Outside Basa Mountain City, there were thunderous cheers! With the appearance of Queen Yinsabella, there seemed to be a magical power that suddenly inspired tens of thousands of depressed and beleaguered jihadists from top to bottom!
"Praise the Lord! Praise the pious and fearless Queen!"
This was the praise of hundreds of Castilian lords. Their postures were respectful and they had sincere smiles on their faces, but they were sincere as they had never been in front of King Fernando.
"The queen is here! The queen is actually here! For the queen, we must continue the holy war!"
This was the cheer of thousands of Castilian knights. Their eyes were full of respect. They bowed their heads and saluted the queen, all the decadence in their bodies was swept away, and they regained their courage to fight.
"Ah! Holy Queen! She is the Virgin Mary, the incarnation of the Virgin Mary! Praise the Virgin!"
The loudest cheers came from the tens of thousands of soldiers in the camp. They prayed devoutly and worshiped from the bottom of their hearts, as if they really regarded the queen in front of them as the incarnation of the Virgin Mary.
Seeing this welcoming scene, King Fernando, who was at the front of the team, took a deep breath and felt uncontrollable envy in his heart. He knew that he would never be as respected by his subjects as Queen Yinsabella in his entire life. Because this is not only a matter of prestige and ability, but also a unique advantage that the queen has!
When people of later generations describe this medieval era, they always talk about the fashion of chivalry and the worship of women. However, the women respected by the knights actually have nothing to do with ordinary civilian women. The objects of their worship are female monarchs or matrons with respected status, and noble women with virtue. In fact, this is an extension of Mary worship and the radiance given by faith. The object of worship also needs to be as close to the virtues required by Catholicism as possible.
"Innocent, pure, holy, pious, brave, fearless..."
King Fernando pursed his lips and silently counted in his heart the aura of virtue attached to his wife. Innocence and purity are unique to women, holiness and piety are recognized by the church and those with integrity, and bravery and fearlessness are choices made when facing danger... Unfortunately, he does not have any of these six virtues. What I can barely pretend to have is piety and courage.
"Diligent, thoughtful, wise, long-term, prudent, flexible..."
King Fernando counted his features with a wry smile on his face. In the traditional Catholic understanding, it is difficult to say whether these are advantages or disadvantages, but they are certainly not virtues. Therefore, even if he is the king of Aragon, it is difficult for him to superimpose the prestige of religious morality on himself.
It is precisely for this reason that among the two kings, Queen Yinsabella's status is firmly higher than that of King Fernando. This is not only because the Castilian army is stronger, but more importantly, King Fernando lacks religious moral authority and cannot truly win the loyalty of the knights and vassals!
In this era when medieval traditions are still strong, in the traditional Kingdom of Castile, King Fernando can win, but the glory must go to the Queen!
Accompanied by Cardinal Mendoza, Queen Yinzabella walked with steady steps. She raised her scepter to greet the cheering knights and sergeants, and then received even greater cheers. In this way, she came to King Fernando amidst continuous cheers and expressed her determination in concise and firm words.
"Fernando! The Lord calls me, here I come! You welcome me, here I come!"
Queen Yinzabella said so. She looked at Justice Thomas, bowed her head and saluted, and he returned the salute respectfully.
"The Lord has promised! We will take this mountain city!"
Having said this, Queen Yinsabella raised her head and looked at the mountain city of Basa several miles away. The cheers of the Crusaders had already alerted the Moors guarding the city. At this moment, on the walls, spiers, and roofs of the mountain city, pairs of eyes were watching, worried and uneasy.
With the arrival of the Queen, the morale of the besieging army rose, and an inexplicable depression suddenly filled the mountain city. The morale of both sides in the war always waxes and wanes, and the power of rational thinking will give way to the illusory spirit at critical moments, which can shake people's hearts.
"When I get here, I won't leave, no matter what happens! We will continue to surround this place until the Moors send an envoy to declare surrender!"
Queen Yinsabella said so and did so. The Queen's caravan brought with her most of the Castilian court. This firm performance and decisive action made all the Castilian nobles who wanted to withdraw their troops unable to speak. They could not retreat around the Queen without losing all honor. In the Christian world at this time, the consequences of losing reputation are disastrous.
