1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 306 Persian Gulf Conspiracy

The autumn sunshine spread across the earth, casting a sparkling glow. A ship was floating alone on the sea, sailing northwest with its sails held high.

To the north of the ship, the dim continent came into view, and the low hills on the shore undulated like a sleeping giant crawling on the coast.

Judging from the sails alone, this ship belongs to the Sultanate of Malindi, one of the most famous trading city-states on the coast of East Africa. It is deeply involved in commercial trade in the northwest Indian Ocean, competing with trading city-states such as Mombasa and Mogadishu.

In recent years, the city-state of Mombasa has completely disappeared, while the city-state of Malindi has become increasingly wealthy. Their fleets have appeared more and more frequently in the Indian Ocean, transporting frankincense and myrrh from the Arabian Peninsula and pepper and star anise from the Indian subcontinent back to East Africa, and then turning south.

However, the ship in front of them was obviously not an Arab sailing ship. It had distinct European characteristics and was beautiful and powerful overall. It brought together the essence of the shipbuilding industry of the entire Christian world. It was far ahead of the Arab sailing ships in terms of military power and was far beyond the reach of the Arabs.

On the side of the ship, a line of bright traditional Latin characters is carved with the name of the ship, which also hints at its origin.

Flower of the ocean.

The Fleur des Oceans was a medium-sized caravel with high sides, fast speed, good firepower, and the latest broadside guns.

Judging from the details, this ship is slightly different from the ordinary caravel. Some of its structures are designed entirely for ocean voyages, and the taller side of the ship is obviously a countermeasure against the Arab boarding tactics.

In addition, this sailboat has a strong personal style. It is obvious that the designer designed and built it for a certain customer, and the customer's opinions were taken into consideration during the design process.

In the captain's room, a young man was smoking a pipe and writing his own logbook. From time to time, he took out the nautical chart and compass to compare his direction.

His name was Alfonso de Albuquerque. Six years ago, he was adopted as a godson by the Eastern Roman Emperor Isaac III and Queen Leonor. He transformed himself from an illegitimate descendant into a well-known figure in the entire Mediterranean world.

Albuquerque was an illegitimate descendant of the Avesh family of the Kingdom of Portugal and had a close blood relationship with the queen herself. With the support of Queen Leonor, he quickly integrated into the royal group and also obtained a position in the Eastern Roman central government, becoming an employee of the Office of Indian Affairs.

The Office of Indian Affairs is a department established by the Eastern Roman Emperor specifically for East Indian trade. It is directly under the emperor himself and is not responsible to any government agency. The current head is the Governor-General of India, Count of Mombasa, Second Class Senator of the Senate Estevão da Gama, who is also the commander-in-chief of the East India Fleet.

After Albuquerque came to the Eastern Empire, he was immediately attracted by the strong maritime atmosphere of Carthage and Constantinople. In his opinion, Lisbon had not seen such an atmosphere for a long time since the death of Prince Henry, and had been left far behind by the Eastern Empire.

Travel to distant places, explore the unknown, amass wealth, and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Albuquerque's heart, this is a symbol of high spirits, a symbol of wealth, and a symbol of progress.

During his time studying and serving in the Eastern Roman Empire, Albuquerque gradually got to know other members of the royal family and had some private interactions with them.

Albuquerque's favorite was Crown Prince Justinian. In his opinion, this prince was tolerant, free and easy, full of confidence, and rewarded loyalty with tangible benefits. He was willing to share weal and woe with the lowest soldiers and sailors, and to drink and celebrate with the humblest slave owners and tribal chiefs. He showed kindness to the believers of Jesus Christ and inflicted the most cruel punishment on the enemies of Jesus Christ. He would do anything for the sake of profit, which was quite similar to the emperor himself. He was completely the ideal Christian monarch.

He also respected the second prince Alexius, who followed the ancient ways of chivalry, but that was all. He did not believe that love and kindness could easily influence pagans, and that guns and swords should be used.

Albuquerque had always wanted to participate in ocean exploration since he came of age. The emperor approved of this and paid for a new caravel for him, naming it the Fleur de la Mer.

After arriving in the Indian Ocean, Albuquerque, serving as imperial commissioner, traveled back and forth between several governorates of the Eastern Roman Empire. On the one hand, he coordinated local conditions as a staff member of the Office of Indian Affairs, and on the other hand, he surveyed nautical charts and conceived plans.

