In the Château de Montina, Barentia knelt in front of the altar with her hands folded on her forehead, and in front of her, Valvidora, the new priest of Montina, looked at the duchess with a smile.

"Madame, as far as I know, there is nothing that can make you so difficult, not even the ...... who are said to be the Dukes" The priest pursed his lips, as if he was thinking about what words to use to describe them, although he had never met the Duke's lovers, but the priest could roughly guess what kind of amazing difference those women had just by using the Duchess in front of him as a reference" To be honest, Madame, I have always been curious, because I can't imagine any other woman who can compare to you, Wise and virtuous and loyal to the duke, this should be the best wife a husband can find. ”

Listening to the priest's compliment, Barendi raised her head and smiled bitterly, in fact, she was indeed so conceited before, although she knew that her appearance could not have any advantage, but she had enough confidence in her own ability, he believed that no matter if any man married her, at least in his career, he should be very satisfied with her, but now Barendi can't be so sure.

"I'm not good enough, so I'm going to do better." Barendi stood up and kissed the cross in the hand of the priest Valvidora, and then asked the priest to accompany her as she walked slowly in the church: "Priest, if you see the Queen of Naples, you will not be so easy to praise a person, you know, he is my husband's sister. ”

The pastor noticed that when she spoke of her husband, there was an unconcealed pride in her tone, but when she mentioned her sister, she had a rather strange expression in her expression, which seemed to be jealousy and envy, and in short, it was very strange to the pastor.

It wasn't the look a woman should have when she mentioned her sister-in-law, but more like a rival.

The absurd idea flashed through the priest's mind, but then he began to seriously consider what Barendi had revealed to him.

"Ma'am, have you really thought about it?" The priest lowered his voice and asked, "You have done a good job so far, in fact you have surprised me, I think the Duke made the right decision to let you take charge of the country in the first place, and perhaps even the Duke himself would not have done much better than you here." ”

"I didn't expect you to be so flattering," Barondy smiled, saying that she liked to talk to Pastor Balvidora because this priest always calmed people's minds, and in this respect, perhaps only Alexander could compare, "but I have decided, but I hope you can help me." ”

Pastor Valvidora groaned slightly, he knew that this decision was not so easy to make, but in the end he nodded: "Madam, if you insist, ......"

"Yes, I insist." "This is probably the first time I've done something impulsive, so I want you to be my partner, reminding and correcting my mistakes when necessary, when I might be wrong." ”

Pastor Valvidora nodded solemnly, he knew that Barendi had made up his mind, and although he didn't know what was going to happen next, he was still very grateful for the Duchess's trust.

When Barendi returned to the Duke's Palace, Offrey had been waiting for a long time, and when she saw the Duchess enter the room, Offrey immediately handed over a very thick document in her hand.

"Madame, I need you to sign this document for the transfer of supplies, and I have to tell you, please forgive me for having distributed these things before this."

Barendi, who was about to sign, paused slightly with her pen in her hand, and then signed her name on the document.

"As I said, let those who know what to do do their business, especially you, Captain, I'm not that Lucrezia, I won't do stupid things because of my willfulness, so you don't have to worry at all, because you're doing your duty."

Offrey stood there and listened silently, sparing no effort to satirize the Duchess's sarcastic rival's behavior, and the marching captain wisely chose to remain silent, and at the same time wondered in his heart how the Duke would deal with the mess before him.

"Captain, I have one more thing to tell you." Barondi pushed the document in front of Oflaiyi and said with a serious expression.

Seeing the Duchess's appearance, Oflaiyi's heart jumped suddenly for no reason.

None of the Duke's women were fuel-efficient lamps, and as long as Alexander's cronies knew this, so now seeing the Duchess so solemn, Ofreil was not only secretly wondering what was going to happen.

"Where is Gompati now?"

Sure enough, Barondi's question made Oflaiyi's heart jump again, and he vaguely guessed something.

