Chapter 469 The Starting Point of 1488 AD, the Shouts and Songs of the New Route!

"Boom!!"

A deafening roar suddenly exploded, and the caravel was shaking violently! The mighty waves swept over the deck, pressing the entire sailboat into the water, leaving only three masts protruding. The two sailors who cut the ropes were not fixed firmly, and they were swept away by the waves in an instant without even a hum.

Bruno felt lighter, and the whole person was submerged in the water, and then floated up from the deck. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and held the rope tightly, even his nails were stuck in the flesh. The surging waves rolled several times, but failed to sweep him away. After more than ten seconds, the peak of the huge wave left regretfully, emitting a terrible sigh.

"Buzz!"

The huge waves were layered and endless. The caravel was like a toy in the hands of a giant. It was first pressed into the water, then lifted up by the waves, and finally the bow suddenly rose out of the water, and then fell heavily, making a teeth-grinding buzzing sound.

".Crack!"

The waves were rolling and the wind was surging. The mast at the rear of the sailboat was overloaded and suddenly broke! Then, the broken mast and the sail were swept away by the tail tide of the huge wave. A sailor who tied the mast rope shouted half desperately, and was washed away by the surging waves.

Under the majestic power of nature, mortals are just ants struggling in vain, desperately waiting for the ruthless judgment of fate!

After the huge wave, Bruno fell heavily on the deck, trembling all over, and couldn't stand up straight. His hair was messy, and he was in a mess. Even the captain's hat was swept away. After a while, he barely raised his head and looked around. Just one unexpected huge wave, three sailors on the ship were missing, and even the rear mast disappeared. And this is the beginning of the storm!

"Lord! Kill the killing waves!"

Bruno trembled and moaned in pain, despairing about his fate. The dark black clouds blocked the view, and the rapid rainstorm formed a water curtain, making it difficult to see even the flagship within hundreds of meters. After a moment, he regained some consciousness in the roar of thunder and shouted with all his strength.

"Put down the sail! Quick!"

Quartermaster Matim gritted his teeth and rushed out from the rear deck where he was hiding. He stepped on the splashes on the deck and came to the main mast in two steps. The huge wave just passed, and it would take time for the next huge wave to form. The hull remained flat for the time being.

"Swish!"

Matim clenched the short knife and chopped it hard several times, finally cutting the rope that tied the sail!

"Bang!"

The huge sail was full of water and fell straight down, sticking to Matim's head and hitting the wet deck with a "bang". Several sailors came at the same time, gathered the sail of the main mast, and tied it tightly to the ship. If the main sail was lost, there would be no spare one on the ship. Soon, the sail on the foremast was also lowered by Haroldo.

When all the sails were lowered, the caravel became slightly more stable, no longer affected by the wind, and just rose and fell with the waves.

"Huh!"

Bruno exhaled a long breath. He knelt on the deck and looked up. There were only layers of black clouds in front of him, and no light in the sky.

"Merciful Lord! I beg you to protect your pious people and give me the light to illuminate my soul!"

After a moment of prayer, the storm around him did not change, as if it was the judgment of the end of the world, and it seemed that there would never be an end. Not far away, there was another terrible sound of waves.

"Buzz!"

Bruno looked up and saw another terrible huge wave rising in front of him, rising to more than ten meters high in a moment. The sailors on the ship were all terrified, and they tied themselves to the ropes frantically, then fell to the ground and hugged the board tightly.

"Ah! Lord, please"

"Buzz!!"

The wind roared day and night, and the heavy rain continued. The surging waves carried the Portuguese exploration fleet, shaking violently while sailing southward uncontrollably. Lightning flashed from time to time, illuminating the rising waves and outlining the scene of doomsday. And every time the huge waves came and submerged the tiny sailboat, it meant a test of life and death!

The terrible storm lasted for nearly five days before it fell behind the fleet. Afterwards, the wind and waves temporarily slowed down, and everyone saved their lives. The clouds rolled slightly, revealing some skylight.

Bunoru came out of the deck cabin where he was hiding, looking at the storm that was still surging more than ten miles away, almost pale. During these five days, the ship was tossed day and night, up and down, left and right, and was submerged by huge waves from time to time and pressed into the sea. Even an old sea dog like him vomited and had no appetite at all.

