Patches of cold winter wails came from the empty house, and Alexander stood outside the house for a long time, but did not go inside.

Beside him, several Genoese officers looked at him with strange expressions, and then at the other Agri.

This was the place where Alexander ordered the wounded to be taken in, and it was full of wounded soldiers from Agri and Genoa, and as for the Venetians, who were wounded and did not escape alive, no one cared about them anymore.

Alexander was not a bad man, he knew how much of a burden the wounded were for the army in this era, there were few troops that could take good care of their wounded, and the poor medical conditions and the dirty conditions of the battlefield were the greatest threat to the wounded, which was even more terrible than the enemy's weapons.

So Alexander did not give orders to take care of the wounded Venetians who were captured, and even less to the fact that the soldiers were taking valuable things from the captives they had captured.

Who gets it, who belongs to whom, are the rules of our day and age, and it is these rules that can boost morale, and Alexander doesn't care if it's the right thing to do, like everyone else.

All the light and serious casualties totaled more than 300 people, and looking at this rough number of casualties, Alexander's mouth was a little bitter.

His strength was now less than 3,000, but the casualty rate in a battle had reached one-tenth, which made Alexander not think that the battle was worth it at all.

Of course, if you look at the victory he has achieved, then he should be proud, because he has not only defeated nearly twice as many enemies as he has, but also obtained a large amount of spoils, just by looking at the weapons and armor piled up in the open space, and the goods that the soldiers handed over to him according to the rules, you can know that he has gained a lot.

But the loss of more than 300 people still made Alexander feel a little unbearable.

Although less than 100 of them were killed, and most of them were wounded of various degrees, as long as you think about the terrible medical treatment of serious injuries and minor injuries, Alexander felt that the chances of those wounded being able to recover were too slim.

The Genoese were a little unbearable, and although they were brave on the battlefield, they felt unspeakably uncomfortable standing outside the house.

The screams of pain from inside had caused bumps on their bodies, and they did not understand what the Count had gone mad to come to such a place.

The wounded will be ruthlessly abandoned, this is the "rule" of this era, maybe there will be people on the battlefield who refuse to give up their relatives, but because of the fear of the spread of the plague, those wounded will soon be placed in a place that others cannot touch, and then what awaits them is to fend for themselves.

"Are all the dead buried?" Alexander asked in a low voice.

"Yes, my lord, the dead on both sides have been buried." A Genoese officer replied.

Even the dead of the enemy were buried together, of course, because of the observance of the canons, but even more because of the prevention of the plague.

"The wounded Venetians, let them go back if they are lightly wounded, and let them go back if they are seriously wounded," Alexander instructed slowly, glancing at the other houses near the house, "Let them stay inside, and let them resign themselves to their fate whether they live or die." ”

"My lord, let the lightly wounded captives go, or we can ask the Venetians for ransom, that's a lot of money." Another Genoese asked with some regret.

If it had been before, he might have expressed a little dissatisfaction, many of the Genoese who had been sent to support by Rovere did not think very much of Alexander, and they thought that he had won the affection of old Rovere simply by eating soft rice with a face.

As for Barendi, although many people know that this young lady is favored by the archbishop, but what kind of status she has in the Rovere family, not too many of these mercenaries know.

So with it, Alexander became a little white face in their minds.

But the battle of Oral had given them a completely unexpected Alexander, and if they did not know the young count in Pisa, in Orar, the Genoese already considered themselves familiar with the count.

"There's no need for a ransom, leave the trouble to the Vesni people."

Alexander knew that for the Genoese, the years of enmity with the Venetians had made them reluctant to insult each other whenever they had the chance, but on the battlefield this grudge could be a source of resentment for their own enemies, but sometimes it could easily become a source of blindness.

The Milanese had just proved this, and the vengeance had caused them to lose their cool, and in the end, a battle that had been overwhelmingly dominant turned into a crushing defeat, and according to the news from the scouts, Cargino's army did not immediately turn to support Orar after defeating the enemy, but kept driving and pursuing the Venetians.

When Alexander heard the news, he felt that his Genoese were even more angry than he was, as if they had been betrayed.

In fact, it is no wonder that Genoa was angry, and Calgino did not return to Oroar in time, not necessarily without the idea of wanting Alexander to attract the 5,000 Milanese and then take the opportunity to win a big victory himself.

