The Sun and the Lion

After several weeks of sailing, the Malabar coast finally appeared in the sight of Almeida and the sailors. The deputy king followed the instructions and divided his troops to several key ports while he himself landed on the land of Cochin.

Pereira, the hero who previously defended Cochin, had boarded the ship and returned home at the beginning of the year. The Portuguese who came to receive him were the agents of the trading post and the temporary governor of Fort Manuel.

"Dear Vice-President, this city belongs to a loyal ally who has pledged allegiance to His Majesty Manuel. The fortress named after His Majesty is a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. With the blessing of God, it also left Zamo Defended the city from the clutches of Lin Point." The agent briefly introduced the situation of Portugal's only ally and protectorate in India.

Almeida looked at the surrounding warriors who were responsible for escorting them to the palace. She was very satisfied with the scene and thought that the King of Cochin paid attention to Manuel out of respect for him. He then asked about the Maharaja of Cochin.

Just before the arrival of the deputy king, after the siege of the city, Cochin ushered in a change of throne. The old king, who had contributed most to maintaining the existence of Portugal, chose to retire and devote the rest of his life completely to religion. The throne of Cochin was succeeded by his nephew.

Before entering the palace, the Vice-President briefly learned from the agent about the Maharaja's personality and attitude towards Portugal, which gave him a good idea of ​​the upcoming meeting.

In the palace, the new King of Cochin received the deputy king with mixed emotions. Almeida also looked at the allies she would deal with in the future. Both of them greeted each other friendly and said some nice nonsense, leaving each other with a good impression. first impression.

In addition, Almeida noticed that some of the Indian dignitaries present were very cold toward him and the king. What happened after the first meeting confirmed his suspicion.

"Your Excellency, Commander of the Franks..."

In the Portuguese trading post, Almeida met with the pro-Portuguese faction in Cochin. These royal merchants and officials who benefited from Portuguese trade analyzed the current political situation to him as an outsider - but explained it from their perspective. .

Now that the new king has ascended the throne, the prince is troubled by the factional struggles in the palace. Some of them openly challenge the prince's authority because they are dissatisfied with the successor. Now that the Portuguese fleet has arrived, the pro-Portuguese faction who saw the arrival of reinforcements immediately moved forward and secretly communicated with the deputy king, intending to use strong external force to defeat the political opponents.

Almeida was not surprised to hear that some people in the Cochin court were dissatisfied with Portuguese intervention and even conspired to oppose it. However, he felt that the thoughts and actions of these opponents were ridiculous and they could be described as true ignorants.

"Go back and tell the king that I can host a grand ceremony for him. If he is willing to accept it, then I can legitimately help clean up these rebellions that question and challenge the authority of the king." The deputy king stroked his beard and said what he wanted Do this and explain it briefly to the representatives who come to meet you.

The deputy king's proposal surprised the representatives, but they still brought the option back to the palace intact for the Maharaja of Cochin's reference.

…………

For the next week, Almeida used the power granted by the Maharaja of Cochin to prepare for the grand ceremony. He found many elephants, musicians and Nair warriors who could be used to enhance the momentum.

Surrounded by this luxurious procession, the deputy king swaggered through the city on a shoulder carriage, marching all the way from the port to the palace. The Portuguese attendants walked past the deputy king into the palace courtyard, and the Maharaja of Cochin sat under the canopy and watched him nervously. The height of the shoulder carriage was the same as the throne, and Almeida looked flatly at the Maharaja.

The Portuguese attendant walked under the throne holding the box, and then slowly opened it. Inside was the crown and scepter specially customized by the Portuguese court for the vassal monarch.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, the monks who came with the ship brought the crown to the Maharaja's head. His right hand trembled slightly as he took the scepter, then stood up and held it high to show the new crown and scepter to the Indian subjects.

Then the deputy king read out: "The Maharaja of Cochin took over the authority from King Manuel. King Manuel is the greatest monarch in the world, the king of the sea and the lord of India. He legally granted all these To the Maharaja of Cochin and the King of all Cochin.”

The attendant at the end of the queue carried the box to him and opened it. Inside, there were gifts for the Maharaja of Cochin, some brought from Portugal, and some plundered in East Africa and India.

Such a coronation caused an uproar in Cochin, but the Maharaja and the pro-Portuguese faction who colluded with Almeida stabilized the situation with the intervention of the Portuguese army. There was no armed rebellion, and the arrests and persecution of dissidents were carried out in an orderly manner. Find Shuyuan www.zhaｏshuyuan.com

For several days, the voices of doubt and doubt about the Maharaja almost disappeared in the Cochin court. No one dared to openly challenge his authority. They were replaced by awe of the Vice-King and the Portuguese pagans.

Taking advantage of the victory, His Excellency the Vice-President asked for more from the Maharaja of Cochin: "Fort Manuel is not strong and majestic enough. In order to ensure your safety, stabilize your authority, and spread your reputation, I need enough building materials and labor to strengthen and Expand the fort.”

The Maharaja of Cochin was a little embarrassed by the deputy king's request. In his opinion, stone buildings could only be owned by high castes, and the foreign pagans in front of him were completely outside of this caste system. .

After Almeida promised to give him the keys to the fortress to show the Maharaja's ownership of it, the Maharaja reluctantly agreed to transform the fortress from wood into stone and expand it, and also set aside a piece of land for the use of later Portuguese immigrants. . He decided to make this fort the headquarters for himself and his successors, from where all orders for the conquest of India and trade matters would be issued, and where trade activities should be concentrated for the benefit of merchant ships belonging to Portugal.

In addition to supervising the fort renovation project, the deputy king also needed to establish an administrative framework in India. The administrative structure of Portuguese India was completely a miniature version of the Portuguese court. At the headquarters in Cochin, a simple center surrounded him to handle various affairs. For the forts east of the Cape of Good Hope, he assigned a military commander, a commercial agent and his assistants to each be responsible for the operation of the colony.

As the deputy king of Portuguese India, it was also within his scope to consider and arrange the next military and exploratory operations. After several weeks of work, he believed that there would be no trouble in Cochin, and he planned to meet up with the fleet that was assigned to control other important places on the Malabar coast, and learn about the current situation in the Indian Ocean.