"If nothing happens, Gompati would have reached Florence by this time," said Ofleiuil, in a low voice, "Madame, you know that this operation is actually very dangerous, and that we have so far held off almost all the French troops, which may seem remarkable, but you know that it is very bad for us. ”

Barondi nodded thoughtfully, she knew what Ofleuil meant, the battle between the Roman and French armies in the heart of Romagna had been stalemate for a long time in a surprising stalemate, which greatly surprised many people.

Prior to this, the Holy Alliance had always believed that it was the Austrian army that could really compete with the French army, and because of this, although the alliance also sent its own troops, most of them deliberately delayed the march time, intentionally or unintentionally, and their purpose was very clear, that is, they wanted to wait for the Austrian army to arrive before joining the battlefield.

Now the Roman Trician army is engaged in a fierce battle with the French army, which makes the various countries really see the strength of this new duchy for the first time, although it was known that Roman Tericia is equal to wealth, but when they found out that this new country still has the strength to compete with the French army, their attitude towards Roman Ticia became a little subtle.

No one wants to see the rise of a great power, and if the country is still its neighbor, then maybe this is the beginning of a nightmare.

"Ma'am, are we really going to have a head-on battle with the French?" Oflaiyi finally asked this question that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.

Although both Alexander's war instructions and the current situation proved that a decisive battle with the French army seemed inevitable, Ofleiil still hoped to stop the vehicle at the last minute.

"Rome-Thesia needs to prove itself with a victory, only then can our duchy gain a foothold, otherwise do you think Venice or the Emperor will willingly watch us rule the land?"

Seeing that Offrey seemed to be trying to convince herself, Barendi couldn't help but think of what Alexander had said about the character of his generals while lying on the bed with her again.

One of the evaluations of Ofleiil is: "Firm but conformist, he is a good soldier and can be our right hand in the future, but he will always be just a soldier".

Barondi's memory was because she had a good memory, but the bigger reason was because Alexander was harassing her while talking, which made her glad that her husband was so relieved to hand over the entire duchy to her, but also because of the harassment.

But now that he thinks about it, Barendi can't help but admit that Alexander's assessment is really to the point, at least Oflaiil's military prowess is superior to his political vision.

"We must make it clear to the French and everyone else that we have left no retreat for ourselves in this war, and only then can they see our determination, and only then will Louis willingly accept to negotiate with us," said Barentia, looking at Ofleuil, earnestly, "so the only thing we can do at this time is to show our strength with the greatest strength, even if we may lose a lot of money, but only then can we create a favorable situation for the future of Rome Thesia." ”

Offrey listened silently, he knew that the Duchess's words were actually what the Duke himself meant, but in Ofley's heart he thought that if these words were spoken by Alexander, it might be more convincing.

"I have decided to send the priest Balvidora to Pisa," Barendi said after a moment's thought, "and at this time a priest is far more convenient than an ordinary man, so if all goes well we may soon see a battle concerning the future fate of the Duchy of Rome and Thesia, and it is your duty to ensure that we can achieve victory, or at least force the King of France to make concessions to us." ”

Ofleiyi felt a dry heat in his throat, and although he knew that this day might come, he didn't expect it to come so quickly, and it was when Alexander was not in the country.

But it was evident that it was too late to say anything more, and it seemed to see that the carriage which had frightened him was rushing forward with a force that no one could stop, and in front of it was a road with a bottomless abyss in the middle.

There are only two fates for the carriage, either cross the abyss and embark on a smooth road, or fall and fall to pieces.

"Ma'am, I know what to do."

Alfrey bowed to Barondi, and by this time he had understood that it didn't matter whether the Duke or Duchess was in front of him, and that the fate of all of them was tied to the couple.

"Hold that Sharron and don't give him a chance to get out," Barondi said to Alflei, standing up and earnestly, "Let Montina be his nightmare, and allow you to use all means for this." ”

"Madame." Ofleiyi bowed again, and at this moment he had the feeling that the real battle had just begun.

A fierce cannon fire woke up the contemplative Charlon, who looked at the opposite castle of Montina with some confusion.

I don't know when it started, there was an indescribable uneasiness in Sharron's heart.

This uneasiness was unreasonable at first, but some vague speculations and doubts made him feel unsteady in his heart.

