Chapter 356: The End of 1485 AD, Rebellion!

The night was dark, the Congo River was surging, and dark clouds obscured the moon. Three caravels dropped their heavy anchors and anchored at the edge of the river, a hundred meters apart. Torches lit up on the boats, illuminating the fluttering Portuguese flags and the alert sailors on night duty.

For the Portuguese exploration fleet, sailing at night in an unfamiliar inland river basin would be very dangerous. So, Captain Diogo Con, as always, issued an order to anchor on the spot and arranged for the boatswain Diego to be on guard.

"Foda-se! This is really a devil's land! It's still clear during the day, but you can't even see the shadow of the moon at night! Um, hum!"

A captain's guard squatted on the wooden board at the bow, took off his pants, and faced the outside of the ship with his bare buttocks.

Obviously, this is something that has to be done. But on a sailing ship in the Age of Discovery, doing such a thing is not easy, and even requires certain skills. At this moment, the guard held a cable tightly in his hand to keep his body balanced. The wooden board under his feet stood in the air, shaking from time to time. Under the shaking board was the bottomless and surging Congo River.

"Foda-se! There are so many mosquitoes even in the squat toilet! I'm fed up with such a life!"

Another voice came from the side, it was another captain's guard. He held the rope with one hand and slapped his butt with the other hand. The tropical mosquitoes gathered at the smell, trying to get closer from time to time, and they couldn't be driven away at all.

"Damn it! Tulio, the food tonight must have mold! My legs are almost numb from squatting!"

On ocean-going ships, it is very common to eat moldy food. But if you have a stomachache after eating it, it is "bad mold".

"Martin and the others also have a stomachache, and they ran several times at night! Damn chef Haroldo! I'm going to stick the rope I used to wipe my butt on his fat face!"

Yes, please don't be surprised, the toilet tool on the ship is a rope, and it is a very tough hemp rope. This thing feels very sour and refreshing when used, but the sailors have long been accustomed to it. If they are at sea, the sailors will also use local materials and various freshly caught seafood. The soft feeling is unforgettable and comfortable.

"Hey! When can we return home! There are endless trees, endless rivers, and endless mosquito swarms. The crew who are constantly infected by the devil is really a nightmare green hell!"

"Hush! It seems that someone is coming."

The conversation between the two captains and guards came to an abrupt end. They looked forward together, watching several torches swaying and approaching. The guards grabbed the rope with one hand and held the short knife at their waist with the other hand. Even when they were using the toilet, they did not remove their weapons.

"Diego?"

A guard shouted vigilantly.

"It's me!"

The torches gradually approached, reflecting the face of the boatswain Diego, and the other two sailors on duty next to him. Diego's face was full of bitterness. He was hunched over in pain, holding his stomach tightly with his right hand, and was walking quickly.

"Come on, guys, squeeze in and let me take a seat. Foda-se! Damn chef, what a shitty dinner! I'm going to shove his head into my ass!"

"Haha!"

The two captain guards breathed a sigh of relief, took their hands off the daggers, and laughed in agreement. Then, a guard glared at Diego who was walking quickly, and muttered in dissatisfaction.

"Foda-se! Can't you put up a plank yourself?"

"Ah, I can't wait!"

During the conversation, Diego had already brought his men and walked within two steps. The torch became brighter and brighter, and the guard who was speaking stared at Diego, and suddenly his expression changed! He clearly saw that there was a flash of metal reflection in Diego's right hand that was pressing on his stomach.

"You! Uh! Hoho"

Hearing the guard's low shout, Diego took a step forward fiercely. His right hand stretched out extremely quickly, revealing the dagger hidden in his hand, and then heavily slashed the opponent's neck!

"Sizzle!"

Red splashed immediately. The guard's shout was swallowed in his throat and turned into a creepy howl. Diego swung the dagger again, cut off the opponent's fingers holding the cable, then raised his foot and kicked the guard in front of him into the Congo River. Almost at the same time, the two sailors on duty also solved another opponent, and there was another "plop" on the river surface.

