Chapter 75 The Epilogue of 1482 AD 2 - The Explorer's Pillar
Zaire River, Congo River, the longest river in black Africa. It runs from east to west, is 10,000 miles long, 200 meters deep, and 20 miles wide at the mouth. Since its formation in the Pleistocene, the Congo River has been turbulent for two million years.
It flows. It completely witnesses the origin of human beings, gave birth to prehistoric civilization, and also preserves the last traces of dinosaurs.
Today, it appears for the first time in the eyes of Western explorers, witnessing the arrival of a new era.
Expedition leader and flagship captain Diogo Con silently crossed himself on his chest. Where there is a river with fresh water, there are people and tribes. Where does this river lead? What is at the end? No one knows at this time.
.
The fleet first patrolled the river mouth for a while, but no dangerous enemies or wild beasts were found for the time being. The sailors observed the distant smoke and determined that they needed to go deep into the rain forest. Then, Captain Diogo Kang commanded the flagship and led the fleet into the river mouth.
"Bruno Kang, measure the depth of the water!" Diogo Kang ordered solemnly, he was the king of this ship.
Bruno, a senior sailor, began to hurriedly tie the rope to the plumb weight and threw it into the river. Paul helped beside him. The rope sank quickly and soon reached the end.
"Captain, the rope is exhausted." Bruno reported respectfully.
"Tie on the spare cable and continue measuring." The captain's orders must be obeyed absolutely. On the sea, there are two contradictory iron rules, one is strict hierarchy, and the other is one person, one vote.
The sailors were busy for a while, and it was not until they added the cable three times that the rope finally became soft and the plumb bob reached the bottom.
"How many?"
"Three cables, eh, 230 meters!" Bruno counted on his fingers for a while before shouting in shock. He could calculate basic mathematics, which is why the captain asked him to measure.
Two hundred and thirty meters! Everyone looked at each other. The depth of this kind of river even exceeds the depth of some offshore waters.
Captain Diogo Kang nodded calmly. At this amazing depth, no ship in the world would have to worry about running aground on the rocks. He then directed the exploration fleet to go up the river to find the source of the smoke. Along the way, the measured water depth
Always keep it around 200 meters.
There are dense rainforests on both sides of the river, and in the rainforests there are flying birds, looming wild beasts, crocodiles pretending to be dead, and buzzing mosquitoes everywhere.
Bunoru looked at the mosquitoes on the river with disgust. They had gathered into clusters visible to the naked eye, making a whirlwind-like buzz. The warm wind blew through the sailboats, bringing fresh human smell, and the mosquitoes buzzed.
They gradually came closer, like bloodthirsty monsters.
"These damn tropical mosquitoes! Each one is as big as my finger, and I don't know how painful it will be if you are bitten!" Bunoru tied the noble hat tightly, then tied up the collar, cuffs and trouser legs, and hid his body under the
In the noble robes.
"Hey, Brother Bunoru. As a man, you are not afraid of bleeding or being stabbed. Why are you afraid of mosquitoes?" Paul looked carefree in a short jacket and drove away the mosquitoes with his hands without hesitation. "I have some doubts now, my sister.
If I follow you, will I be able to live a happy life?"
"Damn it, you'll know when your sister follows me! By the way, tell me, do the natives here have gold?" Bunoru looked at the smoke rising from nowhere, and the desire in his heart was like a cat scratching at him.
itch.
"There must be! But I don't know how much. foda-se! Last time we worked all night, and the result was two pieces of gold, which was not enough. Everyone almost started to work." Paul also looked expectantly at the smoke in the distance. He
He licked his lips subconsciously and touched the scimitar at his waist.
At this moment, a lean indigenous warrior suddenly appeared on the bank of the river. He wore a red feather on his head, like a canopy of grass. There was a necklace of bones around his neck. These belonged to senior warriors.
symbol.
