Lucca·Soranzo convened staff to discuss, and the conclusion was reached to attack Cyprus. This island is isolated overseas, and it is difficult for the enemy Army to reinforce it.
From the beginning of the war to now, the size of Crete's mercenaries and Militia has continued to expand, reaching 28,000 people. It is more than enough for defense, and more than half of the troops can be allocated for attack.
Moreover, Despot Theodore of Cyprus is the second brother of Vitus. Once this high-value target is captured, it can be used as a favorable bargaining chip for Foreign Affairs in negotiations.
Soranzo excitedly approached the Duke, Army Commander Vettore Capello, and other senior officials to formally propose the plan.
The Duke's tone was slightly hesitant. "When Governor asked Marcello to attack Cyprus, Marcello firmly opposed it and thought the success rate was too low. I agree with him."
Soranzo: "No matter whether Army can win or not, as long as they appear in Cyprus, I think the enemy fleet may take the initiative to attack."
Hearing these words, Capello's face instantly darkened. This was obviously letting Army be used as a bait! He argued with Soranzo for a long time, and the meeting broke up unhappy.
The next day, Soranzo couldn't let go of this plan to lure the enemy into attack, and held another meeting.
"The enemy's shipbuilding conditions are excellent. There is no shortage of high-quality wood, canvas, ironware, and asphalt. Multiple shipyards are building ships at the same time.
Venice's overseas territories lack shipbuilding capabilities, and all production capacity is concentrated in local arsenals. Raw materials need to be imported, and shipbuilding speed is not as fast as that of the enemy.
The longer we delay, the smaller the gap between us and the enemy. One day, the enemy's fleet will exceed ours, and we can no longer hesitate." The meeting lasted for three days, and Soranzo gradually convinced the Duke, and Capello's position relaxed. Just when everything was developing in a good direction, news suddenly came from the military camp outside the city:
Some mercenaries are making noise.
Capello asked the officer who came to report, "Is there a problem with the supply? Do they need wine or meat?"
Officer: "Since yesterday, rumors of attacking Cyprus have spread in the camp. Some mercenaries are worried that they will lose the battle and are spreading panic among each other."
The incident happened in a hurry, Capello hurriedly gathered the Venice Militia in the city and gave priority to guarding the city wall. As the commander of the Army, he personally went out of the city to appease the soldiers, accompanied by Soranzo.
The mercenary camp is located in the western suburbs. The terrain here is flat and open. It was originally cultivated land, but now there are large areas of chaotically arranged barracks.
Some of the mercenary troops were undisciplined, and from time to time they would walk out of the camp in small groups to relax. The surrounding villages were unbearable, and small-scale conflicts often broke out between the two sides.
Entering the camp, a stench lingered in the air, and Soranzo instinctively slowed down his breathing, fearing that this environment would breed disease.
Unconsciously, the terrain gradually rose, and at the end of the road was a spacious main manor house. These buildings were used as warehouses and residences for some officers. A wall was built outside to separate the area where the mercenaries at the bottom were.
There is less stench here, replaced by the smell of barbecue, alcohol, powder, and the laughter of some women.
"I've only been in the city for three days, and the camp is in such chaos?"
Capello suppressed his anger, ignored military discipline issues for the time being, and convened a meeting with officers first. The later it was delayed at this time, the greater the probability of mutiny! After waiting for more than ten minutes, more than fifty officers or Mercenary Regiment captains gathered in the hall on the first floor. There were still a few people who had not arrived, but Capello was not prepared to wait any longer and got to the point immediately.
"What are those mercenaries worried about?"
A Mercenary Regiment named Michele Attendolo replied, "The risk of attacking Cyprus is too great. The brothers are unwilling to attack the strong city defense facilities, so they complained a little."
Soranzo quickly interjected. "Force attack? I have never spread such remarks. Someone must have deliberately distorted our plan to cause panic among the soldiers."
Mercenary Regiment Chang grabbed his gray hair, raised the corners of his mouth, and said with a half-smile, "Sir, do you think we are all fools?"
The fleet arrived near the coast of Cyprus. Ordinary soldiers can take small boats to land in fishing villages, but large ships have deep drafts and cannot dock in fishing villages. They must be anchored in well-equipped towns and ports. The coastal towns of Cyprus are well-defended. If the city is forcibly attacked, at least two to three thousand lives will be spent!"
Soranzo argued loudly, believing that Army's use of heavy artillery to attack the city did not cost many lives. Halfway through, he once again incurred the ridicule of Chief Mercenary Regiment:
"The facilities in the fishing village are simple. How can we dock large ships and unload the heavy guns inside? Of course, we can temporarily expand the dock and build barracks to store supplies, but this takes time.
At this stage, we lack cavalry and heavy artillery, and only have a group of chaotic infantry. If the enemy's Field Legion launches an attack, thousands of people on the beach will die.
Even if we safely unload our artillery and baggage, we still have to face the enemy's regular army and numerous Militia. The number on the other side will definitely exceed ours, and this operation cannot be won!"
Atendolo's words triggered a response from the mercenary leaders:
"That's right!" "The navy did not dare to face the defenders' artillery, but instead forced Army to die. This is unfair!"
The long performance of Mercenary Regiment refreshed the perception of Soranzo.
Their military pay has always been higher than Palaiologos's Field Legion, France Decree troops, Hungary Black Army, which can be called the highest standard in Europe.
In terms of weapons, the mercenaries' breastplates, Matchlock, and cannons are of first-class quality. During the pre-war drills, the Mercenary Regiment commanders claimed to have mastered Hussite Tactics and Greece Pike Square, and were by no means weaker than the enemy.
Now when they are sent to the battlefield, these people suddenly change their appearance and find various reasons to refuse to participate in the war.
Is this the Army that Venice spent a huge amount of money to support?
Soranzo's eyes scanned the entire audience, and only three people remained silent, seemingly willing to participate in this attack.
Two of them are citizens of Venice. They are highly loyal and will not abandon their home city-state at such a moment.
The remaining person is a Switzerland mercenary. In his opinion, you should do something after taking the money. If you really can't fight, you should consider surrendering as a last resort.
"The number of troops controlled by the three of them is only 5,000. This battle cannot be fought."
Soranzo discussed with Capello and gave up the plan to attack Cyprus...
On the way back to the city, Soranzo hated himself. Why did he follow the trend and resist Governor's standing army plan?
Most foreign mercenaries are unreliable. They have no professional ethics and are good at fighting against the odds. They want to retreat and surrender when encountering difficulties.
Now it seems that Marcello's approach is correct. Army's role is limited. It is only suitable for defense and plundering the coast. They cannot be expected to fight with the enemy in the field.
"Does it mean that I can only continue Marcello's practice and continue to fight against the enemy?"
Soranzo Recalling the handover scene a few days ago, Marcello looked relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. If he had known this, he should not have been in the limelight and took over this dangerous and difficult job!