Lucrezia looked angrily at the somewhat helpless messenger standing not far in front of her, looking at his slightly embarrassed appearance, Lucrezia, who would have been angry in the past, did not seem so easy to talk this time.

"Don't you think your accusations are too harsh?" Lucrezia angrily pushed the letter forward in front of her, "Your duchess actually thinks that I have not fulfilled my duty, is she going to do it for her own brother?" ”

The messenger pursed his lips secretly, although he didn't dare to express his dissatisfaction, but a thought involuntarily rose in his heart: "Sure enough, Madame Barentia is more suitable to be the Duchess of Thesia in Rome, at least her attitude is different from that towards her brother." ”

I don't know if I felt the slander in the messenger's heart, Lucrezia's face showed anger: "Who will hurt their own family, Caesar is my family, do you think I should ignore this fact, you can take my words back, this kind of thing may be done by the Duchess of Rome Thesia, but I can't do it." ”

Looking at the angry Lucrezia, the messenger saluted helplessly and retreated.

Thanks to the convenience of the national intercity highway connecting the two places, it is now possible to run back and forth in a day from Montina to Pisa without sparing any horsepower, so although the envoy is tired to death from this journey, because he knows that the matter is urgent, he can only take Lucrezia's so-called message and rush back to Montina overnight.

Annoyed, Lucrezia did not even finish the sternly worded letter that Barendi had written to her, and did not pick it up until the messenger had left.

When she saw the letter in which Barentia announced that the entire duchy had entered full preparations for war in Alexander's ruling capacity, Lucrezia was first taken aback by surprise, and then couldn't help but become slightly nervous.

She knew that Barendi was unhappy that she had banished Caesar from Pisa, but she really didn't know what to do.

When she learned that Caesar had landed in the port of Pisa with his guards, Lucrezia's first reaction was to immediately go and greet her brother in person.

But the Pisa officials not only stopped her, but even suggested that Caesar be ordered to be arrested immediately.

This made Lucrezia angry, and she flatly rejected the ministers who made such suggestions, but she realized that Caesar's presence was indeed a big problem.

She knew that she had to look out for her daughter's interests and that Estelles' status could not be threatened, so after a final hesitation, she ordered Caesar and his men to be expelled from Pisa.

At that time, Lucrezia believed that she had made the right choice, which made her even a little complacent, and she thought that if she saw Alexander again, she would be able to win Alexander's favor with such a clever decision.

But Barondi's letter ruined her good mood at once, and what was even more troublesome was that Barendi's order to prepare for war had clearly affected Pisa.

Pizza is in a special position today.

As a city-state, Pisa was nominally independent, but everyone knew that Alexander was still the regent of Pisa, both nominally and practically, and that as Alexander's daughter, Estelles was also the nominal suzerainty of Florence.

In this way, through the connection of his daughter, Alexander had almost complete control of Romagna and Tuscany.

In the territory of the "United Kingdom of Alexandria", which has been quite rudimentary, Rome has been vaguely included, and even a large number of troops have been stationed in the city for a long time, claiming to defend Alexander's palace Marino.

But Caesar's return now seems to show signs of disrupting all this, and Barentia's actions remind Lucrezia that Caesar may indeed pose a threat to Alexander's rule.

Although she was reluctant, looking at the unceremonious accusations in Barendi's letter, Lucrezia could not help but admit that she was indeed merciful in dealing with Caesar.

Barentia's description of the situation in the letter sent a chill of fear to Lucrezia.

In the past, even if Caesar offended and angered Alexander many times, but because he interceded for him, Alexander would eventually forgive him.

This time, however, it was clearly different, and Caesar chose to stab Rome in the back when she was in danger, which made Lucrezia realize that this time it was probably impossible for Alexander to forgive her brother if she pleaded in front of him.

At the thought of this, Lucrezia instantly became distraught, she hurriedly took out a piece of paper and tried to write a letter to her father, asking Caesar, who he dissuaded, to continue to do things that would make Alexander break with him completely, but as soon as she thought that behind all this should be Alexander VI pushing, Lucrezia could not put down the pen in her hand anymore, and after a little silence, she couldn't help but cry out in a sad and angry voice to the room where there was no one but herself: "What do you want me to do?" ”

But then, as if she remembered something, she grabbed Barendi's letter, and looking at the eye-catching handwriting of "all-out war" in the letter, Lucrezia's expression kept changing, and after a while she pulled the drawstring of the bell in her hand as if she had made up her mind.

"Your Highness." An attendant pushed the door in and stood respectfully at the door.

"Ordered in the name of the Duchess of Estles," said Lucrezia with a serious expression, "Pisa and Florence are preparing for war in response to the orders of the regent of the Duchy of Thesia in Rome!" ”

Lucrezia's order surprised the squire, and he stood there at a loss to move, and when he saw Lucrezia's impatient gaze, the squire carefully reminded: "Your Highness, according to the laws of Pisa, the decision to fight must be notified to the House of Lords first. ”

"No," Lucrezia stood up, "I'll get the House of Lords to accept my decision, and all you have to do now is pass on my orders." ”

When Lucrezia's voice came out of the palace, the city of Pisa instantly boiled like a boiling oil pot.