As for whether Alexander can hold on and wait for him to return, Cardino obviously doesn't care at all.

He may even be waiting in his mind for the Milanese to wipe out Alexander before going back to clean up the remaining Milanese, maybe that would be the perfect ending for him.

Wounded are always a burden on an army, even if they are lightly wounded, but even nowadays.

"Look for the natives," Alexander said, knowing that his army could not afford to bear the burden of the wounded as well, so he decided to spend money, "telling them that I would pay them to take care of our people, and that the people of Venice would let them pay for themselves." ”

Alexander knew that his order was actually murder, and that the belongings of the seriously wounded in Venice had already been looted, and they had nothing of value to save their lives.

These were cruel times, Alexander muttered to himself, knowing that he was only making excuses by attributing cruel decisions to the times, but he couldn't possibly be a saint, especially when there were enemies like Pittigliino and two obviously unreliable allies like Cargino and Giovanni.

Leaving the house of the wounded and looking at the soldiers coming and going with excitement on their faces, Alexander's mood was somewhat better.

This battle was actually quite fruitful for him, the large number of weapons captured and all kinds of supplies that the Milanese did not have time to take away were enough to make Alexander feel good, and it was very surprising that he also captured the military vehicles of the Milanese, which made Alexander happy and a little envious of the Milanese's wealth.

Obviously, this Milanese army only carried a small part of the military resources that belonged to them that could be used temporarily, but even so, when Offrey roughly calculated that even if it had obviously been looted by the Milanese themselves once, and then the soldiers handed over nearly 2,000 florins according to the commission given to Alexander, Alexander really wanted to say to the people of the Sforza family: "Stop fighting, local tyrant, let's be friends." ”

The sky had slowly darkened, but the whole town was bright, there were no locals in the town, and the streets and alleys were full of soldiers.

The Orars refused to leave their homes until the battle began, and some of them even tried to run outside the town to see the excitement, but when Alexander set up a defensive line in the town, they sensed the danger.

The Orals were xenophobic, and they asked the church priest and a few people of status to negotiate with the soldiers, but they were driven away by a Neapolitan with a southern accent without even seeing the legendary Count, and then the Orars had to leave their homes in a hurry, which made them understand for the first time that the war was not unrelated to them.

"We've destroyed a lot of houses," Alexander said to Oflaiyi next to him, a little helplessly, "go tell the Orals, tell me the damage, and I'll compensate and compensate them, but it will take a little time." ”

"Yes, my lord," Ofleiyi nodded slightly excitedly, he knew what Alexander meant by taking time, "Your Excellency, are you going to march into Montina?" ”

Alexander smiled slightly, not answering, but the look on his face had already made Ofleiyi see the answer.

As Count of Montina, Alexander proved by his record that he was worthy of the title, which was crucial for any new nobleman who could not yet rely on a noble heir and did not have a large connection to support him.

Entering Montina as soon as possible and asserting his legal claim rights has now become the top priority in front of Alexandria, and as for Reialo's Pitigliano, it is better to leave it to Giovanni to have a headache.

Alexander was obviously a little unkind.

A soldier walked briskly, the sweat on his face glistening in the light of the torches.

"My lord, that Calgino has sent someone." At the mention of the Genoese, the tone of the Agri soldier was not very good, in fact, even the other Genoese heard Calgino's name, and his face slowly sank: "They said they wanted to see you." ”

Against this sentiment of his subordinates, Alexander did not stop it, but chose to deliberately ignore it.

'They' and 'we', or 'their Genoese' and 'our Genoese', whether they are their own people or whether they will become enemies, is always brewing in this small change.

Of course, there were also contradictions between the two families that might have been hidden earlier, otherwise the elder Rovere would not have rejected Calgino's marriage proposal, but at least after the first battle of Oral, Alexander's Genoese were more likely to approve of their young earl commander than Cargino.

While this recognition is important on the battlefield, it can sometimes play an unexpected role outside of the battlefield.

The messenger of Cargino was a fat man, and the Genoese had already told Alexander that this man was a relative of the Cargino family and a close associate of Cargino himself.

