Chapter 256: The Catholic World in the Autumn of 1484 AD, Europe Before the Second Voyage

Chapter 256 Autumn of 1484 AD - Catholic World, Europe before the Second Voyage

The northeast trade winds blow along the coast, carrying the fragrance of the land plants and trees, and fanning the sails to the distance. The North Atlantic warm current branches southward here, forming the vast and slow Canary Current. With favorable weather and favorable terrain, it is so convenient to travel from the Kingdom of Portugal to the southern continent that the hearts of navigators also fly far away.

Dias raised his head and looked at the sky in the south. The huge flamingo soared in the sea breeze, and its red wings were like leaping flames, burning in the hearts of those who looked at it from afar. Flamingos symbolize freedom and fantasy, and are also the sun birds in ancient Egyptian mythology. The royal steward thought for a long time before speaking with a wry smile.

"Diogo, we Portuguese can only rely on ourselves. The Treaty of Windsor lasted for a hundred years. Although the Kingdom of England is our stable ally, it cannot provide us with much strong support on land. King Henry and King Richard are both gathering their armies and preparing for the final decisive battle.

This long war for the throne has lasted for nearly thirty years! The nobles of England have suffered heavy losses, at least 50 noble families have been exterminated, and more than a thousand nobles have died. The English are tired of war! No matter which king wins in the end, they will not be able to respond to us in a possible Spanish war in a short time."

Diogo nodded with a heavy face. In the brutal civil war in England, thousands of nobles and knights died, and countless fiefs lost their owners. This greatly weakened the power of the allies, and it is unknown where the future Kingdom of England will be led.

"Dias, what about the attitude of the French, the neighbors of the Spaniards? They should be wary of the increasingly powerful Kingdom of Spain after the merger, right? When I came back, I heard the news of the death of the Spider King, and the newly succeeded King Charles is only fifteen years old this year. The one who really controls the Valois dynasty now should be the regent's 'Grand Lady', the eldest princess of France, Anne. She is the 'least stupid woman' in France!"

"Diogo, you are still well-informed. The Kingdom of France is hostile to its powerful neighbor, the newly born Kingdom of Spain, but the French royal family is in a divided confrontation. The regent's 'Grand Lady' is suppressing Prince Louis of Orleans who challenges the regent. After annexing Burgundy, Anjou, Maine, and Provence, the French royal family has become too powerful. Now there are only three or four lords who still have large fiefs, all of whom are subject to the king's taxation and conscription."

Speaking of this, Dias' eyes were yearning, and his words were full of emotion.

"Princess Anne has taken control of the royal power and has just convened the French Estates General in Tours. I heard that the representatives present had agreed to limit the royal power, but no one dared to speak up after arriving at the venue. The Estates General finally became a one-man show for the "Grand Lady", a place to show the royal authority, and a tool to suppress Prince Louis of Orleans!"

"Diogo, the royal power of France has become so strong that the corrupt Estates General has become increasingly dispensable. This is probably the last influential Estates General."

Hearing this, Diogo nodded, with a look of yearning in his expression. When the royal power is strong enough, there is no need to compromise with feudal lords and religious representatives, and make concessions in exchange for the support of all classes. In the eyes of the European elites of this era, only centralized monarchy is a symbol of strength and advancement.

"Dias, Prince Louis can't be a match for the 'Big Lady'. It's just that he has a special status and the royal family won't really deal with him. The French still have enough power to check the Spanish on land."

"Diogo, having said that, the interest of the Kingdom of France is more focused on the wealthy Italian city-states. They want to drink wine in the rich city of Naples, not go to the Pyrenees and play goats with the rude Spaniards."

Dias blinked and made a vulgar joke. He continued.

"Don't forget that King Charles' grandmother is Mary, the Duke of Anjou, and he still has a nominal claim to the throne of Naples and Sicily."

Diogo didn't laugh. He answered with a sullen face.

