In the early morning of February 27, 1497, a troop of cavalry set out from the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica, where the Vatican had not yet been renovated.

As the procession passed through Swan Castle, the castle's bell rang four times.

The cavalry then marched along the bridge over the Tiber into the city of Rome, where bells rang everywhere they went, and today happened to be the Day of St. Prodo, a saint who had been persecuted by some Christian-phobic people of the time for preaching doctrine at the beginning of the fourth century, when he was said to have been stripped naked and tied to a pillar, and endured the ravages of the cold wind in the winter, and he persevered for nine days in the cold wind without food or drink.

Alexander VI's choice of this as the day for the liberation of Rome was deliberate.

Although the assassination of the Archbishop of Frankfurt had put the Holy See in an embarrassing position, Alexander VI was grateful to the Assassin now, at least that assassination made the Vatican, or rather no longer regard him as an accomplice or friend of the French.

Choosing a martyred saint's day to welcome the army that liberated Rome is enough to show the importance that the Holy See attaches to the coalition army, and if you consider that there is such a big figure as the imperial court minister in the ranks of this coalition army today, Alexander VI feels that his decision can be said to be comprehensive.

On behalf of the Pope, the cardinal who went out of the city to greet the coalition army was a cardinal, and although the cardinal in the car looked calm, he was actually somewhat nervous, and they had been deeply impressed by the unscrupulous brazenness of the French when they entered the city of Rome, and now no one dared to guarantee what the coalition troops from various countries would do.

As for how to deal with the coalition forces after entering the city, in fact, there have been many disagreements in the Holy See in the past few days, which is why the entry ceremony will be delayed for a few days.

Alexander VI insisted that the coalition forces should not be allowed to pass through the Arc de Triomphe, on the grounds that the liberation of Rome also included the Holy See itself, so the coalition forces only helped the Holy See drive out the French, not save the Holy See.

Moreover, the coalition forces are not conquerors, and they cannot pass under the triumphal arch, which symbolizes conquest.

Coattschach, who is now the supreme governor outside Rome, reasonably agreed, but the court minister also made his own request, that is, to ask the Pope himself to preside over a grand Mass as a reward and gratitude for the victory of the coalition forces.

Alexander VI readily agreed to this request, and even offered to reward the troops who fought for the liberation of Rome, and announced that he would summon the generals of the allied forces.

As for the Council of Order, Alexander VI also made his own request, of course he knew that Caesar did not want to give up the power in his hands, but the Pope knew that the most important thing at this time was to complete the ceremony of entering the city as soon as possible, he really didn't want to see Gonzalo's arrogant and domineering face, and the Pope also tried to make his son understand that the coalition army would not stay in Rome for too long, and as long as he had a good relationship with the coalition army, his Council of Order could still continue to exercise power.

Caesar finally chose to compromise, or Caesar at this time had learned to use compromise in exchange for greater benefits, especially after comparing the coalition forces outside the city with that Gonzalo, many people, including Caesar, still thought that those outside the city were better to deal with.

The team that greeted the coalition met the waiting coalition striker outside the city, and after a brief ceremony, the cardinal and the men continued on until they met the soldiers of the coalition brigade who were ready to go on the road behind.

The so-called Roman siege did not actually bring any real losses to the armies of both sides, and according to some people in private, all the previous losses in this long siege were not even as great as the losses caused by the inexplicable Neapolitan army that had suddenly appeared some time earlier.

Although no one knew exactly where the leader of that army came from, many people were secretly glad that it was not themselves who met them, according to the description of the surviving heavy cavalry, the firearms of that army were powerful and dense that they had never thought before, according to a heavy cavalryman, if he went to battle again in the future, he would probably collapse at the sound of even a sparse musket, because it would remind him of the terrible experience outside Rome.

The sky was already fully bright, and although it was still a little cold, it was still a little warm to be illuminated by the sun overhead.

Kotzchach looked at the slowly approaching team with satisfaction, he didn't expect to be the liberator of the city in Rome this time, after all, Gonzalo had irrefutable power in this matter as the commander of the coalition forces.

