Archduke Carl Co Caniola was not a remarkable figure in history, and he could be called obscure compared to many of the most famous figures of his time.

Whether it was King Charles VIII of France or his successor Louis XII, who was known for his initiation of the Italian War, or Emperor Maximian, who was known for the Habsburg era that established the Holy Roman Empire, or even Archduke Stefan of Moldova, who was incomparable to these people, but who made history famous for his stubborn resistance to the Ottoman Empire, these people have made a name for themselves by their great achievements or extraordinary means.

But Carl Co Caniola will be remembered only because he lived long enough.

It is indeed long enough, compared to the fact that most people today are considered to be 60 years old, and even many nobles often die halfway due to a minor illness, Carl Co Caniola's nearly 90-year-old life expectancy is a bit eye-catching.

And it is worth noting that Caniola under the rule of this grand duke was officially annexed by the Ottoman Empire after his death, and for a long time in between, although many other countries have been completely ruled by the Ottomans, Caniola has always survived but has been standing tall and dealing with the Ottomans for a long time, even if it was actually controlled by the time of Suleiman the Magnificent, but it is slightly different from some other countries that have been completely annexed, at least nominally, Karl was always Grand Duke of Caniola.

No one believes such a person if he only relies on recklessness and brutality to maintain his rule.

Just as he had decided in an instant to kill the man who was clearly inextricably linked to the Ottomans, but who had been able to find such an unassailable and all-encompassing reason, it was only a dinner party when he went from Alexander's threat to offering such a bold proposal.

Alexander would not immediately agree to the Archduke Karl's suggestion, and in fact when he returned to the place where he had already rested, he still recalled in his mind the almost vague impression of the Grand Duke.

Carl Co Caniola was a shrewd man, his shrewdness consisted in not being grasped in doing anything, and more importantly, he was not a stubborn or dead-headed principled person, who would change his mind in the blink of an eye, or throw himself from one side to the other without blushing.

It is not surprising that such a sleek man ended up being an evergreen tree in the Balkans, and even a man as prestigious as Stefan could not be sleek, because of his fame.

The residence is a small, independent house on the shores of Lake Bled, and interestingly, the house seems to be located between the north and south districts of Ljubljana, in a large wooded area, and the house is located in a clearing outside the woods.

The southern city of Ljubljana, as the locals call the Old Town, is a traditional area for Orthodox Christians, while the northern city, known as the New Town, is inhabited by later converts.

The two districts are surrounded by Lake Bled and form a faint confrontation, with only a few scattered houses in between, except for some sparse cultivated land.

The house that the hunters had found was well suited for defense, as it was surrounded on three sides by woods, so there was no need to worry about a large cavalry attacking from these directions, and a small number of cavalry was not a threat, and if they were to attack only from the front, according to Bubusako, he "did not believe that an army could have routed the huntsmen so quickly from the front".

And with a slight delay, Montina's troops stationed on the outskirts could hear the news.

Alexander was very satisfied with Busako's self-confidence, as more and more battles were involved, the huntsmen had gradually changed from a guard only responsible for protecting him to the backbone of Montina's army, and every time the battle was critical, the appearance of the huntsman's banner would boost the morale that might be shaken by the danger of the situation, and this pride and pride had gradually seeped into the body of each hunting guard.

When Gompati entered the room, he saw Alexander sitting at the table in a trance, and when he saw him, Alexander beckoned him to sit down.

"That Princess Caniola is very interesting," Gompati took a sip of the glass handed by Alexander, "When I received the news from the soldier you sent to enter Ljubljana with the army, I thought there would be a battle, but I didn't expect these Caniola people to resist at all, they didn't even protest that we moved their things to build barricades in the street, and when I led the people directly into the palace, the princess was standing in the courtyard, She was a little surprised to see us, but then she offered to show us the way, and I really suspected that it was a trap. ”

"You should reward that soldier," Alexander reminded, "though he's pretty good as a scout, but I think it's a bit wasteful." ”

"Your Excellency, at your command." Gompati nodded casually and then kept silent, knowing that Alexander had something to say.

"As for the two princesses and their retinue," Alexander thought for a moment, he had been weighing the weight of both sides just now, after all, it was always more appropriate to negotiate the price with the well-capitalized party, although it was easier to control the small profit party, but such a collaborator would also bring greater risks, and the rewards would be much less.

The most that Princess Marchidovi can get is to make their territory independent, and in this day and age, no one can guess where the fate of an independent small territory will go.

