In history, there have been many accidental events that changed the direction of the times because of a trivial matter, so this has given people countless assumptions and colorful reveries.

If the nail that stabbed didn't show up, if an apple hadn't hit someone in the head, if a fruit vendor hadn't been beaten......

Will the noble king die on the battlefield or be guillotined, and will the great discoveries that affect the entire human civilization be postponed or even extinguished in the long river of history that has changed the course of history?

There are always people who like to think crankily and have such and such "what if" dreams, which make people try to imagine another possibility that is completely different from reality, and the guess of "whether the hypothetical world will be better" even sometimes leads to all kinds of trouble because of the fear that reality may be killed by hypothesis

There are too many examples of this kind of pure event changing history, and in the Second Romagna War in August 1499, there were two such pure events that changed so many things and changed the fate of too many people.

Gompati was a qualified artillery commander and might become a better general in the future, but he clearly did not have the skills of a prophet.

So he didn't expect that the Ferrarians would lack the courage to confront the enemy for several hours, but chose to open the door and surrender directly.

So when he defeated the enemy in front of him and forced his way across the Renault River, he thought he had the initiative in this war, which had just begun and was already doomed.

In Gompati's vision, Ferrara only had to hold Caesar for a day, and with the agility of Montina's army, which was almost unmatched in this era, he could quickly march under the city of Ferrara, and then he would not even need to engage the Papal army, as long as he made a move to threaten the enemy's flank, Caesar's only choice was to abandon Ferrara and retreat to Bologna.

And that's why Gompati asked Busaco not to be in too much of a hurry to attack Bologna.

After considering a variety of reasons outside the battlefield, Gompati chose a plan that would both force Caesar to retreat and be acceptable to all.

But the only thing he didn't expect was that Ferrara actually surrendered without even trying to hold on a little.

This small turn of events led to the failure of Gompati's entire plan, and at the same time to a dramatic change in the situation in Romagna!

Gompati, who heard the news of Ferrara's surrender, did not speak for a long time, and such a result was too unexpected and too difficult for him to accept.

Although the reasons for deciding victory and defeat are indeed varied, the cowardice of the Ferrarians to such a jaw-dropping level is indeed too much for Gompati to expect, especially when he heard that Caesar's army had not even been in formation, and Ferrara opened the city gates, and Gompati could only sigh that God must have given each of them a sheep's heart when he created the Ferrarans.

Gompati had to change his plans.

He knew that a storming of Ferrara was unlikely, and that no one could imagine what would happen if that did.

But if he acquiesced in Caesar's occupation of Ferrara, it would be his complete defeat.

In the original plan, the 2nd Balkan Regiment led by Busako would not appear in Bologna until noon on 4 August, because Busako needed to follow Gompati's instructions before advancing at a too slow pace against Montina's army.

According to the previous assumption, when the Papal army learned that he might be blocked under the city of Ferrara by Montina's army from behind, and that it was very likely that they would be cut off from retreat, Caesar would immediately lead his army to evacuate Ferrara.

This was when Bologna, a direct domain under the name of the Pope, became very important.

All of Caesar's supplies were in Bologna, and because of their relationship with the Vatican, the Bolognese were natural allies of the Papal Army.

So Gompati's plan was for Busacco to launch a slightly threatening feint against Bologna, so that Caesar would have to retreat to Bologna, or simply flee.

In this way, they could avoid a formal battle with the Papal army, and they could also take the opportunity to cut off Caesar's path into Ferrara.

As for the next thing, it was a headache for the Countess.

However, Caesar unexpectedly occupied Ferrara ahead of schedule because of the cowardice of the Ferrarans, so that Gompati's entire plan fell through.

The fact that Gompati had encountered such a change in his first solo command made him wonder if he would be able to complete the task given to him by the Countess.

However, this is obviously not a time to be confused, the rapid changes on the battlefield are like a terrible beast to those who are not strong-willed, and can at any moment devour those who may be shaken by a momentary setback.

And Gompati is well aware of this.

Both his own experience and the Count's performance on the battlefield reminded Gompati that he must quickly sober up from the frustration of those momentary defeats, or he would face a worse situation in the future.

Caesar's Papal Army was in Ferrara, while Montina's army was unable to launch a siege.

