The two brothers, Zhang Wei and Zhang Wu, arrived in Rome as the first contact personnel a month before Zhu Zhanji's arrival.

Over the course of a month, they visited the markets of Rome and on the outskirts of Rome under the pretext of trade visits.

Of course, trade expeditions were not their business, and their task was to familiarize themselves with every street in Rome and draw the most detailed topographical maps and maps of the city.

Before meeting Rome, Zhang Wei and Zhang Wu were no different from other Ming soldiers, and they always thought that the whole of Europe was a barbarian land, dirty, and backward.

But when he came to the city of Rome, he realized that there was an advanced civilization in this barbarian land.

The people here are poor, dirty, dressed like sacks, and they smell so bad that people can't cover their noses, and even the women don't smell like they're interested.

Only some Ming soldiers who like plump and strong women, even if they pinch their noses, have tried the taste of women here.

Zhang Wei and Zhang Wu are also in this ranks, not to mention, if it weren't for the smell on their bodies, the women here would be extremely plump, and they would be more open than the Ming women in bed, which would have a special taste.

The nearly three hundred chamberlains who arrived in advance and the six hundred soldiers of Lin Weixue quickly won the favor of the women of the city with their generosity.

The currency of Rome is very chaotic, after coming here for a month, they still haven't figured out the currency here, only those who specialize in negotiating trade, because they specialize in researching this, so they basically figured out that there are more than 60 kinds of currency in circulation in Rome today, and there are some ancient currencies in circulation, and there are more than 100 kinds of currency in circulation in the entire market.

However, although there are many types of currency here, the main ones are gold, silver, and copper coins.

In Zhang Wei's opinion, any currency here is shoddy, and compared with the exquisite gold, silver and copper coins of the Ming Dynasty, it is far worse in terms of material and style.

When they were in Nanyang, in addition to the high value of silver coins, the value of gold and copper coins was not high, and the cost of finding a few women was basically a copper coin of fifty yuan, which was equivalent to a day's worth for an ordinary soldier.

Later, in India, the cost of finding a few women was similar, only in Marin, because the local nobles sent many female prisoners of war to the Ming soldiers, so the cost was lower.

After coming to Rome, the Ming soldiers still used their own experience to carry some copper coins of fifty as the cost of finding women.

But they didn't know that there were relatively few precious metals in Europe, and their copper coins, which were almost all copper and had a beautiful style, were immediately very popular.

When the locals could find a woman to live happily with a dozen coppers, the Ming soldiers became generous.

As long as those women receive a Ming soldier, they can manage their lives for a few days, and they are all overjoyed, and they all stay outside the Ming barracks, wanting to do their business.

They soon figured out that there were two kinds of Ming people who came, one had no beard on their faces, they seemed to be eunuchs, and they had no interest in women.

But the Ming soldiers in military uniforms, as long as their posture is not bad, can basically negotiate business.

In order to attract the Ming soldiers, they had to wash their bodies with hot water and sprinkle cheap perfume in this cold season.

They seem to care more about whether a woman is clean than her beautiful appearance.

Although the language barrier was different, because of the profit, these women became the first Europeans to cater to the Ming soldiers.

Although they were in the gentle township, all the soldiers were well aware of their duties, and during the day they did not dare to delay the assigned tasks, and in the course of a month, they had a clear understanding of the Roman city, including the surrounding environment, and drew the most detailed map.

When Zhu Zhanji was about to arrive, everyone's nerves became even more tense. They have also heard a lot of rumors during this time, although the Pope has decided to welcome His Royal Highness the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty with a state ceremony, but because of the blasphemy of the Ming Dynasty, many people want to assassinate this heretic who has no faith.

A month earlier, since the arrival of King João I of Portugal in Rome, his conversations with several bishops had been leaked.

When many people heard that the status of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was higher than that of the religious gods, they were simply boiling.

The Papal States and the Holy Roman Empire have been fighting for power for hundreds of years, and even when the imperial power is higher than the divine power, they are still nominally canonized by the pope.

But this Ming is a real heretic.

It's just that the Ming fleet first defeated the Portuguese, and then defeated the Eastern Rome and their biggest enemy, the Ottoman fleet, which made many people not dare to directly confront the Ming soldiers.

