Outside the palace, peace returned. Abbas the Great turned around and sincerely apologized, "This King was not strict enough with his subordinates. Farzad's words were very offensive, but he has now been dealt with. I ask for your envoy's understanding."
"Not at all. How can you be blamed for Farzad's personal actions? What's more, he has already been dealt with so severely. Your management of subordinates is excellent, and I admire it greatly!"
Although he said so, Facio was still puzzled. It was clear that Abbas the Great's decision to execute Farzad was not a spur-of-the-moment one. He, as an envoy, had been used by the other party. So what was the reason? It seemed that the Persian Empire was not as monolithic as it appeared... Beneath the calm surface, there were also undercurrents.
At the same time, Facio also noticed another problem: Abbas the Great could have interrupted Farzad much earlier, but he still let him finish his words. This showed that Abbas the Great himself intended to test him through Farzad. His previous performance, he feared, would hardly satisfy Abbas the Great.
Abbas the Great seemed to read Facio's mind and wanted to give him another chance to answer, calmly asking, "I believe your envoy has seen our country's strength along the way. So, in terms of confronting the Ottoman Empire, what can the Papal States do?"
Facio's mind raced, and suddenly a thought flashed, remembering a very important matter he had just overlooked: "As early as a year ago, some people within Austria wanted to secretly make peace with the Ottoman Empire, and it was almost finalized at that time.
It was His Holiness the Pope who warned Rudolf II, the Emperor of Austria, to be vigilant, which prevented them from succeeding; it was also His Holiness the Pope who selflessly provided financial aid to Austria, allowing Rudolf II to have enough funds to fight this war; and it was His Holiness the Pope who promised to send troops to the Hungary battlefield, allowing Rudolf II to gain enough domestic support to continue this war.
Imagine, if the Ottoman Empire had made peace with Austria last year, it would not have had to fight on two fronts, nor would it have to worry about the Papal States having tens of thousands of troops about to join the war against the Ottoman Empire. It would have been able to devote more forces to the war against your country. How much greater would the pressure on your country have been than it is now?"
"Oh? There was such a thing, I didn't know!"
Abbas the Great's surprise was genuine, but he secretly rejoiced in his heart: if the Papal States could play a substantial role, the resistance to his efforts to form an alliance would be much smaller, and Persia would be able to act more flexibly in diplomacy.
"Absolutely true. This is the highest secret of the Papal States and Austria. Few people in all of Europe know about this. If His Holiness the Pope had not attached great importance to my contact with your country, such a secret would not have been known to me."
Facio swore solemnly, although he believed there was some exaggeration in his heart, in reality, what Facio said was not exaggerated at all.
Abbas the Great nodded in satisfaction, but quickly realized the essence of the matter: "Very good, His Holiness the Pope did all this, and I naturally assume it was not for the sake of allying with us, just as our confrontation with the Ottoman Empire is not for the sake of gaining anyone's support.
In other words, I believe that whether the Persian Empire and the Papal States ally or not, His Holiness the Pope has already done these things and will continue to do them; and the Persian Empire will continue to confront the Ottoman Empire as always.
So, if the Persian Empire and the Papal States ally, what does the Papal States hope the Persian Empire will do, and what can it do for the Persian Empire?"
At this point, anyone with discernment could see that Abbas the Great was strongly pushing for the formation of an alliance. As long as the Papal States could offer some concrete benefits, this matter would basically be settled. After Farzad's death just now, even if someone opposed it, they would not speak up at this time.
Speaking of this, Facio gained confidence: "The Papal States has the most advanced weapons and equipment in the world, and a very complete military industry system. It suffers from a limited population base, which leads to a limited number of troops, preventing them from maximizing their power.
If your country becomes our ally, we can sell all the new weapons and equipment we produce to your country at a low price! And we will provide craftsmen and instructors to assist your soldiers in their use and maintenance."
When the most advanced weapons and equipment were mentioned, Abbas the Great was clearly interested. Although he had completed military reforms with the help of the British adventurer Robert Shirley and equipped many new types of equipment, production capacity was insufficient, and recent war consumption was huge. If he could truly continuously obtain new weapons and equipment from the Papal States, it would indeed be like adding wings to a tiger, but...
"That would be excellent, but there is a very important question: the Ottoman Empire lies between our two countries. How can the Papal States' weapons and equipment be transported to Persia?"
Facio: "Exactly, this is what His Holiness the Pope hopes your country will do. That is for the Persian army to march westward, conquer Suez, break through the Ottoman Empire's blockade, and reopen East-West exchange! At that time, the Papal States will also use the strength of the entire nation to cooperate with your country in a pincer attack on the Ottoman Empire!"
Is the Pope crazy! This was Abbas the Great's first thought. For the army to march all the way to Suez, how distant the journey was, and how many passes and fortresses there were along the way. This was incredibly difficult. Moreover, once Suez fell, the entire territory of the Ottoman Empire would be cut off, and the Ottoman Empire would surely fight to the death!
But then he thought, if it could truly be achieved, what a great undertaking it would be. To say he wasn't tempted would be false, but to rashly go ahead without considering the practical situation would put the country and himself in an irretrievable situation.
After a moment of contemplation, Abbas the Great gave a clear reply: "Good! We recognize the Papal States as an ally. Achieving this is indeed my wish, but the difficulty, I believe, your envoy also understands, and I need not say more. How to proceed from now on will depend on how much damage the Papal States can inflict on the Ottoman Empire. If there is indeed something to be done, the Persian Lion will not fear any enemy!"
Facio nodded. After all, if the grand promises couldn't be fulfilled, achieving such a result was already very good. Now it was up to the Papal States' army, and Facio was very confident in his own army.
"Good! The Papal States will prove our strength to the whole world!"
Abbas the Great seemed to suddenly think of something and asked, "Oh, by the way, our two countries are the leaders of the Shia and Catholic faiths, respectively. Will there be any problems with an alliance between our two countries?"
Facio let out a long breath, thinking it was something serious, and replied easily, "Please rest assured. You are a great and discerning ruler, and His Holiness the Pope is also an enlightened monarch. We will not be constrained by such minor details."
Abbas the Great waved his hand and said, "That's not what I mean. What I mean is, by allying with my country, I can naturally suppress various factions. But your Holiness the Pope, even if he can suppress domestic opposition, how can he deal with the opposition from other Catholic countries?"
"This..." For a moment, Facio was speechless. Facio knew that Abbas the Great's concerns were not unfounded. The Papal States, no matter what, could not directly subdue the Catholic countries. At that time, it would probably be another huge commotion.
Abbas the Great smiled slightly, as expected. So he offered a way out: "To avoid complications, let's first establish a secret alliance between the Papal States and Persia. This alliance will only be known by those present within the Persian Empire, and I ask you to keep it secret when you return to the Papal States. What do you think?"
Facio thought for a moment. This was indeed a course of action that served the interests of both countries: "You have considered it thoroughly. We will follow your suggestion."
"Good! After signing the alliance, our country will send people to escort you, and they will also return to the Papal States with you to learn about your country's customs and traditions. Does your envoy find this feasible?"
"Your Majesty's good intentions, how can I refuse? Strengthening the exchange between our two countries is precisely His Holiness the Pope's wish, so we are naturally delighted!" Having completed his mission, Facio finally relaxed the tension he had been holding.