However, as time went on, this unexplained uneasiness became more and more intense.

And the more intense the attack on Montina, the more uneasy it became in Charlon's heart, and he was almost certain that he was facing a difficult choice.

While he was surprised by the fortification of the castle of Montina, it was even more surprising to Charlon the tenacity of the Roman Trician army.

While the defenders of a city can often rely on a strong fortress to deal with the enemy more safely in battle, this is not where Sharron really comes by surprise.

The Roman army carried out its mission with an almost unimaginable firmness and obedience that Charron had never seen in any previous war.

In Charlon's impression, all armies inevitably have some defects of one kind or another, and some of them are very bad and disgusting customs that are unavoidable in almost all armies.

However, the Roman army of Thessia seemed to have cleverly avoided these vices, at least to the surprise of the bravery and dutifulness of the army in its engagement with the enemy.

And the powerful defense system of the castle of Montina is like a terrible flesh millstone, which is vigorously promoted by these Roman and Thescian soldiers to devour the lives of French soldiers all the time.

The cavalry sent back before had not received any news of his return, which reassured Scharron.

He hoped that his guess was wrong, but years of experience and confidence in his own judgment had taught Sharron that his fears were not unfounded.

It's just that, could it be that the Roman Tescian army really had such a terrible purpose?

Another round of attacks began, and the flickering figures of the enemy outside the castle caught Scharlon's attention.

Over the course of several days he had discovered some of the enemy's peculiarities in battle, the most impressive of which was the incredible accuracy of the Roman Thescian artillery.

The French army has always prided itself on its sharp artillery and skilled artillery skills, but in Montina, Charlain found that the French artillery had encountered a strong enemy.

Charron noted that Roman Thesian artillery was often able to quickly recalibrate the angular distance of the shot according to the point of impact after the first round was fired, and he knew that this technique of quickly adjusting the accuracy of artillery fire was not so easy for even experienced gunners in the French army to master.

What's more, Charlon discovered a very strange phenomenon, every time before the Roman Thesian artillery was about to carry out an artillery bombardment, some enemy soldiers who resembled scouts would appear very close to the French army.

Just like the enemy troops who loomed outside the city and approached the trenches, Charlon couldn't help but secretly wonder if these Roman-Thesians were somehow guiding the artillery behind them.

The bombardment began, and with a few whistlings, the advancing French formation was suddenly torn open by the flying cannonballs, and the scattered flesh and stumps splashed on the bodies of the people next to them, staining the moving figures with a shocking scarlet blood.

Charlon's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze fixed closely on the swaying figures of the enemy positions in the distance, watching them run back and forth along the trenches from side to side, and soon after that shells would fall on the French ranks, Charlen felt that he was almost sure of his guess.

Sharron was secretly surprised that the Roman Tertesian army had such technology, but what made him even more uneasy was that the enemy's offensive seemed to have become fierce and active, before the Roman Tercian army would only counterattack when attacked, but now they began to take the initiative to launch artillery bombardments on the French army, and because they had more accurate shooting techniques, on several occasions their shells even directly threatened the French artillery positions.

Charlon had to order the artillery to be moved to a safer area, but the threat to the castle of Montina was greatly reduced, which made him realize that perhaps this was what the Romans were aiming for.

"Shoot at those trenches," Charlon ordered, and seeing his men look puzzled, he pointed to the figures running back and forth in the trenches, "They are the eyes of the Roman Thesian artillery, and only by turning them blind and deaf will the enemy artillery not threaten us." ”

Speaking of this, Charlen shook his head slightly, he had never seen Charles the Darling, but he knew that this was a monarch and commander who gave many generals a more outstanding vision, maybe Charles the Bold was not very lucky, but this did not prevent him from being considered one of the most pioneering soldiers of this era.

It's just that compared with Charles the Bold, Charlon thinks that these Roman Thesians have a deeper understanding and exquisite skill in artillery, and it is rare that this army seems to have turned this technology into a common sense in warfare.

Charlain began to think that perhaps Louis XII had chosen the wrong opponent and was entangled with Alexander before he could go head-to-head with Maximian, which made Charlain worry about the outcome of Louis XII's expedition.

