Chapter 466: At the end of 1487 AD, Dias the successor
November 1487, 22 degrees south latitude, Cape Cross, on the coast of Namibia.
The summer sea breeze of the southern hemisphere blows from the western ocean, carrying a moist and salty smell, and rushes to the sand sea in the east. On the clear sea sky, there are flocks of seabirds soaring. Albatrosses spread their long wings, and red-bellied herons sing loudly.
White pelicans fly into the sky and into the sea, and flamingos soar in the sky.
The sea was shining with waves, and dolphins were surrounding the moored sailboats, looking curiously at the many people they had never seen before. And a few miles away, a humpback whale more than ten meters long jumped out of the water, raising a few meters high
Splashes in the water. These behemoths are enjoying themselves, swaying their bodies, extending their wing-like pectoral fins, and emitting complex and long murmurs!
"Tenho saudades!... This is the talk of the deep sea, like a friend who has left. He is tired of life on earth and rests in heaven forever... leaving only me, a lonely wayfinder, suffering in the world.
Spend your time!..."
Dias stood on the shore, looking at the wooden tombstone in front of him, and chanting in a low voice. He was wearing a noble captain's uniform that symbolized his rank, his hair was meticulous, and he just held the captain's hat in his hand. His weather-beaten face showed
The deep melancholy unique to the Portuguese. Then he closed his eyes and prayed to the Lord devoutly.
At this moment, his mind was wandering in longing memories, and the hundreds of sailors and crew behind him became insignificant background.
Bruno was wearing a captain's uniform, with his head lowered, standing silently behind Dias. He pursed his lips and made a sign of the cross on his forehead. Unspeakable emotions were flowing in his heart, but he had no way to speak.
"Merciful Holy Mother! Please grant me divine blessing to discover the route to the east and find the country of Elder John!..."
After a while, Dias made the sign of the cross and said the last prayer. Then, his expression became cold, and he glanced at Bruno behind him, with murderous intent floating in his heart.
"Bruno, I heard that you also participated in Royal Knight Diogo's last mass?"
"Yes! Dear Royal Knight, when the distinguished captain passed away, I stood by and prepared olive oil for him... The captain was cursed by the devil and coughed up blood for several months. When he went to heaven, he was as skinny as a stick, even smaller than a child.
Even lighter..."
Bruno was uneasy and replied respectfully. At the end of the sentence, many tears were squeezed out of his eyes. There were both true feelings and false intentions, but he couldn't even tell the difference.
"Um."
Seeing Bruno with tears streaming down his face, Dias was silent for a moment and nodded slightly. He turned his head and stared at the tombstone of his old friend again. The murderous intention in his heart finally suppressed and turned into a long sigh.
"Hey, that's all! I understand what you mean... You let him participate in the last mass and handed the flagship to him. That means you chose to forgive... In this case, let him go back alive!...
May you rest in peace, my old friend Diogo!"
While exploring the depths of the Congo River, there was a rebellion on Diogo's ship. Although the rebellion was finally put down and the person responsible was hanged, the intrigue was hidden from the court in Lisbon, but not from the same people.
The experienced navigator Dias is convinced that the noble knight Bruno must be guilty...
Thinking of this, Dias shook his head slightly. How many navigators who can persist in sailing are innocent? Whose hands are not stained with blood?... Even he, in Hermi
Napu, in order to occupy the surrounding gold mines, killed the indigenous tribes... Recalling for a moment, Dias lowered his head again and prayed quietly.
"Praise be to my Father in heaven!...The Lord has shown His grace through redemption, in this age and in eternity...He has given me the holy sword to cut through all evil, and He has also given me light to redeem my blood!
..."
Hearing Diaz's recitation, Bruno quickly lowered his head and made a pious prayer gesture again, not daring to make a sound.
After following the captain for many years, he roughly understood the code of conduct of the kingdom's maritime nobles. That is, even if they are ruthless and kill mountains of blood, like demons, they must have firm faith and believe in the light of their souls and the salvation of the Lord.
..Don’t look at the kind-faced look on Diaz’s face as he prays now, but he really wants to kill him and cut off his head without even blinking...
Bruno cursed in his heart, but did not dare to show it on his face. He waited patiently for Dias to finish praying before speaking softly.
"Dear Royal Knight! Captain Diogo's tombstone was temporarily carved out of wood. It has become somewhat decayed in the past two years... Otherwise, the fleet would stop here for two days and carve a stone tablet for the captain.
?”
"Stop for two days and carve a stone tablet..."
After hearing this, Dias pondered for a moment, obviously moved. But in the end, he still shook his head.
"Forget it. The kingdom will remember Knight Diogo's name, his piety and dedication. As for his burial place, let him rest in peace without being disturbed by anyone! After all, this place is far away from the kingdom...
"
"Yes, yes... You are right! Praise the Holy Mother, may the captain rest in peace!..."
