Alexander stood on a hill and looked out at the Arno River in the distance, on the other side of the river was an incoherent stretch of villages, scattered houses that stretched southeast along the road between the river bank and the fields, and disappeared behind the gentle slope of the next hill.

It is the farthest outpost outside of Pisa, and from here you go up the Argonor River and about 40 fats out to Florence.

Alexander walked along the hill towards the river, and in the distance he could see punts heading upriver to the Arno River.

The ship was heavy and the draft was deep, and listening to the faint shouts of sailors rowing hard, Alexander looked at Machiavelli beside him.

The Florentine man had a look of embarrassment on his face, and he knew what Alexander's purpose was at this glance.

Thinking about his previous objections to Pisa's acceptance of Jewish patronage, Machiavelli could only smile bitterly.

Machiavelli admired and even admired his consul, not only because of his own noble sentiments, but also because of his unique vision, which made Machiavelli rise from an inconspicuous diplomat to a member of the 200-member National Assembly and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Florence.

Machiavelli revered his consul from the heart, but at the same time as he admired him, Machiavelli was deeply troubled by the stubbornness and almost obstinate political cleanliness of his leader.

At least he had a hard time imagining what it would mean for Florence if Pisa did stop delivering all kinds of merchandise.

And it is something that seems unlikely to happen at first glance, but it is really possible that it will become a reality because of the Archons' hatred and hostility towards the Jews.

"What kind of person is Savonarola?"

Hearing Alexander, who was walking in front, suddenly ask, Machiavelli immediately walked a few steps to follow, and he first pondered in his heart cautiously and quickly, and then said earnestly: "My lord, before answering your question, I want to know what you think of piety. ”

Hearing this rhetorical question from the Florentine, Alexander smiled, he had probably guessed what the Florentine was going to say next.

Machiavelli was a true utilitarian, and although he himself did not actually get any real benefit from this utilitarianism, this did not prevent him from planning for his future in this way.

Even a few years later, he wrote the controversial Treatise on the Monarch on the basis of this utilitarianism.

However, Machiavelli should not have shown such a complete and undisguised obsession with utilitarianism today, so he only wanted to ask Alexander through rhetorical questions to find out Alexander's personal opinion of the Florentine ruler.

After all, from a few brief conversations with that man before, Machiavelli had a vague sense of Alexander's prejudice against the Florentine consuls.

"You want to ask me what I think of the conflict between the Pope and Savonarola," Alexander ruthlessly exposed Machiavelli's thoughts, seeing him look a little embarrassed, Alexander shook his head, "You don't need to worry about this at all, you must know that I have nothing to do with the Pope." I wonder if I can satisfy you by answering this? ”

Listening to Alexander's words, Machiavelli felt the urge to expose him at once.

What's going on with that Lucrezia, and what's going on with that house by the river?

Machiavelli felt that the person in front of him was so hypocritical that he didn't even care about the other person's reaction when he was lying.

But what can be done, he knows that he is lying, and he knows that he already knows that he is lying, but even when everyone knows that he is lying, he still lies so naturally!

Machiavelli suddenly felt that this was a very tangled, but very strange thing.

How a monarch should deal with his lies, and how he can justify himself from such a betrayal of morality, Machiavelli thought that he should write this in his own diary.

However, at this time, he had to respond to Alexander's questions.

"Of course, my lord, this is enough to satisfy me," said the Florentine man helplessly, and then he looked at Alexander with a slight expression, "My lord, I think the best answer to the question of what kind of man my consul is is that I should only make up my mind after seeing him in person, but if I have to say, my answer to you is that the abbot of Savonarola is a devout believer, an ascetic, and an attempt to be truly enlightened by God, A great teacher and leader who leads the world out of its path. ”

Machiavelli looked at the pressure seriously, he knew that maybe Alexander didn't believe his words at all, but the Florentines secretly told themselves in their hearts that they had to say these words, even if they were ridiculed and ridiculed, he had to let this person, or let more people really know what a great person that Florentine ruler was.

To Machiavelli's surprise, however, Alexander did not scoff as he thought, but looked thoughtfully at the boats passing by in the river below the hill.

After a while, Alexander looked back at Machiavelli.

"Tell me, if I agree to support you, how will Florence repay me?"

Machiavelli blinked in some astonishment, he didn't understand the meaning of this until after a while did he hesitate to ask, "My lord, what do you mean by support?" ”

"For example, if I were willing to help you build an army that belongs to Florence, what would you give me in return?"