"Bless the Virgin Mary! Only a real fool would ignore the threat of the Kingdom of Spain and rashly enter the quagmire of the Italian Peninsula! This is a direct challenge to the Pope of Rome and the Emperor of Austria, and it will inevitably disperse the resistance of the Catholic world. Do the French want to be traitors to the Catholic world and join forces with the evil Ottomans?!"

Dias shrugged and said meaningfully.

"My old friend, if you can suppress the Spaniards, are you willing to join forces with the Moors across the strait?"

Hearing this, Diogo's expression changed and he did not answer for a long time. After a while, he lowered his voice and asked.

"Across the strait, is there any good news from the Kingdom of the Moors? Are they just sitting and watching their compatriots on the north bank being conquered by the Castilians?"

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid so."

Dias shook his head regretfully.

"The Palace of Bratt sent envoys to the south in a low profile. Since the fall of the Marin dynasty, Granada has lost support from across the strait. The newly born Watas dynasty only controls the north of Morocco and is internally corrupt. The court envoys came back and said that they had neither the intention nor the ability to challenge the Spanish, but were a good target for conquest.

The kingdom has never found a reliable ally, and now it can only rely on the king's plan. Of course, if there is an opportunity to get the Spanish into the other side of the strait or some other quagmire that is difficult to get out of, the kingdom will be happy to secretly intervene to make our dangerous and greedy eastern neighbors encounter more trouble."

After hearing this, Diogo slowly exhaled. He looked devoutly toward the east, traced a small cross on his forehead, mouth, and chest with his thumbs, and prayed devoutly in Latin.

"Per signum Sanctae Crucis, de inimicis nostris, libera nos, Domine Deus noster Dias, it seems that the only one who is willing and able to help us deal with the Spanish threat is..."

"The Holy See."

Dias nodded and said affirmatively.

"The distinguished Pope Cistercian has always been friendly to the Kingdom. The Pope signed the edict four years ago and approved the "Peace of Alcazovas", which clarified the Kingdom's maritime hegemony and allowed us to end it with dignity. The War of the Spanish Throne. But Pope Francis has not been in good health this year, and he may not be in good health soon. This is why the Portuguese Archbishop immediately reported the news of Elder John to the Holy See and sent a Coptic Cross."

Hearing this, Diogo nodded in understanding. He clenched his fists on his chest, his emotions fluctuated, and he concluded word for word.

"Once the Pope is called by the Lord, it is still unknown how the new Pope's attitude towards the Kingdom will change. Only by finding traces of Presbyterian John's kingdom and mastering the route of contact with our compatriots in the East can the Kingdom truly have a lasting influence in the Holy See. force!

And only by occupying the unowned land on the seaside, establishing key coastal strongholds, and mastering the Eastern trade routes, will we Portuguese people have a strong and prosperous future!

Blessed Mother! On this voyage, I will never stop and will explore all the way until death! "

Diaz looked at his old friend's determined look and hesitated to speak. An ominous premonition flashed through his mind. After a long while, he took out an ancient silver cross, handed it to the other party carefully, and whispered.

"Diogo, there are too many irresistible evils in the land of the devil in the south! They will unknowingly invade our bodies and take away the lives of God's people. This is a sacred thing left by my grandfather. Send it to Keep it with you, and hope it will give you God’s blessing on your journey into evil!”

Diogo nodded gratefully, took the cross, and put it away solemnly. He thought for a moment and said in a deep voice.

"Dias, during my last voyage, I wrote a logbook, recording in detail the route and road signs along the way after heading south from the Gold Coast. There is a difficult windless zone at the equator, and we must prepare enough paddlers and food. In the deep sea far away from the coast, the wind direction changes frequently, and it is necessary to design a new type of spinnaker. I will give you the log when I go to the captain's room. If I don't come back this time, The exploration is left to you!”

Dias stared at his friend for a moment and nodded slowly.

"Okay! Diogo, for this voyage, the king specially sent a new palace adviser, a noble scholar from Nuremberg and an outstanding cartographer, Martin Beiheim. He will follow you and use the Jacob's Stick Calculate the latitude and record the specific route to the south. If you are unlucky, I will continue to explore and find the route to the east!”

