Gonzalo was strolling leisurely on the grass, he had been wandering around like this for some time.

Not far away, Gonzalo's guards watched the Balkans on the other side, and whenever they saw one of them moving or making something suspicious, the Castilian would immediately move vigilantly.

As a result, both sides have to be careful about what they do to avoid misunderstandings on the other side.

Gonzalo seemed to be completely unaware of the contradictions surging between the soldiers on both sides, and his mind had even drifted to the far interior of Europe at this time.

During these days of travel, Alexander and he had a more in-depth discussion of the future of warfare, following his time in Rome.

To Gonzalo's surprise, he found himself to be more of a conservative than Alexander.

When Alexander declared in absolute certainty that the future would be the age of firearms, that one day cold weapons would be completely eliminated, and that the heavily armored cavalry with thick armor and spears would be the target of slaughter, Gonzalo expressed his fierce opposition in surprise.

Perhaps it was because the debate was so exciting that the guards on both sides thought that something had happened, and for a while there was tension between the swords, which almost led to a bloody conflict.

But even so, Gonzalo could not accept Alexander's opinion, he declared that he did value the power of firearms, but he could not accept that knights and even cold weapons would be replaced by hot weapons.

"This is too much, who would have thought that a nobleman who had been trained as a knight since childhood would think that the age of knighthood is over," Gonzalo said indignantly to the lieutenant who was following him, "I now suspect that the Duke of Rome Thessia has gone astray, he believes too much in the power of firearms, although the performance of firearms is indeed impressive, but to say that it will completely replace cold weapons is cranky." ”

Gonzalo kept complaining, and the adjutant listened silently until Gonzalo stopped and looked at him: "What's wrong with you, why don't you speak?" ”

"My lord, do you think the duke, I mean this," the adjutant nodded to the Balkan opposite, "will he be king?" ”

The adjutant's inquiry made Gonzalo's face appear strange, and he looked at the vague shadow of the city of Toledo in the distance and was silent for a while, then turned his head and asked, "Then why do you think the Duke didn't invite me to Toledo with him?" ”

The adjutant was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't understand why Gonzalo was asking this, and then he opened his mouth habitually: "That's because ......"

After only half a sentence, the adjutant gradually paused.

"Because of what?" Gonzalo continued.

"Perhaps he was worried that it might be against him," the adjutant was still a little stubborn, although he vaguely guessed the answer, "You are the most illustrious general in Castile, and if you declare your opposition to him in front of the senators, perhaps he will not be able to escape Toredo at all." ”

"If that's probably true," Gonzalo sighed helplessly, "I thought I would always be loyal to the Queen, and the Queen would always sit on her throne, but now everything has changed, and I have become the person Ferdinand hated the most, but I can't live without, and it's hard to believe that Juana is her daughter." ”

"So you need to think about it for yourself, too," the adjutant nodded, "but what does this have to do with your question?" ”

Gonzalo let out a chuckle as he looked at the grass beneath his feet and twisted it with his boots, then lifted his foot to look.

"What kind of person do you think the queen is?"

"The Queen is a very generous person." The adjutant thought about it for a while, and thought it would be better to answer carefully.

Listening to this obviously insincere answer, Gonzalo smiled noncommittally.

He looked in the direction of Vallaaridot and said in a calm tone: "Queen Isabella is the greatest monarch I have ever met, and I don't even think that Ferdinand is worthy of her at all, and now it seems that her only fault is that she went to heaven too soon." ”

The adjutant listened silently, and he felt that today's general was strange.

It's not just his words, it's more of the tone that makes people vaguely feel as if they always have a sarcastic tone.

Everyone knew that Gonzalo was arrogant and sometimes brutal, but now this appearance was strange to the adjutant.

It was a mocking contempt, and the lieutenant noticed that the tone was even thicker, especially when he mentioned Isabella's name.

This was unimaginable before, and Gonzalo's reverence and loyalty to the queen even made Ferdinand wonder if there was any ambiguity between them.

So the adjutant wisely kept silent.

"If there is anyone in this world who knows Ferdinand's ambitions best, it is Her Majesty the Queen, so she chose to put the crown on her head before Ferdinand stretched out his hand to the throne of Castile," Gonzalo continued as he walked forward, "Many people think that I am too unreasonable to Ferdinand, but they don't know that it is because I can never accept an Aragonese as my monarch. ”

"But isn't Juana queen now?"

The adjutant's words made Gonzalo sneer: "Do you really think that Juana is the queen of Castile?" ”

The adjutant thought about it for a while, and finally shrugged helplessly.

"That's what I've been most worried about," Gonzalo looked off again, "Juana is just a puppet of Ferdinand, and his ambition is not as simple as becoming the monarch of two kingdoms. ”

"What else?" The adjutant asked in surprise, thinking that he really couldn't think of anything else that could make Ferdinand feel worried.

"I asked you what kind of person you think the queen is, but your answer is slippery," Gonzalo glanced at the lieutenant with a slightly displeased look, "and now let me tell you that neither the queen nor Ferdinand disliked the nobility. ”

The adjutant looked at Gonzalo in amazement, although this idea had been hidden in his heart, but now that Gonzalo said it directly, it still made the adjutant a little at a loss because of the accident.

"Don't look at me like that, it makes you look like an idiot," Gonzalo muttered before continuing "The Queen never trusted the nobles, whether they were loyal to Enrique or chose to follow her, she thought that the power of the nobles was great, perhaps too great, and that she could not stand it at all. ”

The adjutant listened silently, he was Gonzalo's subordinate, cronies, and his vassal vassals, which made him more trusted by Gonzalo than the others, but even so, this was the first time Gonzalo had heard these words speak.

