Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

At the same time, King João I knew very well that Portugal faced the siege of its strong neighbor Castile on land and had no room for expansion, so he turned his attention to the sea.He was the pioneer who opened the door to the Age of Geographical Discovery, and also established Portugal's development strategy for the next few hundred years.

During the reign of King Joao I, Portugal occupied Ceuta, an important city in North Africa, and then successively discovered the Madeira Islands and the Azores Islands, and established trade routes leading to the depths of the African continent.

Through the sugar industry in the Madeira Islands and the monopoly of trade between Black Africa and Africa, Portugal's national power has risen rapidly, and the Portuguese royal family has also become one of the wealthiest ruling families in Europe.

Back then, the English royal family and the French royal family, who were so poor that they were almost underpants because of the Hundred Years' War, would have cried and passed out by the toilet with envy if they saw the wealth in the treasury of King João I.

However, although Portugal's national strength has increased significantly during his reign and he has made great achievements in expanding its territory, Joao I still faces two huge problems.

The first one is the sudden emergence of Ma Youfu from Siris.

It was precisely because of Mayouf's active performance that England, Portugal's iron alliance, completely lost the Hundred Years' War and withdrew from the European continent.Portugal's commercial interests in Northern France and Guienne also suffered huge losses.

Ma Youfu and Charles VII would not have any idea of ​​lenient to those Portuguese businessmen who followed the English forces into France, and all of them confiscated their assets in the name of "enemy" and then expelled them from the country.

In addition, the various initiatives of the Sires also challenged the fundamental interests of Portugal.

The other party invented "amber sugar" and is preparing to develop a large-scale sugar industry, which is a great competition for Portugal's sugar industry in Madeira.In addition, Ma Youfu's various measures: vigorously developing the navy, supporting the shipbuilding industry, and directing troops to the Maghreb, all revealed a message to King João I: the other party also set its sights on the sea and Africa for expansion.

In terms of national strength, it is absolutely impossible for Portugal to compare with France. If the two sides compete when they open up overseas, then the loser must be Portugal.Therefore, King Joao I must now take advantage of his own side to maximize his advantage and stop Ma Youfu's expansion momentum.

If you can make France suffer a few losses, think that the benefits of expanding to the sea are far less than expanding to the land, look away from the sea, and look at the Italian region, the Holy Roman Empire, the Principality of Burgundy and other neighbors, Joao I will die no regrets.

Speaking of death, the second problem King João I faces now is that he is now 76 years old, his body is getting worse day by day, and he may be summoned by the Seven Saints to go to Paradise Mountain at any time.

Although the sons are quite good, King Joao I knew that they were definitely not Ma Youfu's opponents.Therefore, the old Portuguese king hoped that before he died, he could solve the threat posed by the Seres.

This time he dragged the old, weak and sick to Rome all the way, in order to unite with other monarchs who had conflicts of interest with Ma Youfu, and together contain this powerful enemy whose strength was expanding every day.

The inevitable conflict with Ma Youfu is King Alfonso V of Aragon.So after Joao I arrived in Rome, he immediately accepted the invitation of Alfonso V to attend the dinner of the four Iberian kings.

At the dinner table, although the topic between King João I and King Alfonso V had always revolved around the crusaders, the purpose behind it was how to deal with Ma Youfu.

"Alfonso, what do you think of the route drawn by the Southern Crusade?" John I asked.

"My respected Joao, isn't this obvious? This kind of prior agreement has no mandatory binding force at all. If a certain monarch thinks that the route is not good for him, then he will definitely not abide by it." Alfonso V laughed. .

According to the information that came back from the other side of the Mediterranean Sea one after another, the jihadists from the Mulholland countries had already gathered in Tunisia at this time.If the left, middle and right three-way crusaders are divided according to the previous division, then the one who suffers must be Sigismund, who has to head-to-head with the enemy's main force.

Emperor Shenluo definitely didn't want to fight a tough battle with the main force of the Mulholland coalition immediately after landing.

