On the boundless Atlantic Ocean, the waves are rolling. On the surface of the ocean, several small black dots are moving forward with the waves...
Columbus, wearing a Zorro black cloth mask, sighed, and then boarded the flagship tower, and continued to "sneak peek" at the sea to the east with the telescope that Marin gave him...
This is already the 5th month and 16 days of Columbus's tailing da Gama fleet. According to the calendar, it is already the day before Christmas.
Vasco da Gama's fleet ahead had crossed the Cape of Good Hope marked by Malinte on the map, and began to leave the Atlantic Ocean, sailing eastward along the southern tip of the African coast.
According to the world map given by Marin (the westward outline of the Americas 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 source of information, and even Marin's instruction book to him indicated that the Da Gama fleet would sail east across the Cape of Good Hope on Christmas Eve.
It turned out that during the past five months in the Atlantic Ocean, Columbus also relied on Marin's known route map to track Da Gama's fleet. Although, the map and route given by Marin are very rough and too general. For example, the hydrology and wind direction data along the coast of West Africa are not complete. However, this map alone is worth tens of thousands of gold. Even, it's worth nothing.
Because, on this map, the location of India is clearly marked...
Where is India? That's where the spices imported from Europe came from. Europeans use a lot of spices and spend a lot of money. According to Marin, the price of pepper in Europe is as high as 10 shillings per pound, and in India it can be sold at most one or two pfennig. The value gap reaches more than 60 times.
According to Marin, as long as the Indian route is opened, it will bring great wealth. Not to mention anything else, the pepper trade alone can make huge profits up to 60 times. This is still the profit after deducting the sailing expenses, because the price of pepper in India is less than 2 pfennigs per pound, generally around 1 pfennig. Even at the cost of 2 pfennig per pound (including the cost of sailing), there is a full 60 times the profit.
Originally, Columbus was somewhat skeptical about the nautical map given by Marin. However, since Columbus discovered that Da Gama's fleet had indeed begun to turn east around Christmas, he had no doubts in Marin's judgment.
Now, Columbus is extremely sure that the Mombasa and Malindi emirates that Marin said must also exist. Moreover, Marin 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, as long as they express hostility to Mombasa, they may gain Malindi's favor. Then, according to the script requirements provided by Marin, Columbus will borrow Majid, an Arabian navigator under Chief Malindi, to lead Columbus to India...
At this moment, Columbus even doubted whether Marin was a prophet, and he could accurately calculate the movement of the Da Gama fleet. However, he didn't want to be too busy. As long as I can be the first to discover India, then my past 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, his reputation would plummet if everyone knew that wasn't India. Moreover, Queen Isabella I of Spain, who once sponsored him, will also turn his face. Because, when the two parties cooperated, they made it clear that Columbus was helping the Queen explore India, not some wild land.
If the queen is sure that is not India, then, the title and wealth of Columbus, the queen may take it back...
Sure enough, following the syphilis incident, when the whole of Europe knew that the place Columbus discovered was not India, Queen Isabella turned her face decisively and ruthlessly...
Before the Spaniards discovered Mexico and Peru, which possessed gold and silver, the New World was actually worthless compared to India. Because, the discovery of India will immediately bring huge benefits. The profits from the spice trade alone can scare people to death.
As for the New World discovered by Columbus, the Spaniards can only send people to the West Indies to plant sugar cane. The queen's advance team has already been sent there, but it is very troublesome to reclaim the tropical island. Not to mention anything else, the poisonous snakes, poisonous insects, and beasts on those islands can greatly threaten those advance developers. Being bitten by poisonous insects, contracting a serious illness and dying, that's just a normal thing...
…
Columbus withdrew his wandering thoughts and continued to observe the situation of the Da Gama fleet in the telescope...
Columbus was filled with emotions during these months of life at sea. Sailing is Columbus' greatest skill and reliance. However, what also surprised Columbus was that after more than five months, no one on board died of scurvy.
