Grand Ballroom, Royal Palace, Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

The hall is lavishly decorated with thick cashmere carpets, walls covered with paintings by famous masters, upholstered chairs embroidered with velvet, and a large long dining table with vases covered with red flannel.

The attendants went in and out, removing the vases with flowers, placing a few pairs of fine tableware of sterling silver on the table, and then, it was constantly being carried up, all kinds of delicacies, mellow wines.

In a few moments, the table was filled with all kinds of delicacies, and the aroma of food diffused and reverberated through the hall.

King Philip II of Spain was not a person who liked to be extravagant and wasteful, and he had always been very restrained in terms of food.

The reason why the Grand Ballroom is opened today and such a sumptuous banquet is naturally to entertain guests.

Directly opposite him, at the other end of the long dining table, sat a middle-aged man with blond hair who was richly dressed, with gold threads and jewels, and a huge gold necklace.

It was the king of Portugal, Louis I.

It's a two-king meeting!

Spain and Portugal live next to each other, two Guangxi countries are very close, although there have been some unpleasant events over the centuries, but most of the time, the relationship is very close, for example, now, the two countries have been in the honeymoon period, and various cooperation and exchanges between the two countries have not been interrupted.

Speaking of which, King Philip II of Spain and King Louis I of Portugal are even somewhat related, which can be regarded as distant relatives. We also corresponded with each other frequently.

But it wasn't until today, in this hall, that they actually saw each other for the first time, face to face, together.

Luis I himself came to Madrid, of course, not for the Spanish food, the two kings sat together, that night was not for the sake of chatting, after a little pretentious taste of the food, the two of them invariably put down their knives and forks, and got to the point.

"Haven't you arrived yet?" said Louis I, with his hands crossed under his chin.

"It should be soon, the guards have already gone to invite. Philip II took a sip of wine and turned to his glass.

"Actually, when the Holy See approached me, I refused. Louis I leaned back, letting his whole body sink into the soft chair: "You also know that the maritime trade is very profitable now, and even in winter, there are still many people who are willing to go to sea to make a fortune, after all, there were fewer pirates at that time. ”

"Then why did you finally agree again?" Philip II fiddled with his glasses with his fingertips: "So many ships, one winter, just taxes, is not a lot." ”

"Money is secondary, after all, I'm not too short of money. Louis I picked up a wet towel and wiped the sweat on his head: "How can I say it, we Portugal are not better than you, the territory is small, the foothills are mostly in the mountains, there are not so many good fields suitable for growing grain, and they are maintained by foreign trade." Although you can buy anything, it is useless if you have money alone, and others don't sell it to you. ”

"After all, we can't stretch our hands that long, and we have a good relationship with the Holy See, and when the ship is in trouble outside, we can help us a little. He paused: "Well, at that time, I thought so, after all, all they wanted were merchant ships, there were not many warships, and it was winter, so if they gave it, they should make a good fate." ”

"Do you regret it now?" Philip II smiled, but the smile looked a little bitter.

"I don't regret coming to you?" Louis I put down his towel: "It's okay, most of them are merchant ships, but you're a real warship!"

"Well, what's the use of regretting it now?" Philip II sighed: "Go out, let it be fate." ”

"To tell you the truth, I did underestimate you before, and this silent one actually made such a large fleet for you. Louis I stuffed the beef into his mouth again: "It's not easy to cut down on food and clothing these years." ”

"Don't be so weird, I didn't build a fleet to fight you. Philip II waved his hand.

Louis I clasped his hands again and smiled: "Then who is it to fight England? I heard that they are not in the civil strife now, so they can take advantage of it." Or is it France? Avenging the past? But now France is not easy to fight, this Napoleon is not a simple role, if he had led the army back then, your position as a king would ......"

"Of course not France!" Philip II interrupted him, "I naturally have my own ideas, and I will talk about it when the fleet returns." ”

"I also hope that everyone will come back safely. Louis I touched his chin: "But it's spring, it won't ......"

"Patriarch Trigo has arrived!"

An announcement interrupted the conversation between the two.

The door of the grand ballroom slowly opened, and a strong man in a red robe with a beard strode in.

"Oh, my old friend, have you eaten, why don't you eat together? Philip II greeted with a smile.

