The 15th century was a time of chaos, and at the end of this century, people were confused.

There are many things that have happened in this New Year, some of which have long been forgotten, and some of which are deeply rooted in everyone's heart.

For the Europeans on the western shore of the Mediterranean, the fall of Constantinople shocked them, and the power of the Crescent Empire frightened them, but these things were far away, especially for Western Europeans, these things seemed to be ignored, but there was one thing that happened to them at all times and was deeply hated by them.

That is corruption and oppression from the church.

The corruption and depravity of the pope openly keeping mistresses, the bishops staring at every bone like greedy wild dogs, and the clergy having no taboo to fool around with nuns has become a common phenomenon at the moment.

A pious priest who adheres to the rules of Benedict has become the exception, and recklessness and the accumulation of ill-gotten wealth have become the most normal thing, and this kind of culture has occurred everywhere and everywhere from the Vatican to almost every parish.

Savonarola decided to change all this because he couldn't stand this abhorrent thing, and he ended up being burned at the stake.

Machiavelli was one of Savonarola's most loyal followers, and his radicalism at the time gained Savonarola's favor and trust, which laid the groundwork for his later position in Savonarola's government, but Machiavelli was utilitarian and realistic, and he could glorify the friar's piety while calculating himself, which allowed him to regain appreciation in the new government after Savonarola's fall.

Although this behavior may not be likeable, there is no doubt that Machiavelli was a man of brilliant mind and perceptiveness.

So, though there were only a few lines of writing on the piece of paper, he quickly found something shocking and even dangerous in it, and he quickly looked to the door, and after making sure that there was no one nearby, he took it to the burning wax table in the corner of the wall and lit it without waiting for Massimo to stop it.

Massifley made a gesture to stand up, but then slowly sat back, but Machiavelli did not intend to let him go like this, watching the paper finally burn into a ball of ashes and fall to the ground with the wind blowing in from the window, Machiavelli walked up to Massimo in a few steps and lowered his voice and asked angrily: "What are you going to do, are you going to kill us all, do you know what you have written?" Where do these dangerous thoughts of yours come from, or is someone telling you what? ”

Massimo silently looked at Machiavelli's angry face, unhurriedly picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water, and then he said slowly: "Are you scared?" ”

"Of course I'm scared, because the man's burn at the stake is still standing in the square outside like a work of art, and every time I pass by there I can still smell the disgusting smell of burnt flesh, and all you do now is add firewood to the next burning, and you are the one who will be burned to death."

Machiavelli grumbled angrily, his expression a little flustered, or rather that Mahimo's actions really frightened him.

The abbot of the Abbey of St. Mark's was prominent, whether it was the former abbot or the Savonarola who became the ruler of Florence, as long as he wanted, the abbot of the Abbey of St. Mark's could become a person who had a great influence on Florence and even directly intervened in the fate of the city.

But because of this status, what kind of uproar would be caused if the things written by Massimo were to be scattered even in a few words, just thinking about it would make Machiavelli feel creepy.

"A true ruler doesn't do what he can't do, because that would put himself in danger, but you're putting us all in danger now."

Machiavelli began to rummage through the house, ignoring Mahimo's incessant rummaging and piling on the table what he thought was dangerous.

"Look at what books you read, "On the Florentine", "The Florentine Government", "The Triumph of the Cross", "Revelation Analysis", God, are you going to be the next person to be burned at the stake?"

"We shouldn't watch the depravity continue to damage our world and spirit," Massimo shook his head self-deprecatingly, "it's funny to say, I'm just that kind of person myself, I'm a man who doesn't learn and doesn't know how to do it, a liar and a womanizer, until one day I know that someone can do it to this extent for his ideals, and even sacrifice his life, so I don't think I can do it anymore, or because I did something." ”

"You shouldn't be the one who did it!" Machiavelli retorted unceremoniously, "Do you know that you have put us all in danger, and what do you think the Count sent you to Florence for, so that you might one day become a second martyr?" ”

Hearing Machiavelli's words, Massimo raised his head, he looked at the Florentine in front of him with a complicated expression, and said in a somewhat sarcastic tone: "Listen to your tone, it seems that the count is your master, not a Florentine official. ”

Machiavelli, who was busy with his work, paused, coughed unnaturally to hide the embarrassment that flashed across his face, and then continued to rummage around the house until he had found everything he thought was dangerous, and then sat down with a sigh of relief.

"Listen I don't argue with you, everything I do is for Florence, you should already know what Savonarola was like when he ruled the city, do you think he did better than Sazi, or better than when the Medici ruled the city?"

There was a hint of hesitation on Massimo's face, and he couldn't help but admit that Machiavelli's question was sharp, or that it hit him to the point.

