Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

After sending Maher away, the brothel owner came to a secret room in the back garden, and saluted Valentina who was busy at the desk: "Ma'am, Maher is gone."

"Did he send those girls to the people of the Ming Dynasty again?"

"To be precise, it was sent to the residence of the man named Zhao Guangming."

Entrusted by Ma Youfu, Valentina came to Tunisia to inquire about the information of the Ming Dynasty fleet, and incidentally disturbed the situation.

Unexpectedly, she didn't need to take action at all. The Mulhollan kingdoms, which were wary of each other and had their own conflicts, quarreled over the Prism Magic Cannon.During the period, there were several times when the swords were on the verge of being drawn into flames and almost merged.Although the parties reached an agreement in the end, the seeds of distrust had already been planted.

They have the same virtues as the seven monarchs who participated in the Crusade. On the surface, they share the same hatred, but secretly they have their own calculations.

As for another mission to investigate the Ming Dynasty fleet, Valentina quickly found a breakthrough.That was Maher, the court advisor to the Sultan of Tunisia.

The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were stationed in the fortress outside the city, and every other week, they would come to Tunisia to release the wind.The officers in charge are on duty by three people in turn.

These three people are Commander Zhao Guangming, Qianhu Ma Hao and Qianhu Niu Zhuo.

It took Valentina a long time to figure out the pronunciation of characters in the Ming Dynasty and the meaning of official positions.

Qianhu is roughly equal to the commander of a thousand commanders, and the commander is a mid-to-high-ranking officer who is lower than the general, and has the power to supervise the army.

Maher tried his best to win over Zhao Guangming, not only because he had a higher official position, but also because the other two thousand households were pure soldiers, while the commander had greater ambitions and was not satisfied with the status quo.

"In the Ming Dynasty fleet, there are three main people worth noting. They are the princess Zhu Yusian, her eunuch, and the commander Zhao Guangming. Now, the Prism Magic Cannon is temporarily kept by the Ming Dynasty, but this fragile power balance , cannot withstand the interference of external forces. However, the various Mulholland monarchs are working hard to continuously exert influence on the Ming Dynasty fleet..." Valentina wrote in a letter to Ma Youfu.

Chapter 430 Three Betrayal

"Zhao Guangming is a hidden careerist. He is very likely to betray the princess of the Ming Dynasty for profit. In addition, Maher, who is trying to buy Zhao Guangming, although he is apparently a court advisor to King Aziz II, He has a nasty aura about him. I suspect he is a believer of an evil god."

Although believers of the evil god of corruption are best at disguising and hiding, Valentina also inherited a part of the power of the ancient Greek gods. Her perception and use of magic power is far superior to that of ordinary spellcasters, so she can detect the subtle weirdness in Maher. place.

When Valentina wrote to Ma Youfu, Maher, who did not know that his identity had been suspected, arrived at a mansion in the city.

This mansion originally belonged to Aziz II, and now it was given to Zhao Guangming for the "Ming Dynasty General" to relax and enjoy during his rest.

"Mr. Maher, I have been waiting for you for a long time!"

Seeing Maher's arrival, Zhao Guangming couldn't wait to welcome him and the brothel's convoy into the mansion.

The servants arranged the drinks and food, the eunuchs and musicians were in place, and the girls in tulle and light clothes surrounded Zhao Guangming one after another, and an indulgent banquet began.

"Mahir, do you want to have fun together?" Zhao Guangming invited him.

Maher shook his head, but took out three pink potions and handed them to Zhao Guangming.

Zhao Guangming was of medium build, gentle-looking, and with a mustache, he looked more like a civil servant than a general.He was also very learned and quick-witted, and had quickly learned Arabic since the fleet landed on the Red Sea coast.Many people in the fleet said that Zhao Qianshi's talent was only lower than that of Her Royal Highness.

But don't look at this Zhao Qianshi's gentle appearance, but in some aspects, his desire is stronger than those macho men who can tear tigers and leopards apart, like a mountain of meat.

Every time, Maher had to send at least seven girls to Zhao Guangming before the latter would be satisfied.Moreover, after learning about this kind of debauchery life, Zhao Guangming became more and more unaware of restraint, and the frequency and intensity of indulgence became higher and higher.In order to maintain this kind of life, Zhao Guangming began to rely on the alchemy potion provided by Maher.

