Sophia sat in a wide, deep chair, her hand playing with the tiara she had worn when she had been in battle.

The tiara is made of gold, except for a sapphire in the middle, and there are several other gems of different colors and shapes around the tiara, according to the Greek elders, each of which symbolizes an inalienable territorial sovereignty of the Roman Empire since ancient times, and one of the green prismatic gemstones that Sophia cares about the most, because according to the legend, this emerald represents Sicily.

Sicily, this is where Alexander and Sophia met, where they experienced a special time together that belonged only to two people.

At that time, Alexander was a poor boy wandering around, and Sophia followed Alexander around in the gaudy bohemian dress she liked.

Since when has the lives of the two people changed dramatically, it seems that it was not the time when Alexander was involved in the Sicilian palace and was assassinated, although it was because of that incident that the simple lives of the two were completely disrupted, but even in those most dangerous times, Alexander's eyes and hearts were only Sophia alone.

It was after arriving in Naples that when the two young men finally met again, Sophia was surprised to find that Alexander had a beautiful and noble young girl next to him, and that girl shamelessly claimed to be his sister.

This made Sophia angry, in her mind, as long as Alexander had one by his side, it was enough, of course, a lover couldn't, and neither could his sister!

But later the development of things made Sophia disappointed and even sad again and again, in addition to the half-sister who popped out inexplicably, there was actually a so-called fiancée.

Barentia della Rovere's appearance did not worry Sophia, except for the body of a woman, Barentia's appearance was so mediocre that it was almost difficult to remember, but she was the daughter of a nobleman and a bishop with great power, and Sophia knew that she was completely unable to compete with her.

So under the persuasion of her father and the hints of many people around Alexander, intentionally or unintentionally, Sophia chose to leave.

But she didn't give up, she had to sober herself up first, and then figure out how to be with her beloved and never be separated by others again.

She endured a lot of hardships for this, whether it was the almost critical training of the queen when she first entered the Prague court, or the apprehension of being pushed to the Balkan nobility by Ladislas II as a bargaining chip, all these experiences put Sophia under the weight of her age.

But that effort paid off, and more importantly, when he heard of her whereabouts, Alexander did not hesitate to come to him from far away Rome, which made Sophia feel indescribably happy, and now she knew that she had enough capital to compete with that Barondi.

It's just that why is there suddenly another Lucrezia Borgia?

And Alexander actually gave birth to a daughter with the woman who was said to have a bad reputation!

Thinking of this, Sophia was angry and couldn't stop pulling the crown in her hand, and for a while the crown was deformed by her huge strength, and it was in danger of breaking at any time.

A sound of footsteps interrupted Sophia's thoughts, and she looked up at the door to see Bodpaed walking in.

Sophia still had some affection for this wise old Greek man, but these favorites were entirely due to his support for her marriage to Alexander, and she didn't care about anything else.

"Your Highness, I'll come and see if you're ready."

Bodeped said cautiously that he knew that this princess was somewhat willful, especially when it came to Alexander, her single-mindedness would inevitably be a headache, if it was just an ordinary little girl, but now no one denied that Sophia's fate has been linked to many people, at least for the Greeks, Sophia is not only their hope for the restoration of the country, but also the only sign that can save the Greeks from falling into each other.

While there was a lot of suspicion among the nobles of the coalition, there was no shortage of estrangement among the Greek remnants.

The emigration of the Eastern Roman Empire and the remnants of Trabzon, as well as the descendants of other nobles from the era of the Great Schism, have been masked by their fearful fugitive life since the fall of Constantinople, but this does not mean that these conflicts do not exist.

After too long of fighting for the title of rightful descendant of Rome, the best opportunity has now appeared in front of the descendants of the Romans, which convinces Bodped that maybe everything will be fine.

Is the girl in front of her who can't speak really a Greek princess, when it comes to appearance, the Count of Montina looks more like a real Greek.

The thought only flickered in Bodpeide's mind and then vanished, and the old man knew that such a question could not be delved into.

Especially at this time, whether it is out of internal stability or external support, the girl in front of you is undoubtedly the only choice for the Greeks.

Sophia raised her hand and made a gesture, then tilted her head to look at the somewhat dazed Bodpeid, took out a small writing tablet beside her, and dipped her pen in ink and wrote a few names on it crookedly.

Looking at the handwriting on it, Bodpaed replied: "Grand Duke Cepes is now on the other side of the Dembvica River, the Count is worried that someone may be against you, we have prepared near your residence, and the Count's soldiers are building barricades in the street. ”

Sophia immediately became excited, she walked quickly to the window and looked out, and saw the huntsmen who were busy piling up stones in the street, and even had a stone wall stationed in the nearby yard, Sophia's eyes narrowed slightly into two thin curved lines.

"Your Highness, you have to make some preparations." Bodpaed frowned slightly at the armor on Sophia's body, he had prepared some simple clothes in private, so that he could take Sophia out of here if necessary, and then send her to Alexander's military camp.

Bodped had already heard of the open clash between Alexander and Ladislas II at the negotiating table, but the conflict had already been made public when it was decided whether to attack the Ottomans, but this time it was only more intense, even in front of the enemy.

