Ferrara was known as Fulal in ancient times, and it was an outpost for invasion of Roman territory in the hands of northern barbarians in the early days, but it was not taken very seriously until the 12th century that the city was officially owned.

Ferrara's small town is located on the Po River Delta, which is rich in water and mainstream, making it a hub for water transport.

The arrival of Montina's army caused a small riot in the area, which was too chaotic in the times, and the army was mostly harsh and barbaric, and it was rare to hear of any army with strict discipline, and sometimes the difference between a soldier and a robber was only the size of the crime.

So the people of Ferrara were careful to avoid this sudden army, and they stared vigilantly at these foreign soldiers, looking at this strange procession of them that was somewhat glamorous and somewhat sloppy, and the locals secretly talked about where they came from.

It's a chaotic time that even close neighbors sometimes don't know what other people's homes are like, so the people of Ferrara don't know that this army they fear is actually their neighbors.

Alexander's mood was a little excited, because entering Ferrara meant that he would soon be home, and he had already sent someone back to deliver a letter to Barentia, but in fact, this was just an attitude, and I believe that even Lucrezia from Pisa, who was further away, must have known that he was back.

When Montina's army camped outside the city, Ferrara finally sent a representative, a man whom Alexander still knew.

Shortly after his second return to Pisa with Lucrezia, someone from Ferrara visited him in Montina, but Alexander was a small man at the time, and although he got pizza, he was not a big person in the eyes of most people, and the people of Ferrara noticed him because of a long-term investment in his relationship with Lucrezia.

The Ferrarians speculated that perhaps one day he would become Lucrezia's official husband, or at least receive some attention from the Pope because he was her lover, so that perhaps through him he could establish a relatively solid relationship with the Pope.

The Ferrarians apparently oversimplified things, or perhaps thought that they had been in the shadow of Venice for a long time, and they panicked for fear that they might be annexed by the Venetians at any time, so they desperately needed to find a backer.

So the attitude of the envoys of Ferrara at that time was flattering but obviously reserved, because they thought that Alexan should have known very well that it was not him who they really wanted to please but the Pope.

This time, the Ferrarians had sent the same messenger from before, but this time the attitude was completely different from the previous ones.

It's just that Alexander's attitude is still the same as at the beginning, showing obvious indifference to the Ferrarans,

Alexander didn't want to care about Ferrara, or he preferred to see the status quo maintained.

Ferrara is a buffer between Venice and Montina, and although the place is not entirely in between, Montina and Venice are bordered directly to the northeast, but there is a relatively weak third party in the middle, which is tacitly accepted by both sides.

In fact, in addition to trying to make money during these days in Venice, Alexander and the Secretary of State had a number of other talks, including the matter of Ferrara.

During the talks, the Venetians, after making it clear that they would not annex the port on the Po River, also showed a very strong attitude against the seizure of Ferrara, and at the same time hinted at the warning that if Ferrara's sovereignty was threatened, Venice would not sit idly by.

Alexander could have somewhat understood why the Venetians were so tough, they saw Ferrara as an important hub for their own transport of goods and wealth to the interior of Europe through the Po River, and the precious goods brought from the Adriatic Sea could only be turned into wealth by selling, and the numerous water networks in the Po Delta were one of the important channels through which the Venetians penetrated into Europe.

The Venetians could not tolerate the control of those ports leading from the Po to the Adriatic, much less the control of Ferrara, which directly affected the entire Po Delta.

In this matter, Alexander made a compromise.

He made it clear that he would neither seek rule in Ferrara, nor would he support anyone in pursuing that right.

When looking at the satisfied expression of the Secretary of State, Alexander thought of the small but profitable war that his father-in-law, Rovelle the Elder, had waged a few years later in order to make his own son Duke of Ferrara, taking advantage of the chaotic situation in Italy at that time, when everyone was too busy to take care of themselves.

Alexander, however, believed that by that time everything might have changed, but at least as in the agreement between him and the Venetians, they both agreed that a free Ferrara was more in their interest than annexed by others.

Perhaps it was a few hangings outside Venice that the Balkans, though still savage and rude, did nothing too bad in Ferrara, thanks to the hunters who had been temporarily appointed by Alexander as law enforcement officers, brightly dressed and with a sturdy stick attached to their belts in addition to their weapons, aroused not only the fear of the Balkans, but also the women of Ferrara, who were overly dressed as soldiers passing through the streets. It always attracts the curious eyes of the people of Ferrara.

The beard had to be shaved clean, as long as it wasn't in battle, the uniform was always neat, the cuirass was bright enough to reflect the human figure, and the boots had to be wiped, a rule that once seemed too ridiculous to the hunters had become a daily routine.

When some people are forced to strip themselves naked in front of the whole company, and then throw their clothes into a pot of boiling hot water, and then run around the line a few times under the urging of the executioner's stick behind them, and look at the companions who are looking at the thing under their lower abdomen and shaking their heads and tails, the hunters become the most groomed soldiers of this era.

Alexander knew that such good habits could not be fully spread throughout the army for the time being, especially the Balkans, and it was already very difficult to restrain them on the battlefield, and to make them obedient and obedient to bathe every day, you will know what a difficult task it is.

