Traveling on a midsummer night is a pleasant experience, the Mediterranean climate is cool and comfortable at night, and the slightly warm breeze can even make you drowsy when the horses are galloping.

Except for the horses' hooves striking the ground, there was little sound from the main group, and the cavalry galloping through the wilderness was pulled by the bright moonlight to cast a string of sliding shadows on the ground.

When Alexander looked up, he looked at the full moon like a silver plate above his head, and suddenly missed his distant family.

There was no going back, although several years had passed, and in this era he not only had considerable land, castles, armies and wealth, but also had his own companions and children who liked and liked him, but every time he thought of his relatives in another era a few centuries away, he still had an indescribable melancholy.

Maybe that's why when fighting for power, he never forgot the reason why he was entangled with many beloved women, in his heart Alexander longed for a warm family, but the development of things forced him to step by step on a road of no return.

I can't go back, I can only keep moving forward.

As with Alfred, it would have been hard for him to imagine that he would have instigated a wife to murder her husband with poison, but now he had not only done so, but he had become the mastermind who provided the poison.

I can't go back, Alexander sighed in his heart.

He couldn't tolerate Jisha really becoming Alfred's wife, and even on the wedding night he had secretly ordered that if Jisha failed to get rid of Alfred, once the maid who followed Jisha sent a distress signal, he would simply lead the troops directly into the palace, and then completely solve Alfred's "great enemy" in the most direct and brutal way.

Perhaps it was unfair to Alfred to do so, after all, he was just a simple love for Josa, and he had even helped them because of this love, but Alexander didn't care about it.

He would not give his beloved sister to anyone, even if she would become Queen of Naples in the future.

Alexander didn't know if the dream Alfred was suggesting that he was aware of the conspiracy that was going on around him, but it didn't matter.

The situation has reached such an irreversible time now, and everyone knows that there is no going back!

As if sensing Alexander's emotion, the next to him glanced at him with a slight sideways face, looking at Alexander's tense face, the corners of Alexander's mouth crossed a smile.

Her brother was now galloping with her in the wilderness, and she was reminded of the night attack on Agri, when she had only doubted his identity, and now she knew that he was not her half-brother, but he had become her lover after losing his position.

The shadows of the procession stretched long in the moonlight, and the dull sound of hooves like thunder echoed in the open field, and a dark shadow appeared in the distance, and Alexander exhaled softly.

Over the hill we entered Billy Sheli.

Alfonso walked impatiently back and forth, and sometimes someone would come to report something to him, but it was always news that upset him, such as one of his nobles who had gone to drink with the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce in the trade area, and the merchants who had gathered together to mumble some little conspiracy that disturbed him.

In fact, most of these are Alfonso's own thoughts, the merchants do get together, but most of them talk about how to make money in the future, and the nobles go to visit the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce also just want to take the opportunity to make some money, because it is said that many nobles in Rome have a good relationship with the Chamber of Commerce in the free trade zone, and most of them like to go in and out of a place called the exchange established by the Chamber of Commerce, as if the nobles often hold banquets. Then those Roman nobles heard about it and made a lot of money.

In short, the people of Billy Shelly are somewhat crazy from top to bottom, and the excitement of joining the free trade zone alliance has given them the illusion that they can get rich tomorrow if they join today, and the restlessness caused by this illusion is, in Alfonso's view, a typical "there are always people who want to harm me".

Alfonso sent a lot of people out to inquire about the news, but none of the letters that came back made him happy, which made him feel as if he was surrounded by conspiracies and conspirators, so when Buccini was ordered to enter the palace, he couldn't help but be a little surprised to see Alfonso in full armor.

"I suspect that someone is plotting against me, and you are the mastermind," although a little disappointed by his mistaken speculation that Buccini might abscond as soon as he heard that he had been summoned, Alfonso decided to ignore this, and he stared at the Jew about his age menacingly, "Tell me what kind of plot you have, or don't blame me for being rude." ”

The Jews looked at Alfonso calmly, although he was not wrong, and there was indeed a conspiracy against him, but Buccini could be sure that Alfonso was bluffing without any evidence, because the greatest advantage of this conspiracy was that there was no conspiracy.

The Jews are legal and reasonable to collect debts, the agreement signed between the free trade zone and Billy Shelly is also very fair, and even the Chamber of Commerce escort team that entered Billy Shelly was requested by the locals themselves, where is the conspiracy?

