There have been countless wars in history, some over succession, some over faith, some over honor, and some purely for some inexplicable reason.

But if you strip away all those varied excuses, you will find that all wars are just for profit.

For the benefit of a certain individual, for the benefit of a certain group of people, or for the benefit of a certain class.

There is no such thing as a war that does not involve interests, and even those who uphold the noblest people who want to save the whole world will still have "interests" engraved in the flesh and bones underneath if they peel off the skin of lofty ideals.

So when Alexander asked Ashook to speak to the Sultan and launch a naval raid on Europe, Ashulk lamented that he was just thinking crazy about it, not whether it was right or not.

For the Ottoman Sultans, the invasion of Europe was their dream goal, and for many years to come, successive Ottoman monarchs would spare no effort to achieve this goal, they would spare no effort to mobilize a terrible number of troops, and then devote that army armed to destroy everything in the world to conquer Europe.

Compared to this, encouraging the Sultan to start a war at sea is actually nothing, and even if he does not say anything, with the character of Basayet II, he may not take the initiative to start such a war at sea.

In fact, in the time of Baseyet II, the Ottoman navy did penetrate deeper into the western Mediterranean more than once, relying on the many ports provided by the long coastline, and a group of pirates who ravaged the Mediterranean in the name of the Ottoman Navy became a nightmare for Europeans in the Mediterranean.

Ashulk had already understood what Alexander meant, but it was precisely because he understood that he was secretly surprised at the same time.

As a close confidant of Saiye II, Ashulk knew some of the Sultan's thoughts better than anyone else.

Although even the Sultan himself did not know that he would not choose to send a fleet directly to invade Rome proper, the Sultan's other ideas about how to fight the Europeans in the Mediterranean were already formed.

Among them, the plan to grant the Arab pirates the right to plunder the Europeans, especially the Venetians, had been prepared even before Ashulk had left the Sultan.

Because of this, Ashulk was surprised that Alexander was able to "think together" with the Sultan.

He was well aware that the Sultan had sent emissaries to some of the great pirates who had long been entrenched in the Mediterranean, some of them of considerable power, and that the Sultan had promised a very large official position.

The purpose of all this is to strike hard at Venice, which the Sultan regarded as the greatest enemy of Europe invading Europe from the sea!

As rich as Venice was, they were as strong as they were at sea against the Ottoman Empire.

For the Ottomans in particular, if they wanted to land in Europe successfully, they had to eradicate the European maritime colonies in the Mediterranean, which had penetrated deep into the eastern Mediterranean.

Crete, Cyprus and Malta are like solid stumbling blocks in the Sultan's way.

Crete, in particular, was a symbol of the Venetians' power in the Mediterranean, and Barthaet II always regarded it as a thorn in his side.

Ashulk felt a vague uneasiness, and he could not tell what it was, although Alexander's proposal to him, if it came true, would be both satisfactory to the sultan and more in their interests, the Ottomans found something unsettling.

At this moment, he even felt that perhaps Alexander had completely seen through the Sultan's plan.

A European aristocrat who had insight into the Sultan's intentions, Ashulk felt that there was nothing more dangerous than this, although this man was not yet a big man with the ability to influence the whole of Europe, but he seemed to be moving in that direction.

Who can guarantee that in a few years, ten years he will not become a man like Alexander VI or the Venetian governor Barbaregg, if so, maybe this man will become the great enemy of the Ottoman Empire.

Ashulk thought far ahead, but it was indeed too far for him to respond to whether or not to agree to Alexander's offer now, and his answer would be, as he himself put it, "cause a war."

Ashulk was in deep thought, and Alexander did not bother him.

Such a decision is difficult to make, as it would mean a protracted war of raiding at sea.

It will not be just Crete, as Alexander said, that will be affected, but it is certain that it will soon spread throughout the Mediterranean.

At that point, there will be no one to stop the ravages of the greedy and bloodthirsty pirates.

"This must be a war in the interests of the Sultan," Ashulk finally spoke, his eyes fixed on the map on the table, as if he were not saying to Alexander, who was sitting opposite, "This war may spread widely, and it seems to have a great impact on trade in the entire Mediterranean." ”

"Yes," Alexander also stared at the map, "many ports will be depressed by pirates, and more importantly, this may be seen as a prelude to a naval invasion by the Ottomans, so that the value of these ports will depreciate significantly, and we can take advantage of these shares,"

Ashulk's hand paused, and his gaze fell slightly on Alexander's face.

"Tell me, Count, how can you be so sure that the Sultan will not start a war against Rome and the rest of Europe, knowing that once the unrest in Egypt has been quelled, there are enough ports on the southern shores of the Mediterranean to provide the Sultan's navy with a march to Europe, and if this happens, I can guarantee that the ports you get will be the first target of the Sultan's navy."

