A group of young women walked by the roadside talking and laughing while holding a basket full of dirty clothes in their hands. Although most of these women looked ordinary, they were healthy and lively.

Their laughter seemed to affect the people in the carriage, a slightly thin hand opened the curtain of the carriage, and the people inside looked out at the group of young village girls.

"It's nice to be young." The person in the car sighed, then withdrew his hand.

"You are also very young," the Moor turned back slightly and said into the car. "As long as you get to Madrid, everything will be fine."

"I hope," the person in the car sighed softly. He was very clear about his next situation. Although that was what he had always hoped for, he still sighed somewhat, "I never thought about it..."

Although the person in the car stopped talking immediately, the Moors seemed to know what he was going to say.

He shrugged disapprovingly and let out a soft "hum" from his nose, and then slightly curled his mouth: "You don't have to think so much now. We only need to go to Madrid as long as we can stop."

The man in the carriage was silent for a while, lowered his voice and asked, "So someone really wants to murder me?"

"Well."

As if not wanting to stimulate the emotions of the people in the car, the Moors wondered what to say.

But before he could answer, the people in the car had already let out a chuckle and said to themselves: "Isn't this a very common thing? There is no difference between the Vatican and here. Believe me, the things I have experienced are more You can think of more exciting."

The Moor was not speaking. Of course he knew that the man in the car was saying nothing. Although he believed that although he had seen some storms at a young age, he was really insignificant compared to this man.

"It seems that your master's life is not so easy," the person in the car said again. "The road to power is full of thorns, and even the crown that he wears may hide terrible institutions. He has to walk a lot. It's a long way."

"Isn't there you?" The Moor tilted slightly and said to the car. "You will help the master, right?"

"Of course," the man in the car was silent for a moment before repliing, "It was Alexander who made Alexander. It is time to see what this achievement can gain."

Hearing the words of the man in the carriage, the Moor nodded silently, and then he threw down the whip with a smile, shouted at the two pack horses, and drove the carriage forward adeptly.

A Clark sailing ship with high ends and high ends slowly approached the anchorage. On its central deck with its typical characteristics, which was deeply sunken in the middle, a dark complexion was blown by the sea breeze, but the eyes flashed with excitement. The young man was looking at the distant port enthusiastically.

The scene of a thousand sails racing in the harbor is sighing, and the sea boats that come in and out from time to time make this famous European seaport look so hot.

"This is probably the so-called final glory." Looking at this prosperous scene, the man on the boat suddenly said something horrible, and he was obviously not afraid of others to hear it, because his voice was not small.

A manned boat undulated on the sea and gradually approached Clark's ship. The man on the deck looked at the approaching boat, smiling on his face with a thick but neat beard on his chin.

Although he hadn't seen anyone here, he had already heard of the person he was about to meet. Thinking about it now, he was a little looking forward to meeting this person.

The boat approached the boat gang, and a ladder was set up. A man in a large dark red robe was trying to gather his clothes swollen by the sea breeze, while carefully climbing up the ladder.

"Let me help your friend," the man on the boat leaned forward and stretched out his hand. He smiled when he saw the other man raising his head and looking at him. "You must be Nicolo Machiavelli."

"Thank you," Machiavelli did not reject the man's kindness. He took the man's hand and flipped it over, a little embarrassed, and overturned the boat gang. When exerting force, he noticed that one of the other's shoulders seemed to be weak. , It should be because of the disability left by the previous accident. "Thank you very much. I am not used to life on board."

"On the contrary, I have forgotten what it feels like to step on the ground." The man habitually stroked his left shoulder, which was obviously shorter than the other side, and then made an inviting gesture "Please follow me." Come to the barn, it's a bit of a pain for you on the deck."

Machiavelli nodded. He knew it was not a polite time, and he was indeed uncomfortable looking at the constantly undulating sea.

The cabin of the Clark ship is not very big, but the ship seems to have been remodeled. The bottom of the cabin is very comfortable. It seems that this ship is more for travel than other sea ships, mainly In order to transport goods.

"Luxury life can make people degenerate, at least now I can't bear to sit with a bunch of smelly livestock when traveling."

Seeing Machiavelli looking around, the man explained with a smile, but although his words sounded like self-blaming, his tone still showed pride and satisfaction.

Machiavelli was not annoyed by this man's arrogance. He knew exactly what this man’s huge wealth meant, or did not sink to the bottom after he entered the water. Even if this man used gold to build a boat for himself, he would not be surprised. .

"It's an honor to meet you Lord Grokening. On behalf of the Duke, I welcome you."

Machiavelli officially bowed to the man before him.

