Vol 4 Chapter 54: Alexander the Prophet

When those words about Alexander reached the Vatican, Pope Alexander VI was sitting at a large table with his son Caesar and looking at a map on the table.
The map is very detailed. Not only are all the main towns listed above, but even the borders between some towns are clearly marked.
The most rare thing is that there are some similar scale descriptions on the edge of this map, which makes this map appear more accurate and detailed than other contemporary maps.
"80 miles."
Caesar whispered while looking at the map. On this map centered on Rome, a route was temporarily marked. One end of the route was in Rome, and the other end seemed to be in Montina, the territory of Alexandria.
"I really can't imagine how that Alexander took his men through these roads."
Caesar looked up at his father. He noticed that his father was silent. He had noticed this since Giovanni's death. This made Caesar irritated. Of course he knew what the Pope was thinking, or he always wanted to ask. That sentence has been circling in his throat all the time, and may blurt out at any time.
"This is an amazing person," Alexander VI leaned back in his chair. He had a glass of bright red wine on his hand. The color of this wine was similar to that of his famous Cantrera. When drinking wine, Alexander VI secretly asked if this would be a glass of Cantrera. "There are many people in the city of Rome. They can do a lot of unexpected things all day, but most of them are thinking about it. Put it on their own terrible life, not much like this one. "
"Alexander Juliant Gumbre," Caesar nodded slightly. He admitted that his father was right. Perhaps it was because of pure contempt. When Alexander's rumors on the battlefield reached Naples, Caesar even admitted this person. He does have unexpected talents, but he still doesn't think that this Alexander meeting poses any threat to him,
But when he heard that Alexander had entered Rome before him, Caesar really began to take that person seriously.
A march that seems absolutely impossible for most people nowadays allowed Alexander to enter Rome before Caesar. Similarly, Caesar seemed to see a terrible opponent.
From the day he determined to give up his priesthood, Caesar no longer concealed his ambitions, so he diligently pursued the daughter of King Frederick of Naples, hoping to quickly sprint towards the summit of power in a favorable marriage.
It ’s just obvious that Frederick ’s father and daughter did n’t like him very much. Although they could n’t be said to be indifferent, they all showed a deliberate distance from him, which made Caesar feel inexpressible anger, which even affected The great marriage between Lucrezia and Billy Shelley's Alfonso.
The coldness and contempt of Frederick and Father made Caesar secretly swear not only to stand out, but also to one day stand at the place where the father and daughter looked up and look down at the pair who despised him.
The unusual marching speed of Alexander's army caught Caesar's attention, and the place he paid more attention to was Montina.
The invasion of Romagna by the Venice and Milan troops had proved the importance of Montina. Now that Caesar officially lifted the priesthood, his eyes turned to Romagna.
Caesar's current ambition is to become the Duke of Romagna!
For a long time, Tuscany and Romagna, two of the richest places in central Italy, have become the key to curbing north and south Italy.
Anyone who has controlled these two places in history has become an unstoppable force.
And to defend Romagna and threaten Venice remotely is an important means for almost all successive popes who are hostile to Venice.
Only in the past, although many people also understood the importance of Romagna, no one thought more than Caesar.
He wanted to be the Duke of Romagna not because he coveted the crown of the Duke alone, but because he wanted to use Romagna as a base to contain the book and then march across Italy.
The unification of the entire Apennine Peninsula is the dream goal of all popes.
And Caesar believed that he could accomplish this dream that no one could ever achieve.
Alexander VI looked at Caesar, who was standing in front of the map, and when he asked several times, he slowly retracted it.
What if I ask?
What would Caesar answer? Or, no matter how he answers, he cannot be satisfied.
Alexander VI suddenly felt a little tired. He felt that his body seemed to be much worse than before. Even when he faced Julia Farne ’s charming body the night before, he seemed to be disinterested.
Nomelo's noise came over to wake the pensive pope. He looked up and looked at the secretary with questioning eyes.
Alexander VI trusted Nomelo, so he knew that it would disturb him at this time, something very important must have happened.
"It's about the Gombré," Nomelo said simply. "He went to Ashurk's villa yesterday ..."
Listening to the description of the secretary, the father and son of the pope first revealed their doubts. They did not know why Alexander suddenly visited the Ottoman messenger. At least Alexander VI did not think that person had anything to do with Giovanni's death.
At that time, when they heard the words that made the Roman nobles dumbfounded at the time, both the father and son who looked at each other saw a question from each other's eyes: Is that Gombre crazy?
No one Alexander VI knew how embarrassing the status of the church in Europe is today.
