Brother Desi meets Giulio. At the time of the Medici, it was only a few days before the Holy Year, but he could not see the archbishop in the church, nor in the processions in the squares or in the streets, let alone in the prostitutes' nests or taverns, and he followed the monks to the new town outside Lucca, which was northwest of the old Lucca, and the Sergio River ran from north to south for the weavers to rinse the silk, which is why the center of Lucca gradually moved to the east. And the upstart Guienici Palace is also here.

In December, even in Lucca, it was cold enough, not to mention that they were still by the river, and the deep cold brought by the flowing water could almost freeze one's breath. But the Lukkas, who were surrounded by some large stones, did not seem to feel cold at all, and were so excited that they took off their fur cloaks, and reached out to touch, smash, and move (of course, not move) the stones, and some drew their swords and slashed, and when they found that they could not help the stones, they shouted and danced with their hands.

"It's not enough," says Giulio, "that we also need Roman cement." ”

"Aren't there enough marls, I think they're hard enough." Danilo. Guinicki said.

"You want to use Roman cement to lay the part between the double walls," said Alfred. Castrolicio stepped forward and kept Danilo out of his back as if nothing happened, if it was about fighting and defense, who could compare to the Castelluccio family in Lucca? "You want to bring the water of the moat between the walls when necessary, right? It is true that the Roman cement docks became older and stronger, but no one has been able to restore them now. ”

"I can." "But I need seawater, a lot of it," Giulio said. ”

"You can have as much as you want." Danilo exclaimed, shaking Castelluccio's parents' ears ringing.

"Then let me see the power of the Guinician family." Giulio said.

Then he turned around, "Looks like I still have some things to deal with." He nodded to Luca's crowd and walked towards Machiavelli.

The crowd of Lukka bowed to him and stood in place, watching his back far away.

"Do you think of him as Lucca's ruler?" Danilo asked softly, "I thought the Castelluccio family would be a little more reserved?" ”

"If he can really get Lukka out of the way," Alfred squinted at him, "what's wrong with admitting him?" Even if he were a Florentine, I would like to erect a statue of him in the square – but you? I know that an emissary from the Pope has come to you. ”

"Come on, and that family hasn't been found? Alexander VI's rats are seamless," Danilo said with a smile, not at all recognizable in his blasphemous words, "I wonder how our archbishop could put up with the Borgias before." ”

"Young man......"

"There are a few more beautiful girls in the Guinician family." Danilo said.

Castelluccio's parents glared at him and walked away first.

——————————

Machiavelli had an otterskin coat on his hand, and as soon as he saw Giulio, he draped it over him.

"Your Highness," he said, "the knights have returned. ”

"Great," said Giulio mildly, "how many did they bring back?" ”

"Four thousand." Machiavelli said: "There are too few, and there are the elderly, women and children in it. His eyebrows were tangled together: "This is a good deed, Your Highness, but for you they are useless and will only cause waste." ”

"But what we are seeking does not happen overnight," said Giulio: "Nichiro, man is God's most precious creature – the old man is the past, the child is the future, the woman is the home, and it is terrible to have no old man, no child or woman in a city, a country, or to think that they are inferior, and without them no life is complete." ”

Machiavelli bowed his head, "I'll think about it, Your Highness." He said.

"It's a very new statement." A man was inserted between the two, it was a monk in brown robes, about thirty or forty years old, his eyes were blazing, and the corners of his mouth were always turned up in a pleasant way, "Nowadays, people always think that women are a synthesis of sins, that the old man is weak and simple-minded, and that the child is not yet fully developed and cannot be counted as a whole person, but you do not seem to think so. ”

"If they were really so useless and full of sin, then the Almighty and All-Knowing God, from the beginning, should have removed the infancy, youth, and old age of mankind, nor would he have taken Adam's rib as his wife." Giulio said: "God created us to give us an innocent childhood, to give us a wise and calm twilight life, and to give us a companion in mind and body, so that we should cherish them." ”

"That's pretty sharp words and thoughts." "There must be many people who hate you," said the monk, "but I have decided to like you, Your Excellency Archbishop Lucca. ”

Giulio looked at him without saying a word. "Who are you?"

Only then did Machiavelli hurriedly speak: "This is what they brought back to you from Forlì...... A Dutch monk who lived with a Brotherhood. ”

"Uh......" Brother Desi tentatively held out his hand, "is that okay?" ”

Giulio stretched out his hand and let him catch it, kissed the ring on it, and let Machiavelli bring it to him, and did not hesitate to introduce it himself, this man must have considerable merit, but why, he always felt that this guy was like a kite, and if he was not careful, he would fly himself......

