Chapter 1443: Lion Rock Port, News From the New World!

July 1494, West African coast, Rokel River estuary, Sierra Leone Lion Rock Port.

The coast of Sierra Leone has lush tropical jungles and towering peninsula mountains. The coastal beaches are fine and white, dotted with tall coconut trees and palm trees. Near the coast, the turbulent rivers of fresh water pour into the Atlantic Ocean like small waterfalls. The water is very clear and has a little mud red.

This is the warm and humid West African coast, with primitive and wild beautiful scenery, surrounded by Portuguese-style trestle ports, wooden trading posts and stone fortresses. The site of this Lion Rock Port is surrounded by the sea on three sides and mountains on one side. The north and east of the port are surrounded by large rivers, and it can trade with the black-skinned tribes thousands of miles inland along the river. The west of the port is the sea, and the south is the dangerous Lion Rock, and surrounded by the peninsula mountains, it has formed a natural deep-water port.

There is no doubt that this is an extremely safe, easy to defend, and very convenient port location. Its only flaw is that it is relatively small and has no potential for expansion.

Thirty-two years ago, Pedro de Sintra, the Portuguese captain who first explored this coast, saw the special location of the peninsula port at a glance, and clearly recommended this "good port" in a letter to the former King Alfonso.

However, the West African coast explored by Portugal is extremely vast. The focus of the kingdom's operations is the Cape Verde Islands discovered in the same period, the gold-rich Ghana coast, and the Gambia River coast where the climate is more suitable for colonization.

As for the development and establishment of this Lion Rock Port, it was entrusted to the great businessman Fernán Gomez through the signing of an agreement. The merchant group funded the employment of landless farmers and poor citizens to develop the land and find trade goods; the royal family provided a small army to set up camps and fortresses to be responsible for the defense of the strongholds; and the seafaring nobles sent their family descendants and personnel to participate in administrative management. Merchants, royal families, and nobles, through a written treaty agreement, shared the cost of establishing a colony and shared the trade and land benefits brought by colonization!

For example, the current Sitiawan Port is managed by descendants of seafaring nobles, the trading post is operated by the Chamber of Commerce, and the fortress is defended by the royal garrison. Whether it is the "vibrant" civilian merchant group or the local nobles who "expand their fiefdoms", they are deeply involved in the colonial activities led by the Portuguese royal family.

This model of European colonial development is not only spread across the already expanded West African coast, but will also advance to India and the East little by little as the Portuguese explore. Even the subsequent Castilians, Dutch, and English, through this "public-private partnership", effectively mobilized the official and private forces of the entire kingdom and invested them in the great development of overseas colonial undertakings...

"Blessed by God! Senarion! It is Senarion! It is the Lion Mountain!..."

"Holy Mother! We really arrived at the coast of West Africa and the port of the kingdom!..."

"Praise the Father in heaven! The new jungle continent is so close to the coast of West Africa? Only a month of half-upwind sailing, including a few days of calm... We sailed from the eastern end of the jungle continent to the west coast of the southern continent?!..."

"Haha! It seems that my guess is right! The jungle continent is a vast new continent, and the distance to the southern continent is much closer than everyone imagined!... Praise God!..."

The long wind blowing from the sea pushed a tattered caravel sailing ship towards the not-so-big Lion Rock Port. Captain Bruno stood on the mottled and dilapidated bow, looking up and laughing happily, even with tears flowing out! The sailors around him were also crying with joy, cheering and howling. This Atlantic exploration voyage was really a life-or-death journey, it was really not easy!

The Portuguese exploration fleet set out at the end of September last year, and after a series of attacks by the Caribbeans, it arrived at the dreamy island of Haiti in February this year. The initial fantasy was a shining golden color, full of gold and pearls, and everyone was full of ecstasy of getting rich! Until that dangerous night, the fleet attacked by the natives came unexpectedly, bringing devilish killing and flames...

After that nightmare raid, the exploration fleet of two ships with 50 people at the time of departure, only one ship and 8 people were left alive! Captain Bruno abandoned all fantasies and chose to return directly.

They returned along the original route, sailing for a week before escaping to the edge of the "Carib Islands". When the sailboat passed by a newly discovered "Brave Island" (Puerto Rico), it lured, recruited, and captured six docile Taino natives to board the ship, adding 14 people to the crew.

At this time, including the guide "Shushu", the native sailors on the ship accounted for half. Bruno showed great friendliness at this time, more friendly and peaceful than ever. He personally came forward and patiently appeased these newly recruited native sailors, and even converted all six of them and put on wooden cross amulets.

Later, the flagship went straight south and passed by the dangerous "Carib Islands". It was already early March when we arrived at the southern jungle continent full of trees.

