Chapter 606: The End of 1488 AD, "that Man", John II
"Tatt-tatt"
The sound of horse hooves rang out on the long bluestone road, drifting to the north. Dias rode his horse, stepping on the light winter snow of the Iberian Peninsula, with the bright sunshine on the coastline behind him. Under him, the carefully bred Lusitano warhorse was more than 1.6 meters tall, making his figure look particularly tall. Beside him, the royal cavalry was silent and well-trained, and maintained a fixed formation even when running.
It only takes one or two hours to ride a warhorse on a good road of fifty miles. After a few quarters of an hour, the surrounding villages gradually became sparse, the nobles' manors were vaguely visible, and the ancient Sintra Palace was just a few miles away.
Dias came back to his senses from his meditation. He slightly increased the speed of his horse and rode side by side with the two court knights who led the way.
"Praise the Lord! Respected court knight Erminio, I just returned from sailing. Is there anything big happening in the kingdom?"
Hearing this, the court knight Erminio's expression moved. He looked at the thinner Royal Steward, and thought about the joy His Majesty showed when he received the Steward's letter yesterday, and then he smiled and answered.
"Bless the Virgin Mary! Dear Royal Steward, Knight Dias. Your Majesty has been in a good mood in the past few months. Prince Alfonso of the Kingdom has officially engaged to Princess Isabella. This wedding witnessed by the Pope will be held in more than a year, next spring!"
"Oh? Prince Alfonso and Princess Isabella have set a date? Bless the Virgin Mary!"
Hearing this good news, Dias also smiled. Prince Alfonso is His Majesty João's favorite only son and heir. And Princess Isabella is the eldest daughter of Queen Isabella of Castile.
This political marriage set ten years ago is the only worth mentioning gain of the Kingdom of Portugal in the battle for the throne of Castile, except for maritime hegemony. At this moment, Princess Isabella lives on the land of the Kingdom of Portugal, "guarded" by the royal knights. And her marriage to the prince will continue to bring the throne of the Kingdom of Castile to their descendants.
In fact, the relationship between His Majesty John II and Queen Isabella is very complicated. The two are both rivals and respect each other. In Queen Isabella's mouth, another word is often used to refer to His Majesty John, that is, "o homem", "that man"!
Dias pondered for a while, returned from the imaginative gossip, and said to the two with a smile.
"Bless the Virgin! Two royal knights, I came back from the southern continent this time with some ancient artifacts, which may be the remains of the Elder John's country. If you are free, you might as well come to see one or two on the weekend and explore the enlightenment of my Lord together!"
Hearing this, the court knight Herminio was slightly startled. Then, he looked at the eyes of his teammates, and thought of the richness of the southern continent, and immediately understood. He smiled and responded.
"It is the duty of every devout believer to observe the holy relics and seek the enlightenment of the Lord! Respected Royal Steward, I am happy to come to visit. Praise the Lord! And praise you who are blessed!"
"Haha! Praise the merciful Lord!"
Soon, the riding team moved forward in silence again. The crisp sound of horse hooves went all the way north until outside the Sintra Palace. A dozen royal guards held long spears and guarded outside the palace gate. On the high palace walls, there were heavy crossbows and new matchlock guns.
Everyone dismounted here. Dias took off his gloves and hat, unloaded his weapons, and strode into the court of Sintra.
This palace, which was initially built by the Moors seven hundred years ago, is colorful. After being expanded by successive kings, it has become a gorgeous model in the courts of Western Europe. The palace has a unique dome, a sacred and bright spire, and an exquisitely decorated square top. The different styles blend together, showing the relatively tolerant religious atmosphere of the Kingdom of Portugal at this time.
Without looking around, Dias followed the guards all the way to the hall. He took a quick look, then knelt on one knee, excitedly reporting to the king in the hall.
"Great Joao! Your loyal royal steward, Dias, has returned from the voyage to the southern continent! Under the blessing of the Lord and you, we finally bypassed the edge of the southern continent and found the route to the east!"
"Good! Merciful Lord, bless the pious people! Dias, the Lord blesses you, me, and the Iris tribe of the Cape!"
Joao II is 34 years old this year, in his prime. He has a slightly long face, slender eyebrows, and very distinct facial features, especially his nose is the most straight. Of course, the most impressive thing is his sparkling eyes. The vigorous ambition and vigorous fighting spirit, almost unconcealed, projected from those eyes, like a burning flame.
Seeing His Majesty's eyes, Dias lowered his head, his expression full of respect. He couldn't help but admire in his heart.