But the development of events was somewhat unexpected, especially after receiving the invitation of Alexander VI, and Kotschach felt that if he did not seize such a good opportunity, perhaps even God would punish him.

And the hint in the letter written by Alexander before also made Gong Xiang's heart pound.

In fact, from the moment Alexander skillfully left the food for the allied forces, Kotschach had already realized that the young man seemed to be hinting at something, and then the Rovere family sent back those supplies that were urgently needed for logistics, which made Kotschach realize once again that the Romans did not seem to be averse to his entry into the city, and then Alexander VI's public invitation made the allied forces outside the city extremely excited.

What could be more glorious than the march into Rome, which has been used by countless monarchs for centuries as proof of their supreme power, and now that this opportunity has presented itself to him, Kotschach felt that he should not give up this opportunity, and that the Emperor would certainly support him in doing so.

And Alexander's letter also mentions the advance congratulations of the palace minister on the imminent completion of the great victory, and the other is to ask for a ransom for his golden florin.

In the previous negotiations with Kotschakh, the coalition paid Alexander 12,000 florins to ransom all the prisoners and camps, while Kotschakh himself paid a ransom, and Alexander only wanted him a golden florin.

Kotschach did not feel insulted by the fact that his price was as low as that of a Moorish slave, for he knew very well that his status was not measurable by Florin, but he was interested in the young man's obvious ambitions, especially now that he was about to enter Rome.

The cardinal was very well-behaved, and he knew that the protagonist of the day was not himself, so after meeting with the allied generals, he immediately invited Kotschach to follow him into the city of Rome after reading the Pope's letter of encouragement to them.

The coalition forces, which had already been prepared, marched along the wide cobblestone road towards the city of Rome.

Kotschach was agitated, and he couldn't help but lose control of his emotions as he walked down this road, and he couldn't remember how many people had led troops into the city in the past years, and those people had become a footnote that could leave their own mark on history, regardless of the outcome.

Now it was his turn to face this glory, and although he knew that it was more of a coincidence that he could become the liberator of Rome this time, he saw it as an opportunity given to him by God.

"We might be able to blow the horn." Kotschach told one of the generals next to him that he knew that the Venetian would be more than willing to accept the suggestion.

Sure enough, the Venetian smiled happily, and as he gave the order to his side, soon a long horn sounded in the ranks, which was a sign of victory, and for a time the coalition army erupted in earth-shattering cheers.

Standing in the secondary hall of the Sistine Chapel, looking at the intricate and ornate ceiling painting overhead, Alexander VI was still resentful of his predecessor who had done everything he could to do with him, but he could not help but admit that this church was the greatest masterpiece of art he had ever seen.

It is precisely because of his love for the Sistine Chapel and the realization that Sistine IV can use this church to make his own mark on the Vatican forever, that Alexander VI is more obsessed with renovating St. Peter's Basilica, in an attempt to make the Vatican never erase the traces of his former existence.

Alexander VI did not want to be like many of his predecessors, and once he died, he would never be remembered again.

There was a familiar sound of light footsteps behind him, but it sounded clear because of the empty echo in the secondary hall, and then the footsteps stopped not far behind him.

"Are you all ready?" Alexander VI asked in a low voice.

"Yes, everything is ready, Your Majesty," replied the Pope's secretary in a respectful voice, "and all will be satisfied, according to the rites, the generals of the coalition will receive your blessings before the Holy See, and then you will reward them all." ”

Alexander VI nodded with satisfaction, he knew that Nomelo would definitely think through every detail of the whole ceremony, the most important thing was that this ceremony would consciously or unconsciously highlight his only supreme authority as the pope, even the generals of the coalition who saved Rome must accept this supremacy before they can boast of their victory.

"That Cambrai," Alexander asked, suddenly remembering something, "what is he doing now?" ”

Nomelo was slightly stunned, he didn't expect the Pope to suddenly ask about the young man, but fortunately, his many years of experience as a secretary allowed him to always make some seemingly useless preparations in advance, so he immediately replied: "He should be accompanying Queen Joanna of Naples at this time, and the queen is going to attend the entrance ceremony today." ”

"Joanna of Naples?" Alexander VI raised his eyebrows slightly, "I heard that Constantine, the son of Roviere, once expressed interest in her before, right?" ”

"Yes, but then because the queen lived in the Potico palace for a time, Konstantin did not continue to approach the queen."

