Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred and Seventeen: The fertile land of Canaan, the wealth of Brazil!
"Father Faria, the details of this southward exploration are as follows... We relied on the ocean currents along the coast to explore southward, and the voyage was very fast. There was this southward ocean current along the coast (Brazilian Current) throughout the entire journey... The coast was green and vast.
In the jungle, there are almost no traces of civilized civilization. And unlike the terrible southern continent of Africa, after sailing for three or four months, no devil's curse appeared..."
“God bless us! It wasn’t until 28-30 degrees south latitude, at the boundary between the savannah and the rainforest, that we stopped sailing and erected an explorer’s pole to indicate the discovery and occupation of the Kingdom of Portugal!…Then we turned around
Riding the southeast trade wind to go north. Between 10 and 30 degrees south latitude, the southeast trade wind seems to be very stable, and the fleet returns north very quickly. On this southern coast, going back and forth is extremely fast..."
In front of the wooden church of the cross, Bruno looked at Father Faria and told in great detail the southern exploration of the Brazilian coast. Afterwards, he praised the Lord devoutly and smiled with emotion.
"Praise the merciful Father! This is a new continent that is easy to navigate and truly suitable for exploration! I don't know how much better it is than the wild and dangerous 'Sipan Ancient Indies' to the west..."
"I also gave names to several special coasts I discovered along the way. Near Port Natal at 6 degrees south latitude, they can be called 'Natal Bay' and 'Christmas Bay'. At 13 degrees south latitude, there is a very
Deep natural bay and harbor, in memory of the holy Savior, may
So it was called 'Salvador Bay', 'Bay of All Saints'. At 23 degrees south latitude, we discovered a large river that we had never seen before, an unusually wide river! The time happened to be January, so it was called 'Rio de Janeiro','
January’s Bend!…”
"The vastness of the New World in the South is really beyond all our imagination. I'm afraid there are dozens of Portuguese kingdoms as big! And this vast and fertile continent has almost no traces of development and no powerful native kingdom. We don't even have a kingdom in the south.
Along the coast, you can find any native town and a large native tribe with several thousand people... This is a completely unowned land, the best gift given by the Lord to the Kingdom of Portugal!..."
"Bendito seja Deus! This New World is actually as big as dozens of Portuguese kingdoms?! Baron Bruno, the Lord is really blessing you, and even more, the Portuguese!..."
Hearing the astonishing vastness of the new continent in the south, even Father Faria, a devout ascetic, couldn't help but feel turbulent. If the gospel of the Lord could be spread throughout this vast jungle continent, the sacred merits it would bring
, will be far more than five hundred years ago, when the Catholic Church converted the Magyars to the Kingdom of Hungary... This is a great achievement that can canonize several, or even a dozen saints!
"O Lord! Although the barbarians in this jungle continent have different skin colors, backward civilization, and are uncivilized... they have not been poisoned by other evil pagan religions and are still in an ignorant state of animistic worship... Perhaps, they can also become
The people of Christ who believe in the Lord, become the 'Magyars' who are converted by me and obey the church?..."
Obviously, the Catholic faith pursued by Father Faria and the land wealth pursued by Bruno have different goals, and their attitudes towards the natives are therefore very different. The Catholic Church and the nobles of the kingdom behind them both have the desire to colonize and open up the New World.
common interests, but also potential conflicts over the control of Aboriginal people.
Of course, in this era, the upper echelons of the Catholic Church have been corrupted, and devout ascetics like Father Faria are a real minority. The upper echelons of the church are demanding social wealth and squeezing the believers at the bottom, which is actually not the same as that of the European aristocrats.
No difference, even greedier...
"Baron Bruno, during this exploration southward, did your fleet come into contact with other Tupi tribes? For example, coastal villages, trade exchanges..."
"Uh! Contact with the natives? Yes, of course there is..."
When he heard that the priest was concerned about the "Tupi natives", Bruno's eyes flashed, but he still kept a smile on his face. Along the way, he made two landings, slaughtering native villages, burning fires, and indulgent sailors laughing, all from his
A flash passed through his mind. In the end, he just smiled politely and aristocratically.
"Father Faial, we have conducted friendly and peaceful trade with the natives! We exchanged some worthless glass beads and sailor hats for food supplies from the native villages! Well... yes! It's that white powder, and
There is a kind of grained stick and some oily nuts, which taste surprisingly good... These natives do not raise any livestock, and they cannot find meat in the village. However, although the white powder of the staple food is not durable for storage, it tastes bland.
Tasteless, but still very hungry! Just like bread…”
"..."
Seeing Bruno's flashing eyes, Father Faria was silent for a while, shaking his head secretly in his heart. He knew the virtues of the Portuguese Navy and that plundering and killing on the coast of West Africa were common practice. As a priest, he did not
You cannot stand directly opposite the sailors and officers who are eager to make a fortune. At most, you can give me some advice. Otherwise, in this wild land overseas, if you block the way for the navy fleet to make a fortune, even the majesty of the Lord will not be able to save his life.
.
"The merciful Lord knows everything in the world! Dear Baron Bruno, please try your best to restrain your subordinates and not to carry out unnecessary killings of Tupi natives who can be converted. Although these natives are ignorant, they have not listened to the guidance of the Lord.
