Charles VIII of France starts to head into Italy, beginning with the lands of Savoy where a 2-year-old duke leaves things to his mum to deal with the expensive guest who also asks her for a loan.

Meanwhile, the Neapolitans try to go on the offensive by attacking locations along the Tuscan and Ligurian coast to no avail.

Charles then meets with Ludovico il Moro, then the real duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Sforza, who then dies a week after the meeting, saying goodbye to his dogs and horses at his deathbed.

Then it is to Florence, where the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Piero, after sitting on the fence for a while, rolls over and gives Charles more than necessary and hets kicked out of Florence for it.

Charles, however, fares no better with the new Florentine government and after a confusing argument about horns and bells, he makes his way to Rome with reduced results from the negotiation.