Before the feast of St. Luke (October 18th) in 1509, the envoy of Pope Julius II came to Florence again, he had already come three times before, and extorted nearly 100,000 gold florins for jewels and gold coins in the name of the pope. Leonardo da Vinci, with Michelangelo. Bonarroti returned to Rome with him, and it is said that Julius II intended to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica, wanting them to be the designer of the new St. Peter's Basilica, as well as to complete some of the painting and sculpture work.

Leonardo da Vinci did not hesitate to refuse on the grounds that he was too old to be old, Michelangelo was a little moved, but this time he was a little smarter, and did not immediately agree, but ran to Da Vinci to seek his opinion - he did not like Da Vinci, but he also had to admit that Da Vinci did do better than him in terms of seeking good fortune and avoiding evil.

Leonardo. Leonardo da Vinci laughed when he heard what he meant, but he said nothing, until Michelangelo angrily took off a ring from his finger and gave it to him, and he smiled and said, "My dear friend." He said, "If I were you, I would at least try to delay until the Council of Seventy in Florence gave the 500,000 gold florin before deciding whether or not to go to Rome." ”

Michelangelo looked dazed, he didn't understand what the 500,000 gold florin had to do with him, could it be that Julius II was so poor that he couldn't give him money without this help?

Leonardo da Vinci has always been a man who is good at protecting himself, and if he hadn't been in debt to the Medici, he would never have been affected by Julio. The Medici sent to Borgia's side. And he was willing to give Michelangelo some advice only because they had been colleagues for a while when they were taking refuge in Brittany. Michelangelo disliked him because of jealousy, and Leonardo da Vinci had a mediocre view of Michelangelo because of his vulgarity and pompousness.

"Because ......"

————————

"That's not half a million gold florins, and it's not assistance gold," said Giulio. The Medici said to the parliamentarians: "This is a declaration of war, ladies and gentlemen, the Pope is declaring war on me, on Florence. ”

The councillors looked at each other, but fortunately, there were no fools who proposed to expel the Medici to quench the wrath of the Pope. The Medici's weapons and armies not only frightened them, but also gave them courage and courage - and the new bastions, moats and walls were already beginning to take shape - and their archbishop even used artillery to try a mock siege with the Gardis, and as expected, the new defense system was almost perfect, and the stone and iron pellets fired by the attackers' artillery could not even reach the walls, while the artillery mounted on the bastions could attack their positions.

But there were also some discordant voices, for example, some jokingly said that in this way, the Florentines would not have to worry about the invasion of Cadiz. But it's ridiculous that you don't even need to ask Giulio or Machiavelli to refute it. The Medici gave them a clear head-on blow - "But that is according to the firepower and formation of the French artillery." He said, as careless as a real child.

This sentence immediately silenced everyone, Tana. Inside, too, seemed to joke that they didn't have to worry too much about the archbishop, Giulio. The Medici were the kind of people who were used to hiding their good cards until the end, and when he was still in Lucca, some Florentines questioned why he had built such strong walls for the Luccas, and Giulio replied that if he could build such strong walls, he could certainly destroy them.

Obviously, what they saw was not Giulio. Medici's hole cards, but what worries many is that they may not be seen soon.

"Tell the messenger," said Giulio, "that I ask him to convey to the Holy Father that the assistance money is a tax added by the Church to protect the Papal States, but as far as I can see now, the Papal States are very safe—unless the Papal States are in danger, I must question where this money goes, and I have the right to do so." ”

"The Holy Father will be furious." One councillor muttered.

"He may take away the clergy of Florence," said another parliamentarian, grinning and not caring for it, "but it doesn't matter, it's not the first time anyway." ”

"On this," said Giulio calmly, "be of good cheer, the Holy Father will soon find out that it is better for him to have one more enemy." ”

"Is something going to happen?" Tana. Neri asked.

"There's a good saying." Julio folded his hands lightly on his knees: "Whoever shouts that the devil is coming, he will always see the devil - he has already levied my 'assistance money' three times, so he should be ready to meet the devil." ”

The room was silent for a while, "If we answer so, then the messenger will be immediately converted to Rome, and the papal edict will be issued probably next Monday." ”

"Well," said Giulio, "I think we probably won't have to wait that long." ”

The papal envoy left Florence overnight, as the Florentine people had assumed, with the anger and humiliation of being rejected rudely, and he swore all the way that he would let the unknown Florentine Archbishop and his people taste the thunderous punishment and scourging from the Holy See and the Holy Father.