The pungent smell of blood spread in the air, and a large group of mosquitoes rushed to the river surface. The "dead wood" floating in the river also woke up in an instant, opened their bloody mouths and swam over. In just a few minutes, the bodies of the guards disappeared.

Looking at the red river surface, Diego grinned. He stretched out his tongue, licked the blood on the dagger, and shouted excitedly.

"Ah, I can't wait!"

The night was vast and the fire was faint. Everyone on the ship was taking action, and soon a sailor came hurriedly with a happy face.

"Boss, the other four captains and guards have also been dealt with! Ivo locked the cabins of the navigator Reinaldo and the scholar! Martim and Bruno controlled the lower deck and left a few people to guard it. Now, everyone is gathering near the deck, waiting for you to come over!"

"Haha, I really can't wait!"

Diego licked his tongue excitedly and ran over like a wolfhound. Soon, he saw the four leaders on the deck. Bruno looked solemn, Martim was smiling, Ivo was anxious, and Haroldo was still timid. The remaining dozen sailors were all waiting nervously under the deck.

"It was unexpectedly smooth! Ivo did a good job, and Haroldo made a great contribution!"

Mattim patted the chef on the shoulder and said with a smile. The captain's six guards were originally the most difficult to deal with, but after Haroldo tampered with them during dinner, the guards became helpless lambs and didn't even make any big noise.

"The crew on the ship all wanted to return. They heard that we were going to 'persuade' the captain, but they showed little resistance!"

Bruno was a little emotional. There were originally a dozen sailors on the lower deck, but as soon as the purpose of the action was explained, most people remained neutral on the spot, and some even wanted to join in temporarily.

"Haha! The captain is betraying his family, and he brought this upon himself!"

Mattim chuckled and looked at everyone.

"Everyone is here, let's go! Bruno, take the lead and persuade the captain!"

Bruno nodded and walked out first, followed by others.

Not far away, in the narrow captain's cabin, Diogo was hunched over, lying on a wooden bed covered with soft cloth. This is a treatment only given to the captain. Others can only sleep on the deck or on the sling. At this moment, the captain frowned deeply and his stomach growled, as if the river was turning upside down.

"Tulio! Tulio!"

After the shouting, there was silence outside the captain's room, and no one answered. Diogo listened carefully and heard only the rushing water of the Congo River and some chaotic noises. He put a hand over his stomach and continued shouting.

"Martin! Martin!"

There was a strange silence, no answering voice. Diogo sat up with difficulty and stared at the barrel in the corner of the captain's cabin. My stomach felt particularly nauseous tonight, and the small barrel was filled with filth. A pungent smell filled the cabin. In this embarrassing moment, the guards disappeared without knowing where they were, and even the barrels were not replaced.

"Guards, guards!"

Diogo's voice was a little angry and a little anxious. He gritted his teeth and slowly stood up from the bed. Pins and needles of pain shot through his knees. The devil's curse had already penetrated deep into his bones, causing this lion-like man to lose the power he once had. Tormented by the pain, he moved slowly towards the barrel in the corner.

"Dear Captain!"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded from outside the door, accompanied by a "dong-dong" knock on the door. Diogo paused and sat back on the bed. He straightened his spine, held the dagger at his waist with one hand, and asked in a deep voice.

"Bruno? What can you do?"

"Captain, I have a suggestion for you."

"It's too late, wait until tomorrow!"

Diogo's voice was calm and commanding.

"By the way, please call my guards over. I think they should be near the planks at the bow or stern."

"Dear Captain, I'm sorry. But I'm afraid I can't wait until tomorrow."

Bruno held up the torch and shook his head. He glanced at the nervous people behind him and pushed open the wooden door of the captain's cabin.

"Squeak!"

The wooden door opened, and a pungent smell wafted from the captain's cabin. Under the light of the torch, Diogo looked angry and his hair and beard were standing out. He was like a disturbed lion, glaring ferociously.

