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 Congolese, this place name means "walking on the rocky land".
The turbulent rapids rush from the highlands upstream, impacting the precipitous river banks and washing away the dense rainforest. White pelicans flap their wings and fly up and down in the blue river, hunting plump river fish. Black mosquitoes buzz around.
Rotating, gathering into groups in the blue sky, chasing the smell of blood. Farther away, mist rises and lingers, 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 sailing ships were struggling upstream to the east in the turbulent currents, with the help of a little westerly wind. The leading flagship was slightly larger in size, and the flag of the Portuguese royal family was flying on the tall mast. Several of them were flying.
Curious waterbirds were attracted, chasing the slow-moving sailboat and circling around the mast.
Captain Diogo Kang looked pale and looked 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 he was still wrapped in a thick woolen blanket.
, 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 is a quill dipped in ink, a simple protractor, and a parallel navigation ruler. There are curves everywhere on the parchment.
Precise latitude lines, vague longitude lines, and detailed Portuguese markings. It is obvious that this is a newly drawn nautical map.
The north of the map is the starting point of navigation, the capital of the Kingdom, Lisbon. Last August, the Portuguese ocean-going fleet set sail from Lisbon and headed south, passing through Madeira Islands, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, and through Guinea.
Bay, close to the Gold Coast, and finally arrived at the newly built Elmina Fort this spring.
At Elmina Fort, the ocean-going fleet was divided into two. Two-thirds of the ships in the fleet, and most of the soldiers, were led by Sir Dias.
Stationed at the port.
Sir Dias will lead more than 600 sailors and soldiers on the ship to conquer the nearby indigenous tribes. The royal order is very clear, that is, gold, gold, more gold! They will cleanse the surrounding villages as much as possible, plundering expensive
of gold, capture strong slaves, and then work as miners into the gold mines around Fort Elmina.
Captain Diogo led five caravel sailboats and continued southward. He crossed the equatorial windless zone with difficulty, lost one sailboat, and reached the mouth of the wide Congo River again. Then, the turbulent river, the boundless rainforest,
The gathering swarm of mosquitoes appeared in front of everyone again. Seeing this scene, the surviving crew members from the previous exploration were all frightened and shouted "Devil's Land".
Diogo was not afraid. With a gloomy look on his face, he personally hanged the sailor who yelled the most viciously on the bow of the ship. Then, he held the silver cross given by his old friend, prayed devoutly to God, and led the fleet without hesitation.
, sail into the river mouth and head to the devil's land.
Under the blazing sun, the fleet traveled six to seven hundred miles along the river. The devil's land was full of dark-skinned pagans, evil bloody altars, powerful indigenous kingdoms, and thousands of tribal warriors holding 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 went to the King of Congo at the invitation of the King of Congo.
Mbanza Kongo, the royal capital of Congo. There, they will tell King Nziga Nkuwu the teachings of God and try to spread the glory of God.
After a short supply of supplies, Diogo left the populated indigenous kingdom. The crowd once again went up the Congo River, looking for the legendary rich land, the powerful Kingdom of Elder John. As the fleet deepened, the population gradually became sparse, and the forest
The more dense it becomes, the more powerful the devil becomes.
One after another, the strong sailors fell powerless 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, with red rashes all over their bodies, wailing and dying in despair. The number of sailors was quickly insufficient.
The fleet was forced to abandon one sailboat. 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 and massacre several tribal villages.
Give vent to the desire of beasts and capture some local indigenous people as coolies on the ship.
Under Diogo's steely 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 him, flowing towards the mysterious and unknown east. The captain devoutly sensed the voice of God, clearly
The call seems to be right in front of you.
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 were circling among the royal flags, just like the iris tribe on the Cape, looking for the land to inhabit, chasing
With divine light.
"Dong dong dong..."
A gentle knocking sound interrupted the captain's thoughts. Diogo silently held the dagger at his waist and asked in a deep voice.
"who?"
"Honorable Royal Knight, Captain Diogo Kang. It's me, Royal Counselor, Martin Perheim."
