Located in the southwest of Seville, across the Guadaville River, the Castle of the Grand Knights connects the Castle with the city of Seville by a majestic six-hole stone bridge.

The stone bridge is very old, the deck is so wide that three carriages can travel side by side, and between the arched holes are more than a dozen thick piers made of granite.

After crossing the bridge called Choratinos, you have to walk up the hill for a while to reach the gates of the Grand Knight's Castle.

However, because of the winding mountain road, the castle was actually located on the bank of the river, and the two trebuchets that were originally placed on the auxiliary forts at both ends of the castle façade that could directly threaten the river have been replaced by two more powerful guns, the muzzles of which are pointed at the Guadaville River from the east and west ends of the castle at the same time, and these two powerful guns also block the Choratinos bridge.

Centuries ago, when Castile was not yet united, Seville was the capital of the Old Kingdom, and the castle of the Grand Knights became a royal palace, so the castle was built quite sturdily, and the buildings and furnishings inside were very comfortable, and it was not so careless about the furnishings because it was a place where the army was stationed.

Tiego was satisfied after a walk around the castle of the Grand Knights.

First of all, the castle is difficult to defend, and it is clear from some details that it was built without cutting corners, and later due to the war with the Moors, the castle changed hands several times, and the occupiers operated it as an important military fortress, which made the castle of the Grand Knight extremely strong despite the centuries.

It's nice, at least Thiegal feels a little safe after staying in.

He could have understood why Don Bavi had such a good place to be guarded by his Catalans, rather than his own stronghold of last resort, because the castle hung alone on the slopes of the south bank of the Guadaville River, and once besieged, it meant that there was no way out.

Thiegor didn't care about that, of course, as long as the castle was strong enough, and of course the huge cannons on the two auxiliary forts pleased him, at least enough for him to deal with anything living that passed by the Choratinos Bridge.

Don Bavi's handing over to him the Château of the Grand Knight and the Choratinos Bridge, which connects the banks of the Guadaville River, was not a surprise to Tiego, but in fact he was able to obtain these two key points because the gold coins in his hand played a more crucial role.

From the moment he entered Seville, Tiego used the men he had arranged for him to carry out various activities, and the Seville Exchange became a frequent place for him.

However, this is not surprising, he is a businessman after all, and of course he is more interested in places like the exchange.

After the last looting, the prosperity of the Seville Exchange has been somewhat affected, but it has slowly recovered.

However, people did not notice that there were more unfamiliar faces in the exchange that had not appeared before, but because many of the previous important archived documents, deeds and transaction documents had been looted or damaged by the pirates, so the appearance of these people out of thin air became undocumented.

Not to mention that the prosperity of the new colonies has made many people willing to take risks, so it is not uncommon for new faces to appear.

Tiego was not in direct contact with the people who had already been in Seville, he was more interested in the exchanges, especially about those in the aristocratic coalition who might cause trouble.

He soon discovered that the current situation of the coalition was worse than he had suspected, that the city was full of rumors of defeat, that some nobles had openly declared their intention to negotiate with the Barriariduds, and that others, while they insisted on continuing the armed confrontation, opposed the continued defense of Seville, and thought it right to retreat south and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.

Regardless of their thoughts, however, everyone was surprisingly unanimous in their belief that they would not be able to contend with the two forces of enemies outside the city, and that even with the support of the Catalans, it would still be very dangerous.

In particular, the city of Seville straddles both sides of the Guadaville River, which gave the enemy the opportunity to quickly invade the city from the river, and this speculation was precisely what Gonzalo intended to plan.

Quickly attacking Seville from the river, then taking any part of the city on either side, and then using that city as a basis to attack the other side is a simple but effective solution.

At the very least, this would ensure that a part of Seville would be captured in a short period of time, and once the city had gained a foothold, the bridges across the Guadaville would be the key to the other side of the river.

However, among these bridges, the Choratinos Bridge is the most important.

This is because the bridge not only connects to the Grand Knight's Castle, but also to the King Francis Boulevard, which leads to the Doge's Palace and the Cathedral, and is the most important arterial road on the north bank of Seville, from which you can quickly attack many important places in the city on the north bank.