Just as Gompati pondered how to get out of this embarrassing situation, a piece of news from Bologna surprised him and surprised him.

Busaco's army actually arrived on the outskirts of Bologna 2 days earlier than planned, and what was even more unexpected was that after Ferrara, Bologna was so easily taken by Busaco's 2nd Balkan Regiment.

Upon hearing this, Gompati was initially incredulous, and he repeatedly asked the soldier who had sent the letter what was going on and why Busaco's army had not arrived in Bologna on August 2, two days earlier, as ordered.

More importantly, he wondered how Busaco managed to take over a city so quickly.

To his disappointment, the Balkan soldier's answer not only did not make Gompati understand what was going on, but even made him even more confused.

At least he really didn't understand what the soldier's repeated "balls", "celebrations", and "women" had to do with taking over a city.

In fact, it was not only Gonpati who did not understand, but even Busaco, who was now standing in a house with a characteristic maroon masonry façade in Bologna, still did not understand how things could have come to this point.

At first, Busaco did advance towards Bologna at an unhurried pace with his army, as Gompati had ordered, after roughly calculating the time of the journey.

He knew that his task was to make a feint of intimidation, in order to make Caesar withdraw from Ferrara for fear that he might be surrounded.

If all goes well, he even has to make way for the hastily evacuated Papal army to escape, only in this way can he not only fulfill the Countess's order to expel the Papal army, but also avoid the embarrassment of direct conflict with the Count's brother-in-law.

Speaking of which, when he realized his role in the operation, Busako was not very happy, and he thought that Gompati had given him such an inexplicable mission because he did not trust him, rather than marching into Ferrara like the other officers.

Because he had heard that Gompati was preparing an attack on the banks of the Renault River, and that there was apparently nothing to do with him, Busako could not help but be slightly disappointed.

Busaco's army continued to advance towards Bologna until they came across a group of inexplicable young men.

They were strange people, some of them were dressed in very simple clothes, some of them were shabby, but these people were not ordinary people.

At first, when the Balkans reported to him that they had caught a group of suspicious people, Busako thought that he had encountered a French spies, after all, he had heard several of them speak incessantly in a language they did not understand, and it was not unusual for such suspicious people to be suspected of being French spies at this time.

This took Busacco by surprise, and he thought that the French were not only coming suddenly, but were even preparing to attack Bologna, and he couldn't help but worry that the surprise might be against Montina.

Although he could not think of any major problems for Montina caused by the capture of Bologna by the French, he ordered the men to be kept under strict care and ordered the march to be quickened.

"Be sure to get to Bologna before the French."

This was the order that Busaco immediately gave him, and although he knew that if it was really the French army, his army of only about 1,000 men would not be able to resist, but he still wanted to try to get as close as possible to Bologna.

As for what to do if he really encountered the French, Busako didn't think so much about it at this time.

It was only when he camped at night that he learned the origin of his captives.

Surprisingly, these people were not spies sent by the French, but students at the University of Bologna.

Even a soldier like Busaco knows what the University of Bologna means as a place.

The University of Bologna, known as the oldest university in Europe, is undoubtedly the temple of learning of this era, and almost all those who seek knowledge throughout Europe are eager to enter the University of Bologna.

The scholars and masters who have gone out of this university are more knowledgeable and well-known than others, which is the most admired and almost the highest university in Europe.

I caught it myself and it was actually a student from the University of Bologna!

As soon as he heard that the sweat on Busaco's head was instantaneous, he had seen several strange people who had been abducted from Milan by Uriu, except for a master who seemed to be a little difficult to serve and a monk who was very good to serve, and even if any of them brought out something, it seemed to make Ulliu nervous.

Busako knew Uliu's position beside Alexander, and said that Busako had lamented more than once that no matter how many times he ventured to fight for the Count on the battlefield, it was unlikely that he would surpass the Moorish status in the Earl's mind, but seeing that Uliu's attitude to those people was like serving his ancestors, Busako knew that they must be of extraordinary use to the Earl.

And those people have one thing in common, they are all learned.

Therefore, Busako knew very well that the Count valued the learned.

And now he actually caught a group of students from the University of Bologna at once!

