Vol 5 Chapter 138: May situation

Uliu is a storyteller, at least the story he is telling is full of twists and turns, ups and downs, remorse, and regrets.
In his description, he was originally a happy little servant, waiting for a very smart and kind and generous host, but the arrival of the French a few years ago changed everything, and his host had to participate in the war, and then He did not return, and he and many servants lost their homes because the owner's castle changed hands.
In this story, several of the most important words caught the attention of two people in front of Uliou, "smart and kind and generous", "French" and "war".
Ludvik is obviously not a very intelligent person, and whether he is kind and not to say, at least not generous enough, and the French were exactly what Ludvik introduced at the beginning, and the turmoil and death brought by the following war even let People are upset.
Seeing the two masters' seemingly unnatural expressions, Uliu's performance became even more exquisite.
"A very clever old man who is a friend of the owner and a sponsor. He invented this thing. He said that the numbers engraved on this ruler and then calculated according to a certain method can be used to measure the distance that looks small on paper. It ’s actually very large distances and things, and from this horizontal needle you can even calculate the position of the stars in the sky. "
Uliu looked at the ruler with nostalgia, and at the same time he desperately recalled the letter and the method used by Alexander in the letter he left to him, but he looked like he said while thinking. There is an expression that a person who knows this kind of thing but knows a little bit about it, and the two people in front of them obviously do n’t need to say too much, as long as they mention it a little bit, they can fully understand the importance of this kind of cleverness. people.
Da Vinci narrowed his eyes slightly, he had already figured out the role of this seemingly inconspicuous ruler, and the priest Pacioli was full of concern and continued to ask Uliu "the master's friend" Whereabouts.
"I'm sorry, Master Monk. He died. When he fled, he met a robber. His head was broken by a stick. I saw him dead with my brain and blood flowing all over the body. My body was shaking and I was incontinent. I died. It ’s very uncomfortable and dignified,
Uliu ’s description made the monk ’s face slightly pale. He could probably imagine how miserable that terrible death method was. After all, they had just experienced a scene two years ago. The war also saw too many people die.
"He was originally going to a place because he was invited by a friend to serve his master. I heard that the adult is also a very generous person. The key is that his territory is safe, but unfortunately he is not lucky Fortunately, a robber was encountered halfway. "
Uliu said nothing about the story "heard from my friend's friend" until both of them followed with a sorry sigh.
Looking at the look on the faces of the two, Uliu suddenly tentatively asked with a hesitant but worried tone: "I heard what is going to fight again, Master?"
"Don't listen to rumors, know that the Duke is a very strict person." Da Vinci, who had never spoken, murmured lowly, then he picked up the scale and turned slightly, and then walked to the balcony, first put the balcony railing on the ground Leave a shadow and draw two intersecting lines on the ground with a pen, then slowly turn the ruler, when the ruler coincides with the line segment forming an obtuse angle, and the horizontal needle on the ruler points to a scale engraved on the lower end of the ruler, Da Vinci First meditation in the mouth, and then also a sigh of regret.
"I do n’t know who you are talking about, but this is really a smart person. Even an idiot in this way can easily calculate the size of a building, the distance of a road, and if these scales are used as For reference, the best firing angle of the artillery and the amount of charge needed can be calculated simply. "
"Unfortunately, such a wise man was unfortunately killed by a bandit. I hope that God bless his soul into heaven as soon as possible." Brother Pacioly also felt emotion in his heart, and his anxiety when he said this already jumped into his face.
"Actually I was preparing to go to this place where the poor man was going," Uliou said sadly. "If we are lucky, maybe we are already in Montina at this time. His friend is said to be very good because His letter mentioned that he was working on an equally important tool, and it was because of this that he was invited to work with his sponsor ’s territory, and it was indeed safe there. "
Uliu ’s words seemed to attract the attention of two listeners, especially the monk Pacioli, who nodded after pondering a bit:
I know that place, but is there not the territory of the Rovere family, is the Rovere family already Has someone been stationed there? "
"Master monk, your news is really too closed," Uliou said with a bit of surprise. "Don't you know that the young lady of Valery's family named Barenti married Count Montina, that is, Alexander Zhu Lyante Gumbre, father of the Duchess of Estes in Pisa, the regent of Pisa today? "
"Oh, I really don't know." The monk nodded in a daze. For those nobles who sang me, it was obvious that Brother Pacioly could not understand many of them for a while, because His attention was completely attracted to the tools that Uliu said the person was working on.
"If there is nothing wrong with the monk, I will go to work first. You know that it is not easy to find such a job." Uliu stopped just right. He needs to let these two people know and familiarize with him before he can get a chance. Get closer to them.
What ’s more important is that the timing is not mature. To complete the task arranged by the Earl, you must get the time when they need to shake themselves. All Wuliu needs to do now is to try to find opportunities to stay with them so that Prepare for the day after.
Leonardo da Vinci, although he is now well-known, but only in the future will he truly be a great art and scientist in the annals of history, and monk Luca Pacioli, a giant because of his companionship Surrounded by the shadow of giants, it has always been ignored by many people. Genius mathematics and modern accounting pioneers.
