At first, Sazi wanted Alexander to inspect the Florentine army, of course, to deter and threaten the insatiable count, although he knew that he could not compare with the Montina army that was fighting against the Ottomans, but he hoped to show Alexander the determination of the Florentine people, especially at a time like this, and he believed that the count should consider whether it would be worth the loss if he insisted on going his own way.

It was only when the man who had been sent back to greet the delegates reported to him what he had seen in the town, that Sazi immediately dismissed the idea, and he felt that this man should not be provoked at this time, and that it would be best if the crisis at hand could be resolved in a better way, without provoking the Count of Montina.

But Sazi never expected that Machiavelli would suddenly do something that surprised him and everyone, when someone reported to the consul who was entertaining the count's family that Machiavelli led the civilian army to search the warehouse of the Pisa Chamber of Commerce, and even directly confiscated a few cannons stored in the warehouse, Sazi's expression changed instantly.

Sazi didn't know if Machiavelli had gone mad and did something that directly angered the Pisan people at such a time, and when he saw the Count's gaze at him, he could already imagine how angry Alexander would be when he heard the news.

Or should he remove Machiavelli from his post first? The thought crossed Sazi's mind, but he immediately rejected it, for it would not only be a blow to the Florentine resistance, but also a great loss to his own reputation and prestige, for he was the one who had decided to appoint Machiavelli, but it would have been too much damage to his prestige in the government if he had withdrawn the appointment in less than a day.

But if Machiavelli is not removed from office, how can he deal with the man in front of him?

Sazi raised his wine glass with an ugly face, he even suspected that Machiavelli was deliberately hurting him at this time, but Sazi really couldn't think of what his reason for doing this was, after all, he was his benefactor, everything he had now was given by himself, what would be the benefit to him if he hurt himself? Or is there any particular reason and reason for him to do this?

Sazi could only comfort himself so secretly at this time, he felt that the wine in his mouth was no longer sweet and mellow, but bitter, but in front of the earl, he could only barely maintain politeness and struggle.

During the feast, one of Alexander's guards, who looked like a Balkan, whispered a few words in the earl's ear, which immediately caused the Florentines to be nervous, and they couldn't help but put down their food one after another, and the hall became unusually quiet, and everyone's eyes were focused on Alexander's face, waiting for the moment when he completely broke out.

During this period, only Estelles was excited because of the large number of people, and the cheerful cries of "hmm" and "hmm" were all over the place, but the sudden silence around her also made her notice something strange, Estelles stretched out her hands and waved them at Alexander, and when she felt that her father did not respond, the corners of her mouth began to tremble.

Alexander immediately took his daughter from the maid's hand, if it weren't for the etiquette he would not want someone to hold her, seeing Estelles's smiling face, Alexander kissed his daughter's soft silky cheek affectionately, and then raised his head to glance at the Florentines across the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you ought to be grateful to my daughter, for I do not want to frighten her, so I will not be angry now at what I have just heard, but I also want you to understand the reasons why you have been spared my wrath, so if you do not want any misfortune to Florence, you must be placed under the protection of my daughter."

Sazi's face turned red, and he tried to stand up angrily, but he tried to endure it, and he slowly took off the soft hat he wore in the room from his head, crumpled it in his hand, and then slowly put it on the table.

"Count, do you want Florence to surrender, it's impossible, we'd rather shed the last drop of blood for freedom, the Florentines have experienced hardships in the past, and there will be more hardships waiting for us in the future, but the only thing we don't lack is honor and courage."

Sazi's words seemed to have an effect, and the Florentines, who were already a little uneasy, showed a look of righteous indignation, and at this moment it seemed that courage had returned to their bodies again, and they showed enough bravery in the face of the threat of the person in front of them.

Alexander picked up the silver spoon on the table, carefully scooped out a spoonful of soup and handed it to his daughter's mouth, looked at Estelles and took a small sip, then frowned and shook her head, Alexander smiled and handed her daughter back to the maid next to her.

"She's hungry."

When Alexander said this, he noticed that Lucrezia suddenly looked at him vigilantly, and then glanced at the well-fed maid next to him, Alexander couldn't help but laugh a little, although the woman did have a pair of proud treasures, but maybe it was deliberate, the appearance of this woman Lucrezia was looking for was really flattering, and Alexander felt that he was not so hungry.

Watching the maid walk out of the hall with her daughter in her arms, Alexander's originally calm expression instantly became gloomy, and he pushed away the tableware on the table in front of him with a somewhat rude movement, while Oflair, who was sitting on the other side of him, had already taken out a prepared document from his leather bag and handed it to him.

Alexander opened the file and looked at it, then threw it at Sazi across the table.

This action was even more rude and rude, even uneducated, but the Florentines did not care about this, their eyes fell on the document not far from Sazi, and looking at Sazi reaching out to take it, some people could not help but think that he was holding not a few thin pieces of paper, but a red-hot piece of iron.