Feeling that he might be in trouble, Busako ordered the captives to be released from the pack horses, wondering how to make up for the mistake.

When the students of the University of Bologna heard that they were captured by the army of the Count of Montina, they were so excited that some even shouted "tyrant".

This annoyed Busako, and he wanted to let the students know what would happen to him for insulting the Count, but thinking about who they were, he could only swallow his apologies as much as he could.

To Busaco's disappointment, however, the students apparently did not want to give up, and to make matters worse, they claimed that they had rushed back to Bologna to celebrate the 317th anniversary of the school's founding, but now they had lost their precious time due to the unjustified seizure by Montina's army.

"This year is a very special anniversary, because we are going to be challenged at the commemorative celebration by the students of the University of Paris, France, who claim that they want to conquer us not only with the sword but also with the pen, so we have to rush back, we are the most outstanding students of the University of Bologna, and if we are not there, it will definitely have a big impact."

The student's words made Busako feel that his fault was even more serious, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy about the recklessness of his men, and when everything seemed irreparable, the students made a request that surprised Busako.

"You are responsible for your mistakes," one student pointed out the mistake of the seemingly well-spoken officer in front of him, "so it is your duty to send us to Bologna as soon as possible." ”

"I can send someone to take you back......," Busako said helplessly.

Unfortunately, as soon as he spoke, he was interrupted by an excessive, crisp-sounding voice.

"Shouldn't you send us back personally, knowing that all this is due to your fault, and you should be responsible for this to the end."

Listening to the voice, Busako's eyes flashed over the faces of the students, and finally fell on the student behind him, who was deliberately blocked by two students.

Busako walked over and reached out and patted one of the students on the shoulder.

The other party tried to resist at first, but in the end, he reluctantly gave way under his stern gaze.

A figure that appeared to be shorter than the others, even though he was wearing a black hooded cape, appeared in front of Busako.

He hesitated slightly, then raised his hand and carefully lifted the hood from the man's head.

With his long, thick black hair exposed, and as if he knew there was no way to dodge, the man looked up and looked at Busako.

For a moment, Busako was a little dumbfounded.

A young girl dressed in a man's cloak and holding a book thick enough to be used as a weapon stood in front of Busako.

The girl's appearance could only be described as ordinary, but Busako swore that the girl had the brightest eyes he had ever seen.

Almost as soon as Busako lifted the girl's hood, several students gathered around her, and they embraced the girl despite the Balkans' reprimands and rough pushes, trying to protect her.

But their actions seemed so clumsy to the Balkans, and if it weren't for Busako's incessant scolding and stopping, the Balkans would have taught these students a good lesson.

"If you were a nobleman, you wouldn't do anything offensive to a woman," one student shouted to Busako, "even if you're just a soldier, you won't do anything that dishonors you." ”

"I'm just curious that there are women among you." Busako pouted slightly, he wanted to tell the students in the ivory tower that if they had seen the real cruelty, they would know that the so-called honor was actually worthless to many people.

"It seems that although you are said to have defeated the Ottomans, you really don't have much knowledge." The girl peeked out of one of her companions' shoulders and looked at Busaco, "You know, women are allowed to study at the University of Bologna. ”

"And that kind of thing?" Busako was really a little surprised this time, he looked at the girl curiously, then thought about it and shook his head slightly, "I can only send someone to send you to Bologna, we have other things to do, we can't delay our own time for you." ”

"You're such a polite man." One student muttered discontentedly.

"I don't think you understand what is going on," Busako said helplessly, "we are at war, so the only thing that can compensate you is to send you to Bologna." ”

"If you're at war, shouldn't you go to Bologna?" The girl stepped on her tiptoes from behind her companion and said, "I heard that the Frenchman who came to the university this time is a famous person from the University of Paris, but it doesn't matter, the important thing is that the person seems to be a very important person next to the King of France." ”

Busako, who had only wanted to send these people away with a few perfunctory words, immediately moved his heart, he looked at the students, and saw that some of them seemed to be trying to stop the girl, and some of them looked indifferent, and he immediately motioned to the subordinates around him to get the students who seemed to want to stop her away from the girl.

