The year 1501 was not very friendly to the Iberian Peninsula, and from April onwards most of the western part of the peninsula fell into drought, while in the south-east there were heavy rains and flooding of rivers, which was rare in previous years, especially in the Aragonese kingdom, although sporadic and still able to find some hydrological records.

The water level of the most important Eboro River in Aragon has generally declined, and in many places it has dried up, the waterways have been forced to shut down, and in some places large swaths of crops have dried up and died in the ground because there is no river water to irrigate them.

Ferdinand was very anxious, because of the terrain of Aragon, many places were not suitable for farming, and compared to Castile, the land of Aragong was originally much more barren, which was also the reason why Ferdinand was eager to open up his territory in the Mediterranean, and the maritime trade of Sicily helped Aragon a lot, but he still coveted Naples.

This is where he was annoyed that Gonzalo had blatantly disobeyed his orders and turned to Crete.

The drought peaked in June, and many places outside the capital, Zaragoza, found their fields barren and devastated by the lack of water, and many of them clashes over precious water sources.

Some of these disputes were brought to Ferdinand, but more often were settled privately by the nobles, so armed conflicts and even large-scale battles broke out in various parts of Aragon.

Faced with this situation, Ferdinand had to write to his wife, and although it was obviously too late this year, Ferdinand felt that it was time to renew the construction of a dam on the upper Ebro River.

The idea of building a dam on the upper reaches of the Ebro River had been proposed more than a decade earlier, and Isabella, who was still young and in love with Ferdinand, was very fond of the idea, and she thought that helping Aragon build a dam of great importance would be a good thing to bring the two countries closer together, and Isabella supported Ferdinand at the time, despite the opposition of many Castilian nobles.

It was only after a few years that Isabella's attitude gradually changed subtly, and although Ferdinand repeatedly urged the project to be completed as soon as possible, Isabella prevaricated for various reasons, especially since the death of their son Prince Juan, Isabella began to deliberately or unconsciously cut back on all kinds of help to Aragon.

In comparison, Castile is far superior to the Kingdom of Aragon in terms of land size and wealth, which makes many people have some ideas.

With Juana bound to become the next queen, the future relationship between Castile and Aragon has become a very delicate topic, and whether Juana can suppress the unruly Aragonese nobility has become a question of concern and concern for many Castilians, and this issue is obviously Isabella's greatest concern.

Ferdinand could think that Isabella was secretly curbing Aragon's development, but he still wanted to convince his cousin and wife to help him, so in mid-June, Ferdinand set out from Zaragoza for Vallariddode, because according to the calculation of time, another grandson would be born soon, and if it was a boy, he would probably be the future king of the federal kingdom of Castile and Aragon.

And there was another reason for him to go to Vallaridod, and that was Gonzalo.

I don't know when the Zaragoza court began to circulate rumors about Gonzalo, many of which were about how he used his power to his advantage when he was in Italy, and some of them said that he was extravagant and extravagant when he used Crete, the most typical of which was that the general actually spent a full 600 gold pesos to make himself a gorgeous cloak.

At that time, an elite soldier was paid less than 30 pesos a month.

These rumors undoubtedly made people hate Gonzalo, especially after hearing that he had a large number of treasures looted from Italy and countless famous paintings and sculptures transported to his estate in his hometown of Fangosa, and many of the Aragonese nobles hated Gonzalo to the core.

However, these were not the main concerns of Ferdinand, and although Gonzalo's "bad deeds" did annoy him, it was the reports sent by Flomenza, the governor of Sicily, that really caught his attention, and then the rumors that had already been of great concern to him, and then made him even more suspicious because of various signs.

Gonzalo de Córdoba, as a representative of the Castilian nobility, was always seen by Ferdinand as an obstacle to his future unification of the two countries, which is why he sent Gonzalo to Italy.

He didn't care about Gonzalo's use of power for his own personal gain, and even a pleasure-hungry Gonzalo reassured Ferdinand, but even so, suspicions still existed that Gonzalo might collude with those Castilian nobles against him, and Ferdinand vaguely felt that perhaps even in the Kingdom of Aragon, there were some people who secretly opposed him because they were unwilling to merge with Castile.

