Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

The actions of the Venetians are not being carried out one after another in sequence like a targeted surgical operation, but it is being done in a brute force method like Blitzkrieg. It is a method to obliterate all the opposing forces, as many as possible, in one swift move. This is done not only to avoid any unnecessary factors beyond control from affecting the game laid down by the Republic of Venice, but also to catch the Romans, French, and Spanish off guard so as to give them not enough time to react.

Right after the bill of unification was signed in the Great Council of Palazzo Ducale under the capable hands of six oligarchs of Venice, the bill travelled to the Duchy of Piedmont for the Duke of Piedmont and Sardinia, Charles Emmanuel II Savoy, to sign the bill and mobilise his army and navy on a common goal.

Simultaneously, a copy of the bill travelled to the Republic of Genoa, where deterrence is dished out on the Genoese with the army of Savoy mobilising its army and placing them at the border of Genoa, and the navy of both Savoy and the Venetian Republic standing at the doorstep.

At the same time,

Sala Baganza, Duchy of Parma

Sala Baganza is a town located ten kilometres on the outskirts of Parma city. Nothing looked out of place in the town; the civilians were roaming the streets like always, the businesses were going on as usual, and the weather was bright and sunny. But for some reason, the whole atmosphere in the town was tense, as if what was happening now was just the calm before the storm.

A group of five men dressed in dark attire, which somewhat resembled the design philosophies of the Bharatiya Empire, sat in a restaurant next to the footpath. They were talking to each other with casual expressions and smiles on their faces, completely different from the tense faces and worried expressions on the pedestrians' faces. Due to this and their unusual attire, the attention they attracted was not small. But for Ricardo Conte, Marco Galli, Matteo Ricci, Lorenzo Bianchi, and Leonardo Ferrara, it did not matter if they attracted attention, since they had already carried out their tasks and there was nothing left to do other than wait for the fruits of their labour.

" Ha!! How many years has it been since we all gathered together so casually? " Ricardo lazily reminisced.

" It has been what, five years or six years, god, I don't even remember anymore," Matteo shook his head with a sigh.

" But still, it is marvellous that all of us are able to complete our tasks as intended," Leonardo took a sip of whiskey and smiled.

There was silence among the group, and eventually they nodded and smiled without any reserve.

Lorenzo thought of something and enquired, "I just completed handing over the mercenary contacts that I have managed to the council. What about you guys?" He looked curious, as he didn't know many details about the specifics of their tasks. He did work with them when he needed to, as some coordinating had to be done between them, but according to their superiors' orders, they were not allowed to talk or discuss the specifics of their progress. For the last five to six years, Lorenzo, as well as his four other colleagues, were tasked with creating mercenary units in Parma as well as training soldiers for the units.

They were asked to do everything under cover, meaning their identities would be invisible to the mercenary teams as well as the mercenaries. That way, when it comes time to take over the command, the higher-ups from Venice can take over much more smoothly without having to worry about command compatibility issues. Now that their mission was coming to an end, Lorenzo figured that it wouldn't hurt to know more about it.

Ricardo, Marco, Leonardo, and Matteo—all four of them—understood Lorenzo's ideas and started to excitedly discuss with each other, talking about their experiences, what they had to deal with, some funny details, some dangerous details, and other things for a whole hour.

"Now we are free men. We have fulfilled the responsibility we chose to bear. Now we can enjoy a life of happiness in Venice." Matteo drank the jug of beer in big gulps and clicked his tongue happily. Hearing him say the reward, all four colleagues smiled happily as well. They primarily chose to work undercover for the Republic of Venice since they too hoped for a unified Italian nation, but they were also attracted by the extremely generous salary and the prospect of being able to redeem a sizeable estate in Venice, as well as an optional promotion in rank in case they wanted to continue their service.

