Food, the Neapolitan people are most concerned about food today!

When truckloads of grain appeared on the streets of Naples, the people cheered when they heard the news!

Horse-drawn carts, donkey carts, ox carts, and even sheep carts, large and small carts marched through the streets, and the baskets piled high on the carts could not help shaking, and the golden wheat grains peeking out of the cracks of the baskets stimulated people's eyes in the sunlight like gold, and the people who drove the carts were swaggering, and from time to time they would make a gesture to the people on the side of the street, and one would whistle at the beautiful women, but no one was angry, but the people would cheer loudly at the bohemians who were driving the cars, and some women even threw their headscarves down from the windows. Veils or jewelry!

The Neapolitans went crazy, and the people followed the convoy forward, and more and more people heard the news, and everywhere the convoy came like a huge whirlpool with an attraction, and the Neapolitans followed the grain convoy in the direction of the center of the city like a school of fish sucked into this vortex.

Hunger had made many people blue-eyed, and if it weren't for the bohemians who were escorting the cart to look so bad, someone would have rushed up to snatch the wheat from the cart.

The convoy passed through the old Roman city, and the Palazzo Nuova in the distance was already in view, but as the streets widened, it became more and more difficult for the convoy to move forward, because more people had heard the news, and finally the streets were completely blocked, and people gathered around the convoy of grain like pilgrimages and cheered!

People kept asking loudly where these people were coming from and how much food they had brought in.

"From Agri, but we are not farmers," said a Bohemian at the front of the group, proudly to the Neapolitans around him, "We are not at the hands of the peasants, we are warriors, and we are better at playing with sabers than at pitchforks." ”

"How much food did you deliver?"

"That's enough, if we don't have as many vehicles, we can send more food," the Bohemian pointed back with a proud thumbs-up, "Look, we sent this food from Kosenza, and there will be more to come." ”

"How much, is there enough bread for the whole city?"

People eagerly asked, and in the end, even the way of the convoy was blocked.

"Let's get over, hurry," the bohemian began to get impatient, "the man said we must get the food delivered today, or it will give us a good look, if you want to know more about it ask the guy in the back, he will be willing to tell you more, now get out of the way of me." ”

The threat of the bohemians did not help, but when they heard that more food would be coming, the crowd immediately erupted in even louder cheers.

"Agri's food! It was the Count of Cosenza's men who brought the food! Someone shouted excitedly.

"It's Agri's food, but it's not the Count of Cosenza who brought it to you, it's my master!"

A young monk, dressed in monastic robes, but with his mouth open and closed, shouted to the people below, "When my master heard that the Neapolitans were facing a starvation, he began to prepare for the day, and he even paid a lot of money for the Bohemians to promise to use their horses as horses, so that more food could be brought to Naples." ”

"Who is your master? Isn't Agri the domain of the Count of Cosenza's family? Someone asked suspiciously.

"Who are you listening to?" The monk condescendingly shouted to the man in a questioning tone, "The fields of the Agri plain are now guarded by my master, who has led us in battle against the enemy in order to protect them, and has hired brave Bohemians as warriors. ”

"Did you send all this food?" Someone else shouted, "Who is your master?" Why fight, have the pagans already fought to Agri? ”

"I don't know where the infidels are, but there are people who want to take away the food of Agri, the food you see now that will keep you from starving!" Seeing more and more people gathering, Mahimo, who had been quite mad, jumped on the top of the carriage and shouted loudly, "I cannot tell you who this enemy is, but my master, the messenger of the Kingdom of Sicily on the other side of the lighthouse, Lord Alexandre Giulian Gombray, known as the keeper of the lighthouse, has kept the fields of Agri, and he has ordered us to bring precious food and friendship to the Neapolitans. ”

"Who is this Alexander?"

"Emissary of Sicily? So this person is not Neapolitan anymore? How could he be in Agri? ”

"Is there really enough food for the whole Neapolitan?"

More questions poured in on Mahimo from all directions, and looking at the spectacular crowd below, Massimo immediately felt trembling all over, but not because of fear but excitement, and he stood on the grain stack like a cross and slowly turned around with his arms outstretched so that everyone in the street could see him.

"My master is a noble lord, he has no requirements for the Neapolitans, he only wants to be a messenger to the brotherly kingdom on both sides of the lighthouse."

"Tell us how much food there is?" Someone asked aloud and impatiently, and immediately received a response from countless people, "Tell us, will Agri send more food?" ”

Massimo raised his hand and pointed vigorously in the direction of the questioning voice from the crowd: "Yes, I can tell you what my master said to me, and he said to me, 'Tell the people of Naples that there is enough food on the plains of Agri to feed them every meal, if you are not afraid to break their bellies.'" ”

Massimo's words immediately caused a round of cheers, and the people shouted a name: Alexandre Juliant Gombray, the emissary from Sicily, the name of the benefactor who brought food and hope to the Neapolitans!

