The Sun and the Lion

Shahkulu first coordinated a batch of supplies to assist the Redbeard brothers, but it took time, and he was idle. Saddam wanted to recruit these Barbary pirates to eliminate the hostile presence on the surrounding islands. The first expedition target was nearby. Lesvos is just around the corner.

Herzl did not expect to return to his hometown in this way, but he still agreed to come down, just in time to demonstrate their combat capabilities to the Persians.

According to the investigation, the Aegean Islands experienced a three-party melee between the Ottomans, Venice and the Hospitallers and became a three-party zone. The ownership of each island was extremely chaotic and control was intertwined. What he had to do was to give Tutu all those who disobeyed. .

Saddam inspected the warships and sailors brought by Herzl. He first opened the warehouse and issued a batch of equipment, mainly firearms and armors. The red-bearded brothers were suffering from a stable supply of gunpowder and could not afford to fight such a large battle before. ah.

The decree to centralize shipwrights and resources caused the shipbuilding industry in Izmir to expand rapidly. While Herzl was traveling back and forth to Konya, the maintenance work on several galleys was completed. Compared with Djerba The wood dismantled from the captured ships on the island, and the hulls maintained using high-quality wood collected from the warehouses of various shipyards obviously have a longer life.

The Barbary pirates had enough to eat and drink, and were very satisfied with Saddam's hospitality. They saw that their leader wanted to help attack the surrounding infidels and had no objections, so they happily boarded the ship and set off for the expedition.

While the "Roman Navy" was determined to attack the Aegean Islands, something big happened in Italy.

The elderly Pope Julius's health deteriorated after entering the new year, and his condition worsened at a speed beyond everyone's expectations, so much so that he was unable to attend the Lateran Council that he personally ordered. He relied entirely on his close confidants to preside on his behalf. .

After months of suffering on the hospital bed, the warrior pope, who modeled himself on Caesar, finally died. The position of the pope cannot be left vacant. After the funeral, the cardinals quickly selected the successor and began to gamble.

A slow plume of white smoke rose from the chimney of the Nicholas Chapel in Vatican City, and the bells of various churches in Rome rang, announcing to the world that the papal election was over. After only two rounds of voting, the twenty-five cardinals present voted. He elected Giovanni de' Medici as the new pope and named him Leo, making him Pope Leo X.

The new pope then appeared on the balcony to accept the cheers of the citizens in the square. He smiled and waved to the crowd below to show his closeness to the people. The believers began to sing carols until the pope disappeared from everyone's sight.

In the Apostolic Palace, Leo, who had just ascended the throne, needed to familiarize himself with this new job, including the internal affairs and diplomatic situation of the church, before issuing orders in the name of the Holy See. Compared with previous popes, he has a more positive attitude towards the new changes in the East.

"Everyone knows the Turkish Sultan's defeat last summer. It's really a God-given opportunity." Leo thought about the map. He didn't want to miss this opportunity to expand the power and prestige of the Holy See. He would be famous throughout the world as a Turkish conqueror. What a beautiful thing.

"Civil war among Christians is harmful to the peace of the world. I will now call for a truce." Leo began to plan with the cardinals around him to attack the Ottomans. After taking office, he quickly promoted several close associates to cardinals, and supporters from the previous pope's cardinals formed his decision-making team.

"Dear Holy See, is this a new Crusade?" asked the cardinal on the side.

The Pope nodded: "After the truce, let the kings of France and Germany provide the army, while Venice, Spain and Portugal provide the fleet. After gathering, they will go straight to Constantinople and eliminate these disgusting Muslims. In the next three years We will levy new taxes to meet the military expenses we need. First draft the edict like this."

"Yes, Holy See."

In fact, everyone knew that such a crusade would not be formed. He just wanted to take the opportunity to condemn the French who were still against the Holy See. Leo then sent another edict to Archbishop Bakoz of Hungary, authorizing him to call on the people to organize a crusade against the Ottomans.

What is closely related to the New Crusaders is Eastern diplomacy. He does not know much about Safavid. He only knows that this Muslim from the East suddenly defeated the Ottomans and was more mysterious than Timur.

Fortunately, Venice has established stable diplomatic ties with it, and the Holy See is currently a military alliance with it. Using this channel to make up for lessons, Leo knows a lot of information about Safavid.

"The Sultan of Persia has strong hostility towards Turkey and is not intolerant on religious issues. He even sent a mission to Hungary before launching troops. This shows that he is willing to unite with Christians to attack Turkey. Now we are taking the initiative Proposing an alliance to meet his diplomatic needs, I think he has no reason to refuse and should directly agree."

At this point, the consultant on the side reminded: "Your Majesty the Holy See, there is some misunderstanding between the Holy See and the Persians. Do you want to take the initiative to clarify it to avoid the other party becoming suspicious?"

The provocation of the Knights Hospitallers, who had been suppressed by Julius before, was known to Leo and the cardinals present for the first time. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan. ｃcom He didn’t expect that the previous pope would treat this small conflict so lightly. Did he really think that this was not a problem?

"This is a misunderstanding, but the Knights Hospitallers will continue to stay in Rhode Island. The envoy must be polite and thoughtful, and the verbal apology must be sincere."

Since they wanted to reconcile, they had to pay off the debt at once. The Venetians also brought the news of Portugal's failure in India and publicized it to suppress Lisbon's market position. The Portuguese envoys kept crying and complaining to the Holy See at this time, asking the Pope to stop Venice from continuing to laugh at the failure of the Holy War and punish these profiteers who colluded with Muslims.

Leo could only express his helplessness with Portugal's request. He had no intention of imposing trade sanctions on Safavid like the fall of Acre, so he planned to promote peace talks between the two countries.

However, the Portuguese envoy was disappointed when he learned of the Pope's attitude: "Dear Holy See, compromise with infidels is the main reason why the Holy Land fell to this point. It is really a big mistake for you not to provide strong support for the cause of jihad."

Such a tantrum failed to impress Leo. The Pope's indifference had already made his attitude clear. The Portuguese envoy was disappointed and returned to Lisbon angrily.

The Venetians also introduced Ibrahim's policy measures and achievements to the Holy See, encouraging commerce and trade, building water conservancy projects, reorganizing the army, religious tolerance, social stability, and political control... The image of a capable ruler in the world was vividly displayed on the paper, and Iran was on his mind. Under his rule, the government was harmonious, the country was prosperous, and the country was rich and powerful. At the same time, he had great ambitions - "His ambition could encompass the entire earth."

"The Muslim monarchs who can be used now are likely to be new threats in the future." Based on these introductions, he made a conclusion to Ibrahim, and then started to select suitable candidates for envoys with the cardinal.