Grockening carefully looked at the person in front of him, he was not very familiar with this person.

In fact, he hasn't returned to Europe for a long time, or, as he himself said, he almost forgets what it feels like to walk on land all the year round.

However, this kind of life made Grokkening very fulfilling and satisfied. After all, his original dream now seems to have not only been realized, but it has even far exceeded his previous expectations.

This also makes Grockening sometimes feel lucky in retrospect for his choice.

At that time, he just wanted to find a backer for himself in Naples with no background, so he needed his support and was completely obedient to his agent.

But he didn't expect that what he finally found was a beast that might swallow the whole of Europe.

By now Grogning could hardly remember the scene when he first met Alexander, because in his mind the current Alexander and the little lord who seemed isolated and helpless at the time were completely different people.

This is only the past few years?

How did all these changes happen?

What kind of miracle will that person create in the future?

Grogning sighed with emotion whenever he thought of these thoughts.

And his own destiny has changed unimaginably because of his encounter with that person.

Grogning now thinks back about his original wish, even slightly ridiculous.

The wealth, power and influence he now possesses are beyond his imagination, who only hoped to revitalize the declining Hanseatic League.

If he compares his original dream to a piece of sweet cheese on a plate, what he now has is a mountain piled up with cheese.

This is not too much to describe. As long as you think about the influence he has in the Mediterranean and the unimaginable wealth he has earned, Grokening feels that maybe he is a little humble.

For example, this Machiavelli is preparing to arrange a meeting between him and the Governor of Venice, which was out of reach for him before, but now the Venetians are looking forward to his arrival eagerly.

"The Venetians are waiting for your arrival," Machiavelli said with a smile. Although Leonardo Rollett was very anxious, he cleverly rejected the Venetians’ request to meet immediately, and instead deliberately gave the meeting time to It was delayed for a day. "The only thing they worry about now is that your ship will suddenly turn around and leave."

"Of course I won't leave," Grogning also laughed. "We all know that this meeting is very important for both parties, but the difference is that we made the offer, and the Venetian promised us."

Listening to Grockenin's confident words, Machiavelli could not help but get a little excited.

As the messenger who was officially admitted, Machiavelli has always regarded himself as the number one diplomat next to Alexander.

Although he knew that the Moors were more trusted by the Duke, and in many cases Uliu’s tasks were obviously more secretive, it was precisely because of this that Machiavelli had more confidence in himself.

Machiavelli has always believed that that kind of secret mission can never be compared with an upright diplomatic activity.

Maybe because the situation requires this kind of secret diplomacy sometimes, but once this kind of activity deepens, we must use an upright way to make everything acceptable to people.

Because of this, Machiavelli is smart and careful to maintain a good relationship with Uliu, trying not to let the Moors feel that their status is threatened, while sparing no effort to travel between the Italian city-states, hoping to take this Live up to his status as the first diplomat.

The diplomatic mediation with Venice is one of his most proud achievements.

With the signing of the "Po River Armistice Agreement", Machiavelli also ushered in a peak in his life and career.

But he was not satisfied with this.

The ambitious diplomat has seen the looming crown on the head of the Duke of Rome Thesia, which makes him also have a new goal.

It seems a good dream to become the future Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom, and he strongly believes that he is the most suitable for this position.

Now Grokening's arrival gave him greater confidence.

"The Venetians are not in a good situation now," Grockening also expressed confidence in this visit. "This is a good opportunity for us."

Machiavelli nodded approvingly and agreed. He was naturally very clear about the purpose of Grogenning's visit to Venice.

And as Grokening said, Venice is in a dire situation now, which gives them a good opportunity.

If the agreement with the Venetian can be reached smoothly, it will be self-evident for him to secure his position as minister of foreign affairs in the future.

This makes Machiavelli full of expectations for the next meeting.

The governor of Venice, Leonardo Lorette, was walking alone in the corridor.

For many years, he has a habit of being alone and quietly, straightening out his emotions and adjusting his mood before facing major events and decisions.

The merchant of the Hanseatic League did not disembark immediately, but parked the ship at anchorage. This made many Venetians angry. They felt that they were underestimated and annoyed. The arrogance that Venetians had developed over the years made them unable to bear this attitude. .

But Leonardo Loretta was not angry. As for the Venetians who still arrogantly clung to their former glory, Loretta did not feel much disappointed with them.

It is now a crossroads where the old and the new era alternate.

Although Lorette didn't understand this clearly, he could still have a vague feeling, as if everything was going to be different from before.

It's just that what this difference looks like, he can't imagine.

