The wind-damaged stone walls, the rusty gates, the banner of the King of Castile, and the bronze cannons that glistened in the sunlight stood on the towers.

It was a sunny day with a high wind, the previous intermittent rain has disappeared, the wind is not very strong, it is very cool to blow on the body, and August is such a good weather for travel.

Alexander rode forward slowly, accompanied by the nobles of the "Peaceful March" faction, led by Don Bandraz.

These nobles now call themselves so, not all of them from Madrid, some of them joined along the way, and some of them are the nobles of Barriaridot, who had been secretly in tune with Alexander early on.

But wherever they come from, they now call themselves the PTP, or better yet.

It's just that Alexander felt that it seemed a little early, and there was no need to rush to establish such a name for them.

But in reality a group of people with common interests and the same direction is slowly emerging, and if the relationship between these people was vague when they set out from Madrid, then through the meeting in the village of San Martín, they seem to know what they want.

Ordinary peasants, townspeople, merchants, and middle- and lower-class nobles and knights became the backbone of the Pacifist Army, and among them there were some great nobles who for various reasons chose to side with Alexander from the beginning.

Such a complex organization with a large number of people poured towards the Barriaridods like a tidal wave, which made the Barriaridods somewhat uneasy.

The people of Bararidot were equally proud, and even the people of Madrid were like their relatives in the countryside in the back of nowhere, so the fact that such a group of strangers had suddenly followed the prince of Giorre Mordilo Astamara to Barriaridud made the locals both look forward and worry.

So when they heard that the peaceful march had finally appeared outside the city, the people couldn't help but go out of their homes and greet the arrival of the Castilian prince with mixed feelings.

In the distance, Alexander saw the city gate standing in the distance, and also saw the crowd of people who were already in the dark above and below the city.

The guards were a little nervous, and they rushed forward to surround the Duke in the middle, and the nobles who followed closely behind were ready to block the prince with their bodies.

At that moment, Alexander rolled over and dismounted.

He waved his hand slightly to signal the guards not to stand in front of him, and then he walked forward alone, and after coming to the front of the line, he stood in the middle of the avenue and thought about it, and under the gaze of countless people, he slowly knelt down and bowed his head to kiss the dust on the ground.

There was a muffled "buzz" from the crowd in the original car, and people looked at the duke who appeared for the first time as the prince of Castile in amazement, and saw him kneeling on the ground alone, and some people suddenly began to cry.

The place where Sher stood was closest to Alexander, and the Balkan man was tense at this time, his eyes fixed on the crowd opposite, although he knew that it would be difficult to guard against the Assassin in the midst of so many people, but he was still prepared to protect the Lord even if he sacrificed his life.

"If that's the case, the master won't make my family suffer." The two of them widened their eyes, and their hands clutched the muskets and daggers at their waists, pondering in their hearts.

Schell knew what he was doing, if he was lucky, he would be able to glorify his ancestors one day, and if he was unlucky, the lord would not treat his family badly if he did his duty.

So for Schelle, it doesn't matter what the master is, but if anyone wants the master's life, it is that he can't get along with his family.

But at this time, Schell seemed to hear the old man saying something to himself, so he habitually took two steps forward and bent down and asked in a low voice, "What do you command, sir?" ”

Alexander had already straightened up by this time, but his face was covered with dust but he did not reach out to wipe it, and after slowly standing up, he said to Scheer: "I remember when I left Babiaridotus, and I swore that I would make the city cheer for me when I came back again. ”

"You did it." Schell whispered.

"I have done it," said Alexander, turning to the leaders of the peaceful march who were looking at him with burning eyes, "I thank you for your loyal follower of me, and now that our peaceful march has come to an end, and we are not enemies but our brothers, let us now go and embrace them, and may God bring on Castile!" ”

Loud cheers rang out from the ranks of the Peace March, and the civilians threw away the clubs, pitchforks, and other weapons they had clenched for self-defense, the soldiers put up their spears and put away their swords, and the cavalry dismounted and led their mounts slowly on both sides of the road.

There was a slight commotion among the Barriaridodians who saw this, relieved by the solemn atmosphere that had also been tense and guarded, and when someone in the opposite procession was heard singing the hymn to the monarch, the Barriarides began to sing among them.

As more and more people sang in attendance, the atmosphere in front of the city gate became more and more intense.

Several aristocratic figures slowly walked out of the crowd, and some recognized them as representatives from the Toledo aristocratic council, as well as the Babiaridot tribune inherited from the ancient Roman tradition.

Seeing these people, the corners of Alexander's lips were imperceptible and a faint smile appeared.

It was not surprising that the great nobles did not come to greet him in person, not only did he already expect such a scenario, but he also realized that what would happen next would not be so simple.

