On the second day, an unexpectedly visitor visited the Palazzo Lucrezia.

Machiavelli came in such a hurry that it was almost dark before he hurried into the city, and then he did not bother at all to inform him of his arrival on the official business of going to the Duke's Palace, but went straight to the Lucrezia Palace, knowing that the Count should be with his family at this time, and not in the Duke's Palace.

Just before Machiavelli entered town, Pisa had just undergone a small upheaval.

The Chief Councillor announced his resignation on the grounds that he had made inappropriate remarks, but at the same time he also expressed to the people of Pisa the great changes he had seen as a Pisan in the past few years, which gave him confidence that Pisa would be able to reach new glory under the leadership of His Royal Highness the Duke, and as the father of His Royal Highness the Duke and the regent of Pisa, the former Chief Councillor also believed that the Count of Montina would do his best for Pisa, and he called on everyone to continue to work tirelessly for the future of Pisa, etc., blah, blah, blah......, blah

The resignation of the chief councillor did not cause much of a stir, in fact, Pisa is no longer the same as the parliament and the consul, or between the parliament and the duke, which are competing with each other, the parliament is more constantly fulfilling the will of the duke, or Alexander, and in exchange for this obedience is the huge profits and rewards brought to them by the trade alliance.

Therefore, the current chief councillor saw that his resignation request had been approved so smoothly, and even after he had approved the resignation speech, he realized how naïve and ridiculous his previous actions seemed to Alexander.

So when he walked out of the Palace of Parliament with a dejected face in his robe, and looked at the excited faces of those who passed him in high spirits, the former chief councillor had a sense of comical and indifferent contempt.

It was at this time that Machiavelli entered the city, and his carriage even staggered past the former chief councillor's car as he passed by the Palais de Congrès, but Machiavelli paid no attention to the magnificent carriage that had taken off the striking red cross on a white background that only parliamentarians had, and he had rushed to it when he heard that Alexander had returned, and even ate in the carriage along the way.

Machiavelli couldn't help but be anxious, even in Florence, but he had already heard some rumors and all kinds of clamor that were circulating in Pisa recently, and the calls for "merging Florence", "unifying Tuscany" and "Duchy of Grande Pisa" were very loud, which made the Florentines panic for a while.

As a Florentine, Machiavelli was convinced that he loved his city and country, or that even if he had to accept the complete annexation of Florence in the end, he still wanted it to be done on a condition that was acceptable and somewhat preserved in the dignity of Florence.

At least not as some piscons say, Florence was completely swallowed by pizza at no cost, which made Machiavelli feel that his previous efforts were completely wasted, like a woman about to get married who was suddenly abandoned by her fiancé, and could only stand by and watch the other women enjoy what he had prepared for him.

To put it bluntly, Machiavelli was not willing to do without him in this matter, at least everything should be carried out according to the one he had participated in and planned.

So when he heard that Alexander had arrived in Pisa, he was commissioned and sent by the Florentine government, also for his own purposes, Machiavelli hurried on his way early in the morning despite the cold wind.

Alexander almost didn't recognize Machiavelli when he saw him, the diplomat's face was haggard and tired, and because of the bad road conditions, he had to carry the carriage out of the snow pit again and again, and his clothes were so dirty that he looked dirty, that Alexander seemed to be more embarrassed than before.

"What happened?" Alexander could roughly guess the purpose of Machiavelli's hurried arrival, but seeing him like this made Alexander feel that the Florentines really couldn't sit still.

"My lord, are you really ready to merge Florence?" Machiavelli could scarcely care about proper etiquette, and it was too important for him not only for Florence, but for his own future.

Machiavelli does not hide his ambitions, unlike many people, who always want to prove that although they aspire to a higher position of power, they do it in order to serve the country better, while Machiavelli does not do this, he clearly shows his ambition to those he is eager to help, in exchange for the attention of the other party.

Especially in Alexander's presence, Machiavelli even thought that if he could not prove his desire for power, perhaps the count would think that he had something else in mind.

"My lord, now is not the time for you to merge Florence," Machiavelli tried to discourage the idea, "I know that it would be easy for you to take the opportunity to announce the merger of Florence after you have won a series of victories, but you have thought that not doing so might cause the Vatican or others to be wary and disgusted, and they will think that you are eager to reap the rewards after every victory, so where will you claim territory after the next war, Ferrara or Bologna, Believe me, this is not the best choice for you these days, and you don't need to be in such a hurry, after all, Florence is already yours, and you are just going to taste the fruit a little later. ”

Alexander looked at the diplomat, who was anxiously declaring the purpose of the mission, and raised his hand to signal him to sit down.

"You've explained your intentions, so I wonder if that's what the Florentine government, or Sazi, mean, or if you're thinking?"

The expression on Machiavelli's originally somewhat excited face froze instantly, and he gasped slightly to force himself to calm down, because he knew that from now on was the real critical moment for him, whether to become a hero who saved Florence and return with honor, and at the same time to be appreciated by the count for his rational and calm opinions, or to completely mess things up and go back, it was up to him to answer.