Machiavelli's face was filled with disbelief for a moment, and then he tried to make a grunt in his throat before he carefully said: "My lord, I can't give you an answer to this right away, you know that I have to have more authority to reach such an agreement, and I have only come to negotiate peace relations with you." ”

Alexander nodded in agreement, the idea had only come to him on the spur of the moment, considering that Bishop Tony della Rovere was still thinking about making a fortune from the Florentines, and he knew that his idea was unrealistic for the time being.

But once he had the idea, the thought of Florence lingered in his mind.

Alexander had no ill feelings about Savonarola as a person.

If he had to tell him, Alexander even felt that he still admired the abbot of the Florentine monastery somewhat.

It was so called because Savonarola insisted that people not call him the Archon of Florence, preferring instead to have people call him Abbot.

Savonarola was the current abbot of the Florentine Monastery and the one most hated by Pope Alexander VI.

As one of the most influential abbots in the Italian peninsula, Savonarola used strict Benedictine canons to show all the friars from the day he took over the throne that a person in the priesthood should be worthy of the sacred monastic robe on his body.

The vast lands that the monastery had hoarded over the years became the public property of the Florentine citizens, the shops in their names were converted into charity-only properties, and the usurious property that had been maintained for decades by the monastery was abolished altogether.

All this gave the Florentines an example of piety, which had been disappointed and even despised by the monks, and at the same time, the Florentine monasteries, which had been tainted by extravagance and depravity, also ushered in a real air of innocence and solemnity.

The monks, who had become accustomed to the worldly atmosphere, came to their senses and began to examine themselves under the guidance of Savonarola, and once this wind of piety spread, it could no longer be stopped.

Florence churches and bishops began to be asked to follow the example of Savonarola, and the strict terms of Benedict's canon became a frequent topic of conversation in the Florentine church.

In the past, the bishops and priests were often not much nobler than the common people, and sometimes even more vulgar and inferior.

The atmosphere in the Florentine Church was clear, but this pious gesture was not a good thing for the Vatican in Rome, or for Alexander VI personally.

The gold sent from Florence was scarce, and the usury interest that should have been honored was gone, and these obvious losses were accompanied by Savonarola's ruthless criticism and provocation against the Church and the Pope himself.

In Savonarola's view, the root of all the depravity is the vulgar and corrupt culture and extravagant indulgence, and the representative of all this depravity and sin is Alexander VI as Pope!

As a result, in many popular gatherings and public sermons, he openly criticized Alexander VI's faults more than once, and even sometimes unceremoniously called Alexander VI and his children "the cancer of Christ".

In the face of such accusations, after many overtures and even many generous promises but still no response, Alexander VI, who was finally completely enraged, decided to teach this stinky boy from the family of Doctor Ferrara a a lesson.

He first sent another abbot to the Florentine Monastery in an attempt to divide Savonarola's power over the monastery with great influence, and then ordered Savonarola to be appointed abbot of a remote place.

However, his series of actions did not have any effect on Savonarola, because the monastery was unwilling to let him go, and the people of Florence openly opposed this order of the Pope!

Savonarola eventually remained in the convent of Florence, and from that time on, he not only broke with Alexander VI in a complete and open break, but even completely freed Florence from the control of the Vatican with the ouster of the Medici family.

Savonarola, a man who seems alien to everyone in this day and age, a defender of truth who tries to change the gradual depravity of the world with his devout faith.

Alexander looked at Machiavelli and couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in his heart, he felt that there was probably no one in the world who was more familiar with the Florentine in front of him than he was.

He knew that this man would make his mark in Florence in a few years, and that he would become a key figure in the Florentine Republic against the Medici family, who were trying to restore it.

When the Medici family relied on a powerful backstage to regain control of Florence, Machiavelli immediately tried to regain the favor of the Medici family.

He painstakingly wrote the controversial Treatise on the Monarch in an attempt to win the favor of his new master, but his actions did not impress the Medici in the slightest, and until his death he was excluded from Florentine high society.

But this man, when he mentioned Savonarola, naturally showed admiration and respect for him, and in Alexander's view, this attitude was undoubtedly sincere and not pretentious.

What kind of person is Savonarola?

How could it be possible to make such a visceral reverence and respect for this public proclamation that "the use of the most despicable means in order to achieve ends should also be forgiven" and that "morality is most of the time a stumbling block to the achievement of higher attainments"?