If the previous struggle between him and Ferdinand came to an end for the time being, after entering the Barriaridud, the game with those nobles had just begun.

Ferdinand was a very transparent person, and more importantly, he was able to let go of the situation cleanly and without hesitation when he saw that the situation was not good.

Barriaridud is a city of power, where Ferdinand suffered a tragic setback, and now it is Alexander's turn.

Perhaps soon, he will also face the same problems that Ferdinand faced at the beginning.

Perhaps, this was even a trap that Ferdinand deliberately left for him.

But Ferdinand would not have imagined that Alexander had what he could not give to the nobles.

"Your Highness."

Alexander was interrupted by the saluting nobles, who nodded slightly to the men and thanked them for coming to greet him.

There was another commotion in the distance, and the appearance of a group of priests holding holy weapons made people let out a short exclamation, and looking at those priests, not only ordinary people, but also nobles couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

Archbishop Barriaride appeared.

Everyone was amazed at the arrival of the archbishop, and when they saw the archbishop come out of the procession and come to Alexander, and then extend his hand to him very kindly, the people could not help but let out a soft exclamation.

Alexander smiled, knowing why the archbishop had taken the initiative to go out of the city to meet him.

The defection of Tongomada put the Church in an awkward position during this time, and even more to their attention was the fact that Pope Pressure Hill VI was now in Seville, which had made Seville a faint center of the Southern Church.

The church of Castile could not afford a church split.

"Your Highness, your arrival is like a ray of sunshine dispelling the gloom." The archbishop said in an exclamatory tone.

"My lord, and you, like St. James, are silently guarding the last sanctity of the Church." Alexander likewise held out his hands to shake the archbishop.

Surprise flashed across the archbishop's face, then joy.

St. James, known as the "unsung apostle," was the most unknown of all the disciples of Jesus Christ, but because of his silent devotion he was seen as the representative of the majority of the countless martyrs.

Alexander would use St. James as a metaphor, which made the archbishop feel the kindness he showed.

A loud chant rang out, and all eyes were focused on Alexander for that moment.

He was already standing under the city gates, and a step forward meant that he had entered the city.

Under the gaze of the people, Alexander stopped and looked down at the line that happened to be in the shadow of the gate in front of his toes.

It's noon, and the sun is shining.

Alexander took a step forward and landed firmly in the shadow of the city gate, and everyone held their breath for a moment.

Finally he lifted his other foot and took a step forward.

"Hooray!"

Suddenly such a shout rang out from the crowd!

Suddenly, it was like a spark falling into a powder keg, and shouts erupted from all directions!

"Hooray~"

"Long live the King~"

People kept shouting like crazy, and soon some people were hoarse, some were almost out of breath because they were too excited, but even so, people still shouted with all their might.

The faces of the nobles of Barriaridud changed color in an instant, and everyone knew what Alexander's arrival meant.

Even in the minds of some, when he walked through the city gates, Castile had ushered in a new era.

But the nobles still wanted to make a final deal with Alexander before this "new era" was truly determined, and they hoped that he would make a promise to guarantee their rights, and the bargaining chip of the deal would be the empty crown of Castile.

They also believed that Alexander should have a clear idea of their intentions and should be willing to negotiate the deal.

But now, the extraordinary enthusiasm of the people caught the nobles off guard, and although they never admitted that these commoners would have any role in matters related to the succession to the throne, they still felt that the scene was a little uncontrollable listening to the cheers.

Some of them began to shout at the people not to shout, after all, such cheers were a rebellion before Juana's death was officially announced.

But no one listened to them at this moment, but more and more people joined in and joined the procession into the city, following Alexander and his followers, cheering and marching towards the city.

Streets, alleys, and places where the procession passed were drowned out with shouts and cheers like a wave.

The people standing on the side of the road heard this cheer and involuntarily shouted along.

This caused the sea of joy to spread in the direction of the palace like a raging wave crashing against the shore.

The gates of the palace were open, and the nobles who were already waiting in the square in front were whispering.

They did not expect the Archbishopric to personally go out of the city to greet Alexander, which made them even feel betrayed.

Nor did they expect that the Barriaridodians would greet the strange prince of Castile with such fantatiousness.

They did not even know that Alexander was said to have walked through the city gate step by step, and then walked towards the palace on foot.

It was a hard journey, from a slow start to an almost impossible walk, and Alexander was warmly welcomed by the Barriaridods.

This also led him to become the king of the Bararidots before he even entered the palace.

"This is an unprecedented astamara," one of the nobles said as he looked at the others, "so are we going to wait here any longer?" ”

Some people were stunned and didn't seem to understand, while some people had realized what they were looking at and hesitating.