"Noble Knight Bruno! What are you doing?"

"Captain, I want to make you a suggestion."

"Get out!"

Diogo shouted angrily, his voice was majestic and shocking.

Bruno stood silently, bowing his head slightly. Then, under the light of the torch, figures that should not appear one after another appeared behind Bruno: the fierce boatswain Diego, the smiling quartermaster Mattim, the cowering chef Haroldo, and the dodging Ivo, the carpenter.

Diogo's heart instantly fell into the abyss. In his more than twenty years of sailing career, he had encountered such scenes several times, but he suppressed them all! A majestic anger rose in his heart. The captain briefly forgot about the pain, stood up suddenly, pulled out the dagger from his waist, and pointed it at the people at the door.

"What are you going to do! Do you want to rebel! Guards! Guards!"

The long-sick captain suddenly stood up, and everyone at the door stepped back in fright. Then Bosun Diego became angry. He whipped out his scimitar and pointed it at the captain.

"Diogo, you're just a dying old dog, and you still want to scare people!"

Quartermaster Mattim also quietly drew out his dagger and stared at the captain with his eyes like a poisonous snake.

"Captain, there is no one on this ship to support you! You should listen to us!"

Bruno bowed his head respectfully and saluted the captain.

"Dear Captain, we have no other intentions. We just want to persuade you to return on behalf of all the crew members on the ship!"

"Return? B.ru.no."

Diogo gritted his teeth and said Bruno's name word by word. He didn't look at anyone else, just stared at the noble knight who had been promoted by his own hands and the noble knight who had high hopes for him. At this moment, his eyes were so deep and contained so many complex emotions.

"You really disappoint me!"

Hearing this, Bruno trembled all over and his knees became weak. The captain's look made him feel ashamed. In his heart, there seemed to be something he had believed in for a long time, which was completely shattered in an instant. The brilliance of the Holy Mother disappeared in an instant, and the boundless darkness, with the whisper of the devil, enveloped him deeply.

"Foda-se! Damn sick man, it's already this time, and you're still here pretending?!"

Boatswain Diego cursed and took action suddenly. He used his machete to strike Diogo's dagger, then raised his right leg and kicked Diogo's thigh hard.

"Well"

Diogo groaned in pain, unable to hold on any longer, and fell to the ground on his back. The side of his head rested on the wooden bed, exposing his tanned neck.

Diego chuckled ferociously, raised his machete high, and was about to strike at the neck.

"boom!"

Bruno pulled out his short sword and blocked the scimitar.

"Diego, what are you doing!"

"Hmph, what to do? Of course, kill him!"

"As agreed, the captain cannot be killed, only imprisoned!"

Bruno shouted angrily.

"We still have to keep him to command the other two ships!"

"Yes, you can't kill the captain!"

The carpenter Ivo held a dagger in one hand, and the other hand actually held a shield that was rare on the ship. Not sure where he got it from, he probably did it himself.

"Diego, save the captain's life for now!"

Mattim's eyes flickered for a while, and he also spoke to persuade.

"snort!"

Diego put away the scimitar angrily, then suddenly raised his foot and kicked Diogo hard in the stomach.

"Diogo, you usually treat me like a dog. Today I want you to be a dead dog!"

"Uh, ah"

Diogo huddled on the deck in pain. He was hit hard in the stomach and couldn't bear it anymore. Suddenly he made a strange sound, and then another. Then, an even more pungent smell came from the captain's lower body.

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise, looking at the embarrassed and weak Diogo. At this moment, the once awe-inspiring and majestic image of the captain was completely shattered from their minds.

"When people's hearts turn away, the majestic lion falls to the ground and turns into a pitiful old dog."

Chef Haroldo murmured to himself and quietly hid behind him.

"Diego!"

Bruno roared angrily, swung the short knife fiercely, and took Diego back two steps. Then, he looked at Diogo carefully.

"Captain, you."

"Get out!!"

