Novellv Chapter 1166 Castil's Defeat
Chapter 1166 Castil's Defeat
Chapter 1166 Castil's Defeat
"...That's just the way it is."
Inside the reception cabin, in front of Count Noah, who was bound tightly, Zhu Su spoke to King João I.
King João I had a rather strange expression. He turned to look at the "rebellious nobleman" who was still cursing, and then said to Zhu Su, "Thank you, Your Highness."
“What a despicable scheme… Your Highness, you are so wise. I dare say that if you believe his lies, he will surely betray us at the crucial moment after gaining our trust, just like the despicable Judas betrayed the Holy Son.”
“I have no doubt about his despicable nature.” With that, João glanced at Count Noah on the ground with the contemptuous look of a victor.
Bound like a dumpling, Count Noah began to struggle frantically, roaring in his throat as if trying to protest, but his mouth was gagged, preventing him from making a sound. Zhu Su, though noticing his expression, pretended not to. Instead, he spoke directly to João:
"I summoned you here to entrust you with the authority to handle this matter."
"You decide how to deal with this person."
Having said that, he fell silent, only looking at Ruoang with a calm expression.
This is both an opportunity and a test for João. Zhu Su eagerly awaited João's response.
After listening to the interpreter's translation, João was taken aback at first, then pondered for a long time. Zhu Su was not in a hurry, but watched the changes in his expression with great interest. After a long while, João finally stood up, bowed to Zhu Su, and said, "Your Highness, Prince Zhou."
"Thank you again for your respect. The Ming Dynasty is indeed a civilized land of etiquette. I can see the supreme majesty and noble character of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in you."
"Noah is a cunning fox, a despicable scoundrel who doesn't keep his word... but he is indeed the most influential nobleman in southern Castile. With his help, our allied forces will be able to achieve even greater victories."
On the ground, Noah, bound, stopped struggling and looked at João, who had spoken, with some shock. Zhu Su was also quite surprised and asked:
"Oh? So, according to the king, he intends to agree to his conditions?"
“Yes.” João bowed to Zhu Su again. “As long as he can help us, I don’t mind him submitting to you, and we are willing to support him in making his territory an independent new country.”
Zhu Su was not surprised by this answer. João was an ambitious man, and the goal of an ambitious man is always to maximize his own interests. Previously, Zhu Su was certain that João would abandon the Church and board the Ming ship after seeing the power of the Ming Dynasty, precisely because he had seen through this trait of João.
Even if he surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, all João could do was obtain support from the Ming fleet in the coastal areas and expand Portugal's territory along the coastline. However, if he could also get Count Noah to raise the banner of resistance against Castile, even Castile, known for its army, would find it difficult to withstand the combined attack of Portugal, Count Noah, and the Ming fleet.
Only in this way can Portugal annex as much territory as possible from Castile, strengthen its own power, and eventually break through Castile's land blockade.
To Zhu Su's surprise, João was able to quickly set aside his personal likes and dislikes and accurately choose the option that was most beneficial to Portugal in such a sudden situation.
This made Zhu Su admire Ruoang even more.
Out of a desire to bestow favors, Zhu Su ultimately refused Count Noah's offer of allegiance, instead requesting that Count Noah fight under João's command. If he performed well in the war, he would still receive support from the Ming Dynasty.
Having exhausted all other options, Count Noah had no choice but to submit and surrender to Portugal. Castile was thrown into turmoil, and its southern half was on the verge of collapse.
Meanwhile, the Ming fleet continued to inflict heavy damage on Castilian coastal ports, severely impacting Castilian commerce, fishing, and shipbuilding. The Castilian king could no longer withstand this dire situation of being attacked from both north and south, surrounded on all sides. The Portuguese army advanced triumphantly, relentlessly pushing forward the border.
In the end, Portugal and the Noah's County occupied almost half of the southern border of Castile. In terms of territory, Portugal had become a country that could rival Castile, a major power on the Portuguese peninsula.
"Your Highness, King João of Portugal has sent an envoy to invite you to Lisbon. This is the letter." A guard handed Zhu Su a letter.
At this time, Zhu Su had led the main fleet back to the Ming Dynasty's concession near Lisbon. As the war progressed, Portugal began to focus on consolidating the territories it had already captured, while Castile was struggling under the offensive of the northern Islamic states.
Aside from minor skirmishes, neither side was capable of launching a large-scale battle. The war was clearly drawing to a close. Therefore, both Zhu Su and João I withdrew their troops, leaving only a portion to deal with the fighting at the front. Zhu Su focused on establishing Ming military power within Portuguese concessions. The Ming army's primary objective remained defeating the Western Church and intimidating Western nations; conquering Portugal was merely an appetizer. To achieve the ultimate strategic goal, establishing these concessions as a springboard to project Ming power was crucial.
King João I knew that Zhu Su was preparing for war and would not easily disturb him. Therefore, Zhu Su was quite surprised when he heard his subordinates' report.
He unfolded the letter sealed with sealing wax, and Zhu Su suddenly realized: it turned out that João was inviting him to attend the ceremony in which Portugal publicly submitted to the Ming Dynasty and became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.
This was the most fundamental condition for the Ming Dynasty to send troops to assist Portugal. To this day, although João has the utmost respect for the Ming fleet and has always complied with Zhu Su's requests, Portugal has not actually fulfilled this requirement on the surface.
Zhu Su did not force him. After all, in Zhu Su's view, a Western vassal state that actively and sincerely submitted to the Ming Dynasty was far more valuable than a country that was only forced to feign compliance with the Ming Dynasty due to circumstances.
As for what would happen if Portugal disobeyed the previous agreement, it would simply mean another attack on Lisbon and another raid on the coastal ports. While Portugal's struggle with Castile expanded its territory, it was also an attempt to seize opportunities and overdraw its own national strength. At this point, it absolutely could not withstand a counterattack from the Ming Dynasty.
"Fifth Uncle, be careful of this man's fickle nature," Li Jinglong advised Zhu Su.
“It’s alright, we trust those we employ. Delaying here too long is not a good strategy. The sooner we subdue this country, the sooner we can send troops to the Papacy to support Fourth Brother’s army,” Zhu Su said.
Since he was to submit to the Ming Dynasty, helping the Ming Dynasty to destroy the Papacy's power and avoid retaliation from the Papacy would be a beneficial thing for João.
Zhu Su believed that João was ultimately a smart man.
(End of this chapter)