You know, before he led a team to the New World, many sailors died of scurvy...
Sailors are generally in good health, and those with poor physique can't do this job. Generally speaking, sailors rarely suffer from minor illnesses such as colds. Even if it happens occasionally, it can be carried through with a strong body. Therefore, sailors generally died of scurvy, starvation, shipwreck, or fighting pirates and internal strife.
But more than 5 months have passed, because Marin forced every crew member to soak in water with a mysterious herb every day, so none of the crew members suffered from scurvy.
In this regard, Columbus almost worshiped Marin. But he also knew what kind of secret it was. With this method, the safety of navigation will be greatly increased. As long as there is no enemy or a huge storm, the safety of the crew is greatly guaranteed.
Moreover, Columbus was amazed by the method of fresh water preservation specifically requested by Malin. Because, after putting fresh water in an oak barrel and boiling it in a large pot, then plugging it with a cork and sealing mud, it does keep the fresh water for a much longer time.
In the past, a bucket of fresh water would go bad and stink in six or seven days. However, the fresh water preserved in this way has not smelled and tasted for 5 months. Of course, after opening the sealing mud and cork, you must drink it within a few days, otherwise it will still stink.
Unbeknownst to Columbus, this is the most primitive way of canning. Although, the sealing of putty is not as good as paraffin or beeswax. However, it is much better than just using cork without sealing.
According to Marin's understanding, because the cork is breathable, it cannot meet the sealing requirements. After applying the sealing wax, 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 relatively 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 will be a bit high. After all, this saves fresh water that is frequently used and consumes a lot. If it's a precious commodity, like spices or wine, it's about the same.
However, if the soft mud is used for sealing, as long as the soft mud 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 not broken down for 5 months. However, it was almost broken. Even a few buckets of mud-filled fresh water have begun to deteriorate. Because, after all, sealing mud is used, which is not as easy to use as beeswax.
Therefore, Columbus decided to go to the Natal area mentioned in the "Cheats Raiders" given by Marin at a certain distance, find a freshwater river estuary, and replenish fresh water.
Moreover, the solar cooker provided by Marin is also very effective. Now, because of the solar cooker, the sailors on board began to drink hot water. When the sun is shining, everyone uses solar stoves to boil water for cooking. If it is cloudy and rainy, the firewood collected by the sailors on the shore is used to boil water and cook rice. Therefore, instead of eating cold food and pickled food as hard as Columbus explored the New World, the crew members who wore them could eat hot meals.
As for the telescope, it goes without saying. Now, Columbus can hang the fleet more than 20 kilometers behind the Vasco da Gama fleet, and he can also cling to the whereabouts of the Vasco da Gama fleet.
However, Da Gama's fleet still used the ancient method to let the sailors climb up 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 mast of the da Gama fleet to determine the whereabouts of the da Gama fleet. However, Vasco da Gama's sailors did not have such good eyesight, and could not spot the Columbus fleet more than 20 kilometers behind.
Besides, Vasco da Gama never thought that there would be someone tailgating their fleet...
Because Portugal's exploration of India this time is also kept secret, and only the royal family and some important figures in Portugal know about it. Therefore, Da Gama never thought that his fleet would be tailed by people.
Even if he is temporarily lost, Columbus is not afraid, because Marin provided a more accurate route direction. Just follow the route map and continue chasing forward.
You must know that Da Gama discovered India, which appeared repeatedly in textbooks in later generations. Marin remembered Da Gama's route map. The details may not be known, nor the hydrology and wind direction, but the direction of the route is generally accurate.
Therefore, Columbus, who had a telescope, relied on the telescope and the route map to hide and seek with Da Gama's fleet all the way in the Atlantic Ocean, from the coast of Portugal to the Cape of Good Hope. Now, Columbus continues to chase the Da Gama fleet, sailing eastward, preparing to enter the edge of the Indian Ocean...