Vol 7 Chapter 307: Aragon's counterattack

Barendi stared at the tall building surrounded by scaffolding in the distance.
The figure above was shaking, and various noises from the construction site over there could be heard from time to time.
Barendi once saw the building very close, it was a huge maze with many complicated machinery inside.
This building was designed by Leonardo based on the water conservancy windmill that Alexander built by the river.
But it is much more complicated than a windmill, and there are too many large and small fan gears that can be driven by river water.
According to Da Vinci, this huge fixed hydraulic tower can provide enough power to move the huge forging hammer, which can even completely change the way blacksmiths work.
Barendi was not very interested in the big toy made by Da Vinci. She only knew that it was expensive, because the old bearded man had already taken away from her the funds to equip at least half of the regiment.
But Barendi kept in mind Alexander's advice, as long as it was Da Vinci's request, she never refused.
In other words, when she wanted to come, maybe it was just to pay for some hobbies that Alexander was doing.
"At least he is more interested in these things than in women," Barendi once said to Ashley contentedly. "He didn't let me often meet a village girl in a territory leading him. It's really out of my expectation that illegitimate children come to the door or entangled with those prostitutes. When I got engaged to him, I thought maybe I would solve this kind of trouble for him for a lifetime."
After hearing what the Duchess said, Ashley looked very envious. As for the well-known love affairs of the Duke, she cleverly ignored them.
A maid came in to report to Barendi that the cardinal's messenger was waiting outside, which surprised Barendi.
Unlike Lucrezia's family, who always remember her, Barendi and the Rovere family have almost cut off contact except for official business.
So when I heard that Lucrecia was crying and begging in front of Alexander in order to ask for forgiveness for Caesar, Barendi was both annoyed by Lucrecia's waywardness and stupidity, but also very dissatisfied with her husband's heroic shortness.
The content of the old Lovi Lei's letter made Barendi fall into contemplation after an accident.
Even though I hate the pizza vase, Jeffrey's accusation is really vicious, and the most unacceptable thing is that it involves Alexander's son.
Barendi's unusually white fingers lightly tapped on the letter paper. Although her appearance cannot be compared with other women, her skin is delicate and white compared to other women, but Alexander is most fascinated by it.
The content of the letter was too surprising, which made Barendi think about his father's intentions for a long time.
Obviously the old Rovere told her about this, showing her so-called "goodwill".
Since the initial rift with the family, Barendi has completely changed the relationship with the Roville family in an unusually calm way.
If it were in the past, perhaps she would not care too much about the old Rovere by doing so, but as she might become the queen of Castile, the old Rovere had to pay more attention to the daughter he had almost given up. .
Telling Barendi about Lucregia is the way he wants to ease the relationship with Barendi.
Old Rovere believed that Barendi would make good use of the news, and he didn't care what she would do.
Alexander VI and Lucrezia...
Barendi thought that Geoffrey was a stupid idiot to create that kind of rumor.
This was nothing except that he was completely abandoned by the Borgia family and offended the most powerful people in the world by the way.
Probably the old Rovere would even feel that his death was not wronged at all, otherwise this kind of rumor would be involved, even the future pope would have to be more careful.
However, this also gave Old Rovere a chance to reveal the incident to Barendi, which not only allowed him to take the opportunity to repair the relationship with his daughter, but also got rid of a lot of trouble.
Thinking of his father's wishful thinking, the corners of Barendi's mouth could not help but curl up slightly.
"Lukrechia, you stupid woman, should I let you return me with pizza?" Barendi said to herself.
She could imagine how Lucrezia would react when she heard the vicious rumors.
It must be panicking and lonely and helpless. If Alexander is beside, she will definitely plunge into his arms and cry out, and that kind of pitiful appearance will definitely make Alexander feel distressed.
"Stupid women who only seduce men."
Barendi cursed again in a low voice. She took out a quill pen from the silver pencil case and used a sharpener to gently repair her letter, but her movements gradually slowed down.
She picked up her father's letter again and looked at it carefully. This time Barendi's emotions seemed a lot calmer, so gradually she saw something from her father's letter.
Why did her father tell her about this? Barendi began to ponder it seriously.
