Page 277 of DATE
What the Pope wanted… might be to regain control over what originally belonged to him.
Hedy clearly thought of this as well. A worried expression appeared on her face as she watched the retreating ships. "They've already started shifting their targets."
Even though three to four thousand of them were either dead or wounded here, they could still choose other locations to attack.
— But Pisa had already reinforced its defenses and stationed soldiers. Would they now move along the Arno River, attacking Vinci and then Florence?
"Don’t worry about Florence," Da Vinci said, placing a hand gently on her shoulder and shaking his head. "News came two days ago, and even the Roman Catholic Church publicly condemned the French declaration of war—at least this time, when they took a side, they were using their brains."
France probably originally intended to control Rome and launch a pincer attack from the north and south, but they never expected to be backstabbed directly by Pope Alexander VI.
"We can't hold this place much longer," Hedy frowned. "Luka City is a military stronghold, but in just three days, they've lost so many men—Leonardo, how many mines are left in the other four directions?"
"Altogether, there are 112 mines remaining. Our mercenaries know the markings and their importance, so they won’t act recklessly."
Luka City was as solid as a fortress. Even if some unlucky fool ventured out and triggered a mine, it wouldn’t affect the rest of the city.
"We should leave," Hedy said softly. "The French won’t be stupid enough to use lives to force their way through."
"But there’s no need to go back to support Florence," Da Vinci said seriously. "The arms buildup there began four years ago, when you first suggested to Lorenzo to strengthen the armaments."
"So, what you’re saying is..." Hedy's eyes met his. "We can move northwest."
To the north of Luka City was the Duchy of Asava, and further north were the closely neighboring Genoa and the Duchy of Milan.
If they took control of Genoa, with its winding coastline, they would be right in front of France.
"Bold plan," Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "But we still need to stay here for at least another month."
This was a very cautious decision.
Throughout the Middle Ages, assassination and infiltration were ubiquitous. Although Lorenzo, the lord of the Medici family, was known for his kindness and philanthropy, he was also suspected of being behind several assassination plots.
If they left hastily, there was a risk that French forces from the south could secretly infiltrate the city and seize everything here.
The first thing Hedy did after returning was establish a dual verification system using secret codes and emblems.
From this point forward, Luka City would only allow people to exit, not enter. All mercenary records and fingerprints were meticulously checked and confirmed once again.
They would have to stay here for at least thirty days while waiting for news from Florence.
Thanks to the Medici, communication between the two cities had been shortened to just three days, which was already the maximum possible with the relay stations changing horses.
The French, indeed, continued to move south, lingering near Pisa without advancing.
They had been repelled at Luka City, but they still hoped to extract some benefit before retreating.
An army of over thirty thousand was no small number, and managing and controlling such a force was a daunting task. However, the lords to the south had already fortified their lands with strong defenses, and their counterattacks were firm and decisive.
When good news arrived from the south, Hedy let out a sigh of relief. She had a vague sense that it would be better for the situation to escalate as much as possible.
If both sides played dumb, pretending that the sudden naval attack was just a group of marauding pirates after treasure, the ensuing chaos would spiral infinitely.
The map of Europe was fragmented like broken cookie crumbs, with wars and conflicts lasting five hundred years, never-ending in their disturbances. The idea of unification sounded like a joke.
Not to mention unifying Europe— even unifying Italy could accelerate the development of the region's technology, culture, and economy at an incredible pace.
There had to be a war.
