Chapter 334: Three years and three more, crowned emperor!
Snow falls.

Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I was tied to a cross, covered in blood, with firewood piled underneath.

In the Holy Roman Empire, Duchy of Austria, Vienna, Wiener Platz.

Under the indifferent gaze of thousands of Roman Catholic believers.

The Pope sitting there judged Ferdinand I, who attempted to destroy the rule of the Roman Catholic Church, and sentenced him to death.

The flames ignited in an instant, causing intense burning and pain, causing Ferdinand I to struggle hard and let out a shrill wail.

The flames were burning the body, and the figure was affecting the flames, like a fire demon.

The flying snowflakes melted away the moment they touched the flames before they even fell to the ground.

At the critical moment, Ferdinand I abandoned the battlefield of Paris and led 500,000 crusaders to counterattack the Holy See, which made the Spanish Empire and the Spanish “Old Roman See” both recognized by the world. This action was regarded as a double betrayal of the Holy Roman Empire and the Roman See.

Pope Peter VII did not hesitate to use the most vicious language in the world to describe Ferdinand I’s betrayal, and even compared Ferdinand I to Iscariot who betrayed God for thirty pieces of silver.

Standing in the ranks of Roman priests, wearing red robes, they were obviously high-ranking cardinals in the Holy See, but the two Jinyiwei commander Lu Bing and Chen Ping, the elder of the Chen family, both with oriental faces, curled their lips in tacit understanding.

waste!

Could anyone have come up with the idea of ​​using the Crusades to attack the Roman Catholic Church?

There was actually nothing wrong with Ferdinand I handing over the Kingdom of France to the Spanish Empire from the battlefield in Paris and launching an attack on the Holy Roman Empire.

There were 390 duchies, principalities, territories of religious nobles, free states, free cities, and territories of knights within the Holy Roman Empire.

Ferdinand I could have completely cleansed up these duchies, principalities, and aristocratic territories in the name of “clearing the court” and at the same time supported his own forces in the army.

He would keep the generals who obeyed him and send those who refused to obey his orders to death.

In this way, even if the Roman Catholic Church or the Pope issued an order, Ferdinand I could deny it as a “false order” and lead his army in circles. After all, the military power of the Crusade was handed over to Ferdinand I by Peter VII himself.

Given Pope Peter VII’s physical condition, it was impossible for him to go to the battlefield in person to deprive Ferdinand I of his military power.

Ferdinand I could use the time to continuously consolidate his military power and territory. When his power was strong enough, he could confront the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Peter VII and place imperial power above ecclesiastical power.

However, Ferdinand I was foolish enough to lead his troops to attack the Holy See and ordered the Crusaders to rush towards the Pope with swords drawn. This was simply not a human being.

You know, major changes have taken place within the Holy Roman Empire two hundred years ago.

Fifty years ago, the prefix of the Holy Roman Empire was actually changed invisibly.

The real name should be the Holy Roman Empire of Germany.

The majority of the people in this huge empire are Germans.

The current Holy Roman Empire belongs to the Habsburg dynasty, but for the German nobles, the Habsburgs are nothing more than an ideal puppet.

Even though the Habsburg dynasty produced several wise and brave kings in succession, and even the world hegemon Charles V, who had a devout faith and a Spanish and Burgundian cultural background, still failed to make changes to the main body of the empire.

Before his death, Charles V also sadly gave up the throne to his younger brother Ferdinand I.

Ferdinand I’s ability was not even as good as Charles V’s. This humiliating defeat made the efforts of several generations of Habsburg emperors go to waste. Now, the German nobles took the opportunity to purge other forces in the country and the army. The Holy Roman Empire has been completely controlled by the German nobles.

The Holy Roman Emperor was elected by seven electors, including three ecclesiastical electors and four secular electors.

The German nobles occupied an absolute majority, with one ecclesiastical elector and three secular electors. It could be predicted that after the death of Ferdinand I, the new Holy Roman Emperor would come from the German nobles.

Lu Bing and Chen Ping did not think that this was a good strategy for the Ming Dynasty. Too much concentration of power might allow the Holy Roman Empire to integrate its national strength and undergo a complete transformation.

However, a divided and chaotic Holy Roman Empire was exactly what the Ming Dynasty wanted to see.

and so.

Pope Peter VII is dying!

At this time, Peter VII, who had been chattering incessantly about the sins of Ferdinand I, gradually became paler and his voice became smaller and smaller until he lost his voice.

