Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

In order to centralize power, Emperor Shenluo, who has been pulling power with the Holy See from time to time, is worth mentioning. After all, the grievances between the two parties have existed for a long time, and they belong to traditional arts.

What Enren IV hated the most was France, the filial son of the Seven Sages.The massacre of the Knights Templar, the prisoner of Avignon... In history, there are many incidents that have attacked the authority of the Holy See.Even the current French King Charles VII, even in the long war with England, still implemented the policy of strengthening the royal power and suppressing the control of the Holy See over the French Church.

What's even worse is that after staying in France for a few years, that Sirisian seemed to have contracted the same disease, maintained a suppressive attitude towards the church, and refused the Holy See any power to get involved in the diocese under his rule.

Well, now Enren IV's address to Ma Youfu has actually been changed to "My dear Duke of Barr".

Not for other reasons, just because the other party gave too much.

If it was before the deal with Ma Youfu, Enren IV would definitely agree to Fernando's request and form an alliance immediately after knowing that Aragorn meant Ma Youfu.

But now, he just asked: "Mr. Fernando, I have seen Aragon's loyalty to the Holy See. But what do you want me to do? If it does not harm the overall situation of the Crusades, I can seriously consider it."

"I hope that Aragon, the Pope, and the Holy Roman Empire can form an alliance and work together to carry out the great cause of the Crusade..."

The specific request made by Fernando was to ask the Pope to send a letter to Sigismund to "persuade" the other party to agree to form an alliance with Aragon.Otherwise, Albrecht's Emperor Shinra crown would not be so easy to wear on his head.

In addition, the Holy Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire should help Alfonso V to obtain the throne of Naples after receiving the benefits of the Maghreb.

Enren IV didn't think much, and said: "Please go back and tell King Alfonso. I can persuade Sigismund to reach a tripartite alliance. But this alliance is only applicable to this Crusade. The Papal State will not participate in any action against Naples. Mr. Fernando, I know that you want to deal with the Duke of Bar, but unfortunately, I have reached an agreement with the Duke of Bar, and the Pope will not participate in your struggle."

Fernando wanted to cry but had no tears.Obviously, he came up with a good strategy to combine vertical and horizontal, which could unite the Pope and the Holy Roman Empire, capture Naples, and curb the expansion momentum of the Sires.Who knows, but every time the opponent is one step ahead.If Ma Youfu's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" now writes about the plot of hiding Jingzhou after the burning of Chibi, and it is published, I am afraid that the young Fernando will also sigh with emotion: "If you gave birth to Fernando, why did you give birth to Ma Youfu".

Although he was resolutely rejected by Enren IV, Fernando was still not reconciled, and asked again: "Your Majesty, what conditions did Ma Youfu offer to make you firmly refuse to be his enemy?"

Enren IV didn't hold back either, and directly stated the agreement signed between Ma Youfu and the Pope.

First of all, it is about the issue of religious authority in the Maghreb region, which is also the origin of the previous conflict between the two sides.

Although Ma Youfu still refused the Holy See to intervene in the governance of the diocese, he promised to pay [-]% of the comprehensive income of the entire region to the Holy See.

Although one percent sounds much less than one-tenth of the tithe, please note that the tithe is only an agricultural tax, which is mainly levied on farmers, and the taxed products are grains, fruits and vegetables, and livestock.

And one percent of comprehensive income includes all agriculture, commerce, and handicrafts.

Considering the prosperous trade and sugar industry in the Maghreb in the future, this income is definitely much higher than the simple tithe.

Enren IV's personal desires are not high, but he wants to do a lot of practical things to restore the reputation of the Holy See, which requires a lot of money.

So, in the face of Ma Youfu's money offensive, His Excellency the Pope was defeated.

Chapter 420 Six The True Face of Politics

This [-]% of the comprehensive income is not taken by the Pope for nothing.For this huge amount of income every year, Enren IV agreed to two conditions of Ma Youfu.

Calculated based on the area of ​​land that will be conquered in the Maghreb region in the future, the Holy See's College of Cardinals must give Mayouf three to ten places.In this way, his influence can enter the Holy See.

Enren IV also saw the intention of the Sires, but after weighing it, he still agreed to the condition.Because today, a considerable part of the College of Cardinals are rebels against reconciliationism.Expanding the College of Cardinals and introducing third-party forces that are friendly with themselves will help defeat the Basel Council.

