A small river that is not very wide flows under the window, and a slight breeze blows through the window, lifting the light curtains and spreading the cool into the room.

It is a small river that does not run wide through the city and then flows into the Arno River.

Looking out of the window, you can see a slightly curved stone arch bridge not far away, there were not many people on the bridge, and now this stone bridge is lonely across the river, it looks like a forgotten monument, it seems so quiet and lonely.

On that day at the end of July, the people of Pisa finally experienced once again the horror of being ruled and dominated by the powerful, which they had long forgotten, and when they saw the armies passing through the city, the shiny spears shining under the dazzling eyes, the dreary roar of dull footsteps through the streets of Pisa, and the horrific sight of the artillery drawn by wooden carts passing through the city streets, Pisas suddenly realized who they were fighting against.

Not the councillors who won the hearts of the people with their clever tongues, nor the nouveau riche who spilled large sums of money in exchange for respect, but the Count of Montina who had rescued them from the Venetians and then put a bigger shackle around their necks.

For Alexander, the Pisan people have very mixed feelings.

They were angry that the man had drawn them into an inexplicable riot, but they thanked him for their deliverance from the imminent conquest of the Venetians, and they were both humiliated by the fact that they had to sign unequal treaties under the coercion of the man, but they were also glad that they had brought the city to life.

Some see the count as an enemy of Pisa, while others say that he is the savior and protector of Pisa.

And all this dispute ended completely on the day of the end of July.

Alexandre Giulian Cambrai finally showed his fangs and claws, which is how some describe and summarize Alexander's actions that day.

In any case, without the permission of the Pisa government, Montina's army forced their way into Pisa that day, and at the same time, in the name of supporting the legitimate ruling government of Pisa, together with the Pisa city defenses, launched a fierce operation against the opponents of Pisa.

No one knows exactly how many people were arrested that day, and even less so how many were killed in these operations.

All it is known is that with the sudden intervention of Montina's army, the entire city of Pisa immediately fell into great unease and panic.

The faint-hearted fled home at once, and those who never believed that much was going to happen, or who thought they had the support of the councillors, really understood what terror was for the rest of the night.

Then, the Pisa Council was dissolved, the town hall was forcibly closed, and Tomneo became the governor with the highest decision-making power in Pisa.

Then the Doge became His Royal Highness, and while the Pisan people were not yet fully accustomed to the title of "Doge", a duke's tiara, which had been sealed for nearly a century, was once again placed on the heads of the Tomnio family with a ceremony in the church in front of the leaning tower.

All kinds of changes before and after, less than 10 days!

Among the Pisas who attended the coronation ceremony at that time, some were secretly happy, some were full of anger, but the vast majority of them just stood by and were silent.

Tomneo has moved into the town hall, which was originally the palace of the Duke of Pisa in the early years, and now he has returned to the family, Tomneo is not only emotional, but also deeply knows how to repay the young man who let him realize the family's century-old dream.

But neither he, nor anyone else watching all this, knew that while Tomneo was standing on the steps in front of the church, receiving the cheers of the people, not far behind him, Lucrezia was saying to Alexander in a tone of not without annoyance: "This duke's crown was supposed to be yours." ”

"That duke title should be yours."

This was already Lucrezia's complaint once, and standing in front of the curtains that were fluttering slightly in the breeze, Lucrezia said in a slightly unhappy tone to Alexander, who was reclining on the couch.

It was a summer afternoon that made it easy to fall asleep, and the river breeze blowing in from the window made the otherwise stuffy room feel refreshing and pleasant, and listening to the sleep-inducing chirping of cicadas outside, Lucrezia couldn't help but stretch slightly.

Alexander's eyes lit up suddenly, and he had to admit that although he couldn't compare with Sophia's almost strange plumpness, Lucrezia had something that neither Sophia nor Josa had.

If Lucrezia knew what Alexander was thinking, she would understand that that kind of thing was supposed to be charming.

Although she is still young, after all, a woman who has experienced marriage is different from a girl who is still jerky, even if this girl has a "lofty mountain" that is not comparable to that of an older girl.

Alexander stood up and walked over and pulled Lucrezia into his arms, and after gently kissing her neck, he smiled and asked, "Then let me ask you, do you think it is better to be the duke's court, or is it better to be here?" ”

Hearing this, Lucrezia's face showed a trace of confusion, she was about to say, "Of course it's in the palace", but looking at Alexander's smiling face, she suddenly realized that maybe it was more suitable for them to be here than in that palatial palace.

It's an ordinary house in the city of Pisa, and it's easy to ignore compared to the town hall, which is now the Duke's Palace.

Lucrezia was now sitting in the house near the river, and most of the Pisbians did not know who the owner of the house was, except for the Agris who were tightly guarded around the house and looked a little blinking.

In fact, Lucrezia's current status is somewhat awkward.

Even in today's era of inconvenient transportation, the news of the Pope's daughter and the Duke of Billy Shelly being engaged has reached Pisa before.

