Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty Seven

Machiavelli had not yet been able to discover what the duke's plans of action were, and in fact, very simply, they were not yet finalized.The Duke must do something, because it is unreasonable to have a force and not use it, but on the other hand, it is difficult to determine what to do. The generals sent representatives to the Cessna to discuss with the Duke. Do something, but no agreement can be reached.So a few days later they sent Olivelloto da Fermo to the Duke with a specific proposal. This man, Olivelloto da Fermo, was a young man, and not so long ago he was a figure whom many people talked about.He lost his father in his early years and was brought up by his uncle.His uncle's name was Giovanni Foriati.When Oliveluoto grew up, he left his hometown and joined Paolo Vitelli to learn martial arts.After Paul was executed, he defected to Paul's brother Vitellozzo, and in a short time, because of his intelligence and ability, he became one of Vitellozzo's most important officers.But this man has big ambitions.He felt that he could stand on another mountain and become a prince of one side, so he was quite dissatisfied with the state of being under the fence.So he devised a brilliant plan to improve his position.So he wrote to his uncle and benefactor, saying that he had been away from his hometown for some years, and he really wanted to go back to see his uncle and his hometown after a long absence, and also look at the inheritance passed down from his ancestors by the way.He really wanted to return to his hometown in a dignified manner, so that the villagers could see that he had not been in vain all these years, so he wanted to bring a hundred cavalrymen, servants and friends back to his hometown together.He begged his uncle to arrange a grand and dignified welcome, which would add to his reputation, as well as that of his uncle as the protector who had brought him up.Giovanni Foriati was pleased to see that his nephew had not forgotten the early care and love he had received from his uncle.When Oliveluoto returned, it was natural to invite him to live with him.But after a few days, Oliveluoto decided not to burden his uncle any more, and moved out to a house of his own.Then he invited his uncle and all the other dignitaries of the city to a holy feast.

After drinking three rounds and enjoying the guests, Oliveluoto began to talk about a topic that was relevant to everyone, talking about the greatness of the Pope, his son Cesare and the career he was engaged in.In the middle of the conversation, he rose abruptly, said that these matters must be discussed in private, and led his guests into another room.No sooner had they entered the room than they sat down than soldiers rushed out from their hiding places and killed all the guests.So he took control of the entire city.Since all who might resist him were put to death, and his decrees, both military and civil, were so strong, that within a year he had established himself in Fermo, and in the environ- ment A force to be reckoned with.This was the man whom the generals sent to meet the duke.The advice he brought was that they would combine their forces and attack Tuskenny if the duke did not want to attack Senigallia.Tuskenny is a big piece of fat. If Siena, Pisa, Lucca and Florence can be captured, then all generals will have enough spoils to share. Vitellozzo and Ursini can also take Their old feud with the Florentines was settled together.But Siena and Florence were under the protection of the King of France, and the duke did not intend to provoke the French for the time being, because after all, they might need their help in the future.So he told Oliveluoto that he didn't want to attack Tuskenny, but would be happy to take Senigallia down.

Senigallia is a small city, but it is important.It is a seaside city with a nice port.Its ruler was the widowed sister of the unfortunate Duke of Urbino.At that time, she signed the agreement with the rebellious generals in Magione, but when the generals reconciled with the Duke, she fled to Venice with her young son, leaving behind a man named Andrea Doli. Genoese from Asia, come to defend the castle.Oliveluoto marched on Senigallia and took the city without resistance.Vitellozzo and Orsini also stationed in the outskirts with their troops.There was only one small accident in the whole operation: Andrea Doria was only willing to give the castle to the Duke himself.The castle is strong, and taking it will cost time, money, and lives.So common sense prevailed.Now that the duke had sent the French troops away, the generals no longer saw him as a serious opponent.So they conveyed the meaning of Andrea Doria to the Duke, and invited the Duke to come to Senigallia.

He had left the Cessna and was stationed in Fano when he received the request.He sent one of his confidantes to tell the generals that he was going to Senigallia, and that they should wait for him there.Since they signed the agreement, they have been reluctant to meet the Duke in person.The duke was eager to reassure the generals, and the secretary he had sent told the generals in a very friendly manner that their continued indifference would only have one consequence, and that would be to affect their relations with the duke. effective implementation of treaties concluded between them.On the Duke's side, his only hope was to be able to have the support of their troops in times of need, as well as their own advisors and advisory services.

