Aztec Eternals

In August 1484, the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal, the ancient and new City of Seven Hills, Lisbon.

In this era, Lisbon was an out-and-out European city. It is the capital of a kingdom of 1.5 million people, with more than 70,000 permanent residents and thousands of foreign business travelers. The ancient Sintra Palace is located on the Sintra Mountain in the north of the city. It is the real power center of the kingdom, and there is also an ambitious king in his prime.

And in the south of the capital, a long quiet river flows gently. This is the mother river of the Kingdom of Portugal, the Tejo River. The Tejo River originates from the central mountains of the Iberian Peninsula, all the way to the west, through the mountains full of forests, through the forests surrounded by pastures, and then flows through the border of the two kingdoms. It irrigates the seaside plains densely covered with farmland, moistens the outskirts of the city dotted with orchards, and finally arrives at this prosperous seaside city, where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

At the estuary where the Tejo River flows into the sea, there is a prosperous seaside commercial port. Merchant ships, warships, exploration ships, and hundreds of sailing ships are moored and waiting here; nobles, merchants, civilians, and the bustling flow of people are shuttling and trading here. If you look carefully, you can still see hundreds of strong slaves with dark skin, lowering their heads tamely, sweating profusely, unloading a large amount of goods that come and go.

Under the scorching sun, Bruno wore a brand-new suit with a collar, and led a few capable sailors with short knives, and hurried towards the port.

Seeing his aristocratic attire, businessmen from various countries and local fishermen along the way turned sideways to avoid him. Only a few drunk sailors in short jackets staggered forward. The drunks muttered nasty words, and stretched out their black and dirty hands to the well-dressed young aristocrats.

Bruno frowned. He raised his right foot and kicked it violently, knocking the leading drunk man to the ground. Then, several capable sailors behind him cursed and rushed forward. The sharp sailors held their short knives upside down, and with blunt hilts, they slammed the drunks on the shoulders fiercely, knocking them down to the ground with a "bang bang". Soon, the swear words turned into screams, and the screams turned into moans.

"Boss, these blind fools don't know which merchant ship they came off from, and they are running around like wild dogs without an owner! Judging from their accents, they must not be locals in Lisbon. This time they came from the south of the devil. After returning to the land, too many sailors at the bottom have died, and we can’t make up for them in a short time. The fleet will soon go south again to catch these idiots and put them on our ship, and serve them as coolie sailors?”

A capable middle-aged sailor leaned forward and asked in a cold low voice.

Hearing this, Bruno hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"Forget it. Under the witness of the Holy Mother, I just married my beloved wife. In addition, Sir Dias, the royal supervisor, is also on the fleet. He will lead several scholars and missionaries to go south with us. Sir's temper If you haven't figured it out yet, leave them a way out!"

Hearing this, the middle-aged sailor nodded obediently.

Running all the way, they just drove back from Faro town in the far south. Bruno, the son of a nobleman, just married the widowed sister of Paul, the former boatswain, and from then on he is considered the sailors' own. And because the son of the nobleman went deep into the native kingdom, he obtained the news of John's kingdom, and was awarded the lowest knight title by the royal family. Then everyone had some respect for him and recognized him as the leader.

"Bah! You are lucky to have a small life!"

The middle-aged sailor kicked the drunk man hard and spat contemptuously. In this era, being captured as the lowest coolie sailor on a ship, and then going to the terrible black Africa in the south, is tantamount to a death sentence.

Hearing what the two said, another fine sailor took two steps closer and asked cautiously.

"Boss, what is the royal supervisor Sir Dias, what is his background?"

"Ha, what's his background? He is a real nobleman, a royal knight as noble as the captain!"

Bruno laughed to himself. This kind of real aristocrat is not comparable to the illegitimate son of the nobleman's illegitimate son.

"Sir Dias's father and grandfather were both nobles, and he was a senior navigator who followed Prince Enrique. He is deeply trusted by the king. He is not only a noble royal knight, but also the supervisor of the royal warehouse, and even a current captain."

"Hey, boss, since you are the captain, why would you care about the lives of ordinary sailors!"

The middle-aged sailor smiled. He turned his head, looked coldly at the drunks who were still groaning on the ground, and then asked back.

"Fodesse! Such an honorable person wants to go south with us, to venture into a place full of devils?"

