A few horseback riders peered into the woods by the side of the road.

The woods are quite high, so it's easy to see the end of the road from here.

The clothes on these people are different, some of them are very open to the coat of arms of the master's family, and some are secretive and obviously do not want to be seen by others.

And although they got together, they seemed to be more or less estranged from each other, and some even showed vague hostility.

"Why haven't you come yet?" A person seems to be impatient to ask a friend he knows.

"It can't be so fast, I heard that the Duke is going to march to the Barriaridud with the Madridians." The person who answered glanced at the companion who was also on the horse and shook his head to his companion who kept visiting in the distance: "My lord said that this is a big deal, and it will definitely not be so casual." ”

"But do you mean that you are already out of Madrid," said the questioner impatiently, "why doesn't that duke take only the army, but how far can he go every day with a large group of civilians?" ”

Listening to his complaints, his companions just shrugged their shoulders, they didn't know much about this kind of thing for the noble lords, and as for why the duke was asking for trouble with a large group of ordinary civilians who really didn't seem to be useful, it wasn't something they needed to care about.

These were all sent by the nobles of Barriatricot to inquire about the news, because they had heard that the Duke of Rome Thessia had publicly announced his march on Barriaride, and some of them had begun to consider whether it was time to "welcome the king" while dealing with Ferdinand.

This seemingly two-sided trick was not difficult for the nobles, and they believed that even Ferdinand knew exactly what they were doing.

A faint cloud of smoke and dust spread on the horizon in the distance, and the people immediately stirred.

They knew that it would have been a change caused by a large number of troops, and that the Madrid team should have arrived almost already in the news.

From Madrid, passing through the Segovia crossing, and then landing on the opposite bank towards Valriaridod, the road was relatively peaceful, except for the difficulty of crossing the river.

In the vicinity of the village of Blackpool, Alexander commissioned a short but solemn Requiem Mass presided over by the Bishop of Madrid.

Although the whole process was much simplified because it was on the way to the army, it was filled with a deep sadness and heaviness.

As a cousin of Prince Castile and Juana, Alexander gave a short oratory after Mass.

He didn't quote the Bible or look back at history at length, because that would have left the common people below completely confused because they didn't understand it.

He just angrily asked, "What is the reason for all this!" ”

Why did Juana give up her throne and flee the Barriarides?

Why did she suffer such a sad fate?

Why has the queen been seen almost never since she ascended the throne to fulfill her duty?

And why did such bad luck befall his poor cousin?

One question after another resonated with the people of Madrid, who responded loudly and then angrily questioned.

Of course, in the face of such suspicions, no one could answer their questions, and the anger of the people burned again.

"To Vallidode!"

The people began to cry out, and even those who had only thought of the place where the queen was martyred were infected by the anger and roared loudly.

Alexander did not bring many troops from Madrid, and in addition to ensuring that he could still control the army left in the city after his departure, Alexander also left Gonzalo in Madrid.

The situation has developed to the point where Alexander is somewhat satisfied.

From the outset, he was not inclined to provoke a protracted second war for the throne in Castile, which would not only affect the future unification of Spain, but also give other countries the opportunity to intervene.

The kings of Portugal have always had illusions of dominating Iberia, and although Portugal has always been suppressed by Castile, they always want to challenge this powerful neighbor whenever they have the opportunity.

This can be seen from the fact that Portugal was actively involved in the dispute between Isabella and Juana, and Manuel's ambitions were no less than those of his predecessors, if not stronger.

This is why Alexander did not hesitate to throw out the whole fat of the New World and direct the eyes of the Portuguese to the ocean, and he needed enough time.

Castile had to settle the transition to the throne as peacefully as possible without serious damage, which is why he and Jossa had been slow to march north after their victory at the Battle of Seville.

This was of course due to the fact that Gonzalo's army, despite its crushing defeat, was still strong, and they could not but worry that they might be threatened with the possibility of being cut off from retreat, and more importantly, they feared that it might arouse the resentment of the Castilians, and even provoke a national revolt.

A prince who relied on foreign powers to try to seize power was always not liked, so the struggle between him and Ferdinand was seen by many as a pure struggle for power.

