The Crescent of the Sultan

It was only in the evening that Pius VI learned of the tragedy of the French envoy being beaten to death in the street. When the news reached the Vatican, the pope and all the cardinals almost turned pale with fear.

Encourage Louis XVI not to pass the Priests Act, send letters to bishops across France, and travel among European countries, trying to persuade them to unite against France.

Everything here is enough to make the French very angry.

Pius VI sat at the head of the table, and the waiters around him handed him handkerchiefs from time to time, even though there was no sweat on his forehead to wipe.

In the hall, many cardinals were silent. Napoleon's messenger had already brought his request. Of course, this time, the bishops went to pick it up in person. After all, if another Frenchman died, Rome could not bear the anger of France. .

"Everyone, what should we do?"

Pius VI was not a man of his own opinion to begin with, and facing the current situation, he couldn't even make up his mind.

A cardinal saw the Pope's difficulty and took the initiative to speak out.

"Your Majesty, the French's demands are certainly arrogant and rude, but the people of Rome also have certain indecencies.

Of course, I believe that they were all driven by their love for you and Rome, and that they were so filled with anger that they acted like this.

Things have happened, what we have to do is not to regret, but to solve the problem. "

Pius VI looked at the bishop with approval and motioned for him to continue.

Encouraged by the pope, the cardinal became more confident and began to quote scriptures.

"The Lord said: If a tree is cut down, it can still sprout and its branches will continue to grow. Although its roots are old and its trunk is dead in the ground, when it gets moisture, it will sprout again and grow branches like new ones. It is the same as the planted tree. But when a person dies and is destroyed, where is he when he ceases to breathe?

There is no difference between the Roman people and the French envoys before the Lord. They are both the Lord's faithful lambs. "

Before the cardinal finished speaking, another red-haired bishop interrupted him. The red-haired bishop said angrily.

"Julius, shut up your dog mouth and stop using it to tarnish the Lord's words. You are trying to misinterpret the Lord's words. Your conduct is as low as the rats under the city of Rome. Even the Venetians cannot do this. matter.

You are trying to make the people of Rome pay for the damn French, and you are trying to get His Majesty to allow the French army to station in Rome to find the so-called murderer. How dare you do such an action!

I will not agree to the proposal of a bad guy like you, nor will the Roman people agree, nor will the great Pope agree. "

Although the red-haired bishop's words were loud and clear, no one responded.

It was obvious that the words of Bishop Julius had reached the Pope's heart. Maybe the two of them had made some deal behind the scenes. After all, it was difficult for the Pope to directly come forward when faced with such a thing.

This is indeed the case. The Pope, who originally had a peaceful face, looked a little gloomy at this time. He forced himself to smile and said

"Okay, okay, stop arguing. We are all servants of the Lord. That's it for today. Let's go back and rest first."

After Pius VI finished speaking, he turned and left, followed by the other bishops, leaving only the red-haired bishop standing there stunned.

The Pope entered the bedroom, followed by Bishop Julius.

“Julius, will the other party accept your idea?

If Napoleon is willing to come to Rome in the name of an audience, I will allow him to bring troops to station, otherwise this will only damage the prestige of the Holy See.

After all, the French army still needs time to reach Rome, but the people of Rome are right at their feet. Nero's fate was not good. We cannot put ourselves on the opposite side of the Roman people! "

Julius said with a bow.

“His Majesty the Pope, whether the other party agrees or not, we don’t have much choice.

The failure of the British in Toulon left several northern principalities with no fighting troops. However, the Austrians suffered a major defeat in Milan, and Venice was in extreme decline.

This is no longer the era of Gregory VII. Even the noble Holy Roman Emperor has to wait for salvation in the wind and snow. This is no longer the era of Urban II. The Pope waved his arms, and the countries moved westward. , even in the era of Alexander, there were still Maximilian of Austria and Ferdinand of Aragon to support the pope.

But what power does the Holy See still have today? Your Majesty, the Austrians not only suffered defeats on the battlefield, but were also deeply troubled politically. After the Thirty Years' War, Austria has long lost its former glory.

Spain also had no power. Their weakness was evident when Louis XIV fought for the throne for the Bourbon royal family.

The only people who could be counted on were the British, but they were not good at the army, not to mention that London to Rome was not as fast as Milan to Rome. "

The Pope sighed and stared at the fireplace with his cloudy eyes, the firelight reflected in his eyes and beating continuously in them.

Napoleon was riding a horse, looking into the distance. The road from Milan to Rome was not far, but the French army was not walking fast.

Napoleon is not in a hurry, not at all. He needs to give Rome, or the Romans, and the Holy See some time to prepare.

Judging from the news from Rome, the bones of the Romans seemed to be very hard, but that didn't matter. When he put the gun on the Romans' foreheads, they would naturally soften their bones.

The troops walked on the snow-covered fields with one foot deep and one foot shallow. The soldiers were all in high spirits. They had already experienced a life comparable to that of an aristocratic gentleman in the affluent Milan, so the even more affluent Rome What kind of experience will it bring?

The soldiers didn't know it, but there must be better wine, better food, and more beautiful beauties waiting for them.

The capital of ancient Rome, the pearl on the Apennine Peninsula, the crown of the Mediterranean - Rome, France came with freedom and equality.

This time he will not return without success like Louis XII. Freedom and equality require the lives of French soldiers. Shouldn't the generous Roman people give some pensions to this?