The nobles rang the bell in front of the House of Nobles with dissatisfaction, and when the nobles who heard the noise filled the room, the people began to accuse Lucrezia of completely ignoring the laws of Pisa.

"This is a very bad start, the Duchess has broken the agreement between the nobility and the Duke's family." A nobleman stood on the table and shouted, "Although it is the right of the Duke to wage war, the House of Lords has the right to know, and now the Duchess has completely abandoned the House of Lords, and she is the beginning of a complete reign with the House of Borgia Giulian Gombray as the sole rule!" ”

The nobleman's words immediately aroused the response of many nobles below, who shouted to protest to Lucrezia, and some shouted the slogan "Pisa will never be involved in unnecessary wars".

There was a commotion in the House of Nobles, and people didn't notice the figure flashing at the door because of their excitement, and when someone finally found Lucrezia, who was standing silently at the doorway with Estelles and watching them, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Everyone's eyes looked at the mother and daughter at the door, and then their eyes moved as they slowly walked in.

Lucrezia walked to the platform in the middle of the room, and as she stepped forward, the nurse next to her tried to take Estelles, but Lucrezia refused her offer.

Instead of carrying her daughter up, Lucrezia bent down and pulled her little hand upwards with a slight force.

Everyone couldn't help but hold their breath as they watched Estelles climb up the stairs with her hands and feet in her bulky skirt.

When Estelles finally climbed the steps to stand on the podium, and then laughed as if she had done something remarkable, the nobles in the hall bowed their heads and saluted her.

"My daughter is the Duchess of Pisa," Lucrezia picked her up and made her stand on the stone pulpit of the pulpit, "her father's duchy is under threat, but that's not the most important thing, I know that some of you think that Pisa can remain neutral, but I tell you that Caesar Borgia will not accept your so-called kindness, he has now returned to Rome, then he will organize an army, he will invade my daughter's territory and duchie, And her father is likewise facing the threat of this man and the French who collude with him, I want to protect the rights of my daughter, I did not inform the House of Lords of this decision because it is no one else's business, it is not an unnecessary war, it is the war of my daughter, Estelles, Duchess of Pisa, and the war of each of you, it is your duty and responsibility! ”

"But Duchess, we can't stand up to the French, Louis is too strong." Someone shouted below, "Maybe we can make peace with the French, knowing that we are, after all, Pisa, not vassals of Roman Thesia." ”

The man's words immediately resonated, and the dissatisfaction that had been hidden until now because of Alexander's suppression seemed to be showing signs of exploding at this moment.

Lucrezia's face turned pale, her anger more than her nervousness, but despite the sight of a large number of soldiers already appearing at the door, she forced herself to calm down: "So tell me whose vassals you are willing to be, or simply let Pisa be annexed by someone?" ”

Lucrezia's words stunned the nobles, who also knew very well that if Alexander's Duchy of Rome and Thessia fell, the fate of Pisa would be unimaginable, and at least Florence would break away from Pisa's rule, and perhaps immediately counterattack.

Not only that, but Estelles's rule was bound to be overthrown, and would anyone else really allow the Duchy of Pisa to continue to exist?

"My daughter!" Lucrezia hugged her daughter's waist, who was standing tall because she couldn't help laughing because she thought it was funny, her face flushed, and her voice was excited, "Her father once promised her a kingdom in person, and he once said in public, 'My daughter will be a great queen in the future', so what do you choose now?!" Will you be a dead nobleman destined to be annexed to the city of Pisa, or will you be the one who will follow a future queen destined to go down in history, or do you want to stay out of it? But this is impossible, the fate of Pisa and Rome Thessia is already connected, either glory together or sink together! ”

Lucrezia's words made the nobles look at each other, and everyone saw surprise in the eyes of others, they did not know why the Duchess, who had always been so cheerful and benevolent and quite generous, had become so different.

Her stirring speech even made many people feel a wave of impulse.

And the nobles couldn't help but admit that what she said was indeed right, that the fate of Pisa was indeed linked to that of Roman Thesia, and that the vast majority of them would face the only outcome, unless it was the nobles who secretly colluded with the French.

"Hahaha," said Estelles, who thought her mother had put herself on a high place to play, laughing merrily at the men below, and then she suddenly reached out and slapped one of the small stone sculptures that stood on either side of the pulpit.

The soft sound of "popping" caught Lucrezia's attention, and seeing her daughter's chubby little hands clapping the statue's outstretched wings, Lucrezia's heart moved, and she quickly whispered her lips in Estelles' ear.

Estelles seemed a little confused, she stopped and turned her head to look at her mother, who immediately laughed at the sight of her mother's encouraging expression and the source of her favorite delicacy that seemed to be vaguely held up on her chest.

