Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

Seeing that the two were arguing more and more fiercely, Duarte stood up as the older brother and said: "My brothers, quarreling is no different from solving the problem. Let's see what father says."

Pedro and Henry stopped arguing.

King Joao I looked at his three sons and felt very relieved.

The eldest son, Duarte, is knowledgeable and has a peaceful personality. He is able to unite various political forces and resolve disputes. He is the best candidate to be king.Even if he is slightly lacking in talent and cannot lead Portugal to continue to develop at a rapid pace like himself, at least he will not disturb the country like Juan II next door.

The second son, Pedro, is eloquent, personable, and has a natural personality charm. He is an outstanding diplomat and once talked and laughed happily with Emperor Shinra and the Ottoman Sultan.At the same time, he traveled almost all of Europe, and also left his footprints in the Middle East and Anatolia.However, it was precisely because of this experience that Pedro developed some arrogance in his heart, thinking that based on his own experience and knowledge, the decision he made must be the most correct.

The third son, Henry, is brave, tenacious and adventurous, and is an excellent general and navigator.In Henry's professional fields, such as navigation and military affairs, Joao I agreed with Henry's opinions more than Pedro's.It's just that when faced with choices, Henry often tends to risk more risky options, which may be his occupational disease.

The three sons are all excellent, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.Joao I believed that as long as the three of them could work together, Portugal would still be able to maintain a thriving momentum after his death.

The difficulties encountered now may just be the last lesson for the three of them.

Thinking of this, King Joao I said: "This crusade to the south involved the lives of [-] Portuguese warriors and tens of thousands of soldiers from friendly countries. Moreover, it was still going across the ocean to fight against infidels in strange lands, so we must Be cautious. Because once you fail, not only will your national strength be greatly damaged, but the domestic political situation will also cause turmoil. I have come to the end of my life. If Portugal experiences another major defeat at the same time as my death, the consequences will be disastrous."

After hearing what their father said, the expressions of the three princes became serious.

Joao I added: "Judging from the speed at which the Duke of Bar conquered Ceuta, it may not be very difficult to capture Tangier. As Henry said, the artillery possessed by the French Crusaders may be more powerful than ours." We can only suspend the dispatch of troops first, and then decide what to do next after we get the exact situation of the battle."

"That's right. Mayouf captured two cities in a row. His army must have suffered a lot of losses and needs to be repaired. It will not be too late for us to attack Morocco. From Seville to the coast of Morocco, it only takes at least In two days, we have enough time," Pedro said.

Henry also agreed with his father's decision: "There are so many ports along the coast of Morocco, can the Duke of Bar occupy them all? We will always find a suitable target. In just a few days, can the French capture Rabat as well?"

Duarte did not speak.

In fact, he thought in his heart that it would be a good choice to make peace with the Duke of Barr.There is no irreconcilable conflict of core interests between the two sides. Wouldn't it be great to work together to conquer Africa?

It's just that at this time, Ceuta, which his father and brothers took a lot of effort to capture, was easily captured by Ma Youfu, and it was hard to swallow.

Just after the Portuguese king and his sons reached an agreement, another messenger brought new news.

"Your Highness, a message came from a merchant ship returning from Madeira Island. Tangier was occupied by the French Crusaders the day after Ceuta fell!"

As soon as this news came out, the originally calm atmosphere became tense again.

"The French's offensive is so sharp. After taking Tangier, will they continue to go south...It is already May 25th, maybe even Rabat has fallen..." Prince Henry's face became more and more ugly .

"It shouldn't be so fast, right? Rabat and Serra are Morocco's important outlets in the Atlantic Ocean. King Huck II will never allow the western gateway of Fes to be easily captured." Prince Pedro shook his head.But his tone was not particularly sure.

"Now, if the French Crusaders have captured Rabat. Where is the next step? Anfa? Agadir? Look at Mayouf's strategy. Does he really want to occupy the entire coastline of Morocco?" Prince Henry said with a serious look on his face. Unbelievable, "My God, this is crazy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another messenger came up the mountain out of breath: "Your Highness, the three princes! This is the message from the Moroccan businessman we bribed, who just sent back from Rabat using the messenger technique!"

