Machiavelli was awakened by a cacophony of shouting, and he struggled to open his eyes and rub his head, which was a little swollen from not sleeping well, before pausing to listen carefully to the movement outside.

The sound was chaotic, apparently numerous, and from the neighing of horses and the faint sound of orders, it was clear that there should be an army outside, not some passing caravan.

Machiavelli quickly woke up the sleeping attendant, and the two of them came to the door and carefully opened the door to look out.

Many soldiers were busy in the village at this time, many were sitting and resting, and some of the attendant-looking people were busy taking their saddle bridles off their horses.

Look at the tired faces of the people, as if they had just traveled all night.

Machiavelli made a careful gesture to his attendant, and then the two men crept out of the warehouse, and they walked along the side of the road, as he looked at the soldiers who passed by, trying to see in them.

Several well-dressed officers approached from the opposite side, and Machiavelli looked at them closely, and from among them he quickly recognized that one of them, who looked less like a soldier and more like a scholar, was supposed to be the leader of the men, and he noticed that this man was obviously much more plainly dressed than the others, but that the people next to him were very respectful to him.

It's just that this person's demeanor seems to reveal a trace of worry, and he seems to have a very heavy heart.

"My lord, we have done our best," said one of the troops, a little annoyed as they walked, "our men have not rested for two days in a row, and many of us will be tired if we continue like this." ”

"But you know that if you can't find someone, you're not going to be exhausted." The middle-aged man paused and looked at the complaining officer, "I can guess how His Majesty the Pope will punish each and every one of us, including myself." ”

The middle-aged man's voice was not low, so these words happened to be heard by Machiavelli, who was walking nearby, and the Florentine man's heart jumped for a moment, although he didn't know who this person was, but he was already sure that this army should belong to the Vatican Holy See.

"That damned Cambrai, how dare he have the audacity to kidnap the Pope's daughter," said the other officer, with surprise but a little admiration, "you must know that it is the 'princess of Rome,' and now I think the whole city of Rome is going to be stirred." ”

"So getting Lucrezia back before His Majesty the Pope is wrathed is the only way, and believe me, you won't want to see what an angry father can do, especially since this father still has the greatest power in the world." The middle-aged man looked at the officers beside him, and when he saw the worried look on their faces, he ordered, "Let the team rest for an hour, and then set off, and be sure to inquire about Lucrezia's whereabouts today." ”

The middle-aged man was slightly stunned when he said this, because he saw a man in a red coat covered with dust and grass thorns walking towards them.

"Are you looking for the Pope's daughter?" Machiavelli asked seriously, seeing the other party's puzzled expression, he bent down slightly and bowed, "Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Niccolò Machiavelli from Florence, I think I can provide you with information about Miss Lucrezia." ”

"Your Excellency?"

The officers looked at the middle-aged man unexpectedly, and their originally somewhat depressed faces couldn't help but show joy.

These two days have been a torturous trip for them, and the frustration of constantly carrying people around the neighborhood without any news and worrying about the consequences of the Pope's anger and irritability because of the loss of his beloved daughter have exhausted these people.

Although the middle-aged man seemed to be relieved to hear Machiavelli's words, he was obviously much calmer, and although he was very eager to hear the answer immediately, when he heard that the other party was from Florence, he couldn't help but have some thoughts in his heart.

"I am His Majesty's secretary, Don Nomelo," the middle-aged man said, looking at the Florentine, "if you have any news about Lucrezia, please let me know, and I am sure that His Majesty will not be stingy in paying you what you deserve." ”

The middle-aged man's words made Machiavelli's heart tremble, as the current mortal enemy of the Holy See, the Florentines actually paid more attention to Alexander VI than others, especially about the movements of those around him.

So Machiavelli knew that this Don Nomelo was definitely one of the most trusted and powerful people around Alexander VI.

It's just that as the Pope's private secretary, how could Nomelo suddenly appear here, and actually have an army that seems to be quite large, which makes Machiavelli wonder.

After all, the relationship between Florence and the Vatican was too bad and too sensitive, and the sudden appearance of the Pope's confidant secretary could not help but surprise him and secretly frightened.

But before he could think about it, Nomelo had already asked again, and his expression was already showing impatience, and Machiavelli knew that if he didn't say it at once, he might be in trouble, because it seemed that the officers were already about to do it.

"They are in Pisa," Machiavelli immediately dismissed the idea of making some terms to the pope's cronies on the occasion of the information, and made a wise choice, "Miss Lucrezia and that Gombray, they are there. ”

Speaking of this, Machiavelli had a strange look in his eyes, because he remembered that Lucrezia had publicly announced that Alexander was her fiancé, although it was only a rumor and he had not seen it with his own eyes, but Machiavelli could still be sure that the two people did not seem to be the relationship between the abduction and the abduction as he had just heard these people discuss.

