Chapter 1451 Haha! Look, Two Struggling Moths!

"Lord! The King of France led an army of 40,000 to invade northern Italy?!..."

"Yes! The King of France claimed to have an army of 50,000, and the number of scouts was estimated to be 40,000. As for the more specific number, although it is still unclear... But the King of France did gather thousands of knights in the previous large-scale mobilization! And these knights, together with the retinues following the knights, are estimated to be able to gather 3,000 elite cavalry... As for the infantry, there are probably 10,000 to 20,000 conscripted infantry, plus 10,000 to 20,000 mercenaries..."

"It was so easy to gather 30,000 to 40,000 troops, including 3,000 elite cavalry. The powerful Kingdom of France is really enviable!..."

Speaking of the Italian War that has already begun, mentioning the strength shown by the Kingdom of France, as a confidant of King João, the court steward Nuno, is really envious from the bottom of his heart!

The Kingdom of France, like the Kingdom of Portugal, has a strong centralized royal power. But relying on the strong national strength, the confidants around the King of France, the court nobles of the Kingdom of France, are obviously more powerful and richer than the Portuguese court nobles...

"Bruno, in the world of God, it is the knights' force and courage that determine the ownership of land and wealth! For example, those commercial city-states in northern Italy have come up with some "humanities and arts" and "Renaissance" in recent years, showing off their accumulated wealth in various ways..."

"But now, when they meet real knights and legions, the wealth of these Italian city-states can't be defended at all! These so-called arts, facing the knights' lances and the mercenaries' spears, what use are they? Those legions holding spears will never be soft-hearted when looting, and they must make the weak Italians look good!..."

At this moment, Nuno, the chief steward, looked at the murals of the Alawi Knights of his ancestors, stretched out his wrinkled hands, touched the knights' lances in the paintings, and sighed from the bottom of his heart.

"Bruno, my godson, you must remember!... In the Catholic world, without noble status, there is no force. Without sufficient force, there is no stable power! And without power and status, you cannot keep the wealth in your hands!"

"Just like the Jewish merchant who was riding a four-wheeled carriage and jumping around in Lisbon... What kind of identity is he, how dare he ride in the same carriage as me and the nobles? In these years, how many naval captains has he met in the port of Lisbon, how much private trade has he conducted, how much usury has he lent, and how much wealth has he made?... Do you really think that the court of Sintra doesn't know? Do you really think that there is no Inquisition in our Kingdom of Portugal?!..."

"King João turned a blind eye, but he did it for the sake of the Republic of Venice and didn't want to cause any trade disputes. The nobles in the court turned a blind eye and waited patiently for the king to acquiesce and take action. As for the bishops of the church, they turned a blind eye, raising sheep, raising this sheep that did not believe in the Lord. Fat enough! ...For so many years, which Jewish merchant can always jump on the stage? They are just sheep that are fattened and slaughtered! ..."

"And now, this sheep has been fattened enough! The French invaded Italy, and the Venetians were busy with their own affairs and had to ask us for help. They dared not turn against us at this time...Then, it's time to slaughter this fat sheep! ..."

"Ah! This? ! ...Your Majesty has always known about the private trade of Jewish merchants? ...He is a lamb that is fattened and slaughtered? ..."

" That's right! The time is set for next month! His Majesty has acquiesced, the court nobles participated in the house search, and the church's Inquisition arrested people! This time, even if we don't label this merchant a heretic and burn him to a torch for the sake of the Republic of Venice... we have to strip him of his fat skin and give all his earned wealth to the kingdom and the church!"

"Your Majesty acquiesced, the nobles and the church joined forces? ! Hiss! ..."

Hearing such a cold and cruel secret, Bruno trembled all over, and his heart was pounding with fear. You know, that Venetian Jewish merchant has always been generous, and the price he gave for spices and ivory is 40% higher than that of the Portuguese merchants in the country! Every time he came back from the sea, he would bring a large number of contraband goods and trade them privately to the other party! If the king really investigates this matter and catches him, the consequences will be...

