Martin. Soon after being pardoned by the Pope, Lud was sent to Magdeburg in the Holy Roman Empire, where he studied grammar and music with them, where the brotherhood accepted him unconditionally, comforted his tormented soul, and soothed his bruised body—he sat in a carriage with a curtain up, lest he be discovered as the former judge and the fallen sinner.

As they were about to arrive at the Silver Palace, the carriage stopped, and a tightly wrapped man was loaded into the carriage, and after closing the door, the carriage immediately set off again.

The light in the carriage suddenly dimmed, and even then, Martin could see the face of the girl Bora in the open wool shawl...... She was still alive, grinning at him—all the teeth in her mouth had been knocked out, the sockets were filled with black-red blood clots, her hair had been forcibly cut off, the remaining stubble was spreading out in all directions, and her forehead was deeply dented—a mark of the iron mask known as the "witch's bridle."

Bora said a few words vaguely, because her teeth were gone, so Martin could barely understand at first, and she noticed this, so she slowed down: "They ......" She said with difficulty, "They...... Say, I can't...... Stay in Rome......" she said, inhaling deeply, visibly suppressing the pain, and where Martin couldn't see, there were more wounds: "I ...... I can...... And you...... Let's ......"

"Of course," Martin shouted loudly without waiting for her to finish, "of course! Bola, wherever I go, you will go, you must stay by my side! ”

Before he could finish the sentence, he burst into tears, stretched out his hand, and held Bora tightly in his arms, he remembered that Bora had been so strong, almost as tall as him, with shoulders as wide as a grown man, and a waist half as thick as his—he had never doubted her age, but now he could wrap her completely between his arms, and his hands could still be clasped together—as if Bora had been just a phantom, and what was left behind when pierced was a handful of bones.

"Let's go...... Magdeburg," Martin whispered, "the people there are best at raising pigs, raising cattle, serving sugar beet, wheat, rye...... I will try to find a job in a lawyer's office and earn a lot of money, Bora, you can eat three chickens a day, two cutlets, baskets of bread, drink wine and milk, and be full and comfortable every day......"

As Bora heard him speak, her eyes showed a look of infinite yearning, for she had no teeth, and her lips were sunken inward, like an old woman, but if she looked closely, she could still find the childish childishness in her forehead and round eyes, and these two diametrically opposed features appeared on the same face, and some timid people would faint in fear if they saw it.

But when she smiled, Martin felt that there was no more beautiful face than this.

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Alexander VI was very fond of receiving his guests in the Hall of the Martyrs, as he was quite happy to conquer both his friends and enemies, both mentally and physically.

In the Hall of the Martyrs, blood-drenched scenes are painted on all four walls—from Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns being crucified almost naked, bleeding from his ribs and hands and feet, to the cruel punishments inflicted on pagan kings – beheading, skinning, and burning...... to the bishops and popes in armor, armed with Bibles and swords, fighting the devil...... These scenes were vividly depicted by his royal painter, Pinturicio, and even the coldest and most powerful warriors could not help but shudder when they entered the area.

Pius III usually chooses the Hall of Our Lady rather than the Hall of the Martyrs, but today it may be an exception.

Brother John was led in by the head of the Teutonic Order, cousin of the Elector of Saxony, who was sixty years old, with an old countenance, his head and neck shrugged, and although he could see that he was trying to straighten his back, the action undoubtedly caused him great pain.

The contrast was striking that of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy standing beside him, dressed in silver bust armor - a fine icon inscribed on his chest, with verses and layers of patterns that made the armor look more like an ornament than a battle gear, and they knelt respectfully, kneeled forward, and kissed the feet of Pius III.

The one who could be brought before the Pope could not have been an ordinary servant, the boy was Albrecht, a young son of the House of Hohenzollern. In 1415, Frederick I of Hohenzollern became the Elector of Brandenburg – apparently a deal between the Elector of Saxony and the Elector of Brandenburg – and when the current Grand Master of the Teutonic Order died, he was succeeded by the young Hohenzollern.

The Hohenzollern, though he tried his best, could not suppress the excitement and curiosity of the young man, and after admiring the exciting frescoes, his eyes fell on the secretary sitting behind the small table, a cardinal, with his crimson robes and small hats declaring his identity, but he was also young, perhaps only two or three years older than himself, Albrecht muttered in his heart, but he also knew that it was as if he could be brought here, The person who recorded and witnessed this secret audience could only be the one Pius III believed the most.

