Chapter 60: Obstacle Clearing
Carolet rode and stared at a group of soldiers in front of her, who were dressed differently but could still recognize the origin of some of their insignia.
These were the thugs he had chased after a few streets and finally blocked a dead end, and unlike the other people who were robbing and rioting around the city, these people seemed to be more organized and acted quickly, they always robbed a house and then did not loot it too greedily, but only took the most valuable things, and then they quickly left and looked for the next target.
So when Carolet and his men found their tracks a few blocks away, they chased them several times because they moved quickly and kept changing direction.
This made Carolet realize that these people were unusual, and he believed that these thugs must have been instigated, and perhaps there was a shadow of Don Bavi among them.
Carolet, who had been rushing to the city where the riots were most severe, decided to capture the men, hoping to find clues as to how the situation had come to this.
Carolet still didn't believe that it was Wang Jun who took the initiative to provoke those nobles, he felt that there should be something strange in this, maybe someone was inciting trouble, maybe all this was simply Don Bavi creating trouble.
Carolet had obviously guessed the truth, but he hadn't guessed the process, he didn't know that he was walking towards a trap that had been carefully prepared for him, and he was still hoping to quickly rendezvous with the royal army and take control of the city of Seville.
So he led the guards all the way after a few streets, and when he found that the thugs finally had no way to escape, Carolet let out a loud laugh of "ha", he raised his hand high, and with his gesture, the spear in the hand of the guard soldier immediately stretched forward, and as the boot stepped on the cobblestone pavement, the street instantly filled the street with a tense atmosphere.
The thugs seemed to be a little flustered, they were crowded together, and from time to time someone shouted, as if to cheer up the people next to them or to embolden themselves, which seemed comical and ridiculous to Carolet.
"I can forgive you, but you must tell me who is directing you!" Carolet shouted to the men across the street, but they didn't know that he had secretly made a gesture to the army next to him as he said this, and when they saw this gesture, the guards immediately whispered an order, and only waited for the consul to give the order to attack the mob.
"These people must pay for their actions," Carolet whispered to himself, he was indeed a seemingly innocent figure, and even his chubby appearance gave the impression of clumsy and generous, but in fact it was only when he did show his fangs that his opponents would discover what the truth lay beneath his clumsy exterior of deception.
The people on the other side seemed to be discussing, they were obviously afraid, and they obviously did not have the courage to confront him head-on, so after some discussion, at last a man stood up from the crowd, and he saluted Carolet at a distance, and then said in a loud voice: "My lord, it is true that someone instructed us to do this, and we can tell you who that person is, but please forgive us for not surrendering to you." β
Carolet looked at these people with a gloomy face, although he felt that these people should not dare to take the initiative to attack his guards, but there may not be any accidents at this time, after all, most of the city has now fallen into chaos, if these people take risks and immediately scatter and flee, in this chaotic situation, they may not be able to find these people afterwards.
Carolet pondered for a moment and finally nodded, it was far more important for him to find the mastermind behind the scenes than to punish these people, and he believed that he had memorized the badges on many of them, and he believed that he would still be able to find out these people in the future.
Thinking so, Carolet opened his mouth, and just as he was about to speak, a dull sound suddenly came from the distance of the street behind him.
He looked back at the sound, and through the swaying shadows of the guards, Carolet saw the army emerge from the fork in the road in the distance.
The troops crowded in, spears in their hands shining like a jungle over the streets in the early winter morning sun, and as the ranks advanced, the blinding reflections of the helmets of many of them made the whole group look a little blurry.
"Wang Jun."
A smile appeared on Carolai's chubby face, and he no longer even looked at the banner of the leader, but turned back to the thugs who looked inexplicably excited and raised his hand again: "You have seen that in front of you is the heavily armed royal army, now I order you to surrender immediately, otherwise I will order you to be killed!" β
As soon as Carolet's words fell, the man opposite him had already let out a loud laugh, and he gave an exaggerated salute to the consul, then straightened up and said loudly: "My lord, according to your command, I will tell who is directing us, and they are right behind you!" β
A layer of anger instantly appeared on Carolet's face, he had decided not to count on negotiations anymore, just as he raised his arm and shouted "Listen to my orders~", he suddenly heard a frightened cry from the guards behind him!