The aristocracy would decide which side to turn to, and the common people would stand idly by because they were disgusted with war.

And Ferdinand, because of the advantage of orthodox inheritance, undoubtedly occupies a great initiative, which is not what Alexander wants to see.

That's why he decided to venture north on his own.

However, this seemingly risky move was actually quite certain in Alexander's own opinion.

Because he knew what Gonzalo would choose in the end, and Gonzalo's decision had a direct impact on the people of Madrid.

Now it seems that everything is going well, Alexander did not bring too many troops, but on the contrary, there were far more civilians following him into the Barriarides, and the trend is growing.

Along the way, more and more people rushed to hear the news, and people in many places who had already received the news joined the "March for Peace" movement.

There were soldiers and low-ranking knights, nobles and merchants in some places, and in some places even entire armies joining them.

According to Alexander's public declaration, the march was peaceful, and they only wanted to seek justice for what happened to the queen, like Barriaridot, which clearly distinguished the march itself from the so-called rebellion and seizure of power.

At least that's how it was for commoners and many ordinary nobles and knights.

It was a march that was destined to drag on for a long time, and although the road from Madrid to Barriaridud was fairly smooth, there was little discipline in this one, and it took much longer than expected for the group to reach the outskirts of Cuelial, a few dozen miles from Barriadode.

However, long before their arrival, the situation of this peaceful army was known to the nobles, and because of the changes in the city, the nobles of Barriaridud, who were already wavering, began to make their own plans.

Some quietly sent people out of the city, wanting to know how sure the Duke was that he would be the new master of Barriride.

Others, though superficially unmoved, can keep a close eye on the changing situation.

Especially after the siege of the royal palace in Barriaridud two days earlier, the situation in Barriaridud suddenly became tense.

No one can tell how the commoners suddenly appeared, they gathered at the palace from all directions, and when the nobles who had to come forward first denied it, and then had to be forced to admit that the queen had indeed been martyred, the people began to shout to find the murderer to avenge the queen, and then gradually it became to ask Ferdinand to publicly surrender power to the royal family of Castile.

These demands shook the nobles in an instant, and they realized that the gathering had changed from a simple mourning for the queen to a forced palace that could turn into a riot at any moment, so that the nobles, whether they secretly rejoiced in it or not, could not help but tremble.

They knew that such a revolt, which was completely uncontrollable and even had been blinded by anger, would turn into a complete chaos when it broke out, and none of them as nobles would be spared at that time.

At this moment, the nobles were united, and they began to mobilize their armies to try to suppress the civilians who they had turned into mobs.

The situation in the Barriarides suddenly became tense, and the people were sad and confused, sad and hesitant, not knowing who to trust at this time, and still less whether they should stop when the nobles had made promises to them.

It was at this time that the appearance of a group of heavily armed soldiers instantly panicked the originally overwhelmed people, people did not know what was going to happen, and some people began to flee quietly, and the attitude of the originally kind nobles became tougher.

The populace was quickly dispersed, and the inevitable bloodshed caused even greater panic and riots, but the nobles were at least relieved.

The situation seems to be under control, but the situation in the court is changing drastically.

The Castilian nobles began to put pressure on Ferdinand, and although they agreed and participated in the suppression of the people outside, this did not prevent them from taking the opportunity to prove their role to Ferdinand.

Even the nobles who were usually close to Ferdinand wisely chose silence at this time, or rather this silence was an attitude.

The Castilian nobles demanded that Ferdinand publicly promise not to touch the Castilian crown.

This request infuriated Ferdinand, who reiterated that at the time of Isabe's death he had publicly expressed his support for his daughter Juana to become Queen of Castile, which made him feel insulted to make such a promise again.

However, the Castilian nobles apparently disagreed with him, believing that it was just a promise to Juana, and with the martyrdom of Juana and his wife, everyone was now facing the vacancy of the Castilian throne!

It was destined to be a battle in which neither side could retreat, Ferdinand was like a trapped lion guarding his last possessions, and the nobles were like hyenas who saw an opportunity, and from time to time thought of the terrible fangs of a man whom they had never dared to offend before.