"The queen will eventually strip the nobles of their powers, including me, of course."

"But you are the Queen's most loyal general."

"The most loyal general doesn't mean the most satisfying," Gonzalo said with a mocking look on her face, "Your Majesty needs someone like Thomas Tongomada." ”

The adjutant was silent, he didn't know how to answer, Gonzalo at this time did not look at all like the loyal servant of the well-known Isabella.

The mocking taunt in his demeanor was so obvious that he didn't seem to care at all that it was the queen to whom he had been loyal.

"Believe me, if Your Majesty is still alive, I will not hesitate to give everything I have, even if the defeat in Seville is more miserable, I will not surrender to the enemy," Gonzalo glanced at the aide-de-camp who seemed to be at a loss, "but the queen died prematurely, and the next thing I have to face is Ferdinand, and I can't think of any reason for me to be loyal to him, or even their daughter." ”

The adjutant listened stunned, he didn't expect that he would one day hear the general say such things, but somehow, thinking carefully about Gonzalo's behavior in the past, he had to admit that this was exactly what he was saying.

Even before, Gonzalo had never concealed his allegiance to Isabella.

Even on many occasions he openly expressed his contempt for Ferdinand.

It was only at that time that the Castilian aristocracy regarded this behavior as the pride of the Castilian people.

And Isabella's sometimes seemingly dissatisfied reprimands, when you think about it, are actually more acquiescence and encouragement.

But Isabella died.

This is something that no one expected.

The Queen's only mistake was her early death.

When Isabella took her last breath, it wasn't just a Castiaria queen who died, there was an era.

This is the end of an era that truly belongs only to Castile.

Ferdinand may not ultimately be able to achieve his dream of wearing the crown of two kingdoms, but he can do so by controlling his daughter.

Gonzalo obviously could not tolerate Ferdinand's fingers, and more importantly, Ferdinand would obviously continue to complete Isabella's original cause of stifling the privileges of the aristocracy.

If Isabella were alive, Gonzalo's only option was to follow the Queen's orders and eventually relinquish power like everyone else.

But when it came to Ferdinand, he was not so willing.

"But my lord, the Duke of Rome Thesia doesn't seem to like the nobles having too much power."

Hearing the adjutant remind, Gonzalo glanced at him, and after a moment of thought, he muttered, "Even so, he gave too much." ”

Alexander sat in front of the Archbishop of the Order and carefully tasted what is said to be the best monastic wine in Castile.

Toledo's geography and climate allow the land to grow grapes that are more suitable for winemaking than anywhere else.

More than 6 centuries ago, the locals of Toledo knew how to re-steam long-aged wines to create a medium wine suitable for winter drinking.

Today, this "monastery treasure", which tastes better than ordinary wines, is the pride of Toledo.

After taking a sip, it is not swallowed quickly, but slightly aftertaste between the lips and teeth, and the slight sour and spicy stimulation makes people's spirits instantly excited because of the stimulation of taste buds.

"It's a good wine," Alexander smiled at the archbishop, "and as far as I know, most of the cardinals in the Vatican like to drink wine from Lombardy, but I think if this wine is introduced to the Vatican, it will definitely cause a sensation." ”

Alexander's words made the archbishop's heart skip a beat, and he was keenly aware that it was more than just wine.

Looking at the young man in front of him, thinking about his deep-rooted power in the Vatican, and even his title of "King of Rome", the archbishop's heart that had been provoked could no longer be calm.

It's just that he didn't expect that Alexander's next words would be so "direct and honest".

"You will be a cardinal," Alexander said, ignoring the archbishop's surprised look of astonishment, "I can assure you that I also know that I have many friends in the Vatican, among whom my wife, the family of Barentia of Genoa, can be your allies in the Vatican, and you can get help from Metropolitan Massimo of Romagna." ”

The archbishop, who had gradually calmed down from the accident, listened attentively, and knew that Alexander was telling him what to do in the Vatican, and more importantly, implying that even without his help, the Duchy of Rome and Thessia still had strong power and strong allies in the Vatican Holy See.

At this time, the archbishop knew that he could not continue to be reserved, otherwise this rare deal might be a chicken and egg fight.

"I believe you will be a wise monarch."

Hearing the archbishop's words, Alexander finally secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Only he knew that he was not as relaxed as he appeared on the outside, and even when he first met the archbishop, he had a nervousness in his heart that no one else could imagine.

In fact, Alexander's concern was not that the Archbishopric was opposed to him, nor that the senators were hostile to him.

His only concern was that these people would not be able to willingly relinquish their power as he had assumed before.

In that case, his only option would be war.

Alexander did not want a civil war in Iberia, which would be a disaster for both the present and the future kingdom of Spain.

The whole of Europe is facing a rapid transformation, and the kings of France will finally break through the curse of the island of Paris and gradually establish a strong and centralized France.

The Habsburgs would use their marriage to finally establish Austria as a great power in Europe within a few generations.

In the north, the now-inconspicuous Low Countries will rise rapidly, and the sea coachmen will become the cash cow of the future Spain, as well as the bottomless swamp in which Spain will be plunged.

As for the British, even if they were eventually driven back to their islands, they never gave up the opportunity to stir up trouble on the European continent, and then, for more than a century, they would become Spain's greatest enemies on the seas, and eventually establish themselves as the world empire that replaced Spain.

This is a time of great opportunity and challenge, wealth and danger.

Alexander thought to himself, raising his glass, and at the same time his eyes fell on the chief senator who had just entered the room.

"I propose, let's pay homage to this era."