In November 1485, in the middle reaches of the Congo River, more than a thousand miles away from the mouth of the river, Gombe Matadi. In the Congolese language, this place name means "walking on rocky land".
Raging rapids rush from the highlands upstream, impacting the precipitous river banks and washing away the dense rainforest. The white pelicans flap their wings and fly up and down in the blue river, hunting for plump river fish. Black mosquitoes buzzed and swirled, gathering in groups in the blue sky, chasing the smell of blood. Further away, the mist is rising and lingering, the endless jungle blocks the sky, and there is not a trace of human beings everywhere, only the primitive wilderness.
At this time, the three caravel sailboats were struggling upstream to the east with the help of a little westerly wind in the turbulent current. The leading flagship is slightly larger in size, with the flag of the Portuguese royal family flying on the tall mast. Several curious waterbirds were attracted, chasing the slow-moving sailboat and circling around the mast.
Captain Diogo Kang looked pale and melancholy. He sat in the captain's cabin at the stern of the ship, motionless, like a silent sculpture. Even in the hot tropics, he was still wrapped in a thick woolen blanket. From time to time, the "sculpture" will tremble slightly and let out a few suppressed dry coughs.
In front of the "sculpture", a roll of parchment is spread out. Next to the parchment were a quill dipped in ink, a crude protractor, and a parallel navigational ruler. The parchment is full of winding curves, precise latitude lines, vague longitude lines, and detailed Portuguese markings. Obviously, this is a newly drawn nautical map.
The north of the map is the starting point of navigation and the capital of the kingdom, Lisbon. Last August, the Portuguese ocean-going fleet set sail from Lisbon and headed south, passing through the Madeira Islands, the Canary Islands, and the Cape Verde Islands, passing through the Gulf of Guinea, and approaching the Gold Coast. Finally, this spring, it arrived in New Zealand. Fort Elmina.
At Fort Elmina, the ocean-going fleet split into two. Two-thirds of the ships in the fleet, and most of the soldiers, were entrusted to the command of Sir Dias, and were stationed in the harbor of Fort Elmina.
Sir Dias will lead more than 600 sailors and soldiers on the ship to conquer the nearby indigenous tribes. The royal order is clear, gold, gold, more gold! They will cleanse the surrounding villages as much as possible, plunder expensive gold, capture strong slaves, and then work as miners into the gold mines around Elmina Castle.
Captain Diogo led five caravel sailing ships and continued southward. He arduously crossed the equatorial windless zone, lost a sailboat, and reached the mouth of the wide Congo River again. Then, the turbulent river, the endless rainforest, and the swarms of mosquitoes appeared in front of everyone again. Seeing this scene, the surviving crew members from the previous exploration looked horrified and whispered "Devil's Land".
Diogo was undaunted. With a gloomy look on his face, he personally hanged the sailor who yelled the loudest from the bow of the ship. Then, he held the silver cross given by his old friend, prayed devoutly to God, and without hesitation led the fleet into the river mouth and headed for the devil's land.
Under the blazing sun, the fleet traveled six to seven hundred miles along the river. The devil's land is full of dark-skinned pagans, evil bloody altars, powerful indigenous kingdoms, and thousands of tribal warriors armed with iron spears.
Diogo suppressed the murderous intention in his heart, met with the envoy of the King of Congo with a gentle expression, and exchanged gifts expressing friendship. Then, two priests from Lisbon and four envoys disembarked from the fleet and, at the invitation of the King of Congo, went to Mbanza King Kong, the capital of Congo. There, they would tell King Nziga Nkuwu the teachings of God and strive to spread the glory of God.
After a short period of supplies, Diogo left the populated indigenous kingdom. Everyone once again went up the Congo River, looking for the legendary rich land, the powerful Kingdom of Elder John. As the fleet deepens, the population gradually becomes sparse, the forest becomes denser, and the devil's power becomes stronger.
One after another, strong sailors fell helplessly under the curse of the devil. They either had fever and chills, or had red eyes and red tongues, or even bleeding from the mouth and nose, red rashes all over their bodies, and died wailing in despair. The number of sailors soon ran low and the fleet was forced to abandon one of its sailing ships. Even Diogo himself suffered from alternating colds and fevers from time to time.
Faced with this situation, Diogo could only grit his teeth and endure it, pray devoutly to God, and then throw the sick sailor into the long river. Then, he finally relented and let the sailors go ashore to loot, slaughter several tribal villages, give vent to the desire of beasts, and capture some local indigenous people as coolies on the ship.
Under Diogo's iron will, the death route continued for more than four hundred miles. The route turned into a long river with fresh ink marks on the map in front of us, flowing towards the mysterious and unknown east. The captain devoutly sensed the voice of God, and the clear call seemed to be right in front of him.