This is obviously a good opportunity to take the opportunity to attack Alexander VI. Although it may offend Alexander because of this, Barendi’s understanding of his father can at least be exchanged for a certain benefit even if he can’t fully utilize this matter.
Then the old Rovere revealed this to her, and he would not just hope that the father and daughter would get back together.
Barendi pondered it carefully, and after thinking about the current situation in the Vatican, she felt that she had understood her father's intentions.
Obviously, the old Rovere didn't want to offend the two Alexanders completely, but he didn't intend to let this opportunity pass, so he had to let himself reveal the incident to the two people far away in Iberia through Lucrezia.
Barendi, who figured this out, put the feather pen back in the silver pencil case, and then she took a deep breath and pulled the rope of the rope bell beside her.
With a soft knock on the door, a servant officer pushed a small door on the wall and walked in next door.
"Order to go down to prepare the vehicle and the accompanying team, and invite Master Machiavelli to come and tell him that I am going out for a long distance."
"His Royal Highness, where are you going?"
The attendant asked in surprise, in his impression that the duchess had almost never left Montina, let alone Rometesia.
"Pisa, I'm going to visit Pisa officially." Barendi said majesticly.
………………
The plains that had just been washed away by the flood left a lot of devastation, as if the tragic scene of the ancient giants descending on the earth and raging on the earth, everything seemed to be a picture scroll that had been torn and could not be trampled on the ground.
The fields and roads are completely invisible. There are farmland destroyed by the flood clock and the remains of trees that have been uprooted. Stepping on the muddy ground will sink deeply into it, making people unable to walk normally.
Gonzalo frowned and watched the ruined and desolate scene before him. The army was struggling in such a place. Every step was so difficult that the whole team could not go far in one day.
This is completely different from the order he received when he was in Madrid. According to the original intensification, he should quickly occupy the reservoir of the upper reaches of the Ebro River, instead of fighting hard and rugged roads here.
More importantly, the forward force composed of Sicily and Castile has crossed this floodplain, and his main force has not yet made contact with the forward, which means that the force will go deep alone and face danger.
For the first time, Gonzalo really felt that what Ruosa said before was the true meaning of a completely different war. Obviously, this was really different from the wars he had experienced in the past.
This is an army that seems to pay more attention to the coordination of all parties. From the contact with the Sicilians, he can feel that no single unit can act alone, and the remediation of the Sicilian army runs like a tightly connected machine.
But in this way, when faced with the immediate troubles, the entire army will inevitably be caught in difficulties at the same time.
As for the forwards, the last report that Gonzalo got was that they were harassing in the marginal area of ​​the floodplain. Obviously, they were preparing to establish a safe landing field for the main force trapped in the floodplain, so that once passed This floodplain can quickly deploy troops.
This was the only news that comforted Gonzalo, and now he just prayed that the Aragonese would not show up so early.
In fact, Gonzalo’s worries are superfluous. The Aragonese army, or to be precise, the Aragonese coalition forces composed of nobles, is still conscripting and gathering everywhere.
Approximately 3,300 Wang Jun organized by Ferdinand was still slowly making various preparations for the departure, whether it was personal belongings with him, or camping equipment from large to small tents to stove racks. The ministers bargained with the merchants who had heard the news.
This made Ferdinand very annoyed, but there was nothing he could do. The army of 3,300 people was already the largest force he could get, but these had already made him feel tremendous pressure.
Many ministers criticized the king as a large standing army, so when Ferdinand tried to expand the size of the king's army, he was strongly opposed.
According to the countermeasures formulated by Ferdinand and his generals, the king's army, which was assembled first, will quickly advance to the upper reaches of the Ebro River, where they will immediately establish an effective line of defense, but they cannot attack actively because they Also wait for the arrival of the noble coalition.
Using a solid line of defense to hold the enemy, it has gradually entered the late autumn. If lucky, they may be able to drag the war into the winter. At that time, the two sides will have to enter the winter camp. This is enough to give Aragorn the opportunity to fully prepare.