"Your Highness, do you mean to let those representatives of the free trade zone and their escorts, get out?" Buccini used words that he would not normally use to the nobles, and seeing Alfonso's cheeks twitch, the Jews continued, "Or if you wish to modify the agreement with them, then what conditions do you intend to make, and if you can dispel these doubts, I think I can do it for you, for for for our interests are our interests, and if you feel that you have been violated, we are willing and ought to get your share back for you." ”

Alfonso looked at Buccini in a daze, and he suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say.

He has read the agreement several times, and not only him, but several people around him who are still somewhat knowledgeable have read those terms, although some of the terms do make people find that they are safeguarding the interests of the free trade zone, but this is something that people can't say, after all, everyone's purpose is to make money, and it is natural to put forward conditions that are beneficial to themselves.

The point is that there is nothing to blame or appear to be a conspiracy in the entire agreement, as Alfonso has reported to him more than once.

"Your Highness, there must be something more important for you to summon me late at night," the Jew felt that it was time to give the young duke a face, so he took the initiative to change the subject, "so what do you think should be done in the interests of Billy Shelly to make conditions for the free trade zone?" ”

Alfred sat down a little frustrated, the sound of his armor grinding against him sounded a little irritating.

"Do you think they can really help me make money?" Alfonso was still huffing, and seeing that the Jews seemed to be seriously pondering his question, Alfonso couldn't help but wait a little expectantly for his answer.

"Your Highness, your Billy Shelly doesn't have anything to be proud of."

The first sentence of the Jews made Alfonso angry but there was no way, Billy Shelly was indeed similar to a poor country in the eyes of many people, which was why he was eager to leave this place as soon as possible, but unfortunately if it wasn't for the Cambrai, he might have been Lucrezia's husband by now, and he had become a hot nobleman in Rome.

"But that doesn't stop you from making money, and of course that's after you've paid off all your debts," the Jew dutifully reminded his debtor of his obligations "Billy Shelly is the gateway to the South, and you know that although many parts of the South are barren, because of this their local industry is very cheap, your checkpoints are just poor and the high tariffs scare away too many people, and if it is managed by real experts, the benefits are very considerable. ”

"You think so?" Alfonso felt his throat a little dry, perhaps because it was hot, or perhaps it was the prospect that the Jews had described to him had made his already unsettled heart stir again.

"I am Your Highness the Merchant," Buccini stressed softly, "it is our duty for us to make profits, and allow me to take the liberty of using an analogy, just as the nobles value honor above anything else, so the prosperity of Billy Shelly is only good for us, do you think I will deliberately harm my own interests?" ”

Buccini's words made Alfonso's originally tense face slowly relax, and although he always felt that something in the Jews' words sounded too much to scrutinize, Alfonso was still fascinated by the prospect described by Buccini.

It's just that the things in front of him still make him scruples.

"But those in the free trade zone seem to have stretched their hands too far, as if the whole of Billy Shelly was full of their people all at once," Alfonso complained as he took a sip of wine from his glass, taking the opportunity to disguise his previous aggressive posture a little, "That's not good, it's my territory, but now people are more willing to discuss things with the representatives of the free trade zones." ”

Listening to the Duke's obviously childlike stubbornness, Buccini secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he knew that he was out of danger for the time being, at least for now, Alfonso should not draw his sword to stab him in the right place.

"It's all your power, you can negotiate with those people in the free trade zone yourself, or send a trustworthy person, instead of making everyone think that you can casually deal with those people in place of the lord."

Buccini casually dealt with this somewhat grumpy duke, he was not worried that Alfonso would really take back all the power to negotiate with the free trade zone after listening to his advice, because according to Buccini's observation, the free trade zone is like a flowing water, unless they are resolutely rejected from the beginning outside of a levee called trade protection, otherwise even if it is just a small floodgate, this stream of water will come in, and they will penetrate into every crevice. Until it became an unstoppable torrent that completely broke the embankment.

This is true in Naples, this is true in Florence, this is true in Amsterdam, and even the seemingly indestructible behemoths of the Fugger family are not spared, can a Billy Shelly be an exception?

In addition, although there is no accurate information, with the help of the efforts of the Jews over the years, Buccini has already learned in advance that Alfonso has not thought of it at all, the Naples court, the capital.

This is news that makes Buccini secretly excited!

Everything he did and his adventures were for this day.

Convinced of his own vision and judgment, Buccini believed that he saw a future monarch, a peculiar figure who had the potential to completely change the situation of the princes of the land.

