The first thing the French saw was a strangely shaped siege engine, and the reason for saying so was that they could only call it by this familiar term, its base was square, and the top lid was like an open giant umbrella - of course, at this time, people did not have the concept of an umbrella, let's just call it an inverted dustpan - the strange top cover was made of copper and iron, covered with soaked cowhide, and inlaid in four directions with palm-sized glass, all polished, There are concave and convex surfaces that serve as a rough magnification, and where the enemy can't see, one man struggles to pedal on the chain to give the siege vehicle the momentum to move forward, while the other two huddle nervously in the car, gazing uneasily at the tin can heated by a small flame right next to them.

Three siege vehicles "walked" out of the city gate slowly, connecting the city and the drawbridge in a line, and when they came to the open ground, they changed from a straight line to a horizontal line.

If the defenders of Le Piy had come up with such things in the first place, the Count of Cypress would have laughed at them, but now, he was not sure what they were, so he immediately ordered the archers to shoot arrows, but the arrows only added some ornaments to them, so he ordered the arquebusiers to shoot, and the leather was partially lifted, but the metallic luster that exposed them was immediately speechless.

"These damn Romans are really rich." An edict knight said this, and then he asked to come forward and challenge these strange behemoths, and the Count of Cypress at first disagreed, but the ballista and trebuchet were still being assembled, and Lepey's siege engine, though slow, had been advancing steadfastly, and if he waited any longer, the horses would not have been able to get enough speed to keep the knights on the charge.

So the Count of Cypress gave the order, and the twenty-four knights of the royal decree were formed in three horizontal columns, raised their spears, and trotted forward, and when they were still a hundred and fifty paces from Lepi's siege engine, they began to pinch the belly of their horses, and gradually accelerated, and when the distance was reduced to fifty paces, they did not spare their horses, but galloped wildly, and increased their speed to the highest speed, and at the same time laid down their spears—before the attack they caught a glimpse of the possible weaknesses of these things, such as the small glass window or the place where the base was connected to the roof.

But just as the knights of the edict lowered their spears, the men of the "siege carat" also launched their attack—a soldier who was considered to be the most powerful lifted the brass pipe that ran through a third of the body, and under the brass pipe was a rough rubber pipe connected to the iron can, although the brass pipe was still wrapped in leather and wood, but the soldier could not help but shudder when he saw his colleague stepping on the air pump and pumping the oil from the iron can into the brass pipe, and the deadly warm liquid flowed from his shoulder to his arm, and from the small glass window, And in the gap between the top cover and the pedestal, he could see the black and red spears and silver plate armor of the Imperial Knights.

The soldier shouted almost subconsciously, turned the brass tube in the direction of the enemy, and then pulled the bracket, and the moment the valve was opened, the liquid under the pressure suddenly spurted out violently, and was ignited as it passed the end of the preset lighter, and the fifty feet of flame were tightly connected to the incoming Edict Knight and the "siege vehicle" in an instant.

This fervent connection lasted only two or three blinks, perhaps even shorter, and not only did the knights fail to react, but even the most flame-feared horses, who neighed miserably, rushed into the flames, or fell, or crashed directly into the siege engine, the nearly five hundred pounds of weight of the horses and the impact of the knights were extraordinary, and the siege vehicle creaked in a terrifying sound.

The last two skilled knights of the Imperial Command immediately turned - they could hedge in both directions while they were training, and turn their horses back the moment their spears touched each other, a distance that was not a problem, but the knights at the front could not escape, and the three terrible siege engines, after a moment's pause, once again spat out scorching flames.

One of the siege engines unfortunately lost the possibility of advancing - its wheels became entangled in fallen horses, and the flames even spread to the base of the siege engine, and a man ran out and frantically threw unknown gray sand on it, and the fire was quickly extinguished, and when the French tried to attack him with bows and arrows and arquebuses, he retracted into the siege engine, around which the knights and retinue fired arrows and javelins, and he forced them back with Roman fire.

The other two siege engines continued to move forward, flames and black smoke surrounding them, making them look more like they had come out of hell, and some of the soldiers tried to flee under the pressure of fear, but they were suppressed by the guards of the Count of Cypress - some of the servants abandoned their horses and whipped them with swords and whips, causing them to rush into the flames, whether they were striking or jamming the wheels with their bodies, but the Roman fire of the Lepi defenders seemed clumsy, but in fact they were very nimble, and the horses did not come close to them, The tongue of flame reached out to them, forcing them to flee in all directions, even turning back and trampling their master.

A few minutes later, the French soldiers were on the verge of collapse, as more of these siege engines were slowly coming out of the castle of Le Puy.

Count Cypress had to give the order to evacuate, but when they walked on the avenue, they were shamelessly ambushed, this is the scattered arquebusiers, this is the first time that Count Cypress saw the arquebusiers not lined up, but wandered around in the dense forest like thieves, the knights could not enter the dense forest, and the infantry entered the dense forest but it was difficult to find the enemy, but they would be swept away by the enemy - the clothes and hats of those arquebusiers were a strange brown, green and black patch of variegated color, Compared to the bright clothes of the French infantry, they were as inconspicuous as fallen leaves and dead branches.