The attendants also brought new chairs and cutlery.

"No need. The red-robed middle-aged patriarch waved away the attendant: "I know what the two of you are looking for me for, let's get straight to the point." ”

"Oh, Patriarch Trigo is as fast as the rumors say, simple and straightforward. Louis I exclaimed, "I don't know how much better than our old man." ”

"His Majesty Louis has come to Spain for the same purpose. The sturdy patriarch looked back.

"Of course, you know our old man, you know that hiding in the church to cultivate, the three poles can't make a fart, and I went to ask a few times in vain, so I had no choice but to come to Spain. Louis I said directly.

"Then I'll tell you all about it. The red-robed patriarch looked at the two of them and said solemnly: "In fact, I don't receive much information here, not much more than what you have, after all, it is at sea, not more than land, and it is winter, so the transmission of information is not so fast." ”

"I understand, just say it. Philip II looked a little anxious.

"Judging from the intelligence, the wolf herders did go to sea, and our Holy City Classics also have detailed charts, so there is no situation where we can't find them at sea. Moreover, the Richelieu Inquisitor who presided over this time was not a reckless person, he had always been thoughtful, never impulsive, and he was an ascetic, with great willpower and a tenacious character, so he should not do anything stupid. I will definitely wait until I am at sea and fully prepared to fight the werewolves. Patriarch Trigo analyzed.

"As for why they haven't come back yet, there are two possibilities, one is that the wolf herders haven't returned yet, and they are still waiting for the opportunity! The second is that they have already defeated the wolf herders and are now pursuing and clearing the rout! After all, this time our Holy See is asking for a net to completely wipe out those wolf herders, and Lord Richelieu wants to do things perfectly and finish his work in one battle, which is also understandable. ”

"We've thought about these situations as well. Philip II frowned: "However, if you want to pursue, you won't need so many ships, and it shouldn't be possible to send a few ships back to deliver information." And doesn't it mean that spring is over? Now that it's spring, isn't the festival of those wolf shepherds going to be good?"

"We don't know about this, but you don't have to worry, Your Majesty. There is a record in our classics, and in the past, it was also in the spring, and the wolf herders here went home one after another, recuperated, and looked for the records in the classics, there should be a period of time. Patriarch Trigo comforted.

"How much time is there? Doesn't it affect our Portuguese spring trade that it has been two weeks now!" said Louis I a little unkindly: "These are the ships that were originally going to carry grain, and if this continues, we Spaniards will not be able to eat." ”

"Actually, our Holy See has been paying attention to this plan, and several cardinals know about it. Patriarch Trigo assured: "In this way, the two Majesties will wait for another two weeks, and if there is still no news by then, our Holy See will find a way to organize a second fleet to support it." How?"

"Hmm...... That's a good idea. Philip II thought for a moment and said, "But can't you share the charts with us? ”

"This ......," Patriarch Trigo was silent for a moment, "it's not for me to decide, it needs the approval of the Holy City, and besides, I don't have this chart in my hand." ”

"And what is the information you are talking about?" Louis I asked directly, "Those are all analyses just now." ”

"Oh, this information is from Denmark, and everyone knows that the wolf wranglers went to sea from Denmark. But not all of them went to sea, some of the old, weak, sick and disabled, women, children, and some wolves, all stayed, after all, they could not bear the bumps of the sea. Patriarch Trigo introduced.

"Ah, so what, are you going to do something to them?" Louis I could not help but interject, "but with those Danes, there are some difficulties. ”

"Of course, we have to exterminate, in fact, we have already planned for a long time. Patriarch Trigo paused: "It's just that someone has taken the lead." ”

"What do you mean?" Philip II sat up straight and leaned forward: "What do you mean to be one step ahead?"

"As the name suggests, someone killed all the werewolves left behind before our Holy See could act!" Patriarch Trigo: "But we don't know who they are?"

"It's impossible. Louis I exclaimed in surprise: "According to your description, there are quite a few people left behind, how can they be wiped out silently?

