"I'm going to rebuild Rome!"

This is the heroic proclamation of the new pope, Leo X, on the feast of the Three Kings (January 6) in 1510.

In the following week, in order to fulfill his promise, he did not hesitate to issue thirteen edicts in succession, including the repeal of the seven decrees made by Julius II, and all the clergy and friars who were watching the new pope could not help but breathe a sigh of relief - they had made a good choice.

His Holiness the Pontifical Majesty, who was equally lacking in political and religious ambition, seemed to be more interested in wandering in the halls of art and knowledge, what a joyful act! The cardinals would rather see their pope want to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica than he wants to touch the existing order and traditions of the Church...... And since Leo X intended to create a humanist paradise on earth, he must have needed untold sums of money – which meant that the once suspended trade in relics, indulgences, and priesthood could finally be reopened.

Of course, before that, by despicable intrigue and tricks, they had carved one gap after another in the closed gates of Julius II, but such gaps were still a kind of torture for these people who were accustomed to misdeeds, and now they were once again able to enjoy and enrich themselves without any scruples, and while they praised Leo X with a loud voice, and at the same time, they were madly - yes, the desires that had been forced to hide under the harsh oppression of Julius II were now like a flood that had been stored up for a long time, It burst out.

Every day, Leo X's fisherman's rings were kissed by a dozen abbots, bishops, and other high clergy, who came to thank the Pope for the honorable positions they had conferred, and in turn their investition fees, annuities, secretarial fees, and the protection money, assistance money, and tithes collected on behalf of the churches and monasteries flowed into the treasury that had been empty during the reign of Julius II.

In addition to these, the cardinals, bishops, and abbots who had been promoted by Julius II, who came from humble backgrounds or were not valued by their families, were dealt a heavy blow if they were not given strong protection, whether they were willing to join the clan or resign from their clergy—some were chased and arrested by the judges of the Jurisprudence, some were assassinated, and some were missing, but they were all the same fruit to Leo X— All of these people's assets are included in the church's income as settlement payments and forfeiture income.

Caressing his bounty purse, Leo X issued a call to the whole of Christendom, and every learned scholar and professor, every poet, sculptor, painter, goldsmith, every prostitute, who was either charming or able to sing and dance, came to the Vatican—and they would all get a rewarding job with the Pope.

No, or rather, even the most stupid apprentice, or the most timid peasant, or the most timid merchant and the most lowly slave, could get a place in Rome, because Leo X had the whimsical idea of tearing down the low and chaotic buildings outside Rome and rebuilding neat and solemn neighborhoods, in addition to St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Palace—for which the Swiss mercenaries and Cadiz soldiers had a new task, and they had to go to those mixed places, Write down the names of the people who live there, divide and fix them by family or house, and these people will be hired to demolish their old dwellings—in order to ensure that this task can be accomplished, and that no one will misrepresent the Father's intentions, the members of the Monks of Mercy will follow them, explaining to the ignorant and lowly commoners that they are not to be expelled, but that after enduring a short period of inconvenience, they will be given a new town, smooth streets, clean ditches, and clear drinking water, Bright sunlight and a sturdy and spacious residence.

Thousands of Cadiz craftsmen were transferred to Rome, and they were all involved in the construction of Cadiz, and they were all too familiar with how to build the new city, with cement and brick kilns, whether it was laying drainage or building houses, it was much faster than before, and almost every day the Romans could see the changes on the construction site - first a peculiar pit, large enough to accommodate a city, people walked around in it, cylindrical pipes were hoisted to different positions according to the drawings, and then pillars stood in gray-white boxes, Like an angel casting wheat seeds in a field to sprout plants, tall and large, and then the original ash is pushed back into the pit, the workers erect and fix the cement slabs between the square pillars, and the same goes for the roof and the top surface, although these cement slabs still have incomprehensible holes, but everyone can see the rudimentary shape of these houses.

Their width, length, and depth were uniform, and so was their height, and they looked like little square boxes, with no foyers, no columns, no eaves, simple but new, and some of the people who lived in Rome could not help but gather curiously to look at them, and the commoners who were told that these would be their dwellings were still in disbelief...... Although the city of Rome was incomparably splendid and beautiful, it had nothing to do with the people outside of Rome.

In ancient Rome, the people of the countries and cities conquered by Rome lived outside the city, and in the Middle Ages, it was inhabited by lowly servants, prostitutes and slaves, and the small buildings of two or three floors were crowded with people, so dense that they could not be touched, they had no concept of stoves and fireplaces, they could light fires to cook and heat them anywhere, the windows were only covered by planks and rags, and if feces and urine did not flow in the house, they splashed through the doors and windows to the streets, except for the dirty. It is so narrow that it does not see the light of day, if the rain is pouring, the stagnant water can even drown a handful of people, and the corpses of pigs and dogs are even more floating with the water...... If they wanted to drink water, they had to get it from the Tiber - and the lead drinking pipes that the Romans were so proud of certainly couldn't have their share.

