The Sun and the Lion

“In the 1507th year of the Lord’s incarnation, this was the second year that I came to India to serve His Majesty the King, who is greatly blessed by the Lord. After the New Year, I took a boat to go north on the order of the Vice-King of India, Francisco de Almeida. To the country of the pagans, I was accompanied by dozens of my deputy envoys, scribes, translators, guides and other officials, as well as accompanying guards and servants, in a round ship, and accompanied by local ally Demo. Ji’s ship.”

"We arrived in Goa first, and it was calm all the way. The fort at the port opened fire immediately after seeing the Portuguese flag on the mast. It was the locals who came ashore first to clear up the misunderstanding before the farce was stopped. Then the deputy and I negotiated with the local lord. The envoy and several others were detained immediately after entering the palace hall. God bless, fortunately, these Indians still had sense and did not execute me."

"Our group was escorted from Goa to a city in the interior called Bijapur, which is said to be the residence of the local Sultan. I kept conveying my request to see the Sultan to the officer responsible for escorting us, and the Sultan agreed. He first said Strictly questioned me about our country's invasion of its territory. I could only follow the instructions of the deputy king to apologize to the Sultan for this matter, and asked to sign a peace treaty, guaranteeing that he would not invade his territory again. The Sultan agreed, and then released me to The ship in Goa allowed me to leave. Because I was detained by Indian pagans the whole time I landed ashore, and I didn't have any freedom. I still knew nothing about this sultan. I could only see that he was a shrewd and capable ruler who also had a deep understanding of religion. Very enthusiastic.”

“After leaving Goa, the ship continued north along the coast, stopping briefly at Port Cambay in Gujarat for supplies. This was a bustling trading port that mainly exported cotton and indigo dye and imported ivory, gold and silver. Wealthy merchants financed the city with beautiful houses and mosques, no roof was untiled, streets were wide and well laid out, and stone bricks and mortar—not timber—framed the city.”

"We did not stay in Cambay too long. According to the guide, the coasts to the north and west of Gujarat were under the rule of the Persian Sultan Ibrahim - he was the most important target of my mission. During the trip, I had heard a lot of rumors about him from Indians. The most common ones were about the defeat of Iskandar Khan, the unworthy pagan monarch who originally ruled Delhi, and the subsequent destruction of the city of Delhi. , countless people are comparing him to Tamerlane, a brutal conqueror, and people are full of fear of him, fearing that the fate of Delhi will befall them."

"But in the mouths of some Indian merchants and travelers who have been to Persia, the Sultan has a good reputation, saying that he protects trade and foreigners, and can go from one place to another without any escort on the road."

"After leaving Cambay, the ship came to Thatta - to be precise, it docked at the seaport connected to Thatta at the mouth of the river - which was the first port we arrived under the rule of the Persian Sultan. The ship narrowly encountered bad luck along the way. The weather, wind and waves were beating the hull wantonly, and the hull was shaking, as if it would soon disintegrate and capsize due to being overwhelmed. Both officials and ordinary sailors like us prayed to St. Elmo and the Lord at this time. God bless us and we are safe. He arrived at the mouth of the Indus River. This is the easternmost point. Thousands of miles from here to the west to Rum under the rule of the Turkish Sultan and the holy land stolen by the Egyptian Sultan are the lands he owns. The northern end of the country borders a group of Tatar tribes, and the southern end of the country borders a group of Tatar tribes. Bounded by the ocean.”

"Looking from the chart, Hormuz is located to the west of Thatta, separating two seas. It is said to be the largest port in Persia and the seat of the naval admiral. The two places are separated by about two hundred leagues. Along the way, this area is guided The coast known as Makran is very desolate and sparsely populated. There is no bustling seaport like Cochin, Goa, Cambay or Thatta, but there are many fishing ports here and there that can supply salt, water, seafood and dates. "

"The people living on the Makran coast are no longer Indians of various ethnic groups, but a group of mountain tribes called Baluchis by the guide. They are the masters of this entire desert, because this land is barren and there are few Other ethnic groups are willing to take the initiative to move in, but a large number of Baloch people migrate to the fertile India."

"While sailing along the coast of Makran, the deputy envoy and I saw many times the round ships and long ships traveling between India and Hormuz. Their masts were all flying the royal flag of the Persian Sultan. Except for the flag and Apart from the patterns painted on the sails, it looks no different from the Chinese warships in Cochin Port."

“As spring approached, the ship finally arrived at Hormuz, and I submitted documents to the customs official, asking him to convey my request to the admiral of the navy. The admiral of the Persian navy was extremely powerful, not only having jurisdiction over all the fleets of his monarch, but also With the right to rule over each island, it can be said that all matters related to the ocean are fully responsible for this admiral, similar to the vice king of India."

"God bless me, when I arrived in Hormuz, the Admiral of Persia happened to be in his residence here and was not traveling around the area or busy with other affairs. He carefully checked the letter I submitted and agreed to arrange the time Meet me."

