The command center of the Papal Army had become embroiled in the power struggle within the Papal State, and the conflict had now reached the frontline troops.
"Commander, His Holiness the Pope has sent an order, commanding us to halt our advance and immediately return to Rome to suppress the rebels!" a middle-aged officer said with a distressed expression.
There was no choice; before receiving His Holiness the Pope's order, the Cabinet Government had already issued a military decree, commanding them to cooperate with the Sardinian Army to swiftly capture Venice.
Polkin had a headache. Should he listen to the Pope or the Cabinet? It was a life-or-death multiple-choice question; one wrong step in the political struggle could lead to irreversible disaster.
Do not assume that the victory has been decided just because the democratic faction seemed to have the upper hand, with Pope Pius IX fleeing into exile in Naples. In reality, the power struggle had only just begun.