In any case, as General Gonzalo's knightly chieftains thought, Giulio . The Medici are really in need of manpower right now, after all, this is Lucca, he can't let the Florentines come here as he wants, let alone involve them in the construction of the city walls of Lucca, to be honest, even if these Luccas exclude him, he will not be surprised, after all, in this era, the design of the city walls can be said to be the most important key to a city.

Brother Desi was immediately put to use, working under Machiavelli in relation to the vagrants, four thousand, with more to come, but Brother Desi did not suffer at all, and approached the job almost with an eye of exhilaration, novelty - to his surprise, the knight chief had hardly discounted what he had to say. The displaced people were isolated outside Lucca, but they had shelter – although built of very crude stone slabs, with food – fish, beans and rye, and work for set hours – from sunrise to sunset, where the sick, children, and the elderly could be cared for.

Skilled people are selected (mainly ceramic workers), and he and his family are given preferential treatment, and it is said that they are going to make a kind of *** for masonry wall tiles - if they do it well and quickly, they may be qualified to become Luccas.

At first, the residents of Imola and Forlì were nostalgic for their homeland and wanted to return when the war subsided, but gradually no one talked about it anymore.

Perhaps it was because, they had heard, the fighting had not subsided with the fall of Imola and Forlì, but had intensified.

King Louis XII of France has become Grand Duke of Milan, but the former Duke of Milan, Ludovico. Sforza did not give up easily, he managed to recruit about 10,000 mercenaries and march on Milan - as soon as the two armies came into contact, the French were shocked to find that Sforza had no less artillery than theirs, or rather more suitable for positional warfare than theirs, but in a few days, the French army was in a state of retreat, so Louis XII immediately took back what he had lent to Caesar. Borgia had 4,000 infantry and 1,800 cavalry.

Caesar. Borgia suddenly lost most of his support, and originally he wanted to use the momentum of victory to attack Giovanni. Sforza's territory of Pesaro, now all in vain, he was angry and hateful, but he was helpless, but fortunately at this time the messenger of Pope Alexander VI brought him good news - in view of his previous victory, the Pope decided to give him a grand triumphal ceremony, just like the Roman Julius. Caesar in general, which makes Caesar. Borgia was so distraught that he changed his mind and turned to Rome with his army.

The Pope did make good on his promise this time, not only did he schedule Caesar's entry into the city during the Carnival in February, but he also designated the theme of the carnival as "The Triumph of Caesar", which is obvious. He also summoned each of the cardinals and asked them to bring their courtiers, their servants, to meet Caesar outside St. Peter's Square. Borgia and his army, of course, were greeted by the envoys of those countries and regions, as well as all the clergy, monks, and government employees of Rome...... To put it simply, he would not allow anyone to be absent at this glorious and glorious moment.

His beloved youngest daughter, Caesar's beloved sister, Luclays, was no exception, and she returned to Rome from Spolet with her brother Avery from Spole.

It is also worth mentioning that Lucracia's husband, Duke Alfonso of Bisacebig, actually returned to Rome and had the privilege of marrying Avery Brown. Borgia was Caesar's guide together - that is, riding before Caesar, into the city of Rome, one can imagine how frustrated and frightened he would be, but Alexander VI apparently managed to convince the king of Naples that he had to come.

He was only relieved when he saw his wife, Lucracia, who assured him that she would do whatever it took to protect him until he left Rome and returned to Naples.

Standing on her familiar terrace (where she had welcomed her brother and lover back), Lucretia raised her hand and covered her face with a fan: "Go back and tell the Holy Father," she said, "Spolette alone is not enough." ”

"The Pope has a castle in Leux," said Duarte, the Pope's secretary. Sforza, his favorite seat when he was a cardinal, has been completely renovated – as long as you can keep Duke Bissebilli in Rome, it's yours. ”

"It's not enough," Lucalesia shook her fan, "it's too far away from Spollet, and I can't clone it." ”

Duarte leaned slightly: "The Holy See is willing to pay another 50,000 gold ducats to buy the towns and territories between them, up to the city of Rome, they are all yours." “

Lucrecia glanced at him, "So," she said, "go back and tell Dad that Alfonso is his." ”