However, because of the inconvenience of transportation, the news came relatively late, so that when Alexander entered Pisa with the "trophies" he hijacked, many people were still talking about what they had just heard.

Then they saw Lucrezia, who was said to be betrothed to a certain duke, sitting in Alexander's arms, surrounded by a large group of soldiers, into the city.

For Lucrezia, coming to Pisa again was like another romantic trip with Alexander, only this time they were sailing directly north from Rome.

The Agri occupied Castel Sant'Angelo for less than half a day, and then, after receiving orders from Alexander, they threw down their heavy cannons, and then quickly assembled under the leadership of Oflei, who had heard the news, and then left the city in the astonished and bewildered of the people of Rome, and set off for the dock by the sea.

Similarly, a group of Bohemian cavalry who were guarding the Marino Palace left Rome without any hesitation or nostalgia, except for the original attendants, and the Marino Palace suddenly became empty.

This made Caesar, who was originally planning to threaten Alexander with the siege of Marino Palace again, not knowing what to do for a while.

Threaten that Countess of Cosenza?

Caesar was not so stupid, he knew very well who was behind the countess, and he knew the great influence of the count of Mordiglo, at least during his time in Naples, he had already learned the count's methods more than once.

At the same time, Caesar had to admire Alexander's good timing.

The blockade of Castel Sant'Angelo, and even the threat of shelling the bridge over the Tiber, ended immediately with the departure of Alexander and Lucrezia, so that in the eyes of many, what was originally a rebellion turned into a mere nonsense for the sake of his beloved.

At the same time, the rapid withdrawal of the Agrics avoided a head-on clash with the Roman city defenses, which were far larger than the Agrics who occupied the castle.

Caesar didn't know if all this was Alexander's plan, he didn't even understand why Alexander chose to leave Rome at this time, but when he told his father the news, Alexander VI was silent for a while, and then slowly said to him: "Go and tell the envoy of the Duke of Billy Shelly that I hope the Duke will come to Rome as soon as possible." ”

Lucrezia was carried onto the ship by Alexander, and was also carried off the boat, and when she saw the port of Pisa, Lucrezia was so excited that she almost cried.

She sees the trip as a feat of renewing her love, and then she ignores the bloody storm that has taken place in the city of Pisa with their arrival.

"But the crown should be yours." Lucrezia still said with some pity that she was snuggled in Alexander's arms, while both of them reclined on the couch, "That Tomneo is not likeable." ”

Alexander smiled lightly, he didn't know if it was the blood of the Borgia family or the result of the family's gradual cultivation over the years, it was clear that Lucrezia also saw Tomneo's uneasy heart.

In fact, this is understandable, no one wants to be a puppet, even a puppet that looks very beautiful.

"But that's all I can do now," Alexander's hand climbed slightly from Lucrezia's waist, and as his fingers touched the smooth skin exposed outside the collar, he heard Lucrezia's increasingly heavy gasp, "You know Lucrezia, I actually envy your father. ”

"Why?" Lucrezia looked stunned, and then she asked with some surprise, "Do you also want to be the Pope?" ”

Lucrezia's appearance made Alexander smile, and he put his fingers on Lucrezia's skin to stir up a stir that made her gasp, and said, "Your father is actually very brave, he dares to admit that your brother and sister are his children, and this is much more daring than anyone else. ”

"That's because my father is not afraid of punishment," said Lucrezia proudly, and then did not forget to add, "No one dares to punish him." ”

"That's right," Alexander paused, slowly sitting up, "your father dared to do that because no one dared to punish him, and I can't wear the duke's crown because I don't have the strength." ”

It is one thing to dare to snatch the Pope's daughter from the Pope's son, and quite another to openly strangle a ducal crown.

Alexander knew he didn't have the strength to challenge what was considered taboo by all nobles.

"So what are you going to do next? My father wouldn't give up so easily, and neither would Caesar. Lucrezia looked worried, "Alexander, write to my father and confess your mistake, and tell him how much you love me." Make a formal proposal so that he can forgive you, and then you will be a family. Then you can rule Rome with Caesar, I know he is ambitious, but I believe you can be good brothers. ”

Looking at Lucrezia's almost pleading eyes, Alexander sighed slightly.

As Lucrezia said, Caesar had great ambitions, and it was precisely because of this ambition that he and Caesar were destined to never become a family, let alone brothers.

Tuscany and Romagna, the key region connecting the upper and lower Italian peninsulas, can control this vast territory will have the opportunity to go north to Lombardy and south to the Apennines.

Caesar's ambition to become Duke of Romagna had gradually been revealed, and when he thought that he had not only done this in history, but had even relied on the huge advantage behind him to almost make him achieve the feat of unifying Italy, which no one had ever done, Alexander secretly warned himself not to be self-righteous because of this small achievement in front of him, let alone to underestimate the brother-in-law who was very difficult to deal with.

He and Caesar were not destined to be friends and brothers, but only rivals and enemies.

Tomneo sat in a high-backed chair with crimson cushions, looking at the official not far away who respectfully reported to him about the city's movements, and his heart was somewhat complicated.