It doesn't really matter who emerges victorious in this debate, as they know that there is an even stronger opponent in the way of Vallaredot.

On August 9, the news finally came.

The Duke of Rome Thesia, with his men and a large number of people, had arrived in Cuelial.

The supposedly peaceful march set up camp outside the city of Cueliar, and the Duke sent a letter from Cueliar in the hope of getting enough supplies from the area to keep them going.

The city of Cuelial closed its gates to allow the Duke's emissaries to enter, but soon the gates were opened again, and the Provisional Government, consisting of a group of local nobles, soldiers, and merchants, announced that Cuelial welcomed the arrival of the Duke of Rome Thesia.

The duke, however, did not enter the city, and told the officials who had gone to meet him in the camp that he "wanted to be with his people," to the great cheers of the onlookers.

Then, the duke did what he said, and after declining the kindness of the envoy of Cuelial, he had a small but significant dinner with the petty nobles and landlords who had joined him along the way.

When the night wind blew, campfires were already lit in the camp.

From a distance, the campfires in the fields and the stars in the first clear night sky reflect each other.

Surrounded by a crowd of nobles and soldiers, Alexander walked slowly through the chaotic camp.

Although it was getting late, many people recognized him.

More and more people gathered around, cheering at Alexander, despite the soldiers and nobles, and some of them sang hymns in the distance.

"God's chosen Monarch,

The embodiment of glory and piety,

God-given authority,

Eternal and eternal orthodoxy,

……”

Before you knew it, the people began to sing along, and the song drifted into the ears of the Kueliyar nobles who stood on the city walls all night long, looking at the camp in the starry sky.

That night, someone quietly left the city of Cuelial and hurried towards Barrialidod.

They want to make it clear what they see to those who are desperate to know what's going on here.

In the house on Old School Street, the young Moorish is squinting at the younger Alonso painting.

Because he was being stared at all the time, Alonso couldn't help but get a little nervous.

He glanced at Ulliu, who was hanging from a bandage on his right arm, and his lips moved to say something.

But before he could speak, Ulliu had already raised his left hand and shook it at him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to make any comments on your paintings, I'm actually a servant, so you don't have to care what I think at all."

Alonso snorted in his throat, but said nothing.

He couldn't forget the panicked look on his father's face when he fled back, and he couldn't forget the terrified look on his father's face when he saw Ulliu who followed him through the door.

The young Moorish lad seemed to be a good talker, but old Beruget had quietly told his family that no one was allowed to provoke the Moorish from now on.

There was a faint knock on the door downstairs, and Alonso quietly looked down the railing, and saw his mother carefully open the door, and then two people rushed in.

Ulliu went downstairs at once, and after a few whispered words with the two men, he went upstairs alone.

To Alonso's surprise, he was surprised to see a rare look of worry on Ulliu's face, as he had the impression that the Moorish man was always smiling and never seemed to know what it meant to be worried.

So the way he is now, Alonso can't help but wonder if something big must have happened.

Sure enough, when he returned upstairs, Ulliu seemed to be in no mood to continue watching him draw, and he looked out the window anxiously, and Alonso could clearly feel the worry in his heart.

Alonso put down his paintbrush, he hesitated and whispered, "Is something wrong?" ”

"Yes," said Ulliu, who did not hide it, and looked at the young painter, "there is news that must be sent out, or someone will be in danger, but I cannot leave Barriado now, and I wonder if anyone can help me." ”

"The man you're talking about is the Duke of Roman Thesia?" Alonso asked, and when Alexander looked at him, Alonso said, "It seems that Lord Normezi also works for that duke, right?" ”

Ulius nodded silently, he was thinking about how to get the news out as soon as possible, and he himself, as he said, couldn't leave Valaridot at such an important time.

"Perhaps," Alonso hesitated and whispered, "my father can do this," he added, "he won't snitch, our whole family is here, isn't it?" ”

Uliu looked at Alonso silently and thought for a while, then patted him on the shoulder: "Learn to paint hard, I believe that you will definitely become a great court painter in the future." ”

Towards evening, a man hurried through the gate of the city and hurried out of the city, and he offered a reward for a very sturdy donkey, because he suddenly heard that something was wrong at his brother's house outside the city, and he had to hurry out of the city overnight.