Reluctantly, Sophia nodded, and waved her hand to the maid standing to the side, motioning for her to come and help her remove her armor.

"And the news," Bodpade thought he should try to let the princess know what had happened, so that she could understand how serious the matter was, "The count's sister was also on the other side of the river. ”

Sophia, whose fingers were already on the clasp of her armor, was stunned for a moment, and she moved her neck in a somewhat stubborn look, so that it looked like her head was tilted slightly to the side.

If you know Sophia very well, such as Alexander, you would already know what her action portends, but unfortunately Bodeped does not understand the meaning of this action.

So the Greeks continued: "The Count's sister, Countess of Cosenza of Naples, is at war with the Archduke against the Ottomans, and it is said that the Count has sent someone to contact her, but because of the complicated situation on the other side, there is no news about them for the time being. ”

Sophia's neck moved again, this time her head straightened, but it looked a little stiff.

She waved her hand to stop the maid from continuing to ununsuit her, and strode back to her chair and sat down with a clanging sound, her eyes narrowing slightly, but this time there was no smile.

Then she picked up the writing tablet and poked the tip of the quill pen with all her might, and wrote down a word fiercely: "Ν?η!" ”

Looking at the ugly handwriting on the wooden writing board, Bodpaed was at a loss for a moment, and he didn't know what to do.

Alexander did not know how much trouble the old Greek had caused him because of his words, and he was anxiously awaiting a report from the other side of the river.

He knew the terrible of Sisugu, and it could be said that Sisugu was the most difficult enemy to deal with with him so far, and even a careful recollection will show that in fact, Alexander was faintly inferior in several encounters between the two, and even on several occasions he was almost defeated by the Ottoman general's men.

When Chipes encounters such an enemy, I believe it will not be easy for him.

But that's not what Alexander is really worried about, it doesn't matter to him whether Chipes wins or loses, or even whether Bucharest can hold on.

From the moment he was sure that the Sultan had indeed had an accident, Alexander knew that the war was coming to an end, so he only had to protect Sophia, and then follow the threat from Emperor Maximian to snatch the fat piece called the Great Copper Mine from the mouth of Ladislas II.

But now, Alexander's composure was immediately lost by the sudden appearance of Josha, and the thought of Josha on the other side of the river immediately tightened his heart.

Alexander was not optimistic about Cepes, although he had a famous father who even defeated the Sultan's army, but this did not mean that Cepes himself was a general who could conquer and fight.

On the contrary, in Alexander's view, Cepes may have been a very smooth politician, but not necessarily a real general, as evidenced by the fact that although he had the wit to escape from the Ottomans while he was supporting Dembvica, he was unable to seize the opportunity to strike at the Bucharestans who were encircling the siege.

In Alexander's view, it was clear that Chipes was frightened by the bad situation, and his attempt to make a detour south of Bucharest from the east bank of the river was more of a dodge from the battle with the Ottomans.

Alexander knew that he might be a little nitpicky about this man, but his several encounters with Sisukgu had made him very impressed with the Ottoman general.

At the same time, because he had already learned Xi Sugu's spicy military methods, he was even less optimistic about Cepes.

Jossa is now with Chipes, which makes Alexander unfazed.

He immediately sent for Gompati, while secretly praying in his heart that Chippes would hold out a little longer.

Ever since he had lost all his artillery again in the battle in the marshes, Gompati had decided that Bucharest was his sad place.

If it weren't for the occasional enlightenment of my countryman named Nicolas Jo Macioni, perhaps he would have used wine all day to relieve himself of his troubles.

Marcheni is still the captain of the second brigade of the Pisa regiment, but many times he stays with Alexander, and the pistians are happy that their officers are very promising, because there are rumors that the count may transfer Macheni to his side.

This made the piscons feel that Macioni had given them a long face.

When Alexander's order arrived, Maceni was carefully calculating the accuracy of the artillery for Gompati, because according to him, whether the artillery could hit the target to the maximum extent did not depend entirely on the experience of the gunner.

"Sometimes luck is part of strength, and all we have to do is how to make luck a little bit more." This is Maccheni's explanation for why the accuracy rate is calculated, and he also extended this efficiency to the entire Pisa Second Brigade, according to which he said, "If we can always be faster than the enemy in whatever we do, then we can be closer to victory and farther from death." ”

Alexander's task to Gompati was very simple, he wanted him to cross the river to the other side as soon as possible to contact him, and if he could take her across the river, of course, it would be best, and if the situation was not good when he saw him, Alexander told Gompati to make sure that he got in touch with the Greeks in the army of Chipes, and that they must protect him from the battlefield.

"You can run anywhere, as long as you survive."

Alexander was worried, fearing that Chipes would do anything for his personal reputation, and that if he did that, the negotiations might turn awry because of this accident, and even Jossa might be in danger as a result.

Gompati was a little surprised, he had never seen Alexander like this, and he looked not only uneasy, but even a little panicked, and when it came to the fact that he had to keep him safe no matter what, Alexander's voice was low, and that tone sounded less like an order and an exhortation than a request.

