Many years later, also in Montpellier, a writer wrote: "There is no such thing in the world that will never die, just as a tree in the sky will still flourish even after hundreds of years of wind and rain, but after all, it will wither and die one day, and the same is true of a system, which will die when it no longer adapts to the times one day, so France could have welcomed the demise of the old era and the arrival of the new era in a more gentle way, but the French, just because we are French, It's going to end all of this in such a drastic and special way. ”

Of course, Ulliu did not know that many years later someone would describe the Frenchman himself in this way, but he now understood very well why the old man had such a strange expression when he heard about what had happened in Montpellier.

The Montpelliers were immediately agitated by Ulliu's promise, but as soon as they reorganized themselves into the city's self-defense forces, they began a fierce reckoning with those who had previously spread defeatist rhetoric.

"Montpellier is a great city, so everyone has to defend our homeland and do their best, and if you are not willing to contribute, then you are not entitled to stay here, especially those who encourage us all to surrender to the king, I can hear the smell of conspiracy in their voices, their eyes and the smell of their bodies indicate that these people will be a stumbling block to us."

As he said this, a delegate who had previously attended the meeting was sipping a strong tea made from the tea leaves brought by Uliou.

Although he was not very interested in this light drink from the East, the representative still tried to make himself look very fond of it, after all, this Moorish man would bring them enough help, and according to the well-informed merchants, it seemed that his master, called the Duke of Rome, was really a very powerful nobleman who had defeated the king.

This gave hope to the delegates of Montpellier, who, according to the Moors, could not have come to their aid with the Duke's army, but had promised them that he would create an opportunity for Montpellier to negotiate with the nobles.

The people of Montpellier were not stupid, they knew that it was probably part of an intrigue between the Duke and the King, who had apparently chosen to help Louis XII in order to contain them.

They didn't care about that, the most important thing for them was not to be counterattacked by the nobles.

But Uliu's promise was fulfilled quickly, and just two days later a carriage laden with grain arrived in Montpellier.

But they were kept out of the city by the noble army, which caused a commotion and panic among the people of Montpellier, and then Uliou went to the camp of the noble army with the merchants of the Fugol family in Montpellier.

And his reason to the Montpelliers was: "This is an excuse to make our demands on the nobles." ”

Ulius was telling the truth, but his identity changed slightly when he was brought to the nobles.

"Merchant from Augsburg," said a nobleman, looking at the merchant in front of him with suspicion, but not even looking at Ulliuta, "what are you going to do, don't you know that we are fighting against those mobs, and you are helping our enemies by sending food to the city now." ”

"I'm just a businessman, and exchanging money for goods and then for money is sometimes a bad thing for me, but sometimes it's good for me."

The nobleman's disapproving argument annoyed the nobleman, but he decided to punish the greedy merchant for a small amount.

"Your goods have been expropriated, and the grain cannot be brought into the city, but I can compensate you for another sale," said the nobleman, like the soldier who intercepted the grain, "Are you sure you see sugar in their goods?" ”

"Of course, sir, I took off a piece and tasted it," the soldier said, putting his fingers to his mouth and licking them with a satisfied smile, "That's a lot of sugar." ”

"Can you get sugar?" The nobleman shook his whip with his hand, "If I buy this sugar from you, I hope you can give me a reasonable price." ”

"It depends on how much you need," said the merchant indifferently, "but we have many ways to satisfy you, even if the king's court needs us." ”

"Don't brag about the merchant, beware of losing your head," said the nobleman, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then opened his mouth anyway, "We do need sugar, honey, and other things, and I can get your business to the queen, but you must make sure that your things will satisfy the queen." ”

"Of course that's what I do, and I can only make money if I make my guests happy."

The merchant said and looked at Ulliu beside him seemingly nonchalantly, only he knew that his hands were secretly trembling at this time, and the sweat on his back was already soaking through his clothes, and he even wondered if this Moorish man didn't know what it meant to be afraid, because he was standing there now, with a smile on his face all the time.

When only the two of them were together, the merchant could not help but ask secretly, "Aren't we going to help the Montpelliers, but I see that you seem to want to deal with these nobles more." ”

"My friend, just as you never deal with more than one business partner to prevent the other from asking too much, I will not make the Montpelliers feel that they are indispensable." Uliu said as he looked at the barracks of the aristocratic army, and he admitted that this kind of scenario would not have been possible in the lord's army, because according to the military regulations issued by Alexander, it was strictly forbidden for unidentified people to enter the barracks, but here, in addition to merchants and prostitutes, there were more civilians who did not seem to know what to do, which made the whole barracks look more like a big bazaar, "It seems that these noble friends of ours are not living very well, I think if you help them a little, Maybe you can get a good return. ”

Uliu's hint made the businessman's eyes shine, in fact, as a shrewd businessman, he had long seen that this unexpected battle in Montpellier was actually a good opportunity to make a fortune, Montpellier just stopped most of the roads in the interior of France and the port cities on the Mediterranean coast, because of this, the riots in Montpellier made many French people's tables unlucky, some remote places even if they are expensive, even olives and figs can not be eaten temporarily, as for such things as sugar, For a time, in some places, it even became a hard currency that temporarily replaced money and was used to exchange for other goods.

