Spain produces high-quality war horses, but after the beginning of the Peninsula War, many horse farms went bankrupt one after another. The existing horse farms were either under the direct control of General Hugo in the rebel-controlled area in southern Spain or in the suburbs of Madrid. Therefore, the deal with the old Hugo became the only choice for Desay.

"I don't agree!" Old Hugo shook his head and rejected Desai's exchange conditions. The notes he had seen were also crumpled into a ball and threw them into the fireplace.

After hearing this, Major Carls did not say anything, silently retreated to the dark corner before, because the flames kept jumping in the fireplace made his eyes uncomfortable. Since it was a deal, of course he had to bargain. Besides, the chips given by the Desay team leader were indeed not worth 800 war horses.

The 1,200 prisoners were useless in the hands of Desai. They could not be killed or released. They were useless except that the kind-hearted General Hugo needed lumberjacks and could be taken in. As for the ordnance and sabres, most of them were dilapidated and could be used by the rebels. It was simply insulting to be used by the regular army.

After a while, Old Hugo put down his wine glass and said slowly: "Unless we add another clause, which may be able to gather these 800 war horses for your regiment commander. Of course, this clause is not too difficult to implement, and perhaps it will be even more beneficial to the noble Earl of Desay and the arrogant Colonel of the Guard."

"Please continue!"

...

Madrid, the capital of the Kingdom of Spain, is also the largest city. It is located in the middle of the Meseta Plateau in the Iberia (also translated as Iberis) Peninsula, in the mountain plateau basin on the southeastern foot of the Guadalama Mountains, with an altitude of 670 meters. It is the highest capital in Europe. Going south, it can be connected to the Strait of Gibraltar, which is limited to the African continent, and the Pyrenees in North Vietnam can reach the hinterland of Europe. Historically, it is known as the "Gate of Europe" due to its important strategic location.

The origin of this city's current name comes from the new residence of the Roman Empire established on the banks of the Masanares River in the second century BC. The name of this first village was "Matrix", which was taken because of the river flowing through the village. In the fifth century, the German Suweihui people, the "barbarians" of the Vandals and the Yancai people controlled Matrix.

In the seventh century, *** conquered the Iberian Peninsula and changed the name of the city to "Merrit", a word that refers to water like "forest" or "gifter of life". After the regaining lost lands, "Merrit" was renamed "Madrid". It was not until 1561 that Philip II moved the palace to Madrid, which became the capital of Spain.

On March 2, 1809, Colonel Desai and his infantry regiment finally arrived in Madrid. Captain Sezel, who had been accompanying him, said goodbye to Colonel Desai in Hernaresburg; as for General Hugo, he could not stand the speed of the turtle-travel of the turtle-traveling regiment, so he led his cavalry to arrive in Madrid several days in advance.

In early spring, it is the time when everything is revived and rejuvenated. The grasslands in the eastern suburbs of the city are already blooming with many goose-yellow flowers. Each small flower is covered with dewdrops, and in the morning light, it is like the stars in the night sky, shining with crystal light. Although the lowest temperature at night still hovers around 3 degrees, after entering the downtown area of ​​Madrid along Alcala Avenue, the daytime temperature gradually rises to 12 degrees, and the warm sunshine bathes the whole body, giving people a sense of peace and harmony.

Walking through the streets of Madrid in 1809, there were neither fanatical fans of Real Madrid nor modern transportation. Even the statue of the Cervantes Monument had not been erected, all the memories could only stay in the minds of time travelers. However, many ancient buildings with different styles made Desai dizzy, the solemn and magnificent church monastery, the unique fountain square, and the art palace (museum) with cultural relics.

Desai's good mood did not last long. When he was traveling through the famous Alcala Gate, he saw seven or eight hanging bodies hanging from the semicircular arches on both sides. Judging from his simple clothes and thin appearance, the victims were all ordinary citizens of Madrid. According to the notice pasted by the Madrid City Hall at the entrance of the arch, the strangled people were all convicted robbers, who participated in the riot that robbed food several days ago.

A captain of the city defense team who acted as a guide told Colonel Desai that Madrid had fallen into famine half a month ago and the citizens were unable to eat. Due to the ongoing war, large fields were deserted, handmade workshops went bankrupt one by one, and the economy was on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, King Joseph was concerned about his face. On the one hand, he collected food from all over the place and entrusted it to the priests of the church so that they could open a relief facility to rescue disaster victims in Madrid. On the other hand, he also ordered the city defense team to expel the victims from outside the city by force and resolutely suppress the robbers. Once discovered, they were strangled in public to serve as a warning.

As for other places, it is beyond reach. In the small southern town closest to Madrid, the disaster is particularly serious in Fertach. From the end of the year to now, in just over two months, the city with 30,000 people was only less than 10,000 left.

Official records at the time said, "Men, women and children are lying on the streets, some are sick, some are about to starve or freeze to death, and everyone is begging for a little vegetable root, even if it is moldy or rusty bread falling into the snow; now, 10 bags of potatoes can be exchanged for the property rights of a house. The church carts go to collect the bodies twice a day, and the whole city seems to have been covered with white burial clothes."

War and famine also led to a large loss of Madrid's population. Before the French invaded Spain, there were still 150,000 people in Madrid, but now only less than 110,000 were left. It was originally a good time for outings, but there were not many people on the streets of Madrid. More than three or five groups of hungry citizens begging for the proud French soldiers. These beggars were dirty all over, and their skinny bodies seemed to be moving skeletons.

After seeking the consent of Colonel Desay, the kind-hearted Lieutenant Charles threw a few bags of rusks to the street, but no one was concerned at first. When the French army walked away, the food that fell on the street immediately triggered a snatch of people.

Recently, the captain of the guards told Colonel Desay that King Joseph led his servants out to hunt yesterday and would not return to Madrid as early as the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. Therefore, the time to meet Colonel Desay was two days later. Desay seemed disdainful. The reason for a trip in early spring was indeed good. With the fall of Zaragoza and the complete strangulation of the rebels in the Guadalama Mountains, the security situation in Madrid was very good. His Majesty Joseph, who had been hiding in the Madrid palace, should also come out to relax.

However, the excuse that the new Spanish king chose was too absurd. All nobles knew that early spring was not a hunting season. The animals who had just survived the cold winter were already skin and bones. Even fools would not choose this period to burn forests and fields and fish in the terrain.

It turns out that his repeated negligence also caused King Joseph's unhappiness, so he just passed it off according to a reason, but this is not the case, and he is just in the Desay's wish.

Under the guidance of the guide, the Desai regiment headed west along the Alcala Avenue, passed through Piazza Pierre de Sol, and passed the south of the Royal Palace of Madrid. After crossing the Manzalez River, at around 9 a.m., he entered the Portuguese Street, an Earl's manor, which is also the residence and temporary military camp of the Earl of Desai.

Perhaps it was a coincidence that in Zaragoza, in Madrid, the former residences of the Desai regiment were all abandoned Earls Manors, and Desai didn't think much about it.

As for the unknown Madrid exiled Earl, who may have disappeared from the world or fled to southern Spain, his legacy was indeed very large, covering an area of ​​200 hectares of land. The main residential building was not luxurious, and it was even a bit dilapidated, but it was full of grasslands, rivers, woods, stables, craftsmen, etc. Although it was disrepaired and overgrown, it was a good training ground.
Chapter completed!