Then turning back to face the nobles who looked up at her, the Duchess of Pisa patted the wings of the angel statue next to her who was dressed in armor, holding a sharp sword, and spread her wings, and shouted in a childish tone, but because she thought of the big event that she would soon be able to drink breast milk, she kept shouting in an unusually serious tone: "War~War~"

All of a sudden, everyone was stunned to see the duchess standing high on the pulpit, stroking the wings of a battle angel with one hand, and constantly issuing declarations of war.

"Perhaps, our Duchess will really become a great queen."

At this moment, many nobles couldn't help but have this strange thought flashing in their hearts.

War!

The alarm bell rang in the city of Pisa, to the surprise of the Pibians who had not heard it for several years, and according to Pisan law, as soon as the alarm bell rang, all men over the age of 14 were to gather in front of the church in the center of the city.

Under that slightly sloping bell tower, adult pisbians arrived from far and wide.

And what awaits them is something called a mobilization order that is unfamiliar to them and to the vast majority of people in this era.

"In the name of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Pisa, Estelles, it is hereby announced that with immediate effect the Principality Mobilization Order will be issued throughout the territory of Pisa, and all manpower, resources and wealth will be used for the purpose of the upcoming war, and the Principality will have the right to obtain all resources first at the same price, and all houses, materials and carriages collected as a result of the war will be paid by the Principality afterwards with corresponding remuneration and compensation higher than the original price, so as to prove the fairness and justice of His Highness Estelles!"

The Pisas looked at each other blankly, they didn't know what this notice meant, after all, even if there was a war in the past, but most of the time it had nothing to do with them, for thousands of years, for the people in the territory, the iron territory, the lord of the flowing water has become an unbreakable truth, for the people, although the war will bring them disaster, but also because they can't decide their fate, they become indifferent to the war and have no interest.

But now, the notice seemed to tell them that they themselves were part of the war.

Houses, food, leather, brass, horses, and vehicles will be requisitioned for war, and they will then be compensated even more.

It doesn't sound pleasant, but it doesn't seem like a big deal, and a few people even think it's a good deal, which makes it impossible to tell what's wrong.

Only a few people who listened to this notice noticed one of the worries, which was that all this compensation was made "after the fact".

And when was this aftermath?

Is the war over?

But what happens if the principality loses the war?

When one approached Lucrezia with this doubt, the Duchess, who had just fulfilled her promise to feed her daughter, replied: "Then let the people pray that God will give us victory for their reparation, or join the army of the principality, whether it is Pisa or Rome-Thesia, which is now short of soldiers." ”

Lucrezia's answer stunned the men, and it was only then that many realized that their fate was really tied to Pisa, to Rome Thesia, and even to the duke, who was supposedly not in the duchy today.

In Montina, Barentia did not have any of the troubles of Lucrezia, and when she had announced the order to prepare for battle, she went into the vault and closed the door, and then took out a locked box from a secret compartment in the middle of the bookshelves that almost touched the high vault.

When I opened the box, I saw a few things inside.

Barenti set aside an iron crown that looked the size of an armband and was carved with many ancient floral ornaments, and then took out a small book bound only a few thin pages from under the box.

"General Battle Instructions of Rome-Thesia, by Alexandre Giuliante Cambrai".

Looking at the familiar name, Barendi sighed softly, and then turned the first page.

A striking line of text appeared in Barondi's eyes

"Mobilization for war, centred on Montina, authorizing the regent of the Duchy, Barentia della Juliant Cambrai, to mobilize all the reserve forces of the Duchy, and in view of the offensive and defensive alliance between the Duchy and the Kingdom of Naples, on the occasion of the outbreak of war, the alliance agreement shall come into force on this day!"

Barendi took out another letter from the box, which, though she did not know what it contained, had been told by Alexander before leaving to send it to Naples if necessary.

"How much do you love your brother, Josa Kosenza?"

Barondi muttered to herself, then pulled the rattle.

"Send this letter to Naples, and it must be delivered to the queen herself."

Watching his retinue bow and retreat, Barenti's gaze looked out the window in the distance, in the direction of Rome.

"Caesar has returned to Rome." Thinking of this, Barondi's heart couldn't help but become heavy.

After being imprisoned for almost a year, Caesar Borgia miraculously escaped from Elba, then landed in Pisa, where he arrived in Rome at noon on April 15 with a starry guard of 60 loyal men.

When he saw his son approaching from afar, Alexander VI was so excited that he completely ignored the papal prestige, walked down the steps to meet him, and then hugged Caesar tightly.

"Welcome back my son." The Pope said loudly.

"Thank you, father," Caesar said as he stood up straight after embracing Alexander VI, his gaze swept over the clergy who were standing far away, and when he saw a familiar figure standing under a pillar, Caesar had a strange expression that seemed to crush and crumple the smiles of angels and demons.

"I'm back, so someone has to pay."

Massimo didn't hear Caesar's words that were bloody, and he looked at the Borgia father and son standing there from a distance, and his hand hidden under his robe couldn't help but clench slightly.

On April 17, the third day after Caesar's return to Rome, Caesar, by order of the commander of the Papal States, announced the expulsion of the Roman Thesian army in the city of Rome, and declared that he had accepted the advice of the French and declared war on Roman Thesia.