Ferrara is a small place, but it has a very different importance from its size, in addition to its sensitive topography and long history of domination, it also has the advantage of being located in the heart of the Po River Delta.

The Po River runs through the whole of northern Italy from west to east, and the Po River runs from the Alps all the way through the northern plains, in addition to creating abundant water sources and improving geology along the coast, and also bringing convenient river transportation to the whole of northern Italy.

The Po River then flows through more than a dozen large and small cities before flowing into the sea from the mouth of the Adriatic Sea.

The last section of the river, which is about 200 fari long, is also the most water-abundant section of the Po River.

Several different rivers flow into the Po River, making the largest river in northern Italy even more imposing, and the place where these rivers converge naturally forms a fertile delta with the passage of time.

Ferrara is located in the very center of this rich region.

Thinking about these things, Alexander suddenly felt that the Ferrarians were really lucky.

Their long history ensured their relationship with many aristocratic city-states, which gave them a layer of self-preservation, at least when someone tried to annex them, always with some scruples about the ideas of other Italian nobles, and the rich land resources and water transportation environment brought them enough wealth.

Despite being in close proximity to Venice, Ferrara is clearly in a much better position than Pisa.

However, the arrival of De Ticon made Alexander feel a little strange.

The conversation with the envoy of Ferrara ended in moderation, and Alexander did not want to go any further.

Whether Ferrara was trying to form an alliance with Montina or preparing to do something else, Alexander felt that none of this was appropriate for the time being.

The Venetian compromise did not mean that it was their cowardice, but that because the Ottomans were so menacing that they had to devote all their energies to resisting a possible mass invasion by the infidels.

If he rashly interfered in Ferrara's affairs, it would be difficult for the Venetians to bear the presence of a Ferrara who was allied with the enemy.

At that point, if the Venetians decide to intervene, the place between Montina and Venice that was supposed to be a buffer will probably be wiped out.

Alexander, of course, was not afraid of the Venetians, and he knew that Venice was not in a good situation today.

The bad relations with the Holy See have always kept them in isolation, and whether the Vatican has lost its prestige or not, the "papa" who are more suitable to be politicians than to be popes have always managed to find some allies, and for whatever purpose, their war with Venice has never stopped.

However, although Alexander did not want to come into direct conflict with the Venetians, this did not mean that he was not interested in the advice of Gallo de Ticón.

The Po River Delta is one of the largest grain producing regions in northern Italy, and in the same way that Agri is to southern Italy, the grain of the Po Delta has a great influence on the lives of many cities in the north.

And because northern Italy is landlocked and far from the coastline, it is even more dependent on food because it does not have enough fisheries to support it.

Because of this, Alexander was more cautious in his dealings with Ferrara.

He knew that the Venetians had indeed used the grain of the Agri to quietly influence the south, and they had used the grain of the Po River Delta to exert influence on the north.

So both Ferrara and the Po Triangle are too sensitive places for Venetians.

This made Alexander have to admire his father-in-law, and he did not hesitate to start a war for his son, but at that time, the old Rovere had already become the pope, and Alexander did not have this strength at this time.

Speaking of strength, Alexander has a bit of a headache.

One of the direct effects of the war with the Genoese was that the Genoese soldiers who had already been sent to him were turned into waste for a while.

Thinking that there were more than 1,000 people in his hands but could not use them, and that there were more than 1,000 people who had not yet been found, Alexander couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

In late October, the weather has completely cooled, and the beautiful fields have been covered with a layer of autumn gloom, and the leaves are falling more and more, especially on the road leading to the gate of the castle of Montina, which at first glance seems to be covered with a thick yellow blanket, and the original color of the ground is not visible at all.

The Ferrarians came and went, and both knew that nothing could be negotiated at first, but de Ticon was impressed by Alexander's army.

After watching the drills of Montina's army, the envoy looked at Alexander with more interest, and in his opinion the newly rising local nobleman was clearly a fanatical supporter of military expansion, and although it was not known how powerful his army, which looked very different from the rest of the army, but judging by his actions, this man was a qualified spoiler.

At least the situation in Romagna and Tuscany became more colorful and confusing with the appearance of this man.

The Emissaries of Ferrara came and went, but it didn't affect Montina, and everyone went about their lives.

Having returned to Montina, Ofreil was at first a little annoyed that he had not been in time for another battle with Cargino, but when he heard that something might happen to Genoa, he was less concerned about it.

However, Offrey did not stay long in Montina, and before he could even run under the window of the craftsman's house to seduce the craftsman's daughter, he was sent out again by Alexander.

This time, the destination for Ofleiil is the border to the northeast.

