King of German Mercenaries

On the endless Atlantic Ocean, the waves are rolling. On the ocean, a few small black dots advance along with the waves in the ups and downs...

Columbus, who was wearing a Zorro black cloth mask, sighed, and then climbed the flagship tower and continued to "peek" at the sea to the east with the artifact given to him by Marin - a telescope...

It's the fifth month and 16th day of Columbus' last da Gama fleet, and according to the calendar, it's already the day before Christmas.

Da Gama's fleet ahead had crossed the Cape of Good Hope marked by Malin on the map, and began to leave the Atlantic Ocean and sail eastward along the southern tip of the African coast.

According to the map of the world given by Marin (the westward outline of America and the Ming Empire were not marked, only India was drawn), Columbus knew that Da Gama's fleet was heading for the Indian Ocean...

Columbus had to admire the accuracy of Marin's intelligence sources, and even, in the instruction book Marin gave him, it was indicated that the Da Gama fleet would sail eastward across the Cape of Good Hope about Christmas Eve.

Originally, in the Atlantic Ocean for more than five months, Columbus also tracked Da Gama's fleet by relying on Marin's known route map. Although, the map and route given by Marin are very rough and too general. For example, data on hydrology and wind direction along the coast of West Africa are incomplete. However, this map alone is worth thousands of dollars. Even, it is all gold.

Because, on this map, the location of India is clearly marked...

Where is India? That is the origin of imported spices in Europe. Europeans use a lot of spices and spend a lot of money. According to Marin, sellers in Europe sell for as much as 10 shillings or more per pound of pepper, and up to a penny or two in India.

According to Marin, if he opened up the Indian route, it will bring great wealth. If nothing else, the pepper trade alone can earn up to 60 times the huge profits. This is still the profit after deducting sailing expenses, because the price of pepper in India is less than 2 pfennig per pound, generally in the form of 1 pfennib. Even at the cost of 2 pfennigs per pound (including sailing), that's a full 60 times the profit.

Originally, Columbus had some doubts about the nautical map given by Marin. But since Columbus discovered, around Christmas, that Da Gama's fleet had indeed begun to turn east, Marin's judgment had been convinced.

Now, Columbus is absolutely certain that the emirates of Mombasa and Malindi that Marin spoke of must also exist. Moreover, Marin also magically requested that Columbus stop staying in Mombasa, go directly to Malindi, and express his hostility to Mombasa. It is said that these two countries are mortal enemies, and as long as they express their hostility to Mombasa, they may gain Malindi's favor. Then, according to the script provided by Marin, Columbus will borrow the Arabian navigator Majid under the chief of Malindi to guide Columbus to reach India...

At this moment, Columbus even doubted that Marin was a prophet, and he could even accurately calculate the movements of the Dagamma fleet. However, he didn't want to do too much. As long as I can discover India first, then my former shame will be washed away.

Once, Columbus discovered the wild continent and insisted that it was India. It's not that Columbus really thought it was India. Rather, if everyone knew it wasn't India, his reputation would plummet. Moreover, Queen Isabella I of Spain, who had funded him, would also turn his face. Because, when the two sides cooperated, it was clear and clear that Columbus was helping the Queen to explore India, not the wild continent of Rush.

If the queen is sure that it is not India, then, the title and wealth of Columbus, the queen may take it back...

Sure enough, after the syphilis incident, when the whole of Europe knew that the place Columbus discovered was not India, Queen Isabella turned decisively and ruthlessly...

Before the Spaniards discovered Mexico and Peru, which had gold and silver, the New World was worthless compared to India.

Because the discovery of India brings great benefits immediately. The profits of the spice trade alone can scare people to death.

In the New World discovered by Columbus, the Spaniards can only send people to the West Indies to grow sugar cane. The Queen's advance team has already been dispatched, but reclaiming tropical islands is very troublesome. If nothing else, the poisonous snakes, poisonous insects, and beasts on those islands can greatly threaten those advance developers. Being bitten by a poisonous insect and dying of a serious illness is just a normal thing...

...

Columbus retracted his wandering thoughts and continued to observe the situation of the Da Gama fleet in the telescope...

The life at sea in the past few months made Columbus very emotional. Navigation was Columbus' greatest skill and reliance. However, what makes Columbus equally amazing is that no one on the ship died of scurvy after more than five months.

