CHAPTER 33
Henry VII was the first to arrive in Florence.
Compared to the nervousness and confusion he displayed during their first meeting, the young king seemed to have become more radiant lately.
"Your Majesty," he had no intention of taking a break from his journey but instead immediately walked up to Hedy to ask her about the treaty: "You gathered five nations?"
Portugal, England, Hungary, Austria...
This wasn't the Queen's usual style.
"You seem to be doing well lately?" She was currently having her morning tea and gestured for the Englishman to try a cup: "It's a new batch of Wuyi red tea, tastes quite good."
"Talking about this makes me irritated," Henry VII muttered as he sat down. "When the Chinese fleet passed by your place, it went through Spain—"
"Was the cargo ship robbed?"
"Pretty much," he took the porcelain cup that Dechio handed him and grimaced. "A certain wealthy queen practically bought up all the goods and tried to make them go straight back without any connection to us."
The seafood that England later purchased was nothing to talk about, cheap goods that were barely worth mentioning—everything valuable was snatched up by Isabella!
Hedy sipped her tea, watching his expression with a faint smile: "It's normal to enjoy luxury."
"My god, where did she get all that money?
" Henry VII was getting a bit frustrated.
"You must have heard the news from England—I raided the homes of dozens of nobles, and all the money went into the treasury.
We're just about to pawn off the ring my grandmother left behind.
Not only can she build a navy, but she also has so much extra money.
Did she tear down the churches or something? "
It's possible.
After all, that's how some pagans meet their downfall.
Hedy didn't respond immediately but started thinking about other matters.
She hadn't expected that the king would be so passionate about purchasing luxury goods.
When the Chinese cargo ship left Pisa port, it still had a substantial stock of goods. After all, Italy had only bought the goods in the previous quota set by the upper house, so there hadn't been much of a trade deficit.
But Spain...
That made sense.
Her power stemmed from her indulgence in religious forces, and her wealth was ruthlessly extracted from the people.
Such an autocratic and tyrannical ruler had always been playing with fire.
With the other diplomats and lords still some time away, Hedy decided to gather a few cabinet officials to lay the groundwork and provide explanations in advance for this alliance.
On this visit, Henry VII had specifically brought distinguished professors from Cambridge and Oxford, reportedly highly enlightened and exceptionally intelligent scholars.
They sat in the meeting hall, watching as Niccolo unfurled the map like raising a flag and carefully fixed it in place. For a moment, they all stood still in shock.
The dark brown and light gray regions were familiar to them—that was Europe and Africa, old acquaintances.
But the question was, why was there another continent next to it? Where was that?
"To put it simply, we have found the Americas," Niccolo cleared his throat and said. "It's vast and the climate is very suitable for farming and livestock."
Europe, with its rugged mountains and narrow regions, had dozens of countries crammed together, almost like a college dormitory with sixteen people.
In contrast, the Americas seemed like a luxurious presidential suite—if it could be properly managed.
"The Americas?!" Henry VII straightened up suddenly, turning to Hedy and asking, "A new continent?"
"We could develop many industries there," Hedy said slowly. "And also seize more colonies."
"Wait a minute, if there's such a good thing, why did you invite others?" Henry VII looked at her with a complex expression. "Wouldn't it be better for us to take it all for ourselves? Or do you think England isn't trustworthy?"
"What do you think is more important than resources?"
"Resources are already important enough, Your Majesty," he stood up and walked over to the map. "As you can see, this land has many lakes and alluvial plains, and we don't lack labor. Over in Africa—"
Henry VII paused at this point, faintly sensing something.
He glanced at her uncertainly, then turned back to the map. "Seriously speaking, resources are gold, but what's more valuable than gold...?"
"Order, Mr. Tudor," Hedy said slowly. "If everyone rushes in to grab everything, it will definitely lead to conflict."
"And once the fighting starts, no matter how much you seize, it might not even be yours."
She had started thinking about this issue a year ago.
Human greed and malice are hard to eliminate—even in the year 2500, there will likely be endless criminal events.