People are naturally afraid and uneasy about the unknown, and Lolett is the same.

Various news about the new route and the new colony disturbed him.

The Mediterranean trade has been declining rapidly at a rate that is almost visible to the naked eye. Just think about the continuous shrinking of Venice’s import and export trade during the two years of entering the 16th century. Lorette feels that he might unfortunately be the one to witness this. The governor of Venice whose maritime hegemony has declined.

So in order to inquire about the new route, he did not hesitate to send people to Africa on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea to try to find out the details of the new route.

At the same time, he also planned to carry out a ruthless blow to the trade of the new route if possible. For this purpose, he did not hesitate to deal with heathen countries.

But now the greater threat to Venice is the Ottomans. Compared with the new route, which will gradually encroach on the trade territory of Venice in the future, the Ottomans are the immediate enemy that Venice needs to deal with.

It is precisely because of this that Lorette will be extremely important to the upcoming meeting with Grogning.

A figure swayed slightly in the distance, which caught Lorette's attention. He looked over with a little displeasure, but after seeing the person who disturbed his contemplation, Lorette smiled at that person.

"Come here, general, I just want someone to invite you."

Rondoba Barbarig came over, bowed to the Governor, and then stood silently waiting for Loretta to speak.

"It seems that you have had a good rest during this period of time," Lorette looked at Barbarig. He knew that the other party had a deep hostility towards him, but Lorette didn't care, just as Barbarig saw him. In his eyes, Rondoba Barbarig was still a little tender, "This is very good for dealing with that Grogning next."

"I heard a lot of people opposed this meeting," Barrage Jr. looked at Lolett. Since returning to Venice, he has been in close contact with his uncle’s old acquaintances and his subordinates, which made him think he might have Challenge the strength of the governor "Do you think it is a sensible move to ally with that person?"

Lorette just smiled at the unreasonable behavior of Barrage, who was so close to questioning. He felt that the current Barrage of Barrage was really the same as him at the beginning. Perhaps Barbarig was like this, passionate and serious. , But very reckless.

"If the person you are talking about is the Duke of Rome Thesia, I can tell you clearly that this is our only choice now," Lorette explained calmly, but the smile on his face gradually disappeared after speaking. The expression became severe. "I know that you are opposed to my decision, but as my negotiating deputy, I hope you can do your part."

"Of course Governor, I will not disregard Venice's interests because of my personal opinion, but because of this I still feel that your decision is open to question."

Rondoba Barbarig stared at Lolett intently. He felt that he had to stick to his point of view at this time. It was not only about his personal honor and disgrace, but also those who supported him.

Although Barriguez had shown a faintly provocative posture, Lorette didn't say anything. He just nodded to show that he understood what the other party wanted to express, and then walked to the servant who was waiting at the end of the corridor holding his coat. go with.

"Venice will decline in your hands!"

Rondoba Barbarig said loudly to Lorette's back, his voice was loud, causing a buzzing echo in the corridor.

Lorette stopped at his feet, but did not look back. He seemed to think about it before he calmly said: "Believe me, Venice has fallen, and everything I do now is to save it. I think even your uncle will live. I think so."

Rondoba Barbarig looked at Lorette's back with a heavy face. Somehow, although he didn't agree with Lorette's words, deep in his heart, he vaguely felt that perhaps this person was not completely wrong.

The meeting was held in an inconspicuous side hall of the Doge's Palace in Venice. In fact, this type of meeting was more to make the relationship between the two parties more formal.

In other words, it is necessary to formally negotiate some issues that only those who can make decisions can discuss.

Machiavelli certainly has this kind of power, but Grognin, an important figure publicly called "my friend" by Alexander, came forward. UU reading www.uukanshu.com itself illustrates the Duke of Rome Thesia. The importance of this meeting.

In addition, because there are some crucial treaties involved, Grognin's presence made the Venetians more at ease.

But looking at this lowlander, Rondoba Barbarig still felt a little uneasy.

He finds it difficult to imagine that the lowland areas that have been considered only remote areas in the past will become more important than the Mediterranean. Even the Hanseatic League has always been regarded as a group of little-seen local tyrants in the past?

But now, Venice has fallen to the point where it depends on the faces of these people.

It was just that the Lowlander, who was regarded as the landlord by the Venetians, didn't seem to notice the contempt of the other party. He looked down at the memo in front of him seriously. Grockening raised his head and looked at Lorette across the table.

"Your Excellency, I brought three topics today. They are the joint declaration of the Holy Roman Empire as a member of the Trade Union, the relationship with the Ottomans, and the last one is about the distribution of trade on new routes."