Such a place was of course an important target for the enemy, and Tiego had been told before entering the city that in order to quickly occupy Seville, it was necessary to capture the castle of the Grand Knights and the bridge of Choradino in a short time.

For this he began to pull out a large amount of gold from his pocket and wait for an opportunity to approach the nobles who might be appointed to defend the castle, and he soon received more reliable information from them.

Obviously, the suspicion that Tang Bawi, who he feared most, might send his own troops to defend the castle would not happen, and because the castle was likely to be the first target of the enemy's attack, the nobles saw defending the castle of the Grand Knight as terrifying as if they had been sentenced to death.

When he heard this, Tiego felt that he did not know whether to rejoice in his luck or to be sad about the current situation of the aristocratic coalition, and he even felt that at this time, the army outside the city might just put on a show, and Seville might have to put up a white flag and surrender.

However, of course, he was only thinking about it, and there were still many nobles in Seville who were stubborn in fighting to the death with the "Aragonese who had already stolen the crown of Castile", or with "some bastard who tried to steal the crown".

But more importantly, the current confrontation between the two armies outside the city has made it almost impossible for either side to occupy Seville alone, which makes the nobles in Seville seem to see new hope.

Don Bavi obviously saw this too, although Tiego didn't know that he was ready to send Alfurt away quietly if the situation was not good, but Don Bavi did not dare to act rashly because the two armies outside the city were now watching each other, and felt that maybe things would turn around.

It's just that the Great Knight's Castle is still very dangerous, so none of the coalition nobles are willing to take this risk.

Eventually, with the combination of gold and seduction, Tiego asked Don Bavi to say that "those Catalans are more suitable".

Don Bavi also knew very well that it would be difficult for those people to obediently throw their territorial army into the fortress of the Grand Knight's Castle, which had no way out, and the Catalans might not risk making this money as long as they gave enough benefits.

So he finally paid the high price of seven and a half years of tax collection rights on the Guadaville River in exchange for the Catalan mercenaries agreeing to defend the castle as a banner.

To each according to what he needs, to each he gets, Don Bavi and Tiego both feel that they have earned it.

And the coalition nobles finally breathed a sigh of relief, and they were glad that they were not in a situation where there was no way out.

Everything was ready, and the only thing that awaited was the attack of the enemy outside the city.

The offensive began in the early morning of April 20.

Just when the coalition forces in the city were anxiously waiting for the war to come, the two "united but not united" armies outside the city were also actively preparing for the siege of the city.

The Sicilian army was nervous, not only because there was a "friendly army" next to it that could be attacked at any time, but also because it was the first large-scale siege after the unification of the Kingdom of Sicily.

Seville has a long history and experience of many wars in its early years, so the city is not as easy to take as it seems.

According to the order of battle, the Sicilian army openly claimed to have a total of 4 regiments under its command, totaling about 8,500 men.

The four regiments were the Neapolitan Regiment and the City Defense Corps of about 2,600 men, the Cosenza Regiment of about 2,000 men, the Royal Grenadier Regiment of about 1,800 men, and the Sicilian Regiment of about 2,000 men who remain in Sicily today.

And because they had to divide a part to cooperate with the local national army garrison, the actual troops of the Naples and Cosenza regiments to expedition to Iberia were almost the same as the royal grenadiers that could be fully mobilized.

So the strength of the Sicilian Expeditionary Force, about 5,600 people.

Gonzalo's army, in addition to the 2,500-strong battle brigade he had personally trained as a model army, also consisted of about 3,500 Castilian royal troops.

As for the aristocratic coalition in Seville, after a series of defeats, the number of troops has declined from nearly 10,000 to about 4,000.

However, because it was supported by 1,800 Catalan mercenaries and had the strong defense of Seville, it seems that the aristocratic coalition was not without the strength to fight.

As for the 300 Balkan hunting guards brought by Alexander, in the face of a campaign of this magnitude, it was almost negligible.