Perhaps these people did not have a good impression of Gonzalo either, but it was not impossible for them to unite for the same purpose.

It was with this in mind that after returning to Valaridod in early July, Ferdinand objected to Isabella's appointment of Gonzalo to command the suppression of the coalition of Andalusian nobles, hoping to summon Gonzalo back to the court, at least in a place where he could see it under his nose, because this man was too dangerous for both prestige and power, and he did not hesitate to openly disagree with Isabella.

The conflict between the king's husband and wife was not a secret, and it soon became known that the conflict had arisen because of Gonzalo.

The news even reached Andalusia, so when Alexander walked up the hill and saw Gonzalo standing in the shade of the trees, his eyes couldn't help but look curiously at Gonzalo's robe.

"What are you looking at?" Gonzalo asked, noticing Alexander's eyes and looking down at himself, "Are you looking at this dress?" ”

"I wonder if this is the dress worth 600 gold pesos." Alexander smiled and said, "But I don't think there's anything special about it. ”

"Because it's a cloak, not a robe, and it's winter, but it's worth the 600 gold pesos," Gonzalo said without any disguise, "and I think you can have a more extravagant outfit than I do." ”

"Forget it, expensive clothes are very flattering, but I am not interested in putting a bunch of gold coins on my body, tell me what is the point of you doing this, do you think that the king of Aragon will be reassured of you?"

Alexander's words made Marqiu, who was standing on the side, change his face, he was accustomed to holding the hilt of his sword, his eyes quickly glanced at Gonzalo's face, and when he saw that Gonzalo was not unusual, he slowly let go of the hand holding the sword.

"That's why you encouraged me to go to Crete in the first place?" Gonzalo looked impassive and asked, "Don't deny it, if it weren't for that, I really can't imagine why you would take such a big risk to go to Sicily." ”

Alexander didn't laugh undeniably, he knew that Gonzalo wouldn't believe it even if he told him that he was not going to Sicily, and in fact when the Aragonese army arrived in Sicily, Alexander's purpose, which was originally only to cause unrest in Sicily and buy time for Naples, did change.

Especially after learning a little about the person of Flamenza, the governor of Sicily at the time, Alexander did think of the idea of using him to make some trouble for Gonzalo.

And Florencea did not disappoint him, and rumors of Gonzalo's possible collusion with the old Castilian nobility even reached Andalusia, and it was precisely because of this that Don Bavi would have some hope that Alexander would agree to meet with him.

Looking at the silent Alexander, Gonzalo's expression was gloomy, he didn't believe that those messages could destroy the relationship between him and the queen, he was still very confident in Isabella's trust Gonzalo, he didn't believe that it would be so easy to cause the queen to doubt him, but the young man in front of him still annoyed him.

"Our business is doing well," Alexander said suddenly, and when he saw the surprised look on his face from Marqiu, he pointed at Marqiu, "It seems that your men don't know." ”

"That's just business."

Gonzalo said dissatisfied, although the campaign in Crete also brought him great wealth, but it did not mean that he would forgive Alexander, after all, it was because of Alexander's persecution that he had to give up the march into Naples, which was unacceptable to Gonzalo, who had always been proud and even a little spoiled by Isabella, and even when the Crete battle was in full swing, he still thought about returning to Naples, even if it was not for Ferdinand, He also wanted to compete with the young man in front of him.

It's just that he never had a chance, the precarious situation of the Venetians at sea and the aggressiveness of the Ottomans gave him no respite at that time, and he himself knew somewhat in his heart that after many battles with the Ottomans, Gonzalo realized that Alexander was able to defeat such an opponent in the Balkans, and it was obvious that he was no longer the small country nobleman he had known in Rome.

