Ríominar is a small town on the north bank of the Dalvík River.

The town is small, half of it is located on the banks of the river, and the other half is on a rather steep slope that rises above the banks.

Because they are built on the hill, from a distance the houses in the town look like a series of stairs that lead from the top of the hill to the riverbank, and then end at a small pier that protrudes into the Dalville River.

In July, when the Dalville River is full of turquoise water, children can be seen playing on the riverbank, while young women are talking and laughing while holding large basins of clothes and beating stones on the river's edge.

It was a summer afternoon that didn't seem like anything special, and many men who had gotten up early to do the morning were taking a nap, and they would not continue to work in the fields until the sun had gone down a little, and the day's work would end late, and the dinner of the two meals a day would not be eaten until the sun had completely set.

The rare silence was broken by the fierce sound of horses' hooves, and the women rose to their feet to look at the smoke and dust rising from the coastal road, and then they immediately shouted to the children who were still only interested in playing, and at the same time watched vigilantly for the uninvited guests in the distance.

These were the dusty-looking travelers who were still galloping on such a hot afternoon, and their horses were hung with sturdy bags that bulged high behind their horses, and although they could not see what was inside, they could be guessed from the long swords hanging from the saddles that they were filled with armor or weapons.

The men looked a little tired, but they were still in good spirits, and the sight of the women with their characteristic smiles, some of them called out to them, and some of them flirted with the long and short whistles that were so popular in Andalusia, which made the women seem a little angry, but some of them were secretly happy.

A knight who whipped his horse always evoked all sorts of reverie among women, even if they often did not bode well.

A tall man, apparently the leader of the men, who was still wrapped in dark robes in the heat of summer, grabbed the reins, and the whole line stopped as he stood down.

A knight came to the man and whispered something, and the man nodded and suddenly turned over and dismounted.

The women at once hurriedly pulled the children aside to make way for them, and these distant visitors also unceremoniously took up their positions on the riverbank, and they washed their faces with cool water by the river, and then poured them on their heads with a big handful, and at the same time let out a cry of pleasure.

"My lord, we can't go any further, or we may be in danger."

A woman standing not far away heard the knight say to the chief, and the man just kept splashing water on his face, and his hair soon became wet and sticking to his neck, and the water dripped down his hair and soaked his upper clothes.

After a long time, the man seemed to feel a little more happy, and he stood up and twisted his neck from side to side, as if feeling better, and then said to his companion with a mocking look: "Why, is it also the brave Juan Marchu who is afraid?" ”

These words made the knight seem a little angry, but he just shrugged helplessly, but still said very stubbornly: "Of course I wouldn't care if it was just me, but my lord, this is related to your safety, I don't know what will happen if something happens to you, but I believe that the queen will not spare me." ”

"Rest assured, our trip is safe because they need this meeting now." The leader's answer was a bit odd, but it was clear from his confident tone that the man seemed to be sure of what was going to happen next.

The knight named Juan Marchu looked helplessly at his chief, he was too familiar with his general, arrogant, arrogant, sometimes even rude, but with a certain fascinating charm, he could always persuade those around him to do what he wanted, even the queen was obedient and gracious to him.

This is Gonzalo de Córdoba, Queen Isabella of Castile, the most trusted general.

Seeing that a woman not far away threw curious and admiring glances at them, and his own general responded with a provocative gaze, the knight shook his head slightly, he didn't want to spoil the general's good deeds, but now was obviously not the time to do such things.

Seeing that his men were almost cool, Juan Marchu ordered them to immediately start patrolling the surroundings.

The area of Riominal is small and most of the people who live here are locals, so it's not hard to ask about it.

"Why are you here?" Marchu was a little puzzled, but fortunately it was not far from Córdoba, and even if there was any accident, he could quickly retreat to his own territory.

Riominal is actually located almost exactly halfway between Seville and Córdoba, and it has always provided some convenience for shipping between the two places, so the city is still very wealthy.

Gonzalo had brought with him elite men, who, under Marqiu's command, had made a quick tour of the town, and when he had found that there was no danger, he again found the general who was making a smile on a rather beautiful woman.

"Well, let me see what you can offer us something to eat," Gonzalo said to the young woman, and then he lowered his voice, "Tell me if there are any men in your family now?" ”

The woman let out a cry that sounded like shyness and joy, and then seemed panicked, but from time to time she turned around and ran away, which made Gonzalo's men laugh, and they themselves looked at the women who still glanced at the river from time to time, looking for their prey.

