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Chapter 28: Going on a mission (3)

<<\'\'Sī vīs pācem, parā bellum\'\'>> <<"If you want peace, prepare for war".>>

-- Publius Flavius Vegetius

Corrado\'s mission was ready to begin while Galvano and Maletta were occupied with their own tasks.

Corrado felt a thrill of anticipation and exhilaration as he reached the Palace of Pavia. He was convinced that he could persuade the city rulers to support his noble cause, nonetheless he was anxious to start the negotiations. Corrado was well aware of the importance of the next campaign, and he was determined to complete his task and bring another ally on for the journey that lay ahead. He was well aware that every piece of assistance was valuable, and as such, he did not dare to take this job lightly.

Corrado entered Pavian\'s hall and found that many of the commune\'s most important individuals were waiting to hear the words conveyed by Conradin through Corrado.

Corrado took a deep breath and began to make his argument for why the commune should join the king\'s cause. He was convinced that he could make the proper arguments and persuade the rulers to support their liege, and he was prepared to be persuasive. He hoped they would recognize his logic and agree to lend their support to the king\'s imminent campaign.

\'\'Noble elders of Pavia, your country has long been a staunch ally of House Hohenstaufen. When most of the communes in northern Italy deserted Frederick "the stupor mundi," you remained loyal to him as the noble and loyal people you are and fought beside him against the Lombard League. (See author\'s thoughts) The time has come for my lord\'s family to reward the loyal individuals who served his grandfather, but in order to do so, you must support Hohenstaufen one last time. The French have usurped my liege\'s realm, and at the moment, horrific crimes have been committed on Sicilian territory. As such, Conradin wishes to bring order to the chaos-caused anarchy.

Please, noble Pavian, do not misinterpret this as something outside of your responsibility. You are renowned as staunch advocates of the imperial cause, and as such, both the pope and Charles regard you as a thorn in the side. Probably, the pope and Charles have already begun talks with the Republic of Milan, promising them permission to annex the Pavian area to their nation\'s land.

Conradin\'s heart breaks at the notion of a possible Pavian Republic\'s demise; as such, he politely requests that you enable him to defend your well-being; his descendant in Italy will arrive to undermine Charles\' authority in Lombardy.

In addition to being willing to defend your people against a possible Milan attack, he wishes to reward you for his allegiance to his house by handing you the towns of Cremona and Novara that will be conquered by him during his campaign. All my liege asks is to be allowed to protect the fate of every Ghibellin city that supports his cause. If that isn\'t enough, we guarantee to defend you even after Conradin\'s campaign, my liege\'s intention is to build a new regime in Milan that will be committed to Conradin\'s cause and won\'t attack you.\'\' Corrado ended his speech. The only sound in the hall was Corrado\'s deep gasps after he ended his long and loud statement. Corrado made his case to the commune of Pavia with passion and commitment. He was convinced that he could persuade them to support the royal cause; he had offered to give them land, protection, and security, and he was willing to go to any length to persuade them. Following the speech, Corrado and his knights were gently asked to leave the hall to allow the elders to make their decision.

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The palace hall was crowded with discussions as the Ghibelllin and Guelph elders stated their cases. After an hour, one of Pavian elitè\'s most important members stood from his seat and walked through the middle of the hall .

\'\'Dear Pavians, it is pointless to continue yelling at each other in this manner. As such, I request you to vote.\'\'To preserve our well-being, any vote for being against or in favor of supporting House Hohenstaufen shall be cast in secret."

A young man put a vase to each man in the hall, asking them to write their vote and place it in the vase.

The votes were taken after five minutes, and the elders began to count. The counting was done in silence, and everyone in the hall had their hearts racing, wondering what the outcome would be. The counting was stopped after another five minutes of such work .

Out of the 300 elitè members of the Pavian commune, 60 voted for neutrality, 90 sided with Charles, and 150 sided with Conrad.a

Pavia has taken its decision and will back House Hohenstuafen. The news was delivered to Corrado, who, while appearing calm on the surface, was ecstatic on the inside since he was one step closer to reclaiming the titles he had lost during Charles\' invasion. Conradin now had the backing of Verona, Pavia, Pisa, and Genoa . However Conradin, on the other hand, was still significantly outnumbered and, as such, needed a strategy to employ against Charles that would took into consideration his much smaller force.

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