Just a few days ago, it was this person who had a great influence in the parliament who stood indifferently when he was besieged and attacked by those councillors, and at that time there was no expression on his face, and he couldn't see who he was supporting, but at that time, as long as he was a silent person, there was no need to guess what was going on in his heart.

At the time, Tomneo was lonely and even panicked, he knew very well what would happen if he was ousted, and because of this, when the officers showed him that they could support him, he finally chose to cooperate with the ruffians at all costs.

Then, this adventure of his succeeded.

The parliament was dissolved, and he became the governor who held great power, and then he became the duke.

The man who had been an indifferent bystander in parliament was now standing in front of him respectfully, and some of the members and their men who had offended him had become prisoners in prison, while others had been buried in graves.

However, Tomneo, who had achieved such a major victory, was not happy, or he did not feel the joy that a victory should bring.

The Duke's gaze swept over the nearby window, and when he saw a guard standing outside the window, the gloom in his eyes deepened.

It was a soldier of the City Guards, a typical mercenary, and now they were all nominally following his orders, but Tomneo knew that the real owner of the City Guards was not himself.

According to the previous agreement signed with Alexander, the city defense army will receive 6 cents of the annual tax revenue of Pisa, which may seem less than 10% of the tax amount is not very conspicuous, but Tomneo is well aware that with this agreement, the mercenaries of Pisa are slowly dissociating themselves from the "Pisa".

For the city guards, they were an entente with the city of Pisa, not with a government or a restored duke like him, then they were loyal to the city and not to a specific person or government.

Maybe if you put anyone sitting here, they'll show allegiance.

The thought made Tomneo very unhappy and vaguely uneasy.

What if one day someone declares himself to be the Duke of Pisa and is recognized, what will the city guards do?

Tomneo's heart was agitated, which made him feel indescribably bored with the report of the official in front of him.

"Your Highness, the people need to be appeased," the official's voice suddenly raised, which made Tomneo slightly stunned, "You know what happened a few days ago has made the people very uneasy, and it has also made those foreign businessmen who do business in Pisa feel insecure. ”

The official's words made Tomneo groan, he knew that the suppression a few days ago had indeed had a very bad effect, and the actions of the city defense army made the citizens think that this was all his order, after all, the commander of the city defense army had a power of attorney signed by him, but only Tomneo himself knew that the Count Montina should be behind all this, and he even secretly speculated whether the riot against him was also ordered by Alexander.

"What are we going to do?" Tomneo asked, annoyed, "Do you want me to stand in front of the people and admit that my previous actions were wrong, or let me parade in the streets as a clown to win their ridicule?" ”

"Or someone else dressed as a clown," the official pouted, "I think we can have a big parade and a carnival so that the people and merchants can see that the city of Pisa has been quieted again, and then you can announce something that will make everyone happy at the height of the carnival, such as announcing preferential treatment for the merchants, or exempting the citizens from certain taxes." ”

"Is that so?" Tomneo muttered slightly, it wasn't that he hadn't thought about these actions to buy the hearts of the people, but he didn't know why, when he thought of Count Montina, he was a little nervous.

"Or you can make the people feel more merciful," the official handed Tomneo a document that had already been prepared, "and if you can sign it and announce the decision at the height of the march, I think the Pisan people will appreciate you even more." ”

"What is this?" Tomneo took it a little puzzled, and when he read the contents of the document clearly, his face changed for a moment, "Amnesty?" ”

"Yes, it's the amnesty decree for those who were captured by the city guards before," the official's gaze was fixed on Tomneo, "You can forgive their Highness, let them hurry up with your generosity and kindness, and then they will repay you, you should know that many of these people are very influential in Pisa, and their support must be very helpful to you." ”

Tomneo's eyes glanced out the window, the guards outside had just strolled by, but they couldn't hear anything from this distance.

Or even if you hear it, you won't understand what they're saying.

Tomneo licked his lips slowly, and instead of speaking, he tapped his fingers lightly on the document in front of him.

After a while, he opened the desk drawer next to him and put the papers inside.

"I'm going to think about it."

"At your disposal, Your Highness." The official bowed and turned to leave.

Looking at the back of the man leaving, and glancing at the drawer next to him, Tomneo couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

A carriage slowly drove away from the palace, and the officials who had just left sat in the car and watched the street outside.

The streets were occasionally filled with soldiers, and because the Palazzo Ducale was here, the streets of the area were one of the most heavily guarded in the city of Pisa, and the other was near Lucrezia's residence.

"Pizza, Pizza ......"

The officer muttered softly, looking at the troops outside, dressed very different from the Pisa city guards, he clenched his fists, and then, as if determined, poked the carriage with the hilt of his sword standing beside him.

One of his attendants immediately urged his horse to the side of the carriage and bent down to give orders.

"Go tell those people that we're ready."

"But my lord, didn't the duke not sign?" The attendant asked in a low voice with some confusion.

"Don't worry, he'll sign it," the official who said this exhaled and leaned back, "I don't need to pay much attention to what he's thinking." ”