"The Duke of Rome Thesia is late enough," said Marchu, with some displeasure, "perhaps someone should teach him how to be punctual." ”

"Don't worry, he'll come, after all, it's not a good situation for them right now." Gonzalo smiled and patted his powerful man on the shoulder, "Don't forget that Don Bavi has just lost the battle, and now it's them who should be anxious." ”

Hearing the general's words, Marqiu burst out laughing.

About a month earlier, a coalition of Andalusian nobles, commanded by Don Bavi, Duke of Buharanse, had engaged in a fierce battle with the royal army of Gonzalo.

The battlefield is not far from the town of Riominal in a place called Akalelo.

It was a battle that was painful for Don Bavi, and in which the army of the Andalusian nobility was not only defeated, but also the army of Bukhalanse, on which he depended.

As a result, the nobles became wavering, and calls for negotiations with the queen rose again, with some even suggesting that Don Bavi was trading everyone's blood for his own future.

Don Bavi was furious, and although he knew that it was because of the troubles caused by the defeat, he also knew that it was not necessarily the restless elements of the aristocracy who were taking the opportunity to stir things up.

Not everyone is planning to fight Isabella like Don Bavi, after all, the queen's prestige over the years has penetrated deeply into the hearts of these nobles, especially among the lower nobles and ordinary people, Isabella has an unshakable high status.

It's just enough to make the nobles daunted by her, but for Tang Bawi, of course, these are useless, he knows too well what Isabella is, and the key is that he knows that Isabella's ambitions will never disappear because of the obedience of the nobles.

Instead, she will end up eating everyone to the bone.

Become a bare-bones duke with only an empty title? This is absolutely unacceptable to Don Bavi, so since he has already pulled up the banner, he can only grit his teeth and go on.

To Don Bavi's slight reassurance, the aristocratic senators of the old capital behaved rather ambiguously, and although they also sent people to mediate, it was more like they were characterizing the rebellion as a dispute between the king and the nobles.

There were still many such disputes in the past, and in the end, no matter which side won the victory, everyone often did not come to the point of life and death, and because of the mediation of the elders, there may be a result that can make everyone come down.

This not only made Don Bavi a little relieved, but also vaguely guessed the attitude of the senators.

Isabella's ambitions had already unnerved the old aristocracy, and as she reused the new nobles who had risen to prominence in the wake of the Reconquista, some of the astute old nobles had realized that this was likely a sign that the queen was going to take power from them, and her subsequent decision to order the dispatch of governors and consuls to various places was a complete revelation of her attempt to regain power.

So, despite the defeat in the battle, Don Bavi was busy cleaning up the mess and immediately sent someone to the nobles elsewhere to ask for help.

It was at this time that Alexander suddenly offered to him a proposal to negotiate with Gonzalo.

Don Bavi was not very optimistic about this proposal, and Gonzalo de Córdoba was the first lackey of Isabella's men, which was almost universally known throughout Europe.

Such a person should not be easily convinced, and in Don Bavi's view, the greater role of the Duke of Rome Thessia should be to help him connect with the Vatican, and if the duke shows up at this time, it may cause Isabella's suspicion and vigilance.

However, Alexander was stubborn, first saying that he and Gonzalo were old friends and might be able to talk a little, but at the same time he thought that his special position in the Vatican might play an unexpected role.

After some arguments, Don Bavi finally agreed to Alexander's proposal, and the two sides decided to meet and negotiate in Ríominar, a small town that happened to be located between the two sides.

The farmer's meal was not good, but the farmer's girl tasted good, and after throwing down a few gold coins, Gonzalo walked out of the house in a refreshed state.

In the afternoon, the sun was already slightly wester, and looking at a group of men patrolling the town, Gonzalo found a shade to sit down, and then closed his eyes to reminisce about the "taste" just now.

A knight named Marchu came over and sat down next to Gonzalo.

He was Gonzalo's most trusted confidant, having followed him from his early years in the Reconquista to his recent fierce battles with the Ottomans, so Gonzalo trusted him more than anyone else.

"Our guys have pretty much turned over the town, and it seems that it's still very safe." Marchu said to Gonzalo, who was leaning against the thick trunk of a tree and closing his eyes, seeing that he had no reaction, and Marchu opened his mouth again, but this time he didn't say anything.

"Anything else?" Gonzalo suddenly asked, although he didn't open his eyes, he seemed to see Marqiu's expression, "Oh, say Marqiu, I know you too well, you're not a person who can hide things in your heart, tell me what you were thinking along the way?" ”

"My lord, I have heard some bad rumors on the Zaragoza side right now," said Marchu, as if determined, "many people are speaking ill of you, saying that you were spoiled by the Queen, and that you did not respect Ferdinand's orders, because you ran to Crete without permission. ”

"Yes, I ran to Crete without permission, and brought back enough of the greedy ones to eat, not to mention the parasites of Zaragoza, and even Ferdinand himself accepted my gift with pleasure?"