The guards just checked it casually and let them go.

Speaking of which, the terrible events that took place on the first day had frightened too many people, so it was normal to want to flee outside the city to avoid it.

As for Ferdinand, he didn't care how many people fled from Barriadot, the only thing he wanted to do now was how to stop Alexander, and then simply eliminate the enemy who had now become his greatest threat.

Gombray has left Madrid.

The Duke of Rome Thesia was leading his men towards the port of Segovia.

Master Georgor Modillo camped with his followers outside Cuelial.

Prince Astamara is heading for the kingdom's capital!

The increasingly bad news made Ferdinand realize that he could no longer hesitate, and although the decisions he made next might cause more turmoil, as long as he could eliminate the Gombray, it would all be worth it.

An army left the Barriarides overnight, a small but capable army of mostly Aragonese and Catalans, with one purpose: to kill the Duke of Roman Thesia!

These men had already received a large bounty before they left Valaridod, and Ferdinand might have promised that they would be paid twice as long as they succeeded.

This excited the soldiers, who had already heard that the duke's ranks, though numerous, were vast majority of ordinary civilians.

For these experienced and vicious soldiers, it was like facing a flock of sheep without any threat.

The group set out overnight, and they made rapid progress south along the road to Cueliar.

Because, according to Ferdinand, he did not want to hear the news of the further westward march of the Combrai, especially from Torresillas, which symbolized his entry into the Valliador region.

So, those people had to deal with him once and for all before his party entered the Vallaridod region.

The procession moved quickly, and even the Catalans, who were fierce but always scattered, became industrious, spurred on by the bounty.

They and the Aragonese chased after me, all the way non-stop.

However, to their disappointment, when they finally arrived at Torresilas at dawn, they heard that the party of the Duke of Rome Thesia had also arrived near Torresillas.

The interception team made an immediate decision.

When they were sure that the Duke of Rome Thesia would not enter Torresilis, they decided to intercept the Duke's party on the road not far from Torresillas.

With the heavy cavalry in front and the light cavalry on the flanks, the team simply laid out the formation and waited for the arrival of its prey like a hunter.

When the first rays of the morning sun emerged from below the horizon, a sparkling shadow appeared at the end of the road in the distance, and those shadows were gradually elongated by the rising sunlight behind them, and gradually became dense from the beginning of sparse and dense.

The sunlight and the smoke and dust mixed together to create a strange color of the morning, and the slowly approaching procession seemed to emerge from this color.

The people who walked in the front also saw the army on the road, which immediately caused a wave of unease.

The pace of the team slowed down, and when it was still some distance away from the army, it finally stopped.

Alexander hurried his horse forward, as if sensing the tension as well, and his mount alternated its hooves restlessly.

"I am the Duke of Roman Thesia," Alexander cried out to the opposite team, "I want you to get out of the way." ”

"I'm sorry Duke, but your men can only go here," someone in the army replied loudly, "As for yourself, we have been ordered to invite you to Barriaridud. ”

Alexander did not answer immediately, he sat on his horse and groaned slightly, then let out a chuckle.

"I think you've got one thing wrong, it's the future King of Castile in front of you!"

Alexander's voice rang out suddenly, and as he pulled a riding gun from the holster on the side of his saddle, the muzzle of the gun pulled the trigger upward, and a loud gunshot broke the oppressive atmosphere.

There was a sudden faint tremor on the ground, and the experienced soldiers immediately judged that it was a large group of cavalry rushing quickly.

Soon, from the back of the marching procession, on the left, on the right, and not far from the still-quiet city of Torresillas, groups of cavalry swept in.

To the surprise of the interception team, the flags held by these cavalrymen were so complex and varied.

Looking at the coats of arms, some familiar and some unfamiliar, the Interception team knew that they were no longer able to complete the task given to them by Ferdinand.

Because that would mean making enemies of almost all the Castilian nobles.

They turned their horses and hurried away, and behind them, watching the fleeing procession in disarray, Alexander raised the banner that had already been prepared for him.

"I'm coming, Barriaridod!"