Fugger is undoubtedly a behemoth, although not as powerful as the ancient families of later generations, who have a long history and control the fate of the world, but at least in today's Europe, it also has a great influence.

At least the fact that it was able to play a key role in the election of two emperors of the Holy Roman Empire shows the formidable power that this family possesses.

Therefore, when the Fugger family secretly stirred up trouble in order to monopolize the copper resources, the whole of Europe was involuntarily involved in this invisible war for wealth.

Alexander VI was affected in this way.

The Pope, who had intended to take advantage of the opportunity to increase the amount of money issued, found that the amount of gold that could be mobilized for circulation did not seem to be as much as it appeared on the books, and his accountants reported to him that something big was going on the exchange.

Alexander VI immediately sent someone to inquire about the news, and the report of the returnees to him made the Pope a little moved.

The sudden volatility of copper prices, which seemed to have been declining, made the Pope feel that this seemed like a good way to make a fortune, and he couldn't help but hesitate to suspend the plan to issue more money and take advantage of it.

But then Alexander dismissed him.

Alexander showed the king some financial documents that had just arrived from Frankfurt, including reports of many precious metals rising and falling due to the impact of copper prices.

Although he didn't know much about this, Alexander VI realized that this time should stabilize his currency's position in the market as soon as possible, rather than being too greedy to make the popular money that everyone is pursuing.

Alexander praised the Pope's self-defeating approach, and he also proposed to the Pope, consciously or unconsciously, a way that seemed to make the profits more lucrative.

Striking a gold coin with extraordinary beauty does not seem to make the coin more valuable in itself, but in order to make this delicate intricate pattern easy to shape and last for a long time without being able to wear out, it is necessary to use some small means on the coin.

And the fact that gold coins can be kept in circulation for a long time is a great way to reduce costs, and when you think about the potential returns, Alexander VI felt that his previous attempts to turn his attention to the volatile copper market seemed a bit too quick to make a quick profit.

This made the Pope's attitude towards Alexander change somewhat, at least he no longer looked forward to this cheap son-in-law going to God sooner.

While helping the Pope establish a basic investment philosophy, Alexander's preparations were also in full swing.

He met with the cardinal, wrote emotional private messages to the women in Montina and Pisa, and asked Orgala to invite Grognin to Rome to meet him a second time.

At the same time, Alexander also began to rearm his army at Montina.

There were some things that Uliu hadn't seen when he saw the changes in Agri before.

Or maybe he'd seen it with his own eyes, or at least heard of it.

It was the factory that was set up in Kosença by Josa.

Even before Alexander left Naples, Jossa had already built a small workshop in Cosenza according to the design provided by Alexander, and the only task at that time was to make the percussive flint muskets supplied by Alexander.

However, at that time, whether it was because he was worried that he might not be able to keep the technical secrets due to the fear of exposing it too early, or because the manufacturing process was not smooth because of the lack of technology, the workshop did not play much role except for the production of a few toys for the Countess to play with.

And the craftsmanship of the flint muskets in the hands of Jisha is so fine that they can be called works of art that they cannot meet the needs of an army in batches.

Even Hosha, at the time, only regarded those muskets as some kind of valuable toy.

This continued long after Alexander's arrival in Rome.

Things slowly changed, especially after the battle outside Rome and the first real display of firearms by Alexander's Agri musketeers against a formidable enemy, the workshops of Cosenza began to become important.

It was only a matter of time before the news came that Montina's weapons came from Cosenza, or at least some of the latest styles of weapons came from Cosenza.

And the Count of Montina is the lord of Agri, which shows that the relationship between Cosenza and Agri, and Agri and those new firearms, is self-evident.

And what Alexander was preparing to rearm his army was a new type of firearm made by the workshop in Kosenza, the anvil musket.

Compared with the delicate and beautiful-looking tooth-turning musket that is quite popular with Tsuna, the anvil musket is much simpler and easier, and it is naturally very convenient to manufacture.

By now, Alexander didn't care if it was possible for others to learn this musket technique, or that this so-called concern was unrealistic from the beginning, but at that time, when he was facing a crisis, he still needed to temporarily turn the situation around with those unexpected weapons, and now he needed more than weapons, but an army that could use the power of these weapons.

So he needs to recuperate his army before leaving for Hungary.

Alexander made this decision, of course, because Montina's army had not only been able to show its size, but had already proved their worth with a series of battles, and for another important reason, because of the news that Ulliu had brought him about Sophia.

After hearing about Sophia's experiences in the Balkans, Alexander realized that there might be some changes in the trip to Hungary that he hadn't thought of before.

He didn't want to confront the Ottomans directly, it wasn't irrational but he was simply crazy.

Although the so-called Ottoman founding ten kings is an exaggeration, Alexander knew that the current Ottoman Empire was really invincible and could not be resisted.

To confront such a country, just think about it and know that it is too stupid.

Alexander didn't mind encouraging others to fight the Ottomans, such as the Bohemians, the Venetians, and the old and young of Hungary and the former Greek principalities.