"All agree, or all against," Alexander did not give Sazi a chance to bargain "Florence is under the protection of my daughter, this is something that cannot be questioned, and if the refusal means, you should be very clear." ”

Sazi's fingers trembled slightly, he felt like he was about to stop breathing, it was all too sudden for him, it had only been more than a year since the overthrow of Savonarola, and he had not even been able to fully control the city, let alone establish a tyrant system like the Medici family had set up, but now he was facing a difficult choice.

Agree with them all, or disagree with them all.

Sazi felt as if his throat was being pinched by an invisible hand, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

"My lord, this is not fair to Florence," a voice came from the doorway, and Machiavelli walked into the hall, dressed in a brand new red sign and even with a bright feather stuck in his pan-headed hat on his head, "I beg your pardon for my offense, but when I was at your service, I heard you say with my own ears that a man should be as careful as a fox, but as fearless as a lion when he needs to, then tell me whether the Florentines should be foxes or lions now?" ”

Looking at Machiavelli with a righteous face, Alexander even wanted to applaud him on the spot, if he didn't know his actual details, probably no one would have thought that this positive character with thick eyebrows and big eyes and righteous indignation had actually betrayed Florence, and even the artillery he searched and confiscated was provided to him by Alexander's people on his own initiative.

"Then do you remember another sentence I said, Commander of the City?" Alexander looked at Machiavelli, "cruelty is reproachful but necessary, for cruelty and fame are sometimes easier to help your rule than mercy." ”

Machiavelli seemed to be asked, bowed to Alexander wordlessly, and then sat down silently in the place left for him.

"I know that you have just searched a warehouse belonging to the Pisa Chamber of Commerce, and this is not allowed," Alexander looked at Sazi again, "The Pisan Chamber of Commerce has complete freedom to do business, and it is a contempt for the Principality of Pisa to search without consent, that is, to my daughter and to me as the regent of Pisa." ”

The Florentine's face trembled imperceptibly, Sazi knew the seriousness of this accusation, he had already regretted that he had not taken the initiative to clarify to Alexander when he received the news or simply said that he had dissociated the relationship, and even imagined whether Machiavelli had any special intentions in doing this, and now seeing the count on the other side seemed to explode at any time, his eyes couldn't help but look at Machiavelli who had just appeared.

Sacrificing this person, even if it causes a loss of his reputation, as long as he can escape the trouble in front of him.

Just as Sazi was about to speak, Machiavelli spoke up again, but this time instead of a long speech, he said, "My lord, maybe I can talk to you alone." ”

Alexander seemed a little hesitant, but then nodded in agreement, and as the officials stood up and saluted, Alexander left the table and walked with Machiavelli to the side hall, watching the door close immediately, and everyone couldn't help but look at each other in a very different mood.

"Is that Machiavelli crazy, can he convince the count? You know, I've heard that in Bucharest he didn't even take the Sultan's warnings seriously. An official complained to the person next to him in a low and annoyed voice, perhaps because his voice was a little loud, and the people nearby couldn't help but look at him, which made the official feel that his words seemed to be taken seriously, and just as he was about to continue, he found that the person who was standing next to him was slowly dodging away.

The official looked around with some confusion, only to realize that the people next to him were moving away from him, intentionally or unintentionally, and then he saw the gaze of Lucrezia, who was looking at him not far away.

But that look made the official break out in a cold sweat instantly, because Lucrezia's beautiful eyes flashed with anger.

Then it suddenly occurred to him that for the women of the count, this place in Bucharest was a taboo.

Lucrezia looked at the man coldly, she now felt that these Florentines were really annoying.

Saqi sat in his chair with a deep conflict, and although he cheered up and greeted Lucrezia as respectfully as possible, his mind had already run to the side hall next door.

Sazi didn't know what Machiavelli could do to move the count, after all, as the troubled official said, even in the face of the Ottoman Sultan, the man did not waver, Sazi did not believe that Machiavelli's tongue could be sharper than the Sultan's cannon and scimitar, and he even regretted that he did not stop Savonarola.

If the Earl had been angered by this, or even outright angered, perhaps things would have gotten worse.

Sazi was so cranky that he even felt that he might become the second Piero de Medici, who would be ousted because he could not defend himself against an exotic invasion.

However, Sazi knew very well that he would probably not have the luck of Pierrot to escape the city alive, and that the murderous nature of the Florentines had been awakened when the Medici family had been driven out, and that they would not be able to show much tolerance to a loser.

Sazie waited anxiously, and Lucrezia was equally impatient, and she was anxious to talk to Alexander, but now she was left to deal with the Florentine bureaucrats on her own, and the intoxication with the city had become dull by the long entertainment, and she would have been on the verge of leaving if it had not been for Alexander's remark that Florence would be a jewel in his daughter's crown.

The wait was tedious and unsettling, but as time passed, hope grew in Saqi's heart.

