Chapter 675: Maggior Consiglio
The venerable gates of the Venetian Senate House, aged and imposing, creaked on their hinges as they slowly parted, ushering in Abdullah and his entourage.
They were met by an assembly of Venice’s most distinguished senators, with the Serene Doge Cristoforo Moro at their forefront. Despite the creases of time marking his visage and a physique that hinted at the fragility of age, there stood Moro—embodying a regal fortitude and wisdom accrued over decades. This moment marked Abdullah’s inaugural confrontation with the Doge, a longstanding adversary whose machinations had inflicted deep scars on their respective lands. Yet, in this instance of historical significance, there was a palpable air of diplomatic cordiality, a fragile bridge over turbulent waters of the past. The Doge, with a voice laden with gravitas and a measure of humility, extended his apologies. "I am profoundly sorry for the undue delay you’ve endured. Please, accept my deepest apologies on behalf of the esteemed senate," Moro articulated, his head bowing in a gesture of respect, stabilised by the discreet support of his aides.
Recovering his stance, the Doge offered a wry smile and gestured invitingly toward the heart of the chamber. "Please, Lord Miralai, accompany me. You must see the very crux of our preoccupations that unfortunately delayed our attentions to your mission—though be assured, it holds great significance for us."
Guided to an expansive map that dominated half the chamber’s wall, the Doge began his exposition. With a voice steady and infused with the gravitas of statecraft, he outlined the precarious geopolitical landscape encircling the Republic of Venezia. "Our position is fraught with peril," he explained. "We’ve been ousted from the lucrative Black Sea trade routes by Francesco I Sforza’s machinations. Meanwhile, your forces, the Greeks—or rather, Romans—have wrested Euboea, a jewel in our Aegean dominion, from our grasp. Northward, the Habsburgs of Germany strive to consolidate the fracturing Holy Roman Empire’s territories in Northern Italy, and to our west, King Louis XI of France eyes expansion into our realms."
Abdullah listened, parsing the Doge’s candid disclosure. Here stood a leader, ensnared in a web of international intrigue and pressures, laying bare the vulnerabilities of his storied republic. "A formidable challenge, indeed, Serene Doge. What strategies do you contemplate to navigate these turbulent waters?"
The Serene Doge, Cristoforo Moro, leaned in closer, his eyes twinkling with the cunning of a seasoned strategist. "You see, my esteemed guest, diplomacy is not merely about navigating through hostilities but mastering the art of leveraging them," he remarked, his voice a blend of wisdom and veiled threat. With a sly grin that stretched across his face, he elaborated on the complex web of enmities and alliances that defined the European political landscape.
"One might be tempted to think we, the Venetians, are besieged on all sides. Yet, within this apparent encirclement lies the potential for salvation. It is a common fallacy to assume that my adversaries are united in their opposition against me. In reality, my enemy’s enemy can also be my enemy—and therein lies an opportunity."
"Would you care to elaborate?"
The Doge, seizing the moment to unfold his strategic vision, explained, "Consider the French ambition to extend their dominion into North Italia, a notion that the Habsburg King of the Germans would never brook, viewing North Italia as his domain. Likewise, Francesco I Sforza of Milano, alongside Genoa, dreads the prospect of French expansion, fearing it could jeopardize his autonomy. Concurrently, the French king aspires to expunge Habsburg influence from North Italia, aiming to annex this fertile territory for himself. And let’s not overlook that within Genoa, not all are content under Sforza’s sway, with factions eager to expel Milanese influence from their city-state."
With a theatrical flourish, the Doge struck the map with his crutch, the sound echoing through the chamber like a declaration of intent. "In essence, a modicum of diplomatic finesse and a dash of espionage could ignite conflict among these three powers. While they are entangled in mutual strife, the Serene Republic can refocus its efforts elsewhere, systematically neutralizing threats one by one. In fact, you might want to wait here for another week, my agents should be back pretty soon, lets see what kind of news they will bring us."
In that moment, the underlying message of the Doge’s discourse became clear to Abdullah. Though Rome was conspicuously absent from his enumeration of regional dynamics, the subtext was unmissable. The Doge’s narrative, while ostensibly focused on external powers, was a veiled warning directed at Constantinople. The message was unmistakable: The Serene Republic, with its diplomatic acumen and espionage network, was more than capable of isolating and dealing with the Romans, should the need arise.
"The Serene Republic possesses both the patience and the prowess to engage in a long game,"
"And you, Rome, are by no means exempt from our calculations."
That’s what he means.
Abdullah took a deep breath, and realised that this opponent is no simple foe, unlike the simple minded, ill experienced teenagers in Anatolia who are trying to run a country. Subsequently he is welcomed into the senate room, a small but elegant room like a rectangle, decorated with jewels and golden plating all around, with antique paintings by famous artists across the long span of the age.
The Serene Doge invited Abdullah to take his seat right beside him, in the Maggior Consiglio, right next to the Collegio which consists of members from each notable houses in the republic.
The air sank into a dead still, as everyone in the room, entire three hundred men, kept their eyes deadly still on the posture of Abdullah. But the later showed no fear or anything, as he graciously bowed slightly to the Serene Doge, then to each and everyone in the room, and sat down graciously to the assigned seat.
"He is a Muslim!" Suddenly, a member of the senate rose up, and pointed right towards Abdullah. "We are faithful Christians, spreaders of Christ’s words, how can he, a devoted Muslim and an Ottoman, step onto our sacred land? Honourable Serene Doge, I plead you, to throw this man out of the city! For every breathe by him, is a form of disrespect to Christ!"
The Serene Doge did not respond, instead he closed his eyes, and sat there as if he has fallen asleep.
Abdullah made a cold laugh and retorted back. "Oh? Every breathe by a Muslim is considered disrespect to your faith, but what about those fresh gold and silvers? Tell me, each month tens of dozens of Venetian ships fare themselves to the coasts of Algeria, Africanus, and Arabia for trade inhaling in and out Muslim air, bringing back Muslim produced products, and most importantly, taking back tons of freshly minted Muslim silvers and golds, are those things a form of disrespect to this heavenly land as well? If yes, please, give it to me, I would be more than delighted to recycle them for you."
Another senator rose up. "Thank you for your kind words, honourable ambassador, but there are no need for that. We have all seen your deeds just now, pretty remarkable I must commend you on that, gathering such a huge crowd in Piazza San Marco... But I must ask you one thing, honourable ambassador, have you not had the slightest patience for us? Do you not realise that there are a lot of foreign envoys around this premise? What if you created any unrest in the region, have you not realised the implications you might bring to Venice, do you have any single respect for us?"
"This gentleman here is talking about respect!" Abdullah stood up and applauded. "Thank you, mister, but I want to ask you something, you mentioned something about respect, but really, is that the way how you respect your supposed foreign guests? Look, I was stranded there, in that house just opposite this building, and you know what, my friend, I was literally locked up in that house, with a fleet of troops around me watching me at every occasion, limiting the movements of everyone in my team, if you are talking about respect, is that how you respect a foreign diplomatic delegate? If yes, then I would love to share it to the rest of my foreign colleagues!"
"Enough of that!" Another senator stood up. "You Greeks are known to be deceitful bunch of liars! You agreed to not lay a hand on our islands and keep our properties safe! That is why we closed one eye when you took over the Turkish territories! You ought to return all of the properties, and our land! You thief! And then we can talk about peace!"
Multiple senators rose up as well in support and exclaimed simultaneously. "Return it to us! Return it to us! Return it to us! Return it to us!"
The Serene Doge continued having his eyes shut high in the middle, while Abdullah maintained his silence, as he watched these senators perform in front of him.