Pope Eugene IV certainly knew this.Therefore, the meeting held in Rome this time also hopes to formulate a battle plan recognized by the monarchs of all countries, so as to avoid disputes or even internal strife during the Southern Expedition.

Because of the common interests with Alfonso V, Joao I said bluntly: "The goal of Portugal in this crusade is to further conquer the territory of the Moroccan Sultanate and continue to expand southward. What about you?"

"I don't have a specific goal. As long as I can curb the expansion momentum of the Sires and expand the territory as much as possible." Alfonso V said, "Since Portugal is targeting Morocco, then Aragon will attack Baba. The Caspian Coast is well developed. We're friends, and we shouldn't argue over hunting grounds, should we?"

"That's right." Joao I nodded.

The old king glanced at King Juan II of Castile, who was munching on a steak, and asked, "My friend from Castile, what do you have to say?"

Although Joao I and Alfonso V were planning to fly, it would not work if they completely ignored the other two kings.Although Juan II can only be evaluated as "incompetent" as a monarch, Castile is still the most powerful country in Iberia and cannot be ignored.

Juan II chewed the food, seemed to be choked, and quickly picked up the red wine and took a big gulp.The favorite Alvaro de Luna, who was standing next to him, quickly patted Juan II on the back with a distressed expression, helping him swallow the food smoothly.Afterwards, Álvaro clung to Juan II's ear and said something with a smile.

Seeing the "tender and sweet" interaction between these two people, King Joao I and King Alfonso V frowned involuntarily.

The taboo relationship between the King of Castile and his favorites is no longer news, but it is still a bit eye-catching to witness it with your own eyes.

Although the two kings despise Juan II and Álvaro's "fencing love", but if they really want to talk about anything with the Kingdom of Castile, Álvaro cannot be avoided.

Although Alvaro is a court favourite, he is still very capable. He is not only tall and handsome, but also has extraordinary martial arts skills. He is now the head of the San Diego Knights.Politically, Álvaro worked hard to strengthen the authority of the king and suppress the separatist nobles.In the military, he was also aggressive, trying to conquer the Sultanate of Granada and complete the great cause of the reconquest movement.

In the Battle of La Igruela two years ago, the Castilian army led by Álvaro defeated the army of Sultan Mehmed IX of Granada, forcing the opponent to abdicate and supporting a new sultan Yusuf IV came to power.

Now Granada has to make offerings to Juan II on a regular basis and has become a vassal of Castile.

It is precisely because of these achievements that Joao I and Alfonso V allowed Alvaro to occupy a place at this dinner.

After listening to Alvaro's advice, Juan II said: "I am not interested in the pagan land across the sea. However, for the great cause of the Seven Saints, Castile can also send troops to aid the two. However, I hope that the two of you can help Castile and completely destroy Granada!"

Juan II himself was not interested in such things as expanding the territory and conquering the battlefield.The things he devoted most of his energy to were poetry writing, hunting excursions, and holding knightly games.

But his lover Alvaro is different.

In the eyes of many Castilian nobles, Alvaro is a treacherous minister and a villain, playing the roles of Wang Zhen next to Zhu Qizhen and Wei Zhongxian next to Zhu Youxiao.

If Alvaro wanted to consolidate his power and attack his enemies, he had to make actual political achievements to gain prestige.

So even though Granada is already a vassal state of Castile, he is still not satisfied and wants to annex it directly.

The terrain of Granada is complex, with many mountains.In addition, the Granada Sultanate has been operating for many years. In order to resist the invasion of the Seven Saints, a large number of fortresses were built here.It is very difficult to conquer this land that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.So after Granada paid tribute to Castile, Alvaro gave up his plan to continue the attack.

But now, things have changed.

Last year, the war between Britain and France over Paris attracted the attention of European countries.Alvaro also paid attention to various details of the war through the mouth of the Iberian mercenaries who participated in the war in France.

In his view, the reason why France was able to achieve an overwhelming victory in the end, apart from the superb planning of the Sires, the most important factor was the use of cannons, a new type of weapon.