During the reign of Savonarola, the Florentine people were not only extremely poor in their private lives, but also had difficulty in eating, many of the families who were once wealthy became destitute, and most ordinary civilian families lost their jobs due to the depression of the city.

In that case, what Savonarola could do was not to find a solution to these problems, but to try to move God to help them with incessant prayers.

It can be said that Savonarola not only tempered himself with penance, but also led the whole city to abject poverty.

"My mission is not to make people happy, but to make everyone, including me, miserable."

That seems to be the ultimate goal of Savonarola.

Machiavelli didn't feel complacent when he saw Massimo fall silent, he knew that Massimo was just momentarily confused, and what made him concerned was that Massimo was obviously deeply influenced by Savonarola, which made him worry that the monk might cause trouble for all of them in the future.

"Perhaps you should contact the Count as soon as possible, I think he should be able to sober you up," said Machiavelli helplessly, "and do you really think that the Florentines need the kind of piety you think they are?" ”

The muscles on Massimo's face trembled slightly, he knew why Machiavelli asked this, like the people of many places he had seen, the Florentines seemed to have become accustomed to a life of indulgence in luxury, especially the commoners, and as the fanatical worship of Savonarola dissipated, the commoners began to pursue a life of freedom and comfort even more than before, a change that was even more intense than that of some nobles and artists, At least Botticelli still insisted that he was right to burn his own paintings on the day of the false fire, but the people had begun to happily wear the beautiful clothes and jewelry that were absolutely forbidden in the days of Savonarola and take to the streets to enjoy the beauty of the city, which many people in this era could not enjoy.

Massimo was certainly aware of these changes, and this was what puzzled him, he could not understand why the populace were so forgetful and even ungrateful, and what Savonarola had done for them seemed to have been completely forgotten by them only for a short time, and they even rewarded his self-sacrifice with even more depraved actions.

"I wish I had seen the Count sooner," said Machiavelli again, and he sat down to breathe a sigh of relief, and then said slowly, "believe me, friend, you'd better do nothing now, for you've done a good job before, and you know, Sazi is still very attentive to you, and he is often upset that he doesn't even know what you're thinking." ”

"Is it because I don't go out all day?" Massimo asked sarcastically, and seeing Machiavelli nodding slowly, the monk's expression became serious, "Tell me what you're going to do, I know you're doing things for the Count, but you're going to tell me what you're going to do." ”

"I'm working for Florence," Machiavelli said before he said his purpose, "Sazi's government is not very good these days, and Savonarola is left in a very bad situation, and if you know how much money is left when Sazi takes over the city, you can know how sad his life is." ”

Massimo nodded, he could imagine that the previous reign of Savonarola had left Florence in a terrible situation, and the subsequent economic invasion by Alexander had made the situation even more out of control.

Massimo even felt that Sazi was already remarkable, at least so far the city had barely survived without collapsing, which was one of the reasons why he felt lost.

Obviously, if Savonarola had been ruled now, perhaps without Alexander's push, Florence might have been completely bankrupt, and it was the Sazinian government that spared no effort to keep the situation from worsening.

"Maybe the Count is not doing the right thing," Massimo said suddenly, but then shook his head, "but even without the Count, there would be someone else." ”

"You ought not to think so, for the Count is not like us," said Machiavelli, disapprovingly, "for the monarch morality is not his concern, he only needs to consider how to make morality conform to his arrangement." ”

Obviously not very receptive to this argument, he pursed his lips and took a sip of the wine glass on the table, and then looked at Machiavelli: "Tell me what you came to me for?" ”

"The Count is coming back," Machiavelli repeated, and seeing that Mahimo was listening attentively, he continued, "I think we should have a closer bond with Pisa, both for historical reasons and for the actual intimacy of our relationship today, so we need your help." ”

Massimomer glanced at Machiavelli, and instead of speaking immediately, he groaned slightly.

"What are you waiting for, isn't that all your mission to Florence?" Machiavelli urged, "You are the abbot of St. Mark's Abbey, this is too important, only you can guarantee the success of this proposal, you must know that there are many people who are dissatisfied with Pisa's robbery, but they obviously do not see the benefit of doing it for us." ”

Massimo nodded slowly after a while: "To be honest, I'm a little confused now, and I don't know what is right. ”

"This is not good news," Machiavelli shook his head and looked at the monk with a gloomy face, "Do you know where Savonarola is really powerful, he always thinks he is right, even if the whole world is against him, he is still the only one who is right, this is the reason why he dares to be an enemy of everyone and even the Pope, if you can't do that, I advise you to make your life easier." ”

Massimo groaned slightly, then sighed softly.

Seeing that Massimo seemed to have finally compromised, Machiavelli also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and he really hoped that Alexander would come to Florence as soon as possible, because he did not know what would become of Massimo in the future if he continued like this.

While the two Florentines were arguing over the future fate of the city, Alexander had already arrived in a town not far from the city.

