The Rise of the European Emperor

"I...I'm not convinced...We Portugal are the overlords of the sea..." Manuel I said, insisting.

However, Ferdinand II had the wicked idea given by Marin a few years ago. So, he said leisurely:

"I admit, Portugal is the master of the sea. But so what? We Spain, but the master of the Iberian peninsula. If you want to hang out on the Iberian peninsula, you have to be honest. You can sink all the Spanish ships. But I Don't care, I can send a large army to take Lisbon, arrest you all and toss it hard..."

"Even France, the most powerful country on land in Europe, was driven out of Italy by us. Now, Spain is the hegemon on land in Europe. Little Portugal, if you don't agree, just give it a try..." After speaking, Ferdinand II raised his head. Looking at the ceiling, a master looks lonely.

Manuel I didn't think about it before, and now I think about it, it really is. The Spanish Army is indeed too strong. At least, leave Portugal a few streets away. Now, they have defeated the French team again, and they call themselves the hegemons of the European continent, which is not bragging... At least, there is no pressure to hang Portugal...

No matter how reluctant they were, the Portuguese had to admit that even if they wiped out all the Spanish ships, they would not shake the country of Spain. However, as long as the Spanish took Lisbon, they would destroy the foundations of Portugal. Therefore, Portugal has no choice but to accept the fate of Spain's rogue threats.

Manuel I understood that it was impossible for Portugal to monopolize the interests of India. However, thinking of the division of Africa in the plan, he became angry again:

"Okay, let's not talk about India's interests. But what's the matter with you wanting the interests of Africa? Don't you have a wild continent?" How could Manuel I, who had long regarded Africa as Portugal's private land, tolerate Spain's robbery What about food?

"That's right, Spain feels that it can't manage so much land. Therefore, it has decided to give up its colonial rights in the wild continent. Moreover, the Holy See also feels that Spain does not deserve to have such a large colony..." Ferdinand II shrugged and began to shirk. responsibility.

"Not worthy?" Manuel I was a little puzzled.

"Yes, not worthy. Spain has only achieved the achievement of conquering the Kingdom of Granada. Therefore, it is too exaggerated to have a land as big as the Savage Continent. Therefore, the Holy See intends to take back the ownership of the Savage Continent and redistribute the colonies..."

"So allocating Spain to Africa? So grabbing the interests of Portugal?" Manuel I said angrily.

"Aha, Spain doesn't deserve to have a savage continent. But anyway, Spain also expelled the infidels from the Iberian peninsula. What about Portugal? A group of greedy businessmen, it doesn't deserve to have so many colonies. Besides, so many colonies , is Portugal capable of occupying it?"

"This has nothing to do with you! Also, you gave up on the wild continent, probably because of the terrible diseases and monsters there? Don't think I don't know!" Manuel I said angrily.

Ferdinand II smiled embarrassingly. Indeed, he made up his mind to give up the Savage Continent after reading Columbus's Diary of a Savage Horror, and with Marin's persuasion.

"Then the wild continent has no owner?" Manuel I asked curiously.

"It's not that there is no owner, but it is waiting for those who have made great contributions to the Holy See to receive it. For example, if Portugal can convert all the black people in the currently controlled area into Christians, the Holy See will reward you with a large tract of land on the wild continent. The same is true. , Spain, too, as long as the kingdom of Naples is handed over to the Holy See..."

Ferdinand II immediately changed the subject,

He was not happy to give away the kingdom of Naples, which he regarded as a treasure.

"In addition, if any of you can capture Jerusalem and defend it, the entire wild continent will be yours..." Julius II tempted. Ferdinand II and Manuel I both rolled their eyes - this is too difficult...

To be honest, it is not difficult to capture Jerusalem, if you add tens of thousands of troops, you will always be able to capture it. However, it is difficult to hold on to it. After all, there are quite a lot of white-robed brothers in West Asia and North Africa, and so many Arab scimitar cavalry are pressing over, who can guarantee that they can hold it?

...

After the big stick was over, Julius II decided to give Portugal a sweet date, so that Portugal would not rebound so violently that the Holy See would lose its majesty.

So, he waved his hand, and waved to Marin who was waiting on the side:

"Come here, Marin, and tell His Majesty Manuel about the Golden Country in Africa!"

"The Golden State?" Manuel I was immediately interested. The Portuguese were exploring the coast of Africa just to find this thing...

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Marin said, unfolding a map of Africa in front of Manuel I, and then said:

"Your Majesty, have you heard of the story of 'Golden Sultan' Mansa Musa?"

Manuel I naturally heard of it. After all, on the coast of Guinea in West Africa, Portuguese businessmen had contact with the now declining Mali Empire, and naturally heard of the most luxurious monarch in the history of the Mali Empire.

Of course, Manuel I has only heard some distorted legends, and he is not sure. However, Marin told him that when his teacher "Einstein" was traveling in Egypt, he had seen detailed records about "Golden Sultan" Mansa Musa.

Then, Marin told Manuel I what he had told Ferdinand II...

"What? Mansa Musa really brought 33,000 pounds of gold to the pilgrimage?" Manuel I was also surprised. In the past, although he knew a little about the legend of "Golden Sultan", he was also dubious. However, Marin told him firmly that it was true, how not to surprise him...

"It is absolutely true, according to records, when Mansa Musa passed through Cairo, he splurged on gold, causing the price of gold in Cairo to plummet, and it did not recover within 20 years. For this, you can send someone to Egypt to check relevant historical materials. , the specific year is from 1324 to 1325."

Seeing that Marin said so firmly, Manuel I had to believe it. Moreover, the Portuguese have also heard some related deeds in their contacts with the weakened Mali Empire. Only, there is no confirmation. After all, the Portuguese don't believe the rhetoric of black Africans. However, the Egyptian records should be credible.

