Alexander was once again in front of the elders of the Castilian nobility, and this time he was formally invited into the large house with its cascading stone walls.

The last time Alexander was here, he was with his father-in-law.

The pope at that time was somewhat embarrassed, after all, when he came out of Vallaridus, he was secretly worried about whether Ferdinand would find out and be imprisoned.

So Alexander VI at that time seemed to be in a hurry, and there was no trace of the calmness and solemnity with which he declared when he left Rome to "inspect the territory as God's agent in the world".

Perhaps because of this, although the reception in Toledo was grandiose, it can be somewhat felt that the arrival of the Pope is not so important here.

This contempt was subtle, but it was palpable, so Alexander VI insisted on a grand entrance ceremony for himself when he entered Seville, as a way to compensate for the cold reception he had received in Toledo.

However, this time Alexander's encounter was different, it was still those noble elders, and it was still in the stone hall with a unique shape, like a huge tent, but this time he was the protagonist, and the number of those noble elders was also unexpectedly complete.

The Presbyterian Church of Castile Nobility is a very old organization, which still retains some traces of the early tribal era.

Unlike the English aristocracy, the Castilian aristocratic council had great influence but no direct power, and more importantly, most of these nobles were products of the old Castilian kingdom.

With the beginning of the rule of the Astamara family, the influence of the noble elders had begun to decline rapidly.

By Isabella's time, with the relocation of the capital to Vallaridos, the Council of Nobles, although the old nobles and the new nobles were competing for interests, they were already clearly at a disadvantage in the face of royal power.

The stone hall is oval-shaped, and the furnishings inside are clearly in the style of ancient Rome.

On the concave steps, the elders looked blankly at Alexander as he walked through the gate.

They were scrutinizing the young man, speculating on his thoughts, and wondering whether they could make some kind of deal with the young duke, or whether they would end up being enemies.

What puzzled the elders was how the Duke of Rome Thesia dared to come to Toledo alone, after all, it was not far from Madrid, and if the defenders of Madrid heard the news, it would be a disaster for everyone here.

Because of this, many people did not look at Alexander with friendly eyes, and they felt that this young man had pushed them into a dangerous situation.

Any suggestion he might make, these people are inwardly disgusted.

So a lot of people have already made up their minds that whatever they want to say will not get support from them.

They just want this to end as soon as possible, although it seems that others don't think so.

Alexander, who had just entered the hall, immediately felt the obvious hostility.

He walked slowly, and as he was about to reach the pulpit in the center of the concave steps, he waved his hand to Schell, who had always been with him, and asked him to stand there.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Alexander winked at Scheer, who noticed that Scheer's hands were hanging down on the side of the holster at his crotch, perhaps because of the slight shaking of his nervous fingers, intentionally or unintentionally.

He couldn't help but think of the famous western cowboys centuries later, but he didn't know if Shelf would be nicknamed Billy the Kid or Bob Kid in the future.

But Alexander didn't blame Schell for his apparent vigilance.

In fact, although he didn't think that the nobles would be stupid enough to be against him here, he didn't want to end up being calculated like his brother-in-law.

Calmly stepping up to the podium, Alexander looked around.

He noticed that the ancestors of Castile were still very clever, and they deliberately designed the position of the speaker's pulpit in the middle of the ring stand, and built it very low, so that the speaker had to raise his head to face the people on the steps, so that there was naturally a sense of discomfort because of oppression.

It's a subtle feeling, and once you stand in that position, you feel like you're surrounded by people, and you even feel like you're going to be squashed.

Then, in the face of the eyes that were staring at him high above him, Alexander spoke.

"Elders of Castile, I am grateful that you have given me the opportunity to speak here, but I am sure you will not regret it, because I have brought you ......" At this, Alexander looked around and smiled, "A gift you can't refuse. ”

There was a stir in the stands all around, some curious, some dissatisfied, and some indeed attracted by Alexander's words.

Alexander met the gazes that looked at him, and he saw in those eyes hostility, indifference, heat, and greed.

Unmoved by the emotions of those people, however, he began his speech slowly but methodically.

"You are the nobles of Colora, with a long history and a proud position inherited from your ancestors, but I am confident that even then I will be able to pay you a price worthy of it all......"

Maybe you'll turn me down, but that's only because I didn't give enough.

Shel stood not too far away and looked at the elders vigilantly, although most of them were very old, he did not dare to relax in the slightest.