"Um."
Dias nodded and looked at the respectful and pious Bruno, a little more pleased with him.
Last summer, the kingdom's southern exploration fleet returned and brought back news of the death of the navigator Diogo and a chart of the African coast extending to 20 degrees south latitude.
After Pope Sixtus IV went to heaven, his nephew Julius della Rovere, after some struggles, still firmly controlled the power of the Holy See, eclipsing the new Pope Innocent VIII. The power of the Holy See
All policies still continue the tradition of the previous pope, and the search for the country of Presbyter John in the East is always urgent.
King Joao is ambitious and eager to open up new shipping routes. The output of the Elmina gold mine has greatly improved Portugal's finances. The discovery of the Kingdom of Congo has also given the kingdom more incentives. Last October,
King João summoned the royal knight Diaz, a highly trusted descendant of the royal family, appointed him as the leader of the expedition fleet, and issued an order to continue exploring southward to find the Eastern Sea Route.
After nearly a year of preparations, Dias set off from Lisbon in August this year, leading three ocean-going expedition ships to search for the unknown borders of the southern continent. He learned from the experience of the rebellion of the Diogo fleet and chose two Kara
Veer, a square-rigged supply ship.
The flagship caravel was the "San Cristobal", which he personally commanded, and carried the largest number of sailors. The square-sailed supply ship carrying food and water was in charge of his brother Pero Dias.
One of the brothers controls the sailors, and the other controls the food and water. They coordinate with each other to minimize the risk of crew rebellion. As for the last Caravel...
Dias turned around and glanced at Bruno lightly again.
The royal family's original favorite candidate was actually the noble knight Joao Infante. But unexpectedly, the royal advisor and scholar Martin Behem, who had returned from the sea, praised the noble knight Bruno and strongly recommended it to the royal family. And Joao Infante
His temper was indeed a bit irritable... After careful consideration, Dias finally handed over this risky opportunity to Bruno, who had experience with murderous intent.
"Bruno, you are now a glorious kingdom captain! I don't care what you were like before, from today on, you must serve the Lord devoutly and serve the kingdom faithfully!...Remember, the Lord, through redemption, is in this generation.
and eternity, showing His grace... Do it well, and grace will come to the world!"
"...Yes, yes! Dear Royal Knight, I will serve the Lord devoutly, practice His words, experience His ways...and dedicate my life to the Kingdom! During this voyage, I will listen to you in everything.
of!"
Bruno immediately knelt on the ground, raised his left hand, and cried piously. He heard the forgiveness in Dias's words, and the worries of the past few days were suddenly swept away, and joy even welled up in his heart. The royal knight in front of him
, but he is a big shot with royal blood and is deeply trusted by the king. As long as he gets close to this thigh...
"Well. Get up!"
Dias looked calm and ordered in a deep voice. Then, he glanced at the waiting sailors and crew and shouted sharply.
"Captain Perrault d'Arenquer!"
"Here! Captain."
A capable senior officer, armed with a sharp scimitar, stepped out from among the sailors to salute.
"Report the latitude!"
"yes!"
Navigator Perot reached out and took out a volume from his arms. He opened it and took a few glances before reporting loudly.
"Captain, according to the Southern Cross constellation measurement last night, we are between 20-22 degrees south latitude!"
"very good!"
Dias nodded, with a serious look on his face, looked at the people around him, and announced loudly.
"The purpose of this voyage is to bypass the border of the southern continent and go to the east to find the powerful Kingdom of Elder John! The respected royal knight Diogo has dedicated his life to extending the boundaries of the kingdom's maritime exploration from the equator.
We have reached 20 degrees south latitude! And our exploration of this voyage really starts from here and extends to 40 degrees south latitude!..."
"40 degrees south latitude?!"
Hearing this, Bruno felt a chill in his heart. Many sailors also looked frightened and raised their heads to speak.
Diaz's gaze was like an eagle, with undisguised murderous intent, and he swept the crowd coldly. The sailors immediately fell silent, not daring to complain at all.
"Very good! The Lord testifies that you all agree with what I say! Since there is no objection, then, now get on the boat and set sail southward! ...Blessed Mother!"
"Holy Blessing!"
The sailors responded in a low voice, quickly divided into three teams, and headed for the three ships. Soon, the anchors were retracted, the sails were raised, the flag of the Kingdom of Portugal was flying high, and the caravel slowly accelerated.
In the vast South Atlantic, outside the long Namibian sands, whales are playing and seabirds are singing. This uninhabited sea is so clear at the moment. Between the sea and the sky, there are only three small exploring sailboats, sailing against Benguela.
Cold current, sailing hard to the unknown south!
In front of them, there was the endless extension of the southern continent and the mysterious sea that had never been known. And behind them, there was a lonely promontory, a decaying tombstone, and a buried pioneer of the kingdom.