Alexandria will surely win these two people!
May 1499 was a time of turbulence for all Italian city-states along the Mediterranean coast.
The threat from France was already obvious, and with the explicit support of Caesar, sent by Alexander VI to the coronation ceremony, Louis XII publicly announced in the castle of the Loire Valley that he would follow and defend the power of the first king against Naples This is almost equivalent to declaring war directly.
With the declaration of the French King ’s sovereignty over Naples, various news about France also followed.
The French court has once again issued a war order to the nobles of the country. The French have gathered a large army of nearly 30,000 people in Nice City, about 120 miles away from Piedmont, and this number is still growing.
Also, the French are preparing a large number of ships in some ports on the Mediterranean Sea, and then they may invade Naples from the sea.
Among them, the one who has experienced the most change is Sicily.
The increasingly rampant actions of the Ottoman navy made the Sicilian uneasy. They were worried that one morning they would see an unclear Ottoman fleet with a crescent moon on the horizon when they opened their eyes. What made the Sicilians frustrated was that As a king, Ferdinand, who had just finished the war to regain the lost land and was facing a waste of the Aragonese kingdom, clearly now ignores them.
As for the pirates raging everywhere on the sea, the Sicilian knew that they were actually supported by the Ottoman Sultan, so when they heard that their ship had been looted and suffered heavy losses because of the pirates, there was no other way than expressing sympathy.
However, people gradually discovered a very strange phenomenon, that is, when most people's sea ships were attacked by the Ottoman Navy or pirates, some people's business was smooth sailing.
Most of these people were originally engaged in businesses that were not very large in scale, but these businesses were operating only everyday goods that are essential in the European market.
As the situation in the Mediterranean becomes worrying, the prices of goods that are usually cheap or even insignificant have gradually become expensive. Although they cannot be compared with pepper, cane sugar, or coffee, they must be huge profits. Compared with goods that can only be reached by hand-eye figures, the huge amount of consumption in the market has made those small-profit chambers that seem to be sparsely profitable at this time get a lucrative return.
The most unbearable thing is that these small chambers of commerce seem to have colluded with the Ottoman pirates from the beginning. Their ships are rarely heard of being robbed. Even if they encounter pirates, they are more than paying for it. A piece of money to buy roads, and this treatment is obviously not available to other chambers of commerce.
So an interesting phenomenon appeared on Sicily. On the one hand, some people cursed pirates to for being looted. On the other hand, some people were happy and smiling because of the existence of pirates.
Pirates have made transportation more risky. The increased costs have caused the prices of many things on the market to skyrocket, and those who can stock up on tight goods are those who have previously joined the chamber of commerce of the Free Trade Area Alliance.
As the strength gradually increased, the previously unrecognized chambers of commerce gradually became richer and richer, and they soon showed their greedy nature. For those chambers that did not join or rejected the invitation because of disdain, these previous Small business chambers that were not optimistic at all began to unite, relying on the low-priced tariff advantage between the free trade unions, and began to nibble at the market of large chambers of commerce that they never dared to provoke.
Relying on the tight and hot commodity advantages, the Union Chamber of Commerce began to set foot in those profitable areas.
Especially after entering May, as the Ottoman and Venetian navies assembled on the Mediterranean Sea, the situation in the entire Mediterranean Sea was suddenly tense, and all ports in Sicily became tense for a time.
The Ottoman pirates were even crazier. They even blocked a large area of ​​southern Sicily, forcing merchant ships sailing from the island to make a detour to North Africa.
And the precious goods that were also transported from Egypt were nearly halved by the entire route because of frequent looting by robbers.
Getting sufficient supplies is not just capital, but a proof that there is an uncommon background. In the eyes of people, the merchant ships that travel to and from Sicily, in addition to wealth, are still the key to opening a larger market in the future, because with the expansion of the FTA alliance , Those businessmen who are excluded from the alliance gradually realize that not only many businesses that can overlap with those of the free trade chambers are being quickly squeezed out of the market, but even the interests of some traditional fields that were originally within their sphere of influence are being Nibble and squeeze quickly.
This made many Sicilian businessmen feel uneasy. They finally realized that a behemoth had formed around them unconsciously, and this behemoth had obviously greedily stared at their fat piece.
In the interior of Europe, with the independence of the Swiss cantons, the whole of Western Europe was shaken. In order to renew its majesty, Emperor Maximian of the Holy Roman Empire finally decided to deter the courts of those countries who underestimated him with a firm and complete suppression.
In the Balkans, the news of the Ottoman army's encirclement in Bucharest made the entire European continent even more disturbing.
Sudden changes in the situation, panic, from Taranto to Venice, from Genoa to Crete, in the early summer of 1499, Europe was shrouded in a tumultuous and disturbing atmosphere.
Therefore, at this time, no one will naturally notice what a Moorish man in Milan is doing, and no one will deliberately want to know why he took the initiative to approach the two. Although he is quite famous and talented, he is in this kind of It is no more a master of art and mathematician than a vulgar mercenary.