"But business is good," Alexander did not let Gonzalo go, "I know that you have a number of perfume shops in Barriaridud and many other places, and that the Castilian nobility are proud to own the perfumes sold in your shop, so I think that a cloak of 600 gold pesos is completely insignificant to you, but I wonder what Ferdinand would think." ”

"Does the king's idea matter," said Gonzalo disapprovingly, "I have amassed so much loot for him, and almost every day shiploads of wealth from all over the world are brought to Valencia, and that alone is enough to make me the most popular general in both courts." ”

Alexander looked at Gonzalo with some curiosity, he knew that this man was arrogant, but it was really unexpected that he was so arrogant.

Alexander didn't know if he really thought so, or if he was arguing with himself, but he was impatient to test each other so much.

"I think we are all well aware of your current situation, and all kinds of suspicions about you are well known even in Seville, and it is even said that in Barriaridud there are people who propose that you should be stripped of your military power, and besides, you can't help but admit that the wealth you have now is also very jealous, so at this time I think you should think about yourself."

Gonzalo listened calmly, he noticed the worried look of Marqiu next to him from time to time, so he gestured to his deputy and shook his head lightly to Alexander: "Let's say something else, we all know that these are of no use to me, the queen's trust in me is unmatched, and it can even be said that as long as the queen lives, my position will not be shaken." ”

"Indeed, as long as she lives," Alexander smiled playfully, and when he saw Gonzalo's face turn unpleasant, he stopped the subject knowingly, but then added, "but do you think Ferdinand would easily believe you, I mean we all know that you are a big trouble for Ferdinand, especially in the case of Sicily, and you make him very unhappy." ”

"Isn't it all because of your tricks, if it weren't for your threat, maybe I would have marched into Naples at that time," Gonzalo looked at Alexander dissatisfied, and then a look of surprise suddenly flashed on his face, and he looked at Alexander seriously, "Let me think about it, oh God, why didn't I think of it, I actually forgot, your half-sister is the queen of Naples, why do you want to take Sicily for her?" ”

"It's Aragorn's business, isn't it?" Alexander asked with a smile.

"But in the future Princess Juana will inherit two kingdoms, including Sicily," Gonzalo replied with a serious expression, "If this is your purpose, and even if you came to Castile for this purpose, then I advise you to go back as soon as possible, and when I have quelled the Andalusian rebellion I will march into Naples again, and then it will be time for us to meet each other." ”

"Hmm."

Listening to Gonzalo's threat, Alexander pouted slightly, he knew that it was impossible to convince this arrogant and stubborn general now, in fact, as he said, Isabella's favor in him certainly made him fearless, and more importantly, Ferdinand obviously still needed his genius military mind, so even if he was already suspicious of him, at most he would send him far away.

It is unlikely that he will fall out of favor because of this little suspicion.

"Well, the Duke told me your intentions for this visit," Gonzalo also seemed a little impatient, "but before that I must state that the only option available to Don Bavi is to ask the Queen for forgiveness, and I can use my personality to guarantee that he will not be harmed in any way until the Queen makes her decision, and I can also intercede with Her Majesty on his behalf, but he and his followers must surrender, which is the premise of all negotiations." ”

Alexander looked at Gonzalo calmly, he now thought that this man was a little cute, it was obvious that such a negotiation was almost impossible to proceed, and looking at the knight named Marchu next to him, who was also a little surprised by his unusually tough attitude, he guessed that even if it was the side of the royal army, he would not have thought that Gonzalo would be so unsparing to the Andalusian nobles.

"Then we don't have anything to talk about."

Alexander got up from the stone he was sitting on, his actions made Marqiu a little nervous, and he quickly looked at the nearby Alexander's retinue, and saw that they were just following the movement but did not act unusually, and Marqiu was slightly relieved.

"The Duke went back and told Don Bavi that I don't care what he decides, because I will soon attack him, and he can delay with me as much as he can, but I will soon enter Seville, and then what awaits him will be not surrender but a noose."

Alexander nodded silently, seeing Gonzalo's characteristic haughty smile, Alexander responded with a smile as well.

