Vol 7 Chapter 269: Ferdinand's Shadow

Ferdinand felt that life was extremely difficult during this period. It can also be said that the whole world suddenly stood on his opposite side.
The envoy sent to Austria finally returned.
But Hermes, who was supposed to bring back good news, turned into a crow that brought bad luck.
Ferdinand was not worried that Maximian would be disgusted by his house arrest of Juana and his wife. He knew very well what the emperor's real purpose was and knew that he would not destroy the alliance between the two countries because of this.
And even if it was dissatisfied, after hearing the news, probably the Austrian army had already launched an offensive against the Principality of Rome Thesia. By that time, no one could change the situation.
But he didn't expect to wait for him to do something, Maximian chose to betray him.
When he learned from the returning messenger that the emperor had decided not to cross the Palmapo River, Ferdinand began to feel that he had misheard.
It was not until after looking at Maximian's reply that the messenger brought back that Ferdinand finally realized that he seemed to be a victim of a deal.
"... Although it is very regrettable, in view of the current situation, my nobles generally believe that proper restraint should be maintained, because the threat from the eastern border is becoming rampant, and the frequent activities of the Bohemia and Wallachian armies have caused Too much anxiety..."
"...At this time I have to consider pacifying the restless nobles, and I can't turn a blind eye to the request from Hungary, so I will order the army to try to avoid conflict with the Romanesians when occupying Milan..."
"...But my friend, please rest assured that I will launch an attack on Milan as soon as possible. This is enough to divert the attention of the French and force them to withdraw their troops from northern Castilla. Of course this is my duty. , May our sacred alliance be unbreakable forever..."
Looking at the contents of the letter, Ferdinand's heart passed through a silent curse.
The messenger standing not far away noticed the king’s always gloomy face, and it seemed that a storm was brewing at this time. He read the letter from time to time, then raised his head to look at the front blankly, and then lowered his head to continue to look. letter.
It's just that his look became more and more ugly. When he slowly put the letter on the table later, Ferdinand's forehead, which had already collapsed because of slack, had already stretched out to show blue veins.
"Only these?"
"Yes, your majesty only has these."
The messenger's words completely shattered the last hope. Ferdinand tried to comfort himself in his heart. At least the French would be distracted by the Lombard war, but this kind of weak explanation could not conceal the huge disappointment at all.
In his original plan, once Maximian launched a full-scale offensive against the Principality of Rome Thesia, even if the emerging principality could not be destroyed in one fell swoop, Alexander could at least force Alexander to flee back to Italy in embarrassment to clean up the mess.
As for the Sicilians, Ferdinand did not expect that they would suddenly invade Iberia, but I believe that the Sicilian queen would have to withdraw because of fear of threats.
This is enough to give him the opportunity to directly control the two kingdoms in Iberia. When everything is ready, he will naturally regain Sicily, and even take the opportunity to annex Naples.
But Maximian's reply to him completely undermined his plan, which gave Ferdinand a anger of being abandoned, betrayed and possibly betrayed.
Yes, betrayed.
Ferdinand suddenly thought of something, he walked back and forth in a hurry, sweat began to overflow on his forehead.
Of course Maximian would not abandon Iberia. His purpose in marrying his son and Juana was to covet the future throne.
But that is after all, and because of the marriage connection, it can be said that he has firmly grasped the ownership of the future Spanish throne.
So for him, the losses that may be suffered now become more important.
After all, such as the territory of Hungary, once it is lost, it may be really a big trouble.
And Spain, sooner or later belongs to the Habsburg family.
Only in this way, it is Ferdinand who is wronged.
Ferdinand vaguely guessed Maximian's intentions.
"In Vienna, what news is there about Bohemia?"
Ferdinand looked at the messenger with a gloomy face, he wanted to prove whether his guess was correct.
"Your Majesty," the messenger immediately reported, "Many nobles hope to quell the provocations of the Bohemians as soon as possible. Those people seem to be more interested in Hungary than in Lombard."
Ferdinand nodded slowly, knowing that he had guessed right, and the Austrians really paid more attention to the territory in Hungary.
So in order to resolve the conflict with Bohemia as much as possible, it is not surprising that Maximian will temporarily reach a temporary armistice agreement with Rome Thesia.
Only in this way, it was Ferdinand who finally faced the problem.
He became a bargaining chip in the deal between Maximian and that Alexander.
Thinking of this, Ferdinand, who was trembling all over his body because of anger, almost exhausted the urge to curse with all his strength. He was a king and could not lose his temper in front of his courtiers.
More importantly, he must not let the Castilians feel that he was defeated.
He didn't regret imprisoning Juana, even if she didn't become like that, Ferdinand was tired of the cumbersome and cumbersome ordering through Juana for everything.
He needs to hold his power firmly, only in this way can he become the true ruler of this country.