Carolet turned suddenly, and an unbelievable scene appeared in front of his eyes, those royal troops that he regarded as great reinforcements were now slashing towards the unsuspecting Archon Guard!
Almost at the same time, the thugs who had been timidly close to each other and barely confronted them just now suddenly rushed towards them with a burst of bloodthirsty and excited shouts.
In an instant, the Archon Guard, which had been hunters, was surrounded by their prey, and a massacre unfolded in the narrow streets!
When Don Bavi came out of Alexander's house, the sun was almost in the middle.
Although it is about to enter March, the season is still very cold, the sun in the sky looks cold white, but there is no heat, and the cold wind on the street is mixed with a trace of unpleasant blood.
"February 29th," Don Bavi said with a strange feeling as he looked up at the sun like a white shroud.
He didn't deliberately set the time for his action to be such a special day, but the development of events made this day full of extraordinary significance.
According to the legend of ancient Rome, people will set this month as 28 days because they hate February, although this statement may not be true, but February always gives people a sense of ominousness, but this year in 1501, February is a special 29 days, and it is on the last day of this ominous February, everything finally broke out.
"Which of the two is this hint from God, to me or Isabella?" Don Bavi sat in his wheelchair and squinted his eyes at the sky as much as he could, then pulled down the hood of his cloak to block his eyes, "Is this telling us that only one of the two people can stay in the end?" β
Don Bavi was in a trance and said to himself, then his mind seemed to suddenly clear, and then he waved his hand to signal the servants behind him to push him forward: "Go to the Archon's residence, it's time for us to explain everything to the nobles of Andalusia." β
The Duke's words made the people who followed him excited, and they knew that they would be duly rewarded for taking such a huge risk and deciding to follow Don Bavi's efforts.
Alexander stood in the window and watched Don Bavi and his men gradually walk away, when he heard footsteps behind him, Alexander did not look back, but said slowly, "Are you ready?" β
"Yes, sir," replied Ulliu, still dressed as a firewood seller, standing not far behind Alexander, "and I can leave Seville now." β
"Wait, it's still a mess outside," Alexander said without looking back, "and if you leave in the evening, I'll send two men to escort you out of town, and then you'll have to do it on your own." β
"Don't worry, sir, I think I'm even safer here than in Milan," Uliu smiled, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth, "But be careful, sir, Isabella should soon find out about you in Seville." β
"I know," Alexander nodded, and he thought for a moment before saying, "I don't know where Don Bavi hid that Sister Alft yet, but I have a feeling that he won't hide her for long, because she may be needed soon, so I hope you will be prepared as soon as possible." β
"Yes, sir," Ulliu saluted with his hands clasped over his chest, "I wish you all the best, and I am waiting for you in Valladour." β
Alexander nodded slowly, listening to the footsteps that were fading behind him, he stretched out his hand and gently patted the windowsill in front of him: "Then let's watch the performance of all of us." β
When Don Bavi's wheelchair appeared in the open space in front of the Archon's Residence, opposite him was the closed gate of the Mansion and the guards of the Residence, while behind him were the entire royal army and a large number of noble lords and their domain troops.
The two sides are facing each other, but everyone knows that this confrontation doesn't really mean anything.
The number of guards in the official residence was too small, and the guards commander's underwear had already been soaked with sweat as he watched the enemy crowd from the open space not far in front to the distant streets.
There was the sound of heavy objects crashing against the road, and the crowded soldiers stepped out of the way, revealing a cannon that had been pushed forward.
It was a small heavy eagle cannon, and although the shells were solid bullets that could be picked up and loaded with one hand, it was enough to make the soldiers in the palace guard terrified with fear.
