The Sun and the Lion

"The bounded sea belongs to Greece and Rome; the boundless sea belongs to Portugal."

Just above the rough Indian Ocean, a fleet consisting of two carracks and a caravel is sailing north along the summer southwest monsoon. The white sail of the sailboat is painted with the cross pattern of the Knights of Christ with red dye, and the flag of the Portuguese royal family hangs high on the mast.

The so-called Knights of Christ are the remnants of the Knights Templar in Portugal. After the destruction of the Knights Templar, the Portuguese court took the opportunity to reorganize the country's military orders, allowing these warriors who were once under the jurisdiction of the Holy See to serve the ambitions of the Portuguese court. .

The commander of this fleet was Vasco da Gama, a famous Portuguese nobleman in later generations. At this time, he was standing in the captain's room of the flagship San Gabriel, studying the Indian Ocean navigation guide and charts obtained from Malindi - —The translator on the ship completed the translation as quickly as possible after obtaining the information, allowing the commander and the other two captains to have a preliminary understanding of the navigation conditions in the Indian Ocean and the trade routes that have been used for thousands of years.

On the table were not only charts and navigation guides, but also logbooks and information given to him by the Portuguese court, including the targets set by King Manuel and the spies Pero da Covilhã in Egypt and Syria. Collected information on Indian Ocean trade.

His goal is simple. According to various rumors and the information collected by Covilian, Manuel believes that there is a group of Christians in India who can serve as allies of Portugal. The mission of Vasco da Gama's fleet is to detour around the Cape of Good Hope. The Malabar Coast came into contact with the "Christian friend" Calicut Zamorin and established friendly relations. For this purpose, the Portuguese court also specially prepared a batch of gifts and a personal letter from the king.

"Your Excellency, Commander." The herald knocked on the door of the captain's cabin, saluted his superiors and reported: "The lookout reported seeing the coast."

Vasco da Gama cleared the table for a while and then followed the herald out of the cabin and went to the height of the poop to observe.

The tropical sun scorches everything, and the clear weather also brings a wide and clear view, including fishing boats offshore, merchant ships coming and going, wooden houses and people passing by on the beach, and the Western Ghats further away. Mountain.

According to the information previously obtained, this should be the Malabar Coast, but it is best to get off the boat to confirm first.

The sailors of the San Gabriel lowered their boats. Vasco da Gama, the Arabic interpreter and the flag officer rode in one boat, and the soldiers responsible for escorting the commander took the other two boats.

When the three boats docked, the gunners of the San Gabriel fired a salute to announce the presence of the Portuguese fleet to the locals. At the same time, two boats of soldiers came ashore, and they unloaded the stone pillars from the boat carrying the commander.

The stone columns carried by the Portuguese fleet were prepared in advance, including the main body cut by stonemasons and the cross at the top, which were fixed by pouring molten lead into the grooves.

“In the 1498th year of the Incarnation of the Lord, Vasco da Gama, commander of the fleet and captain of the San Gabriel, Paul da Gama, captain of the San Rafael, Berio The captain of the USS Nicola Coelho...etc., by the Lord's blessing, discovered this place by order of the greatest King Manuel."

After carving the main inscriptions on site, they immediately retreated to the boat on the shore, and the ready breech-mounted swivel gun was aimed at the Indians who gathered out of curiosity.

The commander immediately shouted to the Indians through an interpreter, asking local dignitaries to come and talk to him.

After some talking, an Arab businessman who happened to be in the local market was able to meet Vasco da Gama's needs. He and his entourage successfully passed through the Portuguese soldiers and stood in front of the commander.

"I am the commander of the fleet and envoy appointed by King Manuel of Portugal, and I come by the command of my Lord to befriend the monarch of Calicut of Malabar."

The translator translated the commander's purpose as accurately as possible, which surprised the curious Arab businessman. The other party claimed to be from a country he had never heard of, and the fleet behind him was not considered luxurious - Among the merchant ships and warships sailing in the Indian Ocean, there are many larger than Portuguese warships in terms of size.

Even so, he briefly introduced the local customs, geography and court etiquette of Calicut to the Portuguese.

"This city is ruled by Zamorin, who is the most powerful and wealthy monarch in the Malabar region. Find Shuyuan www.zhaｏshuyuan.com He knows how to handle complex diplomatic relations. As a foreign envoy, you will get A very grand reception. If your purpose of sailing here is to establish trade links with Calicut and you bring the appropriate goods, then I can guarantee that you will become a friend of Zamorin."

Calicut itself has no natural harbor, but Zamorin established Calicut as a trading center on the Malabar Coast with its reputation for fairness to merchants and rich products.

However, the Indian Ocean trade was almost controlled by the Devahan Christians, which formed a special phenomenon in the city of Calicut - high-caste Hindus controlled the politics and military of Calicut, while Muslims dominated the economy. Mutually beneficial parties respect each other and ensure that they do not violate each other's taboos.

The local Muslims are also divided into two groups. One group is the Mapila people who settled here, who are a mixture of Muslims and low-caste Indians. The other group is called the Meccans. Their roots are on the coast of the Red Sea. A short stay in Calicut was required for trade.

At the same time, another person in the fleet who could speak Arabic also had to disembark for activities. Manuel hoped to establish a trading post in Calicut. The operation of the trading post required merchants. However, unlike the translator, the relationship between Manuel's royal merchant and Vasco da Gama was not superior and subordinate. The commander had no right to force him to do anything. The two only cooperated to achieve the same goal stipulated by the king.

However, after being reminded by Arab businessmen, the Portuguese learned that they were not in the city of Calicut, but in an unknown coastal town.

Vasco da Gama did not intend to stay in this town any longer. With the help of the Malindi pilot, the Portuguese fleet entered the port of Calicut before sunset that day.