The Autumn of 1489, Baza's Surrender, Sunset in the West (A Special Chapter for Ally Chen Zui)

Outside the Mountain City of Baza, cheers rang like thunder! With Queen Isabella's appearance, it was as if some magical force had made the tens of thousands of dejected, beleaguered Crusader Army soldiers, from top to bottom, suddenly rally in high spirits!

"Praise the Lord! Praise the devout and fearless Queen!"

This was the praise of more than a hundred Castilian lords. Their bearing was respectful, their faces wore sincere smiles, and yet it was a sincerity they had never once shown before King Fernando.

"The Queen is here! The Queen actually came! For the Queen, we must carry on the crusade!"

This was the cheering of several thousand Castilian knights. Their eyes were filled with reverence. They bowed their heads to the Queen, all their dispiritedness swept clean away, and once again summoned the courage to fight.

"Ah! The holy Queen! She is the Virgin Mary's incarnation on earth! Praise the Virgin!"

The loudest cheers came from the tens of thousands of soldiers in the camp. They prayed devoutly, revered her from the bottom of their hearts, as if they truly regarded the Queen before their eyes as the Virgin's incarnation.

Seeing this scene of universal welcome, King Fernando, at the very front of the welcoming party, let out a deep breath, his heart filled with irrepressible envy. He knew that for all his life, he would never be able to win such reverence from his subjects the way Queen Isabella did. Because this was not merely a question of prestige and ability, but a unique advantage only a queen possessed!

When later generations described this medieval age, they would always speak of the fashion of chivalry and the worship of women. However, the women revered by knights in fact had nothing to do with ordinary commoner women. The