It wasn't until the next morning, when the monastery clock didn't even strike once, let alone seven times, that Grimaldi realized the seriousness of the situation.
Aware of the danger, he hastily summoned all available officials for a meeting to discuss a response.
This time, fewer officials arrived at the Consulate than yesterday, and those who were inexplicably absent were all Italians airlifted from Genoa.
During this meeting, everyone unanimously agreed to send troops; there were no more dissenting voices.
"It seems the rioters have chosen war," Melo said, angrily tugging at his beard.
"The situation has exceeded expectations a bit, but it's alright; as long as the army attacks, everything will be fine," Guney said, shaking his short, wavy chestnut hair, looking very relaxed.
"Indeed, we cannot wait any longer; these are no ordinary rioters, and we must strike hard," Grimaldi nodded.
Following the Kaffa Consul's order, all deployable troops in Kaffa set off for the Consulate, and the guards stationed around the Consulate finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Since last night, they had been fighting citizens attempting to storm the Consulate, and now they could finally rest for a while.
Melo went down to roughly count the soldiers who had reported, and his face fell in shock, "What? How are there… less than 1,500 men?"
"General, yesterday the rioters stole a lot of our equipment, and what's more hateful, many orthodox soldiers actually joined them.
Now, even large sections of the city walls and other facilities have been seized by them," Melo's adjutant reported.
"These lawless rebels! Lord! Argh!" Melo was almost fuming to death on the spot.
"It doesn't matter, our army is well-equipped and well-trained; these rioters are no match for us," Guney said confidently, stroking his short beard, and Grimaldi, standing beside him, wholeheartedly agreed.
"Indeed, the entire army will attack and crush these rioters!" Melo ordered.
"Wait," Guney interjected, as if he had just remembered something.
"Your Excellency Guney, whatever you have to say can wait until after the rioters are suppressed."
"I have an idea," Guney smiled.
"Out with it! Don't keep us in suspense!" Melo said impatiently.
"Let the Greeks and orthodox in the army lead the charge."
"Huh?"
"Regardless of their current stance, these orthodox and foreigners are ultimately unstable elements.
Using this opportunity to eliminate them would definitely be beneficial to us."
Melo and Grimaldi looked at their colleague beside them with shocked expressions, secretly praising his sinister plan.
"But, Your Excellency Guney, you are Greek," Paolo Grimaldi stared at him incredulously.
"Your Excellency Grimaldi, I am different from those lowly rioters.
I wholeheartedly and unconditionally support the Governor's Office's rule here."
At this, Guney's eyes narrowed, making it impossible for them to discern his true thoughts.
Melo pondered for a moment and then agreed to this poisonous scheme, and Grimaldi, seeing this, said nothing more.
However, he secretly decided that once this incident was over, he would definitely transfer Guney to Tana or Matrega; such a fanatical convert was truly terrifying.
He then arranged for himself and Melo to personally lead the suppression, while Guney led a small contingent to guard the Consulate.
Thus, the garrison of less than 1,200 men set off in a grand procession, with all the orthodox or Greeks leading the charge.
Only a very small number of Liguria Catholics from Genoa acted as supervisors among them.
Upon seeing the army enter, many of the citizens causing chaos in the city fled, but many still chose to confront them.
This included most of the former soldiers and yesterday's representatives.
Isaac Arno was also among them.
Just as everyone present was at a loss, Isaac was surprised to see an unexpected figure step forward.
"Father, you, you don't have to!" Isaac exclaimed, and those around him who knew him also worriedly tried to stop him.
Isaac Arno's father, Michael Arno, was a wealthy merchant who had traveled around the Black Sea.
His wife was a Greek from Theodore, and his eldest and second sons were currently trading in Theodore.
To distinguish him from his children, everyone generally called him Michael Arno.
Due to his kindness and shrewdness, he had a certain reputation among the orthodox in Kaffa, and many believed he was only a title away from being a true nobleman.
Although Michael Arno was sweating profusely at this moment, he still declined the kindness of those around him, turning to humbly address the Genoese officer who had come to suppress them: "Gentlemen of Liguria, may I first make my last will and testament?"
