When Kotschach met Alexander, it was already the third day of his arrival in Pavia.

During these three days, the palace minister repeatedly asked the Montina people to meet Alexander, but he always received polite but indifferent answers such as "I'm sorry, the Count is busy right now" or "We will report your request to your lordship, but we don't know when we will meet you" and so on.

However, Kotschach already knew that Montina's army had captured Monza, which made the court minister, like Ludvik, finally realize Alexander's purpose.

It was at this point that Alexander finally agreed to meet Kotschakh.

The meeting took place not in the town hall, as the palace minister thought, but in a room at the University of Pavia, a large room with a dome supported by several marble pillars that looked quite deep, and some of the frescoes that had been somewhat broken depicted the angels descending to Joseph to announce the imminent birth of the Son, and some of the most glorious events in the history of Pavia.

It was cold in the room, and it would turn into a mist when he exhaled a breath, and looking at Kotschach who walked in, Alexander grew up and opened his arms to him: "Welcome to you, my friend." ”

The palace minister paused slightly, as if to take a closer look at the young man in front of him, and then he also opened his arms and hugged Alexander.

"I'll admit it, Count, I never really knew you before." Sitting on a wooden bench next to the campfire, Kotschach stared at the flames that were rushing upwards and muttered, "I still remember when you stormed the camp and announced that we were your prisoners, and I was not afraid at all, because I knew that you would not do anything to me, you would just imprison us according to the rules that everyone followed, but when we handed over the ransom we could be free, this is what war looks like, everywhere, even the Ottomans follow such rules, don't they?" ”

Alexander listened quietly, he knew that Kotschach was not trying to listen to his answer, but wanted to say how he felt, and sure enough, the palace minister continued: "But now I'm a little scared, you know what I'm afraid of, the rules have changed, the French and Austrian armies are still fighting in such cold weather, just to make themselves look safer, because they both think that the other side poses a threat to them," Kotschach said, looking up at Alexander across the campfire, "Tell me, When did the war become so cruel and terrible, you must know that even if it was a long-cherished wish between Britain and France, many times both sides were still willing to maintain a minimum of respect, but now I see that everyone seems to be just bent on killing the other. ”

Gong Xiang's expression looked a little depressed, and his gray hair was messily draped on both sides of his cheeks, which was very different from the person who was very careful about his appearance in Alexander's previous impressions.

"Actually, there are no adults here," Alexander threw a piece of wood into the fire, and looked at the splashing sparks, he smiled at the palace minister, "Don't you think this is the real war, the so-called romance, courage and pursuit of honor that seemed to be full of knights in the past are actually so false, and now the army is really beginning to fulfill their duties, after all, they get a lot of money, but they can do very little work." ”

Kotschach was a little speechless, he didn't expect Alexander to answer like this, he originally thought that he would say "times have changed" This kind of acceptable words, but Alexander's answer directly made Kotschach feel bored with his previous feelings.

"But this destruction is terrible," the palace minister also tried to find some reason, the key is that he wanted to convince Alexander, "just like you now, it may be understandable that you have occupied Pavia, but take Monza," Kotschach shook his head helplessly, and when he heard that the Montina had occupied Monza, the palace minister felt as if he had been smashed with a hammer, and then he rushed out despite the guards' obstruction, shouting that he must see Alexander at once, and now he had done so, But he suddenly felt that he didn't know where to start, but after thinking about it, he still asked the sentence that made him feel uneasy: "Do you want to occupy Milan?" ”

Alexander did not immediately answer the palace minister, he looked up at the frescoes around the room and the dome above his head, and then said: "Your Excellency, do you know that this is the University of Pavia, which is in no way inferior to the University of Bologna in Europe? ”

Kotschach nodded a little distraughtly, he felt that this young man he had known earlier was different from before, which was why he looked at Alexander carefully when he first met him, because in the eyes of the palace minister, this young man in front of him was really very different from when he first met him.

At that time, Alexander seemed to be a typical young man who ventured to Rome, this kind of person was almost every day, and there were always some people who thought that Rome would have more opportunities for them to get ahead, so they gathered in Rome from all directions, but most of them were always just one of the many people, and some people, although they might be famous for a while, would soon be swept into the huge millstone of Rome and be twisted to pieces.

But Alexander was different, and what had he done now? He was already taking a solid step towards the unification of central Rome, and apart from a well-deserved crown, he was almost the de facto monarch of the Duchy of Romagna-Tuscany.

And his current target is actually Milan, which means that he is not only satisfied with central Rome, but has already set his sights on Lombardy.

