Inside the Papal Palace, the news of the victory in Venice had just arrived, and everyone was still celebrating in high spirits when the news of Lorenzo's rebellion suddenly broke, causing an uproar throughout the hall.
Augustus was deeply saddened by the tragic news from Urbino; although it was not a direct territory of the Papal States, its people were still subjects of the Papal States.
Duke Maria II of Urbino had always been respectful and humble, without any rebellious intentions. Historically, he had no heir and directly dedicated Urbino to the Papal States after his death.
He had previously suppressed and weakened so many nobles and clergy for the sake of centralization, yet he had never thought of touching this 'state within a state' that enjoyed the highest degree of autonomy. But now, everything was in chaos.
Augustus had no idea why Lorenzo would rebel so inexplicably at this moment, and even now, he couldn't understand what was going on. Of course, he regretted it, but regret was meaningless now.
Someone like Lorenzo, by all accounts, shouldn't easily take such a drastic risk. There had been no unusual movements for such a long time, so why rebel now? By this time, he should have already known that the main force of Venice was lost and its capital had fallen. If it was a premeditated plan, he should have rebelled when Carducao and Duke's armies had just set out, hoping for an inside-out attack.
In Augustus's eyes, Lorenzo's rebellion was nothing to fear. Even if he faced the rebels outside the city with just two regiments, he had absolute confidence in defeating Lorenzo's tens of thousands of rabble. Moreover, having received the news in advance, he could make more preparations to ensure foolproof success.
However, Lorenzo's rebellion involved tens of thousands of Papal States reservists. If not contained in time, this number would increase, and later there might be tens of thousands of Papal States citizens. If Lorenzo were to lead his troops to Rome for a siege, turning the area around Rome into scorched earth, even if the rebellion was quelled, it would be a devastating blow.
After much deliberation, Augustus decided to use two regiments of the National Defense Force as the main force, gather conscripts serving around Rome before Lorenzo could, and add the Rome police department to make up the numbers, forming a clear advantage. He would personally lead the army in a proactive attack, intercepting Lorenzo's rebel army en route.
The reason for leading the expedition himself was that Augustus wanted to confront Lorenzo directly, expose Lorenzo's pretext for rebellion in public, suppress Lorenzo and all the rebels, minimize casualties on both sides, and ideally make the other side surrender without a fight. On the other hand, it was also to display imperial and national prestige to all of Europe.
As soon as this decision was proposed, it was immediately opposed by almost everyone present. Even Faol and Dracula, uncharacteristically, did not proactively express support. The reason was simple: it was too dangerous and unnecessary. Enzo even offered to go in his stead.
But what Augustus was determined to do, he rarely changed. Under constant hinting, Dracula finally stated that there were a few advantages to this, but the Pope's safety was very important, and the Swiss Guard must protect him closely. Augustus then took the hint and readily agreed.
The others, seeing that the Pope was determined, did not say much more, only urging Augustus to pay attention to his safety. Although their thoughts were not entirely the same, at this moment, they all appeared loyal and united against the outside.
Soon, Augustus gathered an army of over ten thousand men, temporarily forming combat units, and then armed them with weapons stored in the city. Two regiments of the National Defense Force were positioned, one in front to make a show, and one at the very back to hold the line. When stationary, from a distance, they looked no different from over ten thousand regular soldiers.
With preparations complete, Augustus immediately led his army out, while having Enzo search for traces of the rebels and report directly to the main army.
To avoid affecting marching speed, Lorenzo only brought a very small amount of rations and a limited number of cannons. He disregarded the quality of his troops and forced them to march day and night, rushing madly. The soldiers complained endlessly, and thousands of soldiers fell behind or deserted along the way.
But even so, Lorenzo still believed he had a great advantage. Once he reached Rome, there would be a continuous supply of manpower as soldiers, and his conscripts scattered in various places and nobles who responded to him would join him.
Once Rome was captured, he would control the country and be able to mobilize the entire nation, seek foreign aid, and in turn, annihilate Carducao and Duke's rebel armies. Compared to that, the few thousand men lost were nothing.
With such a bold plan, decisive action, and astonishing marching speed, Lorenzo at this moment felt like Caesar reborn. This legendary battle of his would surely go down in history.
Carducao's National Defense Force landed in Ancona and did not divide their forces to attack Urbino, which was controlled by the rebels. Instead, the entire army headed straight for Rome. In the Umbria region, Carducao captured some rebel soldiers who couldn't keep up with the army, roughly ascertaining the rebels' position.
A dramatic scene was about to unfold.
"General Lorenzo, bad news! Many enemy troops have been spotted ahead!"
Lorenzo, riding on a tall horse, was engrossed in his beautiful visions for the future when he was suddenly interrupted by a scout.
"It's just enemy troops, isn't it? Why are you so flustered! Speak slowly!" Seeing the scout terrified out of his wits, Lorenzo was furious. Both of Augustus's main armies were outside, so how could there be any large-scale enemy troops ahead?
"They are so numerous that they stretch as far as the eye can see, estimated to be at least several thousand, and all of them are fully armed and appear well-trained."
This time, Lorenzo was also stunned. Having such a large army blocking his way at least indicated one thing: the plan had been leaked.
But where did Augustus conjure so many soldiers from thin air? Could it really be that one of Carducao or Duke had returned to reinforce? With his current troop strength and combat power, if he were to truly face over ten thousand regular soldiers, it would be a dead end.
"Who is leading the army?" Lorenzo dared not neglect, dismounting to help the scout up and ask.
"It seems, it seems to be, the Pope." The scout's faltering words seemed to send a jolt through Lorenzo's entire body.
"Are you telling the truth? Did you see clearly?" Lorenzo asked, grabbing the scout's collar excitedly.
If it was indeed the Pope leading the army, then it meant that the forces ahead were not the main forces of Carducao and Duke returning for defense. Then, most of the soldiers would be cobbled together, and there might even be civilians among them. In that case, he wasn't completely without a chance. Moreover, Augustus must have brought all the troops he could mobilize. If Augustus could be captured or killed in this battle, there would be no need for a difficult siege.
"Absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes! The person in the lead was dressed as the Pope!" the scout affirmed.
"Good!" A fervent light, the desire for power, flickered in Lorenzo's eyes. "Order the entire army..."
"Bad news, General Lorenzo!" Just as Lorenzo was about to issue orders, another scout interrupted him.
"What now?" An unidentifiable anger rose in Lorenzo's heart. "How dare you interrupt me! If it's not important, I'll chop off your head!"
"Important! Absolutely important! A large-scale enemy force has been discovered on the flank! They are well-disciplined and well-trained, densely packed, probably tens of thousands!"