"My lord, this is my own thought," Machiavelli kept his voice as calm and slow as possible, for he not only had to answer this important question, but also to explain in the most credible way possible the words that had already been prepared on the way here, "Your Lord, your goal is not only Florence, but even Tuscany and Romagna, so why do you have to be in such a hurry to reveal your intentions to others in such a small place, so as to arouse the vigilance of others? As I said before, Florence is already yours, and now Florence uses Ladia gold coins, if you knock on the door of every house in the evening, you will see that the food on their table is brought from Pisa, and the women use the incense powder that can only be bought in Pizza and the expensive things called perfume, and even the weapons of the Florentine People's Army are provided by Pisa, Florence has become a big market for Pisa people to earn wealth, and all Florence can do is process those wool for Pisa, Isn't it enough to keep providing enough workers for Pisa, Florence is already a vassal of Pisa, and the only thing they have left is an independent reputation, and this reputation that exists completely in name can be exchanged for a good reputation of kindness and tolerance, which is really necessary for you now, because it can let people know that you have not only the courage of a lion, but also the kindness of an angel, which will make your enemies fear you and make your friends close to you. ”

Alexander listened quietly to Machiavelli's tirade, and he had to admit that the person who could write "The Monarch" did have a tongue that was difficult for others to match, but Alexander knew that Machiavelli's original intention was not to be for Florence.

What kind of man Machiavelli was was already known to Alexander when he was in Pisa for a long time.

This is for people who have a strong desire for fame and power, he is eager to get ahead and wants to be appreciated and appointed by the superiors, for this he has attached himself to Savonarola and become a staff member of Sazi, if it continues according to the trend of history, he will try to regain the trust of those in power after the Medici family returns to power, for which he wrote the controversial "Treatise on the Monarch" in later generations, but because his earlier behavior of seeing the wind and steering the rudder was too criticized, so the new ruler of the Medici family did not accept his courtesy, This led to his depression and eventually the rest of his life was ruined.

However, this man was indeed a rare talent, and his purpose in writing the "Treatise on the Monarch" was only to win the favor of the Medici family, so that he could have a chance to enter the world, but this impure purpose led him to write an immortal masterpiece destined to become a very controversial masterpiece in history, and at the same time he was also considered by later generations to be a contradiction between patriotism and selfishness, lofty ideals and ambitions, and personal petty interests.

Now, for example, his tirades may sound like a struggle for the last bit of freedom for Florence, but in fact he is constantly suggesting that the complete annexation of Florence is in fact lacking only a name and an excuse, with which everything becomes almost perfect and impossible to fault.

So who can provide this excuse?

Alexander's gaze fell on Machiavelli's face.

"My lord, what you lack now is not an excuse for how to merge with Florence, it's not difficult," Machiavelli said the answer Alexander needed directly, "What you lack is an opportunity for Florence to offer you a merger with Pisa." ”

Alexander's hand, which had been placed casually on the arm of his chair, paused slightly, knowing that Machiavelli had said the point.

As Machiavelli said, annexing Florence was never a difficult task, and even if he could, he only needed to send a team of Pisa city guards and a dog to do so, and what he wanted now was the opportunity to force Florence to come under Estelles on its own initiative.

Voluntary annexation and forced annexation, while the result is the same, have very different effects.

Alexander could sense Machiavelli's strong utilitarian desire, his desire to have a place in the decisions concerning Florence's future, and even to be a key figure in the history books so obvious that it didn't take too much thought to guess.

"So what do you think should be done?"

After a moment of silence, Alexander asked.

Hearing Alexander's inquiry, Machiavelli's hanging heart first tightened with excitement, and then he couldn't help beating violently, he opened his mouth to say something, but found that he couldn't make a sound for a while, and after gasping hard, he said excitedly:

"My lord, if you try to rule Florence by force, it will be worth your loss, because it will make you an enemy of too many people, but you can do it through a war that forces Florence to come closer to you."

Alexander's mind moved slightly, his gaze fell on Machiavelli's smooth forehead, and a strange thought flashed in his heart at this moment: should we find an opportunity to cut off the head in front of me?

Alexander knew that Machiavelli had spoken to his heart.

Historically, Pisa was threatened by Caesar, who was trying to unify Romagna at the time, and Machiavelli, as a Florence diplomat, took advantage of the opportunity to threaten Pisa, and finally had to submit to Florence.

Machiavelli was a man who was very good at taking advantage of the situation, which can be seen from the fact that many people were not optimistic about Florence's situation at the time, but he was still able to force Pisa to surrender.

Now, although the situation between Florence and Pisa has completely reversed, Machiavelli continues the trajectory of history and makes the same proposal.

This made Alexander wonder, wondering who would complete the book "The Monarch" if he cut off this man's head now.