Looking at the cannon that was being flattened and gradually aimed at the black hole in the gate of the mansion, the commander of the guard finally couldn't bear this terrible pressure, he shouted loudly and stood on the wall of the mansion, looking at the terrible cannon that flashed with a ghostly light, the commander finally made the terms of surrender to Don Bavi: "Your Excellency, you must ensure the safety of the consul's family, otherwise we can only fight to the end." β
"I swear to God that I will not hurt any of you, enough blood has been shed today, and we are not a rebellion." Don Bavi nodded in agreement, waving his hand to those behind him, and as a group of soldiers walked towards the door, the door of the mansion slowly opened under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes.
Under the protection of the guards, the servant pushed Don Bavi slowly into the door of the consul's residence, and as he walked through the portico Don Bavi looked up at the marble statue of Fernando III, the liberator of Seville, holding the icon in both hands on the stone-carved portico, Don Bavi pulled out the cross from his chest and kissed it tremblingly to his lips.
In the hall, a woman with her four children stood waiting for Don Bavi, CarolΓ©'s wife and his children, who were now the most illustrious family in Andalusia, trembling as they looked at the old man, who seemed to be on the verge of death in a wheelchair, and knew that their fate was in his hands.
The woman slowly crouched down and respectfully took Don Bawigan's skinny hand and kissed it on her lips, then she turned back and motioned for her children to do the same.
"I won't kiss a traitor's hand!" An abrupt voice suddenly sounded in the terrifying hall, and a richly dressed boy who looked like he was a teenager stood there bravely staring at Don Bavi, "My father said you were a careerist, he said you would definitely become a traitor, and he was right, you have betrayed Her Majesty now." β
The woman looked at her son in horror, and she wanted to open her mouth to scold, but was stopped by Don Bavi with a slight wave of his hand.
Don Bavi looked at the child earnestly for a moment, then he sighed softly.
"Are you a Castile, child?" In the woman's fear, Don Bavi slowly approached the boy in a wheelchair.
"Of course, I am a loyal servant of Her Majesty as much as my father." The boy replied bravely.
"Your father is a loyal man, but do you know why he failed," Don Bavi's cheeks moved and he smiled, "for he didn't know who he was serving for," he said, raising his hand to block the boy who was about to speak, "Do you think you are allegiance to the queen, but in fact you are ultimately loyal to the monarch of another country, and when you are old you will find that Castile is gone." It may be an Aragonese or an Austrian who rules the country, but it's not Castile, so where is Castile, it was wiped out, it was buried by the hands of someone like your father who thought he was loyal, and that's why we have to stand up, and if you think you're a Castilian, then you should know I'm right. β
The boy tried to refute, but when he opened his mouth, he suddenly didn't know what to say.
Although he was angry at Don Bavi's words, he didn't know how to refute them, and even vaguely felt in his heart that there might really be some truth in the words of this hateful traitor, but he could never admit it, so he could only bite his lip tightly and stare at the old man in front of him, whom his father had always called a traitor and a careerist, until his mother suddenly came over and slapped him in the face, and then held him tightly in his arms.
"Don't worry, I promised to protect you," Don Bavi said to the woman, "but your husband may not be so lucky, for there are many thugs in the city." β
The woman let out a suppressed cry, but then she put her hand in her mouth and bit it tightly to keep herself from crying.
Don Bavi shook his head slightly, but said nothing, and motioned for the servant to push him forward, and the people began to follow him into the hall of the mansion.
In the middle of the ornately decorated hall in typical Moorish style, a large oak chair with the symbol of the Andalusian sun on the back of the chair was quietly placed, and everyone couldn't help but breathe quickly when they looked at the chair.
With the support of the two servants, Don Bavi slowly sat down in the consul's chair, and he looked at the men who were looking at him, a smile tugging at first on his thin face, and then nodded to the clerk who was already ready next to him.
The Registrar opened the proclamation that had been prepared in advance, and with the proclamation that pierced the halls, a truly earth-shattering event was ushered in the land of Andalusia.
