Vol 7 Chapter 283: Into the city

The stone walls were severely eroded by the wind, the rusty city gates, the King of Castile flag fluttering on the tower, and the bronze artillery gleaming in the sun.
This is a sunny day with high winds and fresh air. The previous intermittent rain and rain have disappeared. The wind is not very strong, and it is very cool on the body. August is such a good weather suitable for travel.
Alexander rode forward slowly on his horse, accompanied by the nobles of the "Peace March" led by Don Bandraz.
Now these nobles have claimed to be so, not all of these people are from Madrid, some of them joined along the way, and some are still the nobles of Valaritod, who had been secretly communicating with Alexander.
However, no matter where they are from, they now call themselves the Peaceful Marchers, or the Peaceful Marchers are more appropriate.
It's just that Alexander thinks it seems to be a little early, so there is no need to rush to establish such a name for them.
But in fact, a group with common interests and the same direction is slowly forming. If the relationship between these people is still relatively vague when starting from Madrid, then through the meeting in San Martin Village, they seem to know that they want what.
Ordinary farmers, townspeople, merchants, middle and lower-level nobles and knights, these people have become the backbone of the peace march, and among them there are some great nobles who have chosen to side with Alexander from the beginning for various reasons.
Such an organization with a complex composition and a large number of people is flooding towards Valaritod like a wave, which makes the people of Valaritos somewhat uneasy.
The people of Valarito are also proud. In their eyes, even the people of Madrid are like rural relatives in the remote areas. Therefore, such a group of outsiders suddenly followed the Prince Joe Modilo Astamara. Getting up to Valaridod made the locals look forward to and worried.
So when they heard that the peaceful marching team finally appeared outside the city, people could not help but walk out of their homes, welcoming the arrival of the prince of Castile with mixed feelings.
From a distance, Alexander saw the city gate standing in the distance, and also the crowd that had been crushed under the city.
The guards became a little nervous, and they urged the horse forward to surround the duke, and the nobles who followed immediately were ready to block the prince with their bodies.
At this moment, Alexander got off his horse.
He waved his hand slightly to signal the guard not to stand in front of him, then he walked forward alone, and stood in the middle of the avenue after reaching the front of the line for a moment. Under the gaze of countless people, he slowly knelt down and kissed the man on the ground. dust.
There was a muffled "buzz" from the crowd in the original car. People looked at the duke who appeared as a prince of Castile for the first time in surprise, watching him kneeling on the ground alone. Someone burst into tears.
The place where Schell stood was the closest to Alexander. The Balkans were tight at this time. His eyes were fixed on the crowd opposite, although he knew that it would be difficult to hide the assassin among so many people. Beware, but he was still prepared to protect the master even if he sacrificed his life.
"If that's the case, the master won't make my family suffer." Sher's eyes were wide open, and they were thinking in their hearts with their hands on the musket and short knife at their waist.
Xieer knew what he was doing. If he is lucky, one day he will be able to honor his ancestors. If he is not lucky, the master will not treat his family badly because of his loyalty.
So for Schell, it doesn't matter what the master is, but if anyone wants the master's life, it is impossible to live with his family.
However, at this time, Schell seemed to hear the master saying something to himself, so he was used to two steps forward and bent down and asked in a low voice, "Master, what do you want?"
Alexander straightened up at this time, his face was stained with dust but he did not reach out to wipe it. After slowly standing up, he said to Schell: "I still remember when I left Babia Ridold. I vowed to come back again to make this city cheer for me."
"You did this," Schell whispered.
"I did it," Alexander said, turning to the leaders of the Peace March faction who looked at him with scorching eyes, "I thank you for following me faithfully. Now our peace march has been At the end, what is in front of us is not the enemy but our brothers. Now let us hug them. May God give Castile grace!"
Loud cheers rang from the peace marching group. The civilians threw away all kinds of weapons such as sticks and pitchforks that they could not help but held tightly because of tension. The soldiers raised their spears and put away their sharp swords. The cavalry also dismounted and led their mounts slowly on both sides of the road.
There was a small commotion among the Barri Dodds who saw this scene. The dignified atmosphere, which was also tense and vigilant, was relaxed. When someone in the opposite team sang hymns for the monarch, Singing began to appear among the Valaritos.
As more and more people sang, the atmosphere in front of the city gate became more and more intense.
Several aristocratic people slowly walked out of the crowd. Some people recognized that among them were representatives from the Toledo aristocratic council, as well as the Babiarido deputies who inherited the traditions of the ancient Roman era.
Seeing these people, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Alexander's lips.
Those great nobles didn't come to greet him personally. This was not beyond his expectation. Not only had he already thought that it would be such a scene, but he also realized that the next thing would not be that simple.
