"An envoy from the Austrian Empire?"
Angelo Nebuti, the de facto ruler of the Fourth Roman Republic, was overjoyed.
Though the Austrian army was already at the gates, the fact that the other side had sent an envoy meant there was still room to defuse the situation.
In truth, Angelo Nebuti had spent the past few days busy arranging the defenses of Rome. He felt that his efforts must have paid off.
In reality, the defenses Angelo Nebuti had arranged were riddled with gaps. Though history was full of scholars who had taken up arms and achieved extraordinary feats, and there was no shortage of once-in-a-century geniuses who could master anything they turned their hands to,
Angelo Nebuti clearly had no such talent. The defenses he had arranged were full of holes. It was only to be expected that an amateur commanding professionals would cause trouble.
Angelo Nebuti's biggest mistake was placing all his forces along the outer defensive line without leaving enough troops in reserve.
Actually, saying he hadn't left enough troops in reserve wasn't quite accurate. He hadn't left any reserves at all.
If a revolt broke out inside the city with this kind of defensive arrangement, every line of defense would crumble. Rome happened to have a great many followers of Pius IX, along with Austrian agents.
But unless absolutely necessary, Franz didn't want to storm the city. That was why an envoy had come at this moment.
Contrary to Angelo Nebuti's expectations, however, the Austrian envoy hadn't come to negotiate. He'd come to deliver a final ultimatum.
In fact, Franz didn't believe the so-called Fourth Roman Republic had any bargaining power at all. But even if it did, he wouldn't let negotiations happen.
The final ultimatum was simple: the oldest trick in the book, "Punish the