With the advent of the age of firearms, the gap between age and physique has become smaller and smaller, a musketeer with a little training for 1 month can kill a knight who has been trained since childhood, and the old man and immature children in the past can easily kill a strong man.

Schell had four muskets with him, and he was convinced that even a single bullet would be enough if the gun rang out.

He was sure that he could take out anyone who tried to threaten the Duke with a single shot, and he could then use everyone in the room as a threat.

Schell is as confident in his marksmanship as he is in his sword.

As time passed, Alexander's voice echoed through the hall, and although many of his words were distracted or simply not understood, the Balkans could perceive the atmosphere in the room changing subtly as the Duke spoke.

"No," an elder suddenly interrupted Alexander, who stood up excitedly and said to the slightest person, "why should we waste our time here listening to this man, we all know that the people of the Astamara family are unreliable, and the family has not been trustworthy since the time of Enrique II. ”

The man's words immediately resonated, with many people clapping the table in agreement, while others spoke out against it, and the two sides immediately fell into an argument.

Looking at the elders who were arguing and scolding each other, Alexander seemed to see something very familiar, and he couldn't help but feel that humans kept doing the same thing over and over again.

But he didn't want to just wait for a final outcome.

Or simply no result.

"Smack!"

The muffled sound of a heavy object hitting the podium silenced the arguing hall.

Everyone couldn't help but look at Alexander, who was distressed to check whether the command staff in his hand was damaged because of this.

"Let me ask you~" Alexander looked up at the men, "Do you have anything to lose?" ”

"What did you say, Duke?" The Chief Elder asked in a deep voice.

"I mean, even if I deceived you, do you have anything to lose now?"

Alexander looked around at the elders who were looking at him with different expressions.

"Isabella has taken almost everything from you, power, honor and almost everything you have, except for Toledo you have nothing now, those upstarts don't want to share with you the spoils of the Reconquista, and Isabella has been holding you back from the beginning, so even if I deceive you, what do you have to lose, or do you think that as long as you don't cooperate with me, Ferdinand will accept your overtures and return power?"

Alexander's words made the hall silent, everyone was silent, some of them were angry, some were dazed, and some were looking at Alexander helplessly, and for a while it seemed that everyone had aphasia.

"You may not get anything out of cooperating with me, but there is still a chance, but if you refuse me, I can assure you that whoever wins this war will have nothing."

Alexander's words caused the hall to fall silent for a moment, and the eyes of those who were still arguing were focused on him, as if they were about to burn a few holes at this moment.

No one could not hear it, it was a complete threat.

But no one can deny that his words hit everyone's soft underbelly.

Since Isabella's time, the local aristocracy has gradually become more and more severe, so that many people have clearly realized the attitude of the royal family.

Isabella's decision to send a governor to Andalusia caused an uproar among the nobility.

This makes people clearly aware that even without Alexander, the pace of Isabella and his wife's seizure of power will not stop.

Similarly, Alexander did not hide his disgust at the aristocracy's power and seizure of territories.

Then the result is really as Alexander said, this war between the Astamara family, no matter who wins in the end, the national policy of weakening the power of the nobility is impossible to change.

"What I promise you is what I can give," Alexander continued to say to the elders, "I can give you honor and wealth, but you will also give you what I need." ”

"What do you want, Duke?"

The chief patriarch, who had not spoken all this time and was just watching coldly, finally spoke up.

As soon as he spoke, everyone's eyes immediately turned to him, and some of the elders even showed eager expressions.

The Chief Senator slowly stood up on the armrest of his chair, and he looked down at Alexander, his expression not hiding his curiosity.

The Chief Senator was indeed curious, he had thought that he knew the Duke well.

In his opinion, there was no real difference between the Duke of Rome Thessia and his brother-in-law, Caesar.

Relying on the support of the Pope and his sister, the duke's desire for the crown of Castile was so obvious, but even though he was said to have defeated Gonzalo in Seville, the chief senator still considered this brilliant result to be at most a bargaining chip for him to win the support of the noble council in the future.

But until now, the Duke of Rome Thessia has not said a word about the Battle of Seville.

But in this way, he has already made the elders either excited or angry to take the initiative.

The chief senator could not help but look at the duke anew.

Especially the conditions he put forward before, it cannot but be said that there are so many temptations that it is difficult to refuse.

"What do I want?" Alexander met the chief senator's gaze and met him, "I do need your support, but I am by no means here to show your position from above, I want you to recognize me as the rightful monarch of Castile, and I want you to show your allegiance to me." ”

"We will be loyal to the King of Castile."

