Standing on the banks of the Tagus River, looking at the raging river, Alexander took a deep breath of cold air and exhaled the breath in his chest until his entire lungs swelled uncomfortably.

A cloud of white mist erupted from his mouth and nose and dispersed in the air, and Alexander let out a roar of pleasure.

The poor roads of Castile made the news slow to spread, and even with the "Church Express", which is a very efficient postal system in today's era, it was already late autumn in November when the news was received from the front.

It was no longer news that the French were attacking Castile on the border of Navarre, but the details of the battle came much later.

Along with these messages, Gonzalo asked Isabella to strengthen the northern defenses, which gave Alexander a deeper understanding of the Spanish general's keen nose on the battlefield.

None of this was of the utmost importance to him, though, and what Alexander was desperate to know now was the situation of the Naples fleet.

It's just that the news from the sea always comes very late, let alone the Mediterranean, which is not very peaceful today.

The last thing I heard about Naples was that Jossa had assembled a large fleet.

Years of planning, years of preparation, when this moment finally came, Alexander couldn't help but feel a little inexplicably nervous.

In the Atlantic, the Portuguese fleet was tightly entangled with the Castilian sea power, and the hastily established sea bases in the Azores attracted the Castilian fleet.

And because of the withdrawal of the Aragonese, this naval war between them was evenly matched, and it was difficult to distinguish the winner for a while.

In the Mediterranean, although there was an Aragonese fleet, Hayreddin and his brothers also made it impossible for the Aragonese to free their hands and feet for a while.

And as long as he did not encounter the dominant main Aragon forces at sea, Alexander believed that with the current strength of Naples, it could form a huge threat to Sicily.

From Naples to Palermo, Alexander had demonstrated the possibility of success on this route more than once, and concluded that even if the Sicilians were strong enough and had a sense of resistance, it would not be difficult for the Neapolitan fleet, which suddenly crossed the strait, to capture the city without the threat of the enemy's navy.

This is because the city of Palermo is not only separated from Naples by the sea and the transportation is extremely convenient, so that even if it detects the enemy's intentions, it is often too late to make too many preparations, and more importantly, the coastline of Palermo is long and gentle, although the city has the protection of strong fortifications, but if you look at the whole of northern Sicily, you will find that Palermo has almost no defensive advantage in the terrain.

And this terrain has been able to keep Palermo safe and sound all these years, only because it faces one side of the European continent.

And for the Neapolitan fleet, their advantage lies in surprise.

Just as Frederick, the king of Naples in history, did not expect that the Aragonese army that came to support him would become an invader, so that he was not only ousted from power in a hurry, but even forced to abdicate, neither Sicily nor Aragon would have imagined that Naples would suddenly attack Sicily at this time.

After all, they had just fought a bloody war with the French, and no one thought that the Neapolitans would be so crazy that they would take the initiative to provoke a war with another powerful country before the smoke of a major war dissipated, and Naples had never revealed any ambitions for Sicily before that.

This ensured that it was a real surprise attack, and it was believed that even if the Neapolitan fleet entered the Lipari Islands near Sicily, it would not have revolted prematurely, as long as it was not too unlucky.

It was a well-planned and long-prepared surprise attack at sea, and no one knew who their enemies were, except for the most reliable generals.

The previous raids on Sicily by Haredin and the destruction of the seas also created an excellent pretext for the Neapolitans to prepare against the rampant pirates, so when the large and small ships were left in Naples for various reasons after the truce with the French, although this also caused some suspicion and resentment, no one ever guessed the truth.

So when the fleet finally departed, there were still those who believed that it was to fight the pirates with the Sicilians, and it was not until Jisha revealed the true purpose to the generals sent by the trade alliance that they knew what they were up to.

"Although we won the war with the French, you all know what kind of price we paid, and these costs must be borne by someone with us, otherwise even the trade alliance will not be able to withstand such losses."

Jisha gave a reason that was unavoidable and difficult for everyone to refute.