"There's a lot of knowledge in this university that is invaluable to us, and we all know that knowledge is what makes us no longer ignorant, and in this respect the Bible lets us know who we are, and other knowledge gives us a real understanding of the world beyond ourselves," Alexander waved his hand to the palace minister, who was about to speak, and continued, "I know that you think it is more inappropriate to use the Bible, but in fact we all know very well that we can have such glory today, and we can have more powerful and effective weapons of murder. These are the sources and knowledge. Alexander's expression gradually became solemn, "I will move the University of Pavia to Pisa, I will also invest a lot of money in Bologna, my goal is to make these two universities the largest and most complete in the world, and I am also going to re-fund the art school there in Florence, you know that during the reign of Savonarola not only greatly reduced the funding of the University of Florence, but later he even closed the entire university, And if I want to restore the glory of the University of Florence in its early years, I have to invest enough money, so do you think that in order to achieve these goals, I should first ensure that my territory is not threatened, otherwise how can I do all this with peace of mind? ”

Kotschach's breath was a little short, and he felt that he understood the meaning of Alexander's words, which sounded completely unrelated to the negotiation.

It is clear that Alexander's current status has made him more than just the Count of Montina, he is actively seeking a duke crown in Central Italy, and the investments he is talking about in several universities are in fact a declaration of his dominion over these regions, because only the monarchs of these places will really care about the development and security of these regions.

For example, Louis XII and Maximian, when they occupied Milan, the first thing they thought of was to transport a large amount of war spoils back to their own country, and they didn't really care about what happened to Milan after that.

So Alexander is actually making a disguised claim, and he is also demonstrating to everyone his irrefutable determination to sovereignty over these regions.

"If the occupation of Pavia is for the sake of your importance of knowledge, then for what is the occupation of Monza for?" Kotschach asked helplessly, he actually had an idea in his heart, but he didn't want to admit it.

"My daughter is lovely," the palace minister couldn't help but be a little annoyed when he saw Alexander suddenly change the subject, but this time Alexander didn't go around the extra circle again, "so I decided to give her a crown that heralded the most noble status, as a proof that she was the most suitable ruler of Pisa and Florence." ”

Kotschakh's face, which had been flushed by the campfire, suddenly turned pale, and he leaned forward, and the wooden stool he was sitting on was immediately overturned: "You are crazy, do you know what you want?" ”

"I know very well what I'm doing, as I said, since I have a reason to protect my territory, then I must care about the safety of the territory, and in my opinion, the Lombard crown is the best guarantee."

Before coming to meet Alexander, he thought that the worst possibility was that Alexander had ambitions for Milan, but even so, Kotschach still thought that he had a chance to convince him, and even if possible, the palace minister also thought about what kind of promise to make not only to persuade Alexander to give up his quest for Milan, but also to take advantage of the situation to draw him into the anti-French alliance.

One of the most convincing of these, he thinks, is Alexander's acknowledgment of his possession.

Maximian still knew a little about Caesar's ambitions, and although Caesar was much more honest than he was at this time in history because of Alexander's appearance, the emperor knew that the pope was indulgent and supportive of his son's attempt to seek Romagna's territory.

And he also knew that Alexander VI and his son had formed an alliance with the King of France in order to realize this ambition.

Of course, this was something that the emperor did not want to see, so although Alexander had a close relationship with the Borgia family, his wife was after all a member of the Rovere family, and the elder Rovere and the emperor had secretly formed an alliance, which allowed Maximime to recognize Alexander's rule over central Rome and not want to see the Borgia family succeed.

It was with this certainty that Kotschach had come to see Alexander, but now he suddenly realized that his previous ideas were clearly wrong.

Kotschach was even frightened when he heard Alexander say that he was going to get the Lombard Iron Crown at Monza.

"You are really crazy," Kotschach paused to look at Alexander, "are you going to war with two of the most powerful kingdoms in Europe, if today you dare to declare the capture of Lombardy, tomorrow you will be the enemy of all Europe, you should know that this is absolutely impossible, whether as an envoy to the Emperor or as your personal friend, I will prevent you from doing so." ”

Kotschach was indeed anxious, and in the past few years he and Alexander had received far more than he had before, which made Kotschach happy and vaguely afraid, he could feel the horror of Alexander's enormous potential, and the more he knew about that trade alliance, the stronger that fear became.

Now Kotschach could not tell whether he and Alexander were cooperating or being used, or whether he had become Alexander's pawn, but even so, in the face of the irresistible reward, Kotschach could not muster up the courage to refuse.

It was not without thought of getting rid of Alexander, and the trade alliance established in the German city-states was dominated by him, which gave him enough opportunities.

But when he tried to do so, Miyako suddenly found himself in little or no idea of how this huge organization operated.

It seems that the reason why each part can work properly is only because it is parasitic in this union, and once it is separated from it, it immediately loses its vitality.

This puzzled and uneasy Kotschach, who knew that he had been tied to Alexander's carriage, which was roaring forward, and that it was no longer up to him to run to glory or to fall into the abyss.

Because of this, Kotschach seemed more excited and anxious about Alexander's decision than anyone else, imagining that Alexander might be arrogant enough to try to challenge an opponent he would never be able to defeat because of his previous successes, and Kotschach seemed to have seen that he would end up in this way.