"Now can you tell me who that Frenchman you are talking about?" Busako asked, then said, "Maybe I know you,"

There was a slight hint of sarcasm on the girl's face, and although this look was fleeting, it still fell into Busako's eyes, which made him a little unhappy.

"Maybe I should introduce myself," Busako stroked his mustache, a move he had learned from the Balkans, "Paul Busako, former commander of the Chasseurs beside Lord Montina, commander of the 2nd Balkan Regiment in Montina. ”

After speaking, Busako paid close attention to the look on the girl's face, but unfortunately he was disappointed that there was no surprise, joy, and then ecstasy that he had expected to see.

"You probably don't know ......"

"I know you wounded the Sultan with artillery."

The girl spoke suddenly, as if she were just recounting the most ordinary thing.

This made Busako, who was still expecting something, unexpected, really completely disappointed.

"Your luck is good, but I don't know if you're smart enough to match your luck," the girl said in a tone that made Busako start to be a little annoyed, "that Frenchman is really a big man, and if you can send us back as soon as possible, maybe there will be a windfall, otherwise it will only prove that all the honors you have won before are really all by luck, but luck you know will always run out of luck one day." ”

Busako looked at this girl strangely, he now began to feel that he was really blind before, and he would find this girl with bright eyes very pleasing to the eye, and now how he looked at it, how did he think that this woman was really unspeakably annoying.

Busako reluctantly said, "Okay, tell me who that person is, and then maybe I will really send you back to Bologna myself, as you said." ”

"It's Master Ficher, the dean of the University of Paris, which is well-known in Europe, and an important assistant to the King of France, I wonder if you know this person?"

As she said this, a slightly sarcastic smile appeared on the young woman's face.

Busako was stunned for a moment, then the same smile appeared on his face.

"It's a coincidence, I really know this master."

As he spoke, Busako habitually patted the hilt of the knife on his waist with his hand, in fact, his mood at this time was completely different from when he had just dealt with it perfunctorily.

Little did he know that the mentor, who was said to be King Louis XII of France, would arrive in Bologna.

Of course, Busacco could not guess whether the maestro was purely for the anniversary of the founding of Bologna or for some other reason, but Fischer was well aware of the fact that Fischer was an important figure in Louis XII's side.

Perhaps he really should go to Bologna immediately, at least at this time Ficher's presence in Romagna would be unusual.

Once such a thought is formed in Busako's mind, it can no longer be driven away.

And the young woman's unintentional words deeply aroused the throbbing in Busako's heart.

"The city of Bologna should be holding a midsummer harvest celebration for ten consecutive days at this time, and Bologna at this time is lively."

Busako's heart was moved.

As a farmer a few years ago, he knows exactly what the harvest celebration means.

It was an all-night of drinking, dancing, and an opportunity to pay homage to the woman he loved, in short, an endless revelry.

And the ultimate key to all this is that the city at this time is the most laxly defended.

Although Gompati's order was for him to make way for Caesar, who was about to retreat, so that he could escape, because Gompati had not really let him occupy Bologna from the beginning, Busaco could not escape the charm of a woman who was almost undefended in the face of such an almost undefended city.

A fleeting opportunity is just around the corner, and you can hold it firmly by reaching out.

Eventually, the sense of pride in conquering a city led Busako to make a decision that no one knew would bring to the future at this time.

"As compensation for the offense, I will personally send you to Bologna," Busaco announced to the students of the University of Bologna, as he turned back and gave the order to the herald next to him to set off, "this time we must hurry up, we must rush to Bologna." ”

Following Busako's orders, the slow-moving Balkans began to run through the fields south of Romagna as if they had been whipped.

Before Caesar's army entered Ferrara, a part of the 2nd Balkan Regiment of the Montina Army had already appeared on the outskirts of Bologna.

Even in the early morning, the traces of the previous night's revelry could still be seen, and the Bolognese, who had been frenzied all night, could never have imagined that an army would suddenly arrive.

In the early morning of August 2, 1499, Montina's army took advantage of the Bolognese celebrations to celebrate the Midsummer Harvest and raided and captured Bologna.

At this point, the 4,000 papal army of Caesar Borgia, Duke of Valentino, who had just conquered Ferrara, was completely locked in the gates of Romagna.