Lisbon, São Jorge Castle.

Here is the residence of King Alfonso III of Portugal, which is a very strong fortress. Built on a hill not far from the coast, it was a castle left by the Visigoths, later enlarged by the Moors, and captured by Alfonso I more than a hundred years ago.

The terrain of the castle is very dangerous, much stronger than the dilapidated fortress at the port, the whole is built on the mountain, and only one passage is connected to the bottom of the mountain.

It was easy for the Ming mission to capture the port of Lisbon, but it would take some strength to take the castle.

However, the interior of Fort St. George is shabby and dilapidated. The dining hall is not a small place, but there is no decoration, and the ground is sloppy and paved with stones, which is still uneven. On the floor is a long table, the most common wooden table, with thick wooden planks resting on the legs. The planks are also uneven, and at first glance they look like they are shoddy.

There was no tablecloth on the table, it was the 13th century, and the Age of Discovery had not yet begun - it had not yet begun in Europe. The local tyrant countries in history are now poor. I have been fighting with the Celestial Sect for hundreds of years, and a little money is spent on military expenses, and life is not particular at all.

On the table, there were some broken porcelain, all of which were produced in Quanzhou - the standard of the stalls, and now they were actually placed in the palace...... Truth be told, none of the guests thought it was like a royal palace. It's a bit like a mountain king's hall or something, and the food on the porcelain plate looks like it's for bandits.

Large pieces of meat, large bowls of wine, and large lumps of bread were piled up casually on the table, and there were quite a few of them.

But there were no chopsticks, and there were no knives and forks. Knives and forks did not appear until the 15th century, and now there are only knives and no forks. But when eating at the king's house, it's best to hide a knife or something. Fortunately, in these years, the European aristocracy was not noble enough, and there were not as many poor and sophisticated as later generations. When I ate something, I grabbed it directly and stuffed it into my mouth, which looked very simple.

Yes. It is simple.

At least in Wen Tianxiang's opinion, these Europa natives are simple and very hospitable, full of admiration and respect for China. It's completely different from the natives in Mingzhou who like to take the blood of living people.

It seems that the natives of Europa are much more rational than the natives of Mingzhou, and it seems that there is a greater hope of success in spreading the Confucian road in Europa.

"This time you must pass the road in Europa!" Wen Tianxiang thought in his heart, "When the Nine Lights Monk and the Yongxin Monk arrive, they will go to Rome to preach together, I heard that it is the holy land of the natives of Europa, which is much more advanced and civilized than this one." ”

Because of the Mingzhou epidemic, the two monks Jiudeng and Yongxin stayed in Zama to chant the scriptures and overtook the Mayan dead. Didn't come to Europa with Wen Tianxiang. However, they will come as soon as the Europa-Mingzhou route opens. will also bring dozens of Mayan monks to prepare to open a Shaolin Temple in Rome. And Wen Tianxiang also plans to open a Confucian academy in Rome to train a group of Roman Confucian students.

While Wen Tianxiang was thinking wildly, Liang Chongru negotiated the matter of the concession port through Niccolò and King Alfonso III of Portugal and Archbishop Pontaléon of Lisbon.

According to the plan, a fixed route will be opened between Mingzhou and Europa. This was to provide military assistance to Europe in the event of a major Mongol invasion.

In addition, the route was opened for trade with Europe. It was true that the goods of China were exported to Europe through Mingzhou, but in the case of Dashi and Persia being controlled by the Mongols. It is still feasible to go to Mingzhou. It is also acceptable in terms of cost, because taking the Mingzhou route can avoid the tax cards of Dashi and Persia.

Moreover, there are many things that can be exported from Europe to Mingzhou, such as livestock, such as grain and seeds for various crops, such as certain agricultural tools and daily necessities. If these things are all transported from the Ming mainland to the east coast of Mingzhou. It's a long way off. With this capacity, it is better to transport more people.

Therefore, weapons and silk, which are light in weight, high in price, and do not occupy a large transportation capacity, were transported to Europe through the Pacific-Mingzhou route, and then purchased from Europe to carry out the colonization of the east coast of Mingzhou, seeds, livestock, and daily necessities were transported back to Mingzhou. This was very beneficial to speeding up the Ming Dynasty's control of the east coast of Mingzhou.

Of course, this is an advantageous premise that the Mingzhou-Europe trade must be completely controlled. Only merchant ships approved by the Atlantic Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty could travel between Ming Zhou and Europe. And it must be entered and exited from designated European ports.

And these European ports should be the concessions or overseas territories of the Ming Empire!

