Tomneo took the celebration of the parade very seriously, and he hoped that it would change his image in the minds of the Pisan people.

He thinks this way because the Circle of Pisa parade is special and has a long history, and it occupies an important place in the lives of Pisan people.

Many years ago, when the city of Pisa was a small fishing village, the people here had to work hard to make a living, and they also had to defend themselves against the intrusion of the outside world.

According to the legend of Pisa, in ancient Roman times, Pisa was the last place near the city of Rome to be subjugated, although the Pisa people at that time were completely incomparable to the already powerful Roman city-states, but the inferior Pisa people bravely faced the strong enemy from Rome.

The act was brave and the end was tragic, all the Pisians who resisted were mercilessly killed, and the women and children became the trophies of the Romans.

But even so, there were still those who refused to surrender to the brutal Rome, and a group of women took up arms, bravely resisted foreign enemies, and even organized an attack on the Roman legions, which were said to be the most powerful at the time.

The result was obvious: most of the women were killed on the spot, and those captured alive were stripped of their clothes by the Romans and tied naked to the bull's body, and then the bull, who had been stabbed by the bull, ran wildly into the distance, mixed with the bull's screams of pain and the women's heart-rending screams, until they ran away without a trace.

Pisa finally capitulated, but for many years afterward, whenever that terrible day of slaughter came, the Pisians seemed to see a mad bull appear on the horizon.

The cow would wander around the city of Pisa, screaming horrible and terrifying, and many people swore that they had seen a naked woman covered in blood sitting on the back of the cow.

Whether the story is true or not is no longer known, but the legend has become an enduring commemoration of Pisa years later.

Because of the age, people no longer know exactly what day the massacre took place, or even what season it was, so according to the legend, the Pisan people gradually formed a random day of the year, and this day may be after or before a major event.

The Pisan would have a chosen maiden ride on a gentle cow and dress the cow in a gorgeous and bright costume, and then someone would lead the cow carrying the maiden around the city, during which the Pisan would bring out the best food in the house and put it at the door of the house to lure the cow to eat, and when the cow was lured by the food and finally chose to enter a certain house, it meant that the souls of the women who had been mutilated by the Romans many years ago had finally returned to their homeland.

People will be grateful to the family for bringing back the souls of their loved ones and then serving a variety of delicacies.

This heavily pagan procession was strictly forbidden after the rise of the Church, but the Pisa, who had been keeping it for a long time, took a shortcut.

They give a new meaning to the legendary woman, the tribal fishing village villagers who resist the Roman invasion become the martyr who fought against the polytheistic pagan Roman Empire for the sake of faith, and the maiden is said to be the saint who was finally inspired by God to ascend to heaven.

In short, the Pisan people have succeeded in preserving their unique tradition, and have succeeded in giving more meaning to this procession, which has been a tradition for many years.

Pisa, for example, has gradually turned the procession around the city into a celebration of joy rather than sadness, and because there is no specific time, but before and after certain major events, it has become a benchmark for measuring whether such events really matter.

The overthrow of the Republic and the return to power of Pisa is, of course, an important event, and if nothing else, perhaps even the most important event for many years to come.

So it's no surprise that Tomneo took the march around the city seriously.

Despite Pisa's poor finances, His Royal Highness the Duke generously announced that he would set aside some of the money to hold the parade, and at the same time, as had been the custom for many years, he asked the wealthy people of Pisa to donate generously.

The Pisan people are still very happy to see the parade around the city.

It's just that the rich people in Pisa are a little reluctant to ask for donations.

The Pisan people are not stingy, at least not in the case of the well-known misers depicted in some literature, who have been generous in their parades in previous years, and sometimes even more or less contested each other out of vanity.

But this time it was clearly different.

Many people worry that donating money will make others perceive themselves as so-called "Tomnio", and the news that the former Duke's Zaloni family is now under the protection of the Vatican in Rome has caused the wealthy people of Pisa to worry that if the Zaloni family finally wins the battle for the duke, today's donation may become the basis for future liquidation.

Therefore, for Tomneo's request, not only are there very few people, but even those who are willing to show their loyalty to the new duke, because seeing this situation, some can't help but hesitate, and some even if they donate, it is very rare that they come and go quietly without publicity, without a sound.

Tomneo was a little frustrated, he didn't expect the Pisians to have such little confidence in him, not only because his previous actions had made many people worry that public support for him would cause others to resent him, but also because of the threat from the Vatican.

Naturally, Tomno's embarrassment also attracted Alexander's attention, and he knew that Pisa's concern for Tomneo was ultimately a distrust of his strength.

Alexander knew very well that in this era, strength was the key to everything, so although the inheritance of legal principles was equally important, it still had to be backed by strength.