"And all these years Sicily has been relying on its privileged position to play the role of the arbiter of business in the Mediterranean, and the wealth they have extracted from us has reached an unbearable level, and the taxes of the monarch and the profits of the merchants have been weakened to the extreme because of their existence, which must not be tolerated."

If the previous reasons were still up for debate, then the next words of Jisha really became a favorable statement to impress the generals of the trade alliance.

Everyone knew that this was the real reason why the Queen of Naples had taken the risk of war with Aragon to occupy Sicily, but they also knew that she was absolutely right, and that Sicily had become a stumbling block for the trade unions.

Especially with the expansion of the scale of the trade alliance, many merchants in Sicily enjoy the benefits of joining the alliance, but the governor of Sicily, Flomenza, is still stubbornly still charging high taxes to the trade alliance, even after the trade alliance taught him a hard lesson, although it has been reined, but as Jisha said, the superior terrain of Sicily has become the "original sin" coveted by the trade union.

The resolution was adopted almost unanimously in a very short time, and all the generals unanimously favored the march to Sicily, citing the simple "Sicily has not taken a fair approach in trade with the trade unions".

Alexander finally received a report that the Neapolitan fleet was heading for the Lipari Islands, which were also Sicily's frontier to the European continent.

Beyond the archipelago, the original kingdom of Sicily will be divided in two by a famous lighthouse, and when the fleet crosses this boundary, everything will be revealed.

Alexander was waiting for the news, knowing that it would inevitably lead to a head-on war with the kingdom of Aragon, and whether it would succeed would begin with a surprise attack on Sicily!

Alexander was confident in this well-planned raid, and Groganin's activities in Sicily had not only made him a lot of money, but also had the key to taking root in Sicily.

At the beginning of the year, the legendary Sicilian hero Camus Camus passed away, and the death of the last knight to participate in the Hundred Years' War was a great relief to the Sicilian governor Flamensa.

In Flomensa's view, Camusa's death meant the beginning of the decline of Sicily's native power, and although Camuery had made a lot of arrangements beforehand, and it seemed that those whom he recommended did have the support behind him, Flomenza believed that things were going in the direction he wanted.

So he didn't care that those people hurriedly carved up the legacy of power left by Camus, because he believed that in a few years he would be able to gradually erase the traces left by Camus.

However, Alexander knew that these nobles who had taken over Camus's power were all supported by Groganin, and almost all of them had some deep or shallow business dealings with the Trade Alliance, and some were simply agents of the Trade League in Sicily.

These people are also suffering from the constant flashpoint of Flomenza's struggle, and the harsh taxes make them feel like they can't compare to their league counterparts elsewhere.

This anger and frustration led these people to form a circle of their own, and this is the greatest achievement that Grogenin has always achieved in Sicily.

"It's going to be a vital operation and everything we're doing here is for that."

When he told Alexander VI all this, Alexander saw the pope's look of disbelief in surprise, which was obviously very unexpected for a pope who had seen the world.

"Sicily, you are actually for Sicily?" Alexander VI didn't ask why he hadn't revealed this to him before, he was more concerned about the outcome of such a risk: "It would have caused Ferdinand to throw us both in prison in anger." ”

"Perhaps, but only if he catches us." Alexander was unimpressed by the Pope's concerns: "Do not forget that his daughter is still in our hands." ”

"Why, do you mean to say Juana," Alexander VI asked in astonishment, "I thought you had a good idea, knowing that just as our Juana belonged to us, Don Juliomando and his noble council would not let you touch their Juana casually." ”

"I don't mean Juana, but his other daughter," Alexander explained to the Pope in a low voice, "and Sister Alfrett should be able to do something at this point, if we reveal a little bit to Don Bavi about her whereabouts." ”

The Pope was silent for a moment, and then he suddenly let out an "um" and stared at Alexander: "Did I say you look like a Borgia?" ”

"Yes, you did."