All the crew members, every moment, seemed to be suffering on the edge of hell! Even if they hid in the cabin, they could not feel at ease at all, let alone fall asleep peacefully. Because, in such a terrible storm, if the ship capsizes, everyone will die!

"Quick! Bail out all the water in the cabin!"

Bunulu shouted out the order immediately without any time to sigh. The sailors summoned up their remaining strength, like pale corpses, and struggled to carry wooden buckets to scoop water from the cabin.

Yesterday afternoon, the lower side of the ship on the right side was hit violently by something, and then a big hole appeared. Everyone on the boat was scared, and the carpenter Ivo rushed over with a piece of wood. He tried his best to block the crack, but the sea water still poured into the boat. Afterwards, everyone was in a hurry and worked anxiously all night before they finally managed to patch up the damaged crack.

"Fortunately, my boat came from Captain Diogo. It is made of solid fir and is not too old."

Bunulu was thankful. He climbed onto the deck, stood up, and tried to find other ships under the dim sky. The waves these days have been surging in one direction. As long as the sails are lowered, the ships will not drift too far.

Everyone looked at the dim sea and searched in vain for half a day, but found nothing. It was not until noon that the light of day shone through the clouds and the vision was slightly wider. A caravel suddenly appeared in front of Brunulu. Next to the caravel, there was a tattered cross-sail supply ship.

"It's the fleet flagship, the 'San Cristovan'! The supply ship is also there!"

Bunulu looked carefully and saw that the flagship was parked several miles away and seemed to be in good condition. The three masts were intact, and even the mainsail was not completely dropped, but close to the deck, kept at a very low altitude.

"This is..."

He was stunned, and looked at the heaving flagship for a while, and then he found the trick. It turns out that if the mainsail is half-retracted and lowered to a certain height, the ship can be lifted as much as possible in the stormy seas and will not be completely swallowed.

"Captain Dias's sailing skills are indeed admirable"

After a while, Bruno sighed softly. Captain Dias was born in a noble family and must have the most precious sailing heritage. He has been at sea for many years and has rich experience, which is incomparable to him, a noble illegitimate son. And these precious heritages and experiences determine your life and death at the critical moment!

"Boss, the flagship, come closer!"

Haroldo looked for a moment and hurried to Bruno's side. His voice was hoarse, and he was thinner, but he looked a little more capable.

"Huh? The flagship sent a flag signal!"

Hearing this, Bruno widened his eyes and looked at the flagship that was approaching.

"Raise the sail and continue to go south!!"

"Raise the sail and continue to go south!!"

"Foda-se! Crazy, crazy! Dias is simply a devil!"

Seeing the flag signal clearly, Bruno was instantly furious. He pounded on the deck angrily and roared.

"Keep going south?! We just passed through a storm area. If we go further south, there will still be a storm!"

However, the flagship only gave orders and did not give them any choice. Soon, the flagship stopped approaching, turned the bow again, and then raised the sail.

"Foda-se!"

Bruno lamented in despair. He turned to look north, and the storm he had passed through before was still continuing. He looked south again, and lightning flashed in the new storm. What choice did the fleet have between the two storms? The new captain stretched out his hand helplessly, felt the still strong northwest wind, and had to give orders again.

"Raise the sail and continue to go south! Don't tie it too tightly, be ready to lower the sail at any time! Lord, devil, no matter who it is, please protect me. As long as I survive, I will definitely sacrifice to you!"

Of course, the last two sentences can only be heard by Bruno himself.

One day later, three Portuguese expedition ships filled their sails and rushed into the storm in the south again under strong winds. This time, the terrible storm lasted for seven days, and huge waves like mountains appeared one after another. When the fleet broke out of the storm again, everyone was exhausted and collapsed on the deck like dying salted fish. And compared with half a month ago, at least a quarter of the sailors on each ship disappeared!

"Foda-se!. Thirteen days, a hellish voyage, lasted for thirteen days!"

Bruno was sore all over, lying on the deck, looking at the long-lost clear sky. The sun fell from the pure blue sky, shining on his vampire-like pale face, as if it was a gift from God. Or perhaps, it was a gift from the devil

"Foda-se! Tenho saudades! I miss that long-lost hometown! If there is another storm, we will all go to hell!"