If Machiavelli had messed things up, he would have seen the results by this time, but there was no movement in the side hall, which meant that things might not have gotten as bad as he had thought, or at least that Machiavelli was still trying to convince Count Montina.

The Florian, who shared Sazi's thoughts, began to pay Lucrezia respects and compliments with great courtesy, but it was clear that this did not attract much attention to Lucrezia.

The door to the side hall suddenly opened, and Machiavelli leaned out halfway and made an inviting gesture to Sazi.

It was actually a very rude gesture, but Sazi didn't care about these trivial things, he immediately got up and pulled out his chair and walked quickly, and the people next to him even heard the muffled sound of him hitting the table in his hurry.

As Sazi walked into the side hall, he saw Alexander sitting in a chair by the window, his eyes looking out at the city, his fingers on the armrests tapping unconsciously.

Seeing Sazi come in, Alexander only gestured slightly, and then he stared at Sazi with blazing eyes and looked at it seriously.

A wave of anger welled up in Sazi's heart, and Alexander's actions were undoubtedly rude, but now he could only suppress the anger in his heart, and motioned to Machiavelli with his eyes to tell him what had happened.

"Consul, your secretary," said Alexander, after a slight pause, corrected himself, "it is fair to say that the city guard assures me that you are a true patriot, and that he considers you to be a perfectly competent officer, a competent man capable of guaranteeing the well-being of the citizens of Florence and the city. ”

Sazi looked at Machiavelli in some surprise, he was not surprised that his former secretary would say nice things about him, but he didn't quite understand the point of saying so now.

"Archon, how long do you think you can hold out if I'm going to attack Florence?" Alexander asked suddenly, seeing the sudden change in Sazi's face, Alexander did not give him any respite and continued to ask, "A day or a week, or do you think that my Montina army has been greatly weakened and weakened after the battle with the Ottomans?" ”

Sweat appeared on Sazi's face, not because of the heat, because he only felt a chill on his body.

"My daughter is the Duke of Pisa, and as far as I know, Florence has always claimed to have an inseparable special relationship with Pisa, so in that order, I think that my daughter has every right to make a legitimate claim against Florence."

Alexander stood up from his chair, he looked down at Sazi in front of him, who was actually as tall as him, and seeing that the other man's face had a look of despair, Alexander smiled a little mockingly and said: "Archon, you should regret that your ancestors have been persisting in claiming a long connection with Pisa, because although this did provide a basis for your annexation of Pisa, it actually planted a bitter fruit for you. ”

Sazi nodded wordlessly, he didn't know what this action was admitting, but he was really a little desperate at this time.

As Alexander said, when the Florentines tirelessly claimed the right to inherit Pisa, they had actually invisibly proved the special relationship between the two cities, and when Pisa, which had been in a weak position one day, became stronger, this special relationship that had always been talked about by the Florentines became in turn a shackle that they could not break free from their necks.

"What the hell do you want?"

Sazi finally spoke, he first glanced at Machiavelli, he didn't know what they were talking about, maybe Machiavelli just now was facing such a terrible earl in front of him, and now he had nothing to do, so he lost everything to himself.

"Archon, I want you to pledge your allegiance to my daughter," seeing that Sazi seemed to be about to speak, Alexander waved his hand to stop him, "I will say that the only concession I can make is that I will not deprive you of your rights, I will guarantee that you will still be the Archon of Florence, and that you can still take care of the internal affairs of the city, and that you can take care of the internal affairs of the city, which should not be detrimental to everything you have now, and for this I can even provide you with enough weapons and training for your soldiers, but," At this point, Alexander stepped forward and said forcefully in a tone that would not allow for argument: "You must recognize my daughter Estelles as co-lord of Florence and the Duchy of Pisa, and you must accept my daughter's coronation in the Duomo del Fiore." ”

Sazi looked at Alexander in a daze, he didn't know how to answer for a moment, and then he suddenly looked back at Machiavelli as if he had suddenly understood something.

Machiavelli bowed respectfully to his employer, but his demeanor was already a little arrogant, looking at Sazi's eyes as if he was about to eat people, Machiavelli took two steps closer to him and whispered: "Your Excellency, isn't the most important thing for you now to get through the difficulties in front of you?" ”

Machiavelli's words made Sazi's anger that was about to explode instantly vented like a punctured skin, he looked at Machiavelli with strange eyes, and after a pause, Sazi finally sat down slowly and said sullenly: "I want to discuss with others, this is not for me to decide alone." ”

"Of course, but the Archon asks you to note one thing, you are only the Archon of Florence, not the only Archon."

Hearing Alexander's words, Sazi's body trembled slightly, and when he walked out of the room, he looked at the rulers who were complimenting Lucrezia, and Sazi sighed secretly.

"Your Excellency, do you think he will say yes?"

Machiavelli asked in the side hall with a little excitement.

"Believe me he'll agree," Alexander's gaze again turned to the city outside the window, "Florence, all for me." ”