King Joao I opened the envelope with a gloomy face. When he saw the line "Rabat, Serra, and Temara have been captured by the French Crusaders, the main force of the Crusaders is stationed in Rabat for repairs." A sense of powerlessness suddenly filled his whole body, completely consuming his last vitality.

His plan to take advantage of the God-given opportunity of the Crusades to open up territories for Portugal and leave a rich legacy has been completely bankrupted.

The Duke of Bar's attack was so sharp that in just a few days, the important coastal towns in Morocco fell one after another.There are not many optional targets left for Portugal.

Anfa further south of Rabat?Safi?Agadir?Sidi Ifni?

Even if the latter two port cities are occupied, they will face the harsh desert environment when they go deeper into the land. They are too far away from the core area of ​​Morocco and lack strategic value.

Moreover, can it really guarantee the success of the landing operation?

Since the French dared to invade Ceuta, wouldn't the other party dare to attack the Portuguese fleet?

Brotherhood of the same faith is worth nothing in the face of practical interests.

Today's French navy—to be precise, it should be the navy of the Duke of Bar, which is composed of the original English navy and the Genoese navy, and has undergone a transformation with enhanced firepower, is the best in Europe in terms of quantity and quality.Even a maritime power like Portugal has to avoid its edge.

If the other party is determined to be an enemy of Portugal in an all-round way, it will not only be a problem that the Portuguese Crusaders cannot go south, but the whole country may face the disaster of being completely blocked from the sea!

Thinking of this possible disaster, King Joao I regretted it very much.Portugal should not have been involved in the Hundred Years' War for the sake of the English Covenant.Not to mention Ma Youfu should not be regarded as an enemy in order to monopolize the huge profits of the sugar industry.

"Over the years, the vigorous development of Portugal has made me blind and greedy. I only saw the huge benefits and ignored the risks behind it. As a result, I have come to this point. It seems that I am really old, so that His eyes are cloudy, his mind is rusted, and he made a decision that harmed the interests of the kingdom..."

Under the torment of remorse, King Joao I's face quickly turned gray, his eyes darkened, and he fell to the ground.

"Father!" The three princes exclaimed in unison.

Joao I suddenly fainted and became critically ill, and the Portuguese Crusades could only be temporarily suspended.

The three princes hurriedly sent Joao I back to the royal palace in Lisbon.

Under the treatment of court physicians, royal priests and other people from all walks of life, the aged Portuguese king finally did not return to Paradise Mountain immediately.

It's just that he is just holding his breath now, maybe after making the will, he will die.

Chapter 430 IX The King's Will

The time came to June 6, and King Joao I of Portugal finally came to the end of his life.He died after leaving a will to his heir Duarte.

Subsequently, Duarte was crowned and became the new king of Portugal, known as Duarte I in history.

After the coronation ceremony, Duarte I prepared to meet with envoys from various countries in the palace.

Because it was during the Crusades, Duarte I hoped to ascend the throne as soon as possible to stabilize the situation in the kingdom, so the coronation ceremony was held hastily, and the foreign envoys present were three other Iberian countries.

It was Alfonso V's favorite illegitimate son, Fernando, who came to Lisbon on behalf of Aragon.

After the trip to Rome, the young man has matured and behaved more sophisticatedly, which impresses the new King of Portugal.

It's just that although Duarte I had a good personal impression of Fernando, in terms of national interests, Portugal is now drifting away from Aragon.

Fernando could feel that Duarte I's enthusiasm for the Crusades was rapidly dissipating.This is unacceptable to Aragorn.He hopes to have a good talk with the new Portuguese king so that he will not give up.Otherwise, you can only sit back and watch most of the Maghreb fall into Ma Youfu's control.

Together with Fernando, he went to the Portuguese royal palace and had talks with Duarte I, as well as Alvaro, the power minister of Castile, who was the special envoy of Juan II.