The indigenous warrior's left hand held a long wooden shield half a man's height, and his right hand held a nearly two-meter spear. At the top was an iron spearhead that was one palm long and half a palm wide. The fine iron shone coldly in the sun. His whole body
Wearing only a crotch cloth, he smeared thick mud and dung all over his body. Mosquitoes flew past him calmly, and occasionally one or two landed on his hand, like obedient pets.
The indigenous warriors casually crushed the mosquitoes to death and threw them into their mouths. Tribes in the rainforest have a long tradition of eating mosquitoes because there are so many mosquitoes that they can be kneaded into dough. Mosquitoes are the best protein supplement, and the source is far more stable than hunting. He
He looked at the huge boat on the river with some confusion and the vague white-skinned man on the boat.
The tribal priests mentioned the boats floating on the water in the northwest, and also mentioned the weapons that made huge roars on the distant northeastern plateau. Therefore, he knew that these were boats, not beasts. But such a big boat carrying such a big
Two pieces of cloth, and a white-skinned alien?
Seeing the indigenous warriors on the shore, Paul's eyes narrowed, he picked up the early matchlock gun in the weapon barrel and began to load it. Bruno next to him was a little confused.
"Paul, what are you going to do?"
"Foda-se! The iron spear native with a head full of chicken feathers! This is a real tough one, it can hit people quickly and hard. My last brother was just like this. While he is stupid now, let me kill him! Save it!
Encountered on shore at the back."
In less than half a minute, Paul finished loading and lit the match, just like a well-trained elite musketeer. He placed the matchlock on the side of the ship and began to aim with one eye.
"The captain hasn't spoken yet, don't be stupid!" Bruno pressed the matchlock eagerly to stop him.
"Let him shoot!" Captain Diogo Kang had come to the side at some point. Perhaps, although his eyes were looking outside the ship, his ears could always hear everything on the ship clearly.
Bruno retracted his hand obediently. Paul was stunned for a moment, looked at the captain's majestic face, his hand trembled slightly, and then he still pulled the trigger.
Driven by the trigger, the metal hook pushed the match rope into the fire door, and the match rope immediately ignited the black powder. There was a huge roar in an instant, and a lead bullet was launched with an initial velocity of 200 meters per second. The kinetic energy was quickly transformed by air resistance.
It turned into heat energy, and in less than a second, the hot projectile struck the ground nearly ten meters away from the indigenous warrior, splashing up a cloud of soil.
"Good marksmanship!"
The captain nodded. The shooting error at a distance of nearly two hundred meters was less than ten meters. He was indeed an elite musketeer. Since there was no rifling, the accuracy of the early matchlocks could only be maintained within a hundred meters. After the matchlocks exceeded this distance, they wanted to
To effectively kill people, we can only rely on the probability coverage of large-scale shooting.
Hearing the loud noise and seeing the splashing soil, the indigenous warrior subconsciously ducked back. He took two steps and hid behind a tree. He continued to wait for more than ten seconds, but did not hear the roaring attack again.
He then stood up from behind the tree and came out, facing the big ship on the river, waving the spear and wooden shield in his hand, roaring angrily and helplessly. On the deck of the sailboat, there was a noble captain in neat clothes and carrying a sword.
There are also cruel sailors holding matchlocks and daggers.
This picture is so symbolic! Witnessed by the Congo River, a new era has arrived! The same picture will appear again, in Angola, in South Africa, in Zimbabwe, in Mozambique, in Mombasa, in
Somaliland, then out of Africa to the Red Sea coast, to India, across Sri Lanka, to the Spice Islands, across the Straits of Malacca, to the Philippines, to Taiwan, and finally Japan and China.
When people later open the map of the world and see a series of peaks, islands, straits, ports and colonies with Western names along the important shipping routes, they may feel a sense of the adventures and conquests that have happened in the past!
