Tyranny of Steel

Within the city of Florence, the Doges of Venice and Genoa were kneeling before the Holy Roman Emperor. Emperor Balsamo Corsini was beyond livid after the pre-emptive strike Berengar had engaged in on his two most powerful vassals.

The destruction of the majority of the Genoan and Venetian navies was a massive blow to Imperial power, not just in the war against Austria but across the Mediterranean as a whole. Besides this, Berengar had openly licensed pirates, or privateers as he referred to them to attack what little shipping remained of Empire.

With this in mind, the Emperor had called his two subordinates to the current capital of the Empire with the intent of seeing how this crisis they were suffering could be salvaged. The Venetian Doge was the first to speak his mind.

”Three-fourths of my Navy was destroyed in the attack on my harbor, along with well over half of my merchant fleet! The attack has laid waste to the pier itself; as such, Venice can no longer accept trade by sea without a port!

If that were not bad enough, our shipyards were annihilated, and our factories have been reduced to rubble. Because of this, we cannot build new ships for God knows how long! ”

The Venetian Doge ’s face was flushed with anger, and his fists were curled as he shouted these words at the Emperor. The attack was swift and unexpected; Berengar had purposely sent the swiss agent without a horse to deliver the news of Austria ’s Independence to the Emperor.

With the time it took the man to reach Florence, Berengar had engaged in pre-emptive strikes on Venice and Genoa and amassed an army at the Italian borders. The aftermath of these attacks had severely reduced the Empire ’s ability to fight on the seas.

The Genoan Doge was not in any better condition; despite this, unlike his Venetian counterpart, he remained calm and collected as he informed the Emperor of Genoa ’s losses.

”We are in a similar situation; eighty percent of our Armada now lies at the bottom of the Ligurian Sea, our harbor is non-existent, and our ability to manufacture new ships has been crippled. We don ’t even possess the ability to repair the ships that remain. I must say, your Majesty, we are poorly equipped to face the Austrian Navy at sea. ”