The Rise of the European Emperor

Why is Marin sure that Spain never wants France to get enough volcanic ash? This is determined by the geographical environment of the two countries. Spain's land area is not smaller than France, but it is useless, most of it is mountainous. Although many areas have been opened up as farmland in later generations, it is impossible in this era. Because the irrigation technology is not good enough.

In this era, Europeans only cultivated farmland along the rivers, and did not know how to dig irrigation rivers for irrigation, nor did they have the technology to build reservoirs to store water and pump water to high places. Also in the Italian region, because of its close contacts with the Arab region, it has initially mastered the technology of digging irrigation ditches. But building reservoirs and pumping water to high places is unlikely.

Therefore, even if Spain with its rugged terrain gets enough volcanic ash, it will not be of much use. After all, the rugged geography is there, only merino sheep or something.

But France is different. Although this country is about the same size as Spain (at this time, France has not acquired Corsica, Alsace, Lorraine, and the Nice region of Italy), it can't stand the French plain! Except for a central plateau, the rest of France is basically a plain. Most of the famous Western European Great Plains are in France.

Moreover, France is not short of water resources, and the rivers are criss-cross. In this agricultural age, plains and rivers are everything. Therefore, France, which is extremely suitable for agriculture, has become the most populous country in Europe.

The Spaniards are not stupid. They know that the advantage of France is agriculture. If France, a powerful agricultural country, has enough volcanic ash, it will not go to heaven?

Therefore, as long as the Spaniards know this secret, even if they lose their family fortune, they will not give up the Kingdom of Naples to France. What's more, after monopolizing the spice trade, the last thing Spain lacks is money, and it has the confidence to fight recklessly with France.

Conversely, the French also knew how powerful they would be if they got enough volcanic ash. Therefore, the battle between the two sides will no longer be a battle for hegemony based on rules, but will evolve into a fierce battle of life and death, and neither side will be willing to back down.

...

Five days later, at the border between France and the Kingdom of Aragon, a bloody knight rushed into the Kingdom of Aragon from the Mediterranean coastal plain at the border between France and the Kingdom of Aragon, and was quickly captured by the border army of the Kingdom of Aragon.

The Frenchman who handed over to Alan was an ordinary tax official in Montpellier, the capital of the County of Roussillon. However, just the day before yesterday, his wife Jeanne hooked up with Edu, the justice of Montpellier. Then, the angry tax collector drew his sword and killed the justice whom Count Roussillon trusted...

Of course, this is the one-sided statement of the Montpellier tax official named Alan. The actual situation is - he is a spy of the North Sea Chamber of Commerce sent from Paris to the south of France five years ago, and his so-called wife, Jeanne, is actually a conscientious female branch from Paris who was bought by the North Sea Chamber of Commerce Female, it was used as a cover for Alan.

Of course, his name was not Alan, but Armand. Since he is a spy, his identity and name are naturally false.

Five years ago, he was ordered to bring Jeanne, a well-behaved Parisian daughter-in-law, to Montpellier. Relying on his ability to write and calculate, and bribing the local nobles, he got a job as a tax officer. That is 5 years.

Three days ago, he received an order to assign his "wife" Jeanna to hook up with a high-ranking local official, kill him, and deliberately defect to Aragorn...

Therefore, Alan asked Jeanne, who pretended to be his wife, to deliberately seduce Renault, a local judge who lived near their home—a favorite of the Earl of Roussillon.

Afterwards, Alan smashed it on purpose, and then, under the witness of outsiders, first had a big fight, and then drew his knife without hesitation and killed Judge Renault and Jeanne who pretended to be his wife...

After killing people, Alan didn't even change his bloody clothes, he just got on the horses that had been prepared long ago, one person and two horses, and galloped towards the border area in the southwest direction...

By the time Montpellier's city defense team reacted, Alan had already run away. Moreover, because the main force of the country has basically been transferred to Italy, the troops in the Roussillon area are now very empty. The few soldiers and horses they have are also used to guard the city, and they dare not send them out to hunt down Alan at will. In this way, Alan ran wildly for two days and came to the Aragon border, where he was deliberately captured by the Aragon border guards...

Afterwards, Alain deliberately complained to the Aragonese border guards about his tragic fate in French with indignation. Fortunately, the Spanish military officer on the border understands French, so I'm done listening to his nagging.

That's not to mention, after complaining about his "tragic experience", Alan suddenly proposed in an astonishing manner that he wanted to report an extremely astonishing secret to King Ferdinand II of Aragon. This secret is said to have been overheard by Judge Renault when Alan was following his wife and the newly appointed Judge Renault, Count of Roussillon. And the content of this secret is the reason why King Louis XII of France desperately provoked the Naples War...

Hearing this statement, the Aragorn frontier army immediately did not dare to make their own claims, and hurriedly reported it.

Ferdinand II was skeptical, and was very puzzled that the defected French tax official wanted to see him.

"Wouldn't it be intentional excuses to get close to me and then assassinate me..."

The worried Ferdinand II quickly sent spies to Montpellier to inquire about the news. As a result, the inquired news was similar to what the tax official named Alan said. And now, Count Roussillon is furiously looking for this person...

Finally, Ferdinand II couldn't help his curiosity and decided to meet the defected French tax collector. However, he asked the tax official to lock his hands when he met him to prevent him from being able to assassinate himself.

Alain was then sent to the court of Zaragoza, where he met Ferdinand II, who had just recovered from his illness, and King Juan III of Castile, who was taking care of his father here.

"Tell me, little tax collector, what secret do you want to tell me?" Ferdinand II asked impatiently in French. His current wife is a French noblewoman and the niece of Louis XII, so she naturally knows French.

Alan looked at the maids, and Ferdinand II waved his hand and drove them away, but left behind two trusted guards to prevent Alan from attacking.

At this time, Alan suddenly asked:

"If I tell His Majesty this secret, what can I get?"

Ferdinand II frowned and said:

"Do you think you are qualified to bargain with me?"

Alan shook his head:

"I'm not qualified, but the secret I'm talking about is related to the life and death of Spain. Do you think it's valuable?"

Ferdinand II sneered and said:

"Don't play tricks here, if you are proved to be a liar, you will be hanged, little tax collector!"

As a professional spy, how could Alan be intimidated, he said calmly;

"How dare I lie? I am now under His Majesty's control. Isn't lying courting death? How dare you speak nonsense if you are not fully sure?"

Ferdinand II looked at the other person's expression, he didn't seem to be lying, so he said seriously:

"If it proves that this secret is indeed related to the life and death of Spain, I will not only protect your safety, but also canonize you as a knight and give you a manor!"

"Deal!" Alan pretended to be very excited. Then he begins to tell the secret he "overheard"...

...