On the contrary, he can be sure that there is some kind of ambiguity between the two men.

Thinking of this, Machiavelli was somewhat curious about the Gombray.

But he didn't forget to tell them another piece of news that had just made them look happy, and then their smiles stiffened: "But if you want to save that young lady, you'd better hurry, because the Venetians are besieging Pisa, and I think Pisa will fall at noon today." ”

Nomerlo's face, which was slightly relieved to hear Lucrezia's whereabouts, instantly appeared surprised, and he only paused for a moment before giving an order to the people next to him: "Sound the horn immediately, and the whole army will rush to Pisa as fast as possible." ”

The brown earth still smelled a little choking, and the weather was getting hot in late April, which made the disgusting smell even stronger.

It was the place where the Venetians had been hit the hardest by two successive shells during their first attack, and the shallow ditch that had been used to hold back the Venetians' advance had been blown up in several places by the shells, and the soil was soft and sticky, and it was uncomfortable to step on it, but what really made people feel uncomfortable was the disgusting pieces of torso that were mixed with the mud.

Even though the Venetians tried to recover most of the dead, some of the pieces that no longer knew who was against whom could only be thrown into the open space between the destroyed low wall and the trench, and the disgusting smell of the corpses blew into the city with the wind, and some of the Pisan people who lived near the city walls vomited because they couldn't stand it.

The mercenaries didn't care, for them they did see a lot of dead people, although the previous battle was a little dangerous but it was nothing, and some people even joked that there was only one deserter from the beginning to the end, and it seemed that the Venetians were not so terrible.

The sailors also seemed to be relaxed, and even some of the sailors, who apparently worked part-time at sea as a "second career", mocked the mercenaries for their cowardice in a rather disdainful tone.

The arrival of the Venetians apparently frightened the street revolutionaries in Pisa, and this time they did not hesitate to accede to Alexander's request, and 5,000 florins soon reached Alexander's hands, and at the earnest request of the mercenaries and sailors, with gold coins in one hand and knives in the other, several houses near the city gate quickly changed owners.

Throughout the day, many people heard the noisy demolition of houses coming from the city gates, and as a group of blacksmiths were summoned to the city gates, people also heard all kinds of banging and banging one after another.

The Pisas didn't know what the Gombray was going to do, or they didn't really care, even though the Venetians were out there, but what they really cared about now was not how to resist, but Lucrezia.

Pisa, for all its glory, is still too small compared to Rome, Florence, Bologna or Milan, and this smallness is not only in the size of the city and the ornate architecture of the streets, but of course there is much more.

For example, when a noblewoman proudly mentions how beautiful and gorgeous her dress is, a small look of disdain from Lucrezia can make the noblewoman ashamed of herself, so that she becomes cautious the next time she speaks.

And when Lucrezia looked at some of the ladies with astonishment, and asked them how they could still wear the kind of two-horned hats that no one would wear anymore, at least in Rome, the ladies immediately took off their hats with a blushing face, and they did not want to put them back on anyway.

"Alexander, he likes me to dress modestly," replied Lucrezia, when she noticed that some people seemed to be suspicious that her clothes were too ordinary, "but now the clothes of Roman women have begun to become much simpler, but the men use more lace and scarves for the decoration of their robes than women, at least my brother Caesar has at least 50 lace linings of all kinds to choose from." ”

"50?"

The women looked surprised and disbelieving, and they looked at each other in disbelief, as if they didn't know whether to believe it.

"Maybe more, I don't remember how many," said Lucrezia, with a thoughtful look, and then she looked at a noblewoman sitting a little farther away, as if her eyes had suddenly lit up, "This is the style that is now popular in Rome and does not look flashy at all, it is said that this is the favorite dress of the Greeks." ”

The ladies followed Lucrezia's gaze, and when they saw the woman clearly, they couldn't help but have a strange look on their faces.

"Who are you, ma'am? I don't think I know you yet. Lucrezia asked the woman with some curiosity.

The woman didn't seem to expect to attract Lucrezia's attention, and she stood up and nodded slightly under the strange gazes of the other noblewomen: "I am Agatha Tomneo, and my husband is Asimo Tomneo. ”

With that, the woman sat down silently, as if knowing that Lucrezia would definitely not be interested in her anymore after hearing her name.

