Chapter 474 Let’s Divide the World Into Two!

Western calendar, 1493.

In the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the kings and nobles of Spain and Portugal gathered here, and a major event that would affect the world would happen here.

"The area east of the Cape of Good Hope is our exclusive area of ​​Spain. Are you provoking our Spanish Empire?"

"That island was first discovered by our adventurers. Don't you understand that whoever discovers it first will get it?"

"I said that if it belongs to us Spain, it belongs to our Spanish Empire. Do you want to start a war, Portugal?"

...

Although the royal families of the two sides frequently married, the core interests of the two countries and nobles were involved, and the two sides seemed to be unwilling to give in. As soon as they sat together, there was a smell of gunpowder.

The grievances between the two sides have a long history. Because King Afonso V of Portugal intervened in the War of the Castilian Succession, the two sides fought back and forth for four years until the two sides signed the Treaty of Alcacovas to declare the end of the war.

"According to you, does the Golden Kingdom of the East also belong to you, and we, Portugal, cannot get involved?"

...

With the opening of the new route, Spain and Portugal, as the first countries in Europe to expand overseas colonies, the two neighboring countries on the Iberian Peninsula eventually had friction over colonies.

Spain naturally did not want Portugal, a latecomer, to intervene, but Portugal had also seen the benefits of overseas colonization, so it was impossible for it to let go foolishly.

This was not only about the interests of the royal families of the two countries, but also more and more nobles were involved, so the noble groups of both sides were not prepared to give in.

In particular, Marco Polo had already been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and everyone yearned for the mysterious ancient country in the East full of gold, and the ownership of this golden country was an irreconcilable contradiction.

"The Golden Kingdom of the East will naturally belong to whoever conquers it!"

"Even if I give you a chance, do you have the ability to grasp it?"

"If you are greedy, the Golden Kingdom of the East must belong to my Spanish Empire!"

...

In this dispute over interests, the Spanish noble group was more aggressive, and it also exposed its determination to win the Golden Kingdom of the East.

Although Spain's military strength was stronger, after completing the Reconquista, the royal family's financial resources were almost exhausted, and they urgently needed to obtain supplies from overseas, and they were more eager for the mysterious ancient golden country in the East.

Despite the opposition of King Ferdinand II of Spain and some nobles, Isabella I signed an agreement with Columbus and allocated funds to enable Columbus's voyage.

As a result, the accusations and disputes between the interest groups of the two countries continued to escalate, and may even trigger military conflicts between the two countries again, so both sides, as Catholics, brought this lawsuit to the Pope in Rome today.

Pope Alexander VI, wearing a triple crown and a papal robe, sat on a gorgeous throne at this moment.

The murals behind him depicted scenes from the Bible, and the golden halo and complex patterns were intertwined to create an atmosphere of sacredness and inviolability.

His eyes were deep and majestic, and he could naturally see the root of the conflict between the two sides. This was also the biggest political test he had encountered since he came to power last year.

No matter which side is favored in this matter, it will be greatly questioned by the other side, so the safest way is to treat both sides equally.

Moreover, both of them know that he is a greedy person and have already sent people to secretly give him money, so it is even more difficult to favor either side.

At this moment, after hearing a cough, the whole church hall was audible.

King Ferdinand II of Spain was the son of King Juan II of Aragon. He married the famous Isabella I of the Kingdom of Castile and announced Ferdinand as her co-reign.

When Isabella ascended the throne, the feudal infighting in Castile was in full swing until the couple defeated Juana's husband, King Alfonso V of Portugal, and ended the civil war.

After that, the couple conquered Granada, and the crowns of Castile, Aragon and many other independent territories in Spain were family alliances. This was the first time that a unified political entity appeared in Spain since the eighth century AD.

King Ferdinand II of Spain is over 40 years old, with eyes like an eagle. He said nothing in this meeting, like a bird of prey waiting for an opportunity to hunt.

King John II of Portugal is about the same age as Ferdinand II. Because his father Afonso V retired to the monastery, John II had become the real ruler of the country at the age of 22.

