Chapter 1,259 Pursuit! The Portuguese Navy is dispatched
The sun was setting, and the sky was dark. The broken Santa Maria sailboat was swaying and slowly disappearing at the end of the sea level. But only an hour or two later, the "clack-clack" sound of horse hooves could be heard from the dirt road in the east. Galloping horses
The sound got closer and closer, and became more and more urgent, until a group of more than ten royal cavalry rushed up the gray cliff, and the long neigh of reining in the horse was heard.
"Law! Law!"
The cavalry captain Faig stood on the cliff with a stern expression. He rode a Lusitano horse as tall as one person, wore a breastplate with the emblem of the Portuguese royal family, and a blue feather helmet on his head.
He held the reins with one hand and pressed the other hand on the cavalry sword at his waist. Further back, there was a shield with the knight's seal on the horse and a flag gun with the royal flag. This set of expensive
The equipment undoubtedly showed his identity as a knight belonging to the Portuguese royal family. Behind the knight, there were two leather-armored followers in light armor holding swords and no flag guns, and they were driving four or five horses at the same time.
Prepare your horse and maintain the ability to run one or two hundred miles a day.
"They're gone...a group of cunning sea rats, gangsters who deserve to be beheaded!..."
Faig squinted his eyes, looked at the empty sea for a while, and waved his hand coldly.
“Go to the village!…”
The small team of cavalry turned their horses and trotted towards the fishing village at the foot of the hill. Soon, the silent fishing village became noisy again, accompanied by burning torches and the horrified shouts of the villagers. After a shrill scream, everyone
The shouts suddenly stopped, leaving only the stern torture of the guards. As for the remaining cavalry, they violently kicked open the door of the house and mercilessly took away the villagers' food to feed them on the run.
The precious war horse spent most of the day. As the most important partner of the cavalry, the status of the war horse is naturally much higher than that of the humble villagers.
"law…"
Faig gently stroked the horse and fed handfuls of oats just brought from the village. He turned a blind eye to the interrogation and screams next to him, as well as the body lying on the ground. In such a remote village,
The knight master is the god of the villagers. Trial and execution are not big things. Free people who offend the master will be killed at will. This is especially true for serfs, who are not even as good as expensive big animals.
Only in large cities with prosperous commerce and strict laws, or towns with large churches and high-ranking priests, do noble knights need to restrain themselves a little. At least for the sake of their own reputation, they must be able to live well on the surface.
"Captain, there is a result!"
After a while, a guard hurriedly came over, with a somewhat dignified face and some inexplicable excitement. He ran to Faig and whispered a few words in his ear. Faig was startled, with confusion on his face.
"Huh? A big ship without a flag, but not a bandit on the sea? They sent expensive cotton cloth to the villagers and asked for local news? They also took away a serf?... It's not cotton cloth, it's cotton thread without spinning.
Tuan? It’s really strange…”
"What! The accent is very suspicious? It's hard to understand, like the accent in the mountains to the east? How could the mountain people in the mountains to the east have a big ship?... How big is that ship? So big! A two-decker sailboat?!...
"
"There are only a few such large sailing ships in the kingdom. How can the mountain people have them?...A shabby sailing ship with an accent from the mountains in the east...So, what do you suspect?...Hmm!!..."
After hearing the last word, Faig's pupils shrank instantly, and his eyes suddenly became sharp.
"Damn it! It's the sheep-loving Castilians! Their large sailing ship has quietly bypassed Lisbon and appeared on the northern coast?!... The royal family's southern continental fleet has just arrived, loaded with gold and spices.
Lisbon. The Castilians came to spy on them, without even raising a flag, and then escaped quietly?... It must be like this, this must be a spy ship! The things they gave to the villagers were just for
Buy tips and spy on the inside story of the kingdom!…”
By this time, the seriousness of the matter had completely changed. From the "suspicious pirate" initially reported by Zhuangtou, it became a dangerous "enemy spy". And there is no doubt that solving such a major case can
Considered an important achievement of the cavalry squad!
"The Lord is a witness! I have to go back overnight and report back to the royal steward in Coimbra. Then report such important information to the king's court in Sintra!"
Faig thought for a moment and got on his saddle horse without staying for a moment. The cavalry behind him also got on the unloaded saddle horse. However, the saddle horse was limited, and there were seven or eight cavalry left behind. They wanted to
Only after feeding the heavily laden horses can we continue our return journey. Before leaving, Faig left a follower behind and gave solemn instructions.
"Zhuangtou here is riding a mule. He is moving slowly and is still behind... When Zhuangtou comes back, explain the seriousness of the matter to him!..."
"There are serfs in the manor who are smuggling with the enemy, and there is also a person who has boarded the ship with the kingdom's intelligence. This is not a trivial matter... The problem in the manor is huge! Even if his sister is the lover of the priest, there is nothing we can do about this matter.
Help him explain..."
"Nothing! Considering that he took the initiative to communicate and was loyal to the royal family, it can be regarded as hard work...I, the royal knight Faig, can explain something to him in front of the royal butler!...As long as...well...to the royal family
Sincerely…two copies…one for me and one for the royal butler…”
Speaking of this, Faig winked and made a gesture, and the subordinate smiled knowingly. This time the cavalry squad was dispatched, it seemed that they could not only achieve meritorious service, but also get a lot of benefits, which is really good.
"Walk!…"
"Da da…"
The sound of horse hooves sounded again, and torches illuminated the night road. When the dusk deepened and became brighter, the outline of the city of Coimbra appeared on the edge of the flat river valley. Faig passed through the guarded city gate and ran through the narrow
The streets led to the open aristocratic area, and finally arrived at the Duke's Palace of Coimbra, which had no owner. Soon, a loud and firm voice sounded from the small courtyard next to the Duke's Palace.
"Faig, you have done a good job, you are very sharp and decisive!... God bless you! In the face of the powerful kingdom's navy, these Castilians who are spying on the kingdom's southern route will never escape!..."
"Damn it! After the attack on Granada, these Castilians became more and more aggressive and dared to follow our southern fleet! The kingdom must take action and give them some warning lessons!..."
"I will send men to immediately send a message to the port of Porto in the north! You take two people to the south and report to His Majesty the King in Sintra Palace in person, requesting the navy of Lisbon in the south to dispatch!..."
"Blessed Mother! No matter how the Castilian sailing ship sneaked here... Under the search of the kingdom's northern and southern navies, they will never escape!..."
"Yes! Blessed Mother!"
The clatter of horses' hooves sounded again, running through the bluestone road, through the paths in the forest, through large fertile fields, and through increasingly dense canals, and finally arrived at the mouth of the Tagus River, where the prosperous
The big city of Lisbon!
Then, the royal envoy rushed out of the palace in Sintra and arrived at the port outside Lisbon. An urgent royal edict was quickly delivered to the fleet at the port and to several navy captains.
in hand.
"The Lord is my witness! The exalted king is like an iris, brave and wise, and has a long life... I, the royal knight Bruno Con, will definitely risk my life to stop the cunning Castilians at sea and destroy their ambitions for the southern continent.
!…”
Bruno was impassioned and devoutly clenched his fists in front of the royal messenger and swore an oath. Then, he led his "talented" men, turned the brisk Calavia sailing ship, and sailed out of Lisbon's harbor like an arrow. At the same time, ten people
Several equally light Calavia sailing ships, all flying the Portuguese flag of the Seven Fortresses, sailed into the ocean one after another!
An invisible big net is now shrouded in the sea off Lisbon, and together with the big net in Porto in the north, it is netting the big fish of Castile in the sea, the difficult sailing Clark sailing ship, the Santa Maria...