Everyone was watching Ferdinand I being burned to ashes, thinking that the Pope was just tired, but by the time those around him noticed something was wrong and looked at the Pope again, Peter VII was already dead.

The Pope is dead!

This caused a riot among countless believers, who wanted to rush to the Pope to see it clearly, but they were guarded by the Knights Templar under the platform.

In one day.

The Holy Roman Emperor is dead.

The real leader of the Holy Roman Empire, the Pope of the Roman Curia, was also dead.

Just as the Imperial Guards had expected, at the first moment, the German nobles and the Vatican’s bishops were not concerned about the cause of Peter VII’s death, but about the throne of the Pope.

Unlike the Holy Roman Emperor and the Electors, the Pope of the Roman Curia is only elected from among the cardinals of the Vatican.

Lu Bing and Chen Ping, two cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, were also candidates for Pope.

“Howard Lu, Kevin Chen, the two cardinals, please follow me.” Patriarch (Patriarch, whose status is second only to the Pope, appointed by the Pope, but cannot become Pope) Russell came closer, stared at Lu Bing and Chen Ping, and said.

When Peter VII ascended the throne, Russell was appointed patriarch and performed the duties of the pope when Peter VII was unavailable.

However, the appointment of Cardinals Lu Bing and Chen Ping puzzled Russell and other bishops and priests of the Vatican. It was Peter VII who appointed them using the power of the Pope.

What kind of agreement Peter VII reached with Lu Bing and Chen Ping before his death, which persuaded Peter VII to allow the two Orientals to become cardinals, is unknown to outsiders.

But it is difficult to abolish the cardinal positions of the two people. Peter VII is dead, and only the new Pope can do it.

Before that, it was possible for the two of them to become the new pope, even if the possibility was very small.

The throne of the Holy Roman Emperor and the throne of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church were elected almost at the same time.

The throne of the Holy Roman Emperor was decided early on due to the existence of the German nobility.

The secular Elector, a German nobleman, Count Bonaparte, was elected to become the new Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Bonaparte I.

However, the more important position of the Pope was in a deadlock.

Since all the cardinals of the Holy Roman Empire were present when Ferdinand I was sentenced, they were all immediately gathered and confined until a new pope was elected.

During this period, the cardinals could only communicate with the outside world through carrier pigeons, and the patriarch supervised and prohibited the cardinals from communicating with each other.

In the first round of papal voting, the thirteen cardinals voted for each other. Naturally, no one’s votes could exceed the majority, and Lu Bing and Chen Ping did not get a single vote.

All the cardinals knew that this was the beginning of the real election, and after the first round of papal voting, pigeons flew out of the palace one after another.

The exchange of interests began. The people left behind by Lu Bing and Chen Ping, as well as the people of the other eleven cardinals, came to contact them and offered considerable conditions.

soon.

The second round of voting for the Pope began, and some people began to emerge, getting five votes, just two votes away from half.

What is ridiculous is that Cardinal Rodrigo has a Spanish background.

Spain became an empire because it believed that the Roman Catholic Church, which accepted Protestants, was no longer pure and was heretical.

However, in the Pope election, this cardinal with a Spanish background had a huge advantage, and Lu Bing and Chen Ping were deeply moved by this.

This world is like a huge makeshift troupe.

Afterwards, the third round of papal voting began, and Rodrigo went one step further and got six votes, one step away from the papal throne. But in the outside world, Rodrigo’s people had already spent all their wealth, and the family’s gold and gems were all used up for three rounds of voting.

The Jinyiwei outside took action and gave a large amount of gold to Rodrigo’s son Kyle in the name of Lu Bing and Chen Ping.

You know, after the tulip bubble, the European continent fell into a serious economic crisis and gold became the hardest currency.

Kyle immediately took the gold to bribe other cardinal families. In the Vatican, Rodrigo, who received a letter from a carrier pigeon, seemed to understand why Lu and Chen were suddenly promoted to cardinals by Peter VII.

All beliefs in the world need wealth to support them.

God and the Pope also need money.

With the gold, Rodrigo couldn’t help but think about the upcoming fourth round of papal voting and his determination to win the papacy.

How to reward two cardinals of Eastern background.

How to deal with the impeachment of Lu and Chen by other cardinals after becoming pope.

You have to know that he doesn’t have the prestige of Peter VII. Being able to protect one person is the limit, and it is impossible for him to protect two people.

But if Rodrigo wants to cover up the vote-buying, he also needs Lu and Chen’s gold.