So what Alexander had to do now was to try to incorporate all the forces he could use into the newly formed Balkan and Greek legions, and then make this army form the most basic combat effectiveness as soon as possible.

Alexandre did not remember exactly when Louis XII invaded Italy, but he did remember that this time Louis followed the plan of his predecessor, Charles VIII, and launched an attack on Milan first.

"Uliu doesn't know how things are going." Alexander pondered in his heart as he listened to the chatter of the ruling government in Ferrara, he did not care about the proposal of the Ferrarians to join the free trade zone, he was more concerned about whether the preparations were perfect when the war was approaching.

"Archon, I'm honored that you're willing to join our Trade Alliance, but as you may have heard, my sister Countess Cosenza is more in charge of these matters, so you can send someone to send her your plans, and I'm sure she'll give you a proper answer."

Alexander's slightly perfunctory attitude made the ruling a little embarrassed, although after several successive attempts it had been determined that Alexander did not seem interested in forming an alliance with Ferrara, but they were also so cold about their willingness to take the initiative to join the free trade alliance, which the Ferrarians did not expect.

The consul's gaze glanced at the diplomat who was sitting beside him, who had been an important member of the meeting because he had visited Montina to meet Alexander, but the consul saw nothing to be happy about in the diplomat's equally unsightly face.

As if sensing that the atmosphere was a little chilly, Alexander leaned slightly towards the consul, which made the consul seem to see hope, and he also leaned forward with hope in his eyes.

"My Excellency, I think you should be on good terms with the Venetians, who are merchants who only value money, but because of this they prefer to see a reliable neighbor, perhaps they are keen to establish a few colonies on the sea, but that is obviously to protect their interests in the Mediterranean, and their real concern is only to make money, so just let them understand your importance, and believe that the things you are worried about should not happen."

The face of the ruling man turned completely white, and the Ferrara officials sitting on his side had different expressions, and some even showed anger.

Such an obvious refusal was something that the Ferrarians had never expected before, and they were even ready to be blackmailed by the other party.

The people of Ferrara were so afraid of Venice that they feared that Venice would one day annex them, and they were prepared to pay a great price in order to keep their city-state.

But they were ruthlessly rejected, and from Alexander's words, they were surprised to find that he actually meant to support the Venetians.

This left the Ferrarians at a loss, as they could not understand why Alexander had rejected their overtures, and if you thought about it, you might even find that his words revealed support for the Venetians' annexation of Ferrara.

The meeting ended unhappily, and Ferrara received nothing but a list of supplies that seemed to be reasonably priced.

And on the way back to the barracks, Gompati finally couldn't help but ask the same puzzled question as the Ferrars: "My lord, why did you reject the Ferrarans, didn't you always want the trade zone to be expanded as much as possible?" Or do you just want Ferrara to be a buffer between us and Venice? ”

"No, Gompati, it's not just that," Alexander paused and smiled at Gompati, "I'm doing this so that we can do it with less effort in the future, and believe me, Ferrara will be one of the straws that crush Venice, but it will not be an insignificant one." ”

The Ferrarans' expectations of Alexander were dashed with his refusal, and when the words of Alexander during the meeting were spread out, the Ferrarians felt deceived and betrayed.

Rumors of Venice and Montina, two wolf-like neighbors who were going to share their food and ravage Ferrara, spread throughout the city in an instant, and many citizens took to the streets in anger, shouting slogans such as "Ferrara is Ferrara of Ferrara" and "Outsiders get out", and although such a small number of people, these people frightened the officials of Ferrara.

They tried to stop the people, but they were lifted up by the angry people and thrown into the famous Fountain of the Six Angels, and as the officials struggled to climb out of the fountain, the people began to dismantle the spokes of the houses and carriages built by the roadside as weapons, and then they began to march towards the rose garden where the Count of Montina was temporarily staying.

No one knew how this sudden agitation happened, and some people didn't even know why they had taken to the streets to drive away the Montinas, but that's what happened.

A large crowd of Ferrarans marched towards the Rose Garden brandishing a variety of weapons, convinced that they were righteous and "true Ferrarans".

However, when they came to a short distance from the rose garden, they were stopped.

The whole group of Balkan soldiers was far away in the streets, looking at the Ferrarians wielding various weapons in their hands, and the Balkan soldiers showed a cruel and hot look of excitement in their eyes.

"Spearmen, forward!"

At the sound of an order, the Balkans began to line up in scattered columns through the streets, and some crooked horizontal formations blocked the streets, but the terrible cold light of their sharp spears flashing in the scorching sun caused the people of Ferrara to be uneasy.

"They're going to do it to us."

Some people began shouting, trying to alert the others, but many more were not convinced that the Montina army would actually attack them.

People began to approach slowly, and soon both sides were able to see each other's faces and faces flushed with nervousness and excitement, and their eyes wide open.