"Look, Your Majesty, this is Timbuktu on the River Niger..." Marin pointed to a location on the map.

"Wait... Is this Timbuktu the legendary gold trading center of the Mali Empire?" Manuel I obviously knew a lot about the history of the Mali Empire, not as white as Ferdinand II.

"Yes, that's Timbuktu. The 33,000 pounds of gold that 'Golden Sultan' Mansa Musa brought to Mecca was actually collected from taxes collected in the trade market in Timbuktu. Taxes can get so much gold, if you take this city..."

Before Marin finished speaking, Manuel I and Ferdinand II both had their eyes lighted up...

However, thinking of the 66.1 billion pounds of copper in Zambia, Ferdinand II forcibly suppressed the desire for Timbuktu.

"Are you sure you are in this position?" King Manuel I of Portugal swallowed and asked excitedly.

In fact, in Europe, the legend of Timbuktu has been around for a long time. However, it was a city in the desert, far inland. Europeans have only heard of its legend, but do not know the exact location. As a result, Timbuktu has not been found for hundreds of years. The first European occupation of Timbuktu was in 1894. At that time, the gold trade in Timbuktu had long since declined. There are two main factors - one is that the gold in the Mandinka Plateau is almost mined. The gold of the coastal Gold Coast (Ghana) and Guinea was plundered directly from the coastal areas by Western colonists. In this way, the flow of gold into Timbuktu naturally decreased.

"Oh, by the way, Your Majesty Manuel, I heard from the teacher that in 1496, Muhammad Duer, the emperor of the Askia Dynasty of the Songhai Empire at that time, carried 300,000 gold coins and made a 'second gold Pilgrimage, although this time is not as large as that of Mansa Musa. However, the Askia Dynasty was only established in 1493, and naturally there are not many gold reserves. But if Portugal gets Timbuktu, I believe...”

Manuel I nodded, letting nature know what Marin was talking about. Moreover, he plans to send someone to Cairo to check if there are two golden pilgrimages. If the pilgrimage in 1496 is true, then Timbuktu is clearly a strategic location with high gold content, worthy of Portuguese occupation.

However, he frowned and looked at places such as Zimbabwe, which were marked as Spain on the map, and asked:

"Where is it?"

"The place allocated to Spain, Zimbabwe, also has gold. It's just not as much as West Africa. It has to be counted, much less than West Africa. Therefore, His Holiness the Pope intends to give Morocco to Spain to conquer. Its ultimate purpose , is to turn Morocco into a Christian region..." Marin explained.

"The Portuguese trading point in Morocco..."

"When Spain takes control of Morocco, presumably Portuguese businessmen will not be able to operate..."

Manuel I nodded, naturally understanding this truth. If the Spaniards occupied Morocco, it would never be possible to give the Portuguese back their trade interests. Moreover, Portugal is indeed not confident that it can beat so many cavalry in Morocco. It’s okay to get a few bunkers on the coast, but to go inland, that’s not what the Portuguese army can do…

It's just that Manuel I is so unwilling to let Spain occupy the golden country called Zimbabwe...

At this time, Julius II spoke:

"If Portugal accepts this proposal, then I will call the shots and award China's colonial power to Portugal!" Julius II sent another big sweet date...

Manuel I was suddenly short of breath - Huaxia, it is said to be a place richer than India, it seems to be worth it... He was not wrong before, but with this compensation, he has long since flown out of the sky. Even, Manuel I was a little bit happy...

Of course, he doesn't know the trap in this sentence - China's colonial power is simply a pit...

Ferdinand II naturally knew the power of Daming - Marin had told him before. So, he has no objection...

At this time, the Ming Dynasty was at its peak, and it was in its prosperous period. How could it be that the Portuguese, who were just five scumbags in land warfare, could covet? Giving the colonial power of the Ming Empire to Portugal is no different from not saying it... It's just that Portugal doesn't know the power of the Ming Empire...

From the first time they came to the East, until the demise of the Ming Dynasty, the Portuguese failed to complete the colonization of the Ming Dynasty. The only Macau, or a foothold through bribery, is not a colony. Because Macau was managed by Huaxia local officials until the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Portuguese did not have any consular jurisdiction here. It was not until 1887 that Portugal took advantage of the fire and looted, and signed the "China-Portugal and Good Trade" with the declining Manchu Qing Dynasty. Treaty, only then obtained the right to manage Macau.

Therefore, it is useless to give him the colonial power of China for the five scumbags of land warfare. This sweet date, the Portuguese do not have such a big appetite to eat.

Of course, Manuel I didn't know, and he was still enjoying himself...

Then, the two countries, Spain and Portugal, finally signed a treaty, agreeing to divide Africa and share the Indian spice trade.

Even the cunning Julius II, in order to deceive Venice, privately suggested that the two countries organize a joint fleet to intercept the Arab spice ships that supplied the Venetians. And this is exactly what the two countries mean. After all, with one less competitor, they get more share. Therefore, although the appearances were different, the two countries still agreed to form a joint fleet to attack the interests of the Venetians.

However, where the treaty is not obvious, Julius II added such a paragraph - in view of the mediation credit of the East Frisian Count Marin in the negotiations between the two countries, the Japanese archipelago, the large and small Ryukyu Islands (including the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan) ) colonial rights to Marin von Hoffmann...

To this end, Marin also specifically assured the two kings that Japan was a poor country, far less prosperous than China. Then, Manuel I agreed...

Because of this treaty, Spain and Portugal were jealous of Marin's gold and silver mining in Japan. But at that time, Marin's wings were already full, and it was not something they could easily offend... 8)