There, with the more than 1,000 Genoese who had been sent there before, Alexander could not let them waste his food in vain, so he decided to take advantage of this rare free time to let Ofleiil train these Genoese well.

Along with Ofleiyi to the northeastern frontier, there was also a group of selected soldiers, these first peacock soldiers were the model and model for Alexander to train the new army, these people have now become the backbone of Montina's army, whether it is to boost morale and stabilize the formation in the most difficult times of battle, or to be a role model for other soldiers in peacetime training, these peacock soldiers who were previously ridiculed have established their own prestige in the army.

Alexander didn't expect all the soldiers to be poured out of a mold like the backbone soldiers, after all, it would take too long, and he didn't have that much time.

He only needs his army to hold out for a little longer, or even five minutes, than his opponent in a battle with the enemy.

According to the famous words of a famous military strategist of later generations, it is often the five minutes that determine who can hold out on to a victory.

Constantine came with news that he was now lobbying around Genoa with his uncle.

It was clear that Cardino's defeat and draw had somewhat dampened the prestige of the Doge's family, and the Genoese nobles, who had previously supported the repossession of Montina's power, began to hesitate.

They were willing to support it before because of the ambiguous attitude of the Rovelle family, and now that Barendi is in Montina, this makes them see another signal.

Konstantin and his uncle visited a lot of people and spent a lot of money, but they didn't just want to say nice things about Montina.

Obviously, the people of the Cargino family were too anxious, and they immediately tried to expand the power of the family after climbing to the governor's throne, and even risked their lives to test the attitude of the Rovere family for the sake of this.

This time it was obvious that old Rovere was really angry, he originally thought that he would be able to make peace with Calgino by sending his own brother, and even for this reason he once acquiesced to the Cargino family to send troops to Montina.

But the end result was not satisfactory.

Not only did Alexander unexpectedly defeat Cargino in the field, but when he learned that he was going to attack Pisa, he once took a position to start a decisive battle with Cargino in Tuscany.

This made old Rowwere can't help but look at this "son-in-law" a little differently.

However, what really annoyed the elder Rovere was that after he sent his daughter to Montina, Cagilno still ignored the signals he had sent out that had been so clearly biased in favor of Alexander, that he even wanted to attack Pisa in one fell swoop.

Old Rovere didn't care about Pisa, after all, Pisa was not under his control, not to mention that there was a woman surnamed Borgia there.

Old Rovere was furious that the Cargino family was clearly trying to challenge his authority, which he had decided not to allow.

Send your brother and son to Genoa, and then let your daughter stay in Montina to make sure she has enough influence on Alexander, and then it's time to wait for the best time.

Old Rovere hid unhurriedly in his Vatican office, manipulating the big net he had wove together.

The message from Konstantin was simple: after some haggling, he had already gained the support of a section of the Genoese parliamentarians and family, while many more expressed disinterest in what might happen.

This can be seen as rejection, of course, it can also be seen as acquiescence and spectatorship, and as for the final attitude, it is completely determined by the outcome of the matter.

Constantine seems to be dissatisfied with the slippery nature of those men, and in his letter he curses Barondi for their vile behavior and low character.

Barendi didn't pay attention to her brother's complaints, she only cared about what promises and prices Konstantin paid to those people.

When he saw that Constantine had promised them that they could buy goods from the trade union at a price only half higher than that of his own chamber of commerce, Barondi looked at Alexander, who was sitting silently opposite her, reading the letter.

"I really don't know what to say about Constantine's actions," Barondi said angrily, "it's so unfair to us that he allowed those people to buy goods at such a low price, knowing that we had paid enough to get such a low supply, but those people could get goods that were only half a fraction higher than us without doing anything." ”

"But then your father will get all of Genoa," Alexander felt compelled to remind Barentia, "to know that there is also a need to pay to make money, and I think in this respect you should learn from the Fuggers, and see the money they have invested in the Emperor." A large part of those investments did not pay off, but the Fuggers persisted because they were far ahead of the rest. ”

"There is no way to compare, the emperor is still the emperor if he fails, and if the Rovere family fails, they may be expelled from Genoa." Barondi retorted a little stubbornly, "I think that's probably why my father sent me. ”

Hearing Barendi mention it again, Alexander shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Barendi came to Montina, in addition to expressing the old Rovere's support for Alexander, and one more important thing was to seek the help of the entire free trade alliance.

This is also the reason why although the elder Rovere sent his family to Genoa to lobby, he never moved.

He was waiting for Alexander's reply.

In other words, waiting for the free trade alliance to prescribe conditions.

"What do you think my father should do," Barondi asked suddenly and seriously, "he is willing to give up a part of his dividends in the alliance to get your help, but I hope to get an answer as soon as possible, this matter is very important to our family." ”

Barondi's serious appearance gave Alexander a little headache, but thinking about Barendi's character, he didn't care about her attitude anymore.

