Alliance

The collapse of Florence quickly triggered a chain reaction; under the Emperor's instigation, Genoa began to brew a rebellion against France.

The Marquis of Montferrat, John, did not linger long after retreating to Mantua and soon led his army back to Montferrat to plan and prepare for the upcoming battle.

He left the Marquis of Mantua, Ludovico II Gonzaga, to face the approaching Imperial Army alone.

The Emperor's primary target was, of course, the Venetians' army in Verona, but Mantua, being right next to Verona, would certainly also be attacked.

Seeing his allies crumble one after another while France remained indifferent, the Marquis of Mantua decided to leverage his connections, hoping to appease the Emperor's wrath and find a way out for himself.

Inside Padua, Albrecht looked at the woman before him with a hint of helplessness, then at the secret letter in his hand, feeling an immense headache.

"Did that damned scoundrel send you? How could he involve you in such a matter?! Barbara, tell me the truth!"

Albrecht asked the noblewoman sitting opposite him, somewhat angrily.

This Barbara of Brandenburg was the wife of the Marquis of Mantua and the only daughter of Albrecht's elder brother, John.

In other words, Barbara was the Imperial Marshal's niece.

Because their ages were not far apart, the relationship between this uncle and niece had always been very friendly and close, until Elector Frederick I married Barbara to Ludovico II in exchange for a dowry of 120,000 florins.

Now, Ludovico had sent Barbara to him, the Imperial Marshal, to plead for Mantua, hoping to gain the Emperor's forgiveness.

But how could things be so easy? Could an alliance rebelling against the Emperor be joined so casually?

Moreover, this alliance treaty was, unfortunately, signed in Mantua, hence it was called the Mantua Alliance.

Even if Mantua wanted to extricate itself now, the Emperor would likely not easily pardon the Habsburg Family for committing the crime of rebellion.

"Uncle, please, for the sake of the friendly relations between our two families, help me say a few good words to His Majesty. I brought some small gifts this time, a humble token of my respect, and I hope you will accept them."

Barbara's eyes were full of pleading, and her voice trembled slightly.

Albrecht frowned, pacing back and forth, his heart in turmoil.

He knew how tricky the matter was; the Emperor had always severely punished rebels, and if he rashly interceded, he might bring trouble upon himself.

But Barbara, who stood before him, was his niece whom he had watched grow up, and the family ties made it difficult for him to harden his heart and refuse. "Barbara, you don't understand; this matter is far more complicated than you imagine. The Emperor's wrath is not so easily appeased. How could the Emperor easily let go of Mantua, which dared to join an alliance formed by the Empire's enemies?"

Albrecht stopped pacing and said with a helpless expression.

"Uncle, I know it's difficult, but Ludovico was just confused for a moment. Now Ludovico and I have realized our mistake, and the common people are innocent. Please help us."

Barbara said, tears welling in her eyes.

Albrecht sighed deeply, his heart full of struggle.

He looked again at the secret letter in his hand, which seemed like a heavy lock.

After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly: "Barbara, it's not that I don't want to help you, but the risk is too great. But since you have come, I cannot stand idly by. I will take this secret letter and confess everything to the Emperor. As for how the Emperor will rule, we can only leave it to fate."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Barbara's eyes, and she quickly rose and bowed deeply to Albrecht: "Thank you, Uncle."

Soon, Albrecht, with the secret letter, met Emperor Laszlo with a heavy heart.

He recounted the entire story in detail and conveyed the Habsburg Family's willingness to pay a price for the Emperor's forgiveness.

After listening to Albrecht's explanation, Laszlo's face darkened. He walked to the window, hands clasped behind his back, and fell into deep thought.

Mantua was merely a small country; he could annihilate this small state with almost no effort. However, since Albrecht himself had come to plead for it, he had to consider it carefully.

He could, of course, denounce Albrecht for colluding with rebels and even pleading for a traitor, but that would only dishearten loyal subjects.

Destroying Mantua would only result in ruins, but sparing Mantua would gain Albrecht's gratitude.

Besides, there would be a sheep that could be continuously exploited.

He certainly would not easily let off these Northern Italy lords who had colluded with foreign enemies. They might be spared death, but not severe punishment.