But secretly, there seems to be more of a conspiracy among them.

Zhang Wei knew very well that the glory of his family depended on Zhu Zhanji, so he didn't dare to be careless, and closely monitored the area he was responsible for, and there was no room for mistakes.

That afternoon, although a light snow began to fall in the sky, he still led a team of soldiers to patrol the six-mile-long area he was responsible for.

After drawing a map of Rome, the remaining 300 soldiers were arranged on the road from outside Rome to the Papal Palace, except for the 300 soldiers who had to protect the chamberlain.

Each team of four small men and twenty men was responsible for patrolling a mile of land to prevent the people here from digging roads and planting explosives.

In particular, some bridges and places that are easy to snipe are strictly monitored in every place, and when the large group of people arrives, they must mark them with emphasis and take strict precautions.

As the brigade commander, Zhang Wei commanded one hundred and twenty-five subordinates, responsible for the security of the six-mile long distance, and did not dare to be careless.

If Zhu Zhanji had a little accident here, he would definitely not be able to forgive himself.

"Brigade commander, the front army has arrived, and the chief officer Chen Li asks all the personnel above the corps commander to quickly return to the barracks to assemble and prepare for the day after tomorrow."

Zhang Wei looked at Wang Chun, who was running out of breath, and asked, "How many people did the front army send?" ”

"With the commander Chen Li as the chief military officer, including 3,000 people in the Yulin Guard, and 5,500 people in the Young Army, a total of 8,500 people."

Zhang Wei nodded, there are so many people to set up security, it is enough to reassure. He looked at the soldiers following him and said, "I'll go back first, and you continue to patrol." If any abnormality is found, the action of ground excavation must be reported in time. ”

When he returned to the square near the Church of Our Lady of Greece, he could see that the square that used to be deserted had become very lively today.

It was set up according to the standard of 3,000 people, but before there were less than 1,000 of them, and now so many people have come at once, and the others have to be diverted to other places.

Those women are even happier, there used to be only a few hundred soldiers, and they competed with each other a lot, but now there are more than three thousand people at once, how can they do a few business.

The Church of Our Lady of Greece is not large, but there is a monastery behind them, which was temporarily handed over to the Ming Dynasty by the Holy See as a temporary residence.

The Ming soldiers were not used to living in stone houses here, but the weather was cold, and it was more comfortable to live in a house than in a tent with a leaky wind.

But until sleeping, almost no one wants to go into this prison-like house with only a small window.

There is a large hall here, which can accommodate four or five hundred people, and at this time it is packed, and everyone sits cross-legged on the ground.

Although it looks chaotic, you can see from the clothes that there is a clear distinction between the soldiers of Yulin Weixue, Yulin Wei, and the young army.

The young army has the largest number of people, they are the foreign army, one guard is 5,500 people, Yu Linwei is only the inner guard, and the first guard is 3,000 people.

However, this time it was Yu Linwei's Chen Li who commanded the envoy to serve as the temporary chief officer, apparently because in terms of security, Yu Linwei was more professional.

At this time, Chen Li was sitting at the top of the room, and beside him was Tian Bing, the commander of the young army in military uniform, and the two of them were whispering.

Zhang Wei paid attention to it, in addition to the personnel at the level of their Yulin Weixue who attended the meeting, the personnel of the young army and Yulinwei who participated in the meeting were also brigade commanders at least.

He took a few subordinates to sit down in a corner of Yulin Weixue, guessing the purpose of this meeting.

In fact, there is no need to think about it, everyone knows that this meeting must be to prepare for the arrival of His Highness.

Zhang Wei Not long after they arrived, the personnel had already arrived, Chen Li stood up, cleared his throat, and said loudly: "Your Highness is going west, and every place you go to have a security meeting, and a security meeting will be held according to the actual situation in the local area. You're all used to it. But this time, what I need to tell you is that this time Your Highness is in Rome, you don't need to do a good job of security protection, but you need to deliberately create loopholes to let those who want to deal with Your Highness come out. ”

As soon as his words fell, hundreds of people in the hall exploded at once, and everyone looked at each other, not understanding whether Chen Li was acting on orders or passing on the wrong order.