Machiavelli was taken aback when he heard that the duke had accepted the generals' invitation.He read the content of the treaty carefully, and he could see from the lines that the two parties did not trust each other.When he heard that the master of the castle was going to dedicate it to the Duke of Valentino, the generals invited the Duke to meet them in Senigallia, Machiavelli was convinced that this was a trap set by the generals for the Duke.The duke had already dismissed his French troops, so their strength was greatly weakened.The generals assembled a large number of troops near Senigallia.Apparently, the commander of the castle, in collusion with the generals, made the condition that the duke and his men should be chopped into pieces when they arrived in Senigallia.So when the Duke decided to go alone and unguarded into the tiger's den to meet his sworn enemy, it was almost unbelievable.The only explanation may be that he believed that he had a lucky star, and out of arrogance, he believed that he could use his willpower and personality to conquer those cruel people.He knew they were afraid of him, but he might have forgotten that fear can turn a coward into a warrior.Indeed, fate has favored the Duke so far, but good luck does not last forever.Pride makes people fail.Machiavelli snickered secretly.If the Duke fell into the trap and was killed, it would be a great thing for Florence.The duke was a vicious enemy, and the generals gathered together only out of fear of the duke, so it was not difficult to separate them by tricks and defeat them one by one.

Machiavelli laughed too soon.When Orsini promised the master of the castle that he would receive a bounty if he asked to dedicate the castle only to the duke, the commander of the castle had already received the duke's gold for this purpose.He guessed what the generals were planning, and foresaw what they would do to lure him into their trap.He is a secretive person, and his plan will not be discussed with others unless it is time to implement it.On the night before leaving Fano, he gathered eight of his most trusted followers.He told these eight that when the generals came to him, each of them was to take the side of a certain general, as if to add to their glory, and accompany them all the way to the place they had prepared for the duke. bedroom.He charged these cronies that none of these generals should be allowed to escape.No one is allowed to escape alive.The duke had broken up his troops in the country, in order to conceal how many he had.Now he ordered that the troops must assemble by six in the morning by a river five or six miles from Senigallia.As a gesture of sincerity, he let his baggage go first, and he couldn't help smiling as he imagined how the generals would salivate and secretly count the huge spoils that awaited them.

After everything was arranged, he went to bed.He slept soundly.In the morning he got up on time.It was December 31st, 1502.Fano and Senigallia are fifteen miles between the mountains and the sea.A vanguard of five hundred men was led by Ludvico Villa Mirandola, followed by the Gascon and Swiss troops, totaling a thousand men.Behind them is the duke in armor, riding on a warhorse in a splendid riding coat.Following him were his cavalry.Machiavelli is not the kind of person who is easily moved by beautiful scenes, but at the moment he also feels that the procession winding between the snow-capped mountains and the blue sea should be the most spectacular he has ever seen in his life The sight is gone.

The chiefs waited at a place three miles from Senigallia. Before his health was destroyed by syphilis, Vitellozzo Vitelli was a man of force.He was tall and strong, but he was thin, even bony, with a sickly yellow, razor-clean face, a protruding nose, and a tiny minibus.His eyelids drooped heavily over his eyes, giving a strange, pensive expression.Ruthless and cruel, greedy and valiant, the man was an excellent soldier, and was said to be the best artillery officer in Europe.He was very proud of his Castello castle and its fine palaces adorned with reliefs, bronze statues, marble statues, and Flemish tapestries, which he and his family added later.He also loves his brother Paul, whose head was beheaded by the Florentines, and therefore hates the Florentines extremely. This kind of hatred cannot be dispelled by time.But because of the mercury he was prescribed, he fell into recurrent, unbearable depression.Now he is not as good as before.While the generals were still trying to negotiate peace with the duke, Paglo Orsini brought the duke's conditions to the assembled generals, the lord of Perugia, Gian Paolo Baglioni, said he would not Accept the Duke's terms.Although Vitellozzo also suspected the Duke's motives for a while, so he agreed with Baglioni, but in the end he couldn't stand the nagging persuasion of others, and finally signed together.But his signing defied better judgment that he himself could have exercised.It is true that he did write many humble letters to the duke, expressing his obedience and apology, and the duke also wrote back, expressing that he would write off the past and forget the past, but he still felt that something was wrong, and his instinct told him that the duke had not forgotten , and did not forgive the festival between them.One of the terms of the agreement stipulated that only one of the generals could be in the duke's barracks at a time.And now it's all of them together.Paglo Orsini argued with him.He had visited the Duke many times, and they had often had long, frank conversations, and there was no reason not to believe in his sincerity.He has already sent away the French Long Lancers, and now the Duke has to rely on the support of the generals to do anything. Is there any better evidence than this?Why did he execute Ramilo de Roelca, if not to show that he was ready to grant the wishes of his generals?

"Believe me, our last rebellion has taught this young man a lesson. We can trust that from now on, we will not hate him for any reason." Paglo Orsini felt it unnecessary to tell Vitellozzo a conversation he had had with the Duke.The pope is over seventy years old, suffering from plethora of diseases, and his physical condition is no longer as good as when he was in the prime of life.A single stroke could have killed him at any moment.The duke told him that if he could get hold of the Spanish cardinals, and the cardinals his father had promoted, he would be willing to use his influence to see that Paglo would be chosen next time Pope was elected. The brother Bishop Orsini became Pope on the condition that Orsini must support him to consolidate those city-states he had already captured.The prospect is fascinating.Paglo was willing to trust the duke, for it seemed quite certain that he needed the support of the Orsinis as much as the Orsinis needed his.