Thinking of this, Diogo raised his head slightly and looked at the birds on the mast through the small window of the captain's cabin. The brave birds circled among the royal banners, like the iris family on the Cape, seeking the land to perch and chasing the sacred light.
"Dong dong dong..."
A gentle knock interrupted the captain's thoughts. Diogo silently held the dagger at his waist and asked in a deep voice.
"who?"
"Honored Royal Knight, Captain Diogo Kang. It's me, Royal Counselor, Martin Besheim."
A voice came from the door, New Latin in a classical style. This new Latin language, which imitated the Roman era, emerged not long ago. It was accompanied by the revival of classical art and spread mainly in the prosperous Italian commercial city-states.
Diogo frowned. He could understand New Latin, but was more accustomed to the Old Latin used by the church. At this time, he answered in a traditional tone.
"Dear Royal Advisor, please forgive me for not being able to stand up to greet you. Please come in directly."
The door to the captain's cabin opened immediately, and a young noble scholar walked in. He was only in his twenties or thirties. He was wearing a complicated aristocratic dress, with the cuffs of his hands and feet deliberately tied up, and a pair of shiny cowhide boots. The weather is so hot that the hair of the noble scholar is soaked with sweat, but the buttons on his collar are tightly buttoned.
He was the nobleman of Nuremberg, the son of a member of the Venetian Republic, a student of the astronomer Johann Muller, and the court counselor of the Portuguese royal family, Martin Behem.
Martin walked in the door and sniffed lightly. There was an indelible smell of blood in the captain's cabin. He hesitated and asked softly.
"Captain Diogo, are you feeling better?"
"The Holy Mother of Mercy protects me and I am fine."
Diogo replied calmly. He had quietly covered the navigation map on the captain's desk, which was the top secret of the royal family.
"Ah! That's good."
A genuine smile appeared on Martin's face. Then, he took out a piece of paper with numbers on it from his arms and handed it to Diogo.
"Here, Captain! Here are the latitudes I have mapped over the past week, as well as the hydrology recorded along the way."
"Praise the Lord! Thank you for your help!"
Diogo responded with a smile. He took the paper, looked at it twice, and nodded. Regularly measuring latitude and recording hydrology should be the job of the captain or first mate. But now the first mate on the ship died of hemoptysis, and the captain himself suffered from joint aches and trembling hands and feet. This important work can only be left to the young aristocratic scholar Martin. By the way, in the current era, longitude cannot be accurately measured and can only be estimated by experienced navigators.
Martin stood there. He looked at the captain in front of him carefully, like looking at a ferocious and weak lion. At this moment, he already regretted participating in this dangerous voyage. The voyage across the ocean was not the romance he imagined.
The arduous accommodation, the extremely bad food, and the seemingly endless voyage tortured the young aristocratic scholar all the time. The seemingly gentle captain kills people as ruthlessly as a lion. The vulgar sailor, with his hands stained with blood, is a repressed beast on the ship, and even crueler than a beast on the shore. What is even more terrifying is the curse of the devil on this land! It silently takes away fresh lives, completely unpreventable, not to mention origin and bloodline!
Martin stood for a long time, until the captain's sharp gaze came over, as if to pierce him.
"Scholar Martin, do you have anything else to do?"
"Ah! Dear Captain, I, I..."
Martin hesitated for a while and stopped talking. The suggestion to return was stuck in his throat, but he could never say it. After a while, the noble scholar spoke.
"Captain Diogo, I feel that the atmosphere on the ship is a bit off recently. The sailors sometimes gather privately..."
"oh?"
Diogo raised his brows and nodded slowly.
"I understand, please go down. If it is convenient, please call the noble knight Bruno."
"good!"
Martin turned around and left as if fleeing. The moment he opened the door, he thought of the aristocratic etiquette again. So the noble scholar turned his head and made the sign of the cross on his chest.
"May the Lord protect us!"
"May the Lord bless you!"
Diogo replied calmly, watching Martin leave in a hurry. He straightened his back and kept holding the dagger at his side with his right hand, turning into a silent statue. After a while, the captain's cabin door knocked again, and a familiar voice came.
"Captain, are you looking for me?"
"Come in, Bruno."
The hatch opened with a creak, and Bruno walked in carefully wearing a tight-fitting sailor suit.
"Greetings, honorable Captain."
Diogo nodded. He looked at the outstanding nephew in the clan and showed a melancholy smile. Then, his eyes became sharp and his face became serious.
"Bruno, how are the sailors doing these days?"
"ah?"
Bruno looked up at the captain's expression, then lowered his head in awe.
"Four days ago, the sailors came ashore and massacred an indigenous village, which boosted their morale. But yesterday, two more sailors were seriously ill and were thrown into the river. The sailors on the ship were afraid of the power of the devil and prayed to the Virgin day and night. , some even go crazy..."
“The power of Our Lady will protect us against the attacks of the devil.”
Diogo held the silver cross around his neck with his left hand and said firmly.
