A soldier galloped under the scorching sun on the road to Pisa, and in the leather bag he carried carried a letter from Rome.

Alexander had been waiting for the letter, and had been closely following the news from the direction of Rome since he had left Rome, and when the messenger came to him with the long shadow of the red sunset, Alexander let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Dear brother, we already know about your feat in Pisa," seeing the opening sentence, the corners of Alexander's mouth turned up slightly, what he had been waiting for was a letter from Josa, and now it seems that what he did in Pisa should have spread in Rome "I can only say that your actions have taken many people by surprise, and the Vatican and other nobles have responded with a rare silence about the change of power that has taken place in Pisa, as if we have no idea what is happening in that not so distant city, As for Tomneo's re-wearing of the ducal crown, it was more of a wait-and-see attitude, which made me wonder what had happened to the Romans. ”

Alexander shook his head slightly, and he felt that he was more aware of the strange phenomenon described by Jisha than his sister, or that he could vaguely feel the indescribable embarrassment and helplessness of the Vatican and Rome at this time.

Obviously, the Vatican should not have a good opinion of the republic that overthrew the monarchy, especially after the Medici family was expelled from Florence and gradually lost control of the recognized capital of the arts, making the Vatican even less fond of the republic.

Pisa was undoubtedly deeply influenced by Florence, and even never escaped the shadow of being a vassal of Florence, and a branch of the Zaloni family, the ruler of Pisa that had been overthrown by the Second Republic a few years earlier, should have taken refuge in the Vatican at this time.

Therefore, the Vatican should have preferred to see and support the restoration of the monarchy in Pisa, but it was only because of the fierce reaction from Florence that it did not openly support the Zaloni family's plot to retake Pisa.

It's just that everyone didn't expect that it was Alexander who fulfilled the Vatican's wish, but it was the people who overthrew the Tomneo family who was the First Republic of Pisa when they re-wore the ducal crown.

This actually puts the Vatican in a very delicate and awkward position.

If from the perspective of inheritance law, the Tomnio family undoubtedly has a more legitimate inheritance right than the Zaloni family, but Alexander's actions are tantamount to a ruthless disgrace to the Vatican, and it is really because of this that the whole of Rome has fallen into a strange silence for the restoration of the Tomnio family.

"My brother, you are a very bold man, and I am sure that in this regard, at least no one in the city of Rome will be suspicious anymore, and now people are speculating how the Pope will punish you for your blatant insult to his family, and as far as I know, Caesar, who has been proclaimed heir to the Duke of Valentino, is plotting against you......"

As Alexander described, Alexander's letter revealed that Caesar, who had been officially declared to be the Duke of Valentino, had taken over the city defenses and was actively building an army of his own.

This is indeed an army belonging to the Borgia, unlike Giovanni who commanded the army in the name of the Papal States before, Caesar was completely free from the shackles under the name of the Vatican, and his actions also surprised many people, just when he was just trying to see what the new Duke of Valentino's idea was, he not only began to form an army vigorously, but also quickly gave the initial prototype of this army based on the Roman city defense army in an unexpected way.

Alexander VI spared no effort to help his son, not only with a large sum of money that could be used to recruit mercenaries, but also with two more fertile fiefdoms in just two days after he was declared the heir to Valentino.

This was enough for Caesar to assemble a sizable army in a very short time.

This news made Alexander somewhat envious, thinking that the army he had put together after working hard might not be enough for the army that Caesar had recruited in half a month, Alexander felt that he really had a lot of trouble coming.

In fact, no one knows better than Alexander that he is really in trouble this time.

The extent of Caesar's ambitions for Romagna can be seen from history, and what Alexander will never forget is that he went from the beginning single-handedly to the bloody storm he stirred up throughout the Apinen Peninsula in order to become the ruler of Romagna and not hesitate to be the vanguard of the French invasion of Italy.

Only now, it seems that before he stirs up trouble elsewhere, perhaps Caesar's army will first attack Pisa.

Alexander was not afraid that Caesar would launch a surprise attack on Montina, believing that Caesar was not yet arrogant enough to ignore the long supply lines and the danger of being cut off at any moment by the hostile Florentines.

What's more, Alexander is also very relieved about Gompati, who is now guarding Montina.