"Ha! Bruno, look how scared you are! You are the captain with the most private trade goods. Where is your courage to ignore the laws of the kingdom and do private trade now? I chose you because I saw that you were desperate to climb up for wealth and power!..."

"Don't worry! As long as the captains' private trade is not excessive, it is tacitly approved by your majesty and will not be investigated later... As for the amount of your private trade, although it is large... I will participate in this matter, and others will naturally give me a face and let you go lightly!..."

"Ah!... Thank you... Thank you... Butler Nuno..."

"What did you call me?"

"Yes! Godfather!"

"Ha!..."

Butler Nuno sneered, stretched out his old hand, and gently patted Bruno's cheek. Bruno looked respectful and lowered his head. He did not feel offended at all, but felt close to him.

At this moment, an unarmed, frail old man who had never killed anyone before was facing a strong middle-aged man with a dagger who had killed many people. He was like a lion or a tiger facing a rabbit, and he had an incomparable psychological advantage! This was the power of power distortion, and it was its real horror!

"May the Virgin Mary bless you! Your Majesty Joao has thought about abdicating... If not, we wouldn't be so anxious about many things. This fat sheep doesn't have to be slaughtered immediately... As for you, Bruno, you have met a good time, and you have also met me!..."

After a moment of showing off, Butler Nuno sighed again, and his face returned to an old look. He implicitly pointed out King Joao's physical condition, then looked at Bruno, who was in awe, and continued to give instructions.

"Bruno, before this voyage... you were just a small fish without any foundation, and you were eaten by others, and I was too lazy to remind you... But now, since you have boarded my ship and called me Godfather... then I must give you some advice!"

"Those goods shipped back to the kingdom from the new colonial routes... even if it is private trade, you must sell most of them to domestic merchants! Although the price of domestic merchants is 30% lower, it is not a bad thing for you to let them make a profit! You must know that behind those merchants are the great nobles of Lisbon!..."

"You must always remind yourself: what kind of status you have, what kind of wealth you earn ! No matter how greedy you are, no matter how much you earn... what's the point if you can't keep it? It's just earned for others, just a fat sheep for others! ..."

"Yes! Yes! Godfather! I will definitely follow your teachings and never forget them! ..."

"Haha! Bruno, don't be so nervous, relax! I'm old and can't eat you. In the future, I still have to rely on you to support me... Sit down, drink some spice tea to refresh your mind... Unfortunately, I don't have coffee here, I don't have the expensive black beans that make people excited and sober..."

"Yes! Godfather..."

Bruno sat down carefully, secretly remembering "coffee", an expensive drink that he had never drunk and couldn't buy on the market. He looked at the tired face of Nuno, and felt that the time was almost up, so he asked the question he had been worried about.

"Godfather... that... Martin volunteered to go to sea, but died of illness outside... Where is the Governor of Azores? ..."    "Ha! Martin..."

Nuno grinned, as cold as an old dog. He glanced at Bruno and spoke quietly.

"Bruno, you have caused a big disaster in this matter... The Governor of Azores wrote a letter in person and reported it to His Majesty!..."

"Ah! Godfather! I beg you to save me..."

"It doesn't matter! I have suppressed it for you, and His Majesty has nodded. Since Martin died of illness, it's all over. The Governor of Azores will not dare to cause trouble to you in public in the future... However, he mentioned a name, it seems to be the boatswain Haroldo... Is this person dead?..."

The sharp eyes of Nuno made Bruno tremble in his heart. He tried to open his mouth, like a fish out of water, his heart was churning, and he stammered in his answer.

"He... he died..."

"Really dead?..."

"Really dead! This time, more than 40 people died out of 50 people who went to sea... Haroldo didn't survive either, he was beaten to death by the natives..."

"Well..."

Nuno nodded, not caring about the life and death of such a small person. He took a sip of spiced tea, moistened his throat, and continued to give instructions.