The captain barely straightened his spine and shouted with all his strength, even with a hint of crying.

Everyone looked at each other and took a few steps back. Bruno immediately closed the door of the captain's cabin, leaving the captain with the last trace of dignity.

"Haha! Poor dead dog!"

Boatswain Diego shook his head and laughed a little maniacally.

"what to do?"

The carpenter Ivo waved his shield irritably. The development of things seemed to be different from what he expected.

Quartermaster Mattim pointed to the captain's cabin and looked at Bruno again.

Bruno nodded and shouted through the wooden door.

"Captain, then we will obey your order and order to return!"

It was deathly quiet in the captain's cabin. After a while, a deep voice came.

"Where are my guards?"

"They all accidentally fell into the water tonight."

There was another long silence. Then came Diogo's calm answer.

"In this case, why bother asking me again about what happened on the ship."

Bruno and Mattim looked at each other for a while, and Mattim gestured with his seal. Bruno shouted again.

"Captain, we will send you two new guards. Please lend us the royal knight's seal!"

After a while, a rustling sound was heard in the captain's cabin. Soon, there was a bang behind the wooden door.

Bruno opened the door of the captain's cabin a crack, reached out and picked up the small stamp on the ground. On the gold seal are the emblem of the Portuguese royal family and Diogo's family crest.

Everyone looked at the seal representing the captain's authority, with joy on their faces.

Bruno stared for a while, his thoughts fluctuating. After a while, he gave the order.

"Our Lady protects us! I'm going to draft orders to the other two ships. Mattim, go and inform the crew on the ship of the captain's order to return!"

"Okay! Blessed Virgin! Diego, let's go!"

Mattim smiled and nodded, and left with Diego.

Bruno lowered his eyes and held the golden seal tightly in his hand. This is a true symbol of power, the knight's highest glory, and his pursuit in the first half of his life. After a long time, Bruno opened his eyes. He looked at Ivo beside him.

"Ivo, please arrange for two people to take care of the captain! He ate the food carefully prepared by Haroldo tonight. It's best to bring another wooden barrel."

Ivo lowered his head, gave Bruno the courtesy of a noble, and went about his business.

"Haroldo, my friend."

It wasn't until Ivo walked away that Bruno stretched out his hand, revealing the golden seal.

"What do you think of this stamp?"

"Very good, very tempting."

Chef Harold smiled.

"So, how do I get it?"

Bruno asked softly, with a solemn expression.

"My friend, if you really want it"

Haroldo's eyes flickered, he hesitated for a while, and then he spoke.

"Then it would be best if you were the only sailing noble left on this ship."

Hearing this, Bruno lowered his eyes. Before his eyes, the night was deep and dark clouds were rolling in. The darkness became thicker and thicker, and there was no trace of skylight.

On the second day, pattering rain fell from the sky. After sailing eastward for several months, the Portuguese exploration fleet finally turned around and headed back to the mouth of the Congo River.

Destiny in the world is always unpredictable. As long as it was a few days later and the fleet continued to move forward for hundreds of miles, they would find the source of the turbulence, which was an unnavigable waterfall, later known as Livingstone Falls. At this point, even the most persistent captain had no choice but to return. And that way, the mutiny probably wouldn't have happened.

The day of returning home was like a festival, and the cheers of the sailors resounded throughout the river. They praised the merciful Virgin Mary and the awakened captain. They praised the respected second mate Bruno and the brave boatswain Diego. No one cared that the captain's guards disappeared overnight; no one cared that the nobleman's son Reinaldo suddenly died.

After all, too many people died on the route of death. When Elmina Castle set out, there were more than 250 sailors on the five sailing ships. But now, there are only a little over a hundred people left.

The Congo River rolls westward and merges into the vast South Atlantic. The fleet went downstream and the speed suddenly increased. In the dense jungle, traces of human habitation appeared again. The Portuguese flag fluttered on the mast, and seabirds circled between the masts. The devil's land gradually disappeared behind, and the hope of life was in front of us!