Gompati may not be a good field officer, but judging from his several performances, he is definitely a competent expert in defensive warfare.

With a strong castle, a well-established defensive battle, and the artillery that Gompati had always been proud of, Alexander believed that even if the French attacked Montina at this time, they would not have taken advantage of it so smoothly, if not Caesar, who had not yet entered its heyday.

Just thinking about Lucrezia, Alexander sighed a little helplessly.

From the moment Caesar decided to renounce the priesthood, he was already destined to be enemies with Caesar in the future.

Romagna and Tuscany are too small to accommodate two ambitious people.

From then on, Alexander's so-called "honeymoon" with the Borgia family ended with his abduction of Lucrezia again, or rather, the fragile alliance between them was shattered from the moment Giovanni was murdered.

Only now, Lucrezia's stay has become the key.

The Roman emissary also caught Tomno's attention, and he eagerly awaited Rome's reaction to his succession to the Duke of Pisa, but he never received any news these days, much to Tomneo's chagrin.

Of course, he knew that the Zaloni family had been protected by the Vatican, which was one of the reasons why he was most worried about his status in the first place.

Even after the overthrow of the Republic, there was still a strong rival in the dilemma that Tomneo urgently needed strong help, which is why he still asked Alexander for help when he saw Alexander's army enter Pisa again, even though he knew that most of the people who had ascended to the throne with the help of foreign forces in history did not end well.

He couldn't watch the Zaloni family come back again, and he had to go back to his cramped and humble house, and wait for the restored Duke to give them a symbolic handout.

So when he heard that there was a messenger from Rome, Tomneo finally couldn't bear it anymore after waiting for a while, and completely gave up his dignity as a duke, and went to Alexander, hoping to hear some news from him from the Roman side.

The Duke's visit was somewhat abrupt, or rather unobtrusive, and although it was almost clear who the actual owner of the city was, Alexander shook his head silently when he heard that Tomneo had come to visit.

He didn't let the Duke wait long, and when he saw Tomneo, who was sitting in the hall downstairs looking out the window at the river, a thought flashed through Alexander's mind: maybe it was a mistake to choose this man in the first place.

"Your Highness, if there is anything you can order someone to come to me," Alexander said to Tomneo, who stood up at the sound of the voice, "and it would not be very convenient for all of us if people were to see that you were here in person. ”

A slight flush on Tomneo's face was tinged out, of course he knew what this house was for, it was not so much Alexander's residence in Pisa as it was a tryst with Lucrezia, and it was indeed too calm for the Duke of Pisa to condescend to come here to meet Alexander in person.

Just the thought of Rome's reaction immediately threw this trivial thought out of his mind.

"Earl, I think you should understand my current feelings, this is too important to me, and I believe it is also important to you, so I hope to hear reliable news," Tomneo wanted to keep as much dignity and dignity as possible as a duke, but seeing Alexander's silent appearance, he finally sat down helplessly after only holding on for a while, "Well, I wonder what the Vatican's attitude is towards my inheritance of pizza, and that they have always supported the Zaloni family." ”

"What if that's their attitude?"

Alexander's words made Tomneo's face change slightly, his gaze was stunned to the river outside the field, and then when he retracted, his eyes were full of hope and nervousness.

"Count, your army will help me, I will order the city guards to obey your orders completely, and I can also announce that I ask you to be the protector of Pisa......"

Tomneo's voice sank slightly, he knew what this announcement meant to Pisa, but he also knew what it would mean to his family if the Zaloni family returned.

At that time, even if he voluntarily renounced the duke's crown, what awaited his family was eternal exile, and no one could tolerate the people who had once touched his throne to stay, and perhaps exile would be the best outcome at that time.

"Duke, you know what I want." Alexander shook his head slightly.

He didn't have much interest in the title of so-and-so's patron, which sounded majestic, but in fact it was useless, just like the title of the lighthouse keeper of Sicily.

Especially in today's Italy, one has to think of the protracted war that ensued decades to be drawn into the peninsula to imagine how much weight such a name could have in this era of gunpowder.

Unless, unless, there is the ability to end this war that has lasted for generations ahead of schedule.