"But Ferdinand is, after all, the Queen's husband, and most likely the future Queen's father." Marqiu said with some concern.

"Marqiu, your worries are really unnecessary, don't forget that we are the nobles of Castile, and the only one who can command and reprimand us is the queen, well, I can maintain a minimum of respect for Ferdinand in the face of the queen, but that's all, believe me Malqiu, as long as the queen is in one day, I will be the most favored person in the Castilian court."

Marchu leaned back a little helplessly, he knew that it was really difficult to get the general to pay attention to those rumors, as Gonzalo himself said, Isabella's favor to him had reached a point of obscurity, and the result was that Gonzalo, who was already unruly, was even more unscrupulous, which can be seen from his public denunciation of Alexander VI in the Vatican.

It's just that Ferdinand is different from the others after all, which makes the loyal knight a little worried.

"That Gombray is late," Gonzalo said, his eyes open, and he seemed a little impatient, "if he doesn't come again I'll be gone, although I miss him a lot, but the last time we saw each other was not so pleasant." ”

"Your Excellency, I heard that this duke fought with the Ottomans?" Marchu asked cautiously, knowing that the topic might make Gonzalo unhappy, after all, the battle in Crete ended in them having to retreat, although Gonzalo had always claimed that it was the result of the Venetians' delay, but they both knew that Gonzalo himself had already begun to retreat in the face of an increasingly unfavorable situation.

"And he won," Gonzalo did not deliberately evade, on the contrary, he was still a little interested, "You probably don't know, the tactics that our model army is training now are the ones I studied with this duke when I was in Rome, and now it seems that he may be able to apply these tactics on the battlefield faster than me, but don't worry, I have already proposed to the queen to use the model army as a model to create a new army of sufficient numbers, and I believe that Her Majesty will give me an answer soon." ”

A smile appeared on Marqiu's face, it was clear that the general was not ignoring the rumors that were unfavorable to him, and it was a good idea to propose to the queen to establish a new army, and it was conceivable that once the queen agreed to establish such an army, then the only one who could train and command this army was Gonzalo, so Gonzalo's position would definitely be more secure, and even if Ferdinand wanted to move him, it would not be so easy.

Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly noticed that a subordinate was hurrying towards his horse from a distance on the road on the bank of the river below, and Malqiu immediately stood up.

"Is the duke here?" Marchu looked at Gonzalo, who was still leaning against the trunk of the tree and did not move, "My lord, we need to make some preparations. ”

"You have to make some preparations, Gombray this ......"

Gonzalo didn't say any more, but looked sideways at a few houses in the town not far away.

Because of the topography, some of these houses built on the mountain can be used as key points to guard, and these few places favored by Gonzalo can condescendingly control the main roads and most of the town.

Marchu immediately beckoned to the men to prepare, but Gonzalo was still leaning against the trunk of the tree and looking at the riverside road below, just in full view.

In the distance, a group of knights approached slowly, looking as if they were out on an outing, a stark contrast to Gonzalo's hurried journey.

"I still like to be so posturing."

Gonzalo muttered, he would not forget that his Sicily had been cheated by this person, although it was true that he had made a lot of money by taking advantage of the situation to Crete, but this did not mean that Gonzalo had forgiven the other party.

On the side of the road below, Marchu was already waiting for the team, and Marqiu smiled mockingly as they flew the Vatican flag.

Gonzalo's rebuke of the Pope had already spread in Iberia, and instead of being condemned, his actions became a good story, even because of the suggestion that the Castilian Church no longer needed to receive any orders from the Vatican, and that Isabella's attitude of not publicly supporting it, but not stopping it, allowed it to circulate everywhere.

Now, seeing the Vatican flag, Marqiu felt that the duke really couldn't see the situation clearly, so when he spoke loudly to the team, his tone was also full of pride and arrogance: "In the name of Gonzalo de Córdoba, Duke of Belleta, the head of the great Santiago Knights, the people in front stop!" ”

Hearing the shout, the group, which had been moving slowly, stopped, and a man at the front of the group gently urged the mount to move forward slowly.

The young man, also dressed in a pale white robe on a white horse, looked at Marchu condescendingly, with a smile on his face, as if he was not angry at the Castilian for being unreasonable.

"I am ......"

"Take me to Gonzalo," the young man interrupted Marchu's introduction and said very directly, "to tell him that the Duke of Rome Thesia has brought him good news." ”