Listening to Ashulk's questioning full of doubts, Alexander pondered for a moment that he really needed to think carefully about how to answer, and if he could not give a satisfactory answer, it was obviously impossible for the Ottoman to cooperate with him with confidence.

And the cooperation with Ashulk, although somewhat unexpected, Alexander did not want to let go of this rare opportunity easily.

Because if he can get the support of this Ottoman Sultan, it will be of surprising help to his plans.

Especially when one day he does set foot on Castilian soil, this help will be even more significant.

It's just that in order to set foot on Castile land smoothly in the future, he must not agree to Ashulk's previous proposal for cooperation between the two sides to directly monopolize the port trade on the north and south sides of the Mediterranean.

While it was a quick way to increase one's wealth to a terrifying number, it wasn't for him.

Such cooperation with the infidels would be notorious in the future.

Alexander "cherished" his reputation, especially when it came to Castile.

"The Sultan will not wage war from the sea, at least not in the foreseeable short term, it is not the Vatican that he needs to conquer," said Alexander with a strange smile at Ashulk, "We all know that what the Sultan really desires is not to erect the crescent flag in the holy places of the enemy, but to be able to occupy and dominate the most prosperous cities in Europe, for him, Rome is of great significance, but Vienna and Prague are attractive, as for Venice, if not for the great threat of their navy, Nor is it likely that the Sultan will be so concerned. ”

Ashulk stared at Alexander with a gloomy face, and he needed to determine whether Alexander's words were purely pagan slander and contempt, or if he really thought so.

"For the Sultan, instead of taking a great risk of sending his precious army across the Mediterranean with the navy, landing in some strange places, and then capturing some cities of little significance, it is better to look for opportunities in places like Moravia and Hungary, after all, those occupied lands will not flow away like the sea, and the failure to occupy a city and a piece of land is a proof of the Sultan's martial prowess."

Alexander said quietly, believing that Ashulk, a close confidant of the Sultan, must have known that he was right.

In fact, in the early days of the Ottoman Empire, although the Ottoman navy launched a protracted raid on the European continent, the Ottoman sultans never thought of directly invading the continent across the sea, except in an attempt to seize the maritime colonies of the Europeans.

They preferred to advance westward from the land, even decades later, long before the Battle of Lepanto, where the two sides decided on Mediterranean supremacy.

Ashulk's breathing was a little heavy, and he knew it was time to make a decision.

Provoke a war and get a fortune.

The ultimate goal of war is only wealth.

Ashulk smiled.

Tiego's hands were trembling slightly, and he knew that all that he had seen and heard today must be buried in his heart forever, and he could not say anything if he was killed!

Worry and uneasiness haunted Tiego, and even when Ashulk took his leave, he was restless because of the extreme panic.

"Tell me what kind of person you want to be, Thiegore?"

When there were only two people left, Alexander suddenly asked.

"My lord, are you asking about my future?" Tiego asked cautiously, and seeing Alexander nodding silently, he thought for a moment and said, "I think I might be like the founder of the Fugger family in the future, this is a bit funny, maybe I used to laugh at myself, but now I do seriously want to be like him." ”

"Hans Fugger, you want to be like him," Alexander nodded noncommittally, "This idea is not bad, and you do have a chance to become another Hans Fugger, but Tiego," Alexander looked at Tiego seriously, "Haven't you ever wanted to be a greater person, one who may be envious of your wealth, your status, your deeds, and the traces left in history in the future when people mention you?" ”

Tiego looked at Alexander in astonishment, he didn't understand what Alexander meant, but he knew that Alexander must have seen his apprehension.

"My ......, my lord"

Alexander raised his hand to stop Thiegor from saying something, he lifted his coffee cup to look at the muddy color inside, first tried to take a sip, then drank it with a slight frown.

"It seems right to be in Cree sugar cane," Alexander muttered at first, then he looked at Tiego and said something that puzzled the Bariari merchants: "You may become a chancellor of the exchequer in the future, and you are of the very controversial kind." ”

In Tygo's confusion, Alexander got up and opened the door and walked out of the room.

There was a commotion in the exchange, and as Alexander walked around the courtyard corridor on the second floor, he saw the bustle in the hall below.

Everywhere there are people walking around, everywhere people are talking to each other, and everywhere there are people passing all kinds of documents around.

This is the distribution center of goods, this is the redistribution of wealth, and this is also the place where all kinds of gossip are the most.

Any piece of news can cause suspicion, excitement, anger, and panic.

