After some time, Congressman Magrea suddenly raised her head and said:

"Is it possible to pay Maximilian I to give up the attack on Venice? As everyone knows, Maximilian I was most short of money......"

The eyes of everyone present suddenly lit up - yes, Venice is not bad for money, and spending money to buy is also their specialty!

Marin shook his head firmly and said:

"It's impossible, Mistress Margarea, do you know? Maximilian I took the throne so seriously. As long as the Pope crowns him, he will be the only legitimate emperor in Europe! ”

"There's always a price that can make Maximilian I give in." Margaria argued.

Marin thought about it and decided to break a fierce news:

"You're right, that's under normal circumstances. However, this time, how much Venice gives, may not matter! ”

"Why?" Margaria didn't believe it.

"Well, I'm going to tell you a secret here, and I hope you will keep it a secret. Otherwise, the Pope would not have spared me. ”

After seeing the people present nodding, Marin said:

"I spent some time in the Holy See and learned a big secret. Did you know? His Majesty Julius II, in order to invite Austria to send troops to attack Venice, intends to come up with a condition that Maximilian I absolutely cannot refuse, as a bargaining chip for Austria to attack Venice with all its might......"

"What kind of chips would allow Austria to attack Venice with all its might?" Leonardo. Loredang asked curiously.

"In addition to the coronation of His Majesty Maximilian I, in order to authorize the Holy Roman Empire, the emperors from now on do not need to come to Rome, but can be crowned by the Archbishop of Mainz in the country......" Marin slowly said this killer feature of Julius II.

In fact, it hasn't happened yet. In the original history, when the "League of Cambrai" was formed, in exchange for the full cooperation of Maximilian I, Julius II gave this condition. As a result, Maximilian I really sided with Julius II without hesitation and sent troops to attack Venice.

"Is His Majesty the Pope insane? Giving up the right to coronation is equivalent to lifting the ban on the Holy Roman Empire! In the future, will the Holy Roman Empire still be able to take the Holy See into its eyes? You know, the right to coronate the emperor has always been an important means used by the Holy See to check and balance the Holy Roman Emperor! "Leonardo. Loredang exclaimed.

"That's right, Lord Governor. Although, doing so would untie the shackles that bind the Holy Roman Empire. However, the situation in Europe is different now. After the French became stronger, the Holy Roman Empire was no longer the hegemon of Europe. Even if the Holy Roman Empire wanted to seize Italy, it would have to ask the French if they would agree......"

Marin's explanation is very reasonable, since the rise of France, the HRE is no longer the overlord of the European continent. Moreover, the French were an even greater threat to Italy. Julius II lifted the ban on the HRE in order to make the HRE and the French hate each other. It's just that Julius II didn't expect that the HRE and Spain would merge. Then, with the support of Spanish gold and silver in the Americas, the HRE hung the French for decades, captured the French king alive, and then placed the Holy See under the protection of Spain......

After Marin revealed this "secret" that Julius II had not yet decided, the dozen or so Venetian tycoons present were shocked. It can be said that if the Pope not only promised to coronate Maximilian I, but also allowed it not to be used for coronation by the Holy See in the future, one can imagine how desperate Maximilian I would have been. Because, in the future, the Holy Roman Emperor will no longer be subject to the constraints of the Holy See. For this alone, it is worth the Habsburgs to fight for the Holy See, and willingly......

……

There was silence in the conference room for a long time, and the Venetian bigwigs were a little depressed. At this time, General Marino, who was in charge of the Venetian military, suddenly said:

"What if we go to Switzerland and hire a large number of Swiss mercenaries? Can it block enemy attacks? ”

"yes, that's a good idea!" Congressman Alani immediately became excited and supported Marino's proposal.

"I'm afraid not!" The number two man in the military of the Republic of Venice, Niccolò, who rose to prominence in the Battle of Fornovo. Pierliuno shook his head.

"Why not?" Marino, as the military boss, is very dissatisfied with the second child's behavior of demolishing his own platform.