Ricardo, who was smiling gleefully, suddenly paused his smile. "Come to think of it, how many of you guys are choosing to continue to serve in the military?" He hiccuped and continued, "Myself, I'm looking to marry a noble lady and settle down in Venice with the estate and money I will be getting. The life of hiding all year long is very tormenting, and I feel like it doesn't suit me. Going back, I will see if I can start a business or something. With the peninsula unified, there should be a lot of opportunities."

Everyone immediately became silent.

A few minutes later,

"I'm still young, and I feel like I can do more for the Federazione Italiana after it is formed, so I will choose to stay in the military. If an intelligence department has opened up in the Federazione, then with the contributions I have made, I might get an opportunity," Marco stated, for which everyone gave him their blessings.

Matteo took a big gulp and shook his head. "I guess I'll follow the route of Ricardo. Staying hidden all the time is really too depressing, but I will try to see if I can get a post in the guards unit responsible for internal security. I should be good at it."

"What are you talking about, as if you're not sure? You're definitely good at it. In fact, you are overqualified," Lorenzo laughed, which made the others chuckle as well. "As for me, I want to travel in Europe. I always wanted to see the world since I was a child. I never got the opportunity since my family was not too well off, but now with the wealth I have earned, it shouldn't be a problem to fulfil my dreams. And the future... let's see what the Lord holds for me."

Leonardo said, "My path is somewhat similar to Lorenzo's, but I have already travelled through Europe as I was born in a travelling merchant family, so I will be visiting the Bharatiya Empire—the legendary kingdom of the East, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold."

As they told each other their dreams and aspirations for the future, there were smiles on all five comrades' faces, but if one were to observe carefully, the smiles were not of happiness but of bitterness. Today might be the last day the five of them spoke to each other. They were feeling a little lost because, for the last five to six years, the five of them only had each other as friends, and by coordinating with each other, they had gotten very close, no different from brothers. But now, separating so abruptly, it was hard to say the least. Still, all five of them were intelligent men. The moment they got acquainted with each other, they knew that their identities would be temporary, and they understood that they had to move on, no matter how difficult it would be.

"Stomp!!"

"Stomp!!"

"Stomp!!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the sound of marching footsteps was heard. The pedestrians, who were not aware of what was happening, as soon as they saw the group of soldiers marching down the street, immediately ran away, noticing something was wrong.

What was extremely surprising was the number of soldiers continuing to increase with every step forward they took. At every intersection or street they passed, a few dozen soldiers would join the march, wielding in their hands a musket that looked similar to the ones their marching buddies held.

Even the restaurant owner forgot to close the shop and ran away upstairs as he tightly closed his doors and windows, not daring to even peek out.

In all this turmoil, the group of five men sitting in the restaurant were unmoved; even their expressions did not change. If anything, the sudden arrival of the soldiers lightened the mood between the five men.

"It's a pity that we have to attack Parma. It is such a lovely city," Matteo muttered with a little regret.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done. The House of Farnese is extremely unpopular with its people. The current Duke of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla, Ranuccio II Farnese, is nothing like his resourceful and brave father, Orlando I Farnese. He is a short-sighted authoritarian, has no idea about economics, and has no talent in diplomacy. He increased the taxes carelessly without heeding the warnings of his capable subordinates. He refuses to reduce his lifestyle according to the living conditions of his people. He continues to build marvellous statues and architecture, and continues to proclaim himself as the greatest patron of the arts in the Italian peninsula while completely ignoring the dire needs of his people. If it wasn't for him, why would the Farnese family lose the Duchy of Castro? Why would the Papal States become more domineering and strong?" Leonardo Ferreira commented with a disdainful expression.

"True. I heard he grew up to be such a tyrant because he lost his father young and had to grow up under the shadow of his mother, Margherita de' Medici, the lady of the great Medici family," Matteo Ricci added. "It is just a pity that if it wasn't for this useless Duke, Parma could be won relatively easily, seeing how the House of Farnese already had an enmity with the Papal States and its then Pope, Innocent X." He shook his head and continued, "Even if the Pope is no longer Innocent X, these relations are very unlikely to be fixed, so we could have used Parma as one more ally against the Papal State. Not to mention, this could also be used as a bargaining chip for Tuscany, controlled by the House of Medici, to join the Alliance."