"That's good," muttered Alexander VI, "that Rovere, like his uncle, refused to settle down, and now he was going to encourage his brother and son to be restless." ”

Nomelo did not speak, he knew that the Pope was talking about the Archbishop of Genoa, and that not long before Giuliano della Rovere had just proposed that his brother in the priesthood take over the position of Archbishop of Genoa.

This move is actually somewhat risky, because if he cannot become a cardinal, then his own position will be very awkward.

However, it is also because of this that it can be seen that Giuliano de la Rovere is bound to win this cardinal battle.

"Let that Cambrai come to me," said Alexander VI suddenly, "here it is, we don't have much time, so don't delay too much." ”

Nomelo immediately bowed and left, and soon Alexander appeared at the door of the deputy hall after the secretary.

A leading group of cavalry marched forward along the Roman road, and deafening cheers rang everywhere they passed.

This day was a momentous day for the Romans, or one of many.

After more than a year of occupation by the French, Rome welcomed a new occupier, which left the Romans with mixed feelings.

Watching the leading cavalry running through the streets, people couldn't help but cheer.

The Romans were accustomed to welcoming too many foreigners, and it seemed that everyone regarded Rome as a holy place, but they all regarded the city as a beautiful woman waiting to be conquered.

The spears carried by each cavalryman represented a nobleman who participated in the liberation of Rome and the larger family behind him, and the almost invisible vanguard cavalry indicated that there were so many people participating in the event that even the amateur heraldic officers could not recognize which nobleman the chaotic motifs represented.

At the end of the street in the distance appeared a towering and huge marble building, the famous Arch of Constantine.

The horn sounded again, and according to the pre-agreed ritual, the coalition troops were to be welcomed by the Roman nobles on the road to the Arch of Constantine, but they would not continue on, let alone pass through the Arc de Triomphe.

This is the condition that Alexander VI insisted on!

As the master of Rome, he could not tolerate another attempt to deprive him of his rule by passing through the triumphal arch.

The leading cavalry slowed down at the sound of the horns, and the Roman nobles standing at the crossroads in front of them could already be seen in the distance.

The intersection continues to the Arch of Constantine, the dignity of Rome, with the road to the Vatican on the left and Trajan's Forum on the right, leading to the famous Central Avenue.

Caesar used to cross this avenue to enter Rome, and then enter the magnificent Colosseum to be cheered and adored by the Romans.

The procession continued to move forward, and the nobles of Rome were already smiling at what they had been prepared for.

Kotschach, who was at the front of the procession on horseback, also smiled, he had recognized some of the familiar faces among them, and he knew that whether they were intent on or not, these previously arrogant Romans would have to be careful to please him with respect and humility.

Kotschach smiled and raised his hand, deciding to make himself look more generous rather than arrogant, which he felt would help the Emperor and the Pope to repair the rift that had arisen with the death of the Archbishop of Frankfurt.

It's just that this wish of the palace minister has not been realized.

Just as the Allied advance cavalry was about to reach the end of the crossroads, a cry suddenly came from the right road leading to Trajan's Square!

Although it was just a seemingly meaningless roar, people heard anger, unwillingness, irritability, and unruliness in the shout.

Everyone's eyes couldn't help but look at the man who was in the middle of the road, wearing gorgeous armor all over his body.

With just one glance, even those who didn't know him instinctively flashed a name in their minds that made them faintly uneasy.

And anyone who recognized this man, looking at the expression on his face that was slightly distorted by anger, whether it was a Roman nobleman or a coalition general, couldn't help but beat their hearts.

"Gonzalo!"

Kotschach muttered to himself, a trace of unspeakable bitterness welling up in his heart.

He knew he was in big trouble this time.

No one could have imagined that Gonzalo de Córdoba, the commander of the front line of the anti-French alliance, would suddenly rush to Rome from the northern front.

For a moment everyone seemed to be suppressed by the wrath of the Castilian general who had defeated King Charles VIII of France, and there was silence and silence in front of Constantine's triumphal arch.