In addition, Enren IV also promised Ma Youfu to issue a golden imperial edict, calling on young priests with knowledge and faith from all over Europe to join the "Pious Association of the Seven Saints of the Maghreb" founded by Ma Youfu and go to North Africa to go to the mountains Go down to the desert, go deep into the pagan masses, and spread the Gospel of the Seven Saints.

In fact, to put it bluntly, it is to fool the new generation of young European intellectuals into serving as grassroots civil servants for Ma Youfu.

For Enren IV, who still had some idealism in his heart, this was in line with the teachings of the Seven Sages, and it was just a matter of effort, so he readily agreed.

In addition, in view of the dilapidated scene of the city of Rome that he witnessed when he came, Ma Youfu also proposed a cooperation plan.

On behalf of two French trading companies, he promised to invest in infrastructure in Rome, build new roads, bridges, churches, squares, residences, etc., and maintain the remains left in the city from the Roman era to reproduce the eternal city. Glory.

And the Holy See doesn't need to pay anything, it just needs to transfer the "excess" land after urban development to the two companies for use.

In addition, Ma Youfu also took out [-] ducats, which completely resolved the grievances and grievances between the Pope and the Kingdom of Naples.

The origin of the conflict between these two families can be traced back to the eleventh century.

One of the major events in Western Europe in the eleventh century was William, Duke of Normandy, who conquered England across the sea in 1066, known as the "Norman Conquest" in history.But in fact, there was another "Norman Conquest" against southern Italy during this period.

At that time, southern Italy was at the forefront of the confrontation between the Mulhollans and the Byzantine Empire, and behind them were the forces of the Seven Holy Cults represented by the Papal State.The situation is chaotic and wars are everywhere, which is the stage for mercenaries to show their talents.

The Hauteville family, a Norman noble from the Cotentin Peninsula, gradually emerged in this situation.

The men of the Hauteville family traveled across the ocean and came to South Italy almost single-handedly. Then they used their wit and bravery to walk among the three major powers, striking down a world with one sword and one gun. And eventually Roger II unified Sicily and southern Italy.

It's just that in the era when the king's power was granted by God, it wasn't enough to have a big fist.If Roger II wants to become the legal king, he must be canonized by the Pope.

Fortunately, in addition to fighting, Roger II is also very good at intrigue.He first used various means to win over the then anti-pope Anacletus II and was officially crowned King of Sicily.After a series of battles, Emperor Shenluo was forced back, and Pope Innocent II was defeated, forcing him to recognize his legitimacy as King of Sicily.

Because the title of King of Sicily was entirely created and granted by the Holy See, subsequent popes always emphasized that the Pope had the power of a feudal monarch over the Kingdom of Sicily.

Although the Kingdom of Sicily later split, part of it was annexed by Aragon, and part of it became the Kingdom of Naples, the Pope never gave up its claim to southern Italy.This is also the reason why the Pope intervened in the succession battle between Queen Joan II of Naples, King Alfonso V of Aragon, and Duke René I of Anjou.

It's just that the Pope doesn't have the strength to really make the Kingdom of Naples submit to him. He just wants to find some advantages in the three-way battle, and he is purely playing the role of a shit-stirring stick.

Therefore, Ma Youfu felt that it would be better to directly spend a sum of money to make the Pope completely give up all claims to Naples and Sicily. After this settlement, the diplomatic relations between the two parties can also be normalized.

In this way, when John becomes King of Naples in the future, there will be less interference from the north.This is also a reassurance for Jeanne II and Isabel, letting them know that Ma Youfu, the "Consul of Naples", is performing his duties and doing his best for the interests of the kingdom.

After listening to Enren IV's face glowing red, Fernando had no choice but to give up his plan to persuade the other party to tear up the agreement just signed tonight and switch camps to Aragon's side.

In the end, Fernando left the Pope's Palace with a look of disappointment.

Today's diplomatic action is actually not a complete failure.At least, the preliminary intention of the tripartite alliance between Aragon, the Pope, and the Holy Roman Empire has been finalized.It's just that this alliance is a discount compared to what Fernando originally expected.

If they can't unite to deal with the Siris, this alliance means little to Aragorn.