But if he did it himself, Alexander thought it was too stupid.

It's just that Sophia is actually in Bucharest, and this news surprises Alexander and feels that it is simply a sarcasm for him.

It seemed that the more he didn't want to encounter something, fate had arranged something for him, and the thought that it was Bucharest, and the thought that it was Bayezet II who attacked there, Alexander felt that if he wanted to come back smoothly, he had to think about equipping his army.

Jossa did a good job in Kosenza, at least she built the workshop very big.

The previous deal with the French de Charlain had already been completed, and the semi-finished muskets supplied by the French were shipped to Naples in batches, then processed in the workshops of Cosenza, and then transported to Montina in a steady stream after being stockpiled.

As a result of this deal, the French made a large amount of money for processing, while Alexander temporarily preserved the technical secrets of the flint musket and reduced the time and investment required to build the whole gun.

Montina's army is quietly changing, and unlike other armies, Montina's army pays more attention to the requirements of individual soldiers, in addition to overall training.

The neat uniforms, the dignified manners, and the never-ending hypnotic repetitive instillation of the soldiers' absolute obedience to orders all made Montina's army slowly change towards Alexander's ideals.

Perhaps it is time to test the results of this training, which is very different from the rest of the current army.

For the historical Battle of Bucharest, Alexander searched for a long time without coming up with too many memories, and the only thing he vaguely remembered was that it was a protracted siege that exhausted the participants.

And what impressed Alexander the most was the artillery that shone in this war.

For this reason, after thinking about it for a long time, he decided to let Gompati go to Hungary with him this time, not Ofleiuil.

Bucharest is an offensive and defensive battle, while Gompati is good at defense and plays a key role in the battle, while Gompati is definitely an almost perverted artillery fan.

Alexander felt that all the conditions he needed to prepare for this trip to Hungary were sufficient, and the only thing left to do was to find a big deal to pay for his trip.

Alexander did not want to spend money on his own, which, in his opinion, was unreasonable.

The Venetians could pay for their own safety to get the Hungarians to resist the Ottomans for them, so why couldn't he do that?

So while waiting for news from Grogenin, Alexander took the time to write a letter to Barbarig, the governor of Venice, in which he first explained in detail that he was about to leave for Hungary and therefore hoped to sign a peace treaty with Venice for at least one year, and then he changed the subject and began to describe the threat posed by the Ottomans if they were to win.

Finally he asked the Venetians that if they didn't want to see that terrible scene, they would help him enough.

After such a letter was sent out, Alexander waited for Grogenin to arrive with peace of mind.

Grognin arrived in Rome on Christmas Day, and instead of going to Olgala's house, he went directly to the Marino Palace to visit Alexandria.

No one knew what the two men had said in the room, but Grognin had left to stay with Lady Olgala for only one night, and the next day he hurried away.

It didn't take long for the port of Rotterdam to become busy, and the Grognins sent reliable men to France and England, carrying secret letters from Grognin to the kings of the two countries.

The content of both letters is broadly similar, and both mention a topic sufficient to attract the attention of the kings.

"Your Majesty, I can provide you with a batch of precious metals, enough for your army to have much more artillery than it already has."

It is true that the Fuggers could not influence the whole of Europe, but the Fuggers did not know that because of the participation of one person, their original ambition to monopolize the copper market began to pry the entire European continent.

When it comes to Europe, people at the moment naturally think of the European continent centered on the Mediterranean coast, as for France, although it is recognized as a European power, but at least in the eyes of those Italian city-states, the French are still just a group of hillbillies who can only wield knives and guns.

But hillbillies obviously have ideals, especially if they still have a formidable force, which becomes more terrifying than anything else.

On the second day of 1499, a barrage of men appeared in the lonely wilderness outside Paris, and it was evident from their staggering and listlessness that they had traveled a long way.

So even though you can already see the ugly walls of the city of Paris, many people still don't have much spirit.

There was a man in the group who did not seem to be of real age, his jaw was smooth and ruddy, and he looked more like a student who liked to read, except for the crown on his head that was fastened to his hood with a few sticks.

King Louis XII of France, earlier Duke of Orleans, was in Paris for the first time as king after he had been sworn in at the Château de la Loire Valley almost half a year earlier.

Then he will officially be crowned here.

Louis XII was not very fond of Paris, and he once privately told a few close friends that Paris was a big manure pit.

So Louis understood his double predecessor's desire to conquer Italy, after all, Rome, Milan, Florence, and Naples, any of these cities were much better than Paris.

Charles VIII was Louis XII's predecessor, and it was twofold, because Louis XII not only received the crown left by Charles, but also his wife by the way.

By marrying Anne of Brittany, Louis XII finally had to worry about the secession of Brittany from France, and his eyes were set on Burgundy.

When Charlie the Audacent, the last Duke of Burgundy, died, the Duchy of Burgundy was divided between France and the Holy Roman Empire.