And it's hard to say whether the people of Marchidovi will be able to seize this opportunity, after all, neither the princess herself nor the prince of Gallie look like they are very reliable.

On the contrary, although Archduke Karl had only just met, he made a deep impression on Alexander, at least this man's ability to judge the situation or see the wind and steer the rudder, in his opinion, was not much worse than those cunning old Vatican slippers.

And the most important thing is what the Malchidorvid can provide him, thinking that Alexander has almost made a decision.

The Marchidovites may have their own reasons and reasons for insisting on secession from Caniola, but this clearly did not fit Alexander's purpose.

Alexander needed to attract attention in the Balkans, but he didn't want to be targeted, let alone targeted by the Ottomans, and if he openly supported a dukedom ruled by Catholics, he would quickly be able to attract attention, but he would certainly quickly be in the eyes of the Ottomans and even the Sultan himself.

There were some strange differences towards the pagans, whether they were Ottomans or the dynasties of the Middle East before them.

They can sometimes deal with each other with Orthodoxy, but they hate Catholics, which is inseparable from the more than a dozen intermittent crusades in the West for nearly 300 years, and hatred of Catholics has even been seared into their blood.

Therefore, Alexander felt that it was not cost-effective and even a little stupid to support Marchidovi at this time.

"What is that Princess Marchidovi doing?" Alexander asked.

"With her people," said Gompati, looking at Alexander with a somewhat strange look, "perhaps she will come to you soon." ”

"I thought so too," Alexander did not deny, "so do you think we should help them?" ”

"I don't know, but I've heard that there are a lot of copper mines in the mountains of Caniola," said Gompati with interest, "isn't that what you're here for?" ”

Alexander nodded slightly, although he had been looking for Sophia so far, but his original intention of going to Hungary this time was for the big copper mines in Hungary after all, at least for now, the importance of these two things has not been prioritized.

Alexander understood what Gompati meant, and it was clear that Gompati was not optimistic about the Marchidovites, and the two of them were quite of the same opinion on the matter of working with the Grand Duke himself or the Duke's son.

There was a knock on the door, and a hunter pushed the door in: "My lord, Princess Marchidovi has asked to talk to you. ”

Alexander saw the look of "sure enough" on Gompati's face, and he thought for a moment and instructed the guards: "Tell the princess that it is too late today, and that I think she should have a good rest first after she has just experienced the events of the day, and I will visit her at the appropriate time." ”

When she heard the words of the guards, Princess Marchdovi, who was standing in the courtyard waiting, was obviously a little surprised, and the female companion who accompanied her felt the princess's emotions and seemed to be a little excited in an instant, which made the female companion have to nervously and secretly pull the princess's sleeve to remind her not to lose her temper.

"I must see him, I must see the Count at once."

Despite the dissuasion of her female companions, the princess whispered anxiously, and she tried to get the guards to speak for her again, but the guards reluctantly refused.

"Your Highness, you are so out of shape," the female companion had to do her best to dissuade her, and she even dragged Princess Marchidovi out of Alexander's house, "It's a shame for you to do this, those people will despise you for this, not to mention that you will soon be married to the Grand Duke, and it is already very unusual to visit a young nobleman so late." ”

The female companion even became a little stern when she said it.

"Shut up, you know what," the princess scolded her companion with some annoyance, "and if I don't see the Count to-day, I'm afraid that something might change." ”

As she spoke, the princess looked back at Alexander's house, but the door was kept closed.

The maiden looked at the somewhat strange princess with a puzzled expression, she obviously did not understand why the princess insisted on seeing the earl rather than so recklessly make herself look embarrassed, although he had reached out to the princess when she needed it most, but it seemed somewhat too strange to be so eager to express her gratitude.

Princess Marzidovi looked helplessly at her female companion, she knew that she couldn't speak clearly for a while, but this made her even more uneasy.

Neither her brother, Prince Carrie, nor the rest of her entourage, were apparently unaware of the way things might change, and they were still basking in the joy of finally thwarting Karl and receiving an unexpectedly powerful aid, and although they did offer to come to see the Count, the princess knew that they were more than grateful.

Princess Marzidovi did not think that things would pass so easily, and as the person who would become her husband in the future, the princess was much more familiar with Archduke Karl than her brother.

Because of this, remembering the whispered conversation between Carl and Alexander before leaving, the princess felt a vague uneasiness linger in her heart.