At least imagine that Francisco Sforza, the first duke of the Sforza family in Milan, if he had not been strong enough, even if he married the widow of the last duke of the Visconti family, he might not be able to inherit the title of Duke of Milan so smoothly, and even whether he could marry the widow who was much older than him was doubtful.

So when he learned of Tomneo's predicament, Alexander groaned a little and ordered his army to assemble.

He was going to hold a jousting convention outside the city of Pisa.

Throughout the history of Europe, it is clear that athletic competitions have been held throughout the continent for thousands of years.

From the legendary grand games held by the Greeks every year, to the later knightly competitions filled with incomparable romance and bravery, the competition has never stopped in the Greco-Roman era, which is known as the early light, and throughout the Middle Ages, which is known as the darkness of ignorance.

So when the news of the jousting tournament broke, the piscasts were immediately surprised, and then quickly became excited.

In fact, people of this era are no strangers to martial arts competitions, but compared to places such as Milan and Venice, where martial arts competitions are prevalent, Pisa is not only not valued because it is a small city-state, but also because of the influence from Florence, which makes this seemingly too extravagant sport impossible to hold at all.

Florence has always had his eyes on Pisa, a neighbor, or rather the little guy who thinks he is in his sphere of influence, and for several years with the reign of Savonarola, his hatred for all extravagance and frivolity has become so unbearable that not only Florence, but even Pisa has been greatly affected.

At least in order not to anger the Florentine ruler, who claimed to be the most ascetic of all, the typical extravagance of jousting tournaments had not been held for a long time.

There's a lot to do for a good jousting tournament, a large field, plenty of tools, fine armor, and mouth-watering food.

When the news of the jousting conference spread, the people were jubilant and at the same time a little puzzled, because as far as they knew, the Count of Montina did not seem to have many knights under him.

Or in other words, except for those soldiers who looked different from other mercenaries, his subordinates did not seem to have the impression of the noble knights in armor.

This made the Pisan people wonder how the count was going to show his penchant for martial spirits, or that the count preferred to wear himself in battle and let people see his majestic and brave side.

Alexander had heard of these suspicions for a long time, but he obviously didn't have time to deal with these frivolous speculations, and the most important thing for him was Lucrezia now.

Whenever he was alone, Alexander felt that he was actually quite something.

He still remembers the pain that penetrated into his bone marrow when Sophia left him twice, and he will not forget the thrill and excitement of temptation and taboo when he was with his beautiful sister, and even when he was with Barondi, he had always treated her with respect or the eyes of a woman.

But none of this freed him from his obsession with Lucrezia.

I don't remember exactly when I fell in love with this woman who had no husband.

Maybe it was the kiss that was forced in the critical moment when he kidnapped her for the first time, or maybe it was when the two of them fought together in Pisa after a series of dangers, but Alexander knew that it was in Lady Olgala's house that really made him uncomfortable with this woman.

At that time, Lucrezia's desperate push to let him escape completely conquered Alexander, although he knew that this woman was always emotionally fluctuating because of her personality, and sometimes she often fell into love disputes one after another when she didn't even know what to do, but Alexander knew that he was still incorrigibly in love with this fickle woman.

However, Alexander also knew that since he had decided to fall in love with this woman, he could not allow her to have the so-called colorful emotional life that followed, but this now seemed to be somewhat miserable.

Caesar had already sent a messenger, and instead of dwelling on the insults he had received at Lady Olgara, he quite directly demanded that Alexander return his sister to him.

The messenger was accompanied by several servants and maids, as well as a large number of various necessities of life, and as for the extravagant clothes and various jewelry, the caravans looked a little dizzy to the Pistians.

According to Caesar, he could not tolerate Lucrezia following Alexander to live "like a poor ghost".

Lucrezia was delighted, evidently enjoying the feeling of being pampered, and at first delighted at the sparkle of the precious silk dresses and jewels encrusted with large gems, and then immediately ordered the maid to wait for her to put them on.

Looking at Lucrezia with joy on his face, Alexander's face was calm, but he was secretly cursing in his heart, he knew that Caesar was not kind.

Everyone knew that Alexander was not going to do anything to Lucrezia, or that since she was not a prisoner at all, it was a bit of a dilemma how the matter should end.

However, it must be admitted that no matter what the outcome, Lucrezia must return to her father and brother, otherwise it will become a situation where no one can get off the stage.

At least for the Roveret family, Alexander felt like they were about to blow up.

The day after Tomneo's visit to Alexander, Constantine arrived in Pisa and hurriedly asked to see Alexander, but was chagrined to receive a reply.

He had been asked to disarm before he could meet the Count, and the Moorish man, who had arrived not much earlier than him, had almost burst into rage.

"My lord is worried that you won't be able to control your emotions," Uliu said respectfully, "You must know that the hunters around your lord are very loyal, so this is all for your safety." ”

Alexander was indeed afraid that his brother-in-law would do something stupid on impulse.