Almost 20 years have passed since this happened, but Burgundy has always been a difficult place in France.

Successive French kings wanted to solve the Burgundian problem once and for all, but it was Charles VIII's father, the famous Spider King Louis XI.

It was only Louis XI who, like his son, later set his sights too much on Italy, and the Emperor Maximian, who was able to acquire large swaths of Burgundian land by marrying Charles the Darder's daughter, had to postpone the Burgundian question.

It's just that Louis XII didn't want to drag it out any longer, he wanted to see the whole of France unified in his life, even if it was only in name, and he didn't want a second figure like Charles the Bold to appear in France.

The arrival of the King's procession did not arouse much interest in the Parisians, for whom they had seen many knights coming and going, some of whom were able to return with honors, but most of them had either disappeared or received bad news.

Even the king was no exception, at least the Parisians did not see Charles VIII, who had gone out with a large army, return to Paris alive.

Charles died in a castle in the Loire Valley, and there are many theories about his death, but most of them are that he was unlucky, and one of the most ridiculous and ridiculous is that he accidentally hit his head on a very low door frame while wandering around, and was infected by a rusty nail in the door of the door of the door.

In short, Charlie, who died at a young age, left Louis XII with a crown, a powerful France, and a young and beautiful wife.

With these, Louis should have been content, but greed is human nature, not to mention that he has seen the beautiful cities of Italy and the huge wealth contained in them, so Louis paid attention to Burgundy at the same time, but also intentionally or unintentionally inherited the legacy of his predecessor, he hoped to prove that he was more successful than Charles VIII and even Louis XI by conquering Italy.

The horse's hooves trampled on the potholed and smelling streets, and Caesar tried not to look too disgusted, but before he could speak, someone was already complaining to him.

"It's a dunghill, and I wonder how the kings of the past could stay in such a place."

Caesar looked at the king walking beside him with a little surprise, he wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt a foul smell coming to his face, so he could only quickly close his mouth and shake his head.

"Look at your pitiful appearance, I think you want to get out of this place as quickly as I do," Louis XII waved his hand in understanding to prevent Caesar from speaking, "although the palace may be a little better, but I advise you not to get your hopes up, or you will be even more disappointed." ”

"But this is Paris, after all," Caesar thought he should say something, "the capital of France." ”

"I'd rather be Milan or Napoli."

Louis's words made Caesar look stunned, and he looked at the king with some confusion, as if to see some clues in his face.

"Don't look at me like that, you know what I mean," Louis looked at Caesar, his eyes flashing with excitement, "It's no secret that I'm going on another expedition, I want to know what you think about it." ”

"Your Majesty, are you going to conquer Naples again?" Caesar was a little excited, although he had known that such a thing would happen, and now hearing Louis XII say it himself still made him secretly excited: "My father thinks that you should be more suitable to be the king of Naples than the Aragonese, and I am willing to serve you for this." ”

The king's slightly serious face finally smiled.

"You and your father will be rewarded, and the return to the Pope may be later, but now you can tell me what you want," said Louis as he reached out and patted Caesar on the shoulder, and then urged his horse towards the entrance to the palace, which was already visible not far away, as he turned back to Caesar and shouted, "Come, let's see who gets to the palace first." ”

"Your Majesty!" Caesar moved at this and urged his horse to follow.

King Louis XII of France arrived in Paris in early January 1499 and, after a short rest, was entertained by the Parisian nobles in the west main building of the Louvre in the early morning of January 4.

The whole process of the audience was long and monotonous, with the presiding officer reporting their names one by one in an emotionless tone, and then the nobles stepped forward and bowed, and then knelt down on one knee in accordance with the ceremony of the first meeting with the king to receive the king's blessing.

The audience lined up outside the main building, and Louis XII kept repeating the words of appeasement or encouragement that should be used when meeting the nobles.

Caesar stood in a corner of the main hall and watched this scene, he felt that Louis at this time was a little similar to his father, and probably when they looked at the nobles, they were also wondering how many of these people were preparing to fight against him.

Caesar looked a little bored in the crowd, and he promised the king to dine with him, but now it seemed that lunch was probably going to be delayed a little.

These nobles were important figures, and Louis XII could not have neglected them, and for these nobles, whether they met the king before or after lunch was a matter of great importance to their dignity and reputation.

Caesar walked slowly along the edge of the main hall, and suddenly his eyes paused, his gaze blazing.

A young girl who didn't look very old followed her father and brother along the procession, and when she and Caesar met their eyes, the girl was slightly startled and then nodded slowly.

Caesar bowed in return, and then looked at the girl with blazing eyes, until her back was gradually blocked by the others.

"That noble lady, who is she?" Caesar called a servant and asked.

"It is Charlotte of Albrecht, my lord, the daughter of Lord Albrecht," the servant whispered, and then continued, "Her brother is Juan King of Navarre, and husband of Queen Catherine of Navarre." ”

Looking at the back, Caesar nodded slightly.

"I think I know what to ask the king for."