Although the crowd made a voice of surprise and whispered about it. However, the military camp pays attention to orders and prohibitions, and when they are not allowed to speak, even the children of powerful people like Yuan Zhen dare not ask each other out loud.

However, the noble children of Yulin Weixue raised their arms one by one, wanting to ask questions.

This is still because Chen Li was originally the deputy chief of Yulin Weixue, Yu Wei is still there, if he changes to a general, I am afraid that there will already be trouble below.

Zhang Wei and Zhang Wu were both stunned, and when they reacted, they saw Liu Wan, the young eunuch sitting next to Chen Li, stand up and shout in his slightly shrill voice: "Your Highness has an edict ......."

When the generals saw him take out the bright yellow holy decree, they all changed from sitting cross-legged to kneeling on one knee.

Zhu Zhanji is the grandson, although he can issue a holy decree, but the decree can only be used to call the emperor's writing, and Zhu Zhanji's can only be called an edict.

"The eldest grandson of the emperor of Fengtian said: On this occasion when I arrived in the Roman city of Europa, I heard that there were lawless bandits who wanted to provoke the holy car, and the prestige of the Ming Empire could not be provoked, and it should be severely punished. Therefore, the generals should be loose on the outside and tight on the inside, so that their bandits will be exposed and they will be wiped out. It is hereby ordered that Yu Linwei commander Chen Li be the chief military officer, and ordered the former army and Yu Linwei scholars to share the same hatred of the enemy and annihilate the thieves. ”

Zhu Zhanji's edict is not a pure classical Chinese, and the instructions to the officers and men in the army are almost in the vernacular, and everyone can understand it.

After listening to Liu Wan's recitation of the holy decree, Liu Wan tore the two little eunuchs apart and walked around among the generals, so that everyone could see the holy decree, including the Taisun seal on it.

At this time, everyone believed Chen Li's words, and when the two little eunuchs put away the holy decree, everyone hit their chests three times with their right fists, and then said in unison: "I respectfully ask the chief soldier to give an order!" ”

Only then did Chen Li speak: "Where are the generals of Yulin Weixue? ”

Yuan Zhen and Zhang Wei immediately hugged their fists and said, "The last general is here." ”

"Tonight, the protection along the road will be handed over to the Young Army and the Yulinwei Alliance, and you will have other arrangements tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

"Where are the Feather Forest Guards?"

This time, it was the turn of the Yulin Guards. Chen Li also said: "The 3,000 people of Yulinwei are divided into 20 teams according to the time of arrival, except for four teams as mobile reserves, each team of 150 people, responsible for the protection of the road along the way. ”

"Yes!"

The young army, which had the largest number of people, did not have many people in this room, because they were combat troops, and the formation was larger, and the main generals were correspondingly smaller.

Their task was to divide 4,800 people into 24 squads, except for 16 teams to cooperate with Yu Linwei to carry out the task of perimeter protection, the remaining eight teams of 1,600 people were responsible for clearing, investigating, and arresting people along the way.

The meeting was not held for a long time, and after the meeting, the work assignment, division, and handover of each team were delayed for a longer time.

It wasn't until dark that all the work was done, but they still couldn't rest at this time, and they had to familiarize themselves with the area they were going to defend along the way.

In this action, Daming did it unabashedly, and he mobilized the people.

Countless Romans saw the arrival of the Ming army, and then began all kinds of disturbances in the streets.

The other 700 soldiers of the young army served as baggage soldiers, and when they arrived in Rome, they set up two more barracks in the other two areas along the way, and built fires for cooking.

When these soldiers returned to the barracks, they all looked like perverts, and some of them didn't even have time to eat, so they picked out a few girls who were soliciting customers outside the barracks, and they rejoiced in all parts of the neighborhood.

And in the dead of night, except for some guards, there were no more people who had come out to patrol at night, and they hid in the warm barracks one by one.

They are deliberately giving those people a chance, if the Ming army has been heavily defended, and they have no chance to make a move at all, then they just want to make trouble, and there is no excuse.

Only if those people are given a chance, they have a chance to do it.

This night, and the next night, was a "chance" deliberately left for them.