"Tomneo?" Lucrezia thought for a moment as if it seemed a little familiar, and then she held out her hand to the woman, "Madame, I like your penchant for choosing clothes, you know, my friend Julia and I became good friends because we both liked the same style of clothes, and the two of us often stood together in front of the mirror for hours, and a lot of clothes were put on and taken off for a whole afternoon." ”

Lucrezia walked over to the woman and sat down beside her, and began to talk to her endlessly, so that she completely tossed the other ladies aside.

Of course, this made those noblewomen feel resentful, and after silently enduring it for a while, finally some people couldn't help but leave under the pretext, and then more and more noblewomen said goodbye with unhappy faces.

"How dare she mention that woman to our presence," cried a noblewoman angrily, after leaving Lucrezia's room, "that Giulia Farne, the mistress of her father, the woman who is called the bride of Christ, how dare she say her name before us." ”

"But she's with Tomneo now, what's going on?" Another noblewoman said with some suspicion, "But by the way she looks, she doesn't seem to know the meaning of the surname Tomneo." ”

"How could she have known that a woman who had come to live in Castile would have been growing crops on some farm in Castile, if her father had not been the Pope?" A noble lady muttered disdainfully, and then shook her head helplessly, "But now we all have to rely on them, speaking of which, compared to the Venetians, I would prefer to let the Vatican rule us, but this is a matter for men, let's go and have some fun ourselves." ”

"I heard that Lucrezia's fiancé is very handsome," another noblewoman suddenly interjected, and seeing the strange looks that several other people showed at her, the noblewoman hastened to say, "Of course I will not be interested in that person, I would prefer to be in love with a troubadour who is now in my house, and you probably don't know that he is a demon in bed......"

The women's exclamations of surprise and envy faded away, and in Lucrezia's room, there was a hint of embarrassment.

After the ladies left, Lucrezia's attitude gradually became indifferent, she looked at the lady Tomneo in front of her with critical eyes, and when the woman seemed a little nervous, she lowered her voice and said: "Madame, I left you in the hope that you could bring a message to your husband, telling him that I hope to see him," Lucrezia paused and continued, "Actually, Alexander wants to see him, so I hope your husband will find an opportunity as soon as possible, but I don't want to attract the attention of others, And I hope your husband can help Alexander. ”

The woman looked at Lucrezia in surprise, although there was still a very innocent face in front of her, but the woman was short of breath because of uneasiness, although the bad reputation of the Borgia family has not yet reached the point of making so many people frightened, but it has long been known to many people, hearing the girl of the Borgia family in front of her so solemn order, the woman can't help but immediately think of "conspiracy", "trap" and all kinds of terrible things.

"Tell your husband what I said." Lucrezia commanded a little impatiently, and then remembered something that stopped the woman from standing up and saying goodbye, "Wait, going out too early may arouse suspicion from others." ”

As she spoke, she picked up a book on the table next to her and began to read it boredly.

Looking at Lucrezia's silhouette, the woman's face was cloudy, and she felt restless for a while.

As Alexander walked down the potholed streets to the city gates, he was somewhat startled by Gompati's actions.

Although he decided to strengthen the defense of the city gate because he guessed that the Venetians' upcoming attack would likely be the main breakthrough, Gompati's overzealous enthusiasm still surprised him.

Several large trees in the city gate had been cut down, and the trunks lay horizontally in the middle of the city gate, and a nearby house had been torn down, and the stones had been piled up in the open space inside the city gate to form a simple fort.

The turrets of the batteries were set very low, not only almost level with the ground, but also almost without slopes, and a gun had been placed on the turret, and a simple retaining wall of stone and door panels was also erected close to the rear of the guns, which was specially built to prevent the huge recoil of the guns.

This gun is generally the same as the other guns, the only thing that stands out is that the barrel of this gun is shorter than the other guns, and from the new section of the muzzle, it is clear that the gun has just been modified.

Next to the artillery, there were piles of finely crushed copper slag that had just been smashed, and several sailors were quickly wrapping the metal copper slag into spherical cloth bags of about the same size with the curtain cloth that had been cut from the house.

"Be firm, be firm, you are here to resist the Venetians, not to catch your husband."

Gompati yelled at some of the mercenaries who were tying the trunks of the trees with twine, and when he saw Alexander approaching, Gompati immediately answered, and then his lips moved and finally asked in a low voice, "Do you really think that the Venetians will attack the gates?" ”

"Didn't they see us so stubborn before?" Alexander asked rhetorically, and seeing Gompati's puzzled look, Alexander continued, "You must know that only the weakest points of the enemy will be more tightly defended. ”

Gompati was stunned, and seemed to understand something.

Just as he was about to speak again, a dull trumpet sounded from outside the city, and at the same time, a lookout post shouted nervously from the city walls: "Venetian! They're coming! ”