At that moment, someone in the crowd suddenly asked in a loud voice, "Monk, who is the enemy you are talking about?" Is it Mordillo, is he going to starve us all? ”

The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then like a sudden wave, many people shouted: "That's right, it's Mordillo, that shameful traitor, who will starve us all, let the king sentence him to death, hang him at the city gates!" ”

The people kept shouting and looking at Massimo standing on the grain cart, and just waited for him to say "yes", and they would rush to the House of Lords, forcing the nobles to immediately execute the man who had made the whole city hate to the core.

"What are you talking about?!" But the answer given to them by the monk was a mixture of astonishment and anger: "How can you say that about your benefactor, the Neapolitans, because of hunger, can't even distinguish the least good from evil?" ”

Massimo first questioned this, and then shouted to the people below with all his might: "Do you know what Count Mordillo has done for you, do you know who would rather bear the infamy than find food for the Neapolitans, and do you know who has repeatedly asked my master for help, so that my master knows about the danger facing Naples?" ”

"Is it the Earl?" Someone not far away asked suspiciously.

"Of course it's him, Lord Modillo, Count of Naples!" Massimo shook his fist hard, "It was from the Count that my master heard about the famine that was taking place in Naples, and it was the Count who offered to pay the price of food with his own money, just so that every Neapolitan would not go hungry at this time.

Mahima's words caused the people around the convoy to be confused for a moment, and they looked at each other in amazement, not knowing for a moment who to listen to.

After all, just now the people were shouting to hang the hateful traitor, but now the monk told them that the man they hated was actually the hero who saved the city, which was unacceptable to them.

"Look at the grain!" Mordillo stomped on the thick stack of grain under his feet, "As a servant of God, I don't lie, and I don't lie about this grain, do you still think I'm lying after eating this grain and making bread?" ”

"Yes, food doesn't lie!"

Someone responded loudly, and the eyes became hotter and hotter.

Standing in the car, Massimo pointed into the distance: "Let's go and meet the king in the palace, and then the grain will be yours." Neapolitans, I assure you, in the name of your master, Lord Alexandre Giulian Cambrai, that you will not go hungry soon! ”

Cries of joy resounded through the streets again, and people began to march in the direction of the palace in a crowd as if defending a holy relic.

Although it was known that Ferdinand was critically ill, at this time people still hoped that the king would hear the good news, and perhaps a miracle would happen.

With this mentality, like a crowd of people gathered from different tributaries pouring out of the streets and alleys, they moved slowly but unstoppably in the direction of the palace in a convoy, so that when a small troop of cavalry of the city defense appeared in the street in front of the palace and tried to stop them, they quickly abandoned their duties for fear and turned away.

"Go and tell the king the good news!"

Mahimo shouted loudly to the people below, and as he listened to the cascading sound of the chanting, the monk suddenly felt that his whole body was about to swell.

Another larger group of horsemen came to the front of the group, and they looked at the crowd walking forward with uneasiness, because they did not know what was happening, and for a moment did not know what to do.

A horn sounded, and a knight in ornate armor crossed the line to the front, and when he saw Massimo, the young knight couldn't help but look confused because he thought it was familiar.

"Salute you, honorable prince," Massimo recognized Alfred at a glance, "I salute you on behalf of my master, Lord Gombray." ”

Massimo's words immediately caused another round of cheers all around, but Alfred's face became ugly.

"That Cambrai, what is he going to do?"

"My master has only brought food for the Neapolitans," Massimo stood tall, so when he looked at Alfred condescendingly, there was no nervousness, and perhaps because the eyes of countless people were watching him, and the impulse of the people to go crazy made him continue to shout loudly, "Your Highness, please don't stop our party, the Neapolitans are starving." ”

Massimo's words once again caused a chord among the people, and Alfred's face was gloomy, although Alexander sent food to bring him, but when he heard that Alexander's men were openly defending Mordilo on the street, even if he did not have his father's intelligence, Alfred realized that things were going to be bad!

He sent out cavalry to try to stop the convoy of grain, but the cavalry soon fled back, and Alfred had to take charge himself, knowing that Modillo was being questioned by the House of Lords at this time, and that the sudden appearance of the convoy was likely to disrupt his father's plan.

Alfred professed to be in love with Josa, but he feared his father even more.