……

"Your Majesty, I can't agree! The Ming people must not be allowed to gain a foothold in Portuguese territory! Gotta push this big trouble out. ”

When Niccolò conveyed Liang's request to the King and Archbishop of Portugal, Archbishop Pontaléon smiled and quickly exchanged views with Alfonso III in the French Boulogne dialect.

Alfonso III had eaten soft rice in Boulognepe for many years and was therefore able to speak the Boulogne, while Pontaléon was a native of France and could speak many dialects of France. The guests, including three Europeans, did not understand the Boulogne dialect - Pontaléon had tried it again and again on the way to the castle.

"But there can be no war, the Kingdom of Portugal cannot afford such a war......"

"That's right, not only Portugal can't afford it, but the Roman Catholic Church can't afford another war with the Ming Empire. Now, both Poland and the Teutonic Knights have sent bad news. The Mongols, who controlled Rus and the lower Danube, moved a little, as if a large-scale invasion was brewing. The war with the Mamluks was also not going well, and Nazar, Kesarif and Arsuf were all occupied by the Mamluks, and the Pope was very anxious......"

"Maybe you can use the Ming people to fight the Celestial Cultists and deal with the Moors!"

"It's a good idea, and it's a good idea to test their reality, and if they can easily defeat the Moorish army, then we'll have to deal with them. Otherwise......"

"You can also pull Castile together to send troops to attack the Moorish kingdom of Granada."

"Maybe the Marin dynasty in Morocco...... Nasr, the old fox of Granada, and Yahya, the lion of Marin, are not easy to deal with! ”

"Then it depends on the ability of the Ming people......"

The two soon came to an agreement to use the force of the Ming mission against the Moors and the Berbers of Morocco.

More than 60 years ago, the Moors had a powerful state, and for a time it overwhelmed the Christian states of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1212, Pope Innocent III called on all the Christian nations of Europe to help, and in 1212 he formed a Christian coalition of up to 60,000 men, led by Alfonso VIII of Castile, to defeat the 120,000 Celestian forces at the Battle of Navas de Torosa and drive the Moors out of the central Iberian Peninsula. However, the Moors did not perish, but united to form a small and powerful kingdom of Grenada, and retreated to the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula to live a prosperous and prosperous life.

The Marin dynasty of the Berbers, on the other hand, was a fledgling power that now controlled most of Morocco and was on the verge of taking Marrakech, the last capital of the Muwahid dynasty (the rival defeated by Alfonso VIII).

"Your Excellency," said Archbishop Pontaleon, touching his white beard and smiling, "the question of the port, I think...... The Port of Lisbon is not the best option. It is, after all, the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal and a little further from the Strait of Gibraltar, the gateway to the Mediterranean. ”

Alfonso III added with a smile: "There are actually two good ports at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Gibraltar Peninsula at the southeastern tip of the Ibilisi Peninsula and the Port of Ceuta in Africa. ”

Gateway to the Mediterranean! Hearing the advice of Alfonso III and Archbishop Pontaleón, Chen Chongguan's eyebrows suddenly raised.

Before leaving Daming, Chen Dexing had instructed to do everything possible to control the two key points.

The first is the exit from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, the Strait of Gibraltar. Because now Europe is developed after all, and the countries with more advanced navigation technology are concentrated around the Mediterranean. As long as the exit of the Mediterranean is controlled, they can be kept in the bathtub of the Mediterranean.

The second is the western exit of the English Channel between England and France. Be sure to get a naval base in the southwest of England near the English Channel. In this way, it would be possible to control the most important passage from the north of the European continent to the Atlantic.

As soon as the two ends are pinched, the Europeans will stay in their hometown honestly, and they will not be able to go anywhere.

"Governor, the Strait of Gibraltar is the primary target!" Chen Chongguan said to Liang Chongru in Chinese.

Liang Chongru also smiled all over his face, looked very good, and replied in a low voice: "Those two ports must not be in the hands of the Kingdom of Portugal......"

Niccolò took over the topic and said with a smile, "Governor Wise, those two ports are now in the hands of the Heavenly Fang Sect. ”

"Heavenly Sect?" Liang Chongru smiled, "It seems that a war is inevitable." He looked at Chen Chongguan, "I'm going to be used as a knife." ”

Chen Chongguan nodded, "Drive the tiger and devour the wolf!" These Europa natives are much more sophisticated than the natives of Mingzhou. ”

"To swallow or not to swallow?" Liang Chongru asked.

"Swallow!" Chen Chongguan smiled, "If you don't swallow one, you won't be able to stand up!" But there is no need to swallow two. ”

Liang Chongru also smiled and nodded, "Yes, kill the chicken to show the monkey, and then let the monkey lease the port of Ceuta to the Ming Dynasty for 1000 years." (To be continued......)