"Don't forget, the biggest employer of Swiss mercenaries is the French. If the French get in the way, we won't be able to hire enough Swiss mercenaries. Moreover, some time ago I sent someone to Switzerland to hire a group of mercenaries. However, I was told that Switzerland was hired by a mysterious large employer last year with 20,000 people. Now, there are probably few mercenaries left in Switzerland. The rest will have to stay in case Maximilian I attacks Switzerland from Graubünden......"

Niccolò broke a fierce news, which made Marin a little stunned:

"What? Someone hired 20,000 people from Switzerland? Can this matter be determined? Marin asked in surprise.

Marin keenly sensed that something big was coming......

20,000 Swiss mercenaries were hired, and they were not pulled to play, and there must have been a big war about to break out. And Marin didn't even notice this, which made him feel bad.

So, Marin decided - immediately after the negotiations, send someone to Switzerland to investigate the matter......

"Sure!" Niccolò nodded.

Unbeknownst to Marin, the information provided by Niccolò saved his life in the future......

……

At this time, Marin didn't have much of the heart to continue going around in circles with these Venetian bigwigs. So, he stood up very solemnly and said:

"Venice is really dangerous, it's not me Marin who is scaring you. Here, I would like to share with you a great secret that is at stake in the survival of Venice. But first, please swear by your hands on the Bible that you will never tell anyone that I have revealed this news......"

Seeing that Marin was so mysterious, Alani said dissatisfiedly:

"What secret is so important? It's too much of a fuss for us to swear so much, right? ”

"If you're not happy, it's okay if I don't say it, anyway, it's Venice that is unlucky, not my Marin!" Marin said coldly. He didn't want to leak the secret afterwards, and if the Spaniards found out, they would definitely hate him.

Leonardo. Seeing that Marin didn't look like a lie, Loredang persuaded the others to accept Marin's opinion, and more than a dozen bigwigs all strotted the Bible and swore a heavy oath.

"Now, you can say it, right?" Alani said dissatisfied.

"It is so, when I was involved in the negotiations between Spain and Portugal between the Holy See on the revision of the Treaty of Todesiras, I heard a shocking secret ......"

"What is it? Say it! ”

"Spain and Portugal intend to reconcile, to form a combined fleet, to control the Arabian Sea to the west of India, and to intercept all Arab and Egyptian merchant ships selling spices......"

After Marin finished speaking, he took a leisurely sip of water......

At first, the Venetian bigwigs present had not yet reacted. But soon, everyone's faces changed drastically......

"This ...... This is to push Venice to a dead end...... "The representative of the Barbarigo family, the former governor of Venice, Agostino. Barbarigo's nephew, Marcello. Barbarigo immediately lost his temper. You know, the spice trade, but the Barbarigo family's important business, is also the main source of profit. If the merchant ships of the Arabs and Egyptians were intercepted by the Spaniards and Portuguese, the Venetian merchants would no longer have spices to resell. When the time comes, the commerce of the Venetians will be greatly affected.

"Sure enough, it's a confidential piece of information about the life and death of Venice...... Duke Marin, can you guarantee that what you are saying is the truth? "Leonardo. Loredang sighed and asked solemnly.

"I can swear to God with my hand on the Bible, and what I say is true. But at the same time, please don't reveal that I said it. Otherwise, Spain and Portugal will get me in trouble. That's why I made you swear just now......" Marin replied earnestly.

Leonardo. Loredang nodded, knowing that the stakes were high, and it was very reasonable for Marin to do so.

It's just that this news is too big. If one is not handled well, Venice will really go into decline. After all, the dozen or so bigwigs here, their families, are basically involved in the spice trade. Although there are more or less, everyone basically has a share. If the source of spices were cut off by Spain and Portugal, the blow to Venice would be enormous.

"What to do? What should I do......" At this time, Councilor Alani, who was still very arrogant just now, muttered a little dejectedly.

In fact, not only Alani, but other Venetian bigwigs were also stunned by the bombshell thrown by Marin......