City of Venice.
A long and low whistle echoed above St. Mark's Cathedral.
The sound lasted for a long time, and just when Ludwig von Kobitzel felt his ears were about to go numb, the surroundings finally quieted down.
The newly appointed Austrian Foreign Minister instinctively turned his head to look towards the sea.
Unfortunately, they were quite far from the port, and the cathedral's structure blocked his view, but he knew that at this moment, 20 French steam battleships were lined up outside the port.
After they blew their whistles, half of the city of Venice could hear it.
Kobitzel sighed inwardly. It was these peculiar battleships that forced the British out of the Mediterranean Sea; otherwise, the Empire wouldn't have been defeated in Northern Italy so quickly...
The whistle sounded again.
His assistant whispered in his ear:
"Sir, according to protocol, we must arrive at the negotiation venue when the whistle blows for the third time."
