The Sun and the Lion

The atmosphere in the conference room was very solemn. There had been no good news since the fall of Anjadeep Island. The spice merchant ship from the mainland failed to arrive as scheduled. The spices brought by Indian merchants were piled up in the warehouse of the merchant house. , spice prices plummeted in several ports.

This caused dissatisfaction among Indian merchants. In order to obtain a stable supply of spices, the Portuguese trading house signed trade agreements with these merchants and purchased a fixed amount of goods at an agreed price. However, the plummeting price of spices made them think that the Portuguese were deliberately using this method to lower prices.

Various Portuguese business houses have been surrounded by these dissatisfied businessmen. Every day, people are accusing the deputy king of deliberately breaking the agreement, giving him a headache.

Portugal's military force has been hit and its credibility has been questioned. If it is not handled well, Manuel's grand ambitions will be ruined in an instant.

However, if he only had to deal with Indians, the deputy king did not have to worry so much. However, since the robbery of Anjadeep Island, he entrusted merchants and the Maharaja of Cochin to collect information about the Safavids. He also consulted Demoji many times. Finally, on New Year's Eve in 1507, he took the time to collect all the information. Organize the information and convene a meeting of all senior military officers to understand the new status quo.

"This is the most serious defeat we have encountered since we came to India and may very well be the beginning of the end for India."

The solemn look on Almeida's face caused different reactions from the captains present. Hostility, confusion, surprise, worry and other emotions flooded into the conference room, and no one interrupted to disturb the deputy king.

"The fleet that attacked Anjadip Island belonged to the Persian Sultan, whose name was Ibrahim. He was the descendant of the anointed Cyrus, the Persian who released the Babylonian prisoners in the Old Testament. Today they are also Muslims, but they were The Muslims and Indians regard it as a heretic." The deputy king first introduced the basic information, and then continued to introduce the strength of the Safavids.

"This pagan monarch ruled over a vast territory, which was populous, prosperous, and powerful. All the coasts on both sides of the island of Hormuz were subject to his authority. He was said to be on an equal footing with Sultan Rum. And he also He conquered India last year and proclaimed himself the Emperor of India. All the princes and princes did not surrender. The spy who returned from the north has compiled what he saw for my reference. Its army is large and elite, much better than that of Cochin, Calicut or other countries like ours. The men and horses I have seen are much stronger. And like the Sultan of Rum, the Sultan of Persia also has a fleet that cannot be underestimated, which neither the Indians nor the Muslims of Mecca have."

When they heard that this new opponent seemed to have unrivaled strength, the captains' anxiety was further increased: "God bless, nothing can stop the spread of the gospel in India."

"I hope so too." Almeida responded. In his opinion, the most pressing issue at the moment is Calicut. Before that, it is better not to waste extra energy because of the Persians.

"According to the information now known, the reason why the fortress of Anjadeep Island was attacked was because the island was ruled by the Sultan of Bijapur, who was a vassal of the Sultan of Persia. This is probably the reason. After Thinking about it, I am planning to abandon Anjadeep Island.”

Some captains viewed this decision as a sign of weakness: "Sir, if we cannot avenge our sacrificed compatriots, then everyone will despise us. How will we gain a foothold in India then?"

"Grasp your lance like St. George and pierce the dragon's neck!"

These fanatical main battle officers incited the atmosphere at the meeting. Almeida planned to cool down the overheated emotions first: "Everyone, in India, we have not yet obtained a piece of territory for His Majesty the King. Looking around, we are all intimidated. Allies and vassals formed by force, Calicut, the biggest trouble has not been eliminated, reinforcements from the mainland have not yet arrived, and we have more important things to do now."

"Furthermore, Anjadeep Island itself lacks natural resources and cannot maintain a strong garrison. It is also too close to the enemy's Bijapur. Our troops cannot stay in such a place."

The current deputy king does not have a stable rear, and the newly added soldiers and ships are all from the mainland, which obviously cannot maintain high-intensity confrontation. Such an embarrassment only made it more urgent to defeat Zamorin and obtain a territory.

"But what if the enemy thinks they have the upper hand and fortresses continue to be attacked?" The captain in charge of the garrison looked worried. If there is no way to solve this problem, the morale of the garrison will not be improved.

However, in Almeida's view, this problem was that he was so panicked that he lost his mind. Except for Anjadeep Island, the other fortresses were built in port cities. They were not as convenient and smooth as besieging a desert island. And it is some distance from the Goa Port of Bijapur. Attacking from the sea requires higher attack costs. Find Shuyuanwww. zhaoshuyuan.comｍ The Portuguese garrison could easily hold out until reinforcements arrived.

The deputy king used such words to appease the garrison officers, and then threatened: "If anyone thinks that he is still unable to perform his duties, you can ask me now and I can send you back to the fleet returning home."

No one wanted to be known as a deserter or a coward, and the captains expressed their willingness to overcome all the difficulties of the garrison for the sake of Christ and the King.

"Your Excellency, since you don't want to be an enemy of him, what should you do next?" Lorenzo asked the deputy king what he thought about this.

For the Portuguese court, what was the purpose of mobilizing the whole country to open a route to India? This is a continuation of the Iberian reconquest movement. Manuel's ultimate goal is to eliminate the Mamluks entrenched in the Holy Land and allow the gospel of Christ to return to this land.

From this perspective, the only unrelenting enemy was the Mamluk Sultanate. Almeida believed that Safavid's heretical identity could be used as an entry point to open up the situation.

"I plan to send an envoy to Hormuz to contact the Persians and learn which ports have accepted the rule of the Persian Sultan. The less we know about the Indian Ocean, the more dangerous we are." Almeida still chose to be cautious and safe first Act accordingly.

He hoped to reach a consensus with the Persians on the situation in the Indian Ocean through envoys, and persuade Ibrahim to launch an attack on the Mamluk Sultanate in the name of eradicating heresy.

Seeing that there was no objection, the deputy king dismissed everyone and ended the meeting.

"Your Excellency, do you think it is really possible to reach a cooperative relationship with these Persians?" Lorenzo and several other officers who supported the deputy king were left alone after the meeting to continue discussing with Almeida.

"Only God knows this, but once reinforcements arrive, everything will be fine."