Along the way, they were constantly harassed by such nuisances that even men like the Count of Cypress could not help cursing loudly, and by the time they arrived in Rome night had fallen, and both soldiers and knights were tired, angry, and sad...... While people were falling to the ground, and their captain was whispering insults to them to get up and keep walking, Count Cypress heard one of the soldiers complaining that the ground was too wet and muddy, and he almost subconsciously looked down and sniffed - it had rained in Rome in the previous days, and it was normal for the mud to be difficult in winter, but they had not heard such a complaint when they left Rome - he smelled a very slight stench, exactly the same as what he had smelled outside the castle of Lepuy...... The Earl of Cypress looked up suddenly, but it was too late, and from behind the hill like a creeping beast, several men with longbows stood up, their arrows on fire.

The rockets hit the ground, and the grease, which was lighter than the previous Roman fire, burned rapidly, and they were surrounded by fire, the soldiers were wailing, and the horses were neighing.

By the light of the flames, Count Cypress saw several men wielding something like a hammer, but instead of approaching them, they disengaged at a distance, and they roared and fell into the fire and fell apart in an even more terrible manner, and the hot air and the iron pieces they carried in the air currents could not be withstood even by the pack horses with heavy plate armor, and they could only fall to the ground with blood and wail, not to mention the knights and soldiers...... Before the Count could see them, a loud roar rang out around him, and he was thrown into the air, falling heavily and losing consciousness.

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Let's go back a few hours to a few hours ago.

The Count of Cypress left early in the morning with his army, and Cardinal Amboise walked almost habitually into the courtyard of Castel Sant'Angelo, and saw his comrades and captives compared to the heartless Joe. The Medici and the other three cardinals have lost a lot of weight, and even if they have negotiated a deal, they will inevitably give George a lot of weight in the future papal elections. Morality. Amboise had one vote, but they could not get out of the control of the French for a day, and they could not be at ease for a day.

Cardinal Amboise laughed at this, and he turned back to look at Joe. The Medici, Jo was still the same, playing cards with the three soldiers in the warm winter sun, and when he saw him, he warmly invited him to participate, Cardinal Amboise raised his eyes and saw that the three soldiers were unfamiliar faces, and he was relieved, which meant that the captain here had not been carried away by the luxury of the Medici - he politely declined Joe's invitation, and bluntly refused his request to leave Castel Sant'Angelo and go to the streets and alleys outside the city of Rome, even if there was a soldier's supervision, but if he could, He could still instruct the servants to find a few suitable "lovers" for Joe.

Jo hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, "My lord," he said shamelessly, "I have heard from the soldiers that a very interesting group of prostitutes has recently come to Rome, and I would like to invite them to the castle." ”

Cardinal Amboise did not want to promise him, Louis XII and Count Cypress were not in Rome, he did not want anything to change here, but the thought of it, from Joe. The Medici's hands flowed endlessly into his hands, and since Louis XII's occupation of Rome, Joe. The Medici did not cause him any trouble, and he hesitated—"well," he said, "but only prostitutes." ”

By the time Joe had come to enjoy the "beauties" with great interest before dinner, Cardinal Amboise had finally understood the look on his face when the guards had looked at him along the way—it was a group of men! They don't have the thick legs and big hearts of the rude soldiers, but they're still men, men, men! He knew how far the clergy of Rome had fallen!

He was so angry that he was about to leave almost immediately, but Joe. The Medici grinned and blocked his way, and his fat body blocked the narrow corridor, and Cardinal Amboise was about to reprimand him, but he saw a pair of incomparably clear eyes, which he had never seen in Jo, and he felt that it was not good, and wanted to shout, but he was caught by two "prostitutes" dressed in silk clothes by his left and right arms, and the golden cup of wine was brought to his lips, and Joe's fat hand was only pinched on the back of his neck, so that he opened his mouth and drank the glass of wine.

The squire outside the door only saw Joe. The Medici had spoken a few words to his master, and their master changed his mind and returned to the long table, surrounded by two "special" prostitutes.

Soon after, the attendants were also invited into the room, after which two ...... "guests" dressed in gorgeous clothes swayed out, and the guards outside the door were concocted one by one - Joe. The Medici changed into the black robes of the clergyman and pointed out to the young Assassins of Assasin where the bishops were interned, and whether they were on the side of Louis XII or not, they could not be taken by the defeated French.

Louis XII would not respect the traditions of the Holy See, and he could have elected a new pope anywhere in France.

When Cadiz's army began to attack Castel Sant'Angelo, the captain who remained behind hurriedly ran to look for Cardinal Amboise, but he only saw Joe, dressed in black. The Medici, vigilant, immediately pressed his hand to the hilt of his sword, but before he could say anything threatening, Jo. The Medici "throw" itself viciously like a ball, hitting the poor man with precision, knocking him to the ground, and an Assasin assassin immediately stepped forward, only to find that he didn't need to do anything more—the hapless man's neck was broken, and his face was still full of disbelief—he probably never imagined that he would die so easily and absurdly.