If the previous struggle between him and Ferdinand has come to an end temporarily, after entering Valaritod, the game with those nobles has just begun.
Ferdinand is a very transparent person, and more importantly, he can let go without hesitation cleanly and promptly when he finds that the situation is not good.
Valaritod is a city of power, Ferdinand unfortunately suffered a setback here, now it is Alexander's turn.
Perhaps soon, he will also face the difficulties that Ferdinand had faced.
Perhaps this is even a trap that Ferdinand deliberately left him.
It's just that Ferdinand would not have thought that Alexander had something he could not give to those nobles.
"Your Highness."
The few saluting nobles interrupted Alexander's reverie, and he nodded slightly to those people, thanking them for coming to greet him.
There was another commotion in the distance. The appearance of a group of priests holding sacred vessels caused people to give out short exclaims. Looking at those priests, not only the ordinary people, but also the nobles could not help but show a look of surprise.
The Archbishop of Vallitod appeared.
Everyone was surprised at the arrival of the archbishop. They just saw the archbishop walk out of the team and came to Alexander, and then graciously reached out to him, people could not help but let out a soft exclamation.
Alexander smiled. He knew why the archbishop would take the initiative to go out of the city to meet him.
Tangomada’s defection made the church's situation very embarrassing during this time, and what made them noticed was that the Pope pressure Shanda VI is now in Seville, which makes Seville faintly become the center of the Southern Church.
The Castilian church cannot afford a church split.
"His Royal Highness, your arrival is like a ray of sunlight dispelling the haze." The archbishop said with a sigh.
"My lord, and you guard the last sacredness of the church like St. James." Alexander also stretched out his hands to hold the archbishop.
Astonishment flashed across the archbishop's face, then joy.
Saint James, known as the "Unsung Apostle", was the most silent among all the disciples of Christ, but because of his silent dedication, he was regarded as the majority of the countless martyrs. representative.
Alexander would use St. James as a metaphor, which made the archbishop feel the kindness he showed.
There was a loud singing and drinking, and all eyes were on Alexander at that moment.
He was already standing under the city gate at this time, and just one step forward meant that he had entered the city.
Under the gaze of the people, Alexander stopped and looked down at the line of the city gate shadow just before his toes.
This is noon, and the sun is right.
Alexander took a step forward and landed firmly in the shadow of the city gate. At this moment, everyone held their breath.
Finally he lifted his other foot and took a step forward.
"Long live!"
Such a shout suddenly sounded from the crowd!
Suddenly, it was like a spark falling into the powder keg, and the shouts burst out from all directions in an instant!
"Hurray~"
"Long live the king~"
People screamed like crazy, and soon some people screamed hoarsely, some were almost out of breath because they were too excited, but even so, people still tried their best to shout.
The faces of the nobles of Valaridod suddenly changed color, and everyone knew what Alexander's arrival meant.
Even in the minds of some people, when he walked into the city gate, Castile had ushered in a new era.
But the nobles still hope to make a final deal with Alexander before this "new era" is truly determined. They hope that he can make a promise to guarantee their rights, and the bargaining chip of the transaction is Castile's hanging crown.
They also believe that Alexander should be very clear about their plans, and should and be willing to negotiate the deal.
But now, the extraordinary enthusiasm of the people caught the nobles by surprise. Although they never admitted that these ordinary people would have any role in matters related to the succession of the throne, but listening to the tide of cheers, the nobles still felt that the scene was a little uncontrollable. .
Some of them began to yell at people not to shout. After all, before Juana's death was officially announced, such cheers were presumptuous rebellion.
But at this moment, no one listened to them. On the contrary, more and more people joined the team that came in and joined the city to follow Alexander and those followers, cheering and marching into the city.
The streets and alleys, where the team passed by, were overwhelmed by waves of shouts and cheers.
People standing on the side of the road heard the cheers and couldn't help but yelled after them.
This allowed the cheering ocean to spread toward the palace like a violent wave hitting the coast.
The gate of the palace was open, and the nobles who had been waiting in the square in front were whispering at this time.
They did not expect the Archbishopric to go out of the city to meet Alexander personally, which made them even feel betrayed.
They didn't expect that the Valaritos would greet the strange prince of Castilian like crazy.
They did not expect that Alexander was said to walk through the gate step by step, and then walk towards the palace on foot.
This journey was very hard. From the beginning, slowly advancing, and then almost unable to make any progress, Alexander was warmly welcomed by the Valaritod.
This same path also made him the king of the Valaritodians before he entered the palace.
"This is really an unprecedented Astamara," a nobleman looked at others after saying this. "Then shall we continue to wait here?"
Some people were stunned for a while, but they didn't seem to understand, while some people were already aware of their expressions and showed no action and hesitation.