The autumn wind is bleak, one day after another. The black smoke of burning death still rises within and outside the mountain city. Queen Yinsabella had no fear and even took risks. Under the protection of the guards, she visited the sick soldiers from a distance of more than ten steps.
After the Queen arrived, more supply carriages also arrived at the camp. The queen even held an open-air banquet to meet the nobles just in front of the mountain city, and they enjoyed expensive and cherished spices...cured meat.
Seeing this situation, the will of the Barcelona defenders was finally completely shaken. They didn't know that many of the supply wagons were actually empty boxes. They also didn't know that the plague in the siege camp had killed more than a dozen Castilian nobles. In the face of the plague, which treats everyone equally, the Castilians outside the city are actually just more breathless and skinny than them.
More than ten days later, the lord of the mountain city of Bassa, the elderly Moorish noble Ben Hassan, finally sent a negotiator, the Moorish warrior Cidi Yahye, to discuss the surrender.
Queen Yinsabella personally participated in the negotiations and agreed to all Yahya's requests. That was a favorable condition that the Catholic side had never given during the entire Granada Holy War, from beginning to end, for ten years:
The Moorish army in Barcelona can evacuate from the city without being pursued by the Lord. The Moors in the city could take away all their wealth and leave with the army, or they could stay in their hometown and retain all their belongings. All the remaining Moors will become subjects of Castile. They only need to pay tribute on time and can even retain their original religious beliefs!
Upon hearing such a benevolent surrender condition, the Moorish lord Hassan was in disbelief and was so surprised that he was speechless. However, Queen Insabella made a promise in the name of the Lord, signed a written agreement, and stamped her king's seal.
The Moorish lord Hassan received the agreement document and read it three times before he sincerely praised the queen's kindness and signed it with his seal. He would evacuate with his army and all his savings, heading for the southern seaports. There, there will be Moorish ships to pick him up and retreat to the other side of the strait, which is also the Moorish Kingdom of Watas. The navy blocked by the Kingdom of Aragon will also comply with the agreement and let his ship go.
The autumn sky is high and clear, and the retreating team of the Moors raises pieces of smoke and dust. Half of the Moors in the city chose to leave, while the other half were reluctant to leave their houses and chose to stay. The flag of the Kingdom of Castile is raised on the top of the mountain city of Barca, symbolizing the end of the Moorish dynasty and the end of the Granada War. After losing the barrier in the northeast, the last Granada was an isolated city and could not hold on for long.
For the Moors who chose to stay, the queen's agreement was real and effective, and even the Spanish Inquisition would not violate it. They can still live in the Barcelona area for more than ten years. It will not be until the death of the Queen that the door of the Inquisition will be opened to them!
"Praise the Lord! Yinsabella, the mountain city of Bassa, belongs to us from now on!"
King Fernando had a complicated expression as he looked at the queen beside him, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and riding a war horse, as if he was looking at the shining sun. He tilted his head unnaturally and warned.
"The macula plague is still spreading inside and outside Barcelona. No matter how isolated it is, it cannot be stopped! Even the nobles of the kingdom are dying. Of ten people who get it, four will often die..."
"God bless us! Let's clean up as soon as possible, leave a group of garrisons behind, and bring the main force of the kingdom's army back to the north!"
"Okay! Fernando, I promise you. However, there is one thing I haven't done before leaving!"
After hearing her husband's words, Queen Yinsabella showed a confident and bright smile on her face. As soon as her strong legs clamped the horse's belly, she spurred the horse forward and ran towards the mountain city above.
"Let's go! Come with me and let me take a good look at this new mountain city. This is the mountain city that the Lord promised me, my mountain city!!"
The sun sets in the west, the sky reflects the glow, and new flags are hung on the mountain city. The black smoke of death never dissipates, and the pace of war never stops. After the mountain city of Barcelona, there is Granada. And what will happen next to Granada?
The sun did not answer. It just continued to go west until it fell into the mountains of the west and submerged into the sea and sky of the west. That was the unknown west of the European continent.
