people, and soldiers will not wait for people.
You cannot tell them that their equipment is being produced and that they should train with a fire poker pretending to have weapons, much less send soldiers into battle with scrap metal.
Augustus's view on manufacturing versus purchasing was: renting is worse than buying, buying is worse than manufacturing, and manufacturing is worse than seizing.
However, it seemed unreliable to seize others' weapons because they could not manufacture their own.
There was no other way; they could only buy first, which was a last resort.
There were also some small tricks to buying; although it did not change the essence of buying, different purchasing methods made a world of difference.
After discussions among the high-ranking officials of the Papal States, it was unanimously decided to import from multiple countries.
The main reason for this unanimity was precisely that there was one point on which they could not agree: which country's weapons were the best.
Even now, let alone in the future, looking back with a God's-eye view, this question has always been a source of continuous debate.
The superiority or inferiority of weapons is never as simple as comparing numerical data on paper.
Some weapons, with overwhelming paper data against competitors, look like the best in every way but get thrashed on the battlefield; some weapons have an overwhelming advantage in one-on-one combat but are at a disadvantage in corps operations; and some weapons are good to use but break down quickly, with maintenance costs far exceeding estimates, and constant unexpected problems on the battlefield, which are simply deadly.
Besides objective quality, a soldier's preference should also be considered slightly.
For example, in the early 20th century, the American military was particularly fond of the Colt M1873 revolver, which had a strong cowboy feel, instead of the better-performing Browning M1900.
This took into account soldiers' preferences for weapons, but because the performance simply could not keep up with the times, it often took three shots to kill a person, leading to losses against Filipino natives (or perhaps the natives were unusually sturdy), and this sentimental weapon was gradually phased out only out of necessity.
During the discussion, only Karl, Duke, and Lorenzo discussed enthusiastically without stopping; the others could not get a word in, including Augustus himself.
For such purely professional questions, unless one had specifically studied the history of weapon development or had personal experience, it was highly unlikely to have much understanding.
He himself was at most a half-enthusiast; what could he possibly know?
Augustus did not know what some of the names and terms mentioned in the discussion were, nor did he ask, as asking would have been pointless.
He only felt that what they said made sense, and none of them could convince the other.
It was finally agreed to select several types of weapons from all the mentioned ones for import and distribute them by regiment.
Good performance on the battlefield was what truly mattered, and adjustments would be made based on battlefield performance.
In the coming days, the army of the Papal States would feature French-equipped regiments, German-equipped regiments, Austrian-equipped regiments, Spanish-equipped regiments, Polish-equipped regiments, and so on.
Many regiments were also mixed, for example, carrying French muskets, wielding Spanish spears, equipped with German swords, wearing Milanese armor, and riding Polish horses.
Weapon diversification also helps adapt to different battlefield environments, preventing collective misfires in certain special weather conditions.
Buying from multiple countries could also minimize being controlled by others, and further strengthen cooperation and exchange with multiple countries, improve relations, and increase mutual interests.
In short, there were many benefits.
With a plan in place, there was no time to lose, and the Papal States immediately dispatched special envoys to the target countries for negotiations.
Although there was no strict sense of nationalization at this time, for heavy industries like military production, which were vital to a nation's lifeline, it was almost impossible without state involvement.
Methods of control varied: state control, policy support, government-private joint ventures, or even direct funding by the royal family to establish them.
Some were considered royal private property, while others could reasonably be considered state-owned.
The situations varied in different countries—absolute monarchy, elective monarchy, republic—all different, and even countries with the same system could have vastly different circumstances.
But there was one common point: large-scale export of military equipment abroad always had to go through the government.
Therefore, the dispatched negotiators went directly to the governments of each country.
This was actually a good thing, simplifying matters; there was no need to run around everywhere bargaining.
With state involvement, the quality would also be more guaranteed.
Overall, the negotiations did not encounter any major problems; business was brought to their doorstep, and there was no reason not to do it.
Catholic countries, on the surface, were also very willing to strengthen ties with the Papal States.
Some issues were merely about price, how much profit to make; a brief discussion would suffice to settle on a mutually acceptable price.
However, Poland, Spain, and Austria were themselves at war and relatively tight on funds, so the total amount they could import was less than expected.
What was lacking had to be made up somewhere, and this great and glorious task mainly fell on the shoulders of France, the dutiful son of Catholicism.
Since Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes, France had avoided major wars but experienced constant minor unrest, and also had to contend with the threat from Spain.
Therefore, it consistently maintained high military spending, accounting for about one-third of its annual fiscal expenditure, and the research and production of weapon equipment never slackened, leading to a normalized state of heavy debt.
After Mahan invented the flintlock gun, Henry IV vigorously promoted the process of equipping troops with flintlock guns.
The Papal States wanted to purchase a large quantity of weapons from France, and Henry IV attached great importance to this matter, not only interested in making money but also in the intentions of the Papal States.
If it was to counter the threat from Spain, that would be truly ideal.
So he dispatched his most trusted minister, Sully, the Military Minister, to facilitate this matter and also to try to use this opportunity to ascertain the Pope's intentions.
The Louvre
"Mr. Giovanni, if I may be so bold, what is the purpose of the Pope's current large-scale army expansion? Defending the Papal States has always been an unshirkable responsibility of France; if the Papal States needs anything, please inform us, and our country will certainly offer assistance," Sully guaranteed, patting his chest.
"Sorry, I don't know any of that; I'm just here to negotiate the purchase of weapons.
Can the price of the weapons be lowered a bit more?"
"Mr. Giovanni, my King Henry is very willing to strengthen cooperation with the Papal States and can send military officers to help your country train its army.
What do you think?"
"I apologize, the Pope did not make that request.
May I ask if the customs duties can be reduced?"
"The Pope has taken military power from Military Minister Lorenzo.
I wonder if this affects the internal unity of your country?"
"That is a matter for the higher-ups; I don't know either.
However, I imagine the Papal States has always been very united and will continue to be united.
Can your country bear the shipping costs of the weapons?"
Facing Giovanni, who claimed ignorance to every question, Sully tried every trick in the book but still could not elicit any useful information, receiving only vague answers.
In fact, Augustus had never told anyone his true intentions.
Not to mention Giovanni, even if he asked a few ministers, or even Faol, he would not have gained anything; only by asking Karl and Duke might he have found a clue.
Giovanni's rigid and inflexible way of doing things became an advantage at this moment.
No matter what Sully said, he remained unyielding, his words never straying from money.
Sully repeatedly made concessions in an attempt to extract information, but still failed to get anything.
Sully realized that if he continued to press, he would not make any money, so he had to give up.
The arms export agreement between France and the Papal States was thus reached.