"Sir Dias will not go deep into the devil's land. He once participated in the conquest of the Gold Coast. This time he went south to support the newly built Fort Elmina by the sea, after all, it is rich in gold."

Having said that, Bruno's eyes shone with fear and longing.

Last time, he narrowly escaped from the devil's land and saw the devil's apostle in the world with his own eyes. He almost had nightmares for a month. However, the rewards for this risk-taking are also generous and amazing. The precious stones, gold and ivory he brought back fetched a good price in the Lisbon market. This money was not only enough for him to hold a decent noble wedding, but also allowed him to buy a noble manor with an orchard on the outskirts of the capital.

According to the life trajectory of ordinary civilians, even if he saves for three lifetimes, he still can't make up such a large sum of money. Not to mention that he was also made a knight for his meritorious service, and finally got rid of his status as an illegitimate child and became a real nobleman!

"Fodesse! Glittering gold, you are my cutest little baby! Head, this time going south, I have to make two more strokes!"

"Well, that's natural! With such a long voyage, there's always a chance."

The group of people talked excitedly in low voices while heading south of the port, and soon came to an excellent deep-water berth. A dozen caravelles were lining up in a row, the cross of the Kingdom flag flying high on the flagpole.

Bruno got into the boat and rowed all the way to the foremost flagship. When he boarded the boat, he saw several well-dressed dignitaries gathering together, communicating with each other in a low voice with serious expressions. In the center of the crowd, there are two distinguished royal knight captains.

Bruno stepped forward cautiously, and bowed his head from a distance.

"My lord captain, my lord Sir Bartolomeu Dias! Noble knight Bruno Kahn, I salute the esteemed royal knights!"

Hearing the greeting, Captain Diogo Kang turned around, revealing a gloomy and resolute face. Then, the gloom in his eyes dissipated slightly, showing a gentle smile, and nodded slowly.

After two years of drifting at sea, Diogo returned to Lisbon in April this year, and reported the experience of the voyage to the Sintra Palace. The establishment of Fort Elmina made the palace very satisfied, the nobles were quite surprised by the discovery of the Kingdom of Congo, and the exact news of Elder John's country shocked the whole kingdom!

King Joao II immediately summoned Captain Diogo and carefully asked him what he had seen and heard along the way. Next came the powerful Archbishop of Lisbon, Jorge da Costa. Soon, in less than two weeks, Diogo was awarded the title of Royal Knight, enjoyed an annual salary, and was bestowed with the family coat of arms!

"Bruno, come here."

Diogo Kang waved his hand, then looked at another royal knight with a smile.

"Dias, this is my nephew from the same clan, Bruno Kahn. He went deep into the land of the devil, met the Congolese chief who yearned for God, and bravely won the Coptic cross from the devil's apostle!"

"Oh? It's so heroic! Ha, what a good man of my Avish!"

Dias laughed out loud and admired. He is in his early thirties, in his prime, with a naturally serious face. It's just that the court life in Lisbon has polished his edges and corners in recent years, and made his smile more amiable. He reached out and patted Bruno's shoulder affectionately.

"Ha, I've seen you! Four months ago, you went to Bratt Palace and submitted new plant samples to naturalists, and you also received a huge bounty."

Hearing the compliments from the captains, Bruno was a little embarrassed at first, and then flattered. He lowered his head and hastily saluted again.

Dias kept his smile unchanged, and casually praised a few words. Then, he said seriously.

"After repeatedly checking the Coptic cross brought back by the revered archbishop, he has already sent an envoy to report to the Supreme Pope, Sixtus IV. The envoy of the court annunciation has also brought the king's letter to the The Holy See. The good news has been spread first, the Pope's edict will come later, and the follow-up exploration is imminent!"

"Diogo, this time the king hastily ordered you to go south to explore. He has deep hopes for you and is also under pressure from the Holy See! The irises on the cape look to the end of the ocean, please don't disappoint the king's trust!"

Hearing this, Diogo Kang lowered his head resolutely and bowed to the Bratt Palace in the northeast.

"God witnesses, I, Diogo Kang, swear on my life! This time I will go south, I will explore the edge of the ocean, trace the source of the river, and look for the traces of the country of Elder John until the end of this life!"

The solemn oath echoed between the sea and the sky, and the flagship was suddenly quiet. Then, the priest on the boat led everyone to pray together for a while, and the honorable ones resumed their conversation again.