Under the attack of European exploration ships and warships, the Americas will be ruthlessly destroyed, and the colonists will take away everything in the Americas. Africa will be brutally plundered. Under the protection of tropical diseases, the colonists will stop outside the African rainforest.
.
On the corpses of the infants of American civilization and the flesh and blood of the children of African civilization, the young European civilization is growing rapidly, growing at a rate ten times that of the past thousand years, step by step, into a giant that conquers all.
They will have bigger ships, better muskets, and install various cannons on the ships to claim the wealth of the world. Then they will further strengthen their power and establish a more efficient killing system until they can install cannons in various Asian countries.
doorstep.
In the end, the European giants occupied the entire world and brought wars that destroyed each other, just like heading towards the dusk in Nordic mythology. Everything was like an eternal cycle, heading towards the fate that had been predicted!
If no one changes, all of Shulot's "memories" will continue to repeat themselves. History flows like the Congo River, sweeping into the future of different races with the irresistible trend of the times, and has determined the future for five hundred years.
Rise and fall!
Captain Diogo Kang frowned as he watched the indigenous warriors roar in the face of sailboats and muskets.
"Not afraid of big ships, not afraid of muskets? Good iron weapons, strong desire to fight, this is a professional warrior. Coupled with such huge fresh water resources... there must be a large tribe with inheritance nearby!"
"Bosun! Keep an eye on the sailors and don't go ashore privately! Before you know the strength of the indigenous tribes here, put away all your banditry!"
Diogo Con glanced around the sailors majestically, and his sharp eyes stayed on Paul's fierce face for a moment. He continued to inspect his subjects until the other party lowered his head. Everyone bowed their heads and obeyed. The flag officer issued a signal and informed
The rest of the fleet was "cautious and stationed."
The fleet patrolled upriver for a day, and everyone spent another day on the boat until they saw the first village. Following the fleet, dozens of tribal warriors were attracted to the river bank, including indigenous warriors wearing feathers.
There were six or seven people.
Diogo Kang sent Bruno and the Fon interpreter to present gifts of glass beads to the village elders, who also gave feathers and some food in return.
This place also belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. The Fon people speak the Fon language in the language family, and the tribe here is a kind of Congo language. The Fon village elders invited the priest, and the Fon interpreter was able to barely communicate with the priest, and then both parties
convey to each other.
Bruno looked at the gold bracelet and headdress of the village elder, with uncontrollable desire in his eyes. But looking at the dozens of iron spear warriors behind the elder, and hearing the reply from the Feng tribe interpreter, he could only keep his desire deep in his heart.
"This is the land ruled by Mwene Congo blessed by the gods. The great chief owns hundreds of tribal villages. The twelve voodoo priests listen to the orders of the gods. One hundred warriors guard the kingdom of the gods! Foreign races
Man, I accept your friendship and return the greetings of the gods."
As he spoke, the village elder handed over a large piece of wrapped skirt tree leaves. These leaves are somewhat like palm trees in southern China and are very tough in texture.
If the tribal elders did not lie, then there would be an unexpectedly powerful indigenous kingdom here, far beyond the comparison of the loose and weak tribes on the Gold Coast.
Bruno took the leaf, which was a plant leaf he had never seen before. He smelled the long leaves, which had a special fragrance. He looked around and saw that many indigenous people were wearing grass skirts woven with this kind of leaves.
.And when he finally opened the leaf with great expectation and took a look, inside was actually kneaded into small balls and baked mosquito pancakes!
Bunoru felt extremely disgusted. He rewrapped the leaves and put them away with a bright smile on his face. Since the other party had enough force, the two sides also had a basis for friendship.
The meeting ended in a friendly and sincere atmosphere, and then they bid farewell to each other. The tribal warriors surrounded the village elders and watched enthusiastically as the big ship and the white-skinned aliens left.
After boarding the ship, Bunoru reported the results of the first meeting to the captain Diogo Kang. Everyone was surprised to hear that there was a powerful indigenous kingdom here.