So Juana naturally became his stumbling block.
In addition, the threat from Maximian kept him upset.
Maximian is likely to use the legal power to publicly support Juana or her children to the throne to contend with Ferdinand. By then, Ferdinand’s situation will become very embarrassing.
Just return to Aragon in such a dingy manner?
Ferdinand never thought about it this way. From the moment he married Isabella, he secretly swore that one day he would become the common master of the two kingdoms.
Isabella can't stop him, not even Maximian.
That's why he decided to take tough measures against Juana. Even if he knew that this might cause various adverse reactions at home and abroad, Ferdinand could no longer take care of these.
Ferdinand took the letter from the table again and looked at it, and then made an imperceptible "hum" sound.
After the previous anger, Ferdinand, who had gradually calmed down, began to wonder how to deal with the situation in front of him.
There is one point in Maximian’s letter that he agrees with. The Austrians’ actions in Lombardy are bound to attract the attention of the French.
With Louis XII's coveted greed for Lombardy and Milan, Ferdinand believed that it was impossible for him to sit and watch it fall into Maximian's hands.
However, the French had just suffered heavy losses in the recent Italian War, which left Louis XII with not many troops to mobilize.
Frequent recruitment of those nobles is bound to arouse dissatisfaction, which is very unfavorable to the rule of Louis XII.
He must use his existing forces as reasonably as possible.
In this way, the French army in the north of Castile must retreat.
Thinking about it this way, Ferdinand felt that this letter from Maximian brought him some good news. Although it was far from the result he wanted, at least it didn't get nothing.
Ferdinand groaned again, tapping his fingers gently on the letter paper while wondering how to use it all.
Before he sent his confidant Andrés Rogge to Navarre to propose to Maria for the purpose of marrying Maria, in fact, it was more to destroy the alliance between Navarre and the French.
If the marriage is formed, of course everyone is happy, but even if it fails, it can create contradictions and suspicions between Navarre and the French.
When he thought of this strategy, he was very proud of his cleverness.
Now it seems that this little pride may turn into a huge surprise.
"Andrews Rogge hasn't written back yet?"
Hearing the king's question, the people next to him immediately became confused.
But what disappointed Ferdinand was that no matter whether things were done or not, the clown beside him had never sent back any news since he left. It seemed that the news disappeared all at once.
"If there is news from Andrés Rogge, report it to me immediately," Ferdinand didn't care too much, although he was a little disappointed. He first gave an order, and then reassured him, "No matter what."
Thomas Tangomada hurriedly walked through the large cedar trees with two rows of canopies completely intertwined. The shade of the shade did not give him much comfort. His face was gloomy, and who seemed to be nothing like before. Difference, but the anxiety between the looks reveals that he is not at peace.
Juana under house arrest made him indeed trusted by Ferdinand, but the price paid was high.
Even in the courthouse, Tangomada could feel obvious hostility.
As Isabella's personal pastor, Tango Mada's actions are undoubtedly betrayal.
This makes the Castilian hatred of him has reached a peak.
Some people around him also left him for excuses, and for a time he was almost betrayed.
In people's eyes, Thomas Tangomada did something extremely stupid, which was enough to completely ruin him.
Through the cedar forest, a small fortress that looks very strong stands on the top of the mountain.
The rough stone walls and mottled wooden doors recount the past that this fortress has experienced in the long time, but now it has become Juana's prison.
Ferdinand did not use the entire Highland Castle as Juana's prison.
He opened up a small area on the side of the Highland Castle near the mountain wall, using a small fortress there as a place for Juana to be placed under house arrest.
The three-storey stone house now being built has become the only "land" of Queen Juana of Castile, and those who are under house arrest with her here, except for Philip, who has been drowsy, only a few still insist on guarding. The attendant next to her.
Surprisingly, among these people was the Moore guard who had been with Isabella before her death.
After Isabella's death, no one had seen this man. Some thought he had escaped, while others speculated that he might have been secretly executed by Ferdinand.
It’s just that no one thought how he would suddenly appear next to Juana, and no one thought that when Ferdinand sent troops into the palace to hijack Juana overnight, he would suddenly appear, and escorted Juana and his wife all the way, and finally followed her. Entered the Highland Castle.
Tongomada pushed open the heavy mottled wooden door, and a bright light entered the slightly dim first floor hall of the fortress.
A figure sitting in a chair deep in the hall moved a little, and then remained motionless like a frozen sculpture.
Tang Goma walked over, stopped to look at him in silence for a while, and said, "Then have you considered it?"
The man moved, and just a beam of sunlight from the high window shone on his face, revealing his slightly dark face.
The man twisted his head wearing a huge turban, a pair of deep eyes flashed with doubts, and looked at Tango Mada who stood in front of him.