From the beginning of the Middle Ages, the castles, which had always been a headache for the attacking side, exposed their fragile side in front of the weapons of the new era.This gave Alvaro hope.

When the skilled craftsmen of Castile succeeded in imitating French cannons, it was no longer impossible to capture Granada.

In addition to the development of artillery, if Alvaro wants to capture Granada, there is another important thing, which is to cut off Granada's connection with the Maghreb Sultanates and cut off their aid from the sea.

It cannot be done with Castile's sea power alone.However, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Crusades, if other countries of the Seven Holy Orders contain the Mulholland Navy in the Maghreb, Alvaro will complete the last piece of the puzzle to capture Granada.

Chapter 420 Three Perfect Planning

The Portuguese and Aragonese navies blocked Granada to help the Castilian Crusaders eliminate the last Mulholland regime on the Iberian Peninsula.

In return, Castile would lend troops to both countries to help them conquer Tlemcen and Morocco.

As for the King of Navarre, who is like Akalin, he is in charge of waving the flag and shouting soy sauce.At that time, the heavy city of the Mulhollan people has been captured, and it is enough for him to climb the top of the city to enjoy himself.

The above is the agreement reached by the four Iberian countries.

The dinner is over, and the guests and hosts enjoy themselves.After seeing off the three kings, Alfonso V fell into deep thought.

The direction of Iberia has been settled, but for the Kingdom of Aragon, whose power spans the entire western Mediterranean, the threat posed by Ma Youfu is still unresolved.

Before the dinner, he received a tip that the Queen of Naples, Jeanne II, had gone to visit the Sirisian.It is conceivable what the two parties are up to.

Originally, Alfonso V's expansion direction, in addition to Naples, Provence is also in his plan.

Since Yolande can claim to be the Queen of Aragon, why can't he, the orthodox King of Aragon, claim the fiefdom of Yolande?

It's just that Ma Youfu seems to be faster than Alfonso V at every step.

The Sires are now the actual rulers of Provence, and the Neapolitans are flirting with Ma Youfu.Compared with the cowardly René I, Ma Youfu is obviously an enemy worthy of 12 attention.

In addition, Genoa cannot be forgotten.What if these cunning Italian businessmen decide to recover Sardinia, relying on the ever-victorious Marquis of La Manche as their backer?

Compared with the rolling Corsica, Sardinia has the fertile Capitano plain, which is rich in food.Moreover, since Roman times, it has been an important mineral base, rich in metals such as lead, copper, and iron.

If Naples can be obtained, then Alfonso V can cut off Mayouv's hand extending to Italy and the Mediterranean, defend Sardinia and Sicily from the flanks, and establish Aragon's status as the overlord of the Western Mediterranean.

On the contrary, he not only lost a kingdom, but even Sardinia and Sicily would face the front of the Sires.Aragon was in danger of completely losing all influence in the Western Mediterranean.

However, Alfonso V knew that because of Jeanna II's dislike for him, it was almost impossible for the other party to restore his adopted son status and then inherit Naples.His only recourse was to take Naples by force.

He definitely couldn't do it by himself, so Alfonso V needed allies.

He immediately thought of Emperor Sigismund of the Shinra.

The [-] German Crusaders currently in hand by the emperor are the strongest military force in Western Europe.

But how do you get Sigismund to stand on your side and fight Ma Youfu together?

Alfonso V couldn't think of an idea for a moment.He decided to seek help.

"Fernando!"

Soon, a [-]-year-old boy appeared in Alfonso V's room.

He is tall and thin, with a handsome and neutral face.

Alfonso V looked at his only son and illegitimate son, showing a doting smile.

Fernando was the only boy born to Alfonso V and his favorite mistress Lucrezia, and Alfonso V loved him very much.But the illegitimate son could not inherit the throne of Aragon, so he wanted to take Naples as the foundation for his son to settle down in the future.

Fernando was smart and smart. He learned all kinds of knowledge from famous teachers since he was a child. He began to assist Alfonso V in handling government affairs at the age of 12.Moreover, he also awakened the blood of Naga and became a "Water Wing Swordsman", able to perfectly integrate water attribute magic and swordsmanship.