A few months ago, Albuquerque returned to the port of Sofala in the Governorate of Mozambique from the port of Mombasa in the Governorate of East Africa, and cooperated with the local Eastern Roman resident to collect gold tribute from the city-state of Sofala. During this period, he also received a secret letter from the central government of the empire.

After receiving the secret letter, Albuquerque took immediate action, returned to the port of Malindi, changed the flag to that of the Malindi city-state, and obtained their trade documents and registration certificates.

In the bumpy captain's cabin, Albuquerque continued to write his diary.

Over the past few years, he has long adapted to life on the ocean. He has even survived the turbulent waves near New Thrace, let alone the current gentle winds and waves.

Albuquerque looked out the window. The barren land was clearly visible. The scattered villages and dilapidated fishing boats on the shore did not arouse his interest.

Lowering his head, Albuquerque looked at his journal.

"On October 10, the Ocean Flower successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf, a narrow bay in the northwest of the Indian Ocean."

"The coast of the Persian Gulf is extremely barren, with no green to be seen. Whether it is the Arabian Peninsula in the southwest or the Persian mainland in the northeast, it is all dark yellow, which makes people feel extremely depressed. I really don't understand how the pagans here survive."

"Compared to here, I prefer the vibrant India. Currently, the Eastern Empire has not occupied any port on the Indian peninsula. It has only obtained a forward base on Ceylon Island in the southeast of the peninsula. Most of the tribes on the entire island have knelt under the flag of the double-headed eagle to provide supplies for our sailors and ships."

"The natives of Ceylon are too backward. The glory of Indian civilization seems to have never shone here. Most of them use stone tools. Iron tools are extremely rare and most of them are made in India."

"Ceylon itself doesn't have much gold or silver, but I heard from His Majesty that this island can grow valuable tea. His Majesty even sent people to the eastern archipelago to buy tea seeds. I don't know if it will be successful. I haven't tried it, so I'm not sure."

"Right now, His Excellency Estevan, the Governor-General of India, is on the island of Ceylon, educating the island's natives while accumulating strength to prepare for an attack on several ports in southern India."

"Calicut? Goa? Cochin? He didn't want to tell me. I guess he himself might not be sure. He is just waiting for the flaws that may appear in these ports."

Albuquerque curled his lips and continued reading.

"The Eastern Empire has three main bases in the Indian Ocean. One is Ceylon Island, which is governed by the Indian Governor-General Estevan. One is the city-state of Mombasa, which is governed by the East African Governor Paulo da Gama. The last one is the port of Sofala, which is governed by the Mozambique Governor Bartolomeu Dias. All three of them control a certain number of ships and soldiers and have the power to recruit vassal troops."

"The missions of the East African Governorate and the Mozambique Governorate are relatively similar. One in the south and one in the north, they are sandwiched between the Kilwa Sultanate. This Sultanate has been in decline and has been in civil strife for years. The two governors are also accumulating strength and are ready to intervene at any time to support the puppet forces and collect more gold and ivory."

"Of the three governors, Count Estevan is the most powerful one, but he is old and conservative. He is increasingly indecisive on Indian affairs. He even proposed to divide the Indian Ocean trade with the Saracens. This is simply unbelievable."

"The Saracens' navy is extremely backward. They basically have no artillery and are very small in size. Even a hundred ships may not be able to sink a caravel. Our strength is overwhelming."

"In my opinion, the Indian Ocean is a gift from God to Christians. The Saracens have occupied it for a long time. We must drive them away completely and monopolize the Indian Ocean trade."

When Albuquerque saw this, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Before I came, His Majesty hinted that he would not give such an important position as the Governor-General of India to a specific family. If Count Estevão died, none of his sons would be able to continue to serve as Governor-General."

"Of course, your majesty treats the meritorious officials well, and Mombasa is still the hereditary territory of the Da Gama family."

"His Majesty said that he admired my bravery and wisdom and encouraged me to achieve great things."

Albuquerque was in high spirits, his eyes were shining, and he began to daydream.

The diary ended here. He thought about it and picked up the pen to continue writing.

"If one day the emperor really grants me the position of Governor-General of India, I will use absolute force to intimidate the enemy, let the eagle flag fly, let the sea burn, and let the Indians and Saracens kneel down and beg for mercy under our artillery!"