"No one can go over! An important meeting of the House of Lords is convening," Alfred ordered loudly, and he waved to the cavalry behind him to order them to form a human wall "Anyone who tries to pass is considered a rebellion!" ”

There was a cry of discontent in the crowd, and the people did not know what had happened, why the food convoy had been stopped, and why the prince had such a deep hostility towards the man who brought them food.

The crowd kept surging forward, but the sharp spears of the city defense army kept them from moving forward, and there was a complaint in the crowd, and then this complaint became louder and louder, and some people jumped on the low buildings next to them and shouted at the people in the distance, telling them what had happened, which attracted even greater dissatisfaction!

Alfred was already sweating from his head, not from the heat but from the nervousness, and he ordered the cavalry around him to stand firm, and at the same time ordered someone to quickly report what had happened here to his father, who he believed that if he came, as the Duke of Naples and the future heir to the throne, he would be able to quell the imminent revolt.

But it seems that it is already too late!

Just as the men he sent were leaving, Alfred suddenly saw a strangely dressed cavalryman rushing out of the other party's food team!

The horseman's horse was fast, the whole man was almost completely attached to the horse, and the short distance between the two sides had not even before Alfred could give a warning, the cavalryman had already rushed in front of him!

With his arms raised high, Alfred only had time to see the thick black beard on the man's face flash in front of his eyes, and as the light of the snow sword fell in front of his eyes, accompanied by a miserable neighing of the war horse under his crotch, Alfred, who was wearing heavy armor, had already been planted from the headless horse's corpse that had been cut off by a knife and was still spraying blood!

Almost at the same time that Alfred planted his horse, a group of Bohemians, who had been horsemen, were already roaring towards the terrified city defenders!

The formation of the city defense army, which did not even count as the regular army of Naples, was crushed in an instant, and was completely scattered by the fierce Bohemians!

Under the onslaught of the Bohemians like madmen, the city defense army was huddled together in confusion, but then it was torn apart by the Bohemian mercenaries rushing from all sides.

Although the Bohemians did not kill them, the city defenders who were hit by the back of heavy knives or overturned from their horses were still in a miserable situation, and in contrast to their whirlwind of Bohemian devastation was the earth-shattering cheers of the Neapolitan people!

Alfred was not hurt by the armor, but his heart was a little cold, and when he understood that the people were cheering for the Bohemians defeating Naples' own army, even if he didn't fully understand how terrible the cheers were, he knew that things were really bad.

When the Bohemian, who had cut off his horse's head with a knife, returned to him, Alfrell found that in a short time his city defense had been "completely annihilated", and the soldiers who did not dare to move or who had broken their bones when they dismounted because of bad luck were lying all over the ground, and at this moment the caravan of grain, under the loud command of the abominable monk, began to march towards the palace like a torrent!

"In the name of my master, Lord Gombray, I am willing to take responsibility for what has just happened," Mahimo shouted to the crowd, "but even if I am to be punished, I will fulfill the mission given to me by my master, this food belongs to the people of Naples, go to the royal palace to meet the king!" ”

"Go to the palace! See the King!! ”

Countless people shouted to join the ranks, and at this time for the Neapolitans, this food team was no longer known to bring them food and bread, but a kind of spiritual support that no one could tell what it contained, hunger had kept them from venting for too long, and Frederick's repeated suppression of the rioters also made them feel extremely depressed.

So when they saw that the Bohemians had taught the city defenders a hard lesson, instead of being angry, they cheered, and for a time the food convoy from Agri became not only the hope of freeing them from starvation, but also the most reliable ally.

No one looked at Alfred, who had been dragged to the side of the road by a few attendants, and the people shouted as they walked past the prince.

At this moment, Alfred was surprised to find that the monk had pulled out two flags from a cloth bag, one with the Modillo family coat of arms that he was familiar with, and the other a very unfamiliar one.

Both flags were planted high on the highest grain stack, and for a moment all the people surrounding the grain cart seemed to submit to these two flags, and as the crowd following the convoy spread backwards, people's attention began to be attracted by the flags on the grain cart that kept moving.

It was at this time that the nobles in the House of Nobles heard the noise, and they began to become uneasy, and some even began to look for a back door where to escape.

This was because as the waves got closer and closer, they could clearly hear what people were shouting: Go to the palace! See the King!

These were not the reasons for the panic of the nobles, but what really unsettled them was the constant cry of the populace: Cambrai! Modillo! And the truth!

Who is Cambrai? Most people don't know it, but from this day forward, this man's name will surely be a household name in Naples, even louder than many nobles.

As for Modillo, the count, who claims to be a family older than the royal family, is now facing their questioning or judgment!

This made the nobles completely panicked.

