November 1487, 22 degrees south latitude, Cape Cross, on the coast of Namibia.
The summer sea breeze in the Southern Hemisphere blows from the ocean in the west, carrying a moist and salty smell, and flows into the sand sea in the east. Above the clear sea and sky, there are flocks of seabirds soaring. The albatross spreads its long wings, the red-bellied heron sings loudly, the white pelican flies into the sky and into the sea, and the flamingo soars 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. A few miles away, a humpback whale more than ten meters long jumped out of the water, causing a splash several meters high. These behemoths were enjoying themselves, swaying their bodies, stretching out 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, chanting in a low voice in despair. He wore the aristocratic captain's uniform that symbolized his rank, his hair was meticulous, and he just held the captain's hat in his hand. The weather-beaten face showed the deep melancholy unique to the Portuguese. Then he closed his eyes and prayed devoutly to the Lord.
At this moment, his mind was wandering in the memories of longing, 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 surged 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, 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 respected captain passed away, I stood beside him 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 burst out of his eyes. There were both true feelings and false intentions, but even he couldn't 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 subsided 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, a rebellion occurred on Diogo's ship. Although the rebellion was finally put down and the person responsible was hanged, the intrigue could not be hidden from the Lisbon court, but not from the equally experienced navigators. Dias is convinced that the noble knight Bruno must be guilty...
Thinking of this, Dias shook his head slightly. How many navigators who can stick to the sea route are innocent? Whose hands are not stained with blood? ...Even if he, in Fort Elmina, killed the indigenous tribes in order to occupy the surrounding gold mines... 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 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 you are cruel and ruthless, killing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, like a demon, you must have firm faith, believe in the light of your soul, and the salvation of the Lord... Don't look at the kind-hearted look on Diaz's face when he is praying, you really have to treat him When he has murderous intentions, he cuts 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 could stop here for two days and carve a stone tablet for the captain. ?”
"Stop for two days and carve a stone tablet..."
Hearing this, Dias pondered for a moment, obviously moved. But in the end, he shook his head.
"Forget it. The kingdom will remember Knight Diogo's name and 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 struggle, still firmly controlled the power of the Holy See and ousted the new Pope Innocent VIII. All the policies of the Holy See still continue the tradition of the previous pope, and the search for the Kingdom of Presbyterian John in the East is always urgent. valley
King João was 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 also gave the kingdom more incentives. In October last year, King Joao summoned the royal knight Dias, 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 boundaries of the southern continent. He learned from the experience of the rebellion of Diogo's fleet and chose two caravels and a square-rigged supply ship.
The flagship Caravel sailing ship was the "San Cristobal" that he personally commanded, and carried the largest number of sailors. His brother Pero Dias was in charge of the square-sailed supply ship carrying food and water. 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 was actually the noble knight Joao Infante. But unexpectedly, the royal advisor and scholar Martin Behem, who returned from the sea, praised the noble knight Bruno and strongly recommended him to the royal family. And João Infante's temper was indeed a bit violent... After careful consideration, Dias finally handed over this risky opportunity to the experienced Bruno with murderous intent.
"Bruno, you are now a glorious captain of the kingdom! 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, has and eternity, show His grace...do it well, and grace will come to earth!"
"...Yes, yes! Dear Royal Knight, I will serve the Lord devoutly, practice His words, experience His ways...and dedicate my life to the Kingdom! In this voyage, I will listen to you in everything of!"
Bruno immediately fell to his knees, raised his left hand, and cried piously. He heard the forgiveness in Diaz's words, and the worries he had felt for many days were suddenly swept away, and joy even welled up in his heart. The royal knight in front of him was a big shot with royal blood and deeply trusted by the king. As long as I get close to this thigh...
"Yeah. Get up!"
Dias looked calm and gave instructions in a deep voice. Then, he glanced around 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 unfolded it, took a few glances, and then reported loudly.
"Captain, according to the Southern Cross constellation measurement last night, we are between 20-22 degrees south latitude!"
"very good!"
Diaz nodded, looked at the people around him with a serious expression, and declared 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 navigation 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 eyes were like an eagle, with undisguised murderous intent, and he swept the crowd coldly. The sailors immediately fell silent and did not dare 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 south! ...Blessed Mother!"
"Our Lady of Blessing!"
The sailors responded in a low voice, quickly divided into three teams and headed towards the three ships. Soon, the anchor was retracted, the sail was raised, the flag of the Kingdom of Portugal was flying high, and the caravel slowly accelerated.
In the vast South Atlantic Ocean, outside the long sandy beach of Namibia, whales play and seabirds sing. This uninhabited sea is so clear at the moment. Between the sea and the sky, there are only three small exploration sailing ships, sailing against the cold Benguela current and sailing hard to the unknown south!
In front of them was the endless southern continent and the mysterious sea that had never been known before. Behind them was a lonely promontory, a decaying tombstone, and a buried pioneer of the kingdom.
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