The reason why Maher was able to gain the trust of Aziz II and had a pivotal position in the Tunisian court was because he could refine the medicine that would make a man immortal.It is similar to the newly promoted national advisor Bryce next to Charles VII.Of course, the latter is at best a erudite and talented vassal who can solve male problems for the monarch by the way, while the former is a follower of evil gods with evil intentions.

"No need, General Zhao, I have something important to discuss with you today, and I will wait for you in the guest room." Maher rejected the other party's invitation.

Zhao Guangming took the three alchemy potions and smiled: "Then you may have to wait until tomorrow morning."

"You are the most important guest of His Highness the Sultan, and I can afford to wait." Maher bowed and saluted, then took his leave and left, leaving behind his lewd words.

Although he is also a believer in the evil god of corruption, unlike Endy, Mahir is not interested in raw physical pleasure.For him, seeing others gradually become addicted to the alchemy potion he carefully prepared, and then addicted to the point of being unable to stop, finally kneeling in front of him crying and begging for the potion, he can sacrifice everything for this, even his own. The soul is the happiest thing.

The ambitious Zhao Guangming has already taken the bait.Maher believed that in a short time, he would be able to appreciate the process of this Ming Dynasty man's complete decay from spirit to body, and use it as a pawn to advance the grand plan of the evil god of corruption.

The next morning, Maher came to the banquet hall of the mansion to meet Zhao Guangming.

In the space filled with obscenity, there were exhausted girls lying here and there, and even two handsome eunuchs were touched, and they huddled in a corner naked, crying.

Zhao Guangming sat sprawled on the carpet, drinking "fermented grape juice" and eating grilled lamb chops.His spirit is still very good, but his face has a sickly ruddy color, which seems to be supported by the effect of medicine.

Maher smiled slightly and walked over: "How was your last night, my friend?"

"Of course, great!" Zhao Guangming laughed loudly, "This is a hundred times happier than my life in Daming!"

"Please forgive my ignorance." Maher asked intentionally, "For a powerful warrior like you, with profound knowledge and noble blood, shouldn't you enjoy all the glory and wealth in your country? Why..."

"Why do I greedily enjoy everything you provide like a hungry wolf, as if I am a beggar who has never seen the world?" Zhao Guangming suddenly showed a self-deprecating smile, and began to recall the past, "My Zhao family can also be regarded as a hero of Jingnan, although He didn't get a duke Dangdang, but he also got a hereditary official position as the commander of the Ningxia Guard. According to you, he is at least an emir who holds military power.

But the high officials in the imperial court don't regard us border warriors as human beings at all.We fought those nomadic ogres on the front line, and the military achievements we exchanged for our lives were either lost by the commanders above, or were used by the Gelaobutang in the capital as a tool for political struggle... I, Zhao Guangming Haha, otherwise, why would I, a person who has never seen the sea, volunteer to venture out when the Sanbao eunuch recruited people to go to the West? "

Although Maher didn't understand many specific terms, he still understood Zhao Guangming's complaints.

In the increasingly turbid political environment in the Ming Dynasty, a depressed military nobleman who could not get ahead, chose to go to sea in order to fight for his future.

Maher rolled his eyes, and tentatively said: "Although you can't realize your ambitions in Ming Kingdom, it is your hometown after all. Now that you have been away for so many years, do you want to go back as soon as possible?"

"Go back!" Zhao Guangming spat, "My parents have already left, and I am alone, why should I go back? Hmph, I am not the golden branch and jade leaf of the old Zhu's family, and I am still a master when I go back. "

He stared at the rose-colored wine for a long time, and then said: "I heard that across the Mediterranean Sea, there is also a Ming Dynasty man named Ma Youfu, who made a lot of troubles in this foreign country. He was a child Small sea merchants can achieve such achievements. After I am a dignified general, who is not better than him in terms of knowledge and martial arts? Since he can be a duke, I can definitely become a king!"

"Yeah, I heard that Ma Youfu is quite popular with Europeans, and even his mistresses are noble ladies from prominent backgrounds. Are those women better than these lowly whores? If it's you, don't say She is the wife of the Earl and Duke, even if she is the queen, she will bow down before you." Maher continued to bewitch.