"The city of Hormuz is located on the small island of the same name. It has the right geographical location to strangle the strait here and separate the Persian Gulf from the Indian Ocean. This is not only of great military value, but also contributes to the prosperity of local commerce. I think it is Therefore, this city was chosen as the seat of the Admiral.”

"In addition to Hormuz Island, the Persian Gulf is dotted with other islands, such as the nearby Qeshm Island, the distant Bahrain Island, and other nameless islands and reefs that have no names at all. There are divers along the entire Persian Gulf Responsible for fishing pearls for the Sudan, which is the most profitable business in the entire sea. It is said that Bahrain Island alone can provide the Sudan with hundreds of thousands of ducats."

"The residence of His Excellency the Admiral is shaped like a palace. It looks more majestic than the Maharaja of Cochin, but the pomp is inferior to that of the monarchs of Cochin or Bijapur. He himself looks well-proportioned, wearing clothes and decorations that match his status. His face was expressionless and he looked quite majestic. No one would feel contempt when meeting him for the first time. I went up to greet him respectfully, and he only responded to me out of courtesy. My conversation with the Admiral was very Briefly, he could only promise to provide proof that I could use the inns along the way to meet the Sultan, and then have the attendants escort me out of the mansion.”

"I was sent to Shah Port, which was my first stop deep into the heart of Persia. Not far from Hormuz, this place is a new port built under the orders of the Persian Sultan. It has a huge shipyard and a strong fortress. After landing, I He was placed in a post station outside the city and told that he had to go to Isfahan to meet the Sultan, which was a long way back and forth.”

"On the way to Isfahan, I spent my rest time at various inns, because I have a certificate issued by the Admiral. The Sudan stipulates that foreign envoys can enjoy the same treatment as senior officials. In the inns, I Now that I have become a nobleman in Persia, the service from the servants is very attentive, and the ingredients and spices used in the food are not available to me before I landed."

"Persian inns integrated multiple functions. In addition to guest houses for officials and royal messengers, there were also caravanserai for travelers and merchants - which had to be paid. The warehouse was divided into two parts, one It is used for merchants and officials to store luggage and goods, and another place is used to store military supplies to facilitate the army's transit. There is a small military camp within the walls of each post station, and road guards are stationed there. They are responsible for protecting the safety of the road and providing safety services on the road. Responsible for loss of goods and personal safety due to robbery and theft.”

"Workers and slaves can be seen everywhere on the road. The asphalt paved road is very flat and spacious, very suitable for armies and caravans to pass. It is said that a royal messenger can deliver messages dozens of leagues a day on such a road. Except. Until now, I completely believed what the Indian businessmen said. Only by coming to Persia in person can I understand what real security is. I didn’t meet a single living bandit during the whole journey, and I could only see hangers near intersections and inns. and displayed on sharpened stakes.”

"On the last stretch of the road, we traveled with a caravan from India. This pagan caravan had nearly a hundred camels - these animals could actually be driven on the road without drinking water or eating grass. Looking for Shuyuan www .zhaｏshuyuan.com Such convenient livestock can still be seen everywhere, whether it is businessmen who need to transport goods, travelers who travel for transportation, herdsmen who make a living by grazing, or troops who need to go to the battlefield, camels are the most important thing in this drought. The best choice in the land, and perhaps this explains why the Greek emperors lost the Holy Land and Rum in succession to the Saracens and Turks.”

"..."

"I arrived in Isfahan in early spring when I was gradually getting to know the country of Persia. The guide told me that His Majesty the Sultan ordered the construction of a new city a few years ago. I couldn't help but compare it with Lisbon. Before I left the country , His Majesty Manuel just ordered the construction of the Indian Affairs Office, the new Customs House and the renovation of the palace. India's wealth is flowing into Lisbon, but it is still difficult to compare with Isfahan - God, I have to offend me for the truth the monarch."

"The guide who brought our group forwarded the letter to the palace for me. After that, the officials and eunuchs who came from the palace first told me that the Sultan agreed to the interview, and then began to introduce the etiquette of the interview and the basic situation of the Persian state. Including the territory under the current rule, population, the Sultan's martial arts and the composition of the palace, etc., all the political and geographical information I have heard has been compiled into one place..."

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"This mission can be said to be a complete failure. I betrayed the trust of the deputy king and failed to persuade this pagan to attack Egypt. His attitude towards the peace treaty was ambiguous, and I was even detained until he and his cronies had completed discussions. He was able to regain his freedom. He only allowed our merchants to conduct trade within his regulations. He also gave me a stern warning that all India was his vassal, and any violation of India was an violation of him. Such rhetoric was really like the devil. ! Without a chance to argue, I was ordered to be deported and left the Persian country along the designated path under the supervision of spies and returned to Cochin."