, but they have never listened to the devil and entered the wrong path of Xingyue... They are not evil, they are potential believers of the Lord. As long as they are willing to convert, they can obtain the salvation of the Lord! Well... you ask those who are unwilling to convert? Then...
He is no longer under the protection of the Lord..."
Father Faria was silent, looked at the seaside camp opened in the forest, and said seriously.
"What's more, although the New World is vast, it is full of vast forests, and cleaning it up is very labor-intensive. The reclamation of this colony will only rely on a small number of immigrants from the Kingdom. I don't know how long it will take..."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Baron Bruno, this is your future 'fiefdom'. Without enough manpower, there will be no land output and no income."
!… You must know that the colonial development on the West African coast relies on converted local tribes as the main force. And the naturalized Tupi natives believe in God and use the native manpower, which will definitely have long-term benefits for you and the kingdom!
…”
When it came to the specific "money path", Bruno's expression finally turned serious. From sailor to captain, he gave his life to the unpredictable and terrifying sea, isn't it just for those shiny "cute things"? If only he could have
With one’s own overseas fiefdoms and manors, and a steady stream of wealth gained while lying down, who would still be willing to fight to the death at sea?…
Bruno pondered for a moment, bowed and asked sincerely.
"Dear Father Faria! You are knowledgeable, and you know how to manage the land far better than us captains and officers!... Can you give me some teachings about this new colonial port? Let the colony here also
Can we have a steady flow of wealth like the West African coast?…”
"Hmm...the management of this colony?..."
Father Faria spread his right hand, looked at the calluses on his hand, and made a prayer cross. Then, he pointed to the surrounding woods and said.
"There is wealth in this forest! The sailors hunted brightly colored birds and running animals. The bird feathers and animal skins are all goods that can be traded. However, hunting is unsustainable. Really large and stable goods
, it should be the redwoods that are everywhere in these forests!…”
“Redwood?…”
"That's right! These mahogany trees are, first of all, extremely high-quality wood. They can be made into furniture that the nobles like. They are highly valued in the Lisbon market! It's just easy to transport the mahogany wood back to Lisbon. After all, the load is too large and you can't transport much in one trip.
It’s rotten, so it’s better to extract the dye on the spot…”
"Red is a symbol of wealth and power. Red dye is highly sought after not only in the Lisbon market, but also in the wealthy Italian states. The red dye that can be extracted from mahogany is worth at least 10 dollars per pound if shipped to Italy.
Gold coins are the most valuable 'goods' in this colony!"
"Ah! Red dye! Ten gold coins per pound?! Isn't that a barrel of hundreds of pounds of dye worth thousands of gold coins?..."
Hearing this, Bruno was shocked, as if he heard the crisp sound of gold coins colliding. He couldn't help but swallowed and asked.
"Dear Father! Can you extract the dye from mahogany?..."
"Baron Bruno, it is not difficult to extract the dye. You only need to chop the redwood into wood chips, and then use a large pot to boil the red juice... However, whether it is logging, collecting fuel, or cooking the wood, it requires a lot of manpower!
These people still need to eat and sleep, and they need locally produced food, so they have to cultivate fields and build houses...I am afraid that the colony needs a scale of thousands of people and cultivates thousands of acres of farmland to stably produce a few barrels of dye every month!...
"
Father Faria went around in circles, and once again brought the topic back to colonial manpower. He smiled slightly, squatted down again, pinched a handful of brick-red soil (latosol) in his hand, and handed it to Bruno.
"Baron Bruno, please taste this soil!"
"Well?…"
Bruno was startled, then dipped his finger into some soil and tasted it lightly. But except for the slightly sweet earthy smell, he tasted nothing.
"Father, what is this?"
"Is this earth sour?"
"Hmm...not sour."
"Is it salty?"
"Not salty, just a little bit sweet."
"Is it soft or loose? Oh, you don't need to taste it this time, just squeeze it!"
"...very soft and loose. When pinched...it feels good..."
"It feels good, that's right! Although the red soil here is close to the sea, it is not saline-alkali soil, nor is it acidic soil! It is good soil that can be cultivated! Although it is not fertile, it is loose and thick, making it easy to plant.
So earthy!…”
Father Faria nodded with a smile and spread the red soil in his hand back to the Brazilian earth. Then, he looked at the red land, the green forest sea, felt the hot tropical climate, and the abundant moisture brought by the Pogton River, and felt sincerely
said with emotion.
"Praise the Lord! The coast of this New World is richer, warmer and more humid than the coast of West Africa! If my guess is correct, the climate and environment here will be more suitable for growing sugar cane than the developed Madeira Islands! Also
That is to say, if this colony has enough manpower and enough livestock and poultry to provide fertilizer, it can produce 'sugar' in large quantities!..."
"What? Sugar cane? Sugar! Sugar that's more valuable than gold!!..."
At this moment, Bruno was shocked when he heard the priest's words! This red land of Brazil seemed to be covered with a layer of golden light, completely captivating his eyes and his heart.
"O Lord! A new continent in the south where sugar cane can be grown? This is truly the land of Canaan of milk and honey. It is the fertile soil given to the Kingdom of Portugal by the Lord!..."