"In my plan, all we need is a trade route that is completely under our control, rather than a large amount of land and population. A port on the Indian mainland is enough."

"In addition, I will head eastwards and try to take over the Malacca Sultanate in ten years, and also take control of the all-important Malacca Strait."

Albuquerque raised his head somewhat proudly.

"Some Malindi merchants have told me about the Malacca Sultanate, which was very wealthy decades ago but has begun to decline in recent years, with fewer merchant ships coming and going than before."

“According to Malindi businessmen, this is not due to any problems on their part, but mainly due to external factors.”

"In the far east, the powerful Ming Empire has voluntarily given up the ocean, completely abandoned the old port Xuanweisi and the Strait of Malacca, and issued a strict maritime ban policy, prohibiting merchant ships from going out to sea."

Albuquerque shook his head in amusement.

"I heard from these natives that just a few decades ago, the Ming Empire sent a eunuch to lead an extremely large fleet on several voyages to spread its fame far and wide, which left a deep impression on them."

"In just two generations, they have completely abandoned their original traditions and let all their previous efforts go to waste. It is very sad."

"After the Ming Empire banned maritime trade, the Malacca Sultanate's commercial income declined significantly and it was no longer protected by the Ming Empire. This is our opportunity."

Albuquerque considered this for a moment.

"Once this mission is over, I will go to Malacca in person to get to know the local situation first, and help the emperor continue to search for craftsmen, scholars and books."

"I don't really like Muslim things, but since Your Majesty wants it, then it must be right."

Boom boom boom!
"Come in!"

Albuquerque exclaimed.

The first mate of the Fleur des Oceans came over and gave Albuquerque a simple salute.

"Sir Alfonso, we have arrived at the designated location and their ship is waiting."

Albuquerque nodded, packed his things, dressed in his best clothes, and walked to the deck.

Here, located in the northeast of the Persian Gulf, a small boat is slowly approaching the deserted coast.

As the boat got closer, a warrior wearing a white turban stuck his head out and shouted to the Flower of the Sea in crude Greek.

"Where are you from?"

“Ancient Constantinople.”

The first mate responded.

"Tell your captain to come with me. You can bring a few guards with you!"

The other party said.

"Sir, do you want to go?"

The first mate looked at Albuquerque and asked in a low voice.

"Why not? Go and get some sailors. Remember to be fully armed."

Albuquerque smiled.

Ocean Flower lowered the dinghy and followed the boat, rowing toward the shore.

There is a camp on the coast with a distinct nomadic style. Above the camp, the flag of the Aries Dynasty is fluttering.

This is the Governorate of Fars of the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty. Not long ago, Albuquerque sent a short message to the Governor of Fars through a Malindi merchant, asking him to meet here.

There is a fjord nearby, which is very conspicuous, but the land around it is barren, the terrain is steep, and there are few people.

Albuquerque and several sailors set foot on the Persian land and walked towards the tent in the center under the supervision of the Aries Guards.

Along the way, the nomadic soldiers stared at the sailors with unabated hostility in their eyes.

The sailors also refused to give in and held their muskets tightly.

Albuquerque observed their numbers and the emblems on their armor and had an idea of ​​what was going on.

Two guards pulled aside the curtain and stopped the sailors who were following them.

Albuquerque signaled them to be patient and walked into the tent alone. A middle-aged man in military uniform was sitting inside.

"Greetings to you, the descendant of Bayandur Khan, the son of Uzon Hassan, the legal heir of the Aries Alliance, the governor of Fars Province and Shiraz City, His Highness Ugur Muhammad."

Albuquerque bowed slightly and greeted Ugulu in Arabic.

Ugulu nodded and looked at Albuquerque.

"Messenger, I don't know who you are."

Ugulu also spoke slowly in Arabic.

"My name is Afonso de Albuquerque. I am a descendant of King Joao of the Kingdom of Portugal, godson of Emperor Isaac of the Eastern Roman Empire, captain of the Fleur des Oceans, and envoy of the Office of Indian Affairs."

Albuquerque raised his head.

"I came here on the orders of the Emperor, specially to see you!"

"Why are you looking for me?"

Ugulu pointed to a seat and Albuquerque sat down.

