As Alexander walked down the corridors of St. John's Castle, he noticed the flattering but somewhat cautious smiles on the faces of the nobles who saw him, and they were enthusiastic but often cautious, which he found quite amusing.

Alexander could understand the thoughts of the Portuguese, and when he heard that Ferdinand had sent an emissary again, this time not from Castile but one of his Aragonese generals, the warning was all too obvious.

Ferdinand apparently hoped that this undisguised threat would force Manuel to reconsider whether he was on the side of that Alexander.

The setbacks at sea and the rebellion from the south of Castile had already stressed Ferdinand, and now the sudden emergence of a Castilian prince was arguably the greatest crisis for Ferdinand since Isabella's death.

So he decided to simply go straight to Manuel for a showdown, rather than continue to entangle.

Ferdinand's method, though simple and crude, seemed to have some effect.

In the face of the mighty United Kingdom and the future Spain, many Portuguese could not help but calm down from the excitement of supporting a Castilian prince, especially those who did not realize that the king had decided to fight Spain for a long time in the struggle for the New World, and some directly questioned whether they should risk angering those two powerful neighbors.

Manuel did not hesitate to refute such doubts, but at the same time, he seemed to be conniving at the provocations made by those people to Alexander, intentionally or unintentionally.

His seemingly contradictory actions were not unusual to Alexander.

The King of Portugal was undoubtedly excited, even fanatical, during this time, and he saw a future that he had never imagined, and even the extraordinary enthusiasm for the reconquest of the Holy Land seemed insignificant compared to this future.

Manuel's ambition to make a mark and expand his territory made Manuel reluctant to offend Spain, and even Alexander, who had led him down the road, could not stop the Portuguese king's greed for the New World.

However, of course, Alexander did not want to stop him, the Portuguese would devote their energy to the South American continent for a long time, and Alexander had already found a future opponent by them.

The English were as obsessed with maritime adventures as the Portuguese, and the people from the Low Netherlands would join in the fun, so that the Atlantic Ocean would be very lively for a long time.

But Manuel must have been more than that, and although he did not express his support, acquiescing to the doubts of those people against Alexander also showed that he had other plans.

And Alexander was able to roughly guess what he was thinking.

Whether it is Ferdinand's current or Alexander's in the future, a Spanish king who is not a threat is a good king for Portugal.

Manuel seems to have intended that this would make Alexander pay more for his support through those doubts.

From the point of view of the Portuguese, this was understandable, but Alexander did not like it very much.

When he saw Manuel, Alexander noticed that the King of Portugal seemed to be vaguely uneasy, and when he saw him approaching, Manuel immediately beckoned him to come to him.

"I don't know if it's a bad thing, but I don't think it's a good sign," Manuel handed Alexander a report, "It's just been sent from the Azores, and a British expedition arrived in Ponda Bulgara almost a week ago, but I think they'd already be out of there by now." ”

Alexander took the report and looked at it, knowing that the Portuguese had named the first stronghold established on the island of São Miguel after the occupation of Youngor as Ponda Bulgara, and that it was also the capital of the Portuguese possessions that had been identified as the Viceroyalty of the Azores many years later, but now Ponda Bulgara was only the largest settlement.

"This says the British sent 4 boats?" Alexander asked, looking at the report.

"Four large ocean-going vessels, their destination should also be the new land."

By this time, Manuel had already begun to learn Alexander's words to call the New World, which was why he was determined to fight Spain, and he had a great interest in the mysterious New World, and he had a hunch that it might be an opportunity for Portugal to truly rise.

It's just that now the sudden involvement of the British makes him feel that the situation may go out of control, after all, the British sea power should not be underestimated, and more importantly, they are a marriage alliance with Spain.

Marriages are sometimes unreliable, and most of the time such alliances are effective, but once they touch on their interests, they often form great contradictions.

Still, such alliances often play an important role, as in the case of Castile and Aragon, two royal families who even descended from the same ancestor, whose grievances are complex enough to be a legend, and which even more than 20 years ago were often in conflict with each other, but now they are watching the trend towards unification.

The same is true of England's relationship with Spain, they are sons and daughters, although Ferdinand and Isabella's daughter Catherine of Aragon became a widow less than half a year after marrying the British Crown Prince Arthur, but it is heard that her father-in-law Henry VII is discussing with Ferdinand about having Catherine marry his other son, the future wife murderer Henry VIII.

This is not a matter of success for the time being, but the British and Spain must now wear the same pants, and it is understandable that Manuel is uneasy considering the huge advantage of the two navies once they form an alliance.