"Yes, according to our estimates, there are about 20,000 wolf herders left behind, although they are divided into tribes and scattered around different ports, but because of the huge wolf pack, it is actually difficult to eliminate. In order to destroy them, our Holy See even persuaded the five northern countries to send troops together. Patriarch Trigo's face was a little gloomy: "However, there are still people who are one step ahead. ”

"How is this possible? Are you sure you were wiped out, and not go back to hiding in the forest?" Philip II was also puzzled: "How can such a big operation hide from you? This is not at sea!"

"This is also something we don't understand, but, after repeated confirmation, the remaining werewolves have indeed been wiped out, and the twenty-eight tribes, whether they are sun-by-day or lunatic, all, from the old man to the child, not a single one remains!" Patriarch Trigo confirmed.

"But, even if you don't understand it, these mysterious people should be the enemies of the wolf herders, and they have nothing to do with us, and no matter what, they won't help the wolf herders attack our fleet. Philip II's brow furrowed.

"We think so too, and of course, we won't give up on tracking them down. Patriarch Trigo once again emphasized: "In short, only if the plan at sea succeeds now, then there will never be no more werewolves on our road! I hope that the two Majesties will be patient and have faith in the fleet, and in our Holy See!"

"Report ......"

Suddenly, a long message came from far and near, and came to the door of the banquet hall.

"Report to Your Majesty! A very damaged battleship has been found in the port of Gijón! It is the ship of our Invincible Armada!"

The port of Gijón was originally a small port that was not well known, but over the years, it has become the largest port in northern Spain, and it is also the most hidden and unknown port.

There are countless docks, barracks, bunkers, and watchtowers, and this is the station of the Spanish Armada.

Of course, part of the officers' families also live here.

Once again, Kardashian climbed the high cliff by the harbor, passed by a few young recruits, and came to the watchtower on the edge of the cliff, and looked far away.

In the past few months, she has come here once a day to wait for her husband's return.

Her husband was the youngest captain in the fleet, and at the age of 30, he commanded an entire Galen-class battleship on his own, making him one of the most promising officers in the fleet.

And not long after they were married, at the beginning of that cold winter, he set sail with the fleet and left here.

Kardashian didn't know what it was for, why His Majesty sent out a fleet that had been hidden for a long time in the winter.

Kardashian only knows that her husband is a soldier, and a soldier can only obey orders, and she is his wife, and she can only pray for him every day and wait for him to return safely.

But time passed, the sea was calm day by day, and the blue sky was constantly changing, sometimes raining, sometimes clearing, but no matter how it changed, it could not change the returning fleet.

What was he like on a ship? It's hard to bump and bum, isn't it? Is there a hot meal to eat? If it's the captain, there should be. If it's so cold, will it be colder at sea? Will he curse when he's angry? Will he take the lead in battle? No, don't take the lead, just command and hide behind other ships. After all, when you go out to fight, there will always be damage, but there are so many ships, as long as you don't damage his ship. As long as he can come back......

Thinking silently, praying silently, Kardashian leaned against the battlement, facing the sea.

Hey, what's that?

The dark figure......

This long body ......

This is not a merchant ship! This is not a fishing ship! This is a battleship! This is our Spanish warship!

They're back!

The guards on the watchtower jumped and cheered, pulling the rope frantically to ring the bell on the watchtower.

"When!when!when!when......"

Countless watchtowers and countless bells rang, shaking the entire harbor and welcoming the returning fleet.

The black battleship didn't sail fast, but it slowly approached the port, allowing everyone to see its appearance clearly.

It's miserable!

Its body was full of holes, large and small, but fortunately they were all on the horizontal plane, so that it would not sink; its mainmast was nowhere to be found, and it struggled forward only by relying on a short auxiliary mast and a small piece of sail; on the side of his ship, you could clearly see the marks of axes and chisels, cuts, and blood; even the Spanish flag, which had been fluttering in the wind, had become tattered and smoky......

What's going on? Is it a defeat?

The miserable battleship "banged" and stopped in the harbor with difficulty.

The crowd immediately gathered around, and people were constantly being disembarked, wounded, frightened, frail, and corpses......

Kardashian didn't go to the port, she was still on the watchtower.

Because it was not her husband's ship, and her husband's ship had not yet returned, and she was still hoping that one would come back, and the army would not be far away.

However, until it was dark, until the next day, she did not wait for the second ship......

(To be continued.) )