"As I recall, our two countries are still at war, right?"

"You're right, but I don't think it has much to do with what we're going to talk about next."

Albuquerque said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Ugulu was silent for a moment, then smiled sarcastically. "Are you trying to persuade me to betray my father?"

"If you have such delusion, please go back."

Urugu picked up a cup of mare's milk from the table and drank it.

"I'm in a good mood today and I'm not going to kill you. If you anger me, your lives will not be guaranteed."

Albuquerque chuckled and shook his head.

"Your Highness, if you really want me to return soon, why did you agree to my request and meet with me?"

"If you were really in a good mood, you wouldn't be so cautious. Even the soldiers you brought were carefully selected from your own people."

"You have to be so cautious in your own territory. You must be having a hard time."

When Ugulu heard this, he became furious, drew his scimitar, and glared at Albuquerque fiercely.

"Your Highness, I came here not to persuade you to betray your father, but to analyze the current situation for you."

Albuquerque said loudly without any fear.

"Wait till I'm done. If you still think I'm talking nonsense, just kill me!"

Ugulu stared for a while, put down the scimitar and sat back in his seat.

"I've had enough of you Greeks beating around the bush. Speak your mind!"

Albuquerque didn't care about Uguru's "offense" at all. After all, no matter how you look at it, he had nothing to do with the Greeks.

"Your Highness, as far as I know, before the Aries Alliance marched into Anatolia, you asked your father to join the army, but due to the joint dissuasion of the two Hatuns, you were unsuccessful."

Albuquerque said.

"Your father has you stay in Fars. On the surface, he values ​​you, but in fact he wants you to stay away from the battlefield to prevent you from making any more achievements."

"You also know that this was not your father's original intention, but the suggestion of the two Hatuns."

"They are both afraid that your prestige is too high and will affect their son's future."

Albuquerque chuckled when he saw that Ugulu looked a little unhappy.

"You also know these two powerful ladies. One is Seljuk Shah Hatun and the other is Theodora Hatun."

"The previous Hatun is the mother of Khalil and Jacob, and her eldest son Khalil is your biggest competitor."

"The latter Hatun is Maksood's mother. Although this prince is unlikely to get the inheritance, his mother is also actively planning. On the one hand, she is close to Trebizond, and on the other hand, she is close to the Safavid sect. She uses blood ties and marriages to pave the way for her son and gain more territory for him."

"Seljuk Hatun relies on her noble status, while Theodora Hatun relies on her unparalleled beauty. The two of them have conflicts, but they will still unite against you."

Albuquerque shook his head regretfully.

"As for you, as far as I know, your mother is not outstanding, and she has long been dead and cannot give you any help."

"Your two stepmothers each have some power and represent huge interest groups. When your father is away on a campaign, they can use their power to suppress you, slander you, clip your wings, and eliminate your power. They will constantly speak ill of you to Uzon Hassan, and eventually make you lose your inheritance rights and force you to rebel completely."

"Your succession struggle is more brutal than ours. Even if you don't rebel, when Khalil takes the throne, he will kill you anyway."

"So, Your Highness has actually reached a critical moment of life and death. If you don't take some action, only death will be waiting for you."

"shut up!"

Ugulu slammed the table and roared loudly
"Your Highness, the reason you are angry is because everything I said is right, and you know it in your heart!"

Albuquerque also stood up and looked at Ugulu calmly.

"My majesty respects your father very much and does not think he will listen to the slander of women. But in fact, it is not just the two Hatuns who are against you, but two interest groups."

"Your Majesty once said that your father expanded the territory in just four years more than he had in the past thirty years combined. Of course, this came at a price. There were too many and too diverse forces to be integrated and united in a short period of time. Disputes and infighting were inevitable."

"Your father doesn't need to care about the opinions of the two Hatuns, but he cannot ignore the interest groups they represent."

"Think carefully, given your father's wisdom, will he favor your fate or the stability of the country more?"

"In the final analysis, you are just a bargaining chip that can be sacrificed."

“You…you shut up.”

As Ugulu spoke, his expression changed from anger to loneliness, to sadness, and finally to ferociousness.

"Khalil is a piece of trash. He lost the battle on the front line, but instead of punishing him, my father appointed him as the governor of Konya!"

"He deserves to die!"