As for the other special envoy, he had no interest in the Crusades at all, and now he went to visit the cathedral of Lisbon.

On the way to the Royal Palace of Lisbon, Fernando and Alvaro walked side by side, discussing how to persuade Duarte I.

"Your Excellency Alvaro, what do you think of the current situation?" Fernando asked.

"What situation? Wouldn't it be great if it was the Crusades? Our French brothers won a big victory and captured many pagan coastal cities in a row. Morocco trembled under the soldiers of the Duke of Bar, although Sultan Huck II managed to gather an army of 3000 men, but could he really defeat the Duke of Bar? And the city of Tlemcen is now in jeopardy under the siege of the Duke of Burgundy. In these two days, two of the three major sultanates of the Maghreb will soon be wiped out, and this is a great feat that all the seven saints will praise!"

Fernando laughed at Alvaro's insincerity.He said: "Your Excellency Álvaro, in order to prevent you from pretending to be confused, let me explain a little more clearly. Do you think that our Iberian three...four countries can still gain enough in this Crusade?" interests?"

"I don't know. It depends on whether we continue to stick to the original plan. If we don't make changes, then I'm afraid we will end up like a fool who wants to catch the moon in the water and get nothing." Alvaro said Very straightforward.

In this Crusade, Castile had no demand for the territory of the Maghreb, and even King Juan II was not very enthusiastic about the Crusade.It's just that Alvaro himself wants to take the opportunity to annex Granada in order to consolidate his status as a powerful minister.

For him, it didn't matter who occupied Morocco and Tlemcen.Anyway, as long as these sultanates no longer exist, Granada will be completely isolated and lose external assistance.At that time, Castile will not be allowed to flatten and round.

But this is from a purely military point of view.

From a political point of view, Alvaro still hopes to cooperate with Portugal and Aragon to continue the Crusade.If the plan of the Three Kingdoms ended without a problem like this, wouldn't the [-] Castilian Crusaders he mobilized after spending a lot of political resources in Castile become a joke?

Big hats such as wasting money and wasting money, futile, etc., will definitely be buckled up one by one by the nobles of the opposition.At that time, Alvaro's position in Castile will be threatened.

Seeing that Alvaro finally spoke his mind, Fernando nodded and said, "That's right. Our original plan is no longer feasible. The question now is how to change it?"

As soon as June entered, Ma Youfu assembled a new force in Rabat through the deployment of troops, and went south to capture Anfa.So far, all valuable port cities in Morocco have fallen into the hands of the Sires.

The remaining ports close to the Sahara Desert in the south are really lack of strategic significance, just like chicken ribs.

As for the ports in the Tlemcen Sultanate, the most important Port of Oran also fell into the hands of the Burgundians.The only remaining port that has a certain cargo throughput and can supply supplies for tens of thousands of troops is Mostaganam.However, the city is east of Oran, not far from Tlemcen's border with Tunisia.

Obviously, the scheming Siris is holding back a bad water, waiting for the Iberian Crusaders to occupy Mostaganum.At that time, if the Mulholland coalition forces in Tunisia want to advance westward to regain lost ground, they will be the first to bear the brunt.

The crusaders who have been instigated by fanatical religious sentiments must not end without a problem.

But at this moment when the arrow was on the string and had to be fired, the Iberian countries discovered that the target had been taken away by Ma Youfu in advance.

Facing Fernando's question, Alvaro spread his hands: "I don't know how to change the plan. There are too few options left for us now. Is it really going to attack Tunisia and fight the Mulholland coalition forces? Not impossible. If we can join forces with Sigismund, we still have an advantage in terms of strength!"

Alvaro himself was the leader of the Knights, and he had the courage to fight the Mulhollan people head-on, but Fernando obviously didn't think it was a good idea.

To Aragorn, Mayouf was a more dangerous enemy than the Mulhollans.Our own side and the Mulholland coalition fought to the detriment of both sides, and then let that Sirisian take advantage of it?Absolutely not!

"I have a solution, but it needs the concerted efforts of Portugal, Aragon, and Castile to succeed." Fernando said.