You know, he led a team to the New World before, but many sailors died of scurvy...

Sailors are generally in very good shape, and the poor can't do the job. Generally speaking, sailors rarely suffer from minor ailments such as colds. Even if it happens occasionally, it can be carried over with a strong body. Therefore, the death of sailors is usually either from scurvy or starvation, or from sinking ships, or from fighting with pirates and infighting.

But more than 5 months later, because Marin forced every crew member to soak in water with a mysterious herb every day, so none of the crew suffered from scurvy.

In this regard, Columbus almost worshipped Marin. But he also knew what kind of secret it was. With this method, the safety of sailing will be greatly increased. As long as there are no enemies or huge storms, the safety of the crew is greatly guaranteed.

Moreover, the fresh water preservation method specially requested by Malin also surprised Columbus. Because, after putting the fresh water in an oak barrel and boiling it in a large pot, then plugging it with corks and sealing it with mud, it does make the fresh water last a lot longer.

In the past, a bucket of fresh water would spoil and stink in six or seven days. However, the fresh water preserved in this way did not stink for 5 months. Of course, after opening the sealant and cork, you must drink it within a few days, otherwise it will still stink.

Unbeknownst to Columbus, this was the most primitive way of making canning. Although, the sealing performance of sealing mud is not as good as that of paraffin or beeswax. However, it is also much better than simply using cork without sealing.

According to Marin's understanding, the cork stopper cannot meet the requirements of sealing because it is breathable. After the sealing wax is applied, you can charge and hold your breath. Of course, sealing wax is too expensive, because the wax in this era is basically beeswax, so it is more expensive. Unlike later generations, paraffin is extracted from petroleum, and the output is large, so it is not expensive.

If you use a piece of beeswax every time you store fresh water, the cost is a bit high. After all, this preserves fresh water that is often used, and consumes a lot. In the case of precious goods, like spices or wine, not so much.

And using ooze sealing, as long as the ooze is dried and hardened, the sealing effect is also good. For example, the batch of fresh water that Columbus replenished in the Canary Islands has been around for 5 months now, and it has not broken. However, it is almost broken. Even some buckets of poorly sealed fresh water have already begun to deteriorate. Because, after all, it uses sealing mud, which is not as good as beeswax.

Therefore, Columbus decided to find a freshwater estuary in the Natal area mentioned in Marin's "cheats guide" after a certain distance, and replenish fresh water.

Moreover, the solar cooker provided by Marin is also very effective. Now, thanks to the solar cooker, the sailors on board are drinking hot water. When the sun is shining, everyone uses the solar cooker to boil water for cooking. On cloudy and rainy days, the firewood that the sailors picked up on the shore was used to cook the rice. Therefore, the crew who put it on, unlike Columbus's exploration of the New World, could only eat cold food and preserved food, but could eat hot meals.

As for the telescope, that's not to mention. Now, Columbus can let the fleet hang behind the Da Gama fleet for more than 20 kilometers, and can also bite the Da Gama fleet.

And Da Gama's fleet still used the ancient way to let sailors climb the mast and observe the distance with the naked eye...

Compared with the two, Columbus was able to use a telescope to see the shadow of the masts of the Da Gama fleet to determine the whereabouts of the Da Gama fleet. Da Gama's sailors, on the other hand, did not have such good eyes, and could not find the Columbus fleet more than 20 kilometers away.

Besides, Da Gama never imagined that there would be people trailing behind their fleet...

Because Portugal's exploration of India this time is also secret, only the royal family and some important figures in Portugal know. Therefore, Da Gama never thought that his fleet would be followed.

Even if he lost track temporarily, Columbus was not afraid, because Marin provided a more accurate route direction. Just follow the route map and keep going.

You know, Da Gama's discovery of India has repeatedly appeared in textbooks in later generations. Marin still remembers the route map of Da Gama. The details may not be known, and the hydrology and wind direction may not be known, but the course direction is generally accurate.

Therefore, Columbus, who had a telescope, relied on the telescope and the route map to hide and hide with Da Gama's fleet all the way in the Atlantic Ocean, from the coast of Portugal, all the way to the Cape of Good Hope. Now, Columbus continues to chase the Da Gama fleet, sailing eastward, preparing to enter the waters on the edge of the Indian Ocean...

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