The presence of the hunters caused some panic among the townspeople, but after seeing that the army didn't seem to be so difficult, the townspeople calmed down.

It's not a big town, but it's a great place to look, and from the high slopes of the town, you can see the whole city, and the picturesque scenery of Florence is like a perfect work.

Although he was in a hurry, Alexander was in no hurry to enter the city, and he asked Offrey to find a comfortable house in the town to live in, and at the same time sent a letter to Florence.

As the Count of Montina, it is certainly not so easy to suddenly visit another city, not to mention that in his current status, if he does not inform the Florentines of his arrival in time, it is easy to attract all kinds of criticism and speculation.

But, as he told Barondi, there are some things that are not suitable for writing in a letter, or for putting them on paper, so that they may in the future become the handle of something that falls into the hands of others.

From Medici to Savonarola, and now to the new government headed by Sazzi, Florence has experienced too much, although Alexander was unassuming in the trial of Savonarola before, and even when he left, many people did not know that the Count of Montina had come, but the government officials in Florence knew very well that although the count was low-key at the beginning, his actions outside the city once made those Florentine bigwigs fearful. It was also the deterrence of Montina's army that at the time of the sentence of Savonarola, the emissaries sent by the Pope exerted great pressure on the Florentines, forcing them to finally have to make a capital sentence.

The Florentine rulers are most vividly remembered for the economic ransack of Florence by Pisa, which nearly bankrupted the city, which was known for its affluence.

And now everyone knows that the real ruler of Pisa is the Count.

Therefore, when the messenger sent by Alexander appeared at the gate of the city not long ago, Sazi, who had received the news, immediately hurried to the Medici Palace, which had been renamed the People's Palace, and saw the other consuls who had also heard the news, Sazi's heart relaxed a little, but then he cried out again: "Where is Niccolò, I will see him at once now!" ”

"Your Excellency, the secretary seems to have gone to St. Mark's Abbey."

A small official replied cautiously, and then before his words fell, Sazi already ordered in annoyance: "Go and call Niccolò and tell him that I need him here!" ”

The petty officials immediately turned around and ran, although they did not know what was happening, but they knew that it would not be a good thing to see the angry appearance of the ruling lord.

"Why did the Count of Montina suddenly come to Florence?" One of the consuls asked with some concern, and saw that the eyes of the others were all looking at Sazi, and the consul also cast an inquiring glance at the chief consul.

"Who knows, maybe the Pope has some new intentions," Sazzi whispered uncertainly, Savonarola's death had eased the relationship between Florence and the Vatican a lot, at least the two sides were not as-for-tat as before, but this did not mean that they and the Pope had become harmonious, on the contrary, after dealing with Savonarola as a common enemy, the short-lived alliance between the two sides broke down as the cooperation ended.

The Vatican's intention to regain control of Florence has never changed, and even if Savonarola has been reduced to ashes, this does not mean that the Florentines are willing to bow down to the Pope, and the relationship between the two sides has become delicate again.

"How many troops did the Count of Montina bring?" Sazi asked anxiously, he noticed the strange and even panicked looks on the faces of the others when they heard his words, but he didn't blame those people for being so uneasy, about the achievements of Montina's army in the Balkans, it had gradually been transmitted back to Italy before, which had caused many Florentines to take to the streets and shout "God's arm" excitedly, but now when they had to face this army themselves, the Florentines were horrified to find what a terrible enemy they were dealing with.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency, we didn't know that the Earl's messenger came suddenly, and we still don't even know where the Count and his army are now." A Nationalist army commander replied in a panic, and he chattered a little, but not because of his character, but because of fear.

"Why hasn't Niccolò come yet?!" Again, Sazi asked impatiently, "Let him go to the earl, and at least find out his intentions." ”

Several consuls agreed with each other, Machiavelli had contributed to the Count of Montina, which many people knew, and even his ability to become Sazi's second secretary had a lot to do with it.

"Now if anyone can tell me why the count came to Florence, I can even promise him anything." Looking at the helpless officials around him, Sazi said angrily to the people around him.

"Really, sir?" A high-pitched voice came from outside the room, and with it, a tall, gray figure appeared in front of several archons, "If I can find out what he is coming from, can you really agree to any of my conditions?" ”

Saqi looked at the stout man who suddenly appeared in amazement, and after a while he came to his senses, he looked at this familiar man with some doubts, but he still nodded and asked with a little suspicion: "Then you can inquire about the news for us, if this is the case, I will keep my promise and agree to the conditions you propose, but you tell me who you are first?" ”

In the face of Sazi's inquiry, the big man stretched the dirty and tattered robe on his body, and then replied in a slightly proud tone: "Bonarroti, my name is Michelangelo Bonarroti, and I am an old friend of the Count of Montina. ”