The sea breeze blew silently, carrying a moist breath. The two of them were so preoccupied that they didn't speak for a while. After a while, Dias smiled and said.

"Diogo, the merciful Lord has always protected us Portuguese. His Majesty Joao is wise and wise, and the future of the kingdom is always bright! In the two years since your last exploration, His Majesty has shown himself to be a great king. In addition to focusing on navigation, In addition to restarting the exploration plan, the king also promoted talents, hired consultants, and worked hard to revitalize the kingdom, which was two major things! "

Hearing this, Diogo pondered for a moment and asked in a low voice.

"Two major events? Dias, you are His Majesty's confidant. When I came back, I heard that Your Majesty executed Duke Ferdinand of Braganza last year and confiscated the Duke's territory."

Dias glanced at the deck, looking at the people chatting in the distance, and then said with certainty.

"Yes. The Duke of Braganza is dissatisfied with His Majesty's interference in the inheritance of nobles, and secretly exchanges letters with Queen Isabella. He is the most powerful nobleman in the kingdom, and the area of ​​​​the fiefdom is also the largest. Only by centralizing royal power can the kingdom be A strong foundation. We cannot follow the path of the Wall of Christ, and I am afraid it will not last long.

His Majesty has made up his mind to centralize the power of the royal family like the Kingdom of France. Next, in His Majesty's plan, there are still many powerful nobles that need to be dealt with. Of course, a sailing family like ours is His Majesty's most trusted direct descendant, so there is no need to worry about this. "

Hearing this, Diogo remained silent and felt horrified. He thought for a moment before asking again.

"When His Majesty summoned me, he carefully inquired about the gold production around Elmina Fort and the surrounding tribes that own gold. He also asked about the military strength of the Kingdom of Songhai and the Kingdom of Congo, and whether they are rich in gold. This second major matter, Is it just coinage?”

"Diogo, my old friend, you really have the keen intuition of a navigator!"

Diaz smiled and praised.

"Relying on the gold obtained from the Gold Coast, His Majesty has restarted King Alfonso's coinage plan. A new batch of Cruzado 'Crusader' gold coins are being minted!

The kingdom's gold coins are popular in Mediterranean countries and are even accepted by Arab merchants. For every 3.55-gram Cruzado gold coin minted, the kingdom can obtain at least 8% of the coinage tax and attract more foreign merchants. In the commercial city-states of the Italian peninsula, the kingdom's influence is constantly increasing. Because there is enough gold source, the stability of the kingdom's gold coins is even better than the Venetian ducat. Ha, the treacherous Venetian merchants hate us, but we are still helpless!

Diogo, you also know that the ignorant countries on the southern continent have different gold, silver and copper exchange rates from the Catholic world. In addition to direct plunder and occupation, our merchant ships can also obtain gold from the southern continent through different precious metal exchange differences! The profit from this has been calculated in detail by the court's financial adviser, which is enough to make the kings of various countries jealous and crazy!"

Diogo finally smiled. He reached out his hand and patted his old friend's shoulder vigorously.

"Yes! Dias, the hope of the kingdom lies in the vast and rich southern continent, on the eastern route to wealth! May God bless us! Let us set sail again, head to the unknown south, find the sacred kingdom, and obtain the wealth promised by the Lord."

Hearing this familiar prayer, Dias also pressed his old friend's shoulder and chanted loudly together.

"Under the guidance of the Lord, we will bravely move forward and spread His glory and mercy to the ignorant countries along the way! .amen"

The two smiled at each other and looked to the south together. That look was warm and bright, it was the world of God; that look was cold and grim, it was the light of judgment.

".Sail!"

With the flag waving, more than a dozen caravel sailboats raised half sails, lined up in a neat queue, and slowly sailed out of the port. The trade wind from the northeast never stopped, and the kingdom's fleet moved forward all the way, soon raising full sails and disappearing at the end of the sky.

"Vaffanculo! Cheminchione! Damn mathematicians, damn court advisers! The people in the Brat Palace are all idiots with their eyes on their asses!"