Alexander was secretly strange, especially when he thought of the letter Tony della Rovere had written to him the other day, and he thought that perhaps he might soon hear some strange news about Florence.

"If I'm willing to provide Florence with a sufficient amount of low-priced grain, can you guarantee a sub-payment?"

Machiavelli was surprised by Alexander's words, and he came to Pisa to see Alexander, of course, because now that Alexander was in control of Pisa and Montina, these two places had faintly formed a flanking siege of Florence, which naturally made the Florentines uneasy.

Another looming conundrum is that Fiorentina is facing a series of dire situations.

Because of the confrontation with the Vatican and the overthrow of the Medici family, the young Florentine Republic was facing a dilemma of being surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Many city-states with close ties to the Medici family have severed diplomatic relations with Florence, and hostilities with the Vatican have made it difficult for Florence to survive.

But these were not the most terrible, what really gave Florence a blow was the full support of Charles VIII of France in the invasion of Italy, which completely angered all the city-states.

With Charles' defeat and return home, Florence was almost completely isolated.

No one wanted to have normal association with Florence, and Savonarola's attempt to establish a holy and noble kingdom of Christ surprised and even disgusted the city-state aristocracy, who had been completely conquered by fine art, mouth-watering cuisine, and ecstatic love.

The market became more and more depressed, and the people's lives began to become difficult, but all this did not stop Savonarola from exploring and pursuing great ideals.

It was only for the Florentine government officials that they had to agonize over the reality of the growing deterioration.

Machiavelli came with the hopes of the Florentines, but he was careful not to reveal his purpose when he was not sure.

But he didn't expect that while he was still thinking about how to reveal his heart to the true ruler of Pisa, Alexander not only suddenly offered to continue doing business with Florence, but even vaguely he could hear that the count seemed to help Florence in its confrontation with the Vatican.

But isn't he hooking up with the Pope's daughter?

The thought only flashed through his mind and was tossed aside by Machiavelli.

Hooking up with the Pope's daughter does not prevent the Pope from being pitted at the same time, such a despicable act should be the manifestation of a worthy monarch.

Machiavelli decided to include this in his diary as well.

"Your Excellency, are you willing to sell us grain at a low price?" The Florentines still feel that they should be careful: "So what are your conditions?" Or do you want us to commit to something? ”

Machiavelli asked cautiously, wondering how much his government would make concessions while guessing what harsh conditions the count would offer.

"I don't need any promises or conditions, but you guys have to pay in time."

"That's it?" Machiavelli asked in surprise, at first in disbelief, but then seemed to understand something.

"Rest assured, my lord, we will not disappoint you," said Machiavoe, in a slightly vague tone, "and as for the food you request, the Florentine government will deliver it on time." ”

Alexander looked at Machiavelli a little strangely, he didn't know that the Florentines had grouped him with those "vile monarchs", but seeing the irrepressible joy on Machiavelli's face, Alexander couldn't help but smile from the bottom of his heart.

Plenty of low-priced grain, seafood products that are almost free of all customs duties, fresh fruit that can be eaten by ordinary citizens, wine that is not abundant in Florence, and countless other necessities from all over the world.

Alexander seems to have seen the frightening impact of the sudden flooding of the Florentine market with these huge quantities.

No one could resist the temptation of surprisingly cheap goods, and even if the price was 20% lower than the price of the same goods in the region, Alexander was sure that all the merchants, including him, would make money.

The nascent lines of credit, whether in Pisa or Naples, Taranto, or even Palermo, allowed shark-like merchants to mobilize the largest quantities of goods in a timely manner with the least amount of money to plunge into a dumping war that was destined to smell bloody.

This is the power of the integrated free trade zone!

Florence, on the other hand, was just the prey of this future behemoth to try its hand at it.

Alexander thought to himself and smiled at Machiavelli: "Diplomat, please pass on my greetings to the abbot when I get back, and perhaps soon I may visit the great and prosperous city of Florence." ”

As he said this, Alexander could not help but think of a passage from a letter from Bishop Tony della Rovere to him: "I am sorry to tell you, Count, that we are in some trouble, that our plans to overthrow the Florentine rebels are not going well, and that the Florentines have an almost blind trust and loyalty to that Savonarola, so I think it would be better for you to settle the matter yourself, after all, your army has proven their worth on several occasions." ”