So when he saw the fat man with a proud face, Alexander did not give him a chance to speak, but said directly: "Go and tell your general that my army will turn to Montina, and I hope that he will meet with the Duke of Candino as soon as possible, after all, Pittiliuno is not the Venetian he just dealt with, and he will not always have such good luck." ”

"But ......," the fat man was dumbfounded.

"And tell him when you go back that I am not satisfied with his behavior in Orar, so I will fight in my own way in future battles, and he should not expect any help from me."

"How dare you ......" The fat man's eyes widened, and his voice trembled a little from surprise and anger.

"Finally, there is one more thing," Alexander didn't pay attention to what the fat man had to say, and just went on to say to himself, "Let him prepare 5,000 florins and send them to Montina," and Alexander stopped and looked at the fat man who no longer knew what to say with a smile on his face, and told him that if he wanted to buy a good reputation as a famous general, the price was not too expensive. ”

The fat man's expression of excitement disappeared because of anger, and he looked at Alexander for a pause before he said in a deep voice: "Well, I will bring these words of yours to my lord, but the count also asks you to remember that you will ...... in the future."

"I know, I'll be responsible."

Alexander smiled, threw down the stunned fat man and turned away.

Behind him came the fat man's muttering that seemed to be full of anger and indistinctness, but Alexander didn't care what he was talking behind his back.

He was also not worried that Cardino would refuse his terms.

For Cardino, it was actually quite worth it to buy a reputation that belonged only to him for 5,000 florins.

As for Alexander, he now values the golden Florin and the heavy Ducat, and the fame that a big win can bring him is not much use, and maybe even a big trouble.

Ever since he learned that the elder Rovere had rejected Calgino's marriage proposal, Alexander had a vague guess about the relationship between the two largest Genoa families.

A family that had held power in the Church of Genoa for generations and the descendants of the former governor of Genoa may not have been as harmonious as others might seem.

Cargino's failure to return to the town of Oral in time after defeating the Venetians, and even sparing the Milanese, who might have been completely annihilated, was not necessarily due to simple jealousy.

Alexander pondered in his heart, thinking of the intricacies of the relationships that were about to usher in this land, and even the situation that could be doomed if he was not careful, and Alexander's original joy at defeating the Milanese gradually faded.

There was a burst of singing in the night sky, and it was the Agri singing their mountain songs.

Alexander walked down the street, and around him, the hunters watched warily at every suspicious corner and passer.

"If I am suddenly assassinated, it is my fate," Alexander said to Paul Busako, who was beside him, "just like our victory today, I don't know if there will be another such victory, or I am wasting my good fortune until one day I have to pay my debts." ”

Paolo Busako looked at Alexander with some surprise, he didn't understand why Alexander would say such a thing on this day of victory, looking at Alexander who stopped in the night to look at the wilderness in the distance, Busako felt that Alexander's mood did not seem to be much lighter because of the victory he had just won.

Montina, Alexandre was no longer thinking about Pittiliuno at this time, but Montina as his domain.

His engagement to Barondy gave him the status of Count Montina, but so far it had been only an identity.

Montina is not so important as the old Rovere told him, not because of the valuable art treasures in the castle, or even because of the beauty of the castle itself, but because the Château de Montina is located right between Romagna and Tuscany.

Reject Rome in the south, Milan in the north, Venice in the east, Genoa in the west, and even more so that you can take Pisa directly and Florence from afar.

Such a place has not been easy to obtain since ancient times, and it is even more difficult to keep it for a long time.

Is there anything he doesn't know about old Rovere who took Château Montina as his dowry, and made Barenti betrothed to him?

Perhaps, but now Alexander doesn't want to think too much about it.

Looking out into the wilderness, Alexander suddenly raised his hand and pointed into the distance, then he turned back to Busako and said, "We may have to work hard, go and tell Carlo and Ofreil that we will leave tomorrow morning." ”

Busako glanced at Alexander in surprise, but nodded his head to acknowledge.

A slight rush of footsteps came from the darkness, and the hunters were immediately alert, and they surrounded Alexander with their short muskets in one hand and the hilt of their swords in the other.

A short figure ran along the parapet, this man obviously didn't expect anyone here, and when he saw the murderous hunters, the man couldn't help but let out a frightened scream, turned around and was about to flee.

