August 20, Blachernae Palace.
After receiving the report from the front, Vitus felt that events were progressing as he had expected.
Sicily Island had numerous fortresses. The army could not crack them in a short time, nor did it need to. The key to the campaign lay with the navy.
The second 68-gun warship had already been sent to the front, bringing the number of battleships at Cohen's disposal to thirty. Defeat in a decisive engagement was almost impossible. The French Army had realized this, which was why it kept avoiding battle.
After reading the report, Vitus leaned back in his chair and yawned.
Over the past year, he had handed most affairs of state over to the Cabinet. He kept a regular daily routine, conserving his energy for the war to come.
Once the naval contest had been decided, Vitus would need to go to Italy himself to mop up the remaining enemy forces.
Ultimately, Vitus was getting old, and his energy was waning. In his younger days, he would most likely have used this lull to head to the eastern frontier and deal with the White Sheep.
After a long while, Pelato's reminder came from outside the study. "Your Majesty, Paoli Di Maggio has arrived."
Vitus had summoned Pauli to give him some news:
"We captured more than six hundred Florentine soldiers at the front. Are you interested in going there to take charge of them? If you can't get away, send your son Martin. Phil would do as well."
After considering it for a moment, Pauli replied:
"Let Martin go to Sicily. Phil has grown fond of life in the Eastern Roman Empire. He's busy running a textile mill in Banma. He won't waste his time on a group of prisoners of war."
Since Phil intended to