Zhao Guangming was enraged by the other party's teasing.But whether to stay in the West is not up to him.That Princess Yongfu had the undeniable authority in the fleet, and her own strength was strong, so it would not be a problem to beat Zhao Guangming three or five times.He really didn't dare to give birth to a heart of betrayal.

Zhu Yudian said he wanted to return to Daming, what could he do?

Maher naturally saw Zhao Guangming's thoughts.He said: "General, you alone are indeed no match for Her Highness the Princess. But if you can get assistance and make a surprise attack, you still have a great chance of winning!"

"Do you want me to be an unfaithful and treacherous person? Get out!" Zhao Guangming was suddenly furious, threw the wine glass in his hand, and pointed at the gate.

Maher was not panicked at all.

The other party was obviously tickled by himself, but he was bound by morality, so he reacted so aggressively.As long as you continue to seduce and corrupt, you don't have to worry about Zhao Guangming not taking the bait.

"I was reckless, General Zhao. May the true god Ankabal bless you and wish you a happy life." After bowing and apologizing, Maher quietly left.

But the next day, Zhao Guangming seemed to have forgotten the quarrel between the two, and asked Maher to find him a prostitute.

After more than ten days like this, Zhao Guangming finally broke the moral bottom line under the various hints of Maher and the influence of drugs.

"Mahir, my loyal friend. I have made up my mind!" Zhao Guangming clenched his fists and said, "In this place tens of thousands of miles away from Daming, if you still have the idea of ​​being loyal to the emperor, you will be pedantic and stupid I'm going to start lobbying my brothers. Staying here happy and happy, spreading branches and leaves, is not better than going back to be a bitter guard? If I have three thousand soldiers on hand, it is enough to gain a foothold in this troubled world, and then lay down A huge territory!"

During the period when these two religious camps were colliding, if Zhao Guangming had enough courage and strategy, he might indeed rise to become a new force that cannot be ignored.

"It's just..." Zhao Guangming changed the subject, "Only by myself, I'm not enough to 'convince' Princess Yongfu. Maher, I need your help!"

"Of course. As long as you can help His Highness Aziz get the magic prism cannon, we are willing to provide you with everything you want." Maher took out another golden potion from his arms.

"Drinking it, the body will be able to feel the magic power in the environment more easily, allowing you to quickly increase your strength. In addition, I can also send you ten middle-level god warriors. It is possible to withstand the siege of so many extraordinary people."

"Very good!" Zhao Guangming showed a greedy expression, "If the princess is sensible and willing to stay here, I can also reserve a place for her as a wife, otherwise..."

So, bewitched by Maher, Zhao Guangming started a plan to backstab the princess and seize command of the Ming Fleet.

Because he wanted to help Maher capture the magic prism cannon, the time to do it was when the Crusaders were pressing down on the border, the Mulholran jihadists were attacking the enemy, and the city of Tunisia was empty.

It's just that while the two were waiting patiently, they suddenly got a piece of news that disrupted their original plan.

The Crusaders launched an attack, and overnight, they captured the Port of Oran in the Sultanate of Tlemcen and the Port of Tangier in the Sultanate of Morocco.

Chapter 430 Four Ceuta Port

Let's rewind the event to four days ago.

That was May 1433, 5.

At around three o'clock in the morning, Diego da Costa, the commander of the Ceuta Fortress, still did not rest.

After entering May, those Mulhollan pagans did not know what medicine they had taken wrongly, and began to launch continuous attacks on Ceuta Fortress.

At first, the Mulhollan's offensive was not sharp, more like harassment than offense.They used primitive catapults to bomb the Portuguese fortress. The Berber cavalry galloped back and forth outside the fortress, screaming sharply and rolling up dust in the sky, which made the defenders tense for a while, but never launched an attack.

As time passed, Diego, who was still on thin ice for guarding Ceuta, an important North African town, got used to this kind of harassment and no longer took it seriously.

The original supreme commander of Ceuta was Henry, the third son of King João I, later known as the "Prince of the Sea".As the leader of the "Seven Holy Knights", he guarded Ceuta and used it as a base to explore and colonize Africa.

It was only because King Joao I wanted to mobilize a large number of ships to transport the Crusaders, so Prince Henry, who was most familiar with the ocean and had experience in landing operations, was temporarily transferred back to Lisbon to help.

Although in the near future, King Joao I will regret this decision very much.But when he made this decision, he didn't think there was anything wrong.