"Guys, we should go and meet that Prince Astamara," finally another nobleman stepped forward, and he smiled self-deprecatingly at the still hesitant nobles, "we shouldn't continue to be stubborn at this time, it won't do us any good, and Castile needs a king, doesn't it?" ”

The nobleman's words finally touched those who were still hesitant, and they looked at each other and saw the same annoyance, unwillingness, and finally compromise in the eyes of others.

"Go meet the new king." An old nobleman laughed, raised his head with a flask in his hand and took a sip, then shook his head and said with emotion, "Enrique, it's time to look at it this time." ”

"Your Excellency," a disgruntled whisper reminded, "no one has yet publicly recognized the Duke of Rome Thesia as king." ”

"No one?"

The old nobleman put his hand to his ear and leaned out towards the tidal wave in the distance, made a gesture of listening, and then laughed again.

The man was very unhappy with his actions, so he said with some annoyance, "If he can't satisfy us, his king may not be able to succeed." ”

The old nobleman looked at the man with idiotic eyes, then sighed and muttered in a low voice: "It's good to be young, at least I still have the courage to speak out, I'm old, I can't stand the toss." ”

As he spoke, he stepped forward.

"Where are you?"

Someone asked in a loud voice.

"Where else can I go," said the old nobleman, smiling back to the nobles who had already made the move, but who had never been willing to take the first step, "go and meet the king, and rest assured, I'm the first, so you don't have to worry about being someone else's joke." ”

Although the words of the old nobleman annoyed many people, they also had the opportunity to step down.

Since someone has taken the first step, it will not be difficult to take the next step.

But the nobles were well aware that their actions meant compromises and concessions to the Duke of Rome.

This is certainly not the result they wanted, but now the situation in front of them forces them to do so.

A banner of the king of Castilla fluttered in the street as the procession marched, and the nobles saw it from afar.

But what caught their attention was that right next to this flag, there was another flag that was equally eye-catching.

Looking at the heraldic flag of the Duchy of Rome advancing alongside the royal flag, the Castilian nobles suddenly realized a fact that they had seemed to have deliberately ignored before.

Giorgio Modillo was not only a prince of Castile, but also a regent of Rome, a prince of Sicily, Wallachia, Pisa, Florence and many more.

Even, he is now like an uncrowned "Roman king"!

What would happen to such a man if he became King of Castile?

Similarly, what if he hadn't become king?

The team was already getting closer, and when there was still some distance between the two sides, Alexander stopped first.

The nobles on the opposite side also stopped, but this "stalemate" only lasted for an insignificant moment, and some of the nobles took the first step forward.

And this time, almost everyone followed suit.

Alexander stood motionless in the street, a little farther away from him were the jubilant crowd, closer to the ranks of the Peaceful Marchers, and around him, surrounded by his followers and the clergy of the Church.

At this moment, he is undoubtedly the center of everyone, and all eyes are on him.

The nobles had come very close, and they stopped again, and slowly stepped out of the crowd with an old man with a slightly slumped shoulder.

Seeing the old man, Alexander stretched out his hand and made an inviting gesture, although he was still standing.

Pedro Yafrea, the contemporary head of the family, named after the last ruler of the famous House of Afrea, is also the oldest nobleman in Castile, having ruled the country for two centuries, making them the most respected nobles in the kingdom even after losing their crowns.

"In the name of all Castilian nobles, welcome to your arrival duke." Duke Pedro Yafrea first greeted Alexander, and then he put all his strength into the crutches in his hand, and bowed down with some difficulty.

Alexander didn't hold him up, he knew it would be a significant move, so he didn't extend his hand to him until the old duke straightened up with difficulty.

"I am also very happy to see you again, and I only hope that God will keep you healthy and that you will continue to have your help and assistance for a long time to come." Alexander said to Pedro Yafrea.

"May your wish come true." Pedro Yafrea nodded slightly, then stepped aside.

With Pedro Yafrea's movements, all the nobles couldn't help but give way to both sides.

A short but straight road appeared in front of Alexander, and at the end of this road was the palace of the Bararidots.

The refreshing wind blows more pleasantly, and August is the season when the fruits are gradually ripening, the season when hard work is rewarded, and the season when many unresolved matters finally come to fruition in the expectations of countless people.

In Iberia, August ushered in the transformation of a kingdom.

In Italy, August has also become a symbol of a new phase of the war.

At the beginning of the month, the French army advanced first towards Milan, and the only Austrian troops in Milan withdrew from the city, which was extremely important to Maximian, without even making a symbolic resistance, and the French army immediately occupied Milan.

In the face of such an adventurous action of the French army, which did not hesitate to warn and threaten from Venice, Maximian seemed powerless for a while.

Because not so long ago, the Venetians and the Duchy of Roman Thessia made peace.