Ferdinand pinned his hopes of victory after the beginning of the spring of the next year. By that time, his army was fully prepared, and the enemy was bound to be at a disadvantage because of the labor expedition, and he was confident in these long months. Using his sleek wrist to find someone willing to cooperate with him in Valaridod, Alexander will have to withdraw his troops when the backyard is on fire.
Ferdinand's plan looked perfect, at least this was the only choice he could make in a passive situation where the enemy had already invaded.
The news from the front also refreshed Ferdinand’s spirits. In such a season, he would take risks to invade other countries. The flood seemed to be Ferdinand’s most powerful ally. Now the Cassie coalition is blocked in the floodplain. On the other hand, this leaves them completely unable to move on.
Hearing this report, Ferdinand was so excited to tell everyone he could see the good news. He did this to stabilize the panicking Aragonese.
The report that came later not only proved that the news was conclusive, but also that the scouts were specially called into the court like those generals and nobles reported seeing with their own eyes.
"Their carriage was stuck in the mud, and some of the horses were exhausted at the time. It was a large swamp. Once a person stepped in, it was difficult to pull out their legs. They were trapped there, adults, at least when I left. Seeing that more than one enemy army has to lay a blanket in the mud, it will stay overnight."
The descriptions of the scouts pleased the generals of Aragon, while the nobles laughed.
Even the most arrogant generals would not choose to attack the enemy at this time. If it is early spring, the Aragonese will really be nervous, but it is autumn, and the enemy will be in trouble as the winter comes.
Zaragoza finally breathed a sigh of relief, and some even asked Ferdinand whether he should rush to summon the nobles' army.
"Go faster," Ferdinand did not lose his head because of the good news. He knew more about Gonzalo than the strength of the Sicilian army, so he did not take it lightly. "If I can, I hope Able to eliminate the troops that invaded Aragorn as soon as possible. Although they are small in number, it is a trouble."
The nobles disapproved of the king's caution, but the generals approve of Ferdinand's ideas.
Many of them have dealt with Gonzalo, and some have fought with him, which also makes them more aware of the Castilian's power than others.
If there is a chance to defeat Gonzalo, this is of course a good thing for the generals, so while preparing more actively, they also dispatched troops to the upper reaches of the Ebro River in accordance with Ferdinand’s orders. , Looking for the enemy's forward to wait for an opportunity to be annihilated.
After a burst of autumn breeze that smelled of Iberia, Kurashi could not help but sneezed.
Kurash doesn't like this place very much. Although it is in the interior, the air here always seems to be humid, which is completely different from the Balkans that always seems to have a dry and hot atmosphere.
It has been a long time since he came out of his hometown. Although Kuras had been accustomed to such wandering days, he was still somewhat worried when he thought of Omo in Valaritod.
Their brother’s parents died very early, and the meager land left by his father was not enough to feed their brother, and Kuras didn’t want to drive Omo into the monastery like others dealt with the second son, so he left his hometown and planned to help the family. Earn a family business.
After years of fighting outside, he returned to his hometown, but he did not expect to be involved in a greater war next.
Now not only himself, but even Omo is involved in such a war far away from home, which makes Kurash feel that this completely violates his original intention.
But thinking that his brother seemed to mix well in the Queen's court, Kurashi was happy again.
Their family is just a small landlord with little power. Although he has high hopes for his younger brother, Kuras also knows that with the situation of their family at the beginning, Omo’s best result is only to serve as a servant of the monarch in a certain court, or Some people can see his talents and reuse them, but they don't know how long it will be.
And now Omo was already a staff member of the Queen at a young age, and it is said that because he was very satisfied with his performance in the previous battles, the Queen had written him a letter of recommendation, which allowed him to return. He studied at the University of Bologna, and this time with the recommendation of the Queen, he is likely to become a student of a certain master.
This makes Kurash feel that his family is finally in the early days. As a soldier, his future lies on the battlefield, but Kurash never thinks that this is the best choice, because he clearly knows that the fate of soldiers is often determined. Those court officials, and he hoped that Omo would one day be like that.
A scout hurried over. He spoke quickly with words that Kurashi couldn't understand, and then quickly made a few gestures as if remembering something.
But at this time, a soldier who was in charge of translating with Kurashi had already reported the words of the scout to him. After listening to the report, Kurashi's expression slowly became serious.