Captain Diogo Kang was lost in thought. The fleet now only has one hundred and fifty sailors plus soldiers, as well as a few missionaries. If there really is a powerful kingdom upstream, and once a reckless sailor breaks out into conflict with them,
The exploration fleet was bound to suffer heavy losses. After thinking for a moment, the captain decided not to take any more risks and finish the important business first.
"The fleet returns and heads back to the mouth of the river!"
The flagship signaled "Follow, return", and the fleet easily turned around on the wide river and headed back to the mouth of the river in the west.
"Damn it! Disgusting black natives, heretics who deserve to go to hell!"
Bruno took out the bag of leaves given by the village elders with a look of disgust on his face, and raised his hand to throw it into the river. But then he saw the strange shape of the leaves. The scholars at the Sintra Palace seemed to be collecting new plant specimens? It seemed that there were still new ones.
A hefty price was paid.
Bruno thought for a while, then unfolded the leaves, threw the mosquito cake inside into the river, then folded the leaves and stuffed the skirt into his arms. He did not notice that since he took the leaves with him, he followed him all the way back.
The number of mosquitoes was significantly reduced by 90%.
"Hey, Brother Bruno, did the village elder just now wear a gold ring? I saw it flashing there on the boat." Paul's eyes flashed with desire, and he came over to inquire.
"Don't think about it. It is said that there are 10,000 warriors with iron spears here. If there are hundreds of them, we have to account for them here. Tenho saudades! Not only the gold ring, he also has a gold bracelet!" Bruno was serious at first.
Answer, and immediately fell into the frustration of not getting what he asked for.
"Foda-se! Ten thousand warriors?! foda-se! Bah, what a devil of a liar! The kingdom only has 30,000 uneven armies at most, and he said there is at least a third of the kingdom here?" Paul stared wide-eyed.
He opened his eyes and shouted loudly, obviously not believing it.
At this time, the Kingdom of Portugal had a population of 1.5 million. Based on a soldier-civilian ratio of 1:50, it was only an army of 30,000. The cavalry would also consume many times the food supply than the infantry.
Bruno shrugged. In fact, he didn't believe it, but the captain had already ordered to return. The two of them could only look at the distant village, falling into the melancholy of Portuguese men.
After another day of return, the fleet returned to the mouth of the Congo River where it flows into the South Atlantic Ocean. Captain Diogo Kang found a suitable harbor next to the mouth of the river, and the fleet anchored here.
Then, the sailors began to land and set up camp. The captain Diogo Kang, who was dressed in aristocratic clothing, was neatly dressed and looked solemn. Because today is a special day.
Captain Diogo Con found a highland near the river. He ordered the sailors to use a small boat to transport a prepared padrão, an explorer's pillar. The top of the pillar was a cross representing God, and below the cross was a symbol of the Portuguese royal family.
The coat of arms, and below it is the inscription that was carved just yesterday.
“By the grace of Almighty God, and with the patronage of the great King João II of Portugal and the Algarve, Diogo Con, son of a nobleman, first discovered the Congo River and its basin on August 28, 1482. He placed
This rich land and people are dedicated to the great Kingdom of Portugal, and the royal family has the absolute rights promised by God to this land! This right is unquestionable! Bless King Alfonso V who embraces the Kingdom of God! Pray for us!”
This stone pillar symbolizes the first time Portugal discovered and occupied the land here. As for the original owners of this land? The weak indigenous kingdoms are not recognized by the civilized countries of Europe. To Westerners, this is just an unclaimed land!
When night fell, bonfires were lit. More than a hundred sailors and soldiers on seven ships gathered together. The chaplains on board lit prayer candles. Today is a special day. Former King Alfonso V embraced God
commemoration of the first anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
In fact, the sailors had no feelings for the king, and it didn't matter whether they commemorated it or not. But the people who really controlled the fleet were, after all, the noble sons who were loyal to the king. Everyone wore formal clothes, followed the instructions of the priest, and began to pray for the king and themselves.
