And precisely because of understanding, he was very certain that Columbus's descriptions of the East were boundless fantasies, with almost no real understanding. Columbus's navigation plan was also riddled with errors. A five-thousand-kiloter westward voyage—not to ntion reaching the East—it would be a miracle to reach anywhere ten thousand kiloters away from the East...
Yet such an utterly unreliable person, holding a ridiculous sea chart, recklessly set out westward into the sea, and in just two or three months of navigation... surprisingly discovered a piece of land in the deep sea that was suspected to be the East?!
"This must be the Almighty's joke! I'd rather absurdly believe this is a never-before-seen New Continent than accept this as the East's Cipangu and India! You should know, Knight Pero da Covilha, ventured through Ottoman territory and reached India by land, sending back letters thrice. He gathered clear information of India's location and details, including Seris's precise news and docuntation!..."
"These sailors ntioned Indian Islands, wild and primitive, without even tal tools, they bear no resemblance to the real India at all! As for the so-called Xipangu Island... no matter how you look at it, that location is impossible. The latitude is even wrong, how could Xipanguans be in the tropics?..."
Joao II's expression was hard, like a solemn sculpture. He put down the record in his hand, unconsciously tapping his seat with his fingers.
After the initial shock, excitent, disbelief, and confusion, he finally cleared his thoughts and made a rational judgnt: Columbus might have discovered so islands or even a piece of land in the deep sea while heading west, but it has no connection with the East, neither Cipangu Japan nor India!
Yet sensible and scholarly figures like him are indeed rare. Columbus's shout at the harbor about "discovering a new route" was like a huge rock dropped into a pond, not only creating a splash but even blowing a big hole in Lisbon's pond bottom!
According to the sheriff's report, these two days, the streets and alleys of Lisbon were livelier than during festivals. Everyone discussed "the mad captain seized at the port during the boat duel", "the new route from the West reaching the East", Mark Polo's depiction of "India full of spices and gems", "Cipangu with endless gold and silver"… and all discussions ultimately transford into an obsession with "endless wealth of the East", as if gold, silver, gems, and spices were within reach once arriving in the East!...
"A Castilian captain nad Columbus actually returned from India and Cipangu! Then he was detained by the Portuguese at Lisbon's port... Portuguese not only mastered the route to the Southern Continent but also wanted to monopolize the westward route reaching the East, monopolize all Eastern wealth!…"
Joao II could imagine nurous envoys at this mont, riding swift horses or seated on rchant ships, rapidly spreading this sensational news to all parts of the Catholic World.
After Marco Polo brought back knowledge of the East and hundreds of years of imagination and expectation, at this mont the "East" represented to Europeans almost like the Lord's promised "land of milk and honey", a living heavenly paradise! As long as one could reach the East, gold, gems, spices, silk, porcelain... various priceless wealth were everywhere, one could easily beco trendously rich!... And the "East", this most explosive romantic topic in the Catholic World, the speed at which this news spread and the level of attention from various countries and regions…
"The Kingdom's new route in hand... Eastern interests... truly reaching India, little Pero..."
Thinking about the trouble and attention this news once spread would inevitably bring to the Kingdom of Portugal, even stir the entire Catholic World to covet the true Eastern route in Portugal's hands... Joao II felt a bit of a headache. He stroked the short hair on his cheeks, pondered, and then asked Nuno, the court official beside him, responsible for interrogating the sailors.
"Nuno, can a ssage be released, a formal announcent, to clarify Columbus's harbor shout?… That was not so new route to the East, us Portuguese did not detain him for this reason, nor did we seize anything, like his returned new route sea chart, any Cipangu gold wealth..."
"Your Majesty, you are a wise and discerning lion, always able to grasp the key points... but Inese (Inêsé Morta) has died."
Hearing this rich Portugese saying, Joao II again fell silent. After a while he rarely sighed and acknowledged.
"Indeed, Inêsé Morta, Queen Inese has died... People prefer to believe what they wish to believe. So, this rumor, at the mont Columbus shouted it, was already too late... On the eve before the Kingdom fleet rounds the 'Cape of Good Hope', almost reaching India, a crazy Genoese captain unexpectedly created such big news, drawing everyone's attention to us... I really wish to sentence him to death!..."
"Your Majesty, the east wind that cos is useless, and unhelpful. (Vento de leste não traz nadaquepreste.)… We Portuguese sit at the most western corner of the Catholic World, with constant disputes among nations, the eyes focused at this mont will not linger too long, nor likely turn into intervention... Simply be cautious of the Castilians close by and both Iberian kings…"
"And Columbus is the Queen's appointed Admiral, no matter how absurd this appointnt is, it's essential to Castilians... Please be careful! If Columbus is killed, even this new route ssage is false, it would turn into truth, and trapped upon us..."
"...Hmm, Nuno, what you say is very right... I need to judge rationally, respond rationally to everything!..."
Joao II raised his head, looking at the ceiling paintings for a while, on the left is the battle of the brave Knight Order, establishing the Kingdom of Portugal, Ancestor Afonso Henriques, on the right is the foundation of the Avis dynasty, resisting Castilian invasion, and starting Southern Continent mariti exploration by Great-grandfather Joao I. He gazed at this painting for a long ti, calming all emotions, before calmly opening his mouth to call out.
"Co! Summon the Castilian nobles, Don Christopher Columbus!..."
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