"Duke, I'd love to help you fulfill your wishes, but you also have to help me," Manuel said as he looked at Alexander with a little eagerness, "I could have put all my energy into the East, and the new route is just beginning to make me a lot of money, but I'm willing to accept your suggestion to invest almost all of my money in the Atlantic, and if it fails, you know what it means for me and Portugal." ”

Alexander quietly handed the report back to Manuel, and he turned to the chair and sat down with his legs crossed, his hands on the armrests of the chair, clasped together, and his chin in support of the King of Portugal in front of him.

"Your Majesty, I think you should know that this choice is made by yourself, as a monarch you should be well aware of the temptations from all sides, which are often forgetful but also dangerous, and some are even fatal," Alexander's tone was calm, but the words he could say were unceremonious, "But in the same way, once successful, it often brings unexpected and huge rewards, so it is an unprecedented gamble for you, and the important thing now is not to look ahead, But since this step has been taken, we must go on without hesitation. ”

Manuel looked at Alexander with a gloomy face, he knew that his previous calculations should have been seen through by Alexander, which was originally nothing, but now that the British joined the exploration of the New World, the king who had always thought that he had a good hand of cards was a little unprepared.

"As you say, duke, it's a gamble, and I think we all should be sincere." Manuel picked up an apple on the table and bit off a piece, then gabbled and chewed hard, his eyes fixed on Alexander, as if to see in his face how much sincerity he could show.

"Speaking of which, Your Majesty, I have come to you precisely for the sincerity you have spoken," said Alexander, standing up and bowing slightly to Manuel, "I think it necessary to introduce to you a general from France, Victor de Condé, a distant relative of the Duke of Bourbon of France. ”

"A French soldier?" Manuel looked at Alexander with a little vigilance, although the French were now allies with Portugal, but the Iberians were very wary of this powerful country north of the Pyrenees.

They were all worried that the French would take advantage of the war in the Iberian Peninsula, and even if Alexander had come from France instead of Italy, Manuel would not have easily believed him, even if there was an equally great temptation.

"The general is now leading a small French army at Behring," Alexander explained to Manuel, seeing his vigilance, "I think he and his army will be under your command if they can." ”

"Me?"

Manuel was a little surprised, he had thought that Alexander was going to bring this French army under his command, after all, now that he had nothing in the Iberian Peninsula, his army was preparing for war with the Emperor's Austrian army in Italy, and it should be in his best interest to have a French army willing to obey his orders.

"Of course it's you," Alexander made an inviting gesture, "the French have joined the war as our allies, and your status is the highest in our alliance, including me, and you are willing to obey your commands." ”

Seeing that Alexander didn't seem to be joking, Manuel really didn't expect it, he knew very well what the meaning of this command Alexander said, if it was really as he said, then only by virtue of this dominance in the war for the throne of Castile, Portugal in the future will be truly equal to Spain for at least a long time foreseeable.

This is undoubtedly a huge opportunity for Portugal, which has been fighting unconvincingly, but has always been crushed by Castile and now the more powerful United Kingdom.

Manuel believed that with his vision and courage, as long as Portugal was given enough time and opportunities, with the two routes of wealth and opportunity, the East and the New World, he could make Portugal a truly powerful country that could compete with Spain both at sea and on land in a very short time.

Looking at Manuel's softening expression, Alexander could actually guess what was going on in his heart.

The King of Portugal, who felt so good about himself that he had always considered himself the Chosen Monarch of Heaven, had even considered himself the best choice for the reconquest of the Holy Land, which had something to do with Maria's influence on him, but Manuel himself never seemed to deny it.

Now that he sees an opportunity to make Portugal rise at full strength, he certainly won't give up easily.

As for the French army under the command of Victor de Conté, Alexander did intend to leave it at Manuel's disposal, not to lead it himself, because he already had other plans.

In April 1503, Italy, which had finally expelled the last shred of cold back to the north, was bathed in the warm sun and the refreshing Mediterranean breeze, and the fishing boats slowly rowed on the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Santa Lucia in Naples, and the fishermen who sang a melodious boat song worked lazily, and the song echoed on the sea with the sound of the waves crashing against the hull.

It's an ordinary morning, not long after the sun has just risen, some of the fishing boats that have gone out to sea early have returned with full loads, and the cold winter has passed, which is a good season for everyone to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

A few black dots on the horizon in the distance caught the fishermen's attention, and as they got closer, they were surprised to find that it was actually a fleet.