The Count and his sister must have had a good relationship, and that was the only reason that Gompati could use to explain Alexander's strange look.

Gompati quickly and quietly left with a small group of soldiers, because the two sides had reached an agreement, so he could only sneak across the river as carefully as possible, and there were not many soldiers with him.

As agreed, Hami Resar Plom was sent as the Ottoman representative to the coalition forces, both so that the two sides could communicate in time and to monitor whether the coalition forces were quietly sending reinforcements across the river.

As the overseer of the coalition side, Ladislas II sent his own Imperial Governor.

Hammy Ressar Plumm was obviously a very adaptable person, and although he was in the enemy camp, he was calm and self-contained, and in addition to walking around the barracks casually, he also talked pleasantly with the coalition generals.

If it weren't for the ongoing negotiations between the two sides, it was speculated that something might have happened to the Sultan, but there was not the slightest sign of uncertainty about the Sultan's fate on the eunuch's face.

Ressar was obviously more familiar with the generals of the coalition than his enemies, and he could casually name a long list of titles of a certain person, or he could easily praise the most proud feat of a nobleman in conversation, and his ability to read and remember quickly won the favor of the nobles of the coalition army.

However, Ressar knew who really influenced the coalition forces, and apart from the King of Bohemia, he naturally paid the most attention to the Count of Montina, who was said to be betrothed to a Greek princess.

Resal soon visited Alexander, and when he saw Alexander sitting on a chair under the tent looking into the distance, Resal suddenly felt that maybe things were not so tricky.

The eunuch keenly smelled Alexander's hidden anxiety, and although he didn't know why, he immediately noticed that the young count was far less calm and composed than he seemed.

"Count, if I wanted to make new conditions, would you consider it?" Resal looked at Alexander, "a reasonable and acceptable condition." ”

Alexander's gaze fell on Resar's face, and he didn't speak, just nodded slightly for him to continue.

"That one, Greek princess," Resal paused before uttering the title, "the title must be revoked, she may claim to be a descendant of Valleologo, but she must declare the abolition of the title of Greek princess and renounce her inheritance to Greece and Bulgaria, Bosnia, and all places, and she must publicly acknowledge the Sultan as her sovereign, and she and her descendants," said the eunuch, who looked at Alexander with a meaningful gaze, "and must swear allegiance to the Sultan who lives in Istanbul." ”

Alexander listened quietly, he did not interrupt the eunuch's words, at this time he was not concerned with the title of Sophia, but on the other side of the river.

Although he couldn't hear the shouting and killing of guns on the battlefield, he seemed to see that Jisha was in danger, which made him almost can't help but immediately lead his troops across the river to save Jisha.

But he knew that it would not only be irrational to do so, but might even bring more danger to him, because doing so would likely cause the armies of both sides to increase their troops across the river, and if that would be the danger for him.

Gompati would have rescued him, and that man was a real soldier.

Alexander could only comfort himself in his heart, knowing that what he had to do at this time was to nail himself firmly to the west bank of the Dembvica River, not only to spy on the Ottomans, but also to spy on Ladislas II and his men.

After all, for Ladislas II, Chipes was also the one he wanted to get along with.

As for Sophia's title, Alexander didn't care so much at this time, because he was already sure at this time that Bayezid II had really had an accident, and the situation was very serious.

The reason why he speculated was that Ressar's last sentence made him hear something.

Allegiance must be sworn to the Sultan of Istanbul, not Bayezid II!

It doesn't sound like a difference, and the salutation says too much.

The Sultan could be anyone, but Bayezid II had only one.

Obviously, even if Sophia is willing to swear allegiance, the current situation of Bayezid II is likely to make this oath not last long, so in order for this oath to become an ironclad fact over time, then it cannot be a specific person.

To be sure, as a servant of the Sultan's side, if Bayezid II was safe and sound, Ressar would never dare to say so.

Everything has to wait for the outcome on the other side of the river, everything has to wait for the outcome of that battle.

If victorious, it would mean that the Ottoman expedition ended with the Sultan's surprise and defeat in the final battle of the Siege.

However, if they failed, the Ottomans would most likely do everything in their power to intimidate the Balkans under the threat of capturing Bucharest in order to resolve the ensuing civil strife in the empire.

And if that happens, both Tsusha and Sophia could be in danger.

Alexander thought anxiously, he had never felt like time was passing so slowly.

The sun is setting, and the rose-colored sunset is casting a rosy glow over the western land.

Alexander climbed a high slope and looked at the twilight of the east.

Suddenly, there was a strange melody that seemed to be in a trance, and Alexander thought he had misheard, but he was soon sure that he had heard the tune that shook his heart.

It was a piece of music that would never appear now, a piece he had given to Tsusha.

It's just that he didn't expect to hear it here, and as the tune grew clearer, he heard a burst of singing.

"Soldiers, prepare to move forward~

Behold, the armor of the Ottomans is distinct,

Their feathers are so beautiful that you can't help but want to pluck them,

Oh ~ grenadiers, Miss Countess is there, let's pay tribute to her,

Let's get honors,

Oh ~ grenadiers, the Ottomans are there, let's pounce on the enemy.

Let's pick up the victory~"