On the original historical timeline, the first nations to discover the Americas began a frenzied colonial expansion using black slaves, seizing unimaginable wealth and thus altering the course of history.
But the wars that followed caused them to keep retreating.
War and chaos are inevitable, but perhaps the prophet can choose where to direct the fires of war.
When Henry VII heard this, something clicked in his mind. He stepped back to look at the size of the continent on the map, then turned to her again. "Are you sure there are no other empires on this continent?"
"Only some indigenous people with bows and arrows," Hedy replied slowly. "I swear it in the name of the Medici."
"And no other armies?"
"The Spanish are already heading in that direction," she said with a mischievous smile. "How long do you think it will take the French to find out?"
Henry VII swallowed, clearly already wavering.
"So, what you're suggesting is... to divide up the colonial territories with a few other nations in advance?"
"And to establish the rules of the game," Hedy said flatly. "If anyone uses underhanded means, they automatically forfeit all rights and are out of the game."
The man took a deep breath, clearly having gained a completely new perspective on the matter. "You are indeed very clever."
With this plan, they could avoid war entirely. Each nation could settle in the new continent in stages, carving out the territory they desired.
Then, they would wait for the rule-breakers to emerge—anyone attempting to exploit loopholes or claim something they weren't meant to would essentially make themselves a target for everyone.
At that point, an excuse for war would be ready and waiting.
"The best part is... you didn’t let the Spanish or the French know about this," he stared at the Medici, "At the very beginning of the game, two players are already exiled."
The Five-Nation Alliance would establish the rules in advance and then work together to exclude them.
And Spain had no idea about it.
"After all, that queen also enjoys her tea," Hedy smiled. "Let her enjoy herself at home."
As time passed, all five heads of state managed to arrive.
In fact, this was largely thanks to Henry VII.
Everyone saw how advantageous it was for England to establish relations with Italy.
Nearly every month, fleets sailed from Genoa to London, not only bringing cheap and high-quality fabrics and dairy products but also boosting the economy of the ports on both sides.
Moreover, they heard that Italy was providing economic support to England in areas like technology. England had caught the wave of learning Italian, and more and more young women were marrying wealthy and charming Italian merchants.
Their navy now boasted similar powerful guns, and even the formulation and execution of policies seemed much clearer and more decisive.
Who wouldn't want to reap the same benefits?
Once the heads of the five nations had gathered, Florence launched into another round of carnival parades and theatrical performances.
The enthusiastic citizens spared no effort in showcasing the city’s advancement and prosperity.
The novelty of the food and wine made it so that no one wanted to leave.
Once the guests had eaten and drunk their fill, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Navy jointly walked to the conference hall to present them with an even bigger "slice of cake"—the Americas.
This news, once revealed, was like a shot of adrenaline to all the monarchs.
Their ancestors had lived on this ancient continent for nearly a thousand years and had never heard of another land that was as rich and vast as this one!
"One of the prerequisites is that we must establish a black slave employment system," Niccolo said, his hands clasped together, his tone calm and composed.
Compared to the reckless youth from a few years ago, he was now a young man with a steady gaze and confident stride.
"This is an essential condition."
"Wait, why?" Henry VII furrowed his brow. "You know, we might just need to pay those chieftains a sum of money, and they’ll happily sell their own people, friends, and family to us like livestock."
"And we have to pay wages to the slaves? Provide them with necessary protection treaties?" Another leader next to him frowned. "Perhaps Italy is rich enough—but we may not be able to bear that cost."
"More important than wealth is order and rules," Niccolo said again, mentally wishing his teacher from Rome would show up to help him out, but maintaining a calm demeanor without revealing any hesitation.
"At first, we might trade with the chieftains, but later, it could turn into plundering and fighting. "
"Do any of you believe that we will profit more during the chaos of looting and killing?"
He paused, his gaze turning to the calm-eyed queen, feeling a sense of reassurance, and his voice lifted slightly. "Once a hired army from any nation rises in rebellion, the colonies of neighboring countries may also rally in response, like an uncontrollable wildfire."
"I believe this is a result none of us wish to see."