Laszlo turned his head to look at Albrecht and said coldly: "The Marquis of Mantua has committed the most despicable act of treason,

which is unforgivable. However, for your sake, I am willing to give them a chance. As long as Ludovico is willing to pay 300,000 florins in war reparations, and brings his entire family to kneel before me to atone for their sins, then signs a treaty swearing that the Habsburg Family will forever be loyal to the Habsburg Family, and when summoned, Ludovico must personally lead Mantua's army to assist me in battle, and ten percent of Mantua's annual tax revenue must be submitted to Vienna. If he accepts these conditions, I will pardon his crime of rebellion. Go and ask the Marquis of Mantua if he is willing to accept such conditions. If he refuses, then let him await the Imperial Army to raze Mantua to the ground."

Albrecht's heart tightened, and he quickly accepted the order.

He dared not say anything more; this was already the most lenient ruling the Emperor could offer.

Carrying the Emperor's decree, he returned to the military camp and informed Barbara of the news. Barbara immediately took the Emperor's reply back to Mantua. Ludovico's choice would determine Mantua's final fate.

While the Marquis of Mantua had not yet made a decision, the "guests" from Florence arrived in Padua.

Laszlo received Cosimo and the sickly Piero, who were bound in chains.

Accompanying them was Jacob de Pazzi, the representative of the Pazzi Family, who was in charge of managing the Pazzi Bank.

The next generation of the Pazzi Family had not yet grown up, and this shrewd merchant was currently the head of the Pazzi Family.

"Cosimo, you must have anticipated your current predicament, haven't you?"

Laszlo gazed coldly at the father and son of the Medici Family.

Cosimo was forced to kneel at the Emperor's feet by the guards, his expression showing little fluctuation.

He had anticipated this situation when he first joined the alliance, but there were two things he had not foreseen.

The first was how quickly the Emperor's army arrived, and that France chose to abandon them, while the Venetians were powerless to rescue them.

The second was that he underestimated the ambition of the Pazzi Family, not expecting these guys to betray all of Florence just to overthrow the Medici.

Seeing Cosimo remain silent, Laszlo felt a bit bored and continued to ask: "Do you have nothing to say?"

"If it were to beg for mercy, I imagine I would only be humiliated by Your Majesty. A man must pay the price for his choices, and now it is my turn to pay."

Cosimo's resigned words made Laszlo say no more. He ordered the guards to escort the father and son to the execution platform in the city center and hang them.

Generally speaking, hanging was a punishment for commoners, while the death penalty for nobles was usually beheading.

Laszlo decided to strip the Medici Family of everything, from their property to their distinctive surname.

He wanted to erase the existence of the Medici Family.

Jacob de Pazzi watched Cosimo, who had wielded immense power in Florence for many years, meet his end like this. While secretly rejoicing, he also began to feel fear.

The Emperor clearly intended to use this opportunity to warn him not to follow in the footsteps of the Medici Family.

"I intend to entrust Florence to the rule of the Pazzi Family. This is a reward for your loyalty."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jacob's face lit up with joy, thinking that he had finally made it.

Laszlo, however, immediately reminded him: "But I need you to agree to a few conditions."

"Please speak."

"First, Florence needs to release the regions of Pisa and Lucca. Second, Florence needs to pay me ten percent of its annual tax revenue and send troops to assist me when summoned. Third, I will grant the Pazzi Family the title of Marquis of Florence, but every Marquis of Florence will need to swear allegiance to me and my successors to obtain legitimate marquis status."

"Your Majesty, this…."

Jacob's face showed difficulty. While receiving a noble title personally bestowed by the Emperor was good, releasing Pisa and Lucca would be equivalent to cutting Florence in half, and from then on, Florence would become a landlocked country.

"What, do you have an objection?" Laszlo's sharp gaze made Jacob swallow his words.

"No, Your Majesty."

"Very good. I remember that the lands of Parma are currently occupied by Florence's army. Can you take them back?"

"No problem, Your Majesty."

"Good. Let them continue to occupy Parma and await the Imperial Army to take over, understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Jacob left Padua with a joyful heart, carrying the imperial edict personally written by the Emperor, and returned to Florence.

Two other envoys from the Emperor went to Lucca and Pisa to discuss the future ownership of the two places with the local powers.

No one had expected that the Mantua Alliance, formed less than half a year ago, was already tottering under the Emperor's fierce offensive.