Giulio could not have made water pipes for them out of precious black iron, copper, and steel, but he could build aqueducts for them, and those pipes buried in the ground, part of which were aqueducts, and the other part was drainage, and the aqueducts used part of the original facilities of ancient Rome, from the aqueducts to the cisterns, and from the cisterns to each dwelling—because the new city was a square rectangle with straight streets, the configuration in this regard was very simple, according to the regulations, each dwelling could accommodate twenty people, Each of these 20 people gets 25 gallons (about 100 liters) of water per day.

At the height of the water infrastructure of ancient Rome, everyone in the city had access to ten times as much water, but Giulio only wanted to keep the new city clean and safe, not for people's pleasure, and this water was enough to clean himself and drink, even for the common people.

But that's all for later.

On the feast of the Lord's Sacrifice (February 2nd), 1510, the Duke of Nuoro, Cosimo the Younger. On Medici's tenth birthday (in fact, he was already twelve), not only did Leo X make a special blessing mass for him, but the bishops and envoys also filled the halls of the Palazzo Picromini, among which a gift from Queen Juana I of Spain was particularly eye-catching—because it was a crown of pure gold, although it was new, without any history or significance, but the meaning in it was self-evident—even Machiavelli, who had always been calm, suddenly became excited, but Giulio just picked it up casually, Put it in Cosimo. The Medici tried on the curls, and the crown was still a little large, and at once it slipped from the abundant curls to Cosimo's smooth forehead, and little Cosimo booed good-naturedly, plucked it, and put it beside him, and continued to watch the other people's gifts with his father.

Leonardo. Leonardo da Vinci sent a mechanical lion assembled from eighteen parts that interested Cosimo the most, far more than the solid gold crown, which he held in his hand with great interest, compared the drawings, and discussed with Giulio how it should be disassembled, completely ignoring Machiavelli's changing face - of course he liked Machiavelli very much, but the problem was, as his father said, Machiavelli's extreme egoism was a very dangerous idea, Whether it's using others for one's own ends, or non-cooperative exploitation, in the short term, there are huge gains, but in the long run, a cruel, unvirtuous, utilitarian and short-sighted leader will only lead to ruin.

So unless Cosimo Jr. The Medici only wanted to have a moment of pleasure, and if he wanted to become a respected monarch and have the Medici coat of arms permanently adorned with the crown, he would never have fully embraced Machiavelli's ideas - and as far as his biological father was concerned, he was still a child, and he didn't have to think about it for the time being, what he needed most now was to learn and observe, the former Caesar. Borgia, Charles VIII, Ferdinand I, Isabella I, Bayezid II...... Even today's Louis XII, Maximilian I, the three princes of Ottoman Turkey and the exiled Jem. The Sultan, as long as Giulio knows or has the information, there is nothing that is not open to little Cosimo, and if there is something he can't understand, Giulio will also explain it to him, so little Cosimo can see very clearly that he is still a long way from becoming a qualified ruler.

But in any case, he will not become unkind, unscrupulous, and not to mention anything else, as Machiavelli would like, and even he himself will not like to deal with such people, will others like to associate with such people? Just look at Borgia, is it just because they are not strong enough and not rich enough that such a behemoth will be destroyed overnight? Because no one wants to trust them, not even their allies and in-laws.

Machiavelli was always worried that he would be like his father, Giulio. The Medici placed too much emphasis on emotion and morality, but Cosimo Jr. sometimes secretly retorted in his mind that if that was the case, how could he be surrounded by so many relatives, friends, and supporters, and no one would like to sleep with a brutal viper, even if he was a viper himself...... Machiavelli is too, although he has always been interested in Giulio. The Medici's mercy was incessant, but he had also served him faithfully for nearly a decade.

And his own mother, Cosimo Jr. thought to himself, he had never met his own mother, although Giulio told him that Lucrecia. Borgia loved him, but Cosimo Jr. instinctively felt that his mother might not be as perfect as Giulio suggested, at least not so much...... From various records and rumors, it is known that she is also an out-and-out Borgia, but her willingness to give birth to Giulio, who was only the son of a merchant at the time, means that she is truly in love with Giulio...... No one can not love him, especially those who are in the darkness and cold, how warm and bright he is, but this love inevitably turns into terrible jealousy and hatred - like Caesar and Julius II.

"What are you thinking?"

Little Cosimo was startled—a pair of eyes that seemed to flow like molten gold in the candlelight were so close to him that he could even see them reflecting his shadow, like a little prisoner, locked inside.

"Oops!" He couldn't help complaining: "If you are a father, don't be so naughty!" ”

Giulio laughed, not showing a hint of shame, since they returned to Rome again, little Cosimo has become serious, although in this day and age, a twelve-year-old child can almost be said to be an adult, but he only hopes that little Cosimo's carefree childhood can be longer, longer, for his future road must be unusually long and hard.

Until then, let them, the abominable adults, bear for him a little more, either responsibility or sin...... Belch!

