Chapter 606: The End of 1488 AD, That Man, John II
"Ta-ta-ta..."
The clatter of horse hooves sounded on the long bluestone road, drifting to the north. Diaz rode his horse through the shallow winter snow of the Imbilia Peninsula, with the bright sunshine on the coastline behind him. Under him, carefully cultivated
The Lusitano war horse is more than 1.6 meters tall, making his figure look particularly tall. Beside him, the royal cavalry is silent and well-trained. Even while running, they maintain a fixed formation.
Fifty miles of good road, it only takes an hour or two to ride a war horse. After a quarter of an hour, the surrounding villages gradually thinned out, the noble manors were faintly visible, and the ancient Sintra Palace was just a few miles away.
Only then did Diaz come back to his senses from his contemplation. He speeded up his horse slightly and lined up with the two palace knights leading the way.
"Praise the Lord! Dear court knight Herminio, I have just returned from a voyage. Is there anything big happening in the kingdom?"
Hearing this, the palace knight Herminio's expression changed. He looked at the royal steward who had lost a lot of weight, and thought about His Majesty's joyful expression when he received the steward's letter yesterday, and then answered with a smile.
"Blessed Mother! Dear Royal Steward, Knight Dias. Your Majesty has been in a good mood these past few months. Prince Alfonso of the Kingdom has been officially engaged to Princess Insabella. This event witnessed by the Pope
The wedding is scheduled for more than a year later, next spring!"
"Oh? Prince Alfonso and Princess Yinzabella have already set a wedding date? It's really a blessing from the Virgin!"
Hearing the good news, Diaz also smiled. Prince Alfonso is His Majesty Joao's favorite only son and heir. And Princess Isabella is the daughter of Queen Isabella of Castile.
Eldest daughter.
This political marriage decided ten years ago is the only gain worth mentioning for the Kingdom of Portugal in the battle for the throne of Castile. At this moment, Princess Insabella lives on the land of the Kingdom of Portugal and is taken by the royal family.
The knight "guards" her. And her marriage to the prince will continue to bring the claim to the throne of the Kingdom of Castile to their descendants.
In fact, the relationship between His Majesty Joao II and Queen Isabella is very complicated. They are both rivals and respect each other. Queen Isabella often uses another word to refer to His Majesty Joao, that
It’s “o homem”, “that man”!
Dias pondered for a while, returned from imagining the scandal, and said to the two of them with a smile.
"Blessed Mother! Two royal knights, I came back from the southern continent this time and brought some ancient cultural relics, which may be leftover from the Kingdom of Elder John. If you two are free, you might as well come and watch them over the weekend.
Let’s explore our Lord’s enlightenment together!”
Hearing this, the palace knight Herminio was startled for a moment. Then, he looked at his teammates' gestures and thought of the richness of the southern continent, and immediately understood. He responded with a smile.
"It is the duty of every devout believer to view holy relics and explore the enlightenment of the Lord! Dear Royal Steward, I am happy to come and visit. Praise the Lord! I also praise you, the blessed one!"
"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 holding halberds guarded outside the palace gate. And in
On the high palace walls, heavy crossbows and new matchlock guns were mounted on guard.
Everyone dismounted here. Dias took off his gloves and hat, took off his weapons, and strode into the palace of Sintra.
This colorful palace was initially built by the Moors 700 years ago. After successive additions by kings, it has become a gorgeous model in Western European palaces. The palace has a unique dome, a sacred and bright spire, and
The beautifully decorated square roof. Different styles blend together, showing the relatively tolerant religious atmosphere of the Portuguese Kingdom at this time.
Without squinting his eyes, Diaz was led by the guards all the way to the main hall. As soon as he took a short look, he knelt down on one knee and excitedly reported back to the king in the main hall.
"Great Majesty Joao! Your loyal royal steward, Dias, has returned from the voyage to the southern continent! With the blessing of the Lord and you, we finally bypassed the edge of the southern continent and discovered the way to the east.
Route!”
"Okay! Merciful Lord, bless the devout people! Dias, Lord bless you, bless me, and bless the Iris family on the Cape!"
John II is thirty-four years old this year and is in his prime. His face is slightly longer, his eyebrows are slender, and his facial features are very distinct, especially his nose. Of course, the most impressive thing is his sparkling eyes.
.The strong ambition and strong fighting spirit are almost undisguised, projected from those eyes, like burning flames.
Seeing His Majesty's eyes, Dias lowered his head, his expression full of admiration. He couldn't help but admire in his heart.
"His Majesty is like a high-spirited lion, standing on the top of Sintra. All the nobles of the kingdom surrender at his feet! What kind of blow can knock him down?...Ah, I can't
Imagine.”
The monarch and his ministers chatted for a few words and then quickly got to the point. João II spoke decisively and asked carefully about the route to the east. Diaz answered all questions and described the voyage to the southern continent in detail, until that unforgettable encounter
storm.
"... Huge waves, more than ten or twenty meters high, were coming continuously! The sky was dark, wind, rain, thunder and lightning were coming, as if the end was coming. Our sailboat was pushed into the bottom of the sea by the huge waves again and again, and it was hard to
Surfaced... It wasn't until thirteen days later that we sailed out of the storm. Then, the fleet turned east and then north again. A few days later, we saw the east-west southern continent again! Blessed Mother!
..."
Having said this, Diaz's eyes were still filled with the hope of surviving the danger of death. He prayed silently, then bowed his head respectfully and saluted His Majesty.
"...Then I knew that this was a gift from the Lord, showing mercy to His believers! She gave me the route to India and Seris, and told you, the great one, by my hand!"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Praise the Lord! A new route to India and Seris!"
João II stood up suddenly. Although he had already learned about the new route from Diaz's letter yesterday afternoon, at this moment, when he really heard the answer from the royal steward, he was still so excited that he couldn't control himself!
"New sea route, new Silk Road! What a huge road of wealth, and what a devout road of faith! ... Merciful Lord! Praise you, bless the Kingdom of Portugal, bless the Kingdom of Portugal.
The Iris clan bestows such grace!..."
Low sounds of prayer echoed in the gorgeous hall. After a while, Joao 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. As for what the sailors did in the village, there is no need to explain it clearly.
"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 very few iron tools... According to my estimation, it should
There is no powerful indigenous kingdom. As long as a hundred armored kingdom soldiers are needed, a strong stronghold can be established!"
Having said this, Dias held the silver cross on his chest and bowed his head again to salute.
"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.
Establishing a stable port stronghold can supply food and water, and repair damaged ships. Otherwise, this route will be a nightmare for the merchant fleet!..."
"Well... Diaz, 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. And in Joao II
In my heart, I always take my great ancestors as examples.
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, I finally stopped at a very wide river mouth... The location there should be between 33 and 34 degrees south latitude!"
"Southern latitude? So far away?!"
Hearing this, Joao II rubbed the armrest of the throne and was silent. After a while, he pulled out a wrinkled letter from the pile of books on the desk. The letter was worn and even slightly yellowed.
.What’s even more surprising is that there are a few 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 kingdom is inside!"