Fortunately, neither the Pope nor Albrecht said anything to death. Perhaps as the situation develops, this alliance can be further strengthened in the future.

It was almost midnight when Fernando returned to his residence.However, Aragorn V did not sleep, still waiting for his favorite child to bring back good news.

After listening to Fernando's report, Alfonso V saw the unconcealable depression on Aiko's face, and smiled and enlightened him: "Fernando, there is no need to do this. We all know that Ma Youfu is a powerful enemy, and it is impossible to defeat him easily. At least, your plan is still partially successful, isn't it? The next thing we have to do is to make our allies more and more dissatisfied with Ma Youfu, and finally let them abandon their neutral position and completely side with Aragorn .”

"Father, seeing that you are so confident, have you already thought of a way?"

Alfonso V nodded, and said with confidence: "Of course. We can start from this great city that has lost its glory."

Looking at the city of Rome shrouded in night outside the window, Alfonso V was silent for a moment, and continued: "Enren IV hopes to use the financial resources of the Sires to rebuild and develop the city of Rome. This idea is good, but they Did you ignore the Colonna family when reaching this agreement?"

Enren IV was a Venetian, and he was an outsider to the city of Rome.

And the real local snakes in this eternal city are the Colonna family and the Orsini family.Both of these two families have produced popes and cardinals, and they own a large amount of land assets in Rome and are very powerful.

Enren IV wants to use the power of Ma Youfu to rebuild Rome and give a lot of land to the other party, which will inevitably violate the interests of these two families.

Especially the Colonna family.The last pope, Martin V, came from the Colonna family.In the political game of succeeding the pope, the Colonna family lost to the Condulme family from Venice, so that Enren IV, whose real name was Gabriel Condulme, became pope.

The Colonna family was not reconciled, so since Enren IV came to power, they have been against the Pope.Behind the Basel Parliament that opposed Enren IV, there is also the shadow of the Colonna family.

If the Colonna family knew of the cooperation between Enren IV and Ma Youfu, they would definitely feel a great threat, and then mobilize all resources to fight back.And the Orsini family, which was originally hostile to the Colonna family, will also abandon their previous suspicions and unite together.

Under the threat of fierce tigers, the wild wolves who were biting each other had to fight against the enemy together in order to survive.

All Aragon needs to do is to provide resources behind and fan the flames.

"As long as the renovation plan for the city of Rome suffers setbacks or even has to be abandoned, the relationship between the Pope and the Seres will inevitably crack. At that time, it will be Aragorn's move. Mayouf's renovation plan for Rome is quite good, we It can be used directly. But this time, we will eradicate the Colonna and Orsini families in advance!" Alfonso V's eyes flashed fiercely.

First support the two Roman land snake families to charge the battle, and then abandon them ruthlessly after they are done.Such a vicious and decisive plan shocked Fernando, who was young and seeing the dark side of politics for the first time.

"My child, although you are talented, what you learn and use comes from books and teachers. Real politics is more dirty and bloody than you think. This is a good opportunity for you to learn."

After Alfonso V finished speaking, he took out a piece of paper and wrote a name and an address on it.

The only name Fernando saw was "Alphonse de Borgia".

"Alphonse is proficient in law. He used to be my private secretary and later became the archbishop of Valencia. Now, he has entered the cardinals to hold important positions, and is planning to move the development focus of the entire Borgia family to Rome. In terms of politics and conspiracy, you can learn a lot from him. The task of instigating the Colonna family and the Orsini family to fight the Pope and Mayouf is left to you two."

"Of order, father." Fernando solemnly picked up the piece of paper.

As the monarchs of various countries arrived in Rome one after another, the political undercurrent under this eternal city became more and more turbulent.Every day, there are all kinds of conspiracies and tricks and exchange of interests, which are achieved in mansions on the banks of the Tiber River.

Nine days after Ma Youfu arrived in Rome, Sigismund, the most famous Holy Roman Emperor among Western European monarchs, finally arrived in this city.

Chapter 420 Seven Kings

It's just that because of the fear of the empire from various Italian states, when Sigismund entered Rome, he brought only [-] guards.The tens of thousands of German crusaders are still stranded in Padua.

After His Majesty the Emperor arrived in Rome, the mobilization meeting on the Crusades was officially held.

The original venue for the conference was the Pantheon in Rome. However, due to the lack of maintenance in the past few decades, many traces of the pagan gods in ancient Rome have been exposed in the building.

