August 2, Slovenia.
This spring, Frederick and Władysław attacked Northern Italy again, but the progress was slow and they were never able to break into Po Valley.
The war has reached a stalemate, and the nobles have nothing to do and vent their energy on banquets and hunting, and Thomas is no exception.
Because there were too many nobles hunting, there were fewer and fewer prey in the nearby mountains and forests. This time he spent a whole day wandering in the mountains and forests and only harvested two hares.
As the sun set, a group of people walked down the path in the forest and passed by a small stream. Thomas took the cold water to wash his face and found the tracks of wild deer in the soil beside the stream.
"The footprints were left today, what a pity."
After walking out of the forest, there was a small valley ahead. The busy villagers in the wheat fields raised their heads and looked at these well-dressed outsiders indifferently.
Thomas is used to this kind of look. Twenty thousand coalition soldiers have stayed here for a long time. The local people not only have to pay for food, but also have to endure the soldiers who often wander around the countryside. It is normal to have grievances.
After walking on a dirt road in the countryside for half an hour, Thomas came to a manor to stay overnight.
As a member of the royal family, he can receive more preferential treatment than ordinary nobles. In the past two months, he has stayed here five times in total and has formed a good friendship with the owner of the manor Blaise.
"Your Highness, how was the harvest today?" The manor owner walked out of the courtyard and greeted Thomas warmly.
"Chasing Wild Boar in the woods, but failed to catch up from morning to night. Two rabbits were caught in a makeshift noose trap."
Thomas jumped off the saddle and walked into the manor gate holding the reins.
The courtyard is small in area. There is a wall on the outside. Stables, barns, kitchens and other facilities are arranged along the wall inside. The stone tower in the northwest corner is the residence of the owner's family.
According to the empire and Slovenia local laws, private citizens are not allowed to build castles privately. The owner of the manor Blaise is not a nobleman, so the specifications of the courtyard are strictly restricted:
The height of the stockade wall cannot be too high. The maximum height of the stockade wall can be reached by a rider on horseback. The trench outside the stockade wall cannot be dug too deep.
Stone towers may not exceed two stories, and their overall height is restricted.
Obviously, the Blaise family's manor was built within the limits permitted by law. He complained to Thomas more than once, saying that House of Habsburg's restrictions on the villagers were too strict.
Thomas is a guest and would not be stupid enough to quarrel with the host at the dinner table.
The candlelight flickered, and he immersed himself in eating the stewed chicken in the bowl, replying vaguely, "Frederick III is a shrewd character, and strict management is normal."
In contrast, Eastern Roman Empire Province has strict controls on firearms, but the regulations on the building itself are relatively loose, and squires can spend money to build taller stone barns and villas.
In the past few years, banditry was rampant in Anatolia's interior. It was simply unrealistic to limit the height of courtyard walls. Instead, it made it easier for bandits to rob homes and homes.
Borderland Region's control is looser, and Central Administration is powerless even if he wants to.
Near the end of dinner, the butler suddenly ran in to report some bad news:
The nephew of the territorial baron was killed, and the family suspected that the murderer was a Poland noble.
Thomas put down the half-eaten chicken leg and said, "It involves the aristocracy. This matter will not end well."
In the early morning of August 3rd, Thomas said goodbye to Blaise and returned to the coalition camp as quickly as possible.
Recently, the conflict between local residents and the coalition forces has been fierce. This case is of a special nature and will be tried jointly by the two monarchs.
Unsurprisingly, both sides of the case have different accounts.
The baron called two farmers and a woodcutter as witnesses and accused the noble Miłowit of appearing near the crime scene, but Miłowit insisted that he was just passing by.
"There are many people passing by your rotten village. Just because I am a foreigner, all the crimes will automatically be gathered together."
Is it my fault? If the cattle in the village lie down on their nests and the hens don't lay eggs, am I also to blame?"
For serious crimes such as murder, if both parties insist on their own opinions and there is a lack of effective evidence, the only option is to resort to trial by combat. After all, "God will protect the righteous party."
The truth of the case could not be found, and the two monarchs just wanted to end the matter quickly to prevent the people and the army from losing control of their emotions.
Frederick seriously questioned the baron using Latin: "Jacob·De Stemer, do you insist on accusing the noble Miłowit from a foreign land..."
After going through the due process, Frederick and Władysław jointly announced that a trial by combat will be held tomorrow afternoon.
After a day of preparation, the soldiers surrounded a square open space with a fence, built a simple high platform on the north side of the site, and placed a dozen seats.
The two monarchs have the most noble status. Their seats are located in the center of the stand, with Władysław on the left and Frederick on the right.