“Holy Saint Alfonso,
My great king,
Please pray for us!
The glorious Trinity in heaven.
"
"In the light of Almighty God,
Please give me a living faith,
Think wisely about everyone, everything and everything.
I will offer you my sincere devotion,
Use my temporary body to elevate my eternal soul,
Just like your choice.
My love for Jesus bathes me in the holy fire,
I long for his sacraments,
Burning with passion to spread His glory.
"
“Through your powerful intercession,
Help me fulfill my duty to God,
Save myself and the world!
Infinite faith in the Virgin Mary,
Bless the purity of my soul,
bless every day of my life,
Keep me from mortal sin,
Obtain for me the grace of a happy death.
Amen.
"
“O God, seeker of peace and great piety,
Glorified Saint Alfonso of Portugal,
He took the land from the heathen,
Through his efforts,
We create the glory of God,
Therefore they are called children of God.
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
an eternal God,
Reign forever!
Amen.
"
“Heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful gifts you have given us,
Thank you for providing the example of Saint Alfonso, Portugal.
Regardless of hardships and tribulations,
We will always be loyal to you.
Offering you this new land and lamb!
Through the powerful intercession of Saint Alfonso,
We ask for your protection and glory,
We implore you to grant us wealth and strength,
Let us find the way to the east,
Let us find the kingdom of mighty King John,
God's people will unite,
Let the glory of God shine in the world!
For 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will
are called children of God.’
We ask all this through Jesus Christ,
Looking forward to eventual peace.
Amen.
"
"Pray for us and bless Saint Alfonso.
In order to make us worthy of the promises of Christ.
San Alfonso, Portugal,
Pray for the strength of our country.
Saint Alfonso, please pray for us!
Saint Alfonso, please pray for us!
Saint Alfonso, please pray for us!
"
Although Alfonso V was not canonized, this did not prevent the king's people from praying for him with the rituals of a saint. In the pious Middle Ages, every Catholic believer had a natural obligation to spread religion. They must become a flame and burn the flames.
Light is brought to the world and burns away all uncleanness. What is unclean? In this cruel era, the meaning is self-evident.
More than a hundred nobles, sailors, soldiers and missionaries shared a night full of tranquility and joy. They dedicated the land of the Congo River to God and gained inner satisfaction and comfort in this land far away from their hometown. They also
He made his request to God and at the same time firmly believed in God’s protection.
They seemed to have returned to their peaceful hometown. Of course, there would not be so many mosquito swarms in their hometown that stay up all night and stay awake all year round.
Early the next morning, Captain Diogo Kang was ready to set off. He wanted to continue moving forward and explore the sea route to the south. Diogo Kang only took six ships with him, leaving one parked at the mouth of the river, and assigned the remaining ships to guard
An important mission.
"Bruno Kang! I leave you 20 people and a ship. You have to get in touch with the indigenous kingdom upstream! As the son of a noble, you can temporarily represent the kingdom. Remember, maintain good relations with powerful tribes,
Try to get as many maps and information as possible and find out about King John’s kingdom! After the mission is completed, stay at the mouth of the river and wait for me to come back. God bless us!”
Captain Diogo Kang gave a serious order. He ordered the sailors to use their lives to complete the land exploration.
"I obey your orders, my dear captain. God bless us!"
Bruno was so excited that he almost burst into tears. This is a hero's mission. He will represent the great civilized Kingdom of Portugal and make the first contact with the backward and barbaric natives of the Congo!
Captain Diogo Kang nodded, and he took one hundred and thirty people on the road. Six Calavia sailing boats flexibly left the river mouth and headed to the unknown south. What awaited them there was a new land, the coast of South Angola.
.
Bruno took Paul and the sailors on an exploratory sailboat. Surrounded by mosquitoes, they headed back up the Congo River.