"How do I trust you?" the Moor asked, "I know who you are and what you have done. This is enough. You have betrayed the queen. Do you want to betray her again now?"
Tango Mada frowned unnoticeably. He had known that this Moor was stubborn, but only after real dealings did he discover that this man was more difficult to persuade than he had heard.
"You can send Juana to a safe place. It's a good thing for her," Tangomada seemed dismissive of the Moorish accusations. "I think if the queen is alive, she will approve of my approach."
"The queen didn't let you help that man imprison her daughter."
The Moor's body moved again, the corner of a scimitar was exposed from his fat robe, and his eyes became sharp when he looked at Tango Mada.
The priest who was instinctively aware of the danger couldn't help taking a step back, but his eyes never left the Moor's face.
He knew that he had to convince this stubborn infidel, otherwise even if he was not hacked to death now, he would not end well afterwards.
Tango Mada never thought that Ferdinand was a trustworthy person, even if he did so much for him, but if necessary, Ferdinand would not care about throwing him out to calm the Castilian anger. Scapegoat.
He had known this for a long time.
"Where are you sending the queen?"
The Moor seemed to have finally moved his mind. He asked dullly, then he couldn't help but glanced upstairs, and said quietly: "If there is no Philip, she won't go back there."
"He is not good enough for her."
To Tango Mada, the Moor just shrugged slightly without answering.
"It's not easy to send them all away. I did this once before, and Ferdinand should be prepared."
Guard Moore glanced at the priest, and said nothing more.
Tangomada didn't talk to the Moors anymore, he bypassed the Moors who were blocking the road and walked upstairs.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he heard Juana talking to people above.
Her voice sounded very cheerful, without the anger or frustration that she should have after being under house arrest.
It just seemed that she was the only one who kept talking, but no one responded.
Tang Goma looked back at the Moor who turned his back to him, then shook his head helplessly, and walked up the stairs.
There are several rooms on the left and right sides of the second floor of the fortress, with a large open space in the middle.
Juana was standing next to the big bed in the center of the clearing.
A disgusting stench permeated the entire second floor, and Tango Mada frowned secretly before stepping up.
Juana, who turned her head immediately when she heard the sound, showed a look of horror on her face for a moment when she saw Tongomada, but she immediately forced herself to calm down and stepped forward to block between the priest and the big bed.
"Your Majesty, do you think this can prevent me from hurting the Prince?"
Juana was taken aback by Tang Goma's words. She stared at the terrible person in front of her with a trembling body. In her memory, this person was always so gloomy and terrifying.
He now makes her feel even more terrifying.
"Tell me, are you really going to save your husband?"
The pastor asked and walked slowly to Juana. Seeing the confusion on her face, Tangomada continued: "Then have you thought about how to save your husband?"
"How to save it?"
"Actually, there was an opportunity you missed. Remember in Toledo, where someone promised to cure the prince's disease, but it was destroyed."
"I remember," Juana was agitated suddenly, she ignored the fear of the priest, walked around anxiously in front of the bed, and suddenly stopped and looked at Tango Mada. "It's the Duke, what is his name?"
"The Duke of Rome Thesia."
"Yes, it's him, the Duke of Rome Thesia. He said he could cure Philip's disease," Juana became nervous. "But where is he now, can you find him?"
Tangomada shook his head and saw Juana seem to be angry. He said: "It is not difficult to find the Duke, but he is your father's enemy, so your Majesty will not allow him to treat your husband."
Juana couldn't help being stunned by Tangomada's words, and her fear of Ferdinand from the heart at this moment made her feel nervous that seemed to be suffocating.
The fear of his father and the obsession with her husband also suffered from the already very fragile nerves of this young woman.
Seeing Juana's body trembling imperceptibly, Tango Mada took a step forward and whispered very close to her: "It was the Vallaridod that the king forced you to return to, wasn't it? Saying that Philip is alive will cause him too much trouble."
Juana's body trembled more severely, and she looked at Tango Mada in horror, seeming to be frightened by his words.
Looking at Juana who was pale, Tongomada glanced at the smelly figure that was covered by the curtain on the bed, and then let out a faint sigh.
Suddenly, UU reading www.uukanshu.com sighed like a huge hammer hitting Juana's heart that had become completely confused and didn't know what to do.
…………
A cloud floated over the sky, casting a shadow on the ground.
Then the shadow became bigger and bigger, and the originally clear sky became overcast.
A dull thunder rolled from afar.
The blowing wind carried obvious damp water vapor.
Finally, there were large drops of rain, then gradually thinner raindrops, and then a pouring rain curtain covered the entire world in a short moment.
In this heavy rain, a horse broke through the rain curtain, splashed countless mud on the ground, and rushed towards Vallaridore.
Ferdinand didn't know that after he thought he had heard enough bad news, something more shocking was waiting for him.