"Haha, this person seems to be some kind of local representative? Hilarious.
Let him speak, I want to hear what he has to say."
Melo, on horseback, was immediately amused and ordered to wait for Michael Arno to finish speaking before beginning the slaughter.
Seeing the enemy troops halt, Michael Arno, with a solemn expression, shouted at the soldiers facing him:
"orthodox of Kaffa, Greeks, what do you raise your swords, spears, and lances for at this moment?
Look at the people you are about to face; which one of them does not share your faith, which one does not have similar blood flowing in their veins?
Do you truly have the heart to bring your weapons down upon and stab the people you know well?
If you truly cut them down and stab them, will those Liguria heretics reward you for it?
Will they give you a few more florins or ducats?
I think you all know they won't!
They will only laugh at our infighting as you act, saying, 'Look, these obedient slaves.'"
Upon hearing this, Melo cried out, "No!", and immediately ordered the army to act, "Kill him! Kill this heretic dog!"
Melo roared with all his might, but the front ranks of the army turned a deaf ear; they merely listened.
Michael Arno continued his pre-battle speech, "Do they think we haven't noticed?
Why do they put you on the front lines, if not to enjoy watching us fight among ourselves?!
Should we let them have their way?
Moreover, do we truly have no chance of winning?
Ninety percent of the residents are on our side, and most of the orthodox are willing to provide us with supplies.
Of the 3,000 garrison troops in Kaffa, over 1,500 have already joined us.
If we had a few hundred more, the scales of victory would definitely tip in our favor.
Do you wish to die for a group of heretics who don't care about you, or live for your compatriots who genuinely care for you!"
As his speech concluded, more and more soldiers on the opposite side began to stir.
A Liguria supervisor, seeing this, drew his military whip and struck the soldiers at the front, "Hurry up and act, you good-for—" Before he could finish, a spear pierced his chest, and he fell down, an expression of disbelief on his face.
The situation on the field instantly reversed.
The Greek and orthodox soldiers on the front lines defected en masse, turning their weapons on the Liguria Catholic soldiers behind them.
Now, with the addition of citizens and officials, it could be said that the Kaffa populace had completely gained an overwhelming advantage.
At this moment, Michael Arno seized the opportunity and shouted:
"Attack! Holy Father protect us!"
As soon as his voice fell, almost all combat-capable personnel among the Kaffa populace seemed to be emboldened, raising their weapons and swinging them down at the Genoese authorities' soldiers.
Nearly 900 Liguria soldiers, in turn, became the slaughtered.
Citizens familiar with the alleyways used their local advantage to fire their makeshift crossbow bolts at the enemy troops.
The defecting soldiers raised their spears, lances, swords, and sabers against their former comrades and former superiors, showing no mercy.
The representatives were protected by armed citizens and positioned at the rear to issue commands.
The Liguria soldiers were beaten to tears, and a few who still wanted to bravely counterattack charged forward, but even protected by armor, they were shot full of holes.
Even though the tide had turned, Alberto Melo, as the supreme commander of the army, still organized some resistance.
He ordered the remaining combat-ready troops to gather and form a phalanx with spearmen in front and crossbowmen in the rear, attempting to slow the army's collapse.
However, this measure also failed after the Kaffa populace put forward several individuals with certain tactical abilities.
The officers led by Michael Arno quickly adopted guerrilla street-fighting tactics to counter the Liguria phalanx.
He ordered armored infantry to temporarily engage the enemy in the front, with archers from the citizenry supporting the infantry, and at the same time, he had those skilled in horsemanship bring horses and use long spears as cavalry.
For this, he even offered all his own horses.
Even though the Liguria soldiers were well-armed, they could only barely maintain their formation in the battle against the Greek infantry and crossbowmen.
When hundreds of "cavalry" from the populace arrived and charged them, the Genoese army, disadvantaged in both tactics and numbers, collapsed.
No matter how Melo commanded, they could no longer organize effective resistance.
The Genoese army completely routed, and even Melo, as the commander, was hit by two arrows in his right shoulder.
This suppression ended in the complete defeat of the Genoese army.
It was now the afternoon of the day after full-scale hostilities began between the two sides.