The fleet sailed in the direction of Naples with the help of the sea breeze, and by noon the soldiers on the lookout of the bay could clearly see the flags fluttering from the ships.

Among the various flags, there is a flag that is quite conspicuous, it is a snow-white cross, but the slight difference is the two golden triangle patterns hanging from the ends of the cross, so that the cross becomes an abstract scale, if you get closer, you can see more clearly the two identical crowns in the two triangular patterns.

The appearance of this balance flag, which seemed to hold up two crowns at the same time, made the soldiers on the lookout instantly chant.

"Long live the Queen!" The shouts were soon heard from the lookout of Santa Lucia to the port of Naples.

The city of Naples is boiling!

Upon hearing the news of the Queen's triumphant return, countless Neapolitans hurriedly dressed up and walked out of their homes, either on horseback or in carts, but many more flocked to the port on foot.

The Neapolitan aristocracy, who had already received the news, sent out their servants and urged the streets near their homes to be sprinkled with all kinds of flowers.

The trumpets sounded, the salute shook the sky, and the Neapolitans cheered wildly for their queen's victorious division, and when the fleet finally docked in the harbor, a tidal wave of shouts resounded over the port of Naples.

The officials had to order the temporary closure of the port, and at the same time have the city guards set up a cordon near the pier, while the nobles explained to the agitated Neapolitans with rare pleasure, "Her Majesty will soon be ashore, you can go to the streets and wait, and then pay your respects to the Queen." ”

One of the largest ships gradually approached, and after a period of anxious waiting, under the excited gaze of countless people, a group of infantry in neat uniforms and cuirasses stepped off the ship along the gangplank.

The infantrymen lined up in a neat procession that surprised one another, and the extraordinary feathers on their helmets were noticed, red and white, beautiful and vivid, and in the sea breeze they spread their wings like a great group of beautiful birds at the same time, and could be seen clearly even from a distance.

"Grenadier! It's Her Majesty's Royal Grenadier! ”

I don't know which well-informed Neapolitan was the first to shout from the crowd, and although most people didn't even know what the word meant, it immediately erupted in earth-shattering cheers!

And those nobles couldn't help but look serious and reserved when they saw these musketeers wearing brightly feathered helmets.

The Grenadier Company, now a grenadier regiment, was the most elite and loyal unit of the Neapolitan army, and they were the first to be awarded the title of "King" by Tsusa.

After defeating the Grenadier II general Sisukgu on the east bank of the Dembvica River at the Battle of Naples, the beautiful and bright feathers taken from the soldiers of the new Ottoman army have become the most distinctive mark of the royal grenadier army, and he has specially ordered that only the grenadier regiment have the right to have the only honor of having red and white feathers on their helmets.

Bands of soldiers, each under a different flag, were at the head of the Union honor guard, the advance party sent by the Union forces.

The Union Flag of the Alliance, a sign of fair and free trade, and the Cross of the Holy Mountain of the House of Cosenza accompanied the Kingdom of Sicily's golden-domed crown coat of arms, and the Coalition Flag Corps marched forward to the cheers of the people as the 12 front drummers played a strange tune.

Returning triumphantly, the class returned home, and at this moment the soldiers of Naples and the allied forces were full of spirit and pride.

The Neapolitan nobles also looked excitedly at the grenadiers from far and near, knowing that from now on, they were no longer the nobles of the Kingdom of Naples, but the Kingdom of Sicily.

The unification of the two Sicilies has become a fact, and for them the unification of Sicily means not only greater power, but also untold wealth waiting for them.

In addition to the soldiers who accompanied the ship, a steady stream of goods were brought down from the ship, all of which were the wealth of the expedition to Sicily, and although Sicily had been saved from complete sacking because it had been unified under the crown of the Quesha, the promised reward to the coalition forces had to be paid.

Some of the short-sighted Neapolitan aristocrats were ecstatic at the sight of the wealth, while others were already wondering how to recover the economy of Sicily, which did not seem to be very rosy as soon as possible.

At this time, however, people were more likely to celebrate this great victory with revelry, and the streets of Naples resounded with the sound of the grenadiers singing "Grenadier Salute to the Queen".

But to the surprise of the Neapolitan aristocracy, the fleet returned a great deal of wealth, the flag of the alliance and the guard of honor for the victory, but not their queen and her army!

On April 12, 1503, a fleet of ships suddenly appeared off the coast of Malaga.

The Queen of Sicily, Jossa Cosenza Astarama, landed in Malaga in the Kingdom of Castile in the afternoon of the same day!