Thomas is the envoy of the Eastern Roman Empire and has a respected status. His seat is next to Władysław. The envoy of Holy See has an equally noble status and is located on the other side of Frederick.
The outside of the fence was crowded with spectators, looking forward to a bloody and exciting contest. Some soldiers stood on carriages in the distance, while others climbed up an oak tree dozens of steps away to overlook the field from a high position.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, both parties to the duel entered the venue one after another. The local baron was accompanied by a group of relatives, and the Poland nobleman was in full attire.
The awning above the head was blown by the hot wind, and dust was swept in. Frederick III raised the back of his hand to rub his eyes, and then issued an order.
"Let's start quickly."
Poland The noble's war horse was sick, so the two sides fought on foot. The two wore heavy plate armor and wielded long swords to hack at each other.
The local baron was over forty years old, and his physical strength was not as strong as that of the young and vigorous Poland noble. After struggling for a minute or two, he took the initiative to break away from the fight, and his breathing was as heavy as a bellows in his helmet.
The shouts of relatives and friends and the curses of soldiers sounded outside the field. The Baron took a deep breath and slowly walked to the west side of the field, with his back to the sun. The sunlight splashed out from behind him and went straight to the gap in his opponent's faceplate.
Right now!
The baron's long sword stabbed out smoothly, and the tip of the sword grazed the sword blade of the Poland noble. Sparks flew in and then penetrated into the seam of the shoulder armor. The noble Poland snorted and staggered back, with a touch of dark red seeping out between the armor plates.
"Not a bad tactic."
Thomas ignored King Poland's gloomy expression and patted the armrest of the seat in admiration.
After another half minute, the Baron once again seized the opportunity and slammed the opponent's helmet with the weighted hammer on the hilt of the sword. However, the successive attacks did not end the opponent, but ignited his ferocity.
"Psiakrew!"
Poland The nobleman cursed, no longer flinching, and no longer focused on swordsmanship. He rushed forward, hitting the baron with all his strength, and his two heavy bodies fell to the ground with a splash of dust.
With his younger physical strength, he quickly pressed on the Baron and continuously punched the Baron's helmet.
"Stop it, don't fight anymore!"
The baron's relatives and friends tried to rush into the arena to interrupt the duel, but were blocked by guards holding halberds.
Soon, the Poland noble grabbed the baron's helmet with both hands and smashed the head against the hard ground again and again. After hitting it twenty or thirty times, the Poland noble took out a dagger and stabbed the opponent who no longer resisted. Blood flowed out from the throat. The baron's body froze, and then he became completely motionless.
Phew! Phew!
Poland The noble stood up, walked back a few steps, leaned against the fence and gasped for air, holding the bloody dagger in his right hand.
Most of the audience stopped making noise, and the scene echoed with the cries of the Baron's family. The herald walked to the Baron lying on the ground, confirmed his death and announced, "By God's judgment, Miłowit from West Prussia is not guilty!"
Although one's own nobles lost the duel, Frederick's expression remained normal as he stood up and announced the verdict.
From this moment on, the case was officially closed at the Justice level. The Poland noble was proven innocent, the Baron family's accusation failed, and the family members were not allowed to take revenge.
The audience dispersed one after another, and the nobles and soldiers of Poland cheered. Some people announced that they had made a lot of money and invited their friends to drink.
The local audience was in a bad mood. The family members picked up the baron's body and left surrounded by the crowd. Thomas couldn't understand their words, but judging from their expressions, they definitely didn't have anything nice to say.
"The coalition forces have angered the local nobles, and the situation will be even worse in the future."
When soldiers are fighting abroad, they inevitably go out to have fun during their rest periods. Even Roman Legion, military regulations do not strictly prohibit all kinds of pastimes, but only mention paying money.
When the legion rests in its own territory, the quartermaster usually pays wages and even allows the soldiers to advance one month's income, which is to reduce the chance of them eating for free.
The composition of the Austrian and Polish coalition forces was complex, Władysław often defaulted on wages, and military discipline naturally became lax, and peasant women often came to the military camp to complain.
Nowadays, these troubles involve the local aristocracy, and they are not as easy to bully as the villagers.
The conflict between the two sides intensified, and it was no longer safe to go hunting. Thomas could only hang out near the camp, and his life became increasingly boring.
Half a month later, he was called to Frederick's big account.
Frederick: "Something happened in central Italy. Riots broke out in Siena, Pescara and other cities. People killed the envoys sent by the King of France and imprisoned members of the pro-French faction. The opportunity has come. When will Vitus launch a landing?"