It must have been his grandfather, the Elector of Brandenburg, and he had told him, one of Pius III's favorite disciples, and the black curls peeking out from under the little red hat indicated that he was the Cardinal Medici - Giulio had been listening intently to the conversation between the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and Pius III, but Albrecht's gaze was so direct that he had to look back and smile politely.

Albrecht laughed almost reflexively, and he looked a little ready to go up and talk to his friend of his age, but Giulio just smiled, turned back, and continued to listen to the conversation between His Excellency the Pope and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

The Teutonic Knights were the last of the three major orders to be founded, and for this reason they were not able to reap any great benefits from the previous three crusades, and with the repeated defeats of the Crusaders in the Jerusalem area, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights decided to turn part of their focus back to Europa—At this time, the King of Hungary invited them to help expel the infidels from the land, promising to grant them glory, money, and fiefs—The Teutonic Knights did fulfill their contract, However, because the ambitious Grand Master wanted to establish himself in the fiefdom, the Hungarian king reneged on his promise and drove them away.

Later, when the King of Poland invited them to help him fight against the unfaithful Prussian pagans, the Teutonic Knights were given a second chance, this time much wiser, and obtained from the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II the Golden Edict (note 1), which proved that the Teutonic Knights had the right to acquire the territories granted to them by the King of Poland and the terra nullius after the conquest of the Prussians, and it was expressly stated in the contract with the King of Poland that once the Teutonic Knights had conquered Prussia, They were able to take ownership of the Prussian region instead of a fief (which remained with the king), and they managed to obtain a second golden edict from Pope Gregory IX, who promised them the right to rule Prussia as long as they could convert the Prussian population to Christianity.

After obtaining a triple guarantee, it took fifty years of war for the Teutonic Knights to conquer all of Prussia and establish the Knights of the Order, which later merged with the Knights of the Sword and occupied a large territory in northern Europa.

At that time, it can be said that the Teutonic Knights were at their most glorious moment, but unfortunately, in the Battle of Greenwald in 1410, the combined forces of Poland and Lithuania inflicted heavy losses on the Teutonic Knights, the Knights lost 8,000 men, captured 2,000 people, and the Grand Master and important cadres were killed and wounded - as a result, the Teutonic Knights were no longer able to fight the Poles, and their power was repeatedly weakened, and the nobles and people of Prussia were dissatisfied with the Knights' exorbitant conquests, forming a Prussian alliance and joining forces with the Polish king, Once again, the Order lost a large amount of territory.

To this day, if there is anything similar to the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller, who have endured several hardships, it is that the Teutonic Knights stationed in Prussia are also in a difficult and embarrassing situation - they have lost most of their territory and can only survive in the eastern part of Prussia, they have to submit to the King of Poland and then to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but the former will not miss the opportunity to strangle them, and the latter, as everyone knows, Maximilian I was not the kind of man who would lend a helping hand to the weak in times of crisis - he could turn a blind eye to the pleas of Anne of Brittany, his former betrothed partner, let alone the Teutonic Knights, who treated him like a chicken.

The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order also tried to ask Alexander VI for help, but the greedy Borgia had the idea of swallowing his knights into the family army and then selling East Prussia to Poland or taking it for himself.

"So." Pius III asked, "What are your plans now?" ”

"This venerable young man," said the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, "is not only the third grandson of the Elector of Brandenburg, but his mother is also the sister of the King of Poland, that is to say, his uncle is none other than Zygmunt I, and his other uncle is none other than Alexander, Grand Duke of Lithuania."

"In other words, he is the result of the game between the two sides." Pius III gazed at the young man and extended his hand to him, and Albrecht hurriedly walked up and kissed the Pope's Fisherman's Ring with respect.