Some well-informed people are ecstatic when they hear a piece of news, others are stunned, and many more can only guess their impending fate from the actions of those who first heard it.

"Thieg, what do you think these people are doing?" Alexander asked softly.

"Adults in pursuit of wealth."

Tiego looked serious, and he would sometimes stand on this cloister and look down.

Whenever he looked at the joys and sorrows among those people, he sometimes wondered what it would be like if he were one of them.

Then he secretly rejoiced that he was standing on top, and not on one of the people below.

"No, they're after something that doesn't belong to them," Alexander paused and looked at the crowd below, "Imagine what do you think would happen to people when more and more people put their money into the exchange, only to find that one day their wealth is gone?" ”

Tiego was stunned, he looked at Alexander in bewilderment, and then a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

"Imagine Thieg, then," Alexander's voice slowed down, "what will they do when one day people find that the money they have does not match the amount of goods circulating in the market, that the gold is rapidly decreasing, and that the florins, the ducats, and even the Ottoman dinars are not enough to cover the price of those goods?" ”

Tiego's expression at this time can already be described as "wonderful", although it was very cold in the winter exchange, but beads of sweat were already on his head, and he had to keep wiping his forehead with his sleeve, while looking at Alexander nervously.

"The Fuggers will send someone soon, and this time it may not be easy to deal with," Alexander smiled slightly, "They have come to negotiate with us on how to mint a new currency." ”

Tiego's heart pounded, and his eyes, which had been a little uneasy, gradually became hot, and there was a faint excitement in his eyes as he looked at Alexander.

"I said you might be a very controversial person in the future," Alexander put his hand around Tiego's shoulders and walked downstairs, "and this is just the beginning. ”

It was late when Alexander left the Exchange, and the streets were already dark, and the previous heavy snow had made the surroundings look brighter than usual, and in the distance he could see the rough pavement of an uphill road and the dark shadow of a black hole under a gatehouse that crossed the street at the corner.

Alexander gently stroked Pagasus' smooth, warm mane with his hand, perhaps it was the cold weather that irritated Pagasus, and while snorting one by one, Pagasus hissed as he stared at the black hole below the street gate in the distance.

Alexander patted his horse on the neck, and just as he was about to kick the stirrup, Paolo Busako, who was next to him, suddenly reached out and grabbed the reins of Pagassos!

At the same time, a cry burst out of Busako's mouth: "Hunters, be on alert! ”

By the time Paul Busako grabbed Alexander's reins, the hunters had already moved forward, and they quickly crossed Alexander, and with Busako's order, they were quickly lined up on the road, the chasseurs in front had drawn their sabers, and the ones behind had drawn their muskets.

At the same time, there was a stampede sound from the black hole in the distance, like the "squeak" sound of many feet stepping on the snow.

Then, a faint light flashed through the dark shadows, the reflection of the armor.

A horse's head poked out of the darkness, then half of the horse's body, and with the "squeak" of the horse's hooves in the snow, a knight in full armor emerged from the shadows.

The knight was covered in heavy armor, and the moonlight cast a dazzling light on him.

Then the second, the third, the fourth......

More and more cavalry emerged from the darkness, and they slowly moved along the downhill road, their figures cast on the snow, and as they moved, their shadows stretched out by the moonlight, towards Alexander's ranks below.

"Ready!"

The leader of a hunter squad in the second platoon gave the order.

At such a close distance, the hunters in the first row were not even allowed to have time to change their weapons, so they could only directly draw their sabers and prepare to attack, while the muskets in the second row were ready to fire first in the event of a battle.

Paul Busako gasped deeply, his eyes wandering the street, he needed to find a way to get Alexander out of it safely.

Alexander had already taken off his gloves by this time, and it was sometimes easy to make mistakes when he put them on, especially during such "street fights".

The knight on the opposite side was already very close, so close that he had already rushed in front of him before he could even raise his speed.

Finally the man stopped, his eyes roaming the opposite line behind the helmet mask he wore on his head, and he slowly drew a unique saber from his side.

The front is narrow, the back is wide, and the sword body is like a cone.

It's an armor-piercing sword.

"If it's not for Caesar, it's for ashes," the man watched as the shuriken chanted in Latin, and then with a powerful wave of his wrist, the armor-piercing sword slashed a snow light in the air, "Gombray, can I talk to you?" ”

Alexander looked at the man through the huntsmen in front of him, and when he saw the armor-piercing sword, he was already there.

Or maybe when the man just appeared, he had already guessed.

"Caesar, it's really time for you to come back."

Alexander shook his head helplessly, then suddenly his legs clamped the horse's belly hard, and with a neigh, Pagasus stepped out of the crowd and ran towards Caesar Borgia on the opposite side!