"Everyone, we should go to meet the Prince Astamara," finally another nobleman stood up. He laughed at himself and looked at the nobles who were still hesitant. "We shouldn't be at this time Keep stubborn, it will not do us any good, and Castile needs a king, doesn't it?"
This nobleman's words finally touched those who were still hesitant. They looked at each other and saw the same irritation, unwillingness, and compromise finally revealed because of helplessness in the eyes of others.
"Go to meet the new king." An old noble smiled, holding a hip flask in his hand and raising his head to take a sip, then shook his head and said with emotion, "Enrique, this time it's time to stare."
"My lord, please pay attention to your words," a person reminded in a low voice of dissatisfaction. "No one has publicly admitted that the Duke of Rome Thesia is a king."
"nobody?"
The old nobleman stretched his hand to his ear and leaned out to the distant cry like a wave, making the appearance of listening, and then he laughed again.
The man in his actions was very unhappy, so he said with some annoyance: "If he can't satisfy us, his king may not be able to succeed."
The old nobleman looked at the man with an idiotic look, then sighed and muttered in a low voice: "It's good to be young, at least I have the courage to speak loudly. I am old and can't stand the toss."
Saying he stepped forward.
"Where are you?"
Someone asked loudly.
"Where else can I go," the old nobleman said with a smile to those nobles who had already moved but who had never been willing to take the first step. "Go to meet the king. Don't worry, I am the first one, so You don’t have to worry about being a joke for others."
Although the words of the old nobleman irritated many people, they also had a chance to step down.
Now that someone has taken the first step, it is not difficult to take it.
It's just that the nobles also know very well that their actions like this have meant that they have expressed compromise and concessions to the Duke of Rome Thesia.
This is certainly not the result they want, but the current situation has forced them to do so.
A King of Castilian flag fluttered in the street as the team went hunting and hunting, and the nobles saw the flag from a distance.
But what caught their attention was that there was another flag that was also quite eye-catching right next to this flag.
Looking at the coat of arms of the Principality of Rome Thesia, which was advancing side by side with the royal flag, the Castilian nobles suddenly realized at this moment a fact that they seemed to have deliberately ignored.
Joel Modillo is not only the prince of Castile, he is also the Duke of Rome Thesia, Sicily, Wallachia, Pisa, Florence and many more such as the regent, prince, etc. of these places .
Even now, he is like the "Roman King" who has not been crowned!
Such a person, what would happen if he became the king of Castile?
Similarly, what if he did not become king?
The team has gradually approached, and when the two sides still have some distance, Alexander stopped first.
The nobles on the opposite side also stopped one after another, but this "stalemate" only lasted for a trivial moment, and some of the nobles moved forward first.
But this time, almost everyone followed suit.
Alexander stood motionless in the street. A little farther around him were the jubilant people, and the peaceful marchers were closer. By his side, he and the archbishop were surrounded by his followers and church members. Priests.
At this moment, he is undoubtedly the center of everyone, all eyes are on him.
The nobles had already come very close, they stopped again at this moment, and slowly walked out of the crowd of an old man with a slightly collapsed shoulder.
Seeing the old man, although Alexander still stood still, he reached out and made an invitation gesture.
Pedro Afreia, the contemporary head named after the last ruler of the famous Afreia family, is also the oldest nobleman in Castile, this family once ruled Castillada 2 For over a century, even though they have lost their crown, they are still the most respected nobles in this kingdom.
"In the name of all the nobles of Castilian, you are welcome to the Duke." Duke Pedro Afreia first greeted Alexander, and then he put all his strength on the crutches in his hand, somewhat difficult Bowed down.
Alexander didn't support him, he knew it would be a significant move, so it was not until the old Duke straightened up with difficulty that Alexander stretched out his hand to him.
"I am also very happy to see you again. I only hope that God will keep you healthy and will be able to receive your help and assistance for a long time in the future." Alexander said to Pedro Afreya.
"May your wish come true." Pedro Afreia nodded slightly, then stepped aside.
Following Pedro Afreya's actions, all the nobles could not help but give way to both sides.
A narrow but straight road appeared in front of Alexander. At the end of this road is the Palace of Valaritod.
The refreshing wind makes it more pleasant. August is the season when the fruits gradually mature, the season for hard work to reap the rewards, and the season when many unresolved things have finally come to fruition in the hope of countless people.
In Iberia, August ushered in a kingdom change.
In Italy, August has also become a symbol of a new phase of war.
In the first half of the year, the French army first advanced to Milan. The only Austrian army in Milan withdrew from this very important city for Maximian without even symbolic resistance. The French army immediately occupied Milan.
For the French army's adventurous action without hesitation about the warnings and threats that might come from Venice, Maximian seemed helpless for a while.
Because not long ago, the Venetians and the Principality of Rome Thesia had peace talks.