But as soon as he arrived outside Rome, he saw the light of the fire.

————————

When Julius II was hastily awakened by the monks who served him, he saw only a red glow outside the window, and he could not understand what was happening, and he was half-carried and half-dragged out of the bedroom in only his linen underwear and slippers, and came to the small hall, where the clergy hastily wrapped him in a cloak, "We must get out of here at once," one of the clergymen cried, "Holy Father, we must go to Castel Sant'Angelo at once." ”

"What happened?" Julius II exclaimed angrily: "What about Fallo? ”

"He has been thrown into prison by you," one of the priests replied, "Holy Father, have you forgotten?" ”

Julius II then thought that Fallius, who had been serving him, had received bribes from the envoys of the Holy Roman Empire, so after he met with the agent of Maximilian I, he immediately ordered the soldiers to drag him into Castel Sant'Angelo for interrogation, but he had become so accustomed to Pharo, that he could not change his words for a while.

"It's a mob." A Swiss mercenary said that he was the leader of the three hundred soldiers sent by the Council of the Swiss Confederation - in order to maintain stability in the city of Rome during the election of Pius III. The Medici hired Swiss mercenaries as guards and patrolled the streets day and night, earning a great reputation - when Julius II himself became pope, he wanted to do the same, but he sent, or rather, at the pressure of his "uncle" Cardinal Grande Lovere, to hire soldiers from the Lauvere family, and as a result, these discredited mercenaries acted like bandits, and instead of pacifying Rome, they caused more tragedy.

So Julius II demanded 300 Swiss mercenaries from the Swiss Confederation, and then hired 1,000 of his countrymen with Pius III's legacy, so that he had 1,300 loyal and reliable soldiers, and it was with these soldiers that he succeeded in threatening and containing the greedy cardinals and families, and became a real pontiff with authority and authority, not a puppet as people thought.

But ......" is it a mob? Julius II, as he was carried out by the leader of the mercenaries, could not help shouting: "If only some civilians...... Can't you scatter them? ”

"We also want to," said the mercenary chief, "but Holy Father, we cannot disperse an entire Roman population. He stopped and left Julius II to see for himself.

The windows on the high part of the Vatican Palace were always heavily draped at the behest of Julius II, and the mercenary chieftain opened only a small gap for Julius II to look down.

Julius II, Joshua. The first thing Lovere saw was the countless torches, candles, or anything that had been used to light and illuminate, and for a moment he seemed to be back to the vigil mass he had had been a few years earlier...... The people of Rome for Julio. The Medici prayed, and thousands of candles were placed on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica and in St. Peter's Grandpazale - he had hoped that one day the people of Rome would do the same for him, and he had worked hard for a long time to do so, and now he saw it, but in the light of the fire he saw not a face full of worry or hope, but anger, hatred, and rage, and he glanced at it, and reflexively dropped the curtain and retreated into the darkness that reassured him.

"They...... They," he trembled, his teeth bumping together and making a constant gurgling noise, "why are they doing this?!" They...... How can they ......"

The leader of the mercenaries did not answer him, "My children are fighting for you ten times as many enemies as theirs, or even more than theirs, Holy Father, please leave with us at once." ”

"Tell me!"

Joshua. Lovere shouted that he couldn't accept it at all, if it was the French, or the Spaniards, or the Florence, Giulio . The Medici army, he could accept, but why, why the people of Rome? Is there anything he hasn't done well? Or is there something else he missed? He clearly ...... It's all for them......

The mercenary leader could not resist stepping forward—he was faithful to his duty, but had little respect for His Excellency the Pope—perhaps Julius II's radical reform of the Church was indeed genuine and selfless, but as a mercenary, a devout believer, he would rather be a greedy and shameless figure like Alexander VI.

At least Alexander VI did not prohibit the buying and selling of relics and indulgences.

Himself, and his friends and companions, as mercenaries, even though they were known for their devotion and bravery, had committed innumerable terrible sins, and because of their long absence, it was difficult for them to attend pupils on time, to attend Mass, to confess to the priests, and that they would have been almost doomed to hell had it not been for the indulgence of their sins—the decree of Julius II, so to speak, had pushed them into the abyss of hopelessness, yes, the money he had hired them was indeed rich, But haven't these sumptuous sums been exchanged for increasingly expensive, but still hard-to-find indulgences?