In the port on the shore, there was a middle-aged man in his thirties, staring at the direction where the fleet disappeared, chattering angrily. He was tall and strong, with an eagle nose, a long face, prominent cheekbones, a pair of blue eyes, and reddish-brown hair. He was wearing a set of washed-out civilian black robes and a worn-out sailor's flat hat on his head. The only valuable thing was the calfskin pointed boots on his feet, which were polished with lard.

Although his clothes were shabby, the middle-aged man stood straight, with a stubborn look in his eyes like a wild boar. He roared angrily until the last exploratory sailboat disappeared in front of him, then he squatted down with his head in his hands, and cursed in a low voice in frustration.

"Diamine! Cazzo! The great merchant Marco Polo said so, and the astrologer Toscanelli also said so! The world is round, and China is at the starting point of India, directly opposite Iberia and Ireland!

Stupid, stupid. Only we city-state people can see the truth of this world! I want to be the fleet commander, a noble, and the governor across the sea! I want to lead the fleet from the west of the ocean to the rich East!"

The middle-aged man was still muttering to himself, but suddenly felt his shoulders sink. He raised his head angrily and saw two tall Slavic strongmen with axes on their waists, sandwiching him in the middle. And a thin Jewish businessman, wearing a small round hat on his head and a long beard on his chin, was slowly walking in front of him.

"Columbus, you have no part in this Portuguese voyage! The court adviser of the kingdom has denied the voyage you calculated, and the last fleet has found traces of the country of Elder John. It seems that your plan has no chance. Then it's time to settle the money you owe me."

At this point, the Jewish businessman took out a paper receipt from his arms and read it slowly.

"Six years ago, you borrowed 20 Ducat gold coins from me to pay for lobbying in various countries. According to the annual interest rate of 48%, the interest is accumulated into the principal, so today you should pay me back, 210 Ducat gold coins, plus 3 Grosso silver coins, and 16.5 Denarius copper coins. Well, considering that we have known each other for many years, I will exempt you from this 0.5 Denarius copper coin!"

Hearing this, Columbus stood up suddenly. He waved his arms vigorously and roared angrily.

"Vaffanculo! Merda! Eleazar, you heretic who deserves to go to hell, you greedy dwarf like a venomous snake, don't let these barbarians touch me! You only gave me 15 ducats in total, but asked me to pay back 210?!"

"It's 210 ducats in gold, 3 grosso in silver, and 16.5 denarii in copper. As for the 25% advance payment deducted, it is the customary practice in the industry."

The Jewish merchant was unmoved, waved his hand, and smiled coldly.

"Columbus, my patience is running out! Do you want to pay the money now, or do you want to tie a stone and sink to the bottom of the sea?"

When the two Slavic strongmen saw the order, they roared together and exerted force with both hands at the same time. They dragged Columbus a few steps, set him on the pier at the berth, and let his head hang down, facing the deep sea.

Fear finally showed in Columbus's eyes. He struggled hard and shouted loudly.

"Eleazar, give me some more time! I will continue to lobby the monarchs of various countries, and I will definitely succeed! I have spent all the gold coins on me, and you will get nothing even if you kill me now! But, but! If you have a little patience to wait, as long as I succeed in my voyage, you can get 210 ducats! "

Hearing this, Eleazar narrowed his eyes and carefully looked at Columbus's expression. After a long while, he nodded slowly.

"Okay! Columbus, for the sake of our friendship for many years, I will give you more time. But."

Eleazar stretched out his hand and took out a business contract that had been prepared long ago from his arms.

"You have to sign this!"

Okay, the two chapters of the great voyage are over, and we will continue to return to the world of Central America. (_), this chapter contains a lot of information, and many interesting details are hidden. Well, let's see who can find them all. The situation and policies of the major countries of Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal are all mentioned. Then there are the economy, trade, interest rates and currencies of this period. The Italian words in Columbus are all national curses, so I won’t translate them. Different contexts have different objects. Interested book friends can check it out by themselves and ask for votes at the end!