And Uliu was not in a hurry. He knew that what he had to do did not seem to be difficult, but the key was how to seize the opportunity, because according to the instructions that Alexander had left him, Uliu realized that his master was right The two men obviously attached great importance to it, so he could not kidnap the two men at will as he did against the Jews or others.
However, as the situation gradually became tense, Uliu also knew that he didn't have much time, so he worked diligently every day in the room of Mrs. Salmatelli in the castle of Sforza, while being cautious for possible All kinds of changes will happen to make arrangements.
But no one thought that when people turned their eyes to France, Switzerland or the sea, a news that surprised everyone suddenly came from the Balkans.
The first to bring these news is a group of businessmen who are staring at money at any time and obviously regard the war on the destiny of the Balkans and even the entire Europe as a good opportunity to make a fortune, so when the envoys of the Vatican were in the Carolingian Palace When they gathered together, some businessmen also took the opportunity to confuse them, ready to spot the limelight and make a good fortune.
The news came from a businessman named Prato who is said to be in Bucharest.
This small businessman, who was said to have lost money on the Roman exchange, has now become a guest of the Bohemian King Ladislas II, and this person is now doing copper business. The wealth of money is rolling, which makes even a big family like Fugel can't help but pay attention to this person.
But this time Prato seemed to be unlucky. When people first heard that this person was betting all his money on the Hungarian copper mine, he was immediately jealous. Then a news that surprised everyone was aroused.
The Bosnian King Roy, who had surrendered to the Ottomans, invaded Hungary, and the entire army of southern Hungary could hardly withstand the attack of Roy. The border was urgent, the southern provinces of Hungary were urgent, and Southern Hungary, which has the largest copper mining area in Europe, was urgent!
When this series of news came, many people were still worried about the transient and bad situation in the Balkans, but some people suddenly discovered that the signboard on the price of copper that had been on the Roman exchange almost every day was quietly removed.
Then soon someone noticed that with the rapid rise in copper prices, some people are secretly absorbing all the copperware that can be bought on the market!
The price of copper keeps rising. Almost every day a price change has forced futures exchanges around the world to temporarily suspend the announcement of the highest price that can be heard on the market that day, which makes many people feel uneasy.
The small workshop owners panic, because the money in their hands is not enough to buy the finished copperware that has been set for customers.
Copper merchants panicked because they found that the goods they had hoarded could indeed sell for a good price, but the price that went up continuously in the future made them almost unprofitable.
And some nobles and even monarchs became uneasy because they found that the money that was originally prepared to buy bronze for casting cannons could not even afford half of the artillery. Can only bear the enemy's artillery fire on the battlefield to take luck.
This sudden change even made the Fugel family feel quite unexpected and unacceptable.
They began to doubt the authenticity of the news, but when the people they sent to Hungary sent back more detailed information, the Fuggers finally believed it.
People in Hungary proved that the businessman named Prato was indeed active throughout the Balkans. It is said that he not only frequented the banquet of Ladislas II, but was also familiar with the legendary Greek princess. In addition, this person is indeed worthy of being exquisite, because someone saw him go in and out of the mansion of the governor of the Ottoman occupation zone in Zagreb more than once.
It is for this reason that Prato clearly believes that his cleverness can gain enough benefits in this war, so he bet almost all the money on buying and selling large quantities of copper ore.
"But the man missed it."
Looking at the report sent by the Hungarian side, and then Lenovo heard that the Bosnian army was madly attacking southern Hungary, the people of the Fugger family did not even need to think about what happened.
"That Prato wanted to purchase a large amount of ore to monopolize the supply right upstream of the entire copper mine."
When this conclusion was reached, the people of the Fugel family were angry first, and then couldn't help but be ecstatic.
Because they knew that once the Bosnians captured southern Hungary, the ore purchase rights that Praprato obtained from Ladislas II would become a waste paper ~ EbookFREE.me ~ and he obviously had no more So much money has repurchased so much ore from the Bosnians.
"He is now in a desperate end. The only way is to sell the ore that he has bought as soon as possible, and then make a huge sum of money again to buy more ore, even if it is not profitable, he ca n’t stop it. , Otherwise he will have nowhere to go. "
"Then we can buy the ore from his hands, know that this may be the last batch of copper ore before the war is completely over, and the war between the emperor and France may erupt at any time, look at the market now Changes in the price of copper, everyone is desperately storing copper, for those nobles, copper is even more important than gold. "
"We have to prepare for the emperor's war."
When the reasons for the fate of the Fugel family were taken out, even the most conservative Fugel finally decided to accept the plan.
I bought all of his copper ore from that Prato, only because the bad news about Hungary has been constant, so even if the people of the Fugel family have already planned to take advantage of the price, the price of those copper ores is still the same. It is much higher than usual.
This even made the Fugger family with financial resources feel strenuous, but when they heard that some people were already interested in the copper ore in that Prato, even those who at all costs absorbed copper from the market At that time, the Fugels finally made the key decision to borrow from the Jews in Venice.
The Fugger family is crazy, and the whole of Europe is crazy. Just when the summer is approaching in May, a war composed of blood, fire and money has completely exploded on the land of Europa!
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