Chapter 1450 This Step of Progress Is so Difficult!

"Bruno, since you have signed this contract, your family is also tied to my family. I will regard you as a nephew of my family, not an outsider..."

"Yes! Butler Nuno, I have always regarded you as my beloved father! I am a noble illegitimate child, and my father died early... If you don't mind, I am willing to kneel down and call you godfather!..."

"Haha, it's really God's blessing! I actually have a godson at this age..."

"Ah! Godfather, Godfather Nuno!..."

"Good! Good! My godson..."

After the signing of the contract of 5,000 ducats, the relationship between Bruno and Butler Nuno suddenly became much closer. And this "godfather" and "godson" also meant that the relationship between the two people, on the basis of money, power and interests, has been lubricated with a layer of secular morality.

So, when Butler Nuno looked at Bruno again, the smile on his face was much more cordial and real. Bruno also had a smile on his face, and he worked harder than he did for his father. After all, his father, the knight who had abandoned him, could not make him the commander of the exploration fleet, let alone a noble baron!

"Bruno, to be honest, with your civilian background, even if you have more sailing experience, it is impossible for you to break through that door and become a baron..."

"And if you come back two months later and miss the second Atlantic voyage exploration... then even I can't do anything and can't help you push the door to such a hereditary baron..."

Nuno, the butler, spoke slowly and slowly, telling the inside story of this canonization of the baron. Bruno stood respectfully by the side, feeling excited and eager, but also nervous and fearful.

After twenty years of working at the bottom, he understood better than anyone how difficult it was to break through the ceiling from a non-hereditary knight to a hereditary baron! It was even more difficult than going from a civilian to a knight!

In the traditional feudal order of Europe, the number of knights, the lowest military nobles with military functions, often numbered in the thousands or tens of thousands. If there were frequent wars, the number of knights would increase greatly. And throughout the thousand-year Middle Ages, the position of knight was the ceiling for tens of millions of European civilians!

Even 150 years later, Isaac Newton, who was famous for his scientific achievements in half of Europe, could only get the title of knight, and it was impossible for him to go up and step into the ranks of hereditary nobles! After all, how can you, a descendant of civilians who engages in natural philosophy, be compared with us feudal nobles, whose ancestors can be traced back to the War of the Roses, carrying guns and horses for the king, and charging bloody and earning real titles?

And once you rise from knights and knights to barons, the number of nobles at this level will immediately be reduced to one-tenth of knights. Most knights will never be able to break through to the baron level in their entire lives.

Even the royal knight and great navigator Diogo Con, who had extremely outstanding aristocratic reputation and connections, had pure aristocratic blood from generations of generations, and impeccable aristocratic virtues, and should have been promoted to baron as a matter of course... but because he died too early and too suddenly, he was unable to complete this last step...

"Bruno, you understand. In the code of knights, noble birth and blood are the "glory" of the nobility... and this sentence is reversed, that is, not noble enough birth and blood are the "original sin" of the common people... This original sin has nothing to do with talent, and it can never be washed away by acquired merits, just like the original sin of being born in the Garden of Eden!..."

"All nobles can see at a glance, see the original sin of the common people. And in order to maintain the rule of the nobles, they also I will never easily accept new knights. So, you have already reached the end of this life..."

"Perhaps, when your son grows up to be a teenager, he will be excellent in martial arts and morality. He can serve as a squire, accompany the offspring of a big man to grow up, gain some favor, and accumulate foundation for your family... and your grandson can also use a similar way to get close to the great nobles and accumulate more foundation..."

"After two generations, the Bruno Knight Family has accumulated enough aristocratic foundation, and through marriage, it has extended more aristocratic support... At that time, you will have the opportunity to jump up step by step and be promoted to a baron family..."

Nuno, the chief steward, spoke calmly about the traditional aristocratic bloodline order of the Catholic world, or the "truth of aristocratic power." Bruno pursed his lips, feeling a kind of powerlessness from the bottom of his heart, but he could not think of challenging this huge and heavy thousand-year tradition.

At the end of the 15th century, the strict feudal system of the European continent, although it was slightly loosened by the Age of Discovery and the Renaissance, was still extremely stable and, like the belief in God, dominated the spiritual world of the nobles and the common people!