"My lord, allow me to tell you bluntly that you don't have to pay attention to Florence at all, for the city is yours," Machiav said, using this almost sensational remark to attract Alexander's attention, "you should be paying attention to your relatives now." ”

At this point, Machiavelli paused and looked at Alexander with blazing eyes, his appearance seemed casual, but he could not calm down in his heart.

Machiavelli believed that Alexander understood what he meant, and that was why he knew better what he was taking.

Alexander had a lot of relatives, especially because of women, and if you count carefully, he can say that he has a large "family".

But there are only two relatives who Machiavelli thinks should be paid attention to, and then vigilant.

Now it seems that the only thing that should keep Alexander wary is the Borgias.

Caesar's defeat at Ferrara dealt a blow to Alexander VI's dream of establishing a powerful papal state, which, in Machiavelli's view, was enough to create an irreparable rift between the pope and Alexander, and as for the fact that the pope had not yet made a move against Montina, the Florentines believed that it was not because of Lucrezia's mother and daughter, but only because of the power shown by the Count's side that made the father and son taboo.

On this point, Machiavelli felt that the prospective countess was more worthy of admiration and admiration, whether it was the decisive intervention in Ferrara, the near-adventurous occupation of Bologna, and the decisive reaction to the conspiracy of Bishop Tony della Roverre, which Machiavelli saw as a model of a near-perfect struggle for power.

When he heard the news in Florence, Machiavelli felt a strong urge to rush to Montina at once, and he thought that with the countess's wisdom she would be willing to accept her, and Lucrezia did not seem to be a good supporter now.

It was only greater ambition that made Machiavelli abandon this impulsive idea, knowing that in order to show greater value to the count, he had to have something enough to make others value him, and Florence was regarded by him as a good gift.

"Do you know what you're hinting at?" Alexander looked at Machiavelli, "Caesar is my brother, and the Pope is my father." ”

"But that doesn't hide their hostility towards you," Machiavelli looked calm, but he couldn't tell how he was nervous, he didn't know how Alexander would react to his words, after all, his affection for Lucrezia was well known, and now that he was openly provoking his relationship with Borgia and his son, Machiavelli would inevitably secretly worry that "the Pope has always had a close relationship with the French, and Caesar married Louis's cousin, doesn't that mean anything?" ”

"You think they're going to threaten my territory?"

"Actually, it doesn't matter, does it?" Machiavelli shrugged his shoulders with a hint of nonchalance.

Alexander nodded slowly, he knew that the Florentines were right, it really didn't matter.

He wanted to unite Tuscany and Romagna, a process that was destined to be full of blood and fire.

And in this land, the Vatican is bound to become one of the biggest hidden dangers in his principality because of its unique status.

Just to eliminate this hidden danger, he already has enough reason to clash head-on with the Pope's father and son.

Alexander looked at Machiavelli again, and he had to admit that this man could become one of the most influential figures of his time, and indeed had abilities and brains that no one else could match.

The Vatican would become a stumbling block to his unification of Romagna-Tuscany, this Alexander knew for a long time, but this conclusion was derived from the identity of a historical witness, because Alexander knew what kind of characters would appear in the Vatican in the following years, and he also knew how the old Rovere sat on the papal throne soon after he got his wish, how he provoked a lot of wars in Italy, so that he won the title of Pope of the God of War after years of four conquests.

However, Machiavelli was only aware of the huge contradiction between him and the Vatican that would be difficult to reconcile through the analysis of the current situation, and even through the elaboration of the status of Florence, he had vaguely hinted at the coming of a war.

And that's exactly what Alexander thought of the day.

Alexander looked at Machiavelli, and while he was secretly worried in the hearts of the Florentine people, he spoke: "My Imperial Governor is now in Lombardy, and I happen to lack a helper who can deal with the affairs of the court, so I wonder if you would like to serve with me?" ”

Machiavelli had a look of joy on his face, not obviously, but subtly showing Alexander how happy he was, and then the Florentines bowed to him as they had done before, this time bowing his head as a vassal rather than a diplomat.

"I'm sure you'll do your job well."

Speaking of this, Alexander couldn't help but smile strangely, he remembered that Machiavelli had a bad reputation in history because of several successive masters, and even in his later years, but this man was indeed a rare talent in court affairs, and Alexander was confident that he would be his last monarch.

"I have undergone a major change today that may be relevant to me for the rest of my life," Machiavelli habitually took out his manuscript, which he had written a lot, and recorded the events of the day, "but I found that when I proposed that the Pope would be a hidden danger to the Count's unification of the Duchy, the Count was not surprised, which made me more convinced of my previous judgment, and it was clear that the broadcaster was aware of the threat to the Vatican, and that he must have had a full plan." It's just that the relationship between the Pope and the Count may have been involved in the matter of Madame Lucrezia, which made me wonder if the Count would be so calm about this matter, but today's experience has made me realize that the first thing a good ruler needs to have is a cold heart, which is more important than any weapon. ”