The voice coming from the door was New Latin in the classical style. This kind of New Latin, which imitated the Roman era, had not long emerged. It was accompanied by the revival of classical art and was mainly spread 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 an old-fashioned tone.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Dear Royal Advisor, please forgive me for not being able to stand up to greet you, but please come in directly."
The door to the captain's cabin opened immediately, and a young aristocratic scholar walked in. He was only in his twenties or thirties, wearing a complicated noble dress, the cuffs of his hands and feet were deliberately tied, and under his feet were a pair of shiny cowhide boots.
The climate is so hot that the hair of noble scholars has been soaked with sweat, but the buttons on their collars are tightly buttoned.
He was the nobleman of Nuremberg, son of a member of the Venetian Republic, student of the astronomer John Muller, and court advisor to the Portuguese royal family, Martin Behem.
Martin walked in the door and sniffed his nose gently. There was an indelible smell of blood in the captain's cabin. He hesitated and asked softly.
"Captain Diogo, are you feeling better?"
"The merciful Holy Mother protects me and I am fine."
Diogo replied calmly. He had quietly covered the navigation map on the captain's desk. It was the top secret of the royal family.
"Ah! That's good."
A sincere 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! This is the latitude I have measured 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 has died of hemoptysis, and the captain himself has also died.
The joints are sore and the hands and feet are trembling. This important work can only be left to the young aristocratic scholar Martin. By the way, in the current era, longitude cannot be measured accurately and can only be estimated by senior 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 ocean voyage was not the romance he imagined.
.
Difficult accommodation, extremely bad food, and a seemingly endless voyage tortured the young noble scholar all the time. The seemingly gentle captain killed people, as ruthlessly as a lion. The vulgar sailor's hands were stained with blood.
There are repressed beasts on the boat, but they are even more cruel than the beasts on the shore. What is even more terrifying is the curse of the devil in this land! It silently takes away the living lives, completely unable to defend against it, not to mention origin and blood.
!
Martin stood for a long time until the captain looked over. His gaze was so sharp that it seemed 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 not say it out. 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 eyebrows 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 remembered the etiquette of the aristocracy again. So the aristocratic 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 hurriedly leave. He straightened his back and kept holding the dagger by his side with his right hand, turning into a silent statue. After a while, the captain's cabin door knocked again.
rang, 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, my dear captain."
Diogo nodded. He looked at the outstanding nephew of 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 raised his head and looked 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 became 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 sounds besides prayer?"
"others..."
Bruno paused for a while before replying in a low voice.
"There are indeed 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 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?"
"Ah? Yes, Captain. She is the sister of the former boatswain Paul, 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 good 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 achievements 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 blessing of the Virgin, the honest and brave fishermen, farmers and mountain people, all the Portuguese will stand together and never succumb to their eastern neighbors. 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 looked at the captain's resolute face and couldn't help but kneel down on one knee and made 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, his expression was 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's spine went cold and he broke into a cold sweat. He quickly lowered his head and prayed devoutly.
"Our Lady protects us! We will definitely find the country of Elder John!"
"Holy Blessing!"
Diogo nodded calmly.
"Come on, there are still many things to do on the ship."
Bunoru saluted, then turned and left. He walked out of the hatch and looked up at the sky. The tropical sun was so hot that sweat covered his back. He took a few steps worriedly and scolded casually.
Several sailors on the deck went down to the cool 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. Quartermaster is a necessary position on every ship, responsible for the storage and distribution of weapons. In the early days of the Age of Discovery, the sources of ordinary sailors were very mixed, and their loyalty was not reliable. Most of the sailors during the voyage
Time, 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. Where is he?"
"The supply bay at the front."
The supply cabin was not far ahead. Bunoru strode over without hesitation.
The light below the deck was dim and the smell was extremely bad. Two sailors were guarding the cabin door, both carrying short knives at their waists. Seeing Bruno coming, they opened the cabin door halfway and invited Bruno to come 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 them for a moment, and cold sweat ran down the back of his neck.
"Quartermaster Martim, Boatswain Diego, Chef Haroldo, Carpenter Ivo... You, you are all here?!"
"boom!"
The cabin door behind them 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.
This chapter has been completed!