"Your Majesty is like a lion standing on the top of Sintra. All the great nobles of the kingdom are at his feet! What kind of blow can knock him down? Ah, I can't imagine."
The king and his minister chatted for a few words and quickly got to the point. John II spoke decisively and asked carefully about the route to the east. Dias answered every question and described in detail the voyage to the southern continent until that unforgettable storm.
"The huge waves, more than ten or twenty meters high, are coming continuously! The sky is dark, wind, rain, thunder and lightning are coming, as if the end is coming. Our sailboat is pushed to the bottom of the sea by the huge waves again and again, and then emerges with difficulty It was not until thirteen days later that we sailed out of the storm. Then, the fleet turned east and headed north again. A few days later, we saw the east-west southern continent again! "
Speaking of this, Diaz's eyes were still full of heart palpitations as he was close to death. He prayed silently, then bowed his head respectfully and saluted His Majesty.
". Then I know that this is a gift from the Lord, who has mercy on His believers! He has used my hand to tell the great you the route to India and Seris!"
"Praise the Lord! New routes to India and Seris!"
João II stood up suddenly. Although yesterday afternoon, he had already learned about the new route in advance from Diaz's letter. But at this moment, when he actually heard the royal steward's answer, he was still so excited that he couldn't help himself!
"New sea route, new Silk Road! What a huge road of wealth, and what a pious road of faith!. Merciful Lord! Praise you, protect the Kingdom of Portugal and the Land of Iris. Family, bestow such grace!”
Low sounds of prayer echoed in the gorgeous hall. After a while, João II calmed down his ups and downs. He sat back on the throne, thought for a moment, and asked.
"Dias, you said that you met the local indigenous people at the southernmost tip of the Southern Continent? Are they believers of the Cross or believers of the Star and Moon? Are they a powerful kingdom or a loose tribe?"
"Exactly! Your Majesty, we landed on land and saw the villages of the indigenous tribes. We also captured a few prisoners, but their language was completely different from the tribes on the west side, and we couldn't communicate at all. In their villages, I Neither the sacred object of the cross nor the evil object of the stars and moon were seen, only some filthy witchcraft totems, all purified by the flames of the Lord!”
Dias thought for a moment and answered carefully. There is no need to say what the sailors did in the village.
"The tribes there are very loose, and the population in the villages is also very small. Their weapons are very crude, and they live in thatched houses. They only have stone weapons, and there are very few iron weapons. According to my estimation, there should be no powerful ones. The indigenous kingdom only needs a hundred armored soldiers to establish a strong stronghold!"
Having said this, Dias held the silver cross on his chest and bowed his head again.
"Your Majesty, the Cape of Storms on the edge of the southern continent is too violent. This time, the expedition fleet was able to pass smoothly. It is really the blessing of the Lord! If we want to completely open up this section of the route, the kingdom must have both ends of the Cape of Storms. Establish a stable port base that can supply food and water and repair damaged ships. Otherwise, this route will be a nightmare for the merchant fleet! "
"Well Dias, I trust your judgment."
João II's eyes flashed and he nodded. Then, he smiled and said confidently.
"However, this cape is a blessing from the Lord! It should not be called the Cape of Storms, but the Cape of Good Hope!"
"Cape of Good Hope? Praise the Lord! Your Majesty, your generosity is a precious asset to the kingdom. I admire you with all my heart, just as I admire King Alfonso the Conqueror!"
"Haha! Dias, my royal steward, you are the only one who understands my ambition!"
Hearing such praise, Joao II laughed out loud and nodded with satisfaction. King Alfonso here is the founder of the Kingdom of Portugal, Alfonso I more than three hundred years ago. In Joao II's heart, he often looked to his great ancestors as an example.
The monarch and his ministers laughed heartily. After a while, Joao II regained his composure and asked seriously.
"Diaz, what is the farthest latitude you have reached?"
After hearing this, Diaz thought for a moment, recalled the measurement that night, and the Southern Cross spinning in the sky, and answered in the affirmative.
"Your Majesty, the last location I stayed at was an extremely wide river mouth, which should be between 33 and 34 degrees south latitude!"
"33 to 34 degrees south latitude? So far away?!"
Hearing this, Joao II rubbed the armrest of the throne and was silent. After a while, he pulled out a crumpled letter from the pile of books on the desk. The letter is worn and even slightly yellowed. What is even more surprising is that there are several lines of Arabic written on the surface of the letter.
"Diaz, come, take a look at this letter! The exact location of Elder John's country is inside!"