After all, as Uliuu said, the hunters were loyal to him, and the successive battles and several encounters had made Paul Busako and his men have developed a not-so-good habit of moving first and then asking why......

Constantine met Alexander at the Ducal Palace, and it was impossible for Alexander to take him to the house where Lucrezia lived.

In fact, since Tomneo's visit the day before, he had been considering finding another suitable place for Lucrezia to live.

In Alexander's heart, he somewhat agreed with what Lucrezia had said.

"Plunder me into your castle, lock me up in the basement, and imprison me in chains."

Alexander could not but admit that Lucrezia's proposal made him "very satisfied".

Of course, Konstantin did not have a good attitude, in fact, Alexander's foresight saved his life, because when the angry accusation of Alexander's misconduct made his sister lose face, and the whole Rovere family was disgraced, Konstantin habitually reached out to his waist and wanted to draw his sword and duel Alexander.

It was this action that nearly cost Konstantin his life, and with the sound of his sword unsheathed and the wrenching of the musket around him, Konstantin found himself in danger.

Seeing his brother-in-law's grim face, Alexander could only ask Paul Busako to withdraw with the chasseurs first, and then sit side by side with his somewhat dejected brother-in-law on the steps in front of the duke's throne, which was slightly higher than the surrounding area.

"You can't do this, you have to send Lucrezia back," said Konstantin annoyed, "Caesar is expanding his army, and he spends money on recruiting soldiers and buying weapons as if he were bankrupt, and the terrible thing is that he does have that much money." ”

"Of course, his father has been fishing a lot over the years." Alexander smiled and said disappreciatively.

"Listen to me, that woman doesn't deserve it......"

Konstantin tried to continue the persuasion, but was interrupted by Alexander's sudden move.

Alexander stood up and walked up the steps, walked to the duke's throne under the gaze of Konstantin, turned around, and sat down with his hands on the gold-patterned armrests on either side of the throne.

Looking at Konstantin, Alexander first asked: "Tell me, what is missing now?" Then he raised his hand and pointed to the top of his head in Konstantin's daze, "A tiara, a duke's tiara, but do you think I need to wear that tiara now, and all this is what Luke Kia brought to me." ”

Konstantin looked at Alexander in silence, he understood what Alexander meant.

Although Alexander is not the protector of Pisa or the suzerainty of Pisa, he is the veritable ruler of the city-state, and according to previous rumors, all this is indeed inseparable from Lucrezia.

"So you won't let her go?" Konstantin's face was gloomy, "Don't forget that your status as Count Montina is because of the marriage contract with Barendi, if you insist on doing so, it means that you have to voluntarily renounce this marriage contract, then you have no right to inherit this title." ”

When he was almost threatening to Konstantin, Alexander just looked at him with his chin in support of his fist, and then suddenly asked: "Tell me, what is Barondi's attitude towards this matter?" ”

A strange expression suddenly appeared on Konstantin's face, and he frowned and let go again, but then wrinkled again, as if something was stuck in his throat and wanted to vomit but couldn't spit it out.

"Obviously, Barentia doesn't approve of your coming to Pisa," Alexander smiled, "or you didn't even get the archbishop's permission to come this time." ”

"No, my father agrees," Konstantin said with some annoyance, "he thinks you should be made aware of your responsibilities and faults," said Konstantin, who paused and slowed his voice slightly, "and he wants me to remind you not to forget the promise you made to him." ”

What promises?

Of course, the money that had been promised to him to run for the cardinal.

As September approaches, the Holy See Synod is fast approaching to elect new cardinals.

Obviously, old Rovere thought that this time he had caught the handle.

What a greedy old man, Alexander muttered in his heart and walked down from the throne, he stretched out his hand to put his arm around the shoulders of his somewhat reluctant brother-in-law, and the two of them walked slowly towards the palace gate.

"Well, I'm going to have a jousting tournament here tomorrow, I think you'll be very interested, now go back and get some rest, and tomorrow you'll have the energy to show your chivalry in front of the ladies of Pisa."

"But Lucrezia's business ......"

"There are a lot of beauties in pizza."

"And the promise I made ......"

"I think you should be the first to play."

"But I didn't have any armor with me, you know I'm here for ......"

"I can introduce you to a few of the beauties that are famous in pizza."

"Well, well, as a knight, it is indeed a real honor to participate in jousting......"

Although he felt that his visit seemed a bit undutiful, his enthusiasm for knightly honor made Konstantin think that he should wait for the jousting tournament to pass before rehashing the old story.

It was only when he followed Alexander to the jousting arena set up outside Pisa the next day, and faced with the scene of neatly arranged, spears glittering in the sun, and muskets roaring to the sky, Konstantin was completely stunned like all the Pisas who came to watch the jousting competition!

On August 17, 1497, Alexander held his first military parade outside Pisa under the pretext of a jousting convention of knights, based on the Agri!