"In view of the fact that the Consul Fernando Carolet is unable to perform his duties, for the sake of the order of Andalusia, for the welfare of the Kingdom of Castile, and for the benefit of Her Majesty, the Duke of Buhalanse has sent Monide Don Bavi, as the most noble nobleman of Andalusia and the most trusted of Her Majesty, to take over the post of Consul of Andalusia, and to exercise all the rights and responsibilities of that office!"
The clerk's voice echoed through the hall, and the faces of the people were different, and some of them could not hide the excitement in their hearts, because it meant that from this day on, they could go back to the good old days.
There was a faint worry on the faces of others, for they knew that the queen would never allow such a thing to happen in Andalusia, and even on the eve of a possible war with Portugal, Isabella's character would never tolerate a rebellion.
Don Bavi, however, did not give them much time to think about it, and as the clerk had read out his final signature, Don Bavi had already spoken: "I will do my duty, for it is God's revelation to me, and I will give a public mass at the Cathedral of Seville, and at that time I will prove to you with facts this evidence of God's revelation." β
Don Bavi's words made everyone instantly surprised, they didn't know why he could prove all this so confidently, even through a public mass, which made many people wonder and wonder, is this really God inspiring Don Bavi?
Seeing the different expressions of the nobles, Don Bavi sat down slowly, his back resting back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone he could see.
"You will soon see a real miracle, and then you will make the right choice." Don Bavi spat out a whisper that only he could hear.
Just as Don Bavi was announcing his takeover of power at the Consul's residence, Alexander led his men to the bottom of the bell tower of the Hillada Tower in the Cathedral of Seville.
Looking up at the huge bronze bell in the shadow at the top of the middle bell tower, Alexander groaned slightly.
"Your Excellency?"
Schell asked in a low voice, the Balkans don't have a good impression of this bell tower, it was here that he lost the duke, and he still remembers the way he felt embarrassed when he saw the lord walking back alone, but Schell swore never to let this happen a second time.
"This bell is really big," Alexander smiled when he saw that Schell looked confused, he knew that the large bronze bell of the Hillada Tower bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville should be the largest bronze bell in the Iberian Peninsula, which made him suddenly have a strange thought, "I don't know what would happen if Gompati saw this bell, maybe he would melt it down and make a cannon." β
With that, before a somewhat stunned Schell could speak, Alexander walked towards the men who were already waiting at the entrance of the cathedral.
By the time the early morning riots had just taken place, the Cathedral of Seville was already surrounded by troops who had suddenly appeared.
The troops entered the cathedral after blocking all exit roads from the church, and then the Archbishop of Seville was graciously taken away by the troops who broke into the church, and disappeared.
The whole morning of the Cathedral of Seville was spent in a state of panic, and the bishops, led by the auxiliary bishops, tried again and again to impress the soldiers, but these soldiers, who were usually in awe of the Church and the clergy, no longer had that humble timidity, and although they did not offend unreasonably, they indifferently refused the requests of the priests, until at last someone came to inform them that an important person of the Church was going to meet them.
This gave the auxiliary bishop hope that the diocese of Saville was the largest diocese in Castile and that the archbishop was even eligible to be elected as a cardinal, although they did not know who the ecclesiastical person was, but at least it meant that things were not too bad.
It was only after meeting Alexander that the auxiliary bishop began to feel uneasy from his surprise, especially when he heard that Alexander had announced that he had recognized Don Bavi as consul in the name of the Vatican, and the auxiliary bishop was already sweating on his forehead.
"But it is not in accordance with Castilian law to do so while the consul is still alive," the auxiliary bishop tried to resist, "and the archbishop is not here now, and we cannot give the duke any blessing, so it is not recognized." β
The auxiliary bishop looked at the others as if asking for help, and just then, a soldier hurried into the church.
"Lord Duke, we have found the Archon Carollet!" The officer shouted to Alexander from afar, "Unfortunately, the consul has been killed in the riot!" β
"It seems that the last obstacle is gone," Alexander said, looking at the auxiliary bishop.
Hearing this, the auxiliary bishop was stunned for a moment.