"But that's not enough," Alexander unceremoniously interrupted the Chief Senator, "swearing allegiance to me, acknowledging that I am the supreme authority of Castile, and that's what I need." ”

"Duke, you should know that even the king is not above the senators." The chief senator's voice was stern, and he stared at Alexander's eyes, and his expression revealed incomparably calm, "The power of the Castilian nobility is given by God, and only God has the right to decide whether to take it back. ”

"Is that so?" Alexander's command staff poked the pulpit in front of him, making a "bang" sound, "But please don't forget that the king's crown is granted by God, and as a worldly ruler chosen by God, my existence is the state." ”

The Chief Senator looked at Alexander stunned, he didn't expect Alexander to be so tough, which made the Senator wonder if he really needed the support he said.

Wasn't he worried that the nobles of Toledo would fall to Ferdinand?

While almost everyone had been positive about Alexander's statement that Isabelle and Ferdinand's children had lost their ability to inherit the throne, the Chief Senator knew better that when it came to personal interests, the nobles were more likely to choose a king of Moorish blood than a monarch who would leave them with nothing despite their pure blood.

Therefore, the Chief Senator would look at Alexander with incredulous eyes, he could be sure that Alexander was not crazy, then the only explanation was that he had other chips in his hand.

"Duke, do you think you can buy everyone here?"

The Chief Senator looked gloomy, he was vaguely aware of Alexander's methods, but even then he did not believe that the young man could come up with enough money to impress everyone.

Alexander glanced at the Chief Senator, and he knew that if he wanted to find one of these people who was really unwilling to accept his terms, it would probably be the Chief Senator himself.

Alexander would think this way only because he knew that if he were the chief senator, he would not accept such a condition either, because it would mean a complete loss of his own power.

For the chief senator, the endless contradictions between the old and new nobles were just a good time for him to show his strength.

The old aristocracy needed a leader to lead them against the upstarts who were secretly supported by the royal family, and the royal family had to deal with him if they wanted to successfully weaken the power of the nobles.

Perhaps what the Chief Patriarch hopes for is that this situation will be maintained forever, because as long as the contradiction exists, he will occupy a position that no one else can replace.

For this reason, if it were to be replaced by another monarch, even Isabella and his wife, they would choose to reach a compromise with the chief senator.

But Alexander didn't want to do that.

Because the end result of this compromise is nothing more than the transfer of aristocratic power from one group of people to another.

If it had been two or even one century ago, perhaps such a change would not only be good, but perhaps it would have been a transformation.

It's just that times have changed.

Whether intentionally or not, the nations of Europe were making great strides towards the centralization of power, and as the future king, Alexander did not want the Kingdom of Spain to continue to follow the same path as it was.

There are many reasons why the Spanish Empire, which was once the dominant power in history, eventually declined after two centuries, but the power of the domestic aristocracy has always been great, which is undoubtedly one of the most important reasons.

And he is going to completely eradicate this hidden danger that will eventually lead to the decline of Spain now.

"Duke, you haven't answered my question yet. Do you think everyone can be bought by you? ”

The chief patriarch urged again, and the hall was silent for a while, and the patriarchs who had been arguing silently looked at the two people facing each other.

"No, I don't think so."

Alexander finally spoke, placing his staff lightly on the pulpit and slowly looking from left to right with his eyes.

The Chief Patriarch noticed that when he looked at him, the look on his face was no different from that of the others, as if he was completely unaware of his own importance, which made the Chief Patriarch's already unhappy mood even worse.

"I would think I need to buy someone because he deserves it, but if it weren't for that value, I wouldn't pay anything."

With that, Alexander's gaze finally returned to the Chief Senator.

"I think some of you know about the Trade Alliance, which is dominated by Rome and Thesia, and now this alliance has wealth that you can't imagine, and maybe some of you will say that you have new colonies, but I want to ask you, what does the new colonies have to do with you?"

Alexander's question stunned the senators, who looked at each other, and some of them couldn't help but retort, but they didn't know where to start.

The wealth of the new colonies was coveted, but so far it was only the expedition fleets financed by the royal family that had been able to make a real fortune from there.

"Yes, it's the new colony," Alexander finally threw out the bait he had prepared, "what I can give you, besides wealth, there is a new world." ”

Hearing this, the Chief Elder's heart jumped suddenly, and he quickly looked around.

Then I found that, like him, all the people were moved by these words.