Sultan Bayezid II of Ottoman Turkey had three adult sons, the eldest son Kaulkud, the second son Ahmet, and the youngest son Selim, who had long since grown up, and as Bayezid II secretly complained, even Selim's son could already impregnate a woman - according to tradition, all three sons were sent by Bayezid II to serve as governors or generals, and he was happy to see his sons in Istanbul when he thought he could still control the military and power. But when he felt that he was getting old and unable to do anything, his mind changed - no matter how great the victory of Ahmad or Selim was in the war against the Persians or the Safavids, they were not allowed to enter the royal city.

This was a blessing for the Sultan's three sons, because they were far away, and the earthquake and tsunami that had occurred in Istanbul had no effect on them, and as soon as they got the news, they rushed to Istanbul with all their might, and began to attack each other on the way. Such as Julio. As the Medici expected, the Greek governor was Ahmet's henchman, and if Ahmet lost the war of succession, he would not have had any good end - he was also a child selected from the "blood tribute", and in the Third Court, they were the best of the slaves, and they had the honor of being the princes' companions and attendants, and because of this, they had their own masters at an early age, and he would not be loyal to anyone but Ahmet, and Selim or Kaulkud would not accept his allegiance.

Although the Greek governor left behind his lieutenants and a part of the army, the disaster in Istanbul could not be disguised - Bayezid II was known to be unlucky, and his son was bound to be mired in a war of succession, if Ahmet had lost as Ahmet's descendant army...... In this loose and chaotic situation, with the guidance and help of the indigenous people of Greece, the knights of the Knights Hospitaller quietly recaptured the Peloponnese and quickly stationed there.

This is undoubtedly a good news for those who believe in God, especially since in the last fifty years the war against the Ottomans has almost always been a draw, a defeat, a great defeat for the Italians, but for His Excellency the Pope in Rome this news did not please him, or even the opposite.

"Who allowed them to go to Greece?!" Julius II asked gloomily, and although he had been so busy dealing with cardinals and kings since his accession to the throne that he could not spare time to care for the island of Rhodes, which was thousands of miles away, he had always believed that the Knights Hospitaller was also one of the powers in his hands—that they should continue to be loyal to his heir, just as the Baglioni and Picromini families did—in fact?

For such a momentous matter as the abandonment of Rhodes and the conquest of Greece, they did not ask for his permission, and did not even reveal the slightest clue - they did so, and immediately put him, and the Pope of Rome, in an extremely awkward position, after all, the Greeks had been begging him to call the kings of Christ to help them return to their homeland, but in order to take advantage of the pressure that the Ottomans exerted on the Wesni, he never saw them, even if they were willing to bow down to him.

The young Julius II also believed that there was no king or duke who would be willing to give these Greeks a little help, after all, they had nothing left.

Only after the complete submission of the Venetians would he allow the Greek clergy to come to him, and from his hands, the unity of the Eastern and Western Churches - something that the Church of Rome had been seeking for a hundred years without success, and his name would thus leave a strong mark on the archives of the Holy Court, and in the next Holy Year he could proudly nail the name plate of the event to the Holy Door.

Who knows?! Who knew that the two objects that he thought could be at his mercy, the Greek clergy and the Knights Hospitaller, were so happily joined together...... In the face of Julius II, a loud slap was slapped.

The problem is that no matter how angry and angry Julius II is, nothing will change the facts, and theoretically speaking, although the Knights Hospitaller nominally belong to the Church of Rome and are subject to Pope control, in essence, if it were not for Rhodes' need for Roman support and supplies, the Knights Hospitaller would have already become an enclave of the Holy See, at least for now, unless Julius II could find a king like the beautiful man Philip IV to punish the Knights Hospitaller on his behalf, He could only curse and complain in his room.

No, or he could have announced the dissolution of the Knights Hospitaller, as Clement V did, but firstly, the Knights Hospitaller had the Peloponnese and no longer had to rely on Rome, secondly, even if he announced its dissolution, they could still reorganize the Order under another name, and finally, Julius II still had a glimmer of hope that perhaps he would still get them back.

Compared to the Knights Hospitaller, who only had a small island of Rhodes, the Knights Hospitaller, who owned the Peloponnese, would surely be able to become rich and powerful faster.

Perhaps, he should have resorted to a more moderate approach?

His Holiness the Pope fell on his throne and pressed his forehead, and the indescribable pain became more and more frequent, but neither the doctors nor the sorcerers could tell why, and he executed several of them, so that many of the doctors of Rome fled.

When the tide of pain had passed a little, Julius II looked at the priest beside him: "Have the Spaniards been here today?" ”

The black-clad priest was not visibly relieved, even though he had followed Joshua. Lovere's years, too, could not help but be frightened by the madness and irritability of the Holy Father, and the fact that he could forget the previous question, which only made His Excellency more unbearable, whether intentionally or not, reassured him a lot: "No, Holy Father," he said, "do you want to rush it?" ”

"No," said Julius II, lowering his eyes, looking at his hands, white but wrinkled like old men's fingers, wearing the golden Fisherman's Ring, which signified his supreme authority in the Church and in Christendom: "I do things without their consent, before ...... It's just a reminder. He withdrew his hand: "Let the envoys of the Holy Roman Empire come to me and tell him that I have granted the request of their previous emperor, Maximilian I." ”

The clergyman bowed, and when he turned to leave, he was so overjoyed that he could not see the increasingly hideous face of Julius II.