"True, but things don't always go according to plan. We can only play the cards we are dealt," Lorenzo wiped his mouth as the march came only a few arms' length away from them.

Niccolò Romano, the Colonnello (colonel) responsible for leading the charge against Parma, was surprised when he saw a group of five people sitting in the restaurant without looking surprised or flustered. But when he saw their uniforms, his eyes widened and his mouth opened a little. He immediately realised who they were, and he personally recognised one among them as well—His Excellency Lorenzo Bianchi. He was the one who handed over the trained assets to him personally.

If he could, he would have directly left the formation and chatted with this great figure for a little while, but unfortunately, he was on a mission and in no position to be distracted. So in the end, he simply made eye contact and gave him a slight salute.

Lorenzo Bianchi returned the salute and looked complicated as the people he indirectly recruited, who had joined the mercenary unit, observed their training results, as well as their performance over the last five to six years, were now no longer his problem, and they had already grown to the point of being put into use by the Republic.

Ricardo and the others also understood the thoughts of Lorenzo because they too had to hand over the people they had trained to the military personnel from the army and regroup in Sala Baganza to end their work. At least Lorenzo got to see his pseudo-disciples for the last time, while they did not even get that opportunity.

The army passed by, and silence remained. No one talked; even the beverages on the table were not touched. It wasn't until Leonardo suddenly stood up, wore his cap, and 'stomped' his feet as he saluted in the most formal stance and stated extremely sincerely, with his eyes red:

"As the saying goes, all good things should come to an end. It has been an honor and privilege working with the four of you for the last five to six years, gentlemen."

The stomp of the boots was like the sound of a drum, knocking at the hearts of the four people. Reflexively, they all got up and stomped their feet the hardest they ever had, causing vibrations to flow up their legs, intensifying the feelings in their hearts.

"The honour is mine," Lorenzo echoed.

"It has been a privilege," Matteo stated.

"Let us meet again," Marco said.

"Couldn't have asked for a better team," Ricardo declared.

"For the last time, I have been intelligence officer Vento Rosso (Red Wind) Leonardo Ferrara, signing off."

"I have been Senior Intelligence Officer Falco Nero (Black Falcon) Lorenzo Bianchi, signing off."

"I have been Senior Intelligence Officer Lupo D'Oro (Golden Wolf) Matteo Ricci, signing off."

"I have been Senior Intelligence Officer Marco Galli, Aquila Argentata (Silver Eagle), signing off."

"I have been Senior Intelligence Officer Luna Nera (Black Moon) Ricardo Conte, signing off."

The five men stood there like five pillars—immovable and unshakable—but they were feeling enough loss to make them collapse on the spot. Yet, they had battled loneliness for the past five to six years. They had used their youth for the greater good of the Italian people, their wills already as strong as iron and sharp as steel. Without looking back, they took their steps forward, got on five separate horses, and left to live their lives as they saw fit.

"Maybe one day we can all meet, but until then, so long," they muttered to each other in their hearts. Their experience in the last five to six years might not be known to anyone but the leaders in Venice. Their records would be erased, and their names in the military wouldn't exist. But each of them knew that they existed, they fought for their nation, and that was enough.

---

In the meantime, in Palazzo Ducale di Parm

"What!!!"

"What did you say!!!"

Ranuccio II Farnese roared in disbelief when he received the intelligence reports from his marquee.

"Please believe me, Your Highness. A force of over 30,000, all well-equipped, has surrounded the fortress on all four sides, demanding that we surrender. What should we do?" Marquee Alexandro yelled in panic.

"Damn it!!"

P.S. Hopefully, I have not complicated things too much