Chapter 608: At the End of 1488 AD, the Situation in Europe Changed and New Allies Were Sought

The candlelight flickered, and the aroma of whale oil lingered in the hall. In this era, the Portuguese colony of the Azores had been established for more than 30 years. The activity of hunting whales also began to rely on the islands and became active in the surrounding waters. A steady stream of whale oil came from the sea and flowed into the court of Sintra.

"The spices of the East also have this fragrance, but it is more intense!"

John II closed his eyes and sniffed the rich amber fragrance. Even with the wealth of the King of Portugal, he could not use the expensive spices of the Catholic world as sacred smoke like the Mexica Alliance in the New World. That scene, even just thinking about it, makes people feel painful.

"East. East!"

Dias looked at the east, his eyes full of strong desire.

The palace was quiet for a while, and the two were silent for a long time, their hearts floating. After a long while, John II opened his eyes and said with a smile.

"Dias, India and Seris are still far away. What is right in front of us is the dispute of the Roman Curia and the Granada War between the two kings!"

"The dispute of the Roman Curia?"

Diaas was slightly startled when he heard this. He had been away from the Kingdom of Portugal for two years and knew nothing about the current situation of the Roman Curia.

"Well. The current Pope Innocent VIII is showing his weakness clearly. King Ferdinand I of Naples has twice come to Rome to intimidate the Pope."

Speaking of this, John II's eyes flickered, as if thinking about something.

"Ah! King Ferdinand, twice intimidated the Pope?"

Hearing this, Dias exclaimed in surprise. King Ferdinand I of Naples and King Ferdinand II of Aragon are both kings of the Aragon-Trastamara Dynasty. They have the same name and are very close in blood, and are cousins.

Ferdinand I is the legalized illegitimate son of King Alfonso V of Aragon-Naples. After the death of Alfonso V, the Kingdom of Aragon was inherited by his younger brother, Juan II, and the Kingdom of Naples was inherited by his illegitimate son, Ferdinand I. Then, when Juan II died ten years ago, the throne of Aragon was passed on to his son, Ferdinand II, the husband of Queen Isabella and one of the two kings of Spain.

In short, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and King Ferdinand I of Naples had weak claims against each other. And if the Kingdom of Naples fell into the hands of its rival, Ferdinand II, it would be a disaster for the Kingdom of Portugal!

"Well. Pope Innocent VIII, in order to maintain his influence on the Apennine Peninsula and obtain more financial resources, wanted to forcibly levy taxes on the Kingdom of Naples. After the King of Naples refused, the Pope contacted King Charles VIII of France to send troops to Naples together."

At this point, the corners of John II's mouth curled up and smiled mischievously.

"However, just as the war between the Pope and Naples began, King Charles VIII of France was caught in a 'mad war'. King Charles of France attacked the rebellious Duke of Brittany. Later, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I joined the war to support the rebels. King Henry VII of England also joined the war to support the rebels. Of course, Maximilian I made great efforts, and Henry VII only dispatched the navy and waved flags."

"This 'mad war' lasted for four years and ended only two months ago. Duke Francis II of Brittany surrendered and signed an agreement to become a vassal of King Charles of France. This old guy was afraid of Charles' annexation and wanted to marry his daughter to Maximilian I. He also wrote to me"

John II paused and shook his head. Then, he sighed with a complicated expression.

"The Duchy of Brittany is a grand duchy with a population of more than one million people! The Catholic countries in the north are fighting each other, so no one will respond to the Pope. Pope Innocent VIII was immediately dumbfounded. Thousands of troops from Naples approached Rome, and the Pope did not even have a single reinforcement, so he had to bow his head and ask for peace and withdraw the decree. After this incident, the prestige of the Roman Curia was greatly reduced!"

"After all, the Catholic world has changed a long time ago. It is no longer the era of four hundred years ago when Pope Urban II gave an order, the kings of various countries bowed their heads and obeyed, and tens of thousands of knights swore to fight to the death in the Eastern Expedition!"

Hearing this, Dias pursed his lips, with mixed feelings in his heart. He is a devout Catholic, and he always has an instinctive inclination towards the Roman Curia that influences various countries. After a long while, he whispered.

"The current pope lives a life of luxury and corruption, and has a bunch of children. There are even rumors that he secretly traded with the Ottoman Sultan. His reputation is indeed inferior to that of the previous pope! Perhaps the next pope will be much better."

"Haha!"

Hearing this, John II laughed dumbly. He looked at his trusted royal steward and said with a smile.