"Dias, not long after I returned to China, I heard that the powerful Ottomans are falling into civil strife, and have stopped their westward march to the Balkan Peninsula to find Elder John's country. Is it still so urgent?"

"Holy Mother Bless! Diogo, although the terrible Fatih Sultan has died under the punishment of the Lord, but his attempt to send troops to invade the Italian peninsula four years ago caused the entire Holy See to fall into long-term shock and anxiety. .

Before his death, Fatih Sultan left behind a barbaric succession law of brothers fighting each other. The current civil strife in the Ottoman Empire is only a limited struggle between the two heirs, and most of the real power pashas did not participate in it. The Sultan of Bayezid has already gained an absolute advantage, the civil strife will end soon, and the Ottomans' westward advance will continue

The benevolent world of God is in jeopardy under the threat of the Ottomans, and there is an urgent need for the Eastern compatriots who believe in God to lead their troops to support! "

Hearing this, Diogo looked heavy. He nodded slowly, as if carrying the burden of the entire God world on his shoulders.

"However, the Ottomans in the east of the Mediterranean Sea are far away after all. The invasion of the Ottomans is also a major concern of Pope Sixtus in Rome and Emperor Frederick of Shenluo. Dias, my old friend, human beings only need to worry about themselves. Anxiety about things that are in your power.”

Dias looked at his old friend for a while, and smiled and advised.

"The great Prince Enrique once said to my grandfather: The future of our Portuguese is at sea, we only need to consider three things!"

Hearing the name of Prince Enrique, the deck fell silent again, and everyone looked at it together.

"We are located in the westernmost part of the world of God, and we are the Iris family on the seashore. Our first thing to do is to explore the sea! We are constantly going deep into the sea, exploring the unknown world, and looking for unowned land!

Our land is small, our tribes are limited in number, and we try to avoid conflicts on land. Our second task is to expand at sea! Do your best to control the islands in the sea, occupy the land along the coast, and expand our country. "

Speaking of this, Dias paused. His expression became extremely serious, and his voice became louder and louder.

"The Castilians have blocked the space to the east of us, and they have always been greedy for us. The last thing, beware of the Castiles! The Portuguese must maintain their independence. The mountain people of Avish Fishermen, farmers, and farmers, unite together and always be vigilant against the Castilians!"

Hearing this, the Portuguese sailors on board cheered loudly, cursing the Castilians one after another. The nobles also agreed in a low voice.

"Dias, my friend. As an admirer of Prince Enrique, I can't agree more with your words. It's just that I still have confusion in my heart."

Diogo nodded deeply. He approached Dias, and asked cautiously in a voice that only two people could hear.

"You are the warehouse manager of the palace, and you are deeply trusted by the king. What does the king think of the Kingdom of Castile, or the Kingdom of Spain today? Although the idea of ​​annexation of Spain and Portugal is just a delusion of the Spanish, it seems to be in the kingdom. There is no lack of voices of approval in the imperial court."

Hearing this, Dias' eyes flickered. He took a few steps towards the bow, followed by Diogo, and the others wisely did not follow.

"Diogo, we all know that the nobles of many kingdoms are not as strong against the Castilians as the people at the bottom. They are in collusion with the Spanish court and don't care about the future of the Portuguese. They only care about their own. power position.

Luckily, Our Lady blesses you! His Majesty Joao has the long-term vision like a black kite, the ambition like a lion, and the will and ability to match it! His Majesty never wants to be under others. On the contrary, he had further ambitions for the Kingdom of Spain.

Your Majesty's only legitimate son, Prince Alfonso, had entered into a sacred marriage with Princess Isabel, the eldest daughter of the Spanish Kings, as early as a child."

Dias paused and remained silent. Diogo's expression changed, and he nodded slowly. He changed the subject and continued.

"I hope everything will go according to your Majesty's plan. The Moors in the south of the peninsula have only the capital of Granada left, and the Spaniards are about to win the final victory of the reconquest. At that time, if there are no other major events to distract the Spaniards, The court of Valladolid will surely set its greedy eyes on us.

At that time, who will support us on land? English? French? Or the Moors across the Channel? "

After sorting out the information, I wrote a little about the great voyage. As before, I will try to condense the political situation in Europe into a short dialogue. ^_^Thank you for your support~