"So," Pius III asked gently, "what do you want, child?" ”

Albrecht apparently hesitated, he was the third son, and according to the tradition of the time he was supposed to be a priest - in fact, he did go to the cathedral for a time as a monk under the arrangement of the Archbishop of Cologne, but before he was ordained he had a new use, the question was, was he not ambitious? His grandfather was an Elector, his uncle was a king, and his uncle was an archduke, and he also wanted to be a ruler rather than a courtier or even a tool, and this was supported by the current Grand Master - only when the Knights reappeared in the Knighthood could the members of the Teutonic Order truly find a place to live, rather than wandering miserably like the members of the Templar Order.

But this was definitely not what the Elector of Brandenburg, the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania wanted.

"The Teutonic Knights own Prussia in your name," Albrecht whispered, "and once Prussia becomes a principality, we will pay three times the amount of protection, tribute, and tithes for ten consecutive years, and you may appoint a Picromini as Archbishop of Prussia, and we will do our best to serve him as cardinal, or go further." ”

Such conditions would have been tempted as long as they were not insatiable devils like Alexander VI, but Pius III just smiled and looked at Giulio beside him - he certainly loved his family, and the point was that although there were no fools in the Picrominian family, there were few smart people, and if they were to go further like Albrecht, it might not be a gift, but a curse for the Picrominian family— Pius III was able to see very far away - Italy would not be calm for the next thirty years.

The Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights also saw Julio. Medici, but before he could speak, Pius III nodded to Giulio: "This is my disciple." He said, "One Medici." ”

"We've heard his name for a long time." The Grand Master exclaimed, "What a young man as precious as gold, and I think Albrecht would have been more than happy to be friends with him." ”

"But I have more than one disciple," said Pius III, "and I have one more disciple, Joshua. Lovere, but he is with his father," said the Father, smiling, "if I could, I would have loved him to come and see you." ”

In the end, he didn't give his answer either.

Albrecht knew that such a pact could not be made in a matter of minutes, but he was still a little disappointed - without the Pope's mediation among the various princes and their support, he would not have been able to confront his grandfather and uncle, but he finally put this reluctance down, and bowed to Pius III and Giulio with grace and calmness.

He boarded the carriage with the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, and in the carriage he couldn't help asking, "What does Pius III mean?" ”

If he intended to pass on this promise to his heirs, even if not a Picomini, then he had them come to Joshua. What does Lovere mean?

"I don't know, but since he said so," said the Grand Master, "let's stay in Rome for a while, and you go and see Joshua. Lovere, meet that Giulio again. Medici. ”

From the words of the Grand Master, it can be seen that he is more inclined to Lovere, after all, it is a papal family, but the Medici is only a Florentine merchant. A few days later, however, Albrecht decided that he would prefer to be friends with the Medici.

"Yes," said Albrecht, "Cardinal Lovere the Younger was indeed a pious and determined man, and his father, Cardinal Grande Lovere, was a resolute and tough man, but here is the bad – I do not think that there is anything that can restrain them, for them there is nothing that cannot be sacrificed, and they will do whatever it takes to achieve their ends." ”

"A lot of people are like that." Grand Master said.

"But those people don't consider themselves martyrs." Albrecht said frankly, "I confess that I have ambition, greed, and insatiable desires, but I have never considered myself a saint, nor do I expect others to be saints." ”

"Looks like you've already chosen." Grand Master said.

"Yes," said Albrecht, "I prefer Giulio. The Medici, although there are many people who think he is too gentle, even a little cowardly, but I think that he is just a little more affectionate, and he is very tolerant, and I find it very pleasant to be with him. After thinking about it, he added, "I just don't understand why Pius III would want us to meet the Loveres. ”

The Grand Master smiled, he had learned more than Albrecht, and the fall of the Borgia family seemed to have been overnight, but before, many things had been done with Cardinals Picomini and Giulio. The shadow of the Medici - the Borgia family was not without allies, and at least, the people with the surname Borgia should not hesitate to support them, but when Alexander VI died and Caesar was forced into exile, few people were willing to lend a hand, and King Ferdinand II of Spain even intended to imprison Caesar. Borgia forced him to surrender the Borgia treasures and his domain.

This definitely has a lot to do with their ruined reputation.

As for Cardinal Lovere the Younger, Grand Master could see that he was imitating Giulio, the Medici – to denigrate his enemies and glorify himself, but the problem was that he was so eager that a young man like Albrecht, who had almost nothing to do with Rome, felt threatened.

Not to mention the cardinals who are resident in Rome and who have long since fallen.