The reason why this merchant was so obedient to Ulliu's orders was also because of the sugar, and as early as the beginning of the year, the Fugol family had already sent out a message ordering their own merchants everywhere to do their best to cooperate with those "friends", and even according to Jacob Bufuguel's original words, he demanded that "even at the expense of our interests, the demands of those people must be satisfied, for this small sacrifice is completely worth it, and it will make the Fugol family another king of Europe." ”

Sugar was the key to the Fugol family's re-bet, and the sugar market didn't seem like a good choice for huge fortunes compared to the Hungarian copper mines, but Jacob Fugol saw the greater benefits behind the sweet and savory spice.

If the Hungarian copper mines allowed them to control the entire European copper market, then the sugar-based spice market allowed them to quietly penetrate every European court.

Jacob Fugol was a shrewd businessman, he was smarter than his two brothers who were also calculating, the people of this family were very good at speculating on the minds of others, and they also had a vision that was difficult for others to reach, and when Alexander unexpectedly offered an olive branch, Jacob Fugol did not refuse because of the grudge between the two sides.

He calmly analyzed the reasons for his previous gains and losses and fiascos, and at the same time learned about the Duke of Rome Thesia in detail, and then he ignored the fierce opposition that erupted in anger and hatred in the family, and chose to cooperate with this former enemy.

Jacob's two older brothers supported his decision as always, and immediately plunged into an unbelievably large project.

To the merchants of the Fugger family in Montpellier, of course, they did not know that sugar was only a bridge between the two sides, a system of necessities and money that connected the two sides, and that a huge economic empire was being built quietly but effectively and rapidly, but for them it was now the most important thing, because it was profitable enough for them to risk breaking any law.

"Do you think that using silk will make some people listen to our advice, I mean that I can sell them the silk I have at a very low price." After Ulius humbly asked the merchant for advice and told him to sell a standard 50 ft. pack of silk for 30 gold florins, the merchant looked like an idiot.

"Are you going to give them away for nothing, knowing that if a standard 50 gauge of silk is sold at this price, they will think you are bribing," the merchant said, with a cloudy look on his face, and then he lowered his voice and asked, "Or do you really want to bribe?" ”

"Of course, is there anything strange about that?" Ulliu shrugged disapprovingly, "Give our silk to the nobles, and tell them that I just want them to relax a little while they attack." ”

The Moore said as he stretched out two fingers and gently pinched them, as if feeling that the expression was not enough, so he closed the two fingers to the middle.

"Tell them that if they agree to our terms, I can do them more good, which is more cost-effective than the loot they get after winning the Montpelliers."

The merchant's eyes were fixed on Uliu's two fingers, he knew what the meaning behind this small gesture was, although it might be a big risk to do so, but thinking about the benefits of doing it, the merchant still swallowed his saliva and nodded, but he still followed up and asked: "Can you tell me what you are going to do, at least I need to know what it is because I lost my head." ”

"Because I'm going to go on a trip, I don't want to see the Montpelliers doomed like this, but rest assured, my friend, you won't be in danger, and I assure you that you will be glad for your decision today, and soon you won't have to be a hard money changer anymore, and good days await you."

After speaking, Uliu patted the shoulder of the merchant who didn't know whether he was looking at it or dazed, and then turned over and got on his horse.

The attack of the aristocratic army on Montpellier began again, and the Montpelliers, who had just been excited, fell into panic again, and they sent everywhere to look for the Moorish man only to find that he was long gone, and just as they were shouting curses against this hateful pagan liar, the money changer brought a message that made them suspicious.

The merchants swore to the people's deputies, who were deliberating whether to surrender now or to see, that the attack would not pose a threat to Montpellier, since they had already bribed many noble armies, so the Montpelliers would be able to hold on to their city.

"The rest, it's up to the Moores." The businessman deliberately said this to the delegates in a confident and slightly smug tone.

While the Montpelliers and the noble army were discussing how to fight a harmonious battle, Ulliu had already taken his little baggage and was on his way again.

After all, crossing most of France from Montpellier to the Loire Valley is an amazing trip for anyone.

"Maybe before the fall." Ullius was so elusive that he put on a wide but shabby robe to hide the short sword and two muskets underneath it, and France was not at peace these days, and although he looked like a poor boy with nothing to rob, it did not guarantee that he would not meet hungry robbers.