Vitellozzo was the first to go up to meet the Duke.Vitellozzo was unarmed, wearing a worn black short-sleeved tunic over a black cloak lined with green.His face was pale and disturbed. From the expression on his face, it was not difficult for others to guess that he already knew the ending that fate had arranged for him.Seeing this man now, no one would think that this was a man who once planned to use his own power to drive the King of France out of Italy.He was riding on a mule, and was about to come down, but the duke stopped him.The Duke leaned forward, put a friendly arm around Vitellozzo's shoulders, and kissed him on both cheeks.A few minutes later Paglo Orsini and the Duke of Gravina also rode up, accompanied by squires.Cesare Borgia met the visitor with the decorum befitting his noble origin and with the enthusiasm of one who has long parted from an intimate friend.But he noticed that Oliveluoto da Fermo was not here, and after asking, he learned that Oliveluoto was waiting for him in the city.He then sent Don Michele to fetch the young man, and while the crowd was waiting for them, they chatted endlessly.When he needs to be funny and charming, no one can be more funny and charming than the Duke.When you looked at him like that, you would have thought that there had never been any disharmony between him and those three generals.He was elegant and courteous, and his manner was very befitting of his position, but there was no arrogance, so that one could not see any condescending superiority over his generals.His demeanor is serene, gentle and courteous, amiable.He asked about Vitellozzo's health, and suggested that his own surgeon be sent to see him.He teased the Duke of Gravina with an amused smile about a recent affair he had been involved in.When Paglo Orsini described his villa on Mount Alban, he listened with admiration and interest.

Don Michele found Olivellotto drilling his troops on a playground outside the moat.He told Oliveluoto that it would be better for him to withdraw his troops to his own camp, lest they be taken by the duke.This was a good suggestion, and after thanking Don Michele for his wise suggestion, Oliveluoto immediately ordered the troops back to camp.After issuing the order, he accompanied Don Michel to the place where the others were waiting for them.The Duke welcomed him with equal enthusiasm and friendliness.The Duke refused to allow him to salute. The Duke meant to show that he regarded them as colleagues, not subordinates. The duke gave the order to advance. Vitellozzo was filled with fear, for having seen so far that the duke was accompanied by a huge procession, he knew that the plot of the generals had absolutely no chance of success.He was determined to return to his unit stationed a few miles away.He was not in good health, which could be used as an excuse.But Paglo wouldn't let him go.Now was not the time to go, Paglow said, as the dukes would think they doubted his sincerity.Vitellozzo was mentally broken, lacking the resolve to seize the only remaining chance of escape his instincts told him.So he allowed himself to follow the persuasion of the crowd. "I am sure that if I go with you, I will die," he said, "but because you are willing to take the risk, I am determined to face fate with you and all of us, whether the result is life or death. Because our Destiny is all connected." The Duke ordered the eight guards guarding these generals to take their positions in pairs.A guard stands on the left and right sides of each general who is in danger, sandwiching the four generals.So this group of people, led by the Duke in dazzling armor, rode into the city.When they reached the palace which they had prepared for the duke, the generals were ready to take their leave, but the duke urged them in a frank and direct manner to enter the house, so that they might immediately consult the plans he had drawn up for them.He had a lot to say, all topics that would interest the generals.Soldiers are expensive and fast.Once they decide what to do, they must do it vigorously.So they agreed to the Duke's request.He led them through the hall, up a flight of stairs, and into a spacious drawing room.After entering the reception room, he asked to leave for a while so that he could go to the toilet.As soon as he walked away, heavily armed soldiers rushed in and arrested everyone.In this way, he repeated on these generals the simple and effective little strategy that Oliveluoto used against his uncle and the famous people of Fermo City, and he did not need to make him spend money on a banquet to achieve his goal.Paglo Orsini protested against the duke's treachery, and shouted for him to come back, but he had already left the palace, and he ordered that the troops of the four generals must all be disarmed.Oliveluoto's troops, stationed nearby, were taken aback by the news, and some of them resisted arrest, and were executed on the spot.But the troops stationed at a little distance were more fortunate. When they heard the news that their lord was in trouble, they joined forces, fought a bloody way, and escaped after suffering heavy losses.As a result, the Duke had to console himself with the execution of both Vitellozzo and Orsini. However, the Duke's soldiers were not satisfied with plundering Oliveluoto's soldiers, so they began to plunder the city.Had it not been for the duke's stern orders, they might have sacked the entire city.The duke didn't want to destroy the city, what he wanted was a prosperous city to create wealth for him, so he sentenced the soldiers who robbed to hang, the whole city was in chaos, the shopkeepers closed their doors early, erected fence gates, Honest people shivered in locked rooms.Soldiers broke into the wine shop and threatened the owner with swords to bring them wine.The corpses of dead people lay in the street, and some wild dogs were licking the blood from the corpses.