The French army, which had lost Cardinal Amboise and its captain, panicked for a while, but they still had Castel Sant'Angelo and artillery, and a real offensive and defensive battle began.

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Whether it was Lepu or Rome, the outcome of the battle was already decided, and Giulio led his subjects out of Le Piy Castle on horseback.

In fact, there were only three siege engines equipped with Roman fire, and all of them were fake wooden wagons, and if the French lifted the cowhide, they would find that there were only some wooden frames underneath, not even a whole plank.

There were only three hundred people who were constantly harassing them in the dense forests on both sides of the avenue.

Château de Le Puy is entirely thanks to Giulio. The real main force that the Medici had endured with his courage and scheming was deeply puzzled by his bet on Rome, because in terms of importance and the number of enemies he faced, it was clear that the people here were more dangerous. Machiavelli guessed that Giulio. The Medici did this to refine his real army, yes, the young men of Cadiz were strong, loyal, and well-armed and equipped, but they still had the heart of a craftsman or a peasant, and a soldier who had not been tested by blood and death could not withstand the torture of defeat, but it also did not make them feel that victory was a low-hanging fruit, so the small territory and difficult to play Le Pie was unlikely to be their first battlefield - this castle could not even accommodate them.

Castel Sant'Angelo was the virgin land Giulio had chosen for them.

They will face a real, complete, cruel and holy war, and they will be victorious, after the necessary sacrifice.

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Ferdinand was not able to sit on his horse on his own for the time being, so Giulio wrapped him in a cloak and placed him in front of him. The Medici followed close behind.

Juana's second son was a little pale, as was Cosimo Jr., but his eyes were much more resolute - along the way, there were wounded people lying on the ground wailing and weeping, and the dead covered in white linen, including their soldiers and French, and the dead who were burned by fire looked particularly terrible.

But they were lucky, because unlike all previous battles, as long as the wounded were willing to lay down their arms and surrender, they could be treated and rescued, not only the knights, but even the humblest servants and mercenaries, although they knew that no one would ransom them, they tried to find the money bags from their bodies, and tried to wave them, trying to save their lives - but the monks in gray robes and with red crosses on their chests did not seem to care if they were rich or not, they were punished by the soldiers who had their weapons confiscated, The knights or whatever were brought together, treating the wounds in descending order, while the dead and the dying were approached by monks who prayed and anointed them with holy oil, and they also received communion and passed away contentedly.

Such a move was even more popular than the treatment, and the moans of the wounded became muffled.

"What do you want to ask?" Julio looked down and asked, his slightly shaking chest reminding Ferdinand of the sound of the tall organ in the church when his mother carried him to Mass, "Who are those monks?" Ferdinand asked, more so why did they save their enemies, if they were knights, but were the lowly mercenaries and servants worthy of their prayers and herbs?

"Monks of Mercy." Julio. The Medici said that this was the order he founded, and that not all of them were monks, and that they did not need to fast, that they practiced penance every day, that they wore vestments all the time, and that they were more like warriors, teachers, and doctors than monks. Almost all of them were pupils in the church schools he had established in Rome and after his return to Florence in Cadiz, Lucca, Florence and in the cities of the League, and they were children between the ages of seven and ten when they entered school, but now they were teenagers or adults, and they received a lenient but rigorous, comprehensive education in the schools, and although the excessively harsh corporal punishment was abolished, these children did not become lawless bastards as one might think, but on the contrary, they were stronger than their peers. Gentler and more confident, they were grateful to Giulio and the Medici family, and willing to sacrifice their loyalty to him.

Although most of them are still preparatory members of the Order—they have to go through many years of testing to become full members.

Follow-up to campaigns like this one is one of them, where people keep coming out of tents vomiting or fainting, and the faces and limbs burned by the oil are horrific – but almost everyone keeps coming back...... Or crawl back and go on with their work, only a few of the too weak ones could only lay dying on the side of the road, and those who passed by them could not help but shake their heads, and when they saw Julio, they could not help but cover their faces in shame, and did not dare to look directly at him.

And Giulio just chuckled and asked their teacher to comfort them, as long as he didn't deliberately slack off, he wouldn't be too demanding, these people are still children.

"These people," Giulio pointed to the flag standing outside the tent, with a gray undertone and a red cross, "and this flag, I hope they will be on any battlefield in the future." ”

"What a compassionate man." Compared to Ferdinand, the first to understand the meaning of Giulio's words was Duarte, who had experienced war, and of course knew that more people died of fever and starvation after the war because of the lack of access to treatment and food than the dead and wounded in the war - not to mention the money on his body, once he lost his mobility, he could not even preserve his last dignity - otherwise there would not be so many naked corpses after a battle.

"Compassion? No," said Giulio, "it's just a hypocritical redemption." "And, just for himself.

No one knows better than him how many more people will die for him after that.