"Those who cannot resist are those who have devils in their hearts and are not pious enough!"
Having said this, Diogo glanced at Bruno lightly and asked calmly.
"Do sailors make any other sound besides prayer?"
"others..."
Bruno paused for a while before replying in a low voice.
"There are definitely some voices wanting... wanting to return."
"Um?"
Diogo's eyes showed cold murderous intent. But soon, he lowered his eyes and restrained all his emotions. After a few more breaths, a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Bruno, you are the nephew of my clan, and I have always valued you very much. I remember that not long ago, you married a Moorish wife and moved to Lisbon?"
"Huh? Yes, Captain. She is the sister of Paul, the former boatswain, and we moved to Lisbon together..."
"Well, do you like her very much?"
Diogo asked with a smile.
"Yes. She is beautiful, has a delicate appearance, and is kind to me. Bless the Virgin! She was pregnant before I left..."
Speaking of his wife, Bruno had a happy smile on his face.
"Blessed Mother! Very good."
Diogo patted Bruno's shoulder affectionately. Then, with bright eyes, he said in a deep voice.
"Bruno, after you get married and have children, you have become a real man and know the meaning of responsibility! In the last contact with the indigenous kingdom, you made great contributions and showed enough courage. Taking responsibility and Having courage is the two most important qualities for a good man like me, Avish!..."
"As we sail in the devil's land, we must muster up the courage to shoulder the responsibilities entrusted to us by the kingdom! This voyage is so important. Our responsibility is to discover the kingdom of Elder John, even if it costs the life of a noble... .Because this will be related to the fate of the kingdom, the support of the Holy See, and the future of us Portuguese!...Ahem!"
While speaking, Diogo suddenly coughed violently. Bunoru took a step forward and wanted to help the captain, but he raised his hand to stop him.
"Ahem, I'm fine!... Under the protection of the Blessed Mother, honest and brave fishermen, farmers and mountain people, all Portuguese will stand together and never succumb to their neighbors in the east. My child, think about it Well, if the Spanish annex us, the Inquisition will follow. What will happen to your wife and children?"
Hearing this, Bunoru felt a chill in his heart. He stared at the captain's resolute face and couldn't help but kneel down on one knee and make a promise loudly.
"Captain! I will definitely have the courage to shoulder my responsibility and continue sailing!"
"Okay! Bruno, you are different from those low-level sailors...you have the blood of the nobles in you. I always have hope for you."
Diogo smiled and put his hand on Bunoru's shoulder. Then, he looked solemn and his eyes were cold.
"Bruno, keep an eye on the sailors on the ship for me. Find the leader who is secretly connected, and then... tell me."
"...Yes, Captain."
Hearing this, Bunoru felt a chill go down his spine and broke into a cold sweat. He quickly lowered his head and prayed devoutly.
"Our Lady protects us! We will definitely find the Kingdom of Elder John!"
"Our Lady of Blessing!"
Diogo nodded calmly.
"Go down, there's still a lot to do on the ship."
Bunoru saluted, then turned and left. He exited the hatch and looked up at the sky. The tropical sun was so hot that sweat ran down his back. He walked a few steps worriedly, casually scolded a few sailors on the deck, and went down to the shady cabin.
Bunoru walked worriedly in the cabin for a while, and then a close sailor approached him.
"Boss, Quartermaster Mattim is looking for you."
"Mattim is looking for me? It's not time to repair the weapons yet, right?"
Bunoru was a little surprised. The quartermaster is an essential position on every ship and is responsible for the storage and distribution of weapons. In the early days of the Age of Discovery, the sources of ordinary sailors were mixed and their loyalty was unreliable. Most of the time during the voyage, their weapons will be collected and kept by the quartermaster, and will not be distributed until before the battle.
"Boss, Mattim said that some weapons have just been repaired. He asked you to pick two first. If you go late, they will be gone!"
"...Okay. I'll pick out two for you too. Where is he?"
"The supply bay in front."
The supplies bay is not far ahead. Bunoru didn't hesitate and strode over.
The light below deck was dim and the smell was terrible. There were two sailors guarding the cabin door, both carrying short knives at their waists. Seeing Bruno coming, they opened the hatch halfway and invited Bruno in.
"Haha! Mattim, you finally remembered..."
Bruno walked into the dim cabin with a smile and looked at the figure in front of him, but his words suddenly stopped.
Inside the small cabin, there were four stout men staring at him coldly. Bruno recognized it for a moment, and cold sweat flowed down the back of his neck.
"Quartermaster Martim, Boatswain Diego, Chef Haroldo, Carpenter Ivo... You, you are all here?!"
"boom!"
The cabin door behind him slammed shut, and the cabin suddenly became dark. Only the faint candlelight was left, illuminating the four people with gloomy expressions. The dim shadows changed on everyone's faces, like the power of the devil.