Those big and small monarchs no longer respect and fear the Holy See as they did in the past. Just think about the blood and blood of the era of Urban II and the glory of the power of the Holy See when Innocent II reached its peak. Alexander VI I think he was born in a bad age.
Because of this, with the arrival of the Ottoman messenger, he skillfully showed a rare toughness to the Sudanese messenger.
At the same time as this toughness, he was wise to carefully explore on the edge of hostility and confrontation. Once he found that his attitude might cause real trouble, he would immediately avoid those that might lead to emissaries with Sudan. Something that really conflicts.
This series of wrists convinced Alexander VI that as long as he was able to use these diplomatic methods flexibly, he could avoid angering the Ottomans and, at the same time, under the threat of heretics, re-establish the authority of the Holy See throughout the Christian world.
But now, Alexander VI suddenly found out that he was moved by his generous speech, or what was the reason, that Alexander actually really put up a battle with the Ottomans.
This made the Pope surprised, and secretly panicked.
The Ottoman army has occupied the whole of Greece, and with the surrender of Grand Duke Stefan to the Ottoman Sultan Barsayet, the Balkans have also fallen into the hands of the Ottomans.
Between the Balkan Peninsula and the Apennine Peninsula, there is only one Adriatic Sea!
"Is that Gombré crazy?"
Caesar groaned angrily, his eyes rolling with anger. When looking at the map on the table, Caesar slammed the map hard with his fist.
"This will irritate Sudan completely," Caesar said anxiously to his still-pausing father. "Maybe when that Ashurk leaves, he will bring not gold for the car but Sultan's army and when he meets again." Cannon. "
Hearing the cannon, Alexander VI shivered slightly with his chin in his hands.
There are already too many rumors about the terrible artillery used in the capture of Constantinople. As long as you think about the walls of Constantinople that could not stand for millennia, the bombardment of the Ottoman cannons cannot be stopped. Alexander There was a surge of anger in VI's heart.
"Where is that Gombre?" Alexander VI said somberly to the secretary. "Let him come to see me. Maybe he feels that he is too laid back. Maybe he might find something to do better."
Hearing this, Caesar's face next to him froze slightly.
He certainly knew that one of Caesar's tasks as a Roman city defender was to find out the murderer who killed Giovanni.
Alexander came very quickly, or had guessed the great trouble that those words might cause, so he was prepared. When the person who came to him did not have a Sistine Chapel, they saw it by the large pool at the door of the church.
Caesar didn't feel good about seeing Alexander entering the room, and Caesar stood aside with a somber face on the guy who once hijacked Lucrezia, but unexpectedly did not know what means to make his sister fall in love with him. .
Especially now that Caesar has made up his mind to become Duke of Romagna, it is even more difficult to tolerate the existence of a territory like Montina that might cause him trouble.
What's more, the owner of this territory is not only a nasty gombre in front of him, but also belongs to the Loveley family, which makes Caesar more unbearable.
"Count, I want to know why you said that to the ambassador of Sudan yesterday," the pope's face was still calm, and he waved his hand to the son standing beside him to signal him to go out, and then stood up after Caesar left him. Walked in front of Alexander "I remember telling you what to do instead of letting you brave you in front of that Ottoman or a beautiful woman."
Alexander knew that the pope was talking about Olgala, which convinced him that there should be a pope's eye line among those who were yesterday.
"Your Majesty, of course I have not forgotten my mission. This is what I swear to Giovanni," In the face of the stern gaze of the Pope, Alexander appeared calm. "And I can report to you that I have found it important clue."
"who is it?!"
Alexander VI's voice was a little distorted, his hands clenched tightly against the armrest of the chair next to him, and his chest undulated slightly because of tension.
"Please forgive me for not being able to tell you this person's name for the time being," Alexander shook his head. "I don't know if this person is a real murderer, or he is just a scapegoat for someone."
Alexander VI's cheek twitched, but then he calmed down.
"So now you should explain to me the purpose of your words yesterday," the pope sat down and looked at Alexander. "I want to know why you said that. Don't you know what kind of trouble will anger the Sultan's messengers?"
"Your Majesty, I just want the Ottoman to know our determination."
"determination?"
There was a slight movement in Alexander VI's heart. He could be sure that he understood the meaning of the word. In fact, he was so tough in front of the emissaries of Sudan, and it was precisely to show this determination.
"Do you think that the Ottomans will be scared away by your bravery?" The Pope looked at Alexandria slightly. "Or you think that your Agris are called by this name, your Agris can Did the Ottomans dare to invade easily? "
"Your Majesty, I just want to prove my piety and bravery. As for the Ottomans, I do n’t think they will give up their invasion of us because they are afraid. On the contrary, I think they should not waste too much time. Maybe now Ottomans The fleet is preparing, and their cavalry may be ready to attack the hinterland of the Christ world at any time. "
This was the first time that Alexander VI had a meal, and it was the first time that someone so surely told him that the Ottomans would wage a war.