Faced with the impending bankruptcy of the Kingdom of Portugal, John II played an extremely important role in solving this problem by creating a council composed of scholars.

After he took office, he revitalized the royal power, suppressed a group of nobles whose power was over-expanded during the reign of Afonso V, and deprived the nobles of their judicial rights in managing their inheritance.

John II's exploration policy has also brought huge benefits to the economy, especially in recent years, investments in overseas exploration and expansion have made gratifying profits.

King John II of Portugal has a round face and looks like he doesn't care about anything, but when others don't notice, his eyes flash with a fierce look.

When the archbishop beside him heard the Pope cough, he also stood up to maintain order: "Silence!"

The nobles of the two countries had stopped arguing, and they all turned their heads to look at Pope Alexander VI, the Pope at the pinnacle of power.

No matter how strong they are in normal times, due to their faith, especially as they are Catholics, they can only listen to the ruling of this superior Roman Pope.

Pope Alexander VI met everyone's gaze and said with a confident smile: "In that case, the unclaimed land overseas will be divided by this Pope! From now on, none of you will be allowed to enter the other's territory. Everything will be peaceful. It’s expensive!”

King Ferdinand II of Spain and King Joao II of Portugal looked at each other warily, but saw that the other party did not stand up to object, so they chose to acquiesce.

They brought this lawsuit to this point because they do not want the two countries to be at war with each other.

In fact, the point of conflict between the two countries is the distribution of interests. It is not because of some territorial disputes that a war broke out between the two countries again. What's more, they all have serious financial problems and are in urgent need of overseas gold to fill their financial deficit.

Pope Alexander VI left the papal throne. His papal robe was a floor-length loose robe made of silk, mainly red and gold, with exquisite religious patterns embroidered on the robe.

Even though his reputation for being greedy for money has become notorious, and he got into the papal throne by bribing the archbishop, he is now the real Pope after all.

Pope Alexander VI came to the long table, his eyes fell on the world map placed on the table, and he reached out and picked up a stick next to it.

At this moment, he felt that the ownership of the entire world depended on him, and that he was in control of the entire world on behalf of God.

Gu...

The accompanying nobles of the two countries couldn't help but swallowed when they saw the stick in the Pope's hand, and their hearts rose to their throats.

It was the noon hour, and the deep bells rang outside, adding a bit of solemn atmosphere at this moment.

The stick in the hand of Pope Alexander VI fell, and his voice sounded loud and majestic, echoing throughout the entire hall: "The meridian 100 leagues west of the Azores and Cape Verde Islands is the dividing line, and all land west of this line is divided. Spain, and all the lands east of Edom to Portugal.”

The world has since been divided into two.

The west near Europe belongs to the powerful Spanish Empire, and the east near Europe belongs to the weaker Portuguese Empire. The two countries will rule the world together.

When announcing the decision to carve up the world, the Pope's voice revealed an unquestionable authority, like a divine will.

King Ferdinand II of Spain and King Joao II of Portugal had already arrived in front of the map. Both sides looked at each other warily, and finally remained silent with a tacit understanding.

King Ferdinand II of Spain's exploration direction was towards the east. Now that he sees that the areas he has explored have been included, he doesn't have much objection.

King Joao II of Portugal knew very well that his own strength could not challenge Spain head-on. Now that his sovereignty was clear, it would be conducive to his exploration and looting of the resources in the territory, not to mention that the mysterious ancient golden country of the East also had the opportunity to annex it.

"If there is no problem between you two, then let's formally sign the contract!" Seeing that both parties had no objections, Pope Alexander VI also asked people to prepare the contract.

After reading the contract, the King of Spain and the King of Portugal looked at each other warily.

At this moment, the entire palace was filled with a solemn and tense atmosphere, as if the whole world held its breath at this moment, and the nobles present looked at the two kings.

King Joao II of Portugal was the first to sign, followed closely by King Ferdinand II of Spain, both of whom had ambitions in their eyes.

When Pope Alexander VI saw both sides signing their names, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, which also officially announced the establishment of the dividing line between the two countries to carve up the world.

The vast New World has belonged to Portugal and Spain.

