The Rise of the European Emperor

After a while, Senator Magria suddenly raised her head and said:

"Is it possible to spend money to buy Maximilian I and make him give up attacking Venice? Everyone knows that Maximilian I lacks the most money..."

The eyes of everyone present suddenly lit up—yes, Venice is the least expensive, and spending money to buy it is also their specialty!

Marin shook his head firmly and said:

"It's impossible, Lord Magria, do you know that? Maximilian I placed so much importance on the throne. As long as the Pope has crowned him, he is the only legitimate emperor in Europe!"

"There is always a price for Maximilian I to make concessions," argued Magria.

Marin thought about it and decided to make a big news:

"You're right, that's under normal circumstances. However, this time, it may not matter how much money Venice gives!"

"Why?" Magria couldn't believe it.

"Well, I want to tell a secret here, I hope everyone can keep it secret. Otherwise, the Pope will not spare me."

After seeing the people present nodded, Marin said:

"I've been in the Holy See for a while, and I know a big secret. Do you know? In order to invite Austria to send troops to attack Venice, His Majesty Julius II planned to come up with a secret that Maximilian I could never refuse. conditions, as a bargaining chip for Austria to attack Venice with all its strength..."

"What kind of chips can Austria make to attack Venice with all their strength?" Leonardo Lorre asked curiously.

"In addition to the coronation of His Majesty Maximilian I, in order to authorize the Holy Roman Empire, the emperor's coronation from now on does not need to come to Rome, but can be crowned by the Archbishop of Mainz in the country..." Marin said this slowly The trump card of Julius II.

In fact, this has not happened yet. In the original history, when the "Alliance of Cambrai" was formed, in exchange for the full cooperation of Maximilian I, Julius II gave this condition. As a result, Maximilian I stood on Julius II's side without hesitation, and sent troops to attack Venice with all his might.

"Is His Majesty the Pope crazy? Giving up the coronation right is equivalent to lifting the ban on the Holy Roman Empire! In the future, the Holy Roman Empire can still take the Holy See in the eyes? You know, the right to crown the emperor has always been used by the Holy See. An important means to check and balance the Holy Roman Emperor!" Leonardo Loredang exclaimed.

"That's right, Your Excellency. Although it is said that doing so will loosen the shackles tied to the Holy Roman Empire. However, the situation in Europe is different now. After the French have grown stronger, the Holy Roman Empire is no longer the hegemon of Europe. Yes. Even if the Holy Roman Empire wanted to take Italy, it would have to ask the French if they would agree..."

Marin's explanation is very reasonable. Since the rise of France, Shinra is no longer the hegemon of the European continent. Moreover, the French are a greater threat to Italy. When Julius II lifted the ban on Shinra, he wanted Shinra and the French to fight each other. However, Julius II did not expect that Shinra and Spain merged. Then, with the support of Spanish American gold and silver, Shinra hanged France for decades, captured the French king alive, and then placed the Holy See under the protection of Spain...

After Marin said the "secret" that Julius II had not made a decision, the dozen or so Venetian bosses present were shocked. It can be said that if the Pope not only promised to crown Maximilian I, but also allowed it not to be used for the coronation of the Holy See in the future, we can imagine how desperate Maximilian I would have been. Because, the future Holy Roman Emperor will no longer be restricted by the Holy See. Just for this, it is worth the Habsburg family to fight for the Holy See, and willingly fight...

...

The conference room was silent for a long time, and the Venetian bosses were all in a low mood. At this time, General Marino, who was in charge of the Venetian military, suddenly said:

"if,

How about we go to Switzerland to hire a large number of Swiss mercenaries? Can you block the enemy's attack? "

"Yes, this is a good idea!" Senator Alani immediately became excited and supported Marino's proposal.

"I'm afraid not!" Niccolò Pierino, the second-ranking figure in the military of the Republic of Venice, who emerged in the Battle of Fornovo, shook his head.

"Why not?" As the military boss, Marino was very dissatisfied with the second child's behavior of demolishing himself.