The Balkans stared at the crowd opposite, many of whom remembered their comrades who had been hanged in Venice, but they also remembered the words of the landlord: "Pillage and atrocities in peacetime cannot be tolerated, because they are pure crimes." ”

The people of Ferrara sensed the excitement of the Balkan soldiers, like bloodthirsty beasts waiting for their prey to fall into their mouths.

"What are they waiting for, are they waiting for us to go over and then do it!"

One of the people in the crowd suddenly shouted, and his words caused panic among the others, and the crowd stopped to look at each other, and many people saw the fear in the eyes of others.

"No, I'm not here to do this," said one of the Ferrars, who suddenly threw away the stick in his hand, and took a few steps back and crashed into the person behind him, which made him immediately let out a restless cry, and then the guy suddenly pushed away the man in front of him, and desperately fled into the alley.

The crowd stirred up, people pushed each other, as if trying to push the others forward, and when they saw the Montina army on the opposite side begin to slowly approach them, as a panicked shout erupted from the crowd, the Ferrarians began to run in a panic in the way they came.

"Whip them with a spear!"

The officers in the ranks shouted orders, and at once there was a mixture of discontent and frustration among the Balkans, who seemed to regret that they could not go on a killing spree, but they pursued the Ferrars from behind, as ordered, and at the same time raised their spears at a great distance, and for a time the streets were filled with the howling of the wind and the screams that followed.

The Balkans drove the Ferrarians around the streets like sheep, but they did not drive them at will, and when someone tried to escape from the alley, soldiers would chase them and raise their weapons, and the Balkans had a terrible ferocity on their faces, and the Ferrarians did not suspect that if they continued to try to escape from the alley, then the soldiers would not hesitate to kill them.

The crowd was driven to the consul's residence, and looking through the fence gate at the group of citizens whose faces were covered in blood and flesh from the spear draw, the officials of Ferrara were so angry that their faces turned pale, and some of the elderly even trembled with excitement, and could only stand firm by the help of others.

A Balkan officer wearing a half-length armor and a saber at his waist squeezed through the crowd, walked to the iron fence and knocked on the railing with a stick in his hand, and said impatiently to the officers who were staring at him: "Listen, these men are trying to attack the Earl, but the Lord is merciful, and has pardoned their crimes, and now I leave them to you, and you can take care of the rest." ”

After the officer finished speaking, he shook the stick in his hand vigorously, and immediately a string of blood beads splashed on the stone ground at the entrance of the residence.

The officials of Ferrara stared angrily at the barbaric Balkans, and at this moment they suddenly felt that Venice was even much more lovely than that brutal Count Montina.

"Why should we put up with this insult?" An old nobleman shouted angrily, presumably still alive at the Battle of Bercanidó, the only victory over Venice in Ferrara, but the others responded to him with silence after hearing his words.

"Perhaps we ought to go to the Venetians, isn't that what they want us to do," said the consul, who sat on the throne, stared at the door in a daze, his forehead rising and his hands trembling as he said this, and then he said in a slightly self-deprecating tone, "but I don't know what the Venetians have done to Cambrai, and he should be willing to do so for them." ”

The same suspicions as the consuls were Gompati, who knew that Alexander had no good intentions in trying to push Ferrara to Venice with such brutal means, but he never understood the point of doing so.

However, Alexander could not wait to explain to him, and at the dawn of the day, Alexander, who had left behind a large army and carried a group of 200 hunters alone, hurried on the road to Montina.

On an early summer morning, the air was crisp, and he smelled the fresh scent of flowers in the field, and Pagasus shook his mane and let out a cheerful snort as he ran forward.

"Pagasus, you're homesick too, aren't you?" Alexander smiled and patted Pagasus on the neck, which seemed to arouse a hint of displeasure on the horse, and Pagasus shook his head vigorously, throwing his long mane even in Alexander's face, and then he continued to stride and run along the road in the field.

A black dot on the side of the road in the distance came into view, a Benedictine doctrine that had been planted here by a traveling monk in the early years, but now a boundary between the realms of Ferra and Montina.

As the team got closer, one could faintly see a group of men and horses under the boundary marker.

Alexander tugged at the reins, he looked forward, and then clamped his legs between the horse's belly.

Pagasus began to let go of his speed and run forward, Alexander rushed far ahead of the hunting guards, except for the Balkan soldier named Sher who had been stubbornly following behind, all the hunting guards couldn't help but slow down their horses and slowly distance themselves from Alexander.

Under the boundary monument, Barendi stood by the carriage and clenched her fists, her face was already uncontrollable with excitement when she saw the team appearing on the road in the distance, and when Alexander's figure finally appeared in her eyes, and quickly approached, Barendi began to rush forward desperately.

With a neighing of the horse, Pagasus almost stood up and was held tightly on the reins, and before the horse's front hooves could stand firm, Alexander had jumped off his horse, and then he swept Barondy into his arms like a whirlwind.

"Do you remember what I told you, when the summer cicadas chirped, they looked at the road to the east." Alexander picked up Barondi, lifted her body and walked towards the carriage, "I have fulfilled my promise, and now let me know how you welcome your husband back." ”

As the door slammed shut, after a brief silence, Barondi's irrepressible moans came from the carriage.

。 m.