Chapter One Thousand Seventy: The Voyage of 1492 AD, Columbus’s Second Voyage Proposal
"Almighty God witnesses! The earth under our feet is a perfect sphere. After calculations by the great scholar Toscanelli and I, the circumference of the earth should be 12,000-13,000 kilometers. And the length of Eurasia is,
It’s about 8,000 kilometers… Therefore, the new route from the westernmost side of Europe to the easternmost side of Asia is only 4,000-5,000 kilometers long!”
"Blessed by the merciful Lord! The Eurasian and African continents are the only land created by the Lord. And among these landmasses, there are countless scattered islands... As long as you start from the Canary Islands in the west of the Kingdom of Castile and pass by
The island of Antillia mentioned by Aristotle can be reached by sailing up to 3,000 kilometers and crossing the legendary island of Sant Brandan on the way to the easternmost part of the Eurasian continent, that is,
Cipangu Island (Japanese Cipangu) as spoken by Marco Polo!”
"Further west from Sipangu Island, there is a fertile land where wealth flows! In the far north is Khitan, which is full of milk and honey, in the middle is Seris, which is full of silk, and in the south is India, which is full of spices!..."
In the Abbensarah Hall of the Abraham Palace, eight honeycomb-like dome vertical columns hang from the painted ceiling, outlining dreamy right angles and arcs. This strange aesthetic design comes from
The right angle theorem of the ancient sage Pythagoras was further carried forward by Arab architects who were good at architecture.
At this moment, the skylight falls from the top, is refracted by the honeycomb dome, and shines on the faces of the great nobles and scholars, revealing different subtle expressions, just like the different colors of light refracted. In front of everyone with different thoughts
, "Navigator" Columbus looked excited and kept gesturing in front of the large map that was erected. He declared loudly and confidently in the Latin accent of the city-state, looking at the wisest and most beautiful Queen Isabella in his heart.
"Praise the Holy Queen! Khitan, India and Seris are just 4000-5000 kilometers away from the Atlantic Ocean, and my great navigator Columbus will definitely discover for you the first new route directly to the rich Asia!..."
"puff…"
A chuckle resounded in the hall, and Columbus glared, but the person who laughed was the respected Castilian royal scholar, Pedro Martínez de Isco.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Dear Royal Scholar Pedro, do you have any suggestions?"
"Oh! Dear great navigator Columbus, I agree with you very much. I don't have any suggestions. You said it very well, except that the diameter and circumference of the earth are slightly smaller, and the voyage to the west is also several times shorter... Well
, I can understand you. You haven’t gone to school. If you can count it like this, it’s already very good! Yes, everything else is very good! Please continue!…”
Royal scholar Pedro had a polite smile on his face and waved his hand nonchalantly. Following his interruption, a buzz of whispers filled the hall, interspersed with unabashed laughter. However, when
When Columbus looked over, everyone responded with strangely polite smiles, as if they were dealing with a stubborn neighbor's child.
After more than a month, this was the second public proposal made by the "Great Navigator" Columbus. And the content of what he said was no different from before. In fact, there were only a few nobles and scholars in the hall who listened carefully.
In fact, since the King's Financial Advisor and the Queen's Comptroller have jointly guaranteed this proposal, no matter how absurd the content of the proposal is, and no matter how absurd the scholars are, it is just a formality and everyone understands it.
"Antonio, sometimes I really don't understand... The son of a city-state sheepskinner, a 'great navigator' who has never gone to school or sailed a ship, can actually do it in front of us scholars who have studied navigation all our lives.
He kept talking confidently..."
The royal scholar Pedro smiled, looking at Columbus who looked embarrassed and at a loss, but leaned against another navigation scholar next to him, Juantonio de Urzia from Aragon.
"The Lord is witness! Antonio, such a ridiculous sailing proposal can be passed... Ha! I really can't understand the Lord's deep meaning in this!... To be honest, according to my calculations, and also according to the Portuguese Sagres sailing
According to the consensus of the academy, the new route from Europe west to Asia is at least 14,000 kilometers! And if he prepares according to the 5,000-kilometer voyage, I am afraid he will not be able to come back at all..."
"Ahem! Dear Scholar Pedro, you studied at the Sagres Nautical Academy. The results of your calculations are naturally accurate and similar to what I thought..."
Navigation scholar Antonio lowered his voice, glanced at Columbus, who was being watched like a monkey, and then whispered.
"But, whether he can come back or not, that is his business... Witness the Lord! The Aragonese royal family first approved this exploration, and there was no expectation that he would really be able to reach Khitan and India... In fact, he only needs to
To be able to find one or two islands in the Atlantic Ocean and the mysterious Antilia Island would far exceed the king’s expectations!…”
"Hmm... Found Antilia? The legendary Atlantic island where seven Visigothic bishops fled and settled in order to avoid the Star and Moon Cult's conquest of the Iberian Peninsula?..."
Hearing this, royal scholar Pedro touched his nose, his eyes still showing some disapproval.
"Antonio, Antilia is just an ancient legend. Portuguese navigators have penetrated into the Atlantic Ocean several times, even as deep as two thousand kilometers, but no one has ever discovered Antilia... According to many scholars at the Nautical Academy
The consensus is that the voyage to the west for exploration is too illusory... Only the route south to the southern continent is the real and reliable route!..."
"Ahem! Pedro, you are well-informed and what you say makes sense. But the route to the southern continent is currently in the hands of the Portuguese. According to the Treaty of Alcaçovas more than ten years ago, this
The coasts of each route belong to Portugal... We have neither challenged the strength of the Portuguese navy on the sea, nor have we found a real navigator who knows the specific southern route..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Navigation scholar Antonio looked around, leaned into Pedro's ear, and told the Aragonese royal family's plans.
"The king's financial adviser, Sir Louis, sponsored this voyage and exploration... There are actually two main reasons, both of which have little to do with the proposal of the voyage itself..."
"Huh? Two reasons?..."
"Yes, the Lord has witnessed it! The first major reason is that the royal family wants to tell those real great navigators by sponsoring Columbus's voyage! Even if he is a stupid and stubborn fool, we are willing to support... and those who are truly capable
With sailing experience and talent, navigators who have actually been to the Southern Continent, as long as they are willing to defect to the kingdom, will definitely be reused by the royal family!…”
"Well... the real navigators are basically Portuguese. And those who control the southern route are almost all Portuguese nobles... How easy is it to attract them? Sir Louis St. Angel's idea is a bit too..."
"cough!…"
Pedro coughed again and glanced at Sir Louis, who was sitting not far in front. Sir Louis was tilting his head and chatting with the Queen's Auditor General Sir Alonso. He neither cared about Columbus's situation nor paid attention to what was behind him.
The two of them. So he lowered his voice even more and revealed the most secretive information.
"Antonio, my good friend. The second reason is where Columbus is going. After his last proposal failed, he actually planned to go to France in the east with the help of the monks from the Catholic monastery to lobby the French King Charles VIII.
…”
"You know, the young French King Charles VIII is only 22 years old this year and has just married Anne of Brittany! Such a young French king is most likely to be attracted by the illusory and mysterious voyage... But King Fernando does not want France to
I cast my sight to the west, even to the Atlantic Ocean..."
"Compared with such political considerations, funding Columbus's voyage and even letting him die at sea is not a big deal!..."