"Your father wants to be able to bring the rule of Genoa to a quick end after the incident," Alexander was careful to use less obvious words, he didn't want to embarrass Barentia too much, so there was a lot that could happen. ”

"And how are you going to help us?" "You know that our chamber of commerce can still make some money in maritime trade, so I'm confident that I can repay a large loan." ”

Alexander nodded silently, he understood what Barendi meant.

This is a war loan and, of course, a risk loan.

Contradictions, conflicts, and finally wars, all of which are just competing for interests.

The elder Rovere had apparently decided to use the most drastic methods in order to regain control of Genoa, and his doing so was likely to bring a period of turmoil to Genoa.

If old Rovere succeeds, this loan will of course be rewarded handsomely, and if it fails, it will definitely be lost.

Because of this, even if he had received news from Barondi that the Free Trade Alliance would support him, Old Luo Weire was still very cautious.

He had to prove to the alliance that investing in him was a solid business, and for this he did not hesitate to ask Barondy to marry Alexander as soon as possible to prove it.

Is it risky to invest in a war? There is no doubt about it.

No one can guarantee victory in the war.

But how risky is it to invest in the war waged by old Rovere?

Alexander smiled secretly in his heart, at least in his memory, investing in this war pope was almost a profitable business.

Barondi looked at Alexander secretly nervously, she was not worried that Alexander would refuse, but was guessing what kind of harsh conditions he would propose.

Whether to demand a reduction in the share of the Rovere Chamber of Commerce in the alliance, or simply to demand the share of the port of Genoa.

If it is the latter, what price will the Luo Weire family have to pay in order to obtain these shares for the alliance.

Barendi looked at Alexander earnestly, like a prisoner awaiting a verdict.

"I can make a loan to the cardinal in my own name......"

There was a hint of disappointment in Barendi's eyes, she felt that she should have thought that this would be the result, and the free trade alliance that had just begun to take shape was obviously not so bold to take such a big risk.

In that case, the support they can provide is understandable.

"So, it's supposed to be a Floryn?" Barondi looked at Alexander with a slightly disappointed look, "Maybe we should discuss the interest on this money next?" ”

Listening to Barondi's unconcealed inquiry, Alexander glanced at her noncommittally before continuing: "What I offer is all the trade balance that the Trade Alliance can make up for the possible losses of the Genoese Chamber of Commerce during the period until the situation in Genoa is brought under control. ”

Barondi was a little stunned, or she thought she might have misheard.

Then she heard Alexander say it again.

"What trade balance could the Genoese Chamber of Commerce lose?"

"It's based on an average of the year's trade," Alexander reminded slightly, "and you know that it's impossible to use the best month of the year as a standard, after all, we all have to do business." ”

Barondi nodded stunned, knowing that she had heard correctly, she still found it to sound a little unbelievable.

The Genoese Chamber of Commerce supports them with the possible loss difference, which means that they have to bear the huge market losses that may arise as a result of the change in the situation in Genoa.

No one knows exactly how big that number is, or how long this loss will last.

"Wait a minute, you're saying you're offering this money in your personal name?" Barendi suddenly thought of something, and her breathing became a little nervous, "But how can you personally have such a large sum of money, and do you know how much risk it takes, you must know that it is too risky for the alliance, how can you do it?" ”

Seeing Barondi's face flushed with nervousness, Alexander laughed.

He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair around Barondi's ear, then stroked her seemingly unnatural cheek.

"I pledged all my share of the FTA to get the power to mobilize the money," Alexander said with a complacent expression, "so if the Rovere family fails, then we will be completely bankrupt." ”

"What did you say?!"

Barendi let out an uncontrollable exclamation, she opened her mouth and breathed hard, as if trying to suppress the uncontrollable emotions in her heart because of the panic, but she obviously failed.

Then Uliu, who was guarding outside the room, faintly heard a hysterical shout coming from the room: "You are crazy! You pledged all your shares? That's our own money! ”

………………

For the first time in her life, Barente was crying out angrily at Alexandria for her own benefit, far away in the castle of Cosenza in the Kingdom of Naples, Count Jossa Cosenza was writing a letter to her "dear brother".

"Brother, I have infinite trust in you, so when you offered to use all our shares to lend money to the alliance, I expressed enough support. As to the terms you are going to make to Genoa, I must remind you that I am personally interested in your offer of exchanging this loan for the right of trade between Genoa and Portugal, so please do not disappoint me, knowing that we have invested all our possessions, so please do not become merciful because you feel sorry for your fiancée, or I will make you watch out how terrible the anger of one of your sisters is. ”