Looking at Kotschach's angry face, Alexander raised his glass to him and drank it in one gulp.

"Don't get excited, trust me it won't be bad, because I'm not going to let that happen," Alexander said, playing with empty wine glasses in both hands, looking at the flickering bonfire, "I didn't get the Iron Crown to rule the Lombardy, I'm not that stupid, I'm doing it to give my realm a security guarantee." ”

Seeing a flash of bewilderment on Kotschach's face, Alexander continued: "I want to make sure that Lombardy acts as a buffer between my principality and the threats, which of course come from France, but possibly Austria. ”

Kotschach's eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything.

"Ludvico Sforza may not be a good ruler, but he is the ruler I need," Alexander looked at the palace minister, and a meaningful smile crossed his lips, "Louis is a little too eager to annex Milan, which will already arouse the vigilance of other city-states, after all, no one wants to be next, and the emperor knows better how to make everyone obey his arrangement." ”

Kotschach's face was slightly unnatural, his body seemed to move uncomfortably, and then he looked at Alexander with a heavy expression.

"I have to think about my family, I have to make sure that they are not harmed, and this is something that no one can stop and destroy," Alexander glanced at the palace with a warning look, "I must confirm whether the situation in Mulan threatens Romagna and Tuscany, and if so, I will not hesitate to be willing to do so, as it is now." ”

"I think I can understand your feelings about trying to protect your territory, but this is the Iron Crown, and you can't accept it as an excuse to intervene in Lombardy in the future......"

"Don't say it's impossible," Alexander interrupted Kotschach a little roughly, "There is nothing in the world that cannot be changed, and we are doing the impossible today compared to Roman times." ”

"But the Roman times were much more likable than they are now," Kotschach rubbed his forehead and shook his head helplessly, he felt that his words seemed so pale, although he had become a passenger on Alexander's big ship that could not go down, but Kotschach still did not know him so well, but even so he knew that this young man, who he was increasingly incomprehensible, had an unusual tenacity, and when he was sure of what to do, he would not give up unless he was knocked to the ground and could not get up. "So getting the Iron Crown doesn't mean you have the legal power to intervene in Lombardy."

Alexander nodded slightly, he admitted that the palace minister was right, after all, the Iron Crown was just an item, maybe over time this item with great historical value could be sold for a sky-high price in the future, but now, that small crown is actually more of a symbol, if anyone naively thinks that possessing such a dead thing can become the master of Lombardy, then reality will soon make him understand that in an age of blood and fire where spears, muskets, and swords and cannons are blended, The iron crown of Lombardy has long been unable to add luster to anyone's coronation.

"So I'm glad you're here, Prime Minister," Alexander smiled at Kotschach, "and though anyone else could have conveyed my message to the Emperor, I'm sure you'll be able to make the Emperor understand his current situation." ”

Kotschach's heart suddenly tightened, and he knew that what he had been fearing had finally happened.

"I will not betray my monarch." Gong Xiang's tone was slow but unusually firm: "If you think this can threaten me, then you are wrong, I would rather be thrown into prison and stripped of my knighthood than be a traitor." ”

Looking at the unquestionable expression of the palace minister, Alexander was not surprised, he believed that Kotschakh's words were serious, and perhaps loyalty to Maximian was not the most important thing for him, but the honor of the family did not allow him to betray.

"Don't worry, Gong Xiang, I won't force you to do what you don't want to," Alexander thought for a while and made a promise, seeing Kotschach's seemingly imperceptible light breath expression, Alexander gestured to Scheer, who was standing not far behind, and then took out a thick document from the leather bag handed by Scheer and handed it to Gong Xiang, "I don't need you to say anything, just hand these things over to the emperor." ”

Kotschach opened the document with some doubts, and when he saw the scribbled pen on it, he was first nervous, and then even frightened, and the composure on the face of the palace minister finally could not be maintained anymore.

"Is this true?" Kotschach was instinctively skeptical, but soon realized that his problem was a bit ridiculous, and as the chief minister of the Austrian Grand Duchy, even if he was not the chancellor of the exchequer, he knew that the figures recorded on these documents were clearly not fabricated out of thin air.

But the thought that these things were real made Kotschach find it even more difficult to accept.

After years of war and poor fiscal policy, Austria's treasury was already very empty, and Maximian still spent a lot of money to realize his ambitions, including a staggering 33,000 ducats for the wedding of his beautiful Philip four years ago.

Then the Italian War, the Swabian War, and the huge losses caused by the loss of ownership of the Hungarian copper mines made Maximian's financial situation even worse.

However, the worst news was the collapse of the Fugol family, which was tantamount to completely cutting off Maximian's financial route.

Now, in order to continue its interests in Rome, Austria was once again involved in the new Italian war, despite the emptiness of the treasury.

So, now the Archduchy of Austria is finally in trouble.

It's going bankrupt.