"The number of regiments should be expanded, and they should be gradually stabilized, and the scale of the war in the future will be larger and larger, and having a relatively stable number of members can allow you to better plan the next battle, otherwise the strength of each regiment is uneven or even seriously lacking, which will directly affect the entire battle process."

Alexander rode on his horse and stood side by side with him, and when he saw the wind blowing his hair, he habitually raised his hand to smooth her, and then remembered what had changed to hold his hat without a trace.

At this time, they were surrounded by a large number of Sicilian soldiers, either on horseback or on foot, and closer by, Alexandria's Balkan hunting guards were firmly guarded by them.

With the retirement of the Agri Hunts, the composition of the Huntsmen has gradually formed a situation where the Balkans and Agris have been selected to split half.

The recruited Agri were more of a supplement to the musketeers.

As for the Balkans, Alexander had found that they seemed to have some kind of inexplicable resistance to hot weapons, and even though they were armed with muskets and muskets as ordered, most of the Balkans preferred to use sabers and hatches.

And this ethos did not diminish with the gradual spread of firearms in the armies of the Kingdom of Romagna-Tuscany.

Alexander knew that both the Sicilian and Roman armies of Thessia needed a real change.

These changes will be a watershed moment that distinguishes modern and medieval armies, and as hot weapons are used on a larger scale on the battlefield, the form of warfare will be truly upside down.

The Battle of Seville may be a very important sign of this change.

For a long time, whether it was Alexander or Khosha, no matter how fierce the enemy they faced, it was still an old-fashioned army with strong traces of the Middle Ages, even the new Ottoman army, although it used the most advanced weapons of this era, but for various reasons, it could not get rid of the trap of the ancient army.

This was also when the new armies of Alexander and Zhisa were encountered under Bucharest and on the banks of the Dumbvetsa River, and even famous Ottoman generals such as Sisugu had to be defeated by opponents who had already experienced new weapons and new tactical ideas.

But compared to his previous opponents, Gonzalo Córdoba is completely different!

The fact is that it was Gonzalo himself who really turned the military revolution of the post-medieval era into reality in history.

The great Gonzalo, this is the name given by the Spaniards to pay tribute to the illustrious commander who created the Spanish phalanx that swept across Europe for more than a century.

Under his personal command and guidance, the Spanish phalanx was invincible on the battlefield.

A real general has rich experience in warfare, and he is not lacking in pioneering and enterprising spirit.

It is dangerous to be an enemy of such an adversary, but it is unavoidable.

It is true that the negotiations on the small island in the middle of the river have not been long, but they are enough to talk about some sensitive topics.

Gonzalo did not show much interest in Alexander's claim to the Castilian throne and the rivalry with Ferdinand.

He directly stated that he only cared about whether he could hold on to what he had now, and as for what he had not obtained in the future, Gonzalo chose to ignore it sensibly.

Prove yourself with a battle that is a Gonzalo-esque reply.

Seville will be the battleground of the current era, where two forces with the most advanced military technology and tactical thinking at their disposal collide.

"Gonzalo's idea that he had always wanted to replace the entire Castilian army with his model army is not wrong now, but it will not only take a long time, but it will also waste too much time," Alexander said to Jossa beside him. ”

Zhisa looked at Alexander with some confusion, although she was used to Alexander's words that appeared from time to time, as if she could vaguely spy on the future, but whenever she was like this, she would feel a kind of confusion that fascinated her.

"Will Gonzalo let the Model Army attack the city first," Zhisa looked at Alexander, "If he wants to capture the Viceroyalty of Seville first, he must first seize the ferry on the north bank of the Guadaville River, and this is a good opportunity for us." ”

Alexander pondered, but still shook his head slightly and rejected Josha's suggestion: "Gonzalo will not let the model army enter the battle so quickly, he has to guard against possible accidents like us, if he provokes a conflict with him too early, it may turn the whole battle into a confused battle, then maybe we will fall into a protracted and long war, you must know that Maximian is coveting the south of Rome, so we must avoid falling into Iberia, And to make sure that Castile and even Aragon are not seriously damaged by the war, which is the most important thing for us today. ”

Alexander's words made Josha's eyes flicker, and she quickly grasped the key meaning revealed in her brother's words.