Thomas: "I haven't received any news about the army's expedition. It may take some time."
Frederick signaled everyone to step back and continued to persuade Thomas.
"Unlike Władysław, I just want a truce now. If Vitus only asks for Sicily and Corsica, and supports Di Maggio to return to Florence, I am willing to support his appeal."
Frederick writes a handwritten letter listing his commitments, and then gives the letter to Thomas.
Thomas: "My brother often praises you as a far-sighted monarch. However, Władysław has an impulsive personality and firmly supports Holy See's ideas. I hope you can persuade him more. As long as Holy See and Władysław acknowledge our demands, Your Majesty is willing to launch a landing."
Frederick was tortured mentally and physically by this war and just wanted to get rid of this trouble.
For this reason, he persuaded Władysław for many days in a row, even threatening to "negotiate peace privately and withdraw from the war" to ask the king to agree to this agreement.
From a military point of view, the outbreak of riots in the central part of Italy is an excellent opportunity for attack.
Vitus's troops have been assembled and can attack Apennine Peninsula across the sea at any time.
But politically, now is not the best time.
If Holy See and the Austrian and Polish coalition forces do not agree to relevant demands, Vitus would rather wait forever.
Even if Charles VII beats this peninsula to nothing, it will not cause much loss to Vitus.
On September 4th, Rodrigo·Borgia came to Ragusa by ship and sent a message to the emperor as Holy See's special envoy.
Rodrigo has an outstanding appearance, with shoulder-length dark brown hair and a dark red lapel vest. He is a handsome and handsome man. His good years are waiting for him to enjoy, and his face is always filled with a friendly smile.
However, the civil officials and generals who came to receive him had serious faces, and the atmosphere was extremely awkward.
This harbor is controlled by the military and is lined with masts. A purple flag symbolizing the emperor himself hangs above the city wall. It is said that every time a battle is won, a pattern will be added to the flag.
The flag rustled in the sea breeze, and Rodrigo couldn't count how many patterns there were. The civil servant began to urge, "Don't keep your Majesty waiting too long."
Ragusa is the Trade hub of Balkans inland and Italy. There was a period of prosperity. Many years ago, the city was dedicated to
An aqueduct was built to bring the clear springs from the mountains into the city.
There is a pool in the square near the pier. The water outlet is a brass faucet with extremely exquisite workmanship. More than 20 citizens are holding clay pots nearby to fetch water.
Going inward along the main road, the buildings on both sides of the street are uniformly made of light yellow stones, and the roofs are paved with light red tiles, revealing a neat and uniform aesthetic.
Rector's Palace of Ragusa is located in the east of the city. It is only three floors high, has an ordinary appearance and average living experience.
Recently, the emperor lived in a noble manor in the suburbs, far away from the noise and filth of the city.
The afternoon sun was blazing, and the spring water was gurgling in the ditch, nourishing various flowers behind Garden. Behind the flowers, Rodrigo saw this "mixed reputation" Restorer of the World.
Vitus has a rather complicated image in the Western world.
On the one hand, he recovered these holy places Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexander, and gained unimaginable prestige.
On the other hand, he was merciless to the Crusaders country and killed and imprisoned a large number of nobles without any compromise. Many prisoners are still imprisoned in the valley and have not been able to enjoy the treatment of nobles.
Under the slander of Principality of Epirus, Duchy of Athens and other exile forces, Vitus seems to be a murderous tyrant.
However, in Cardinal Cesarini's recollection, he had never seen Vitus kill anyone with his own hands, let alone the so-called killing for fun.
When Rodrigo looked at the emperor, the emperor was also observing him with great interest.
During the Renaissance, Italy had two most famous families, one was Medici and the other was the Borgias.
Medici's reputation comes from sponsoring art. The three Renaissance masters: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael were all sponsored by Medici.
From then on, the surname Medici was associated with those masterpieces. Even if the family died, the reputation would still be passed down for a long time.
The Borgia family is famous for its intrigues and has produced two Pope: Callixtus III and Alexander VI (Rodrigo·Borgia).
During the latter's tenure (1492~1503), Borgia's power reached its peak. Cesare Borgia fought for years in the middle of Italy, trying to establish a hereditary kingdom belonging to Borgia, but ultimately failed.
When dealing with such an ambitious figure, Vitus's attitude is straightforward. "What is your uncle's reply? If he still doesn't agree, I will call a truce with Charles VII."
Rodrigo: "He agreed and looks forward to His Majesty expelling French Army as soon as possible and restoring the peaceful situation of Apennine Peninsula."
Vitus was not happy because of Pope's compromise and replied indifferently, "I hope so."