In Roma, Alphonse and his advisors were beginning to deal with the consequences of Victor's declaration.
"My King, Count Jacerys in the east is about to be besieged by the neutral Counts that swore allegiance to King Luxenberg. Additionally, the main Luxenberg Army is within striking distance of Napo," one of Alphonse's courtiers reported.
"Is it at all possible to find troops to support Count Jacerys?" Alphonse replied.
The courtier shook his head. "Unfortunately, all of our troops were sent to the south-east to support Madena. If we lose Madena, then we have no chance at securing supplies from abroad."
Alphonse frowned. Madena was more important in terms of strategic value, but Alphonse could not allow being made incompetent. If he left one of his supporters to fend for themselves, then the others in his faction may look to jump ship and side with the Pope or Victor.
"Cousin, I hate to say this, but you will need to leave Count Jacerys to fend for himself. Madena takes priority. We must also look to consolidate our remaining power and prepare for an attack from the Luxenberg main army," Luca Sozzini said
As he said that, a messenger burst into their meeting room. "Your Majesty, catastrophic news comes from Count Jacerys. He renounces his loyalty to you and declares for King Luxenberg. The foreign King now has absolute control of the east."
"Traitor!" Hissed one courtier as he balled up his fists.
"Can you really blame him? He is surrounded and a perfect target for a siege," another courtier quipped.
Alphonse shook his head. "Count Jacerys did what is best for him and his family. Given that we could not help him if he were to fall under siege, it is not a terrible loss."
Apart from Madena, the remainder of Alphonse's supporters came from the central region. The five cities of the region were Roma, Napo, Lodi, Vidi and Cornae. Napo and Lodi stood as a barrier that Victor would have to break through to reach Roma. Vidi acted as a barrier for the western region, while Cornae was the barricade for the south.
Alphonse could feel the rope slowly tightening around his neck. If Madena fell, he would be isolated and confined in the continent's heartland. Doubt began to set in his supporters' minds. The Civil War looked less and less winnable.
Although the Visconte faction was having the worst of it, the panic was in fact worse in the Pope's faction.
"King Luxenberg has complete control of the east now, Your Holiness," Cardinal Rufus reported. Cardinals Naso, Rossini and Crispus all went pale when hearing that.
"He is on equal footing with us now; the only difference is that his army is well-trained and heavily experienced compared to ours. Most of our soldiers are willing conscripts. Maybe half of them have actual military experience." Cardinal Naso said with panic in his voice.
Cardinal Crispus nodded. "If we were to meet in the field, our soldiers would be slaughtered. On top of that, they have those horrifying rockets. One volley of them would have our soldiers running for the hills."
"We must not doubt the bravery and capability of our soldiers. They may be more experienced, but we have Christ on our side. With Christ, we can not be defeated," Cardinal Rossini argued.
The Pope just stood there in silence, contemplating his next strategy carefully. Losing Count Ellum was not a huge blow, but Victor uniting the eastern region to his cause was catastrophic.
"How goes the siege at Madena, Cardinal Rufus?" The Pope asked, changing the topic.
"It is locked in a deadlock, neither us nor the defenders have taken the advantage during the siege. However, our supplies are lacking; we will need Marquis Polo to send some from the west," Cardinal Rufus replied.
"Hmmmm, we can not enter the next phase of our plan without taking Madena. If we can isolate King Alphonse, then he will fall easily," The Pope stated. "We need to capture Madena, otherwise we could face an attack while so far away from our territory."
A short silence came about while the cardinals were deep in thought. With the struggle to capture Madena, alternative solutions were needed.
"Is it possible that we can compromise with King Luxenberg and get him to help us defeat King Visconte?" Cardinal Naso asked.
The Pope shook his head, "No, he will never work with us, especially when he knows that we are the main instigators of this conflict. It helps that King Alphonse was foolish enough to ignore the horrible acts of his supporters. Now King Victor acts as a variable for both of us."
Constantine was right, Victor was variable, and at the moment, he was working in favour of the Pope. But that would soon change within a few months.
Count Ellum and Count Jacerys' declaration to support Victor helped speed up a plan that Victor and Marshal Davout had thought of. The full control of the east meant the Luxenberg Army had a new target.
Victor had called upon General Tuchkov and General Tauentzien, both of whom were performing guard duties in Prato and Sinolla. It would take a month for them to arrive. With the addition of two rested corps to an already massive army, the Luxenberg Army began its march.
With the golden eagle of the Luxenberg family flying high on fields of dark blue, the men marched with pride as the coat of arms was presented to them. Seeing the banners of their kingdom, the men marched with unwavering confidence. If Victor told them to march blindfolded, they would.
At first, enemy spies and scouts believed the Luxenberg Army was marching south towards the city of Napo, which was ruled by Count Matteo Vegni. But they were deceived. The Luxenberg Army altered its destination, which left Matteo breathing a sigh of relief. In fact, even Alphonse had to breathe a sigh of relief.
For the first time in this campaign, the Luxenberg Army would clash with the Pope's faction.