The new captain was motionless, staring at the unfamiliar sky in a daze. Next to him, there were the newly promoted boatswain Haroldo, the quartermaster Martim, and the carpenter Ivo. As the officers on the ship, the four had exhausted all their physical strength, not to mention the ordinary sailors.

Fortunately, Bruno's prophecy did not take effect. The fleet has passed the most threatening storm area. The storm subsided, and the next few days were sunny. The wind direction at this time turned to the west, howling day and night, but it was the prevailing westerly belt.

The fleet had been drifting in the storm for too long. Dias was pale and grim. He stood on the deck, looking at the vast sea around him. Although his face did not change, his heart was full of confusion.

"Where is this?"

Dias pondered for a long time. In this unknown sea, he could not see any reference objects and make accurate judgments. But in any case, the first priority now is to dock as soon as possible and repair the severely damaged fleet.

After a few breaths, he stretched out his hand, felt the mighty west wind, and gave a stern order.

"Raise the sails and head east!"

No one disobeyed the captain's will. Because those who dared to disobey would become corpses in the sea. However, after experiencing such a terrible storm, undercurrents surged in everyone's hearts, becoming an unspeakable consensus. After finally surviving the storm, the feeling of surviving the disaster made people weak all over, and the homesickness accumulated like a tide, waiting for the day to explode.

On January 29, 1488, the Portuguese exploration fleet continued eastward. Taking advantage of the strong westerly wind, it sailed overnight for three days and traveled at least 800 miles. However, the African continent that is supposed to appear in the east has not yet appeared. Captain Perrault measured the latitude, which was approximately between 37 and 39 degrees north latitude.

Dias was confused at first, then thought about it, and an incredible thought suddenly came to his mind! He suppressed the suspicion in his heart and ordered again.

"Turn the sail so that the angle between the sail and the west wind is 45 degrees, and the angle between the sail and the hull is 45 degrees! Turn the bow to the north!"

The broken Portuguese fleet immediately turned around and sailed north at half speed with the help of the west wind. But two days later, on the afternoon of February 3, the long coastline appeared again. However, this time, the coastline of the southern continent points horizontally!

"God bless you! This, this land, turns out to be in the east-west direction!"

Dias stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the coastline extending from east to west, and paused for a few breaths. Then, boundless ecstasy surged into his heart, making him tremble all over.

At this moment, he clearly understood that he had finally bypassed the southernmost part of the African continent, and the route to India and Siris was right in front of him!

"O merciful Lord! Thank you for your gift! You sent angels to preach peace to the devout believers, and used your peace to preserve our lives! Praise you, eternal savior! Thank you for protecting me. , discovered the route to the east!”

Dias cried with joy, knelt down on the deck and prayed loudly.

He raised his head and looked at the clear blue sky, feeling enveloped in divine light. At this moment, he was extremely convinced that the Lord had blessed him and the Portuguese. The will given by the pope, the royal decree issued by the king, and the unfulfilled wish of the old friend are destined to be realized in his hands! And he will soon be remembered by the world of God, and even be canonized after his death, and will be engraved in history forever!

"Praise the Lord, grant me grace! Exactly two thousand years after the Phoenicians first circumnavigated Africa, I will once again lead the fleet to the eastern land flowing with milk and honey, full of gems and spices! And! The new trade route will be in my hands, and also in the hands of the Kingdom of Portugal ~~"

Diaz's shouts spread like crazy in the mighty sea breeze. On the flagship "San Cristobal", the surviving crew members looked at each other with some hidden thoughts in their eye contact.

Not far away on the coast, a low Khoisan man was grazing a few lean cattle on the offshore grassland. He heard the cry in the wind, climbed up the hill with doubts, and looked at the sailboats on the sea to the south. The oldest nation in Africa finally met the youngest nation in Europe at this moment.

At this moment, the Khoisan herders have no idea what is about to happen to this land that has been theirs for generations. He just looked at it in surprise for a moment, then smiled and sang in a low voice.

"Mother of the Moon! Thank you for bringing me good luck! I saw a strange big ship with flowers blooming with crosses. Where did this wizard come from, sitting on the plank of ghosts and gods, where does he want to go?"

At the southernmost tip of Africa, on the brilliant sunny coast, desolate songs sounded melodiously, echoing the Portuguese shouts on the opposite side. This is like a friendly greeting, telling the beautiful beginning of the story, and the subsequent death, blood and tears are all hidden behind the sea and sky~