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The ceremony was important.
Rituals, honor, ceremony, identity—people often unknowingly step into certain roles and identities, which creates a divide between them and those beneath them.
The once rowdy and smelly mercenaries quickly discovered that they not only had to deal with odd training routines every day but also had to wake up early to chop wood or mine.
The reconnaissance team had to undergo intense running drills, while the musketeers were all required to pass vision tests. The entire camp was busy, yet orderly.
Hedy’s finances were not only well-balanced but were also steadily expanding.
She raised the prices of several goods, and deliberately reduced the output of purple dye, yet prices kept rising.
Merchants inside and outside the city complained, but they had no means to resist her monopoly.
Meanwhile, Da Vinci, along with the craftsmen, was continuously improving and experimenting with weapons. In the spare moments between designing mechanical and armor blueprints, he was also pondering another question that had no clear answer—
What exactly controls the explosive power of gunpowder?
Is it the ratio? The material of the casing? The firing mechanism? The ignition temperature?
Years earlier, Da Vinci had designed a small explosive that could scatter iron fragments, but now, as he conducted further experiments, he often felt as though he was standing on the threshold of a great discovery, only to be met with confusion and failure. At times, he felt he'd found the right direction, only for the path to slip away just as quickly.
Two months into the training, Hedy issued the order for the army to march, heading toward the southwest town of Luka.
She wasn’t about to waste time. She needed to establish a presence at one of the key strategic points where the French forces would inevitably set their sights.
In the historical Italian-French War, King Charles VIII of France had led an army of 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers over the Alps, marching south from Milan to Florence. However, this time, according to the scouts' reports, the French forces were coming by sea, but there could be no absolute certainty—whether by sea or land, they would inevitably have to seize one of the most crucial strongholds, Luka.
Luka had been a key point Hedy emphasized repeatedly when she first became a Florentine councilor.
Located near four countries, with its southern borders touching the sea, the city had a strong port and an extremely strategic position.
Luka was not far from Pisa, which had already been fortified with troops. If a battle broke out, it would be much easier to defend.
In the worst-case scenario, they could retreat south to defend Florence, preserving the city.
But if the war went in their favor, they could press on and capture several small cities along the coast.
Hedy had clearly thought through all possible outcomes, and her communication with Lorenzo was frequent and ongoing.
— Michelangelo and Raphael had collaborated on a design for armor, improving its ability to protect against stabbing and arrow wounds while significantly reducing its weight.
When Da Vinci saw the design sketch, he sighed deeply with relief. He barely exchanged a word with Hedy before rushing off to find the old craftsman, Fabio, with the design in hand.
The main force officially broke camp, taking nearly twenty days to reach the town of Luka.
The lord of the town was a nervous middle-aged man, nearly bald.
"Fight—fight a war?" He repeated the word nervously, shaking his head. "You... you should find another place to stay. Luka is a city of peace. Nothing has happened here for over a hundred years—there will be no war here! We are a neutral country!"
Luris rolled her eyes, trying to argue with him to make the situation clear, but Hedy raised her hand to stop her. With a smile, she calmly confirmed, "So, what you’re saying, sir, is that you are neither willing to send us reinforcements nor allow us to stay here for long?"
The lord let out a long sigh, nodding repeatedly. "That's right."
"Mr. Zino," Hedy's smile deepened. "You may go ahead and tie him up."
Soon, the cries of the lord echoed through the castle.
The entire army took control of the "peaceful, neutral" town in just two hours. After all, this country had very few mercenaries, and the citizens who should have been conscripts had already locked their doors and shut their windows, indifferent to the chaos.