"Bruno, your baron promotion ceremony will be held in twenty days... I have informed the court nobles, and they must be completed before the next voyage to avoid more trouble... But with your qualifications and background, it is inevitable that there will be gossips about your promotion to baron. Just now when I was talking to you about that Jewish merchant, I suddenly thought of a way to let you make another contribution to satisfy the other court nobles and please the Bishop of Lisbon!..."

"Ah? What method? Please give me your instructions, Godfather!..."

"Well... next month, the house will be confiscated. "You are a Jewish merchant in Venice, so let you lead the team! You act on my behalf, and by the way, you can clean up the account you left on your ass... As for the things that are confiscated, there will be church knights and court knights looking at them together, roughly 40% for the church, 30% for the court, and 30% for the king... If you have anything you like, just keep it for yourself!"

"! Let me lead the team to confiscate the house? ...Yes! Yes! All up to you, Godfather! ..."

Seeing Bruno's obedient reaction, Nuno raised the corner of his mouth and nodded with satisfaction. He is old and often goes to church to pray. He wants to go to heaven peacefully in the future, and he really doesn't want to get blood on his hands. What's more, if there is any reaction from the Republic of Venice, he can move freely with Bruno's "knife" as a buffer.

"Bruno, my godson. Your first priority for this voyage is to establish a foothold in the New World. As for contacting the dangerous Sipangu Kingdom, it is secondary and can be put aside for now..."

"Yes! Godfather!..."

"The kingdom has imprisoned Columbus for a year and a half. Now that you have returned with news of the New World and the Italian War has begun... it is time to release Columbus back to Castile. If he is not released, King Ferdinand's anger will be a small matter. If Queen Isabella publicly condemns the Portuguese royal family and affects the reputation of the kingdom... it will be troublesome!..."

"In the Catholic world, the influence of the holy Queen Isabella is much greater than that of the scheming King Ferdinand... What a pity! It has been twenty years since the War of the Castilian Succession! Twenty years ago, the kingdom failed to stop Isabella and failed to let Princess Joanna take the throne... Every time the king mentions this matter, he is heartbroken! This is the biggest regret of the Kingdom of Portugal in the past two hundred years!..."

Butler Nuno looked tired, talking about the old things from 20 years ago, and he looked more and more old. Bruno looked respectful, and after listening to the old things that he was not interested in, he asked in confusion.

"Godfather, Columbus holds the secret of the new route, and has committed six serious crimes in the kingdom... Just let him go?... Otherwise, just like the Jewish merchant, let him go..."

"Ha! Bruno, you kid, you are really cruel and ruthless, and you are more courageous than me!... Although Columbus is annoying, he cannot be killed. Because behind him, there are the two kings of Iberia, the interests and face of the United Kingdom of Castile and Aragon!"

Butler Nuno looked serious, shook his head solemnly, and explained patiently.

"If we really kill Columbus, the two kings will have a reason to go to war with us! And the French king invaded Italy, and neither France nor the Church can take care of Castile, the poor and fierce kingdom of holy war!..."

"Before the Italian war completely involved the two kings, it was the most dangerous time for the mad dogs of Castile... It would be better to let them focus on the new route, the dangerous Sipangu Sea... Then, let them have a good fight with the Sipangu native kingdom!... As for Columbus, with his talkative and arrogant character, he had no foundation. The details, the original sin from the blood, even if you are treated with courtesy in the Kingdom of Castile, there will never be any good end! "

"By the way! Bruno, while you are establishing a base in the New World, you can also pay attention to the progress of the Castilians! When necessary, you can actually find a way to reveal the details and location of the Castilians to that native kingdom of the "holy war", and even sell some weapons, just like you did before..."

"Ah? Reselling weapons? Yes! Yes! Listen to you, Godfather! ..."

Hearing "reselling weapons", Bruno's heart trembled again. He didn't know which sailor leaked the secret, or whether other naval officers secretly saw the truth. But Nuno didn't go into it, or maybe he was used to it. He just took another sip of spice tea, slowly stretched out his old hand, pointed to the noisy corner of the spider web, and laughed with interest.

"Haha! Look, two struggling moths! One fell into the spider web, but didn't know it. The other one, hehe! Moths to the fire! ..."