In Yulin Weixue's military camp, although it was already the dead of night, nearly six hundred Yulin Weixue's soldiers still did not rest, waiting for orders.

In the hall where the meeting was held in the afternoon, Chen Li, Liu Wan, Zhang Fengshan, Tian Bing, and the 120 soldiers above the commander of Yulin Weixue gathered together again after being busy.

In addition to them, there were several trusted generals, with a gang of Romans.

Of course, these Romans were sent by the Medici family, and they were all people from major families who were very familiar with Rome, and the news of those conspiring to assassinate Zhu Zhanji was also the first to be transmitted to the lord's family.

They are very clear about which family here wants to fight against Da Ming, which families are neutral, and which families want to work closely with Da Ming to make money.

But they are not suitable to show up now, so they are mixed in with the Ming soldiers, and they take advantage of the late day to blend in.

According to their intelligence, there were about sixteen families that conspired against the Ming Dynasty this time, and these were all more extreme families, many of whom were fanatical believers.

However, compared to the more than 200 large families in Rome, these people were not very powerful. Of course, this also seems to be the incomplete information of the Medici family.

In front of them was a giant map of Rome cobbled together by four maps, on which not only the neighborhoods and major buildings were depicted in detail, but also the terrain, rivers, and bridges.

When they saw this map, the Medici family was amazed, because they couldn't draw such a map.

On this map, they marked the headquarters of the sixteen families with a red pen, as well as the main shops.

Subsequently, Chen Li and Zhang Fengshan began to assign tasks to the people of the young army according to this list. Tomorrow is the time for them to get acquainted with these families, as long as the other party dares to make a move, they will usher in the thunderous blow of the Ming army.

Zhang Wei's team was assigned the task of monitoring the Borgia family who lived under the Gianicolo Mountain.

According to various indications, this family has played a huge role in the process of this conspiracy, and it can even be said that it is the mastermind.

Zhang Wei was assigned to this fat gap because of his relationship with Zhu Zhanji, and because of this, Yuan Zhen and the others were jealous.

According to information provided by the Medici family, the patriarch of this Borgia family is Alonso, who is now forty years old. Born in Aragon, he also served as a diplomat in the Kingdom of Aragon and a professor of law at the University of Lleida before becoming bishop.

Unlike his well-mannered appearance, he is adept at killing competitors with poison, and is known for his ruthlessness both inside and outside the Holy See.

Benefiting from the great development of the Kingdom of Aragon over the past century, the southern part of the Italian peninsula is now entirely Aragonese. Aragon was very supportive of him as a bishop, so his influence in the Papal States was extremely large.

In addition to the support of the Kingdom of Aragon, he also made great efforts during the accession of the current Pope Martin to the throne, so Martin was also more tolerant of him, which caused him to have an empty attitude.

It is still unknown whether there is a shadow of Aragorn behind his operation, but as long as he grasps his handle, Daming will have one more opportunity to blackmail Aragorn.

Just when Zhang Wei and a group of subordinates were still planning how to monitor the movements of the Borgia family without startling the snake, the Borgia family, which was only two miles away from Notre Dame Cathedral in Greece, was also having a heated discussion.

A short, black-haired man said to everyone: "The day after tomorrow, the grandson of the Great Ming Emperor will arrive in Rome, if you don't act tonight, there will only be one night left tomorrow night." Today the Ming people relaxed their vigilance, but what if they woke up tomorrow night? ”

But instead of taking his words to heart, the crowd turned their eyes to a handsome middle-aged man with blonde hair.

The middle-aged man had a gentle smile on his face, but no one would have thought of his smile as warm as a viper.

This middle-aged man is the owner of the villa, Bishop Alonso, who relied on his profound literary talents and ruthless methods, he came to Rome from Aragon and rose rapidly.

Listening to the short man's words, he spoke: "You must not act tonight, if the guards of the Ming Dynasty find out tomorrow, it will cause a situation that we do not want to see, and they will definitely strengthen their vigilance." Only by doing it tomorrow night can the Ming people have no time to react. ”

The short man asked, "What if tomorrow they step up their guards?" Won't we ever get a chance again! ”

"No, the grandson of the Ming Emperor will stay in Rome for about ten days, and in his itinerary, not only to visit the Vatican, but also to visit the ancient city of Rome. Even if we don't have a chance tomorrow, we can find it later. ”

Alonso's opinion was apparently shared by the majority, and after some discussion, they decided on it.