A coalition composed of armies of different countries may seem strong, but it also has obvious drawbacks.
Language barriers are enough to cause fatal disasters. Alexander had realized this as early as when he was in Italy, so the earliest hunting guards around him were ordered to learn more local languages ​​while fighting for him.
This has really stumped many people. Except for some people who are truly gifted in language, most people have almost nothing except to understand simple daily conversations.
This forced Alexander to select some necessary general military languages ​​for them to learn, and more to teach simple sign language.
And a qualified scout must learn these military sign languages ​​that are common in all the army in Alexandria.
However, for the war with Aragon, Kurashi brought an interpreter this time, and Rusha personally arranged this.
The scout brought bad news. An Aragonese army of about 1,000 men was advancing westward along the south bank of the Ebro River.
Their destination is obviously the upstream reservoir.
This makes Kurashi a little embarrassed.
His task is to open up a forward position for Gonzalo's main force, so as to ensure that the coalition forces will not be attacked by the enemy when occupying the upper reaches of the Ebro River.
But now Ferdinand obviously wants to take advantage of the inconvenient opportunity of Gonzalo's march to send troops to the upper reaches of the Ebro River, which undoubtedly has a great impact on the subsequent battle.
Kuras knew he had to make a decision as soon as possible, whether to block the Aragonese army or to ensure the safety of the main flanks of Gonzalo.
After some weighing, Kurashi gave the order.
The upper reaches of the Ebro River in Aragon generally refers to the section that flows through the southern foothills of the Pyrenees and then enters the western plateau of Aragon.
Due to the drop and topography, the narrow section of the Ebro River is turbulent.
As early as the Roman Empire, the Romans built long dams and excavated waterways along the river here in order to use the water potential of the upper reaches of the Ebro River to form a fairly convenient water transportation network.
Only with the decline of the Roman Empire and the withdrawal of Roman forces from Iberia, those dams were gradually abandoned and eventually turned into ruins that no one cares about.
In the era of Moorish rule, the rulers of the Moorish kingdom tried to restore the Roman project, but this wish has not been realized for many years of war.
It was not until the 13th century that Aragon finally completely regained the land located in the Ebro River Basin. As the situation gradually stabilized, the Aragonese once again considered rebuilding the upstream dam left by the Romans.
At the same time, the Aragonese are planning to use the foundation of the water conservancy facilities left by the Romans to build a reservoir in order to improve the plight of the downstream Zaragoza.
In more than two centuries, this ambitious plan for the Aragonese has taken shape.
At the same time, this also clearly proves the determination of the Aragonese to never allow any accidents in the upper reaches of the Ebro River!
The Lapchin Valley is the section with the largest drop of the Ebro River into the western plateau of Aragon. Here, the Aragonese used the relics of important places when the Romans built the dam in the early years, and the construction began more than a century ago. An unusually balanced embankment.
An Aragonese army is slowly advancing on the road east of the valley. They are the vanguard from Zaragoza.
In accordance with the order, their task is to stop any Cassie forces trying to approach this section of the valley.
A gust of wind blows, and the flag in front of the team can't help swinging back and forth. The soldiers walking in the front can't help but slow down slightly, looking at the cross that is also swayed by the wind.
An veteran licked his tongue~EbookFREE.me~ and stared at the top of the cross, until he saw that the string of rattles hanging on it finally stopped ringing so crazy, he was slightly relieved.
"We have to get out of here as soon as possible," the veteran said to a companion next to him. "Did you see that string of rattles? Every time it rang the loudest, nothing happened. Believe me, it works."
The veteran's words caused the companion next to him to grab the spear in his hand, and then lowered his voice and asked, "What will happen?"
"The last time we were in Naples, we were attacked by the French. I almost lost my life. It was several years ago. At that time, Gonzalo was still in charge of us. It is said that he still complained that we shouldn't be here. Those bells were hung on the cross, saying that it was purely a pagan custom. No wonder it will bring bad luck..."
Speaking of this, the veteran couldn't help but look up at the top of the cross.
A gust of wind blew, and the string of bells rang again.
For some reason, the veteran's heart couldn't help but immediately followed the crisp bell ringing wildly!