And Buccini's judgment of this man was not that he had an army that was now famous in Europe, nor that he had successfully infiltrated almost every court on the continent by skillfully using the power of gold, but that he felt that this man had a forward-looking vision that was difficult for others to understand.

If it weren't for the ridiculousness it felt, Buccini would even think that this man seemed to be able to predict the future!

Isn't it worth investing in such a person, and what kind of rewards will be given in the future if you can be a part of this person's ambitions?

It was precisely because of this conviction that Buccini worked hard to persuade the elders to agree to his request, and used all the power at his disposal.

Now, his efforts seem to be showing their effects, and Buccini believes it's just the beginning.

In the middle of the night, a few peasants, who could not sleep because of the heat, came to the fields, and some of them made fun of each other and found a place to sit down, and they were talking about the two women they had seen during the day, who seemed to have followed the merchants from Naples, but who were said to be wandering warblers.

But this did not dampen the men's interest, on the contrary, they talked more vigorously about the women's revealing clothes, their exaggerated make-ups, and even the pink marks that looked like they had a rash on the skin exposed to the outside of their clothes, which were used as talking points by these Billy Shelly country bachelors.

A faint sound of horses' hooves came from the dark distance, and several people did not pay attention at first, and then began to panic, and they immediately hid behind a bush and watched carefully, until they saw a small group of horsemen walking in their direction along the field path.

Some of the cavalrymen had torches in their hands, and when they approached, they could clearly see their armor glistening in the light of the fire and the moonlight.

"That's the Montina," whispered one of the peasants, "I've seen their cavalry, and their clothes are so beautiful, as if they were worn by a knight." ”

"Maybe they're knights." A younger villager whispered enviously at the armor.

"No, not knights, I've heard them call them hunters, the guards who protect him by the side of the Count of Montina." The previous farmer quickly corrected it in order to show that he was well-informed, and then he looked at the backs of the hunters who passed by on the road not far away, "But what are they doing here at such a late hour?" ”

The hot night breeze kept blowing, and a hunter with a torch carefully led the way, although the terrain of this mountainous area was not very steep, but the night brought too much inconvenience.

On Ofleiy's orders, the hunters were assigned to different locations to await news, and their only task was to report back as soon as they saw the strikers who might be ahead of the move.

A small group of the furthest group of hunters sent out was ordered to camp on a hill outside the city, and although according to the itinerary it was expected that the group would not arrive until at least tomorrow afternoon, Ofrey knew that Alexander would not let them wait until then.

So this group of hunters has been ordered to keep an eye out for possible strikers at all times.

A soldier on guard leaned sleepily under the tree and squinted slightly, his head tilted to the side, and then he barely opened his eyes to look down the mountain.

"When will the old man come," his companions were chatting around the campfire not far away, "maybe it will be dawn." ”

"Probably not, the captain said that the master would send someone to fight the front station first." The leader of the team said with certainty.

Hearing that it was the marching commander, the soldiers immediately shut up.

Speaking of which, in Montina's army, it was not Gompati or even Alexander who feared the soldiers the most, but Ofleuil.

Perhaps because he had been in charge of the day-to-day activities of the army, Ofleiil was well aware of the habits of these soldiers, which made it easy for him to see through some tricks, so sometimes the Montina soldiers preferred to be punished by Alexander rather than fall into the hands of the marching captain.

"It seems to be still moving!" The sentry suddenly shouted, and the hunters immediately grabbed their weapons and jumped on their horses, then followed the direction the guard pointed out and looked out into the field.

"What is it?"

"It seems to be cavalry."

"Is it the Earl's man?"

"How is it possible, the adults will not be able to come until dawn at the earliest."

"Go and see it alone." The captain commanded, waving his hand behind him, and immediately a cavalryman broke away from the group and ran into the shadows.

And by this time, the cavalry that had suddenly appeared had come very close.

A hunter came out of the ranks and urged his horse forward, he stopped on the side of the road and raised his torch: "Who is it?" Tell us who you are! ”

"Who are you?" Someone in the shadows swaying in the darkness on the other side asked loudly.

"We are the Chamber of Commerce Escort of Billy Shelly." The hunters shouted in their identities that Offleiyi had commanded before.

"Oh, God forbid, we're looking for you."

On the other side came a happy-sounding response, followed by a few flashes of fire that suddenly flashed in the darkness.

Just when the hunter saw this scene, he didn't have time to shout to his companions behind, "Be careful!" A burst of gunfire has suddenly sounded!