"any solution?"

"Gather all the crusaders and take Tangier!" Fernando's eyes showed a decisive look. "Since Mayoufu dared to attack the allies of the same faith, we can naturally take retaliatory measures. After taking Tangier, the opponent is on the Atlantic coast The territory of the territory and the territory of the Mediterranean coast are completely separated. With the help of Tangier, we can also cut off the other party's supply routes and put the French Crusaders in trouble."

The Iberian Crusaders numbered nearly 3.However, after Ma Youfu captured several coastal cities one after another, because of the need to divide the troops for defense, there were only a few thousand mobile troops available.On paper, the Iberians have the upper hand.In addition, although Ma Youfu's navy is very powerful, but now it has to clear the Mulholland pirates and escort the supply ships, so its forces are already very scattered.

"This plan is really a bit risky. Maybe we don't need to go to war. We just use this plan to threaten Ma Youfu and force him to give up a coastal city. Tangier is too important, and the other party may not agree. Rabat is a very good plan. choice," Alvaro said.

"Your suggestion is worth considering. No matter which plan we adopt, as long as we unite and let Ma Youfu feel our strength and determination, things will turn around!" Fernando clenched his fists and said.

However, the premise of "unity" does not seem to exist.

When Fernando and Alvaro met Duarte I and chatted with him about the plan for the next Crusade, the other party gave an unexpected answer.

"Portugal is going to talk to the Duke of Bar to see if we can cooperate in the great cause of conquering the Maghreb." Duarte I said in the most official words.

Fernando, who was originally full of confidence, looked at the new Portuguese king in disbelief.

He didn't know why Duarte I suddenly changed his attitude towards Mayouf, but he still tried to persuade him: "Your Highness, you can't be so weak when facing the treacherous opponent who seized the territory of Portugal! Think about your father. The great King Joao I certainly does not want his successor to give up the grand ideal of conquering the Maghreb!"

Duarte I just replied calmly: "It is my father's last wish to restore the relationship with the Duke of Bar. To continue to be an enemy of him will only completely exclude Portugal from this great southern expedition and will not be able to obtain any benefits. .”

"Your Highness, besides surrendering to Ma Youfu, we have other options..."

Fernando told about the new plan discussed with Alvaro on the road.It's a pity that the response I got was just Duarte I's constant shaking of his head.

"Your Excellency Fernando, your plan is still too idealistic. You imagine all the conditions to be the most beneficial to yourself. However, the real world doesn't work like this. Would the Duke of Bar not think of anything you can think of? According to my knowledge As you know, the Duke of Barr has a fleet of more than [-] ships and more than [-] guns berthed in the port of Tangier. With such a powerful fleet, how will your plan be implemented?"

Hearing the news, Fernando slumped down on a chair.

He still did not give up, and continued to persuade: "Your Highness, the hostile relationship between Portugal and France began during the Hundred Years' War. Now you want to make peace with the other party, can you really succeed? Instead of blindly turning to the old Enemies, it is better to cherish the allies you have."

"Don't worry about this." Duarte I smiled, "Portugal naturally has connections, which can bridge all misunderstandings between the two parties. You may not know that the wife of the Duke of Burgundy is my sister Isabella. "

Chapter 440 The Countess of Tangier

Is this also in your calculations?

The shocked expression on Fernando's face seemed to be saying this.

After the Tiber Conference, he did grow a lot, and he also learned some "real political fighting methods" from Alphonse de Borgia, that is, assassination, bribery, theft, and deception.

In particular, assassination is very useful in political struggles.

If you can't solve the problem caused by the enemy, then solve the enemy, isn't it all right?

In fact, the method of political struggle that the Borgia family is best at is poisoning.Their family owns a special poison called "Cantrella", which has a long history and can kill enemies slowly but silently.

With this poison, Alphonse de Borgia eliminated many enemies and finally came to where he is today.

However, the methods taught to Fernando by the Borgia family are useless now.

Killed Duarte I who was going to join Ma Youfu?