Maybe they didn't know it, but Cardinal Lovere the Grande was indulging in the power and prestige that came with it, and Cardinal Lovere the Younger, he wanted people to think that he was a saint, but before they could admit it, he created such a mask for himself, and never dared to take it off again.

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"What if they chose Lovere?" Brother John couldn't help but ask after the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and Albrecht left Rome.

"Do you know what's so good about them?" Pius III asked rhetorically, "No matter what they choose, I can find a loyal friend for Giulio." ”

Brother John shook his head, he knew it was something he couldn't understand, but it didn't matter, he just needed to know what he needed to know.

"Who's next?"

"Grand Master Adam of the Knights Hospitaller."

Adam, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, had secretly visited King Picromini, who was still a cardinal at that time, and was full of gratitude to this old man, Adam, after all, at that time on the island of Rhodes, including 300 cavalry, 500 infantry, the same number of apprentices and sailors, and the provision of nearly 2,000 people, in the past few years, almost all of them were borne by the Picomini family and the Medici family, or rather, they received more than before. Adequately fed and well equipped, their battles against the Turkish Ottoman Empire became more frequent and intense—mainly at sea, against the infidel merchant fleets—and the proceeds of their plunder were handed over to the Medici, who in turn exchanged the spices, cloth, and precious stones for more wheat, dried meat, and wine, creating a virtuous circle.

So for him, Pius III did not need to be tempted, and Adam, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, did not even come to see the Holy Father first, but first to meet Julio. Medici.

He came to Giulio. When the Medici was at the convent school, he frowned when he heard that he was teaching not a group of sane adults, but a group of children up to eight years old, and he was a true believer in the doctrine of original sin, convinced that babies and children were not fully developed in spirit and soul, and therefore could easily be possessed by the devil, and that they must be severely disciplined—and that it was the father, not the teacher, who did not bother with a group of crying animals.

So when he saw the scene in the courtyard, he was probably as surprised and moved as the people who saw St. Francis preaching to the birds and rabbits.

The group, about fifteen or sixteen, six to eight years old—was not pinned to a stool, not confined to a classroom, but sat in a group around their teacher, as the ancient Greeks did. The Medici, a venerable cardinal, was using his precious time and the sound of a harp to tell them how God had led the Israelites to the land of his promise with pillars of cloud and fire, and how, when the people were hungry and thirsty, he sent down manas and quails from heaven to feed them...... When Grand Master Adam walked in, he was at the end of a short paragraph, and when he saw Adam, he smiled—Giulio knew the Grand Master, a pious warrior, but not lacking in flexibility, otherwise he would have gone straight to the Palazzo Picromini after not being able to get the aid of Alexander VI.

After they greeted each other, Giulio pointed to Adam and asked the children to greet him: "This is the warrior of Christ." He said: "They defended our faith and peace with their blood and their lives, and you should honor him and love him." ”

One by one, the children bowed to Grand Master Adam and said hello, "May the Lord bless you." ”

They all wore white robes and black flat shoes very luxuriously, their hands and feet, their hair and clothes were clean, and their cheeks were as pale as roses with a faint blood color, which made people like it when they saw it, and there was no resemblance to the little devil in Adam's impression.

"But as a cardin......al," but Adam insisted, "you should take care of yourself, your work is hard enough." ”

Giulio was winking at little Cosimo when he burst out laughing, "No," he said, "that's how I use to relax, how lovely the children are—and," he said, gesturing to the monks around him, "I'm just trying to find more ways to educate, and they're the real teachers." ”

The monks also saluted Grand Master Adam, some of them from the Picrominian family, some from Cadiz, who had been plucked out of the exiles by Giulio, and who could be said to belong only to Giulio. The power of the Medici, when they have learned enough here, will return to Cadiz to further expand the ideas and ideas of this great man.

"How?" Returning to his room, Giulio asked worriedly, "You only returned to Rome on the feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24), and I thought I wouldn't see you again until the following year?" Is something happening in Rhodes? ”

"As you might expect," said Adam, "I think I need your help again—there are some ...... Pious people have told me that Sultan Bayesset II of the Turkish Ottoman Empire has gathered an army of 50,000 men and is preparing to attack Rhodes in January of the following year. ”