But an angry little Cosimo doesn't have to.

"God!" Julio shouted, "My child, you really are like a wild boar now!" He shouted half-truthfully: "Both from strength and from weight...... Clams! It's a pity," he smiled, a sinister smile, "Didn't Ezio teach you to identify the weaknesses of your enemies before you can attack?" With only a slight movement, he freed himself from Cosimo Jr.'s grip, twisted his left hand in disbelief, and rolled him over to reverse him on a gorgeous silk carpet from Ottoman Turkey.

"It can't be!" Cosimo Jr. shouted.

"What's impossible." Giulio said cruelly: "Since the waist is the weakness of most people, those who have a heart will naturally focus on training and protection." He leaned down to 809, "But you probably haven't been exposed to this course yet." He said thoughtfully, then reached out and reached out and reached through the gap between Cosimo's shirt and swiped his fingertips gently, causing Cosimo to giggle uncontrollably.

And just as Cosimo Jr. was trying his best to think of a way to get out and fight back, Machiavelli, who was standing on the side, coughed lightly.

"I don't want to disturb you." Brother John stood in front of the door and said, "But the time of work has come, and the cardinals, the envoys of Venice, are waiting for your call." ”

Julio had no choice but to let Cosimo Jr. go, "You interrupted my lesson. ”

"What course, bullying your own son?" Brother John replied unceremoniously.

"It's teaching, teaching, dear John." Giulio snapped a kiss on Cosimo's forehead and walked out as he straightened his robes, "Teacher Picromini will be glad to see me do this." ”

"Because he loves bullying little Cosimo as much as you do." Brother John said, "I remember that he had prepared a teacher for you, the ...... Brother Desi, tell you how to whip a child's ass with a plank...... He just hates little Cosimo's green eyes......"

"Yes, you see...... I didn't even use a plank......"

"We didn't whip you with a plank, let alone ass, and we didn't ...... our hands"

The two of them spoke away, and little Cosimo silently stroked his chest, he knew that some students would be spanked by the priest with a wooden plank, but he didn't expect that he was so close to such a brutal punishment...... In this case, he would rather be tickled by Julio.

Sighing at his good fortune, he returned to the silk carpet and continued to unpack his gifts—a round silver platter with a lion with wings and a book on its front paws: "This is the Venetian?" He asked Machiavelli that the lion with wings was the coat of arms of the Republic of Venice.

"Yes," said Machiavelli, "is a very valuable gift." He said that the silver platter, large enough for a one-year-old child to be a cradle, was trimmed with pearls, the lion was three-dimensional and pure gold, the eyes were rubies, and the tips of the claws and teeth were ivory.

"Do they have a request for my father?"

"I think so."

——————————

Julio. The Wisney envoy to whom the Medici met was the nephew of the current head of the Dandoro family, kissed Giulio's ring with great humility and bowed repeatedly, treating a cardinal like a king, and Giulio wondered if he had such eagerness for Leo X.

It seems that the Venetians do know a lot.

"To be able to witness your glory," said the Venice envoy with exclamation, "I am so fortunate that I am, my lordship." He was again complimentary, and half-sincerely, Giulio. The Medici was the cardinal he had ever seen, nay, the most beautiful of the young men, and the cardinal's red robe gave him a touch of majesty and solemnity—but, even though the cardinal seemed kind and forgiving, his uncle, Angelo. Cardinal Dandoro had already reminded him that he was not a cowardly figure – perhaps all that people saw was his disguise, Angelo. Cardinal Dandoro had seen firsthand how his Roman fire turned thousands of armies into ghosts in purgatory, not to mention that Julius II could be said to have thrown himself into his net...... At that time, the poor little Lovere thought that he had finally escaped—but he did not know that Lepi was Giulio long ago. The Medici's lair.

As for how Julius II died, did he repent before he died, did he say anything important...... It seems that there is something about the Pope's private assets, and until now, Cardinal Dandoro has not dared to ask......

But today the Venetians are not here for this, they have two things, more important than Julius II, one is the Roman fire and the other is the French.

"I can't sell you the recipe for Roman fire." "But I can sell the finished product to you," said Giulio, along with the technicians...... I mean, in charge of transporting, installing and operating, they can also instruct your soldiers, but the recipe, no. ”

The Venetian envoys were a little disappointed, they wanted it very much, whether it was against the Portuguese, the Genoese or the Ottoman Turks, and the pirates who came out of nowhere, and Cardinal Tendoro saw that they could be used not only on sea ships but also on land, and against the French, it was always good to have a sharp weapon.

"And then there's the French." The envoy of the Venetian said, "Don't you think they are getting more and more annoying? ”

"You seem to have forgotten," said Giulio, "that the League of Cambrai came into being because Venice invaded Romagna first. ”

"We can give up Romagna." The envoy said, "As long as you guarantee the inviolability of Venice's territory." ”

"It's not enough," said Giulio, "it's not enough." ”