One by one, the ladies got into the carriage, and their attendants lit the lanterns and left the Borgia villa.

They don't bother to hide, anyway, in their opinion, even if they discuss the plot against them in front of the Ming people, those Ming people don't understand.

They couldn't understand what the Ming people were saying, so they just arranged for some people to monitor the periphery, and didn't send people to blend into their team.

Of course, the content of their discussion is still only circulated in a small area, and at any time, there are always some traitors and traitors in the Holy See.

For the sake of profit, they can sell their souls, let alone others.

The hustle and bustle was quiet, Alonso returned to the room where he had been, and the others dispersed, leaving only the most trustworthy person in the room.

"Teruel, have you figured out the eating habits of the Ming people?"

"I'm sorry, Alonso, it is said that His Highness costs a hundred dishes for a meal, and you have no idea which plate he will eat, so it is impossible to take his life directly by poisoning."

Undeterred, Alonso turned to another squire and asked, "Viska, is it arranged on the gunners' side?" ”

"Yes, the six gunners have been arranged for a week of special training in the mountains and forests of Riano, but if this highness has arranged before, there are at least three thousand Ming soldiers around him, and personnel will be arranged to search for each best shooting angle, so it is difficult to determine the location of the shot."

Alonso groaned for a moment and said, "We have to leave others behind before they do it." These people are people who have not achieved enough things to fail, and cooperating with them can only be regarded as a helpless last resort. ”

"But planting explosives on the Palladino Bridge is the least effort-saving, and it can be aimed at the Maxi family, who are guarding the bridge."

Alonso smiled gloomily: "With so many families' cooperation, do you think the rumors won't leak out?" The Ming army had more than 70,000 soldiers and more than 50,000 advanced muskets. If these people go mad, they will bury the whole of Rome. At that time, any family involved in this conspiracy would face the heaviest blow. Therefore, even if we want this imperial grandson to die, we can't implicate ourselves. ”

He thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow I will leave Rome and go to Viquevaro to negotiate with Blasio's representatives. I hope that the day after tomorrow, when the imperial grandson has just landed on Roman soil, will carry out the assassination. Even if he can't kill this imperial grandson, let him vent his anger on these families in Rome. For me, there are too many big families in Rome. For Aragorn, a weak Papal States was also more in Aragon's interests. ”

"My lord, I will do everything according to your will, and will not let people look at the Borgia with suspicion."

Two days of calm passed, and Zhu Zhanji was about to set foot on Roman soil, but the former troops stationed in Rome still did not notice any traces of assassination.

The group led by Chen Li were a little impatient.

If you don't use explosives, you're sure to be a gunman, and it's even more difficult to prevent it, and no one knows when the gunman will do it.

As for wanting to assassinate with a knife, they are not worried at all, not to mention that the masters around His Highness, even His Highness himself, are also invincible.

There was nothing unusual along the way, and Chen Li focused his attention on the Castel Sant'Angelo where His Highness was going to stay.

At first, he couldn't understand why His Highness didn't have the slightest taboo and chose Castel Sant'Angelo as his place to stay.

Although it is now the most luxurious palace in the Papal States, it was once a tomb, a prison, and a fortress of war.

But when he saw the Castel Sant'Angelo, built on the banks of the River Tvere, he understood a little. The palace was built of marble, and it was so strong that it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and could accommodate more than 5,000 people, and as long as there was enough food, 100,000 people could not attack it.

But turning the tomb into a royal palace, these Yi people really don't pay attention to it.

He led a group of people to inspect the entire palace up and down, inside and out, and then drove away all the Yi people, and defended them all with their own people.

In order to prevent someone from planting explosives in the sewer, he also personally drilled into the sewer connected to the river, and found nothing unusual.

Chen Li assumed all the assassination operations they could think of, and felt that their defenses were seamless. This feeling of passivity is really uncomfortable, but in a foreign country, people look different, and they can't send their own spies.