They understand that the people may not really need the truth, or that they don't care if Modillo is wronged, they just want a vent for hunger and long-suppressed repression.

But now they are judging one of the oldest Neapolitan nobles and a man who might become a hero in the eyes of the people.

Sweat welled up on Frederick's forehead, and he knew how terrible the raging populace was, and he knew all the more about what would be a disaster for his future succession to the throne if he did not appease the Neapolitan emotions at this time.

His gaze looked at Mordillo, who was standing opposite.

When the news came, the man who had been speaking impassionedly fell silent, and now he even closed his eyes and twisted his hands into a rosary with several holy bones, which was said to have been brought back from Rome.

"Don't you think you're in need of an explanation for what is happening, Count?"

Frederick couldn't care about anything else, he knew he had lost.

Although he did not know what the tax collector did in Cosenza, when the news came that Keisel's attempt to overthrow his father had failed, Frederick knew that the tax collector must have failed.

But he didn't think that Modillo had won at the time, but still thought that at least if there was a lot of civil strife in Cosenza, then the famine in Naples would still be unstoppable.

Then he still has a chance to touch the bottom floor.

But things didn't go the way he thought they would, and he didn't even know what went wrong and why Modillo had suddenly become a hero.

Frederick was puzzled, but he knew that it was more important to compromise with Mordillo.

The Duke walked up to Mordillo and said in a low voice, "Tell me what conditions you have to make to let this pass?" ”

Mordillo finally opened his eyes, and he saluted Frederick respectfully: "Your Excellency, you will not believe me if I say anything, so now I will make my request." ”

Frederick took a deep breath, he was ready to let Modillo take a bite.

Compared to the crown, any sacrifice is worth it!

But when he heard Modillo's conditions, he had a surprised expression on his face.

Frederick looked at Mordillo with strange eyes, as if to guess the true purpose of his condition, but the growing noise outside had given him no time.

"Now let's all go and meet the Neapolitans together."

Modillo gently brushed the folds of his robe, and then led the way out of the hall with all the different expressions on his faces.

The House of Lords is located opposite the Royal Palace, and motorcades must pass through the street in front of the House of Lords in order to enter the Palace.

When the procession came to the front of the House of Nobles, the guards guarding the House of Lords were so tense that they almost collapsed.

They had heard what had happened to Alfred and his cavalry, and when they saw the fierce and utterly barbarian Bohemians approaching them, the timid guards were so frightened that they retreated into the building of the House of Lords.

Just then, the doors of the House of Lords opened!

When Modillo and Frederick walked out of the gate together, the originally noisy crowd couldn't help but fall silent.

The majesty of the royal family and the influence of the oldest nobles made the people feel oppressed at this moment.

But the silence was only for a moment, and when Massimo stepped out of the crowd and ascended the steps of the House of Nobles, the crowd began to rush forward.

"Your Excellency, I have been ordered by my master, Lord Alexandre Giulian Cambrai, to bring wheat from the Agri Plain to the Neapolitans, and I now ask that I be allowed to go to the palace and report this to the king."

Asseimo's words took their breath away, and they waited to know who was going to admit it.

Under the gaze of countless people, Frederick took a step forward.

There was a commotion in the crowd for a moment, and everyone's eyes were on Mordillo next to him.

But the count's expression was calm, and there was not a trace of anything unusual.

"I, Frederick of Naples, accept the precious wheat that your master has brought to Naples," said Frederick to Massimo, who was also looking at the Count, with a look of astonishment, "and at the same time I thank my friend Count Mordilo of Naples in the name of the Crown, for his generosity and selflessness in helping us all." ”

Frederick's words caused an instant uproar in the crowd, and all eyes turned to Modillo again.

There is no doubt that Frederick was declaring Modiglo's innocence.

At this moment, Frederick turned his head slightly to look at Modillo, and when he saw his clear and slight nod, Frederick looked at Massimo with a slightly strange look and said: "As a token of gratitude to your master, I would like to publicly announce here once again that I thank Agri's Alexandre Giulian Gombray for all that he has done. ”

For a moment, Massimo had not yet fully reacted, and in fact he was still immersed in speculation as to why it was the duke, not the count, who had announced the receipt of the grain team, until the nobles beside him gave a soft cry that he suddenly realized the meaning of Frederick's words.

Gombre in Agri!

Massimo opened his mouth suddenly, and before he could say anything, Modillo had already spoken: "Now you can go back and tell your master who he is." ”

Listening to this inexplicable sentence, Mahimo was just about to speak, when suddenly, a bell rang from the direction of the palace!

The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then a tidal wave of shouts suddenly rang out!

Everyone knows what's going on at this moment.

King Ferdinand II of Naples died.