————————————

"What do you think, Duke Terranova?" Queen Juana I of Spain asked, "How about I build a church for Mr. Bishop to come to Spain as archbishop?" ”

"Not good." Gonzalo honestly said: "So no one will be happy, Julius II will not be happy, and Mr. Bishop will not be happy." ”

Juana lowered her head and thought for a while: "You said that Mr. Bishop will not be happy because he wants to become pope?" ”

"Yes." Gonzalo said: "Obviously, he has changed a lot, and as a friend of his, I am glad to see that he finally has the ambition to match his talents, but as your minister, I advise you...... Think about it carefully. ”

"Hmm...... So, what do you think, do I do? Duke, do you remember when I was in Rome and didn't even go to see him? ”

"You did the right thing." "But this time your choice is a little bigger than last time," Gonzalo said. ”

"What kind of man do you think he is, Julius II?"

"A stubborn and vicious man," said Gonzalo, "must be said in more detail, a self-proclaimed holy and unbeatable Borgia, that is it." ”

Juana wrinkled her nose: "I know you all hate Borgia because they don't have a country, only a family, but it sounds like Julius II is more annoying than Borgia." ”

"Stinky shit is never a good thing, but someone has to ask me to admit that it's a fragrant flower...... Your Majesty, that would be disgusting. ”

As soon as Gonzalo finished speaking, his queen slapped her thigh and laughed wildly: "Vulgar," she almost laughed breathlessly: "Vulgar, but very apt, ha, dear Gonzalo, I see, then, you know, I'm leaning towards Giulio. Medici's, but if it were you, what would you choose? ”

"I would also choose Julio. The Medici were not just because he was my friend, and I was to Julius II...... Very disgusted - Your Majesty, Julius II is a despicable villain, he shamelessly mocked us, and perhaps the French, and he only wanted to use us to expel the Venetians and reclaim Romagna or more Papal States, but he had no intention of paying him...... Louis XII also sensed this, so he did not listen to the Pope at all, and it is for this reason that even if Julius II recognized that Milan and Naples belonged to us, Louis XII would not have the slightest possibility of retreating - the Holy Father accused us of not contributing to the war with the Venetians, but, Your Majesty, you know, it was precisely by obeying his will that we gave up Milan, and as a battlefield between the French and the Venetians, we made such great sacrifices, but for Julius II, Nothing...... So even if we listened to him and gave up on Julio. Medici's asylum will also look for other reasons to shirk and refuse to fulfill his promises afterwards. But then, our losses will never be recovered. ”

"I used to think that Julius II, since he and my bishop had been friends, they should have some resemblance," said Juana, who lifted one foot ungracefully and rested it on the arm of his chair: "It seems that my eyes are not lying to me, that he is only a fake, but full of envy for the true saint." She sighed: "I must have broken Mr. Bishop's heart last time, do you think Gonzalo will forgive me?" ”

"If not, that's weird." Gonzalo said without hesitation.

"But if he wants us to recognize our ownership of Milan, of Naples," Juana asked, "do you think he will agree?" ”

Gonzalo hesitated: "Probably not. He said honestly.

"And what about our bishop?" Juana smiled and asked, "Is it possible for them to become popes?" ”

Gonzalo raised his head in some surprise, and after thinking for a while, he bowed to the queen: "Perhaps, Your Majesty...... Perhaps, but then we're going to have to work with Julio. The Medici became enemies. ”

"yes." The queen said sadly: "I can't be his enemy, Gonzalo, I love him, but ......"

Before she could finish her words, there was a loud curse outside the door, and Gonzalo quickly ran over, pushed open the door, and saw the Queen's eldest son, Charlie, running away, and the guard by the door saw him and immediately bowed his head.

"You have been derelict in your duties," Gonzalo said sternly, "get out of here!" Give me two young men who won't be derelict in their duties! ”

The guards immediately retreated.

Gonzalo sighed deeply, he knew what Juana hadn't been able to finish - she couldn't be Giulio. Enemies of the Medici, but the queen of Spain could—after a long time, he certainly knew that the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile, even if she went mad, still inherited her mother's keen political sense and cruel heart—she could be a daughter of Giulio. The Medici built churches, monasteries, sheltered him from the butcher's knife of the pope, but not because he abandoned Milan and Naples.

In this sense, the crown prince Charlie was still a child, and he could not distinguish between emotion and reality for the time being, and Gonzalo thought that perhaps he should talk to his teacher, or remind Her Majesty, after all, that he was also nine years old and should receive the education that the monarch deserved.

But don't do it again, Gonzalo said in his heart, although Juana I claimed to love her husband Philip, she was extremely indifferent to him and her children, especially Charlie, and she would even beat him with anything in her hands, which was not good, whether as a mother or a monarch.

————————————————

The emissary of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I received a satisfying answer from Julius II.

Julius II promised that if they could become strong allies of the Pope, the Pope would acquiesce in their removal of the current Queen Juana I of Spain and replace it with her eldest son, Maximilian I's grandson Charles, as King of Spain. Support Julius II as the dual ruler of the secular and the sacred to unify Italy.

Although there will inevitably be some twists and turns in the process, they all have great expectations...... And it doesn't seem that far away.