From Louis XI onwards, the Loire Valley was used as the residence of the French king, in fact, the purpose of this was to deter the aristocracy of the south of France, compared with the nobles in the north who only had to keep their own acres and thirds of land and everything was fine, the southern aristocracy has always been a big problem for the French royal family.

Although Charles the Bold had lost his life, the danger to Brittany was still a problem in the hearts of successive French kings, so Louis XI moved his court to the castles of the Loire Valley to intimidate the nobles of the French south, who were always on the verge of action.

But even so, the distance from Montpellier to the Loire Valley seemed too far, so Uliuu carefully took out a few sousas for the passage and followed a caravan on the road.

Looking at the city of Montpellier, which was already fading away behind him, Ulliu showed his smile that was always very comfortable to look at.

The Montpelliers would get the food, weapons and money they needed, and they could even pay for a group of mercenaries from Catalonia, who of course would be handled by the Valencia office in Tiego, Valencia.

The destination of Ulriu was the court of the French kings in the Loire Valley.

Shortly after Uliu's departure from Montpellier, a merchant ship from Naples docked at the port of Agode.

The merchants on this ship were also in the sugar business, and the chaos seemed a disaster to the French, but it was a great opportunity for others.

Selling sugar at a high price was not the real goal, but the staggering profit that could be made from buying a large number of goods that had been smashed into the hands of local merchants due to the depreciation of the Ladia gold coins at very low prices was the real reason why these merchants took a great risk to come to Montpellier at such a time.

But the businessmen soon discover that things are not quite what they imagined.

The people of Montpellier seem to have been helped by some powerful men, and the nobles who besieged Montpellier did not need the sugar they had so painstakingly transported, and their attempts to buy goods from the French at a low price were also frustrated by the presence of the House of Fugore.

The merchants were frustrated, and they wanted to make some advantage by bribing the nobles, but the price they offered was obviously not very impressive to the French.

The only thing they could offer was a little bit of well-informed information, and it was from these merchants that the nobles learned for the first time about the war that had taken place in Italy.

Listening to the merchants' vivid descriptions of the battles, even though they knew that they were only hearsay, it was enough to make the knights of France from time to time let out a burst of chagrin curses or sighs of regret from time to time due to surprise, surprise, annoyance, and anger.

When the merchants spoke of the fact that the King had finally had to send an emissary to sue for peace with the coalition forces, some of the lords were already in tears of grief.

It was undoubtedly a fiasco, and what was worse was that the French found out that their king had been defeated at the hands of a woman.

"Oh no, no, you would be wrong if you think so," the merchant felt that at last he had a chance to show off, "the Queen of Naples was not a simple woman, for her soldiers never regarded her as a queen, but as their general. ”

"A Joan of Arc?!"

The French were taken aback, and several people looked at each other with solemn expressions.

Perhaps no one in other countries believed in such a thing, but for the French, they would never despise any woman who dared to go to war.

"A brave queen and a general, as it is," said the merchant, taking out a gold Radia coin, and shaking the side with the statue of the goddess engraved on it, and seeing the disgust on the face of the Frenchman, the merchant took the opportunity to say, "But now the gold Radia is a disaster for you, my lords, and the more Radia in your hand, the more trouble it is, isn't it?" ”

"It's a big trouble," said the Frenchman, waving his hand impatiently to show that he didn't want to mention the bad thing, and then boasting nonchalantly that he was more fortunate than the others, "at least someone is willing to help me get rich." ”

The merchant immediately took the opportunity to inquire, but the French were reluctant to mention it again.

The Italian merchants, who had not taken advantage of Montpellier, had to continue their journey to the interior of France, hoping to meet their luck.

However, although they did not make a fortune, they brought news of the Italian battlefield to the French.

Soon, the French heard a rather surprising rumor.

Louis XII, it seems, was courting the Queen of Naples.

The Loire Valley is a cool and beautiful summer in the Loire Valley, and the castles on both sides of the Loire that stretch through the valley are like jewels dotted with the most enchanting land in central France.

Located on the south bank of the middle reaches of the Loire Valley, the Château de Chenunte is nicknamed "Château de la Snoir" because it is located on a slope covered with roses from the local red valley, which looks like a beautiful woman sleeping in a sea of flowers.

Since its construction, Chenunte has welcomed many great people, princes, nobles, knights, bishops, and bishops, leaving behind their own stories and many untold secrets in this beautiful castle.

The Château de Chenunte is now owned by King Louis XII of France and his wife Anne of Brittany, while the Cardinal is Paul II, who has made history famous for his role in the autonomy of the University of Paris.

However, the cardinal was still in a headache because of the king's current situation, so he had not had time to intervene in some trivial matters of theological debate at the University of Paris, and naturally he would not say his sentence that "where the sun shines, it is God's territory, even on the campus of the university", so it will not lead to a collective complaint by the students of the University of Paris, and finally the intervention of Louis XII passed the emergence of a university autonomy system that was regarded as epoch-making by later generations.