A hint of struggle appeared on Tomneo's face, his family had joined the local chamber of commerce for a living after losing the throne of the Duke of Pisa, and because of this, he knew better what Alexander's proposed conditions would bring to Pisa.

"You want a share of the ownership of the port of Pisa?" Although he already knew it, Tomneo felt his throat tighten when he said it himself, "You must know that this is not just a trade zone for Pisa, but a right to our city." ”

"But I can also bring Pisa a wealth that you have never created before," Alexander recalled slightly, "I have here the records of Pisa's trade for nearly a hundred years, which I found at the town hall, and in these records, the net tax balance of Pisa at its peak was 240,000 ducats a year, and at that time it was the Tomnio family," Alexander, who was oblivious to Tomno's slightly unexpected appearance, continued to himself, "and from then until 1496, the situation of Pisa continued to deteriorate, At its worst, the net tax balance for a year was just over 110,000 ducats. ”

Speaking of this, Alexander laughed.

"This makes me understand why the councillors of Pisa are so disgusted by the 50,000 florins I have offered, after all, I am asking you to pay me nearly half of the tax revenue from the state treasury."

Tomneo's face flushed a little, and his body writhed in his chair a few times, and as if he wanted to explain something, he was stopped by Alexander's mouth.

"The situation in Pisa is already very bad, duke," Alexander raised his voice slightly, "we all know that with the invasion of the Ottomans, trade in the Mediterranean is becoming more and more risky and less profitable, and we all know what it means for Pisa to go on like this, so now there are two ways for Pisa to choose, one is to decay like this, until the city finally becomes a lifeless dead city, and the other is to give up certain rights, but in exchange for the prosperity of this city-state." ”

"But the Pisans would not agree," Tomneo seemed to try to fight, "the Pisans like freedom, which is why the people who have been fighting Florence for so many years will not agree to such a treaty." ”

"Duke probably you have misunderstood, I do not seek the right to rule and intervene in Pisa, I just want to get the port of the city and its share in the trade unions of various trades, and you and your people are still free."

"Port and trade union share," Tomneo muttered under his breath and then asked with some skepticism, "is that really all?" ”

"Of course, that's all," Alexander beckoned to the side, and someone brought the treaty that had already been drawn up, "You can take a look at it first, and there is no hurry as to the time for the signing of the treaty." ”

Tomneo slowly looked at the text of the treaty one by one, and at the same time, his mouth couldn't help but silently read it softly, and then he raised his head with some confusion: "Count, if I am not mistaken, you promise here that all goods shipped from Pisa can enjoy the same low ship tax as the ports of other trade zones, and there will be a complete exemption from entry taxes for goods produced in the port trade zone?" ”

"Of course, this is my promise to all the partners in the trade zone," Alexander nodded, "and this is just the beginning, in the future we can develop into a way where all the cities and ports in the trade zone can use deferred payments and pledge raw materials with credit, so that we can mobilize the maximum resources with the least amount of money." ”

Tomneo looked at Alexander in amazement, he didn't know if Alexander was lying to him, but he saw in this statement that he could convince himself and the Pisan people.

"Perhaps, I can convince others," Tomneo slowly stood up, "but forgive the Earl, we all know that if the price of such a commodity can become very low, but the quantity can become large, then I wonder to whom you are going to sell so many bargains?" ”

"Of course, in other places that are not part of the trade zone, as you said, the volume of goods will be very large, and we can sell those goods to other cities at a much lower price than the local ones," Alexander smiled slightly, "like Florence." ”

Looking at the meaningful smile on Alexander's face, Tomneo seemed to see something called conspiracy.

The Duke finally left Alexander's center of imagination for the future, and before leaving, he politely invited Alexander to a parade a few days later to celebrate.

Looking at the back of the duke's departure, Alexander was reminiscing about the other end of the letter.

"According to the previous agreement with you, the palace minister has sent someone to deliver a letter to the Fugger family in Nysburg, and I believe that he will get a reply soon. However, I could sense from the conversation with the Prime Minister that he had some doubts about your bold plans, and also from Gonzalo de Córdoba, but as I have always emphasized, I have great confidence in you, and this is entirely due to my feelings. So, follow the advice of a beloved brother's sister and return Lucrezia to the Borgia family. ”