Except for his family, perhaps everyone in Zaragoza City did not like this Mr. Candiola. His squint eyes showed an annoying look, and his thin cheeks were swollen. It made people disgusted when they saw it. A pair of green eyes and a pair of drooping ears were despised. His face was sallow, sloppy and rude, and he could create an unbearable disgust. It is understandable that he would not even have a friend, but money.

As a descendant of "Malanne" (a new Christian who believes in Judaism in his heart), Candiola, although his family property is rich, never gets the citizenship he deserves. He uses the money earned from usury to bribe municipal officials, build the Church of Our Lady, and even help the poor in the name of his daughter. But everyone, including those who benefit from him, selectively forget these. The Zaragoza people always like to talk about the ugly-looking usury merchant who was persecuting which poor mother, where he hid a lot of money and treasures, when the city hall would order the confiscation of all the property of the dirty Jews, etc.

Shortly after the outbreak of the French Revolution, Candiola learned that Jews in neighboring countries had obtained citizenship granted by successive governments and could breathe the air of freedom equally with others in the spirit of fraternity. The Jew, who had long lived in countless hostility and death shadows, planned to escape from this crazy Christian country. However, the Zaragoza authorities refused to issue him a passport on the grounds that the Jewish man failed to pay enough taxes.

Since he couldn't leave, he had to wait for the French to rescue him. Unfortunately, in the first Zaragoza offensive and defensive battle, the French failed, but also caused him to pay a special tax of 100,000 pesos of national reconstruction, which was one-third of Candiola's savings. Half a year later, the French army made a comeback, and it came far more fiercely than the first time. The Zaragoza Military Commission, headed by General Parafos, also issued an announcement requiring all Jews, including Candiola, to hand over all the materials that soldiers could need within the specified time, which was actually publicly seizing all the Jews' belongings.

Candiola was finally angry. For the first time, he mustered up the courage to flatly reject the conscript order of the Zaragoza Military Commission and concealed all his material and wealth. He and his family took refuge in Dr. Cava's civilian hospital until he was discovered by a young French colonel a few days ago.

Candiola still remembers that when the Colonel Desai heard his name, his eyes glowed and he was extremely excited, as if he had reaped money. Soon, Candiola understood that the French colonel needed to act as a leader and ensure that after conquering the city of Zaragoza, he would return all the property that originally belonged to Candiola. In addition, if Candiola and his family wanted to immigrate to France, or Ottoman Türkiye, Captain Desai could help.

Candiola had no choice. Starting from the Military Commission's request for him, residents of the entire city of Zaragoza could openly kill themselves and get the reward of General Parafos. It doesn't matter if the French people helped the French attack the city they once lived in. Anyway, the city never admitted that Candiola was the Spaniard who enjoyed the right to freedom. The only thing puzzled the Jews was how the French colonel learned that he had a secret passage from the River Jueva to the inner city.

The secret passage was an escape tunnel built by the ancient Aragonist king who was accidentally discovered by Jewish fugitives (in 1492, King Ferdinand II of Spain ordered the expulsion of all Jews in the territory). For hundreds of years, Candiola's ancestors have used it to smuggle alcohol and evade tariffs. Now, no one, including Candiola, should know, even their own family. However, Colonel Desai can clearly inform the Jews of the exit and entrance of the tunnel.

"That colonel is really a devil who can't do anything. He must have used magic to see through my secrets." When he thought of this, Candiola couldn't help but tremble, and the cold air swept through his whole body from the soles of his feet. He once again tightened the wool blanket wrapped around him to make himself warmer. Candiola turned his head timidly and looked around with his squint eyes. He prayed to God that the trace of the devil's colonel should not appear in front of him, at least not now.

The Jueva River is just a tributary on the right bank of the Ebro River, with a total length of only 300 kilometers. Like the Ebro River, the water harvest season of the Jueva River has a great impact. It has drought and rain in winter. The average width of the river is only 10 meters and a depth of less than 2 meters. The French army tried to break through the city of Zaragoza from here, but quickly gave up. A distance of 100 meters across the river, the Spaniards built a series of defensive fortifications. Artillery fire can destroy tall multi-faceted fortresses and prisms, but they can do anything to the low but extremely strong bunker group. In addition to several failed scattered soldiers, the troops participating in the war on the Eastern Front were basically artillery.

Starting from January 27, General Ferregus, who was in charge of the eastern and northern lines, ordered the artillery troops to continuously attack the Spanish defenders' garrison positions from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. to 2 a.m. at night, instead of the previous depth range. To this day, the shelling has lasted for 4 days.

Just after midnight, Desai came to the high ground at Fort No. 3 on the East Line, which is only 50 meters away from the Jueva River. Fort No. 3 is located about 80 meters above the river surface. Ten meters to the left of the fort, there is a stone bridge across the Jueva River. It is said to have been built by the Moors and has a history of 500 years. Shortly after the Second Siege of Zaragoza, the Spanish defenders abandoned the east bank of the Jueva River and retreated to the west bank, and also blew up the stone bridge. Only a few thick piers stood alone in the river, silently watching the battle between humans.

The turret was 160 to 170 meters ahead of the fort, which was the bunker group that the Spanish defended, followed by trenches and enemy turrets, but almost no shell was fired. In order to prevent the French from crossing the river from attacking, every night, the Zaragoza defenders would ignite bonfires around the west bank of the Jueva River, and the red flames would also expose the enemy's whereabouts. There were many French scattered soldiers deployed near the No. 3 turrets, who were rifled and rebuked rifles, like beasts, hunting in areas within the locked field of view. Soon, the Spanish sentries, who had suffered consecutive casualties, retreated in the bunker group, or the trenches behind them were hidden.

"As long as our people do not expose their bodies to the other side, even if they know that someone crosses the Jueve River, the Spaniards will not fire rashly, let alone fire, because that will immediately cause a more violent counterattack on our turret." An artillery captain in charge of Fort No. 3 explained to Colonel Desay. Most of the French artillery were 8 pounds and 12 pounds in large calibers, and the Spaniards were mostly 4 pounds or 6 pounds. The latter suffered a lot in direct dialogue between the artillerymen of both sides, so they simply agreed to the absolute advantage of French artillery. If the French did not go ashore, the Spaniards would not push out the hidden artillery to fight back.

Desai smiled and nodded, obviously very satisfied with the artillery performance, but he was naturally cautious and would not take it lightly. In the lower left of Fort No. 3, on the east bank of the Hueva River, two hundred commandos were quietly arranged, waiting to cross the river. Although the Hueva River in winter was not wide and the water depth was very shallow, and it seemed that he could wading through the water, no one was willing to try to soak in the cold and bone-breathing river water. The non-combat attrition caused by the joint cold and typhoid fever was far higher than the number of casualties of soldiers on the battlefield.

The time to cross the river was also chosen on dark and windy days. A fishing boat that was temporarily modified can transport 30 soldiers and their equipment through ropes connecting the two sides of the river. It takes about 3 minutes to go back and forth, and the entire process is at least 7 trips and 20 minutes. The soldiers were asked to remain silent, and the sergeant also distributed an olive fruit to each person, asking them to be kept in their mouths.

Starting from the first group of Captain Carls, five batches have been passed, and there is no movement on the other side, except for the enemy bonfire trembling in the artillery fire. Desai put down his suspended nervousness and put his pocket watch in his arms. After saying goodbye to the captain of the artillery, he walked to the middle of the soldiers on the river bank in the dark, waiting for the last group to cross the river.
Chapter completed!