Just when the Ming Dynasty was trapped in the shackles of the surrounding forces, and Zhu Youzhu shouted that he was ready to show his fangs for a third-line battle, the Western society ushered in exciting news.

Influenced by its own conditions, and the fact that Catholicism has occupied the best quality resources, outward exploration has become a top-down demand of the whole society.

Originally, they also hoped to conflict geographically, but no matter how hard they tried to go east, there was no end in sight, and it seemed that they would never reach the golden east with their legs.

Despite their breakthroughs in seafaring skills, their dreams are far east, and their seas can only go north, south, and west.

Originally, they thought that they could only go to the mysterious east by land, but the great Portuguese ship Diaz, the seaman, broke through the storm and discovered the Cape of Good Hope, thus discovering the sea to the mysterious east.

However, the route to the East was still difficult for ordinary nobles, not only to face taxes and difficulties as strong as those of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, but also to deal with the looting of various pirates.

Fortunately, after tireless exploration and adventure, Western society has finally seen the light of day.

"Haha...... We have discovered the Ancient Kingdom of Gold! ”

"I'm afraid that the governorship of the Golden Ancient Kingdom is about to fall to Columbus!"

"I knew that I would also send a fleet there, the earth is really round!"

……

With the return of the great Italian navigator Christopher Columbus from his voyage to the West, and also brought back treasures from the East, the entire Western aristocracy fell into madness.

The whole European society knew Columbus's name, but Columbus was known to the world earlier for his greed, and the European aristocracy called him an insatiable guy.

Columbus was a proponent of the theory of the circle of the earth, and had already proposed the idea of going west into the Atlantic Ocean to the east long before Dias had discovered the European route to the eastern seas.

For this reason, he really paid tribute to Su Qin, and followed Su Qin's example of pulling the banner to lobby the Six Nations for reuse.

It's just that Columbus put forward too harsh conditions, not only demanding the title of commander of the sea, but also a return of 10% of the spoils, but also requiring the governorship of each country or region he found to be passed on to his descendants.

For example, if Columbus discovers the Golden Kingdom, even if he dies in the East, he will have to hand over the mysterious Golden Kingdom to his descendants to govern as governors.

A navigator who prescribes such harsh conditions is naturally difficult to reuse in the end, and has even been unanimously called an insatiable guy.

Who would have thought that Columbus would be in the right place.

Queen Isabella I of Spain was a devout Catholic who had experienced hardship since childhood, and after the civil war had exhausted her family's funds, she also bet her private money on Columbus, who claimed to be able to find a new route.

Columbus signed an agreement with the Spanish crown to give him the title of "Admiral of the World Oceans" and a share of all future gains.

The Spanish crown provided Columbus with three ships: the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Niña, as well as half of the funds for the purchase of supplies.

Christopher Columbus and his 87 sailors, including translators, secretaries, auditors, and experienced shipping specialists, set out from the Spanish port of Barros, convinced that a new route to the East was also to the west.

Many European aristocrats did not see this adventurous voyage, and even thought that Columbus must have died at sea, or that he would not have made it to the far east.

It's just that no one thought that Columbus would come back from the East, and it is said that he also brought back the treasures of the East.

"He's only been back and forth to the East for more than half a year, right?"

"We are all going in the wrong direction, and going west is the shortcut!"

"It only takes a few months to sail west to get to the east, and it's really happening!"

……

Now it is known that Columbus has returned from an expedition to the East, and that the time of travel is much shorter than they thought, which has led to an upsurge in the entire European aristocracy.

Even if some believe it, no one dares to try to find a new route from the West, because the risk is too high.

But now the situation is completely different, and now Columbus's fleet has reached the East in just a few months, and it has literally opened a treasure for them.

Affected by this incident, the nobles of various countries were ready to raise funds to build ships and recruit crews to go to the East to pan for gold.

Of course, some sane European aristocrats remained rational, even though they knew that they could reach the east by going west, but not having a nautical chart was actually killing themselves.

The guy who was once despised by them now has the greatest wealth code in the world.

Spain, Royal Palace.

Although it is not as luxurious as the royal palace of Madrid in later generations, it has traces of luxury, and the whole royal palace has a bit of a church taste.

Outside the soaring arched windows, sunlight casts dappled light and shadow on the delicate Moorish patterns, adding a touch of oil painting to the place.

Upon learning of Columbus' return from the East, the Spanish side was very excited.

Queen Isabella I of Spain personally received her, and a grand summoning ceremony was held for this purpose, which also attracted a large number of Spanish nobles.

Queen Sabella I of Spain sat on a throne inlaid with ivory and gold, her long dress made of the finest silk with a hem as wide as the waves of the sea, and a crown encrusted with sparkling gems on her head, the weight of which seemed to make her every movement look extraordinarily dignified.

She was already in her forties, and the years had left crow's feet in the corners of her eyes, but her eyes were deep and determined, revealing an unquestionable majesty.

"The queen is so wise!"

"Huh? Why didn't our king come out? ”

"I heard that the king was against it at first, and the queen did it with her own money!"

……

Facing the queen on the throne, but not seeing King Fernando II of Spain, it also inevitably caused some speculation, and soon some gossip nobles revealed the "inside story".

"What did that greedy guy bring back?"

"I guess it's half a shipload of gold, that's an ancient golden country!"

"No, there's spice all over there, and it must have brought back a boatload of spices!"

……

The conversation quickly turned to Columbus, and now they are not the gossip queen or king, but now they are most concerned about Columbus's achievements.

"Admiral of the World Ocean has arrived!"

In a debriefing, the court music here plays.

Christopher Columbus, one of Europe's most legendary figures, arrived here, dressed in traditional European aristocratic attire with a sword at his waist.