How can such an excellent child not be loved?

"Father, what's the matter?" Fernando bowed and asked.

"Sit down. I have encountered a problem now, and I hope you can provide advice." Alfonso V pointed to the chair in front of him, "I plan to form an alliance with Emperor Sigismund of Shinra against the Marquis of La Manche .”

"Father, do you want to take Naples with the help of the Germans?" Fernando's eyes lit up.

"Yes. But I have no idea how to implement it. It is not easy to win Emperor Shenluo, and we must pay a lot of things. What and when we should pay, we need to think carefully." A Fang Suo V pondered.

Compared with his father's perplexity, the son was confident, and seemed to think of a solution all at once.

Fernando came up with a solution before his butt warmed up in the chair: "Father, in fact, His Majesty the Emperor is most concerned about the same things as you."

"What do you mean?"

"As elders, you are all very concerned about the future of your descendants. So you try every means to get Naples, as a place for me to live and work in the future. And Sigismund also cares about his son-in-law Albrecht. He hopes that he can provide for his son-in-law Pave the way to become the next Holy Roman Emperor."

"You mean... Pope Enren IV?" Alfonso V was also a smart person, and immediately understood the meaning of his son's words.

As we all know, the rulers of the empire elected by the electors of the Holy Roman Empire have the title of "King of the Roman People".One must be crowned by the Pope to become Holy Roman Emperor.

Therefore, the ruler of Shinra must have a good relationship with the Pope.Of course, if you are strong enough, you can also lead troops into the city of Rome and force the Pope to crown you.

Aragon, far away in Iberia, has an incompatible relationship with the Holy Roman Empire, and has neither common interests nor common enemies.But through the Pope, a strong relationship can be established among the three parties.

"Father, our greatest advantage in this southern crusade in Aragon is the geographical advantage. Whether it is attacking Tunisia from Sicily or attacking Tlemcen from Aragon itself, we can take the lead."

Not only is it closer geographically to the Maghreb, but most of the crusaders from the French countries still stay on Corsica to suppress the undead and repurify the environment polluted by necromantic magic. Not born.

"We can first let the German and Italian Crusaders, totaling about 5000 people, stationed in the port of Palermo on Sicily, and make a gesture of being ready to land across the sea at any time, so that the Mulholland coalition forces will not dare to act rashly. Even Both the Sultan of Tlemcen and the Sultan of Morocco had to send reinforcements to strengthen the defense of the holy mountain."

Alfonso V took out a map of the western Mediterranean coast.After giving some pointers, Fernando put his finger on Oran, the most important city on the Barbary Coast.

"We can take advantage of this opportunity to send troops to take Tlemcen in one fell swoop! The Zayani family, who ruled the sultanate, was unable to unify the various forces in the country, resulting in frequent civil strife, and was extremely dependent on nomadic tribes militarily. We will fight against the Seven Holy Army equipped with new firearms. We will surely occupy this country quickly!"

Fernando spoke with joy and high spirits, which made Alfonso V also infected.He then asked, "And then?"

"Father, I heard a piece of news before. The reason why the Marquis of Lamanche had some unpleasantness with the Pope was because of the distribution of power in the church in the newly conquered land of the Maghreb. The Siris and the King of France In the same way, the power of secular rulers is placed above religious power. This makes the Pope extremely dissatisfied. But we can do the opposite and let the Holy See take full responsibility for the missionary work in the newly conquered Tlemcen , and in each newly established diocese, give the Holy See a very high degree of autonomy. In this way, is it still afraid that Enren IV will not be tempted?

Going a step further, we could even send Tlemcen to Sigismund in exchange for His Majesty's help in conquering Naples. "

It is definitely a good deal to exchange a piece of newly conquered pagan land for a kingdom of the Seven Saints.

"My Fernando, you are indeed a genius!" After hearing the whole plan, Alfonso V stood up excitedly and hugged his son.