At this moment, the wheel of history is slowly turning, and a new era is about to begin.

Just as Spain and Portugal were opening their curtains, little did they know that the new world was no longer silent, especially the distant seas were no longer calm.

Two monkeys broke into Huaguo Mountain. Just when they were arguing about how to divide the mountain in front of them, it turned out that a tiger had already eaten and was taking a nap on the top of the mountain.

The rising sun is rising in the east, and the golden sunshine fills the golden sea level, reflecting a majestic three-masted sailboat, like a three-masted golden ship.

This giant ship bathed in gold plowed through the waves, and the canvas on the mast rustled in the sea breeze, like a flag of victory waving.

In the history of mankind, the scene of crossing the Pacific appeared again. A voyage that took several months was regarded as a miracle in this era.

But the golden morning sun fell on the deck, where people with black hair and yellow skin were already standing, and their eyes were already full of tears.

"We're finally back!"

"This is our Nanyang!"

"Your Majesty, we have returned with treasure seeds!"

…

When they saw Luzon Island, the sailors on the deck shouted excitedly, and the American governor Liu Zhang who led the team this time was already crying.

Especially when they shouted the last sentence, they could no longer suppress their emotions, including joy, sadness, and even small grievances. Naturally, they also had a sense of pride.

"Your Majesty, I am honored to fulfill my mission!"

The boulder Liu Zhang was hanging on fell down. After wiping away his excited tears, he bowed toward the north.

Although he knew that the mission was difficult, he did not expect it to be this difficult.

Not only did it take several months to cross the vast East China Sea, but they also experienced various risks on the American continent, and they almost died several times, and half of the people they brought died.

Initially, their journey was expected to take only half a year, but now it has lasted for two years, which is a length of time that could not have been expected in advance.

Fortunately, they did not die in the royal city of the Inca Empire.

Not only did they resist the army of the Inca Empire, but they also gained their surrender, and now they have brought back high-yield crops such as corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Luzon Island, Daming City.

Since the Daming court mined gold here, this place has not only been a transit point for Daming sea merchants to go to Nanyang, but also a newly added territory of Daming.

At first, it was construction workers and prospectors who came, but later they brought their families, and then a group of people from Guangdong and Fujian came to make a living here, and the permanent population in the city has exceeded 10,000.

"What? The treasure ship is back?" Zhang Sui, the governor of Luzon, who was wearing a fourth-rank official uniform, could not believe his ears when he heard the news.

The captain who came to report nodded solemnly and said, "Yes! Lord Liu Zhang sailed from here two years ago. I saw Lord Liu Zhang and the Mingyuan treasure ship at that time!"

"Governor, I heard that Lord Liu Zhang is back?" Yu Yuanzan and Lin Yuanyang hurried to the door and met Zhang Sui who was about to go out, and they also asked excitedly.

"Let's go to the dock to meet him immediately!" Zhang Sui did not explain much, but said solemnly.

Liu Zhang saw Daming City again after two years, and he was immediately filled with emotion.

Due to the need for supplies, the Mingyuan treasure ship he led did not return directly to Daming, but needed to go to Daming City on Luzon Island for supplies.

Zhang Sui and the other two knew that Liu Zhang had gone through hardships when they saw him for the first time. After rushing forward to greet him, they warmly welcomed him into the Luzon Governor's Office.

Knowing that Liu Zhang successfully brought back the treasure seeds, he was immediately very happy.

Yu Yuanzan and Su Can had a good relationship. Su Can was one of the ship owners who escorted the gold. He asked: "Where is Su Can?"

"He... He died in the New World!" Liu Zhang's eyes were erratic, but he deliberately avoided Yu Yuanzan's gaze.

Huh?

Lin Yuanyang, Yu Yuanzan and Zhang Sui had already formed a tacit understanding, and now seeing Liu Zhang's reaction like this, they felt that this person was not ordinary.

However, the treasure seeds were of great importance, and it was also something that His Majesty wanted to do at the cost of millions of dollars, so it was not easy to ask too much. A fleet was arranged to sail the next day. (End of this chapter)