The Sun and the Lion

In September 1503, the Portuguese fleet led by Alfonso de Albuquerque arrived off the coast of Cochin, successfully met the monarch of Cochin, and helped him expel the Calicut army and return to the mainland.

Albuquerque did not know the previous situation on the Malabar coast. For this reason, he immediately consulted the surviving merchant owners and missionaries about what happened after da Gama returned.

"Dear Commander, how should I address you?" The Portuguese agent in Cochin looked grateful and saluted respectfully, as if Albuquerque was a king.

The commander replied briefly: "Alfonso de Albuquerque was just carrying spices back to Lisbon on the king's orders. Please tell me what terrible thing happened to you."

Albuquerque first asked about the whereabouts of the Sodre brothers. According to the news he got in Africa, da Gama arranged for the Sodre brothers to lead a small fleet to stay behind when he returned.

"Your Excellency, Commander, the Sodre brothers deserved their crime. God allowed them to accept the punishment they deserved." The agent's words made Albuquerque a little confused, but he did not directly interrupt the question, but patiently listened to the agent's answer. Narration of events.

"His Majesty King Manuel once assigned the Sodre brothers an order to block the Red Sea shipping lanes. However, His Majesty's order was well-intentioned, but was misexecuted by these two bastards. After Commander Da Gama returned, As the only ones capable of defending Portugal's interests, the Sodre brothers chose to ignore the lives of their compatriots and follow His Majesty Manuel's orders to attack merchant ships to fish for oil and water. When Zamorin attacked... we couldn't reach it at all, but luckily we were able to Two captains with a sense of honor and responsibility chose to stay and help, and they escaped with the blessing of God.

"As for the Sodre brothers, God's punishment for them was a shipwreck! Many of the crew members could not bear the condemnation of conscience and God's punishment, and spontaneously killed the stubborn two. This appeased God's anger and allowed them to Let me know this good news."

Albuquerque digested these two paragraphs from the agent. Although there were still Portuguese warships in Cochin, the Sodre brothers who were in charge of them were dead. However, the threat from Calicut to Cochin remains, which is a big problem.

"This is really unfortunate." Albuquerque sighed, not knowing whether it was for the Sodre brothers or the Portuguese merchant house in Cochin.

Misfortunes seemed to have beset him since his voyage. This year Manuel assigned two commanders to the fleet - Alfonso and his cousin Francisco. But Francisco was killed in the South Atlantic, and command of the remaining ships was concentrated in his hands.

When he arrived at the coast of Malabar with great difficulty, he suddenly found that the situation was corrupt and he needed to sort it out. Manuel's order to him was only to purchase spices for Lisbon and had no other authorization.

This meant that, in order to defend Portugal's interests, he needed to disobey His Majesty the King's orders.

After pondering for a while, he said: "I want to meet with the ruler of Cochin and discuss important matters with him."

"Okay, Your Excellency Commander, I will contact you right away. Please wait for good news." The agent saluted again and turned to leave.

Albuquerque soon met the monarch of Cochin. He first received thanks from the Indians: "If you hadn't arrived in time and helped, I would probably have died on the island."

“For a loyal and trustworthy ally like you, it is our duty to help.” After speaking politely, Albuquerque went directly to the topic: “You and I both know that Cochin is in great danger. To meet this danger, I request you to provide men and materials to build a strong fortress."

This made the King of Cochin hesitate. He was very doubtful that building a fortress could stop Zamorin's army. When he thought of his nephew and hundreds of warriors who died in the battle to cover the people boarding the ship, he felt a sense of despair in his heart.

"Your Excellency Commander, my top priority is to rebuild the city. Regarding your request, I'm afraid..." the Cochin monarch hesitated.

"Your Majesty, I have to remind you of the threat of the Zamorin! If you cannot defend her from the clutches of the devil, what is the point of the new city being glorious and prosperous? Is it used to reward the soldiers of the Zamorin? "

Under Albuquerque's strong persuasion, the Cochin monarch finally agreed to allocate sufficient resources for the construction of the new fort. The commander who received a satisfactory answer immediately went to survey the terrain.

Working with the commander to survey the terrain and choose the location was Duarte Pasheco Pereira, who was not only the captain of a battleship, but also a knowledgeable scholar.

The terrain of Cochin can be said to be easy to defend and difficult to attack. The city is located on a peninsula extending into the water. The lagoon and the river that flows into the water are blocked between the mainland and the peninsula.

Albuquerque and Pereira walked to the top of the peninsula, where they could monitor the exit of the lagoon and were protected by a network of rivers. The enemy's attack path was narrow and difficult, so they unanimously selected this location for the construction of a fortress.

In the following time, the commander comforted the Portuguese who stayed in Cochin, and at the same time presided over the construction of the fort and the sale of goods.

Due to time constraints, the fortress was mainly built of wood, with only the main building built of stone and a square layout. In addition to the wooden exterior walls, trenches were dug to divert water as a moat, and all kinds of fortifications were complete.

From the start to the completion, the construction period of this fort was only one month. This was due to the sufficient resources provided by the Cochin monarch to Albuquerque, which allowed Portuguese engineers to complete the project quickly with extremely abundant building materials and workers.

On the day the fort was completed, the Portuguese held a celebration. Everyone wore their brightest clothes, and flags were fluttered all over the fort, making it gorgeous and eye-catching. The Maharaja of Cochin was also present, dressed in fine attire, riding an elephant, and visited the fort surrounded by warriors.

Albuquerque told the participating Portuguese officers and Cochin dignitaries at the celebration: "With the blessing of God and the support of our allies, this strong fortress was miraculously completed within a month..."

"Finally, I decided to dedicate this fortress to my Lord Manuel. To show loyalty and respect, the fort will be named after my Lord Manuel." Albuquerque finally determined the fortress name.

Since Vasco da Gama arrived in Calicut, this is the first time that Portugal has achieved a truly solid stronghold in India. The completion of the Portuguese fortress in Cochin is a small step for Albuquerque and a major step for Portugal's colonial cause. step.