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When Niccolò arrived, he was still wearing perfume with a hint of iris flower scent.
"My lord," he greeted with a bow, "What can I do for you?"
Hedy gestured for Dechio to spread out the map and briefly explained the situation to him.
"The French have arrived?" The young man raised his eyebrows and laughed. "I’m sure they’ve brought plenty of gifts, haven’t they?"
"They say they're here to mediate on behalf of the Republic of Genoa," Hedy replied slowly, "But we all know what they really want to discuss."
What they wanted to protect wasn’t the fate of that small nation but their own efforts to prevent retaliation for crossing their borders.
Niccolò rested his chin on his hand as he sat across from her, his gaze fixed on the fragmented and complex map of the peninsula. After a long pause, he spoke. "We need a comprehensive reason."
Hedy smiled with satisfaction.
Launching a war usually required a reason.
War itself was always full of bloodshed and evil, and strictly speaking, there was no absolute justice.
But a strong enough reason would lure more people into battle, offering them considerable honor and spoils of war.
If this reason could be comprehensive and well-founded, it would not only give her the upper hand in public opinion during the war, but also provide her with enough leverage when intervening in politics later on.
"You've certainly thought about the consequences," Niccolò said, looking her directly in the eyes, lowering his voice. "What you want isn't just this bay, but Mr. Da Vinci, and many others within this city, can help you build an entire empire."
The most crucial reason would defend the legitimacy of her throne and could lead to the submission of countless citizens.
"Then we must find the clues within the core of it all," Hedy mused. "So... we should choose religion, right?"
The young man smiled, his voice clear and strong. "You are truly very smart."
——
Several centuries later, the French thinker and philosopher Voltaire made this remark about the Holy Roman Empire:
"It is neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire."
Its existence today is a joke.
The Roman Catholic Church, which was once closely tied to the Holy Roman Empire, now finds itself in an awkward and helpless position.
"Now, the Holy Roman Empire consists of over three hundred and fifty small city-states and knightly territories," Niccolò straightened up and gestured for Hedy to look at the fragmented and complex outlines of the city-states on the map. "And they all have their own autonomy and legislative power, completely independent from Rome's control."
A merchant wanting to conduct business thirty kilometers away could be taxed more than twenty times along the way.
Hedy looked up at him, emphasizing her tone, "You don’t want religion interfering with politics."
"Indeed," Niccolò squinted his eyes. "Some of the decayed things should come to an end."
"Moreover—" he showed a mocking expression, "the Church is no longer holy or pure."
The Papal States' original territory was somewhat like a "buy one, get one free" deal when you buy milk at a supermarket.
Seven hundred years ago, the French dwarf king, Pepin, in gratitude for the pope helping him rise to power, gave the large piece of land he had seized to the pope.
This land originally belonged to the Byzantine Empire, stretching from Rome all the way to Ravenna. Over a thousand years, it gradually shrank until it was reduced to just the Vatican.
It was also because Pepin ceded the land that the Church's influence began to expand. However, the center of power constantly shifted and never had a fixed location.