"Alright then, but I'll repeat it now," Alexander VI shrugged, "remember what I told you today, that the Borgia always hope that one day their ambitions will come true, so I can give you all the help you need, but you also have to remember what you promised me." ”

"Rest assured, your grandson will have his own kingdom." Alexander's gaze followed the waters of the Tagus River to the east, and after nearly 100 fatales, the Tagus River would empties into the Mediterranean, and on that ocean several major wars would break out at the same time that could determine the fate of Europe.

Waiting is a torturous thing, even the most patient and calm person, when he is waiting for a major news that may determine the fate of countless people, under his appearance, which may always seem calm and calm to others, perhaps his heart is about to overwhelm the astonishing pressure because of eagerness and nervousness.

At least Uliuu felt that he was about to take it anymore.

The scenery of the Loire Valley is always so magnificent and charming, even in the late autumn when everything is withering, the castle standing on the bank of the river still looks so majestic and majestic from a distance.

Uliu led a horse along the hillside, and the roses, which had been everywhere, looked a little dull, and the horse's hooves rustled on the dry yellow years, accompanied by the sound of several knights who were gradually marching.

The knights approached him surrounded by a noblewoman in a thick riding hunting suit, and when she saw the Moorish man standing by the roadside with her horse, the noblewoman lifted her veil to reveal a common, but rather dignified, face.

"It's not easy to find you, and if it delays a little longer, maybe I'll have to order someone to send someone to arrest you back."

Ulliu bowed respectfully to the noblewoman, who had become well acquainted with her habits during this time, and for Anne of Brittany, preserving her dignity as Queen of France was her greatest and only goal in life.

If anyone dares to offend her for this, then she can send this person to hell without mercy.

"The king is waiting for you." Anne frowned, and finally told Ulliu, in her native language, that she had always been disgusted with the use of her unskilled Italian, and although it was the most cultured to speak fluent Italian in the Florentine region throughout the French court, she was really not good at this crappy language.

Fortunately, Ulliu had already studied French more or less during this time, especially the French with the strange upcut tongue of Brittany, so when he heard the queen's words, a look mixed with nervousness and excitement instantly flashed on the Moorish swarthy face.

Uliu's appearance did not escape the queen's eyes, which gave Anne a sense of relief.

This young Moorish man made him uncomfortable at times, for he always seemed so calm and composed, and answered all the truths even in the face of cross-examination, which made the queen always feel a little uncomfortable even if she accepted his advice.

"Your Majesty, news from the front?" Ulliu rode side by side with the queen, and he was eager to know what was going on at the front, after all, he had been in France for a long time, and although his efforts at the French court had paid off, the outcome of his invasion of Castile had not yet been found.

"There is indeed news," said the queen, looking at the somewhat unsteady Moor, and was tempted to taunt him, but she was quick to say what made Ulius a little impatient, "Our army has taken Panslvau, and is advancing southward, and it is said that Briviesco will soon be captured." ”

Ulliu waved his arm vigorously on his horse, and although he immediately apologized to the queen for his faux pas, his dark red face betrayed him because of his overexcitement.

When Ulliu met Louis XII, the King had just finished a small council.

At this meeting, Louis had just signed an order for the expansion of the city of Paris, which would allow the original city of Paris to expand a large new district to the east, including a castle called the Bastille, which originally guarded the east of Paris, thus forming a much larger and more complex system of city defenses.

Seeing Ulliu, Louis XII waved his hand to the servant who was bringing him a letter to stand down, and beckoned the Moors to come forward.

"I think you've heard the queen say about the battle at the front, but it seems like there's new news," Louis XII said, opening the letter and reading it.

For a moment, Ulliu seemed to see a trace of sluggishness passing across His King's face.

After a while, Louis XII handed the letter to Ulliu, with a strange look.

The Moors took it cautiously and quickly read the contents of the letter: "On November 21, the Neapolitan army raided Sicily, and Palermo fell! ”