The Rise of the European Emperor

After Kohler received the order, he hurriedly sent an envoy to change horses along the road, and quickly went to Portugal, where he contacted his long-term partner, Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, and asked to buy African cattle.

"What? Grand Duke Marin wants to buy African cattle from the Mali Empire? Why?" Jorge de Lencastre, Duke of Coimbra, was confused. The cow, isn't the European cow bad?

The messenger Karen did not hide it, but said honestly:

"It's like this, Your Majesty, the island of Cuba under the Grand Duke Marin has experienced high temperatures this year, and most of the cattle have died from the heat. Obviously, European cattle are not well adapted to the hot climate in the tropics. This has affected Cuba. The island's sugar cane has been planted, so the Grand Duke sent me to order African cattle from you. Presumably with the Grand Duke's power in Africa, it is not difficult to get some local cattle from the natives, right?"

Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, did not answer Cullen immediately, but suddenly realized:

"I said that my draught horses and oxen in Sao Tome always died of heat. It turns out that European cattle and horses are not adapted to the hot climate in Africa!"

"Lord Duke?"

Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, also reacted at this time and responded:

"You said about buying scalpers in the Mali Empire. I can indeed get some for you, but the amount cannot be guaranteed. Because the Kingdom of Portugal is currently at war with the Mali Empire!"

"War?" Karen was a little stunned.

"Yes, the war! Moreover, the reason for the war was caused by your Grand Duke Marin!" Then, Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, introduced the situation to Cullen in detail.

It turned out that in order to divert the attention of Spain and Portugal, Marin specially told the two countries, Timbuktu and Great Zimbabwe, the two major gold producing areas in Africa. Portugal has been assigned to Timbuktu and naturally has to act.

The Portuguese first did business with merchants along the coast of Guinea, the Mali Empire, and bribed those merchants to inquire about Timbuktu.

Timbuktu was once the territory of the Mali Empire until 1468 when it was taken by the emerging Songhai Empire. Therefore, Malian businessmen naturally know the news of Timbuktu. Bought by the Portuguese, the Malian businessman happily disclosed the news to the Portuguese, and also confirmed the news that Timbuktu is the golden capital of Africa.

This time, the whole of Portugal was a sensation. King Manuel I of Portugal and his ministers,

Immediately made a strategy of sending troops to Guinea, first occupying the Mali Empire, and then marching into Timbuktu.

Today, the Portuguese army has occupied the coastal areas of Guinea and is launching an attack on the interior of Guinea. However, things didn't go well.

As predicted by Marin, the declining army of the Mali Empire could not stand against the Portuguese army. However, the hot climate in Africa has become the enemy of the Portuguese army.

Currently, the Portuguese army is only occupying the coastal areas of Guinea. But wanting to go deep inland, the soldiers were very uncomfortable. Guinea has complex terrain and tropical rainforest density. The Portuguese army was in position and could certainly defeat the regular army of the Mali Empire. However, in the tropical rain forest, the Portuguese's battle formation cannot be used. Especially the cavalry, completely useless. Portugal's most powerful knight army is even more useless. Because, as long as a knight wears a full set of plate armor, he will suffer from heat stroke... let alone knights, a warhorse wearing horse armor will also suffer from heat stroke in the hot climate of Guinea...

Therefore, the Portuguese's offensive progress is slow, and it is basically a feeling of moving forward step by step. That is to say, every time you hit a place, first repair the castle, and then overhaul it. Then enslaved the local black people to cut down the jungle, open up the road...until the road is repaired, and then continue to attack...In this way, the progress becomes very slow...

However, all this has nothing to do with Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra. Because, in this operation, King Manuel I of Portugal did not take him to play...

why? Because Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, and Manuel I were not the same. Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, is the illegitimate son of the former King Joao II of Portugal. After his real son, Prince Alfonso, accidentally fell off a horse while hunting, Joao II went to Rome to ask the Pope to agree to let his illegitimate son Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, inherit the throne. but failed. And it was Manuel I who finally won the throne of Portugal, so Manuel I and Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, were not the same. Moreover, Joao II personally ordered the execution of Diogo, Duke of Viseu, the elder brother of Manuel I. Therefore, the two are actually very incompatible. If it were not for Joao II's condition of succession to the throne, Manuel I would not have made Jorge de Rencastre the Duke of Coimbra, and made the Islands of Madeira and Sao Tome The rights to the island were given to him.

Therefore, in this operation to capture the golden capital of Timbuktu, Manuel I attracted many great nobles, but he did not take Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, to play, so the Duke The adults are very depressed.

It is precisely because of this that Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, said that he could not guarantee how much he could get. After all, Portugal now only occupies the coast of the Guinea region, and the number of African cattle that can be obtained is certainly not large. Moreover, the Portuguese forces occupying the coast are not in the same league as Jorge de Lencastre, Duke of Coimbra. Jorge de Lencastre couldn't guarantee how much he could get.

As for trading with the Mali Empire for African cattle, it might be possible before the war. But now that Portugal and the Mali Empire have torn their faces, it is impossible for the other party to sell cattle to the Portuguese...

...

Karen's face was full of bitterness, but the task had to be completed. So he tried to ask:

"Then, Your Excellency, can you get African cattle from other African countries? Whatever cattle are, as long as they are heat-resistant!"

Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra thought for a while and said:

"When you say that, I remember that my territory, Sao Tome Island, is not far from the Kingdom of Congo, but I can go to the Kingdom of Congo to buy cattle. Do you know about Congo? It's the one whose king converted to Christianity!"

Last year, the newly enthroned King Alfonso I of Congo (originally did not know his name, but changed his name after converting to Christianity) converted to Christianity, making the Kingdom of Congo the first Christian country in West Africa (Congo is not the first in Africa). A Christian country, Ethiopia in East Africa converted to Christianity very early, but it is Orthodox), the first Catholic country in Africa.

Portugal hyped it up, claiming credit for spreading the glory of Catholicism, and demanding more colonial mandates. If Spain hadn't been credited with destroying Granada, the country of Allah, the Portuguese would have had their tails raised to the sky.

Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, has close contacts with the Kingdom of Congo, because a large part of the black slaves in his hands were obtained through the Kingdom of Congo. The Kingdom of Congo waged war against surrounding tribes, captured black slaves, and sold them to Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra. Therefore, the two sides have close relations, and it is no problem to buy African cattle from the Kingdom of Congo.

"By the way, there is also the Kingdom of Benin!" Jorge de Rencastle added after thinking about it. Benin is also a partner of the slave trade of Jorge de Rencastre, Duke of Coimbra, and belongs to the "supplier". Buying African cattle from Benin is no problem. In this way, the supply problem of African cattle is solved... ()