East.

Rodrigo’s heart warmed up when he thought of the East. The description of gold everywhere in the book made almost everyone in Europe yearn for that place.

Since no one is destined to be able to keep the throne, and since he will have to be rewarded after winning the election, perhaps the only thing that is valuable is the position of “Patriarch”.

In this way, the problem of the other cardinals’ attacks was solved, and the reward issue was also resolved, killing two birds with one stone.

A carrier pigeon left the Vatican, and the Jinyiwei immediately received a promise from Rodrigo’s son Kyle that after Rodrigo became pope, one of Lu and Chen would be granted the position of patriarch.

The fourth round of papal voting went on as scheduled. With the blessing of gold and under the watchful eyes of God, the cardinals voted for Rodrigo one after another.

Rodrigo won the election with a high vote and became the new Pope of the Roman Vatican, and passed the throne to the Holy Roman Emperor and believers across the country.

At the grand coronation ceremony.

Rodrigo I wore a papal robe woven with gold thread and threw gold beans and silver grains to the believers, winning countless supporters.

Rodrigo I then entered the Vatican and came before God, but there was one last step before his coronation.

The Templars brought a chair, which was different from a normal chair in that it was hollowed out in the middle. Rodrigo I walked over slowly, confidently lifted the hem of the Pope’s robe and sat on it. Under the gaze of the bishops, Patriarch Russell reached in with his washed hands and squeezed it hard, thinking that he was verifying whether the new Pope was a real man.

Looking at this scene.

Chen Ping couldn’t help but whisper in Lu Bing’s ear, teasing him, “Can you do this job?”

Behind every seemingly absurd and ridiculous system, there are hidden unknown secrets. For example, the verification of the gender identity of the new Pope is obviously because a woman pretended to be the Pope in the past.

Between Lu Bing and Chen Ping, it has been decided who will become patriarch from cardinal, and that person is Lu Bing.

The cardinal has the possibility of becoming the Pope. As the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, once Lu Bing becomes the Pope, it will definitely arouse the emperor’s infinite suspicion.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard has no chance of establishing a country.

Then, Lu Bing could only become the patriarch, and Chen Ping could continue to serve as the cardinal.

If the coronation ceremony had not been completed and Rodrigo I had not announced Lu Bing as the new patriarch, otherwise, the job of verifying the Pope’s virginity would have been done by Lu Bing.

But it is foreseeable that when the next Pope is crowned, Lu Bing will be the one to do such things.

Lu Bing looked at Chen Ping and said meaningfully: “I will crush him!”

For some reason, Chen Ping felt a little cold. According to the established plan, he did not rule out the possibility of becoming the Pope of the Vatican.

Chen Ping was originally very interested in being an undercover agent and becoming a boss, but now, he suddenly lost interest.

Although he had lost all worldly desires at his age, he still wanted to have a complete life after his death. Given the prominence of the Chen family, there was no need for him to become a eunuch for the sake of temporary glory.

The Habsburg dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire was treated as a puppet by the German nobles for three hundred years and was only now able to become the official dynasty.

And why can’t the Roman Catholic Church have another “Habsburg”?
If the emperor can be a puppet, why can’t the pope be one too?

Patriarch Russell withdrew his hand and said loudly: “The Pope has a complete kidney sac and a strong penis.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Rodrigo I proudly took the lead in applauding himself. Many bishops in the Vatican stood up and applauded and congratulated Rodrigo I for his ability.

The crown slowly fell, and from then on Rodrigo I would wear the holy cloak of the Pope and carry out a filthy and corrupt rule.

The coronation is complete.

The cardinals immediately impeached Lu Bing and Chen Ping. Rodrigo I saved Chen Ping but appointed Lu Bing as the patriarch of the Holy See.

Such behavior finally angered a bishop named Orsini, who pointed out Rodrigo I’s bribery in public and left the meeting angrily.

Immediately afterwards, several cardinals left the table. Although they had accepted bribes from Rodrigo I and elected him to the throne, it did not mean that they would submit to him.

Rodrigo I was well aware that the cardinals were divided into two factions, one of which would be used by him temporarily, while the other would find ways to overthrow him in the future.

After everyone left, Rodrigo I asked Lu Bing: “Lu.”

“Your Majesty.”

“How can I ensure our position is secure?”

“Increase the number of cardinals.”

“How many people should be appointed then?”

“Thirteen!”

(End of this chapter)