If you traveled to the European continent of this era and were not reborn as a noble, or as the illegitimate son of some great man, then your life would have already come to an end, with a ceiling and a grave…

This idea of ​​bloodline level imprisonment, and the idea that bloodline determines the upper limit of life, has always been deeply rooted in the hearts of people in the European world, and is even more reflected in the overseas colonies established by the European continent. Once you are of mixed skin color and blood, or even a descendant of a conquered indigenous people, it is almost impossible to gain trust and a path to power. As for the Ming Dynasty history, the female straight eunuch Yi Shiha who established Nuergandusi, the Hui eunuch Zheng He who made seven voyages to the West, and the Jin Tao who was born in the Korean vassal... are absolutely impossible. In the strict European continent The world appears without even thinking about it!

"However, Bruno, you are lucky! The navigational achievements of discovering the New World will undoubtedly have great possibilities for promotion, even beyond the nobility level! ... And you are even more lucky to have met me! I can help you in In front of His Majesty, strive for the reward of this great achievement!…”

Manager Nuno was categorical, without any humility or politeness. The relationship between the two is close enough, and the nobles in Europe never regard modesty as a virtue. He just spoke directly, making Bruno bow his head respectfully and bow his head repeatedly.

"Yes! Yes! Thank you for your help! Thank you for your support! My respected Godfather Nuno!..."

"Haha! Bruno, my godson. After His Majesty and I discussed and repeatedly discussed the news you brought back... His Majesty decided that the second batch of Atlantic exploration fleets led by you will sail from Sierra Leone to the Southwest New World, providing Portugal with The kingdom establishes a new continent sailing base!

"The size of this fleet is no longer a pioneer exploration team, but a real pioneering colonial fleet! In this fleet, there will be two Clark galleons, two Caravel caravels, and a supply ship. Fleet. It will remain fully loaded with two hundred people! Eighty of them are immigrants who will establish the first new continent stronghold, and the location of the first stronghold will be determined by you..."

"Ah! Two Clark galleons? A colonial fleet of two hundred people?!..."

"Not bad! Five ships, filled with two hundred people! After all, according to the news you brought back, the distance from Sierra Leone to the Southwest New World is only three to four thousand kilometers. It only takes a month to sail, and it can even be faster with favorable winds..."

Manager Nuno smiled, patted Bruno on the shoulder, and spoke with deep meaning.

"Bruno, I first used your 'heroic loyalty, meritorious service, and sailing luck' to win you the position of commander of the second exploration fleet. Then, a problem arose. That is, the five members of the second exploration fleet The ship will have at least five knight captains, including the heirs of the barons... As a result, your status and qualifications are far behind, and you will not be able to suppress these captains and lead this crucial fleet..."

"You know, our Portuguese navy has its own strict order. It is never like the Castilians who suddenly promoted a boastful son of a weaver to the position of fleet commander! In fact, this This kind of promotion is just a false name. It is impossible for Columbus, who has no foundation in the navy, to command. Those senior noble captains can at most command some equally humble civilian scum..."

"Your Majesty is actually more inclined to let you serve as deputy commander, and then arrange for a sailing baron or a senior knight captain to serve as fleet commander... But at this critical juncture, a key change has occurred, allowing me to For you, I said such a crucial word, which finally made the balance in His Majesty's heart tilt towards you..."

"Ah, Godfather! Thank you! You are my beloved father!... So, what is the key change?..."

"Haha! This change is..."

Speaking of this, Manager Nuno suddenly paused and swallowed the words that came to his mouth. Even in such a private occasion, even in such a proud moment, he was still extremely cautious and did not reveal the news that King Joao suddenly fell ill and coughed up blood again.

Because, on that occasion, there were only King Joao and him. Once the news leaked out, there was no doubt that the king would be blamed on him, and he could not shirk the blame...

Thinking of this, Manager Nuno smiled slightly and without changing his expression, he made up another set of excuses. Anyway, he just needs Bruno to know his influence and learn to be grateful.

"Well... there was a messenger who appeared at the last moment and brought about important changes in the European continent... The main naval force of the kingdom must stay in Portugal and always pay attention to the progress of this change..."

"So, I said to His Majesty, 'Those senior captains and officers are better off staying at home. As for the second Atlantic exploration, Bruno should still be led by Bruno. As long as he is over-promoted and canonized as a baron... he will definitely be grateful to the king. Try your best to complete the important task of exploring new routes and opening up new continents! Compared with exploring new routes and colonizing new continents, the title of a noble baron is nothing...'"

"After listening to my suggestion, His Majesty thought for a long time before nodding in agreement and giving you this excessive reward! ... As for the unexpected news,... King Charles VIII of France has led an army of 40,000 people. Ten days ago, , advance into the Alps! After crossing the Alps, the French army will be able to invade the rich northern Italy and attack the Lombardy commercial city-states at the front..."