Although this person seems to him to have experienced several victories to prove his bravery and ingenuity on the battlefield, in the eyes of Alexander VI he is still a trivial person.
At least, it was n’t important enough to allow Alexander VI to consider marrying his daughter.
But the Pope couldn't help but admit that Alexander's almost decisive assertion still made him feel a little tight.
"Do you think the Ottomans will start a war?"
Alexander pondered a little, he didn't want to believe the young man's words, but the unexpected courage that Alexander showed on the battlefield before made him think that the young man had a good eye.
"Please forgive Your Majesty, not my opinion, but this is inevitable."
Alexander said as he walked over to the table, he had noticed several maps on the table, so he simply flipped through them and found a map of the Mediterranean.
"Your Majesty, we are not far from the Ottomans," Alexander said as he pointed his hand to the Adriatic Sea, which was roughly identifiable between the two peninsulas. "We all know that the Ottomans have arrived in Moldova. Duke Stefan sent his son hostage to the Ottoman court years ago, and he also pays a large amount of donations to Sudan every year. "
"This is what many people know," Alexander VI waved impatiently. "But even this does not prove that the Ottomans will soon wage war. Know that Moldova is not completely conquered by the Ottomans. Now Grand Duke Stefan The ruler there, and the Poles are helping them. "
Listening to the pope's words, Alexander smiled.
His silent smile seemed plain, but in the eyes of Alexander VI, it seemed to be a silent mocking.
"Why don't you think so?" The Pope asked with a somber look.
"Your Majesty, I am not familiar with Grand Duke Stefan, but suppose that if I were him, I would never consider the Poles as my friends."
"Oh, why?" Alexander VI asked slightly surprised.
"Your Majesty, who can tolerate a person who forced him to sign a treaty of vassals to humiliate himself again and again, especially a monarch, can there be more hatred than this one?"
The Pope looked at Alexandria silently. He didn't know whether Alexandria was right, but he knew that this young man had just hit a key that many people had overlooked.
As early as a few years ago, in order to resist the powerful offensive of the Ottoman Sultan Basseyte II, the Grand Duke Stefan of Moldova had to accept nearly humiliating conditions in exchange for Polish support.
According to that treaty, Moldova should not only recognize Poland's sovereignty, but also allow Polish troops to enter Moldova at any time.
Everyone knows what kind of shame such a treaty means to a monarch, and with the support of Poland, Moldova still failed to avoid a fiasco and even the prince was forced to be taken hostage.
After this huge price and sacrifice, who does Stefan Grand Duke of Moldova hate more?
"Do you think that there will be a war between the Poles and Moldova?" Alexander VI finally hesitated. He had to promise that this young man who had not been optimistic about him before, except to surprise him, felt more There is a concern from the heart.
Do you really worry that things will develop as he said?
Alexander VI was reluctant to admit his speculation, but he had to think so, because he who had seen the content of the Polish-Moldova agreement was more aware than others of how much the content of the agreement was for Moldovans. People are angry.
"This is of course the worst, but if a war really happens, it means that the last barrier in front of the Ottomans will also be lost," Alexander said helplessly. "The Sudan will quickly annex the entire Moldova, and then his The army will go west along the Adriatic coast and then point directly at Venice. "
While Alexander was speaking, he waved his hand along the map, and when his finger landed on Venice, he suddenly slammed it on the map.
The sound of "dong" made the heart of Alexander VI inexplicable.
If Venice is threatened, is it still far from Rome?
"How do you know that what you said will happen?" The Pope stared at Alexander ~ EbookFREE.me ~ He wanted to know if the young man was deliberately deceiving him, or did he know something.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty," Alexander bowed. "I need your forgiveness before I can tell why."
"Oh, what is the matter to get forgiveness first," Alexander VI asked curiously, his hand lightly on Alexander's shoulder. "Now tell me what you know."
"Your Majesty, you probably heard that I know a Bohemian girl," Alexander said. "And her father is from the Royal Palace in Prague. I heard about these things from him."
The Pope glanced at Alexandria slightly unexpectedly. He had heard so much about it, which made him suspicious of Alexander's words.
The pope opened his mouth again, and just as he was about to continue his inquiry, a sudden knock on the door suddenly interrupted their conversation.
As the door was pushed open, Nomelo entered the room nervously.
"Your Majesty!" He said anxiously as soon as he entered Menmeno. "The news has just come that Poland and Moldova are at war!"