Hearing that exclamation, Paul Busako, who had already raised his musket arm, raised his arm, ran a few steps forward to catch up with the man, and then dragged the man to Alexander, pulling him by the collar.

"It's a little hairy child, grown-up," Busako said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "I don't know why I came to this place." ”

Alexander looked at the panicked child and casually asked, "Are you from town?" ”

"Yes, I live in Oral." The boy nodded at once, and as he spoke, he looked back and forth around what seemed to be looking for something.

"What are you looking for?" Alexander asked, a little curious.

"I'm looking for a woman," the boy hesitated a little, before he said, "I know she and their men must live in the woods not far from town, but now I don't know where she's gone, so I'll have to come around here to find her." ”

"Living in the woods?"

The boy's words reminded Alexander of Shaskina and her gypsies.

When he heard from Shaskina that the old Gurga was not dead, Alexander was surprised and could only sigh that the gypsy's life was still long.

After all, it is already a miracle that he can survive such a serious injury in this era.

Alexander had no more thoughts about old Gurga, the gypsy was just a passing visitor in his life, and he almost forgot what he looked like if he didn't even think about it.

"Are you waiting for a bohemian woman?" Alexander's voice softened slightly, and he could see a familiar look in the boy's eyes.

That's ignorant love.

"I don't care if she's a bohemian woman or not!" The boy seemed to be irritated, and even forgot to be afraid to say out loud, "I'm just because she's a pretty woman." ”

"So you're just because she's pretty?" Alexander then asked amusedly.

"What else could it be for," said the boy, stunned, "is there anything else that women like but to be beautiful?" ”

The hunters were amused by the boy's words, and they looked at the child who was overwhelmed by the laughter, but soon they noticed that the lord's face was a little wrong, so they quickly stopped.

"Maybe it's because she's pretty," Alexander's voice was a little dazed, his gaze looking into the distance, at places that seemed impossible to see, "but there are always other things that make you feel more important than pretty, even if she's bohemian, even if she can't say she likes you as much as you do, even if she's forced to leave you far, far away." ”

Alexander's mood was a little low, and he waved his hand casually to let the boy go, and then he sat back down on the parapet.

"We'll go to Montina tomorrow," Alexandria said to Paulo Busaco next to him, or to himself, "and that's our new home." ”

In the early morning of May 4, 1497, Alexander did not tell anyone, and suddenly left the town of Oral, after a fierce battle, with his army untrimmed.

This was a surprise to Kalgino, who was camped southwest of Oral, and when he heard that Oral had suddenly become an empty town, he immediately sent men around to find Alexander's whereabouts.

It wasn't until the next day that Cargino got the conclusive news.

Alexander's army was unexpectedly spotted on the way to the new castle of Montina.

On May 5, 1497, Alexander, Count of Montina, entered the Château Neueu.

Also on the same day, a convoy slowly approached on the main road leading from the port of the Tirenian coast to Rome.

In one of the carriages of the convoy, looking at the city of Rome looming in the distance, Josha said to Massimo, who looked uneasy next to him: "I heard that the daughter of the archbishop of Genoa is not very beautiful, is it?" ”

"Yes, Miss Count, she is certainly not as pretty as you."

The monk, who had no discipline at all, greeted him very spinelessly.

"But she's my brother's fiancée after all, so I decided to visit the young lady of the Rovie family first thing when I entered the city."

Seeing that Jisha did not have the slightest desire to let go of this matter because of his perfunctory, the monk couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

"Where are you, my lord, why don't you come and save poor Massimo?"

The monk felt sorry for himself and accompanied him all the way into the city of Rome, and then he realized that his doom had just begun.

This was because the convoy had not gone far before he heard two people on the side of the road discussing an interesting topic with great interest.

To make matters worse, Mahimo felt that the unbridled discussion between the two men must have been heard by the car.

"I say, 'Have you heard?' the princess of Rome, the little widow who had just died of her husband," said one of them, with an ambiguous look on his face, "as if she had a new love." ”

"Oh, of course I've heard about it, and it seems to have something to do with a little lord from Naples, and what the little lord is called, by the way, Gombre of Agri."

Hearing this, Massimo's eyes went dark and he almost fell off his horse.