On winter nights, the snow is falling, and the cold wind is roaring, piercing the skin of passers-by like needles.

Pedestrians had no choice but to button their winter coats tightly, put their hands in their pockets, shrink their necks, and walk forward quickly.

The pines and cypresses on both sides of the avenue stand tall and energetic, proudly facing the wind, frost, rain and snow.

The carriage with the eagle flag galloped down the street, and ordinary people skimmed their eyes and did not look at it, but it was a big surprise in the eyes of those who were interested.

The envoys of the Eastern Empire finally arrived in Stauffenburg, the Duchy of Swabia and the stronghold of the German Emperor, on a dead winter night.

Licinius had been standing outside the court of Frederick Barbarossa the Redbeard for half an hour, and no one had come out to greet him.

The eunuch standing outside endured the invasion of the cold winter alone.

Snowflakes fluttered and gradually piled up on him.

"Whew!"

Spit out a breath of warmth, the envoy of the Eastern Empire smiled bitterly, the arrogant character of the red beard was really annoying.

After a long time, when the snow on his shoulders had piled up to two fingers thick, the German acolytes finally opened the palace doors for the envoys of the Eastern Empire.

Dusting off the dust and snowflakes from his body, Licinius entered in full gear, with an elegant demeanor and no panic.

"The Great Holy Roman Emperor, King of the Roman People, King of Italy, King of Burgundy, Duke of Swabia arrives!"

The lengthy honorary title served no other purpose than to make Licinius secretly laugh at the vanity of the Germans.

"Messenger of the King of Greece!"

"Come to the front!"

The old man on the throne, with an iron crown on his head, also wears armor in the court.

The knight's sword was hung on his waist, and his eyes were shining like an old man in the twilight, but like a warrior about to go to battle.

Licinius was already a little annoyed when he heard the scorn of the Germans, but he did not dare to be careless in the slightest because of the arduous task of this trip.

Walking forward, Li Sini bowed slightly, full of imperial calm and dignity, handed over the emperor's documents, and only then responded respectfully.

"On behalf of the great Supreme Basilus of the Eastern Empire, I would like to extend my greetings to Caesar of the Western Empire!"

The attitude is mild, the tone is flat, and he is neither humble nor arrogant, nor does he deal with the rude Frederick.

The German emperor on the opposite side is most famous for killing people without blinking, and the title of Redbeard comes from this.

Cruel and bloody treatment of the surrendered Italian people, violent destruction of any resisting cities.

The dictatorial Caesar who tried in vain to re-establish the hegemony of the empire!

Such a king is not something that he can fight against as a small court eunuch.

The momentum has been completely overwhelmed.

Emperor Frederick held his head in his hands and looked at the Greek envoys with a little curiosity.

"Your predecessor, Emperor Manuel, supported the Lombard League against me, so why did he send a new emissary to me?"

Licinius looked embarrassed, but pressed his right hand to his chest and bent down to return the salute.

"His Majesty Alexios has decided to reconcile with His Majesty, and the friendship between the Eastern and Western Empires will last for a long time, so that Rome can prosper."

This is a nonsense that no one believes, and the scheming Emperor Frederick laughed, but he had not seen the Greek envoy for a long time, so let's listen to his words.

"Italy's recalcitrant and disrespect for the Mandate of Heaven, rebellion against the Emperor's rule, is a blasphemy against God."

"You are the chosen one, and you should not bow your knees to the false saints of the Church of Rome!"

"His Majesty Alexios wants to join His Majesty against the Lombard Alliance!"

"Hahaha!"

"I just added Alexander's boots not long ago, and you said you want me to fight the Italians again?"

Redbeard doesn't care about revealing his embarrassing history.

This world-famous hero laughed wildly and unscrupulously.

Licinius was in a cold sweat, and on the way to Germany, he had heard countless rumors about Emperor Frederick.

But the most brutal of these was when Redbeard kicked the heads of the surrendered Milanese as balls.

Moody tyrant, but by no means a mediocre lord!

Licinius believed that a man like Redbeard would not miss the opportunity to join forces with the Eastern Empire.

"The Venetians are causing you trouble in Greece?"

Looking at Emperor Frederick's cool eyes, Licinius had a feeling of being seen through.

Emperor Alexios wanted to see the iron cavalry of the Germans again in northern Italy! ”

Desperate, Licinius knew he had to convince the Caesar no matter what.

Otherwise, Redbeard wouldn't mind sending himself as a gift to Rome.

"Emperor Alexios' sincerity!"

"100,000 gold!"

Frederick's pupils shrank slightly, and his heart beat uncontrollably.

What are the Greeks doing here?

"What does the Supreme of the Eastern Empire want?"

Talk about it!

Licinius gasped, he was finally safe.

"His Majesty Alexios hopes that the iron hooves of Germany can raze all of northern Italy to the ground!"

"It's ......"

"What an arrogant boy!"

"Manuel supports the Lombard League, and his son will come and send me money as soon as he succeeds to the throne?"

Frederick's eyes of disbelief were also triumphant in Licini's eyes.

No one can resist the allure of gold, and if there is, it's not enough!

"Looking at the entire continent, only Your Majesty, has the courage and strength to re-establish the hegemony of the Empire!"

"That's why the Great Imperial Supreme wants to ally with you!"

Frederick looked at Licinius' determined gaze, not as if he was cheating.

"Is the Venetian so important?"

"Alexios valued the Venetians and the Roman Church so much?"

Licinius looked at Emperor Frederick and spoke slowly, but firmly.

"If you can, bury any Venetian you can see in the ground!"

"Send them to God!"

The red-bearded Barbarossa's beard was upturned, and he really had an appetite and smiled.

"Your request!"

"I've got it!"

……

The night was dark.

Several of the princes of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and the emperor's most trusted ministers were in the palace.

The supreme magnates of the empire surround Redbeard, and they debate fiercely.

Otto, Prince Friedrich, Prince Otto, Prince Konrad of the Wittersbach family were among them.

These men succeeded Frederick as important ministers.

Two defeats against Italy resulted in the death and wounding of veterans, and the essence of Germany was gone.

The new generation became the heart of the empire.

"Your Majesty the Emperor!"

"It is worth noting the request of the Greeks!"

"We have no record of the Venetians' large-scale use of troops against the Eastern Empire."

"Otto of the Wittersbach family, you are a rare elite of the Empire, but we can't just see what is in front of us."

"The Venetians never ceased to think about Constantinople, and the Greeks never let their guard down."

Prince Conrad took over.

"The Greeks did not want to see the decline of Germany, and wanted to support us to continue our confrontation with the Lombard League."

"What's more, depose the Pope again, kill Alexander, and smash it!"

The gritted redbeard regarded his kneeling in the Pope's boots as a great shame, and he always thought about revenge.

"Heaven sent it!"

"The generous military spending of the Greeks can instantly replenish the body of the empire, and let the German knights put on their armor again."

"We're going to cross the Alps and press on Rome again!"

Otto Wietersbach frowned.

"But Your Majesty, in the first two wars, our veterans lost too much!"

"Knights are the foundation of the European hegemony, and peasant soldiers can be recruited at any time, but the elite of the empire cannot be cultivated overnight."

"Then hire Poles, Hungarians, Swiss, and I will not skimp on rewards as long as I can fight for the Empire."

The Greeks gave him gold to fill Frederick's pockets, and he was able to generously give the death of every soldier who went into battle.

"Everyone!"

"Next year we'll go south to Italy!"

"Let Alexander also kneel before me!"

……

"Long live the Empire!"