He stepped into the hall with firm and powerful steps, and under the curious gaze of many Spanish nobles, he came to the throne and knelt down on one knee before the queen.

Columbus bowed his head and placed his right hand clenched in front of his left chest, the highest military salute in Spain.

This successful return from the East not only achieved a result destined to go down in history, but also finally made him proud to become a practical figure of the Earth Circle Theory.

Of course, the most important thing is that he has opened the wealth code, and he will be among the upper classes of Europe.

Queen Sabella I of Spain was very satisfied that Columbus had lived up to her expectations, and her voice was deep and powerful: "Admiral, you have opened a new route for Spain, and your loyalty and courage are the pride of all our Spanish people. ”

Her words echoed in the hall, and every word seemed to be endowed with magical power, making everyone present feel excited, and also smelled the wealth of Zhongnanhai.

"Your Royal Highness the Great Queen, it is the greatest honor for the minister to be loyal to you!" Columbus understood the principle of carrying people in a sedan chair, and he also showed his loyalty.

The nobles present couldn't help but applaud when they looked at this harmonious picture of monarchs and ministers.

Now Columbus's importance is rising, and as long as Columbus is willing to continue to serve the Spanish royal family, then they can get a piece of the pie.

Queen Sabella I of Spain felt a light on her face, and asked with a curious smile: "Admiral, can you tell me what happened to you on this trip to the East?" ”

"Chen Zheng wants to report!" Columbus was naturally satisfied with the queen's curiosity.

Although rumors of his success in finding a new route spread from the moment he returned to Portugal in Europe, and all kinds of praise poured into him, only he knew the hardships.

After leading three ships provided by the Queen of Spain, using the money given to him to buy a large amount of daily necessities, and recruiting nearly a hundred crew members, he decided to venture into the Atlantic.

His fleet sailed southwestward, then turned west in early September and sailed into the Atlantic.

From 9 September, the first day of no landing, Columbus began to conceal the true speed and distance of the voyage, understating the distance traveled, in order to prevent the crew from panicking because the voyage was too long and too far off land.

In the face of the vast ocean and the fact that there was no land in sight for more than a month, many crew members complained and cursed, and some even wanted to mutiny.

Columbus knew that there was no turning back, and if he didn't do it this time, he would not only become a joke for the whole of Europe, but also be chopped up by the queen and fed to the dogs.

Don't look at the queen before leaving, but if he dares to return in vain, what awaits him will be a crazy act of revenge.

As such, he ignored the sounds of the ship and went on his own way, constantly observing the changes in the sea and the sky, looking for clues to the land.

After more than two months of arduous sailing, on October 12, Columbus's fleet finally discovered an island in the Bahamas archipelago in Central America.

October 12, the fifth year of Koji, is an important day in the history of the world, and more than a dozen American countries, including the United States, have designated this day as the day of the discovery of the Americas - Columbus Day, to commemorate it.

In Spain, it is celebrated as a national holiday.

After more than 30 days of sailing without land or land, he finally arrived in India. He landed on the island of San Salvador in the West Indies and found Indians living on the island! Columbus thought of the discovery of the island that day, and it was like a dream.

thought that he would be lost in the sea, or that he could only return in vain, but in the end, he made another village in Liuyin Huaming and successfully reached West India.

"Did you really see the Indians?" Queen Sabella I of Spain, who received confirmation from Columbus herself, asked with great excitement.

Columbus smiled slightly, then clapped his palms.

But I saw two tall seamen escorting a man with a big tie, a young man, but different from the skin of the Europeans, it turned out to be a very rare yellow skin.

It was a young man with long, unkempt hair, mottled war streaks on his face, and a thin build, but with well-defined muscles, revealing a wild strength.

His eyes widened as he looked around at the Spanish nobles and the Queen of Spain who were scrutinizing him, his eyes full of unease and horror.

"So this is the Oriental!"

"Orientals are really different from us Europeans!"

"You see, their skin is very similar to the color of gold!"

……

The Spanish nobles looked at the Indian slaves in front of them, as if they were watching a rare animal captured by them, and they also judged one after another.

Roar......

Although Tariq could not understand their language, he could see the contempt and ridicule in the other party's expressions, and immediately fought back with his teeth open like a beast.

Burst!

Just the light of the knife flashed, and a stream of blood splattered.

Columbus's waist knife was already unsheathed, and in the face of this Indian captive who had been brought back by himself all the way, he seemed to cut his throat without blinking.

Tariq looked at the knife-wielding Westerner with a puzzled look, and he had shown his friendliness by giving them food when they landed on the island, even if he had been captured and had cared about him on the way, but now he had killed himself suddenly.

"The minister brought such an uneducated person to the palace, and as a result, he dared to offend Her Royal Highness the Queen, please forgive him!" Columbus killed a fly and didn't even look at Tariq as he fell to the ground.

Queen Sabella I of Spain was naturally not angry with such a slave, but she asked curiously: "When you arrived in the West Indies, I wonder what happened next?" ”

Tariq's body was dragged away, and everyone's attention fell back on Columbus.

Columbus sighed at first, and then spoke about the subsequent developments.

Although they managed to reach the West Indies and discovered the islands of Cuba and Haiti, they seemed to be on the edge of the East, and the land they passed through was very desolate.

On the island of Cuba, he encountered some resistance, which led to the sinking of his flagship, the Santa Maria.

He had no choice but to build a small fort out of wood and wreckage, named Ranavidad, and left some of the crew there waiting for rescue.

He gave up his exploration, and did not dare to go deep into the hinterland of the East, choosing instead to return to Spain with two other ships.

In terms of results alone, he had already discovered a new route through the East, and it took much less time than he had imagined, and their conquest of the mysterious golden ancient kingdom of the East was just around the corner. (End of chapter)