"Khalil's life and death are meaningless. The forces behind him will push his brother Jacob up to continue to be their spokesperson."

Albuquerque shrugged.

"So I say that your road ahead is dark, and without external intervention, there is basically no hope."

"So you guys came to intervene, huh?"

Ugulu sighed and slumped weakly in his seat.

"In fact, you have already made your choice, haven't you? Otherwise, why did you come to see me?"

Seeing that the truth had been made clear, Albuquerque took out a letter and handed it to Ugulu.

"Your Majesty hopes that you can see the situation clearly and think carefully about your future and your life."

Ugur glanced at Albuquerque, took the letter and opened the wax.

"I believe you can see that my majesty has never thought of conquering Diyarbakir, Tabriz or even Shiraz. This is simply unrealistic. There is no conflict of interest between us."

Albuquerque continued.

"His Majesty wishes to sign a secret agreement with you. He will do his best to support you in becoming the Padishah of the Aries Dynasty. If successful, our two countries will no longer have wars and will live in peace."

“Verbal support only?”

Ugulu put down the letter.

"Of course not. We can provide you with financial assistance, iron swords and armor, food and military supplies, and even muskets and artillery."

"These materials will be provided by the East India Company, but please rest assured that we will disguise them as the city-state of Malindi or the Indian state."

Albuquerque paused.

"Of course, if you have other needs, we can also send military instructors."

"That's not necessary. I've been fighting for many years and I'm confident in my abilities."

Ugulu refused outright.

"I can sign a secret agreement with you, but I have to make it clear in advance that I need time to expand my power."

"Of course."

Albuquerque nodded.

He knew that the Saracen in front of him was actually somewhat indecisive and would not dare to resist his father unless he was forced into a corner.

"But in my opinion, if your father is late in coming back, or if he is defeated on the battlefield and his prestige is greatly damaged, this is the best opportunity and you must seize it."

"Do you have this confidence? You know, even Jahan Shah of the Koyomlu family and Busayin of the Timur family were killed by my father in one battle, and their countries were destroyed in one battle."

Ugulu curled his lips.

"Oh, you'll see."

Albuquerque snorted.

"His Majesty Isaac is neither Jahan Shah nor Busayn."

"Your era has passed, and our glory has just begun."

Ugulu was stunned and wanted to question, but he didn't know how to start.

How can I have the nerve to speak up when they have already driven their ships to my doorstep?

"That's it, Don Alfonso."

Ugulu waved his hand wearily.

"I hope your assistance can arrive as soon as possible. Tabriz has not even sent me all the military supplies and weapons and equipment. The local production capacity is too limited. I have already owed a large debt."

"I suggest you continue to owe money. It's best to borrow money from local tycoons. The more you owe, the more they will support you."

Albuquerque smiled.

"But don't worry, the first batch of aid will arrive soon. I will return to Malindi quickly to supervise the fleet affairs."

"Thank you very much, I will send someone to take you on board."

Ugulu's expression became more cheerful and he forced a smile.

Albuquerque walked to the curtain and suddenly turned his head to look at Ugulu.

"By the way, Your Highness, there is one thing I haven't had time to tell you."

Albuquerque smiled widely.

"In order to assist the Great Turkish War, the East India Company plans to gather the ships of the subordinate forces under the three major governorates to conduct a sweep of the Persian coast. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, your Fars coast will also be hit."

“I recommend that you prepare in advance.”

"you--"

Ugulu was about to get angry, but he finally swallowed his curse, sighed, and looked deeply at Albuquerque.

"My father and his officials have discussed the revival of the Eastern Empire several times. In their opinion, you have relied on nothing more than luck, conspiracy and trickery."

"It is only today that I understand that what you relied on was not luck or trickery, but a wise emperor and outstanding talents."

"To expand the war in Anatolia and the Mediterranean to Persia and the Indian Ocean requires a level of thinking and foresight that not everyone can possess."

Ugulu waved his hands in annoyance.

"I really envy your Majesty. Not only is he a man of great talent, but he has also recruited a large group of talents like you."

Albuquerque chuckled and shook his head.

"I went to the Royal Knight Academy for several months of training, and His Majesty once gave a speech. There was one sentence in his speech that I have always remembered."

"This country has the ambition of a lion, and I am honored to roar for him!"

(End of this chapter)