"What? Are you saying that volcanic ash could double food production? Both Ferdinand II and Juan III stood up from their chairs in surprise.

Alain shook his head and said:

"It's a little close to doubling, but it's close, that's the conclusion of the royal estate over there in Provence!"

Ferdinand II paced back and forth on the edge of the throne restlessly, and then asked:

"How do you prove the truth of what you say? Also, what does this have to do with the survival of Spain? ”

Alain said without thinking:

"It's simple, at this moment, Your Majesty, you will send someone to the side of Vesuvius in Naples to find out, the French must be digging up ash now. As for the relationship with Spain's survival, it is very simple, if the French royal territory is full of volcanic ash in the future, resulting in a sharp increase in grain production, His Majesty Louis XII will have the ability to feed 100,000 soldiers and horses or even more. When the time comes, if the French army attacks Spain proper, will you be able to stop it, Your Majesty? That's why I say it's a matter of life and death for Spain! ”

Hearing Alain's words, the faces of both Ferdinand II and Juan III became extremely ugly. Ferdinand II took a deep breath and said:

"You go down first, and I'll send someone to Naples to find out." If you're right, your knighthood and manor can't run! ”

……

Although Spain was defeated this time, it still firmly controlled the sea power in the Mediterranean, and the French were on land. Even the two small islands outside the Bay of Naples, Capri and Ischia, were under the control of the Spaniards.

Finding out the news was actually very simple, Ferdinand II sent people to contact Sicily with carrier pigeons, and ordered them to send someone to investigate. Sicily sent carrier pigeons to contact Capri. Capri then sent ships closer to the coast to reconnoitre, and sure enough, it was discovered that the French were driving a large number of Spanish prisoners of war (mainly civilians) to dig up the soil at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, near the sea, and load it away on a trucking scale......

After receiving an accurate return, the faces of the father and son, Ferdinand II and Juan III, became even more ugly......

"Father, what should we do now? If, as Alain said, King Louis XII of France had enough food to feed an army of 100,000, I am afraid that we will not be able to withstand it......"

"I know......" continued Ferdinand II after a long sigh of relief;

"What I'm thinking about now is how to apologize to Gonzalo. It's just that I can't pull my head a little bit......" Ferdinand II's face was a little ugly.

At the beginning, Gonzalo. Morality. The famous general of Córdoba was transferred out of Italy, but he personally ordered it. Now, if you want to fight the French, I'm afraid the only way to do it is to put Gonzalo again. Morality. Cordoba please go back. However, I want to invite Gonzalo. Morality. When Córdoba returned, he always had to give an explanation, which embarrassed Ferdinand II......

At this time, Margaret of Austria, the queen of Juan III, who had been on the side, suddenly spoke:

"Father, you can put all the blame on Duke Cabrera. At the beginning, I heard that he was the one who took the lead in slandering General Gonzalo, and many people know about this. Moreover, he also led the defeat this time. As long as you insist that you were seduced by Duke Cabrera at that time, it will not affect your reputation. ”

When Ferdinand II heard this, his face suddenly changed. For the European aristocracy of this era, face was very important. Even, the knight will shout "Honor is my life". Therefore, it is indeed a good idea to be able to throw the pot at Cabrera.

However, he hesitated:

"Isn't that right? After all, Cabrera was a duke. If he insists on not admitting his guilt, I will be helpless. ”

Cabrera is a notoriously difficult politician in Spain, and he is the most eloquent. Moreover, this guy is a duke, and Ferdinand II can't do whatever he wants. If this guy insisted that it was not his responsibility, and then pushed it on Ferdinand II, Ferdinand II would have no choice. After all, in the kingdoms of Europe, the monarch was not as inviolable as the Chinese emperor. When the temper comes up, it is not new for the duke to quarrel with the past. When it comes to quarrels, Ferdinand II's 10 is not worth a quarrel master Cabrera...... If you lose the quarrel, you will not only be embarrassed, but you will also be held responsible......

Queen Margaret thought about it and said decisively:

"If you are worried about Cabrera's nonsense, then, send a boat to Sicily to fetch him back to Barcelona, on the grounds that you are asking the reason for the defeat......"

"Isn't this letting him come back and quarrel with me?" Ferdinand II was reluctant.

"No, he didn't have a chance to come back and quarrel with you. In the middle of the voyage, we can make Cabrera 'commit suicide in fear of sin'...... In this way, all the responsibility is taken by him......"

Ferdinand II was surprised:

"You want me to kill a duke in the middle? This will make the great Spanish aristocracy rebel! ”

Margaret of Austria shook her head and said:

"No, this time Spain lost to its sworn enemy France, someone must be responsible. But the person in charge is certainly not you, father. So, it can only be the Duke of Cabrera. Moreover, I have heard that the Duke of Domingo and the other three counts had a bad relationship with the Duke of Cabrera when he was in Naples. We can secretly greet the four of them, and then, with a unified voice, put all the blame on the Duke of Cabrera......"

"We usually want to move a big nobleman and there will be a strong backlash, but at this critical juncture, the whole of Spain needs confidence and a fig leaf. Obviously, having Duke Cabrera admit all the responsibilities alone is the best explanation for all parties. Therefore, it will not cause a strong backlash. ”

Ferdinand II hesitated for a long time, and finally accepted the advice of his daughter-in-law, Margaret.

He then sent a clipper ship to Sicily to pick up the Duke of Cabrera and be questioned by the Council of Nobles of Aragon and Castile.

After 10 days, the clipper arrived in Sicily. Duke Cabrella, who received the order, was surprised, but he was prepared. What he feared most was that Ferdinand II would directly order his arrest, which would make it difficult for him to speak.

However, if you go back and explain it to the Council of Nobles of the Kingdom of Aragon...... In terms of eloquence, he has not been afraid of anyone......

So, Duke Cabrera boarded the clipper with several guards with his head held high, ready to go back to defend himself.

On the ship, Cabrera conceived countless drafts in his mind, and was mentally prepared for a battle of words. However, he didn't expect it - they didn't intend to let him open his mouth at all......

As the ship passed through Mallorca, the captain, who was very respectful to Cabrera, purchased a barrel of spirits from the North Sea from the shore and presented it to the Duke of Cabrera and his men.

That night, Duke Cabrera and his bodyguards were very drunk. Then, after the ship left Mallorca, the crew threw several of the Duke of Cabrera's bodyguards into the sea, and then placed the drunken Duke Cabrera on a lanyard that had been prepared in the cabin, pretending to have hanged himself......

In this way, Duke Cabrera, a generation of "backstabbers", returned to China to defend his ...... Ah is not on the way to quibble, "was killed". And all the responsibility for the defeat of the Spanish army to the French army was also borne by him alone......

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