They had to buy it, and if they didn't, they wouldn't be able to see it even if they fell on the battlefield—could they still be expected to go to the dangerous battlefields, one by one, and do the sacraments of the last life for them?

Thinking of this, the leader of the mercenaries could not contain his anger. There are also holy relics that are also forbidden to be bought and sold...... For mercenaries, it was a necessity like a sword, chain mail, and arquebus, but like these three things, holy relics were also lost, sometimes stolen by others, sometimes lost in battle, or transferred to their best friends, wives, and children...... Originally, when they came to Rome, or in any church or monastery, they would always ask for a few precious relics.

But now, even if they could be bought, they would have to beg for everything, be humble, and dozens, if not hundreds of times the golden florin of the past, in order to get one or two as a gift from the clergy or monk.

After putting Julius II in the carriage, the mercenary leader turned over and mounted his horse, leaned over and whispered a few words to his cronies, he was not willing to let his soldiers suffer losses because of such an event - but the anger of the people was obviously not so easy to quell, especially when they learned that Julius II had fled to Castel Sant'Angelo - the situation could no longer be controlled by anyone, and the tens of thousands of people, even if they were just pushing and trampling, were enough to cause terrible damage.

By the time the people abandoned the Vatican Palace and laid siege to Castel Sant'Angelo, thirty-two Swiss mercenaries had met with misfortune, and more than a hundred had been wounded of varying degrees.

What made him even more painful was to come, and he hoped that Julius II would pray for the soldiers who died to protect him, and that he would send a priest to perform the sacrament on their deathbed, but the priest who served the pope said that the pope was practicing penance, not seeing anyone and doing nothing.

In the end, it was the soldiers who took out their own indulgences and stuffed them into the hands of the dead, hoping that they would not be thrown into hell for their past sins.

——————

"Something must be wrong." Julius II said to himself. yes, how is that possible? Wasn't it for the sake of these lowly commoners that he canceled the sale of indulgences and holy relics? Didn't they keep complaining that the indulgences and relics were too expensive, and that they needed to pull out the last copper coin in their pockets for them? They should have been so grateful to him! So, there must be something wrong.

He was whipped and put on coarse linen, and came to the prison of Castel Sant'Angelo, where his close servant Phalius was in the innermost cell.

Julius II sat down on a wooden chair, and in front of him was a slap-pulling rack that looked like a huge ladder at a forty-five degree angle, except that instead of fixed wooden bars, it was a round shaft that could be rolled. The inmate is placed on a frame, with ankles attached to one roller at the top and wrists to another at the bottom. The roller at the bottom is connected to a rocker that allows it to roll downwards to gradually elongate the victim's body, causing the joints of the arms, thighs and torn.

As soon as his former servant was placed on it, he immediately began to cry, of course he knew this, but when he watched others being tortured, he only felt pain, and when it was his turn, there was only pain.

"For God's sake," he cried, "spare me, forgive me, kill me, and don't let me suffer this sin!" ”

"Did you swear you said everything?" Julius II asked.

"I swear!"

"I don't believe it," said Julius II, "listen, listen, Pharo, the voices from outside, the people have revolted because of you, and you have ruined my cause, and I believed you so much." ”

"We just took some money!" Isn't this supposed to be, Phalius shouted that people who are like him, or even inferior, have become priests, bishops and archbishops of the main hall, and they can only be mediocre priests under Julius II! He just took some money!

"Say, tell them all!" Julius II cried out, and perhaps the people of Rome, seeing how he punished the maggots, would understand his painstaking efforts and be willing to trust him: "I want to know every name!" ”

He only signaled, and the torturer immediately began to shake the handle, and the terrible screams immediately resounded throughout the prison.

After Fallo's limbs were dislocated, the torturer paused, but Julius II did not give him a single look, he had to continue until the flesh made a terrible creak, and finally, Fallo could barely make a sound, he was fed some spirits, and he woke up and began to spit out some things and names.

That's all fake.

But Phaliu knew that this was what his former master, Julius II, wanted to hear.

——————————

"Did you anticipate this?" Machiavelli endured for a day, and finally asked the question that had puzzled him for a long time.

Julio. The Medici put down the book in her hand and glanced at him.

"Yes."

"Although, that's not what I want to see."