However, when the two of them greeted each other slightly and parted, looking at Alexander walking down the hill, Gonzalo suddenly asked loudly, "Tell me why you came here?!" ”

Alexander stopped, but did not immediately look back, as if after thinking for a moment, he turned to Gonzalo on the hillside and smiled and said, "If I say that I am here to visit relatives, do you believe me?" ”

Gonzalo looked annoyed, the first time he had shown such a look since the two of them met.

He raised his right hand and pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at Alexander: "Don't play tricks young man, I'll keep an eye on you." ”

"Then I hope you keep an eye on me, or one day you will regret not letting the people on the hill shoot me right now," Alexander said, glancing at the dark windows of the houses on the hillside, and then smiling again at Gonzalo, "and your perfume business is doing really well, I think at least Ferdinand thinks so." ”

With that, Alexander turned back and walked down the mountain.

Behind him, looking at his fading back, rolling, Shazi's face slowly darkened, he waved his hand to Marqiu, who was about to say something, motioned for him not to speak, and then slowly sat down again on the stone in the shade of the tree.

Looking at the group that was still slowly moving away after meeting his men on the bank of the river below, Gonzalo thoughtfully patted his knee with his hand before he stood up and ordered Marqiu to summon back his men who were hiding in the houses on the hill.

"Let's go back."

Hearing Gonzalo's order, Marqiu immediately beckoned his men to assemble, but while waiting for departure, he finally did not have the patience to ask, "My lord, do you really want to attack the rebels immediately?" ”

"Of course, I have to, it's the Queen's order to me." Gonzalo said beyond doubt.

"But sir, you know that there are so many rumors that are not good for you right now, so ......"

"You're saying that if the rebels weren't so easy to deal with, maybe they would be able to make things a little better for me?"

Marchu didn't answer, but the look on his face clearly did.

"Marchu, probably you haven't understood what I just said to Gombray," Gonzalo said patiently to his subordinates, "know that everything I have now for me is the grace of Her Majesty, so as long as I am loyal to the Queen, even Ferdinand can't do anything to me, maybe he suspects me that I am his opponent, but as long as the Queen is there, he can't do anything about me, so don't worry about Marchu, the only thing we have to do now is to eradicate all enemies for the Queen." ”

Listening to Gonzalo's words, Marchu, who was originally a little worried, gradually smiled, he knew that the general was right, there was indeed no one in Castile who was more trusted by Isabella than Gonzalo, and even as his closest subordinate, he sometimes wondered if there was any ambiguous relationship between the queen and the general, so there was really nothing to worry about.

Marchoo reassured his men and beckoned them to get ready to go, so he didn't see the melancholy on Gonzalo's face when he left.

Down the mountain, it wasn't until he was far away that Schell made a gesture behind him.

Looking at one of his men who immediately turned around and ran in the direction of the town, Alexander smiled at Shel.

Soon, several Balkan hunters chased after the man who had left, and they were all dirty, which made Alexander look in the direction of the town.

"Are those hills hard to climb?"

"It's not that hard, sir," Schell looked at his men absently, "compared to the mountains back home, this place is much flatter. ”

Alexander smiled again, he knew that the Balkan hunters that Schell had arranged before must have discovered Gonzalo's hidden men, but he didn't think Gonzalo would be so stupid as to think that he would dare to come to see him without any preparation after dealing with Sicily.

"Master, is that Gonzalo really going to attack immediately?" Schell asked suddenly.

"Yes, for him only loyalty to Isabella is the only way to keep his current position," Alexander paused, "at least for now." ”

"Then what are we going to do, sir, do you want to help that Don Bavi Duke?" Schell asked again.

Alexander did not immediately answer Scheer's question, but when he returned to Seville and saw a letter from James Columbus, Alexander was at first a little surprised, and then beckoned to Scheer, who was just about to rest, "Prepare for us to go to the Duke." ”

The so-called Duke of course meant Don Bavi, but after seeing him, before Don Bavi, who had been waiting a little impatiently, could speak, Alexander said: "Duke, I think the Sister Alfurt you have been hiding may now be in use. ”

"What did you say?"

Looking at Don Bavi, who was full of guard, Alexander said with a smile: "I just got the news that His Majesty the Pope himself is coming to Valencia. ”