"Don't forget, the biggest employers of Swiss mercenaries are the French. If the French interfere, we won't be able to hire enough Swiss mercenaries. Besides, I sent someone to Switzerland some time ago to hire a group of mercenaries. mercenaries. However, I was told that Switzerland was hired by a mysterious big employer last year, and 20,000 people were hired away. Now, it is estimated that there are not many mercenaries in Switzerland. The rest need to stay behind and guard against Maximi Leon I attacked Switzerland from the direction of Graubünden..."

Niccolò broke out a shocking revelation, which made Marin a little stunned:

"What? Someone hired 20,000 people from Switzerland? Is it certain?" Marin asked in surprise.

Marin keenly senses - something big is about to happen...

20,000 Swiss mercenaries were hired away, not for fun. There must be a war about to break out. And Marin didn't even notice this, which made him feel bad.

So Marin decided to send someone to Switzerland to investigate the matter immediately after the negotiation was over...

"It's certain!" Niccolò nodded.

Marin didn't know that the information provided by Niccolò saved his life in the future...

...

At this time, Marin has no intention of continuing to go around in circles with these Venetian bosses. So he stood up solemnly and said:

"Venice is really dangerous. It's not that I, Marin, are trying to scare you. Here, I'm going to tell you a big secret about the life and death of Venice. But first of all, please swear by the Bible, never tell others. , said this news was revealed by me..."

Seeing that Marin made it so mysterious, Alani said dissatisfiedly:

"What secret is so important? It's too much of a fuss for us to make such a solemn oath?"

"If you don't like it, it's fine if I don't say it. Anyway, the unfortunate one is Venice, not me Marin!" Marin said coldly. He didn't want to leak the secret afterwards. If the Spaniards knew about it, they would definitely hate him.

When Leonardo Lorre saw that Marin didn't look like he was lying, he persuaded others to accept Marin's advice. A dozen of the bigwigs touched the Bible and swore a solemn oath.

"Now, can you talk about it?" Alani said dissatisfiedly.

"That's it, I heard a shocking secret when the Holy See participated in the negotiations between Spain and Portugal on the revision of the Treaty of Tordesillas..."

"What is it? Tell me now!"

"Spain and Portugal intend to reconcile, form a joint fleet, control the Arabian Sea west of India, and intercept all Arab and Egyptian merchant ships selling spices..."

After Marin finished speaking, he took a leisurely sip of water...

At the beginning, the Venetian bosses here didn't react. But soon, everyone's faces changed drastically...

"This... This is to push Venice to a dead end..." The representative of the Barbarigo family, Marco Roy Barbarigo, the nephew of the former Governor of Venice, Agostino Barbarigo, immediately lost his temper. You know, the spice trade is an important business of the Barbarigo family, and it is also the main source of profit. If the merchant ships of the Arabs and Egyptians were intercepted by the Spaniards and Portuguese, the Venetian merchants would have no more spices to sell. At that time, the business of the Venetians will be greatly affected.

"Sure enough, it's a confidential piece of information concerning the life and death of Venice... Duke Marin, can you guarantee that what you're saying is the truth?" Leonardo Lorre asked solemnly after sighing.

"I can touch the Bible and swear to God that what I say is true. But at the same time, please don't reveal that I said it. Otherwise, Spain and Portugal will get in trouble for me. That's why I just Let you swear..." Marin replied seriously.

Leonardo Lorre nodded, knowing that this matter was of great importance, and it was very reasonable for Marin to do so.

But, the news is too big. If one is not handled well, Venice is really going to decline. After all, the dozen or so bigwigs and their families are basically involved in the spice trade. Although there are some, everyone has a share. If the source of spices is cut off by Spain and Portugal, the blow to Venice will be enormous.

"What should I do? What should I do..." At this time, Senator Alani, who was still very arrogant just now, murmured in despair.

In fact, not only Alani, but other Venetian bosses were also stunned by this blockbuster thrown by Marin...