Now Alexander's refusal to meet has aroused all kinds of speculation among Princess Marzidovi, which makes her even feel the urge to rush to see Alexander at all costs.

There was a sound of footsteps, and the princess looked back to see Princess Caniola walking slowly.

Princess Caniola did not seem surprised to see Princess Marzidovi at Alexander's door, nodding to her cousin and then looking at the house not far away.

"It seems that the Count does not want to have much to do with us," Princess Caniola turned to her cousin, "my dear, have you not thought of using your most powerful weapon as a woman?" ”

The female companion next to her had a stunned look on her face, but before she could think about it, Princess Caniola had waved her hand to retreat, and then the princess reached out and took her cousin's arm and walked slowly along the path by the side of the house.

"You should know that Karl is not going to give up, he is patient and cunning, and those who think he just has a short temper will eventually realize that they are wrong, so I will not think that he is cowardly or complacent because he has beaten him because of his momentary concessions."

"Karl has always wanted to annex Marzidovi, and I wish I could protect my family's territory, but now it seems too difficult," looking at her cousin's face, which has been carved by the years, Princess Marzidovi said in a low voice, "Even if Karl doesn't succeed, the Ottomans will eventually swallow us, what do you think we should do?" ”

"So that came to the Earl for help?" Princess Caniola looked at her young cousin a little helplessly, "You should know that if you don't come up with enough things to impress him, that person's door will not be open to you." ”

Princess Marzidovi nodded with difficulty, she knew that what her cousin said was right, if there were not enough conditions to get it, she didn't want to impress the nobleman from the West at all.

And the greed of these Westerners is something they have heard of for a long time.

"Marzidovi has horses, and they are the best mountain pack horses," said the princess at last, and seeing the expressionless expression of Princess Caniola, she groaned a little and added, "we still have enough crops of all kinds, and we are not as poor and savage as they think." ”

Princess Caniola shook her head slightly, she looked at her young cousin a little helplessly: "Do you think any earl would care about these things, think that he would come to Caniola at such a time with an army, do you think he would be satisfied with these things you said?" ”

Princess Marchidovi listened stunned, she knew that what her cousin said was not wrong, but she didn't know how to deal with it, the so-called woman's most powerful weapon was really just a joke, maybe she could be called beautiful, but it shouldn't be enough to make that person give up everything, after all, as Princess Caniola said, that person came from afar with an army, and it was never just a woman who could make him change his mind.

"What should I do?" The princess muttered to herself in despair.

"First of all, know what he wants," Princess Caniola instructed her young cousin, "and at least make him feel that you are useful to him, not as a woman, but as a person who is really useful to him." ”

The princess's tone was very heavy, which was something that the young Princess Marchdovi understood.

"I think you should do this as soon as possible, at least to make the earl face up to your importance, you must know that Karl is very cunning, he may not impress the earl again."

Princess Marchdovi nodded vigorously, she felt that her cousin was right, Karl had always bothered the young princess with his private conversation with Alexander, and now her cousin's words proved her previous fears.

After walking for so long, they had almost circled Alexander's house, and when they returned to the main entrance of the house, they saw a middle-aged man in a black mink jacket talking to the hunters at the door.

"It's Carl's attendant," Princess Caniola whispered at once, feeling that Princess Marchdovi next to her seemed to become nervous all of a sudden, she secretly squeezed her cousin's wrist hard, "Don't be nervous, it seems that he has just come and has not yet had a chance to meet the Count." ”

Princess Marchdovi nodded silently, but then frowned again.

Because she noticed that although Carl's attendant had not been able to enter the house to see Riyama as well, the expression on his face was not depressed, but on the contrary, there was a smile on his face.

Princess Marchdovi knew her fiancé well, and she knew that Carl's temper was more of an illusion, but he was not a forgiving person.

At the very least, his punishment for his subordinates who did something wrong was very cruel, so the squire looked so relaxed, and the only explanation could only be that he had achieved his goal.

Princess Marchdovi's face became ugly, and she watched from afar as the squire jumped on his horse and ran off into the distance, and at this moment her heart was cold.

"Karl does know how to make up for his disadvantage," Princess Caniola muttered as she looked at the back of her distant servant.

The cousin's words made Princess Marchidovi feel even worse, but just as she was in a bad mood because of her chagrin, the huntsman who had blocked her out of the door came up to them.

"Your Highness, your Excellency invites you to ......" Speaking of this, the hunter seemed to remember for a moment before remembering what to say next, "Your Excellency invites you to have an evening tea with him." ”