"Dias, the next pope will be either Bishop Julius II or Bishop Alexander VI. These two people have a bunch of illegitimate children and they control the Holy See. How good can it be?"

"Ah!"

Dias gritted his teeth and stopped talking. As the royal steward, he knew a lot of inside information and felt the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. Senior priests are greedy, and bishops marry and have children, almost ignoring the Lord's commandments!

"Perhaps, it's time for the Catholic Church to change!"

A bold idea flashed through Dias' mind. A moment later, he was shocked by his disrespect and bowed his head repeatedly to repent.

John II did not repent. He thought for a while, looking southeast, his expression becoming solemn.

"Diaz, do you know? At this moment, the two kings of Spain are leading an army of 60,000 to carry out the southern holy war! They are determined to completely conquer the Moorish Kingdom of Granada!"

"What! 60,000 troops?!"

Dias was really shocked when he heard this number. If the two kings of Spain could easily dispatch 60,000 troops, they would turn westward and flatten the Kingdom of Portugal.

"Well, 60,000 troops. 20,000 of them are knights and retainers from England, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and even Scandinavian countries who participated in the Southern Crusade. The remaining 40,000 soldiers are from Castile and Aragon. Among them, about 10,000 are cavalry and 30,000 are infantry, all of which are regular troops or elite militia."

"Oh, the Kingdom of Castile and Aragon also organized thousands of musketeers and artillery troops. In Seville and Cordoba, there are kingdom arsenals that manufacture gunpowder. Last summer, when Fernando II attacked Malaga, he mobilized dozens of large-caliber artillery to bombard the Moorish castles. The city of Malaga, which had 5,000 soldiers and 15,000 people, was forced to surrender after only more than three months!"

"What! Under the bombardment of artillery, the steep city of Malaga only defended for three months?!"

Hearing this, Dias was shocked. He knew the strength of Malaga. In the past hundreds of years, it was a Moorish stronghold that was difficult to conquer during the reconquest. Now, under the bombardment of heavy artillery, the Royal Steward keenly felt that the form of the European war had undergone a huge change. And the two kings of Spain were walking ahead of all the Catholic kingdoms!

"Your Majesty, the fall of Malaga has completely cut off the connection between the Moors and the southern continent. Without the support of the Moorish princes of the southern continent, the Moors trapped in Granada will not be able to hold on for too long!"

Hearing this, John II lowered his eyes and clenched his hands silently. He naturally knew that the Moors were doomed and Granada would fall into the hands of the two kings. But as a Catholic king, he had no suitable name to participate in this pious holy war.

"Ah! The failure of the battle for the throne of Castile is the biggest mistake made by the Kingdom of Portugal in two centuries!"

John II gritted his teeth, his heart aching. Reluctance and desire burned in his heart, and it was difficult to erase.

In this era, the population of the Kingdom of Portugal was about two million. The population of the Kingdom of Castile was about twice that of the Kingdom of Portugal, between four and five million. As for the Kingdom of Aragon, it also had a population of about two million.

For a long time, although the Kingdom of Castile had a large population, there were also many powerful duchies in the country, and the degree of centralization of the kingdom was weaker than that of the Kingdom of Portugal. The kingdom army that the Kingdom of Castile could mobilize did not have an absolute advantage. Therefore, the three Catholic kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula have always maintained a certain balance.

But at this moment, the two kings of Spain united and had a population of six or seven million! The two kings supported each other, and the royal power was greatly strengthened, suppressing the great nobles of the two countries, and could obtain more taxes and military service. The holy war of the Kingdom of Granada went very smoothly, and the prestige of the two kings was constantly improving! If they waited until they ate more than one million Moors in Granada and levied taxes and conscriptions.

"Your Majesty! The two kings of Spain, who are close at hand, are the biggest threat to the kingdom!"

Dias thought for a moment and made a decisive decision. He stepped forward, knelt on one knee and saluted, his eyes showing anxiety.

"The Moors are about to fall, and the two kings will once again focus on the kingdom, planning the unification of the Iberian Peninsula! The prestige of the Roman Catholic Church is declining, and I am afraid it will no longer support the kingdom. And the English are simply unreliable! We must divert the attention of the two kings and find new allies."

At this point, Dias struggled and bit his lips. Loyalty and piety were fighting in his heart, and it was difficult to decide the winner. After a long while, he spoke quietly.

"No matter whether this new ally is a pagan or not"

The eyes of John II flashed with a gleam of light in an instant. He lowered his eyes, did not speak, but bowed his head to pray. The rich amber fragrance diffused in the hall of the palace, like an elusive divine smoke, drifting away.