Naturally, the grand meeting of the Seven Saints cannot be held in such a place.

Finally, after discussion, Enren IV chose an open space on the outskirts of Rome, on the banks of the Tiber River, as the venue for the conference.If this conference is recorded in the history books, I am afraid it will be called the "Tevere Conference".

After three days of setting up, all the necessary facilities for the meeting, such as large and small sunshade tents, tables, chairs and benches, have been set up.Considering that the meeting would last for several days, the monarchs would get hungry easily after arguing, so Enren IV specially ordered people to build a temporary kitchen and dining room.

When Ma Youfu arrived at the meeting place, many nobles had already arrived.

It is the season when the spring is warm and flowers are blooming, and the land is full of greenery. The scenery on the banks of the Tiber River is pleasant, and it is indeed a good place for monarchs who have their own ghosts to fight and quarrel.

"Duke of Bar, Marquis of La Manche, Count of Rouen, Count of Beaumont, Count of Provence, Steward of the Royal Family of Normandy, Chairman of the North and South French Trading Company, Honorable Rebuilder of the Republic of Genoa, Consul of the Kingdom of Naples, Knights of the Golden Fleece and the New Moon Members of the Knights..."

Accompanied by the recitation of the priest's roll call, Ma Youfu walked into the big tent as the main venue.

Apart from gaining a lot of titles, the most eye-catching thing about Ma Youfu is the four golems following him.

Ma Youfu named these four new golems "Mark II".

Compared with Mark [-], the biggest feature of these four new golems is that they are much smaller in size, with a height of nearly two meters and a weight controlled by Ma Youfu at about [-] kilograms.

At first glance, they are not much different from knights in full plate armor.

Ma Youfu absorbed the disadvantage that the Mark I golem was too bulky and difficult to carry around most of the time, so he greatly reduced the size of the new golem.

In this way, they can follow Ma Youfu at any time like ordinary guards, greatly increasing his combat effectiveness as an artificer.

However, although the size has shrunk, the combat effectiveness of the Mark II golem is not bad.Their arms are equipped with retractable blades and shields, and they are also enchanted with invisibility, jumping, and climbing. In terms of mobility and flexibility, they far surpass the Mark I.

It's just that because of its limited size, there is no way to have a built-in vertical launch device like the Mark [-], so the Mark [-] golem has no long-range attack capability.

But it doesn't hurt.

Ma Youfu himself is a powerful spellcaster, and he also has a variety of offensive magic props, so there is no shortage of long-range firepower in battle.As long as the four Mark II golems do a good job of protecting their masters, that's enough.

As for the Mark I golem, it was implanted with a machine soul by Ma Youfu, and after some strengthening, it was used as a guard for important places or people.Today, it is staying in Tarascon Castle, protecting his lover Isabel and several children.

Ma Youfu has always had a premonition that the last action to clear up corrupt believers in Avignon was not thorough, and there are still fish that slip through the net of belief in evil gods hiding in the dark, ready to make big news at any time.

He had to defend.

Many of the monarchs attending the meeting today are extraordinary, such as Filippo, Duke of Milan, and Francesco Foscari, Governor of Venice.The other monarchs, even if they are not extraordinary, still have a lot of magical props that faintly emit magical fluctuations.

It's just that when these monarchs saw the golems following behind Ma Youfu, the four golems were mainly made of mithril, supplemented with fine gold to reinforce key parts, and the overall shape was mighty yet elegant, they immediately restrained their thoughts of showing off and comparing.

Filippo, Duke of Milan snorted coldly and turned his head away.As soon as he saw Ma Youfu's beautiful appearance, he felt upset, and he might as well be out of sight and out of mind.

Although it was the first time for him and the newly promoted Duke of Bar to meet, the two had already fought once in the battle for the governor of Genoa.Matteo, the agent of the Visconti family in Genoa, was completely eradicated by Mayouf in the political struggle, and the Adorno family also took refuge in Mayouf.After years of ruining the layout, the ambition to annex Genoa is difficult to realize, how could this not annoy Filippo.

What's even more hateful is that the hope of the next generation of the Visconti family, Claudio, also died in the battle of the undead pirates attacking the port of Scipio.He suspected that this was also Ma Youfu's black hands.