"May God bless us! We are finally safe and have escaped the pursuit of the Sipangu devil tribe and the Caribbean barbarian tribe! We will camp at the estuary, repair the sailboat and go east!"

Bruno finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped at the mouth of the jungle continent. While everyone was collecting food, they were repairing the ship, especially the stern where a big gap had been blown out. In order to repair the broken ship, the entire crew had to participate in logging and carpentry work. The smart Susui was particularly hard-working. After being scolded and scolded by the old carpenter Ivo, he was instilled with a lot of carpentry skills in ship repair and became a boatman's apprentice directly...

This stay lasted for two full months! It was not until the beginning of May that the damaged Portuguese caravel was repaired and enough food was collected on board. Captain Bruno couldn't wait to drive the sailboat eastward, along the jungle coast of South America, looking for the eastern end of the continent...

Then, this route lasted for more than a month! The vastness of the jungle continent exceeds everyone's initial imagination! Everyone started from the mouth of the Orinoco River at 8 degrees north latitude and followed the coastline to the southeast. They sailed a total of an estimated 5,000 kilometers, passing through the mouth of the extremely majestic Amazon River, before arriving at the eastern end of the jungle continent. At about 5 degrees south latitude, they saw the continental coastline turning to the southwest...

At this point, the towering and continuous Brazilian plateau appeared in the eyes of European explorers for the first time! Bruno and his party were too small in number, and had been "attacked by barbaric tribes" many times, and had "unforgettable and painful experiences." They were cautious along the way and never communicated with the "Amazon Tribes", "Eastern Brazil Tupi Tribes", or even any native tribes along the way.

Until finally, they reached the cape at the end of the east, where they anchored again for several days and erected an explorer's pillar. The wooden pillars are engraved with Portuguese characters, symbolizing the occupation of this place by the Kingdom of Portugal.

"God bless you! This vast land is the overseas territory dedicated to the great King João! And this cape at the end of the east is named 'Cape San Roque' (Cape) in the name of Saint Roque, the saint of the kingdom. So Roque)!…O Holy Father and Holy Spirit in heaven! I pray to Him for the final victory!…”

After the last prayer, Captain Bruno took a dozen crew members, including half of the Taino sailors, and sailed away from the coast of Brazil and headed towards the northeastern ocean. During the next one-month voyage, the sea breeze kept changing. Not only was it semi-headwind half the time, but there were even periods of calm and light winds for several days.

Fortunately, the entire Caravel sailboat was hung with a jib that could sail semi-upwind, and the most experienced sailors were constantly making complicated adjustments to the sails. Although the speed of the ship could not be increased, it was still able to maintain a stable course and did not encounter a terrible sea storm...

It was not until after a month of sailing northeast that they returned from 5 degrees south latitude to 8 degrees north latitude. The desolate West African coast, together with the running elephants, lions, and hyenas, finally appeared in front of them!

"O gracious Lord! Full of compassion and blessings, He allowed us to move from the jungle continent of the yellow-skinned tribe to the southern continent of the black-skinned tribe... And the distance between these two continents is only three to four thousand kilometers! This is an unimaginable miracle! The vast New World is actually three to four thousand kilometers away from the coast of West Africa!…”

After captain Bruno calculated the sailing distance for this month, although he had expected it, he was still surprised and couldn't open his mouth from ear to ear. The discovery of a brand new continent is still so close... The colonial prospects and land wealth contained in this are enough to shock the entire Kingdom of Portugal! And he, the discoverer, will surely gain unimaginable achievements and rewards from the exploration and colonization of the New World, and even benefit his family's descendants, just like the previous explorers!

"Woo! Woo!..."

The loud horn sounded from the camp on Lion Rock, representing some kind of warning and communication. The port of Lion Rock is limited in size, with only about three to four hundred Portuguese whites, plus a larger number of mixed-race descendants and converted blacks. Therefore, this is just a colonial town of about a thousand people, without the bell tower of large European towns. Soon, two offshore dhows, each carrying two 2-pound guns, sailed out of the port and approached the exploration ship flying the Portuguese flag.

"God bless you! You are one of our own!..."

After the approach was confirmed, both dhows hoisted safety flags and escorted the "royal exploration vessels" on both sides. And when the flagship docked towards the port trestle, Captain Bruno finally breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his arms, jumped onto the trestle first, and shouted to the remaining Portuguese sailors with a smile!

"Praise the Virgin! Praise the Holy Father! Brothers, we are finally home! We have returned to our port in the Kingdom of Portugal and are completely safe!"

"Everyone can indulge for two days! Black-skinned women, banana wine and barbecue food! Go and have fun! Everyone's consumption in these two days will be counted on my head, Bruno!..."

"Go! Let's go and be happy! Don't worry about me... I have to go to the city hall at the port to meet the noble mayor here!..."