Now Paul II is in a desperate state of affairs with the queen and many Breton nobles, and he has to patiently persuade the queen while racking his brains to assure the Breton nobles that "everything is a rumor, and that kind of ridiculous rumor cannot be believed even a letter".

It is no wonder that the Cardinal was so angry that he did not know when a rumor began to circulate that the king was courting the Queen of Naples.

The reason for this seemingly unreliable rumor was that King Louis XII of France sent a letter back to his queen.

This is the exact news that Louis XII sent home for the first time after the defeat of the French army in the Battle of Siena, which made Anne of Brittany ecstatic, she had to marry Louis XII because she had no children with Charles VIII, and the defeat of the French army in Italy before made her very frightened, Anne of Brittany really couldn't think of what would happen if Louis had another three long and two short, so when she knew that the king was safe and sound, the queen's joy was overflowing for a while.

It's just that what Anne didn't expect was that although Louis XII lost the battle, in his letter he praised and admired the Queen of Naples, and that admiration made the queen even see it through the letter.

In the letter, the king referred to the queen as "a great monarch and a perfect combination of the Amazonian warriors of Greek mythology, whose beauty would make Venus jealous."

Such a description naturally aroused the queen's suspicions, and as the weather cooled, more news about Italy drifted to the castles of the Loire Valley with the monsoon winds of the Mediterranean.

The most striking of these news was the unexpected signing of an alliance between King Louis XII of France and Queen Jossa Cosenza Astamara of Naples.

The establishment of this new alliance not only surprised the other countries of the Holy Alliance, but even the French themselves were blinded by this dazzling turn of events.

Former enemies have become allies, and allies who once fought side by side are now potential adversaries.

This was not unusual, but once it was linked to the rumors that the King of France was courting the Queen of Naples, the French court could no longer be calm.

The Breton nobles protested, warning that if Louis XII did dare to shake the queen's position, Brittany would be separated from the kingdom of France.

The queen herself had the cardinal tell Louis XII that as wife and queen she had the right to preserve her marriage and status.

The Cardinal had to strain himself to appease the already unruly Breton nobles, and at the same time he sent a letter to the king, hoping that he would either return home as soon as possible or make a clear statement.

Whatever he chose, Louis XII did not seem to have any intention of leaving Italy immediately.

No one knew whether he was still reluctant or really fascinated by the queen, but just when the queen was about to take it anymore, Louis sent another handwritten letter from him.

In this letter, the King of France first recalled his gains and losses on the battlefield in Italy, and then praised the magnanimity and vision of the Queen of Naples, and then, when the queen was angry about to tear the letter apart, Louis suddenly changed his words and wrote: "The many contacts have made me realize that perhaps we are not enemies, but at least in many respects we have common interests and demands, which is why I should consider establishing new relations with Naples and Rome-Thesia, especially the Duchy of Rome-Thesia. I think this new principality may be a good helper in our confrontation with the Emperor in the future. ”

The King's letter made Anne get serious at once, and as Queen of France, she knew that her husbands were rivals with Maximian, and it made her realize that the King might not be fascinated by the young queen's charms, but was indeed courting a powerful ally.

As for the Duchy of Thesia, Anne thought it might just be a bridge for the king to curry favor with the queen.

In short, the queen's mood gradually calmed down, which gave her time to listen to the ministers' reports on the situation in the country.

It was only then that the queen learned that the rebellion in Montpellier, which she had thought had been put down long ago, was still continuing, much to her surprise and anger.

She denounced the local aristocrats as cowards and cowards and slippery heads who couldn't even deal with a mob with dung forks.

After her temper, the queen ordered the court to send generals to quell the rebellion, which was clearly an offence to the rights of the local nobles, but the queen considered it a perfunctory punishment for their inconvenience.

A group of cavalrymen with the blue three-cross banner marched slowly along the road in the valley, their armor bright and majestic, their drapes shining in the bright sun.

Seeing such an army, the pedestrians on the road gave way one after another, and among them was a Moorish young man who seemed to have come from afar.

"This is the royal army that went to Montpellier to judge," explained some well-informed people to the curious earthen buns beside them, "these knights are all gendarmes canonized by the king himself, and it seems that Montpellier is doomed this time." ”

Ulliu, who was sitting in the carriage, listened to the men's discussions, but he didn't care much about their topics.

As the convoy rated a dirt slope, Uliuu breathed a sigh of relief when he stood at the top and looked at the castle below, nestled in a sea of purple and red flowers.

"Chenonte."

He whispered to himself in a voice that no one else could hear, and a big smile appeared on his face.

Nine Heavenly God Emperors