Charlon's guess was correct, and with a burst of shelling, the lookout posts approaching the trench disappeared, and then the Roman Thesian artillery also fell silent, and the French army was finally able to continue to advance, but Charlon's heart was already clouded.

The elimination of some artillery lookout posts did not make him feel any more relaxed, but on the contrary, Charron was always suspicious of the unusually positive actions of the Romans.

He hoped that Louis XII would follow his advice, and the thought that perhaps there might be some conspiracy of the Romantesian army made Charlain feel as if they had made a big mistake from the start.

"I hope it's all just my heart......"

"What did you say, my lord?" An officer next to him asked puzzled.

"Nothing," Charron waved his hand as if he wanted to shake off the gloom in his heart, and then gave the order, "Go on the attack, let's see how long they can hold out." ”

Just as the Charlon launched another fierce attack on Montina, in Pisa, the ongoing battle was also raging.

Bowicken was also surprised by the stubborn resistance shown by the Pisa, but what annoyed him even more was the situation facing both sides.

As far as Bauwicken knew, there were not many troops in Pisa, and the soldiers in the city were probably the most incompetent, but to his surprise, the enemy not only had great firepower, but also had an unexpected spirit of resistance, and most importantly, he seemed to underestimate the number of Pisa's defenses.

This puzzled Bauwicken for a while, even though he had heard that Pisa was being mobilized in wartime, but he did not believe that a group of civilians could master the art of battle so quickly, let alone against a powerful French army.

Until in one of the battles, one of his men captured a Swiss.

It was only then that Bowwicken realized that his previous judgment was not wrong.

It is true that Pisa does not have a large army, and the so-called wartime mobilization is obviously not to send the well-pampered citizens of Pisa to the battlefield, but Pisa has these two things that can cause headaches for any enemy.

Money and ports.

A large amount of money was enough to hire the dedicated, albeit expensive, Swiss and, above all, the port and the sea routes, and a steady stream of reinforcements poured into the city, including the exiled nobles of Genoa, reinforcements from Naples and Taranto, and even a small but unusually strong Catalan mercenary.

Such a seemingly motley army, under the command of an officer named Nicola Maceni, firmly held the city of Pisa.

This surprised and annoyed Bauwicken, especially the Catalan's presence.

He wrote a letter to the king about the incident, in which he did not directly name it, but tactfully suggested that the Catalans might have something to do with King Ferdinand of Aragon.

Immediately Bauwicken threw his entire army into the assault on the city of Pisa.

There was a neighing of the horse, and Jisha tightened her grip on the reins.

Looking at the vanguard as they prepared to cross a stream in front of her, Jisha patted her mount, which seemed to be anxious to cool off.

To his surprise, it was not until the night before that the French army had once again formed a semi-encirclement of the Neapolitan army.

The result was much better than she had expected, and although it was only half a day, the Neapolitan army managed to draw the main French force south by nearly 20 fats.

"Where are we now?" Tsusha rode her horse and looked into the distance, and although she knew the approximate location, she still asked.

"Your Majesty, we are on the outskirts of Siena." Omo replied respectfully.

"Siena," said Jossa with a smile as she said to Omo, "remember when I told you that you would soon be able to see your brother?" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty, I remember." Omo said vaguely excitedly, he already knew the reason why the queen had said this to him a few days ago, and when he thought of what was about to happen, the young squire couldn't help but feel his blood heat all over his body because of the excitement.

"Let's finish this in Siena," he said, looking back at the French, who were clearly thinking that the Neapolitan army was trying to hold Siena, and then he chuckled, "But he probably can't think of anyone waiting for him besides us." ”

The Neapolitan army retreated under the city of Siena under the pursuit of the French.

To the surprise of the French army, who had finally caught up with the enemy and launched an encirclement network at the same time, another army suddenly appeared on the battlefield in the city of Siena.

"This is the French?"

Looking at the French army in the distance, which was rapidly occupying various favorable terrains, Kulash muttered to himself.

On July 14, 1501, the Papal Army entered Siena.

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