"After the Battle of Seville, it is time for us to march on Barriariddod," Alexander said to Zaragoza with a smile, "and then Zaragoza, and I will let you enter Zaragoza in the most honorable capacity, and the kingdom of Aragon will open its arms to you, and their nobles will prostrate at your feet." ”

Josha laughed, she knew it was a promise, her brother had promised her a crown a long time ago, but now it seemed that the promise was in a tendency to be overfulfilled.

In the early morning of April 20, the Sicilian army began to cross the Covones River in an orderly manner.

The crossing went smoothly, and the few noble armies on the other side of the river withdrew towards Seville with little respectable resistance, but as they passed the Two Sisters Lake, they were finally met by an enemy army ready to resist.

In the wetlands between the two sisters, an army of Andalusian nobility held their ground, relying on the lakes on both sides to build a narrow line of defense on the wetlands that were not wide in front.

Looking at the enemy in the distance, whose main weapons were spears and two-handed swords, Kuraš, who was now the deputy commander of the Neapolitan regiment, wasted no time, and directly ordered the field guns that were advancing with the infantry to speak to the enemy.

Although there were only a few guns, and the caliber was not large, the instant damage caused by the shells falling in the enemy ranks quickly shook the somewhat stubborn enemy army.

The Andalusian ranks wavered, but Kurash did not miss this opportunity, and he immediately ordered the few dozen cavalry in his hand to be thrown into battle.

A few dozen men may seem meaningless in a battle with a total strength of nearly 17,000 men on several sides, but if used correctly, these dozens of men can at least build up merit in a small battle.

These cavalry were regimental cavalry assigned to each regiment by the Shosa, and their task was to have their own assault force when each regiment was fighting alone, and not to lose their fighters because they needed to ask for help from a separate cavalry unit when they needed support.

These cavalry quickly rushed towards the Andalusians, who had not had time to fight the enemy, and had already been beaten by a burst of cannonballs, and when they rushed through the gap in the middle of the enemy line, they did not stop but kept rushing towards the rear of the enemy line, so that the Andalusian formation was quickly pulled and gradually deformed.

The Neapolitan regiment began to attack, and although the wetlands between the two sisters were not an ideal battlefield, they still pressed on the already chaotic enemy under the cover of artillery on both sides of the lake as they had been trained.

Immediately, a hand-to-hand hand-to-hand battle began.

With Alexander's help, Jossa climbed up to the roof of the carriage along a special ladder.

The carriage was also specially made, with a special pile of axle reeds that were tightly fastened together to absorb shocks, so that passengers would not feel guilty even when traveling on roads in poor conditions, and the reinforced roof allowed people to stand up and watch the movement of enemies in the distance, and the carriage became a mobile headquarters.

"I didn't expect that there were brave nobles in the rebel army," said with a smile as she looked at the already chaotic but still struggling formations of the enemy in the distance, "they are blocking our way, which may delay time." ”

"Don't worry," said Alexander disapprovingly, "if Gonzalo is in a hurry to attack Seville, what awaits him may not be a good result." ”

Alexander's words made Jossa laugh as well, and she turned her head and continued to look in the direction of the enemy's position.

Soon, however, her attention was drawn to a carriage approaching along the shore of the two sisters' lake.

Gradually, when she saw the flag accompanying the carriage, she couldn't help but look at Alexander with some surprise.

"It's a surprise, isn't it?" Alexander asked Josha a question, and quickly climbed down the wooden ladder to get out of the carriage, and then he stood there waiting for Josha to come down and stand with him, waiting for the carriage to gradually approach, and finally stopped in front of them.

Looking at the figure slowly emerging from the carriage, a strange look crossed her face, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Welcome to your father, did you have a smooth journey?" Alexander bowed to the Pope.

"It's not going well, but if I can get some rest in the bedroom of the Cathedral of Seville as soon as possible, I think it will be fine." The Pope replied.

"Yes, Your Majesty, your wish will soon come true."