The Sun and the Lion

"This is..." Portuguese sailors who landed in small boats found a coastal camp that had been abandoned due to an attack a few months ago. The skulls on the sharp wooden stakes were decomposed and only bones remained. There were still traces of fire burning inside the camp. And on a dinghy that ran aground on the beach, they found more.

A blood-soaked flag of the King of Portugal was fixed to cover the inside of the boat. The sailor removed the weight pressing on the edge, endured the unpleasant smell, and carefully opened the flag soaked in blood and corpse water, and a wave of The strong smell hit their nostrils as quickly as a fist, forcing several people to take a few steps back.

After they recovered, they realized that the piles of human remains inside were all there. Combined with the completely abandoned camp and flags, they could tell that it was a Portuguese unit that met misfortune here.

"Your Excellency, our sailors discovered a destroyed camp that once belonged to our army on the coast of Socotra Island. The enemy who destroyed the camp stuck their heads on sharp wooden stakes, and the remaining bodies were chopped into pieces and piled on the small boat. God above, he also desecrated the royal standard and the cross."

Albuquerque frowned. He did not expect everything to go smoothly, but such a show of force made him feel the resistance to completing the task. After a brief thought, he ordered: "Erect a monument at the ruins of the camp, and then prepare to declare Portugal's sovereignty over it to these islanders."

The commander-in-chief of the fleet, Tristan da Cunha, learned of the news later. He first condemned Albuquerque: "Why didn't you report the information to me first, but instead ordered the deployment of men without authorization?" ?”

"The situation is urgent and it has to be like this." He replied coldly to his superior.

The two soon voluntarily stopped arguing. For them, conquering and consolidating Socotra Island was the last task that must be completed together. According to Manuel's order, the two fleets were here together. Separate to perform different tasks.

What's more, the spice fleet was already late. The year they set out was 1506, not 1507, but the disagreement between the two commanders made the fleet's exploration, supplies, and military operations protracted on the way. , especially the exploration and attempt to Madagascar delayed Abyssinia’s emissaries for too long.

"You are the chief captain of the Arabian Coast appointed by His Majesty. First tell me how to control this island." Cunha kicked the ball to Albuquerque first. He didn't want to use his brain now.

The Portuguese's strategy is very simple. They can directly capture the largest port and settlement on the island and build fortresses along the coast to achieve control. Obtaining a reliable anchorage is the highest priority.

Suker, the largest settlement and port on the north coast, was quickly raided. Under the cover of naval guns, Portuguese sailors quickly disembarked on the beach next to the port and repelled the first counterattack by the local defenders.

After a few hours of fighting, the resistance at this small port was broken down. Only the stone fortress on the top of a nearby mountain was still resisting. The small group of defenders sent by Mahera Sultan were very brave. The Portuguese sailors who tried to break through the stone wall were repelled.

But after all, they were outnumbered. There were only a few dozen soldiers who quickly suffered all casualties in front of the Portuguese navy's overwhelming numbers, and the port immediately changed hands.

Seeing that the situation was stable, Cunha couldn't wait to leave, leaving only Albuquerque and seven warships on Socotra Island. The chief captain of the Arabian Coast, who could act alone, felt that this was a good start.

He first called the captains of each ship to the flagship for a meeting: "Everyone, let me emphasize again that the mission and goal His Majesty the King has given us is to cut off Red Sea shipping. Everything we need to do next is for the benefit of the Kingdom of Portugal. "

"I really want to celebrate this victory, but we still have a lot of work to do. The first is to station troops and build fortifications here. At the same time, we need to establish our authority. All the men sent by the deputy king were lost here. This is definitely "We are inseparable from the locals and the pagan monarchs who rule the island. Organizing a revenge operation can be enough to deter these barbaric islanders and boost the morale of our army."

Leaving behind the garrison and the warships used for patrolling and collecting information, the Portuguese fleet immediately circled the island. The sailors looted and massacred the fishing villages along the coast and went deep into the inland to demonstrate. Albuquerque was very satisfied with the effect of the operation and forced more troops. More labor was used to build the fort.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency. There is an emergency!"

After being reminded by the herald, he looked at the anchorage and saw some scratches on the hull of the Karak ship that had just returned from patrolling the Red Sea channel, and a disarmed Caravel was also towed on the stern. Albuquerque, who realized that something was wrong, planned to immediately Go and ask the captain what happened.

When he was about to disembark, he saw a small boat rowing towards the flagship. He recognized the passengers in it, including the captain, the captured Muslim prisoners and the sailors responsible for escorting them.

When they all boarded the deck, Albuquerque immediately asked: "What happened? What is going on?"

"Your Excellency, look for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com. When I was ordered to patrol the Red Sea to attack Muslim shipping, our ship successfully robbed many Meccan Muslim ships, causing a major blow to Red Sea shipping. Just when everything was going well, These despicable Muslims appeared. They rode in a round boat and suddenly opened fire when our army relaxed its vigilance. Fortunately, it was only a Caravel with not many guns, and the shells failed to penetrate below the waterline..."

Then the captain gave him a vivid and complete report of the entire encounter. After the battle report was dictated, the captain waved his hand and ordered the sailors to escort the prisoners to him: "Your Excellency, this is the highest-ranking prisoner on our ship. The Muslims, whose interrogation was completed on their return journey, know a lot.”

In fact, it was not that the Portuguese sailors did not capture the captain, but his refusal to cooperate angered the enemy. After surviving many harsh interrogations, they saw that he still only had curses on the heretics in his mouth, so they broke his limbs and threw them away. Into the sea.

"Okay." Albuquerque called for an interpreter, and then began to ask: "Are you from Rum? Which sultan are you loyal to? What position do you hold on this ship?"

After listening to what the translator said, the prisoner shook his head weakly: "I am not a Roma. I served the King of Kings in Iran and was a navigator..."

The pilot then revealed to the Portuguese everything he knew, including that ports such as Aden, Muscat, and Hormuz were now under the rule of the King of Kings, and a fleet was always on hand for defense. Anti-smuggling and combating piracy. However, he did not tell Albuquerque the specific number of ships and the construction of fort protection in each port.

"It seems that the biggest resistance to cutting off the Red Sea is not the Rum people..." He ordered the prisoners to be escorted back, and prepared to hold another combat meeting after sorting out the intelligence.