The city of Ceuta has a very special geographical location. Its western border with the Sultanate of Morocco is protected by Mount Anjela.To the east of it is half of the Almina Peninsula.The peninsula is only connected to the mainland by a narrow channel, and there is a Montejacho hill on the island, overlooking the entire Ceuta Bay, which can provide protection for the entire port.

Whether it is from land or sea, it is difficult to capture this fortified city.

King Joao I believed that even if he sent a pig to guard Ceuta, he would be able to complete the task satisfactorily.What's more, Diego da Costa is still a knight with good strength and rich combat experience.When Joao I captured Ceuta, Diego was a member of the war.

Diego originally thought that the Mulhollan's attack on Ceuta was just a bluff to harass, and the plan was just to achieve some superficial victories before the Crusaders pressed down on the border to inspire people.

Who knew that after a week of the Mulhollan's play-by-play attack, they suddenly turned on the serious mode.

The opponent did not know where to get ten cannons, and began to continuously and violently bombard the fortress on Mount Angela.

Coupled with the non-stop trebuchets, the pressure on the Portuguese defenders suddenly increased.

"Could it be that the Sultan of Morocco suddenly came to his senses and wanted to wipe out our only stronghold in the Maghreb before the Crusaders launched an incident, so he spared no effort to attack Ceuta?"

Seeing that more and more Moroccan troops gathered outside the city of Ceuta, not only cavalry, but also all kinds of light and heavy infantry from far and near, Diego suddenly became nervous.

While drawing defenders from Montejacho Fortress, which was defending against sea attacks, to strengthen the defense to the west, he notified Lisbon of the situation here.

Who knows that Joao I did not send reinforcements, but only asked Diego to strengthen his defense.

The King of Portugal believes that Ceuta's defense is solid, and the Moroccans will not be able to break through it for a while.Sending reinforcements rashly will only disrupt the crusaders' southern march.

Moreover, the enemy gathered a large army to attack Ceuta, and other cities would inevitably be empty of troops, which just gave the Southern Crusade an excellent opportunity.

As long as Diego persists in Ceuta, the Crusaders of Portugal and Castile will invade Morocco with a destructive force and destroy the Marin dynasty in one fell swoop.

Diego had no choice but to grit his teeth and persist.

By May 5, the Moroccan offensive had reached the end of its strength, and it was almost no threat to Ceuta.

The opponent did not launch an infantry siege, but has been using trebuchets and artillery to bomb Ceuta from a long distance.It's just that the artillery of the Moroccans is a relatively primitive kind of stone-shooting artillery, which is incomparable with the advanced artillery of the French firing various iron shells.After more than a week of continuous use, these stone shooting guns either exploded or were scrapped, and all of them misfired.

This made Diego breathe a sigh of relief.

"I can get a good night's sleep tonight. I don't believe that those Moroccans can conjure up new cannons overnight!" Diego cursed all the way back to the Almina Peninsula, "How could the Moroccans conjure so many guns all at once?" Artillery? It must be assisted by other forces. Looking at the whole of Europe now, the army of the Duke of Bar is the best at using artillery. He must be behind the scenes! He wants to delay the attack of our Iberian Crusaders. I knew it, This newly converted Seven Saints is unreliable! He should be sent to the Inquisition!"

Diego, who was battered by the artillery bombardment, finally calmed down after venting his emotions by swearing.Back at the mansion on Montejacho Hill, Diego decided to sit on the balcony, enjoy a drink while admiring the Strait of Gibraltar under the night, and then go to have a good sleep.

Two young and beautiful Moroccan slave girls served red wine from Porto.

The red wine here is no worse than that of Bordeaux.After the French banned the export of red wine to England during the Hundred Years War, Portuguese wine merchants quickly entered London to fill a certain market gap, so that the English nobles would not be unable to drink high-quality red wine from the European continent on their tables.

The bright red wine was poured into the round and elegant glass.Diego watched this scene with admiring eyes, and his heart was full of pride: drinking fine wine from Portugal, using a glass from Venice, eating beef from Castile, and spices from Africa seasoning.And life would be perfect if you put on silks from the far east.

Diego believes that as the kingdom explores the ocean more and more deeply, more and more countries are discovered and lands are conquered, Portuguese nobles like him will become richer and richer, and live the life of their dreams. perfect life.

boom!