They tried to lure the snake out of the hole and catch it all, so they had to wait.

Of course, they would be happier if there was no assassination.

On November 19, at about three o'clock, Zhu Zhanji's flagship stopped at the pier on the north side of St. Paul's Basilica in the southern suburbs of Rome.

Although it is still some distance from Rome, the river in front of it is navigable, but because the Tverre River is the mother river of Rome, many bridges have been built on the river.

Most of the holes left behind by these bridges are not accessible to sea vessels, so they have to go ashore here.

Although Martin V did not come to greet Zhu Zhanji in person, four cardinals came, which can be regarded as a super high standard of treatment.

Because of the assassination rumors, the scene was cordoned off. Except for a few greeting personnel, most of the Romans who were watching the excitement were stopped by Zhu Zhanji's guards on the periphery.

There was no welcome ceremony at the scene, but the pomp and circumstance of the grandson of the Ming Dynasty still shocked everyone, and even the Pope did not dare to put it on this grand honor guard.

For most Roman citizens, it was a memory they would keep for the rest of their lives.

Zhu Zhanji's huge dragon chariot has an area of more than 20 square meters, and in terms of area alone, there is no problem for 50 people.

He "warmly" invited the four cardinals to share the car with him, but the cardinals hesitated for a long time, but they still didn't dare to be with Zhu Zhanji, so they didn't dare to be targeted, so Zhu Zhanji was still the only one who rode alone.

It was winter, and the panes were installed on the periphery of the dragon chariot, and two layers of silk were arranged inside.

Silk's ability to protect bullets exceeds that of most cotton and linen, and Zhu Zhanji's dragon robe is also wearing an inner armor.

The dragon chariot marched towards Rome along the ancient road of Ostiens, which reached a width of more than 20 meters, and the dragon chariot was guarded by guards all around.

The Osdiens Trail is one of the widest roads in Rome and leads all the way to the ancient city of Rome.

The journey was safe and uneventful, and the drive reached Notre-Dame Cathedral at the foot of Palladino Hill.

It was the gate of the capital of ancient Rome, and Notre-Dame de Greece was not well known, but a Roman holiday made countless people know the mouth of truth here.

From here you will cross the Palladino Bridge, cross the River Tvere and enter the city of Rome. It is also from this bridge that the road narrows to only about ten meters.

The Ming soldiers did not dare to be sloppy at this time, and when Zhu Zhanji's dragon chariot crossed the river, more than 30 soldiers jumped into the icy river despite the snow in the sky, and re-examined the bridge piers and crevices everywhere.

The dragon crossed the river safely, but everyone's emotions became more tense.

After crossing the river, the road narrows, with the river Tvere on the right and houses on the left. If someone wants to assassinate, only this five-mile long road is the most suitable, except for here, it is difficult for people to even get close to Zhu Zhanji's dragon chariot.

Zhu Zhanji felt a little disappointed, if he just sent gunmen to assassinate him, I am afraid that it would be difficult for even Daming's protective line to penetrate.

Such a small childish assassination made him a little embarrassed to want to set off a tide of revenge!

While listening to Chen Li's report, Zhu Zhanji thought about how to create opportunities for the other party in the future if he hadn't been assassinated today.

He thought that he was bait, but in fact, a group of subordinates did not approve of it. However, because Zhu Zhanji insisted on coming to Rome, his subordinates could only follow the trend.

However, if Zhu Zhanji wanted to take a risk to lure the assassin into his hands, no one would agree, and he would never give the assassin this opportunity.

It doesn't matter if Zhu Zhanji is injured, I don't know how many people will die, and if Zhu Zhanji dies, their entire fleet will probably have to be buried together.

Just when Zhu Zhanji was feeling regretful, he suddenly heard several gunshots, and it seemed that they were still the sound of Ming muskets.

The gunfire intensified, but soon died down.

After a while, Zhang Fengshan reported in Longlin Foreign Exchange: "Your Highness, I found an assassin at a window. However, before the other party had a chance to shoot, our soldiers were forced to retreat with bullets, but when we entered the house and captured them, the other party had already killed himself by drinking bullets. ”

Zhu Zhanji was bored, waved his hand and said, "Don't be affected, keep going." ”