<Aged Carlo Cornaro rushes after the young Dandolo-->
Enrico, Enrico--please halt and don't force an old man to chase you down. I feel and know your passion against Genoa. Your father, may he rest in peace, was a dear friend, the first to truly welcome me to these August halls all these long many years ago.
Your eruption, if I may be so bold through my grey hairs, on the history of Rome is excellent. We will have need of your insight in years to come, when you and young Eduardo are old, for a day is coming when many who are not native Venetian, perhaps not even Greek, are a part of our Republic. The questions of who is a citizen to vote on such matters will have to be debated in those days. It is so true that the Romans, like the Greeks before them, struggled with these questions. But in that day, you and your descendents surely will not refuse to raise up warriors from these far distant provinces.
Genoa is your enemy; she is my enemy also. She must be dealt with, but patience my young Senator. Now is not the time. Perhaps I was rash to say we should ally with Genoa, but I think not. Her navy and armies can serve our cause; perhaps if nothing else, it could give the Bey another target to attack rather than our lands.
Please return with me and discuss this.
<Sadly, slowly, Carlo returns alone to the Senate Hall-->
My friends, I could not persuade our impetuous young Senator to return with me. We shall see.
Doge, right you are that perhaps Genoa could lead us into danger. We should not ally with them if our plans for the infidel are too many years off. But as we deal with Genoa, we can always leave the alliance if she joins a war that we don't feel proper. Yes it gives them a CB--what of it? Let them attack and save us the energy at that moment. And, of France, is not Savoy still between Genoa and them? Certainly we have time before we must consider the growing power in the West.
Senator Gandolfi, it is only my pride that urges me to avoid alliances that I cannot control. Perhaps I am wrong. I will listen to reason. But wars that are started by nations other than ours can end when they are ready, not us. Alliances that are headed by nations other than us can move in directions not of our choosing and then, when a more opportune friend becomes available, you are not able to invite them in. But I could be wrong; it is simply how I have run my own business and life.
And, also addressing you Capitano Fodoroni, perhaps I hold too vaunted an opinion on our choices and options and ability of our armies. Yes, we are small and if we are attempting to face the Ottomans on a field of battle like Alexander at Granicus River, then I agree our efforts are foolhardy. We are not. For certain the Bey will attempt to move on one, or perhaps two provinces of ours at one time. With overwhelming numbers, for sure. Yet, in the meanwhile, we can be aggressively moving on multiple locations at once. And, if indeed Genoa WAS in our alliance, do not forget that the Bey would love to possess Kerch as much as we would. So, it would not surprise me to see him sending many troops that way either.
Finally, I do not really think we should attack alone. We should be wise as serpants and attack when the Turk has already been attacked. Hence my question about the Crusade. If there will NOT be a real Crusade, then we'll have to wait.
Remember friends, my initial request was NOT a vote to go to war immediately. My request was to give the Doge the ABILITY to go to war without concerns about a CB or asking our opinion, BASED ON the right moment in time. When I first asked, the Ottomans were grappling with the Hungarians. Had we struck at that moment, things might have gone very well for us. That is what we need to look for in our future. If its 30 years from now, long after I am dead, then so be it. But we must be ready.
[Fodoron or whoever, so the calling of the Crusade simply won't send those other nations to war. I couldn't really tell, but if I am hearing you right, it simply gives everyone a CB for 6 months. I was hoping that Hungary or whoever else you said was supportive at the meeting, would simply just launch off into a war. That would certianly be best for us.]