During Massawa Port's stay, Andronikos was received by Highest-Level. He found that the local people had some understanding of Vitus, which was mixed with many stereotypes.
The furthest statement is:
Battle of Konya and Vitus were surrounded on three sides by Ottoman, Black Sheep and White Sheep. He took the initiative to initiate a duel in front of the battle line and killed three enemy generals in a row, causing the enemy's morale to plummet and finally won the decisive battle.
"It seems that the deeds of Heraclius were mixed together. After more than 800 years, what does it have to do with Vitus?"
However, there are too many anecdotes about Vitus, and Andronikos has limited energy to refute them all. He can only let the nobles talk about Vitus's bravery and cruelty at the banquet.
On February 20th, Governor arranged an army of 200 people to escort Andronikos and fifteen members of the mission to the interior.
At the same time, Long-Haired Rabbit replenished fresh water and fresh food and continued to explore south, targeting the sea outside the Red Sea.
Leaving Massawa and heading inland, the scenery becomes desolate, with cracked land and a few drought-resistant shrubs everywhere. There are few wells along the way, and we can only rely on dozens of camels to carry fresh water and food.
After more than a week of arduous trek, the team passed through deserts and mountains and officially entered Ethiopian Highlands.
The scene here is completely different from that in coastal areas. The climate is cool and humid, and patches of forests, farmland, and orchards begin to appear in the field of vision.
The people here also wear loose cotton clothing. Andronikos recalled what he saw at the seaport. It seems that most of the cotton cloth comes from India, which has become Abyssinia's largest imported product.
He asked the accompanying noble Naqueto, "How far do we have to go?"
Noble: "We are lucky. His Majesty is stationed at the Gondar palace in the north of the kingdom, which is close to the coast. It will arrive in a few days. If it is normal times, the envoy needs to go to Barara in the south, which will take at least half a month."
On March 6, the mission came to the outskirts of Gondar.
This is a medium-sized town, not the large capital city that Andronikos expected. It has a low stone wall on the outside, and a square and solid stone castle stands on the high ground inside.
In the south of the town, there is a vast freshwater lake called Tana Lake. There are more than 30 islands scattered in the lake, some of which are inhabited and houses and churches have been built.
"Lots of pelicans."
Andronikos Observe the large flocks of waterbirds on the lake. Being able to attract so many birds means that the lake must be rich in fishery resources.
The accompanying noble pointed to the other side of the lake, "That's Blue Nile. The river makes a big circle and finally flows north to join White Nile River."
A few minutes later, the team arrived at Gondar East Gate. Six thousand soldiers were lining up outside the city to demonstrate their country's military power to the envoy.
Andronikos glanced at the entire queue, smiled and praised, "Very good, the boys are in good spirits."
He walked along the street towards the fortress in the center of the city. There were also soldiers standing on both sides of the street, each holding a spear and a buckler covered with animal skins. The civilians were whispering to each other about these strangely dressed foreign visitors.
Andronikos couldn't understand the local people's language. I only knew that they mentioned "Vitus" many times. Judging from the tone of voice and the expression on his face, he probably regarded him as a cruel emperor like Timur.
Entering the interior of the fortress, Andronikos saw Zara·Jacob sitting on the throne.
The king is fifty-three years old this year, has a thin face, is wrapped in a dark green cloak, and holds a gold scepter in his right hand, with the top of the scepter Coptic Cross. His crown is inlaid with many rubies, the largest of which is the size of a dove egg.
After half an hour of polite and etiquette conversation, the two sides got down to business.
The king's intention is to purchase Greek fire, use this terrifying weapon to fight against Sultan of Adal in the east, and regain the lost territory.
Andronikos has two main goals:
1. Reach Trade relationships and obtain gold, coffee, Frankincense and other raw materials inside the plateau.
2. Convince the king to send troops northward and attack the remaining Mamluk troops of Upper Egypt along Nile River.
"Mamluk?"
The king discussed with the ministers for a while and explained to Andronikos the situation of the Nile River river basin.
The north of Abyssinia is not bordered by Mamluk. There are multiple forces of Nubia people between the two, so it is impossible to defeat them.
However, the Nubia people have the same beliefs as Abyssinia and have a friendly relationship. The king can assist them with equipment and supplies to help the Nubia people resist Mamluk.
"Really? What a shame."
Since the opponent cannot play the role of a military ally, Andronikos can only pursue commercial interests.
The mission carried ten Matchlock and one Three-Pounder. At his suggestion, the king and a group of nobles came to the open space in the southern suburbs to observe the test firing scene of the firearms.
The target of the shooting was the shield of a local soldier. It turned out that a single layer of shield was unable to withstand musket fire, and even if a suit of armor was placed behind the shield, it would still be pierced by lead bullets.
"It's so unfair that a peasant armed with a musket can kill a noble who has been practicing martial arts since childhood."
The king touched the hole on the surface of the shield, and there was still a trace of residual warmth in the gap.
In the distance, four gunners were manipulating the cannon, aiming at a carriage 200 paces away. After receiving permission, one gunner ignited the gunpowder.
Bang!
The roar echoed in all directions, and a group of guards instinctively rushed to the king's side and surrounded him.
The sedges by the lake startled a large flock of birds, and the nearby war horses and camels were also frightened. They had never heard such a loud noise, and thought it was thunder falling from the sky, and instinctively wanted to escape in other directions.
Subsequently, the artillery fired three more times, and finally hit the carriage in the distance for the fourth time.
The king personally went to check and found that the artillery shell penetrated directly through the carriage. "On the battlefield, what will be the effect of using artillery to shoot at the enemy general?"
The artillery crew sergeant heard what the translator said and took the initiative to stand up and explain, "If it is a large-scale battle involving tens of thousands of people, the enemy general will be two to three thousand steps away from us, and the artillery shells will not be able to hit it.
During skirmishes, the range of artillery may reach enemy commanders, but it is difficult for artillery to hit a single target, and bombardment of enemy formations is more effective."
He signaled the gunners to switch to shotgun shells, and then aimed at the dozen shields fifty steps away.
There was another cannon blast and the smoke dispersed. The local soldiers took the shields and found that more than half of the shields had been penetrated. The most serious round shield had eight holes and was about to fall apart.
Seeing this, the king was very satisfied with the effect of the firearms, "Rome relied on this kind of firearm to regain the lost territory?"
This is obviously a fallacy. Andronikos did not answer the call.
Battle of Sakarya, Ottoman has twenty-four thousand Musketeers and more than two hundred artillery pieces. Musketeers has high morale.
The reason for Rome's victory lies not in the equipment advantage, but in the well-trained Field Legion and the excellent command ability of Vitus.
After the war, Venice continued to deliver firearms to Ottoman. Even the later Battle of Konya and Ottoman still maintained a large-scale Firearms Corps and Vitus to win, also relying on the Field Legion and his command ability.
Andronikos thought to himself, "Purchasing firearms is just the beginning. The king must reorganize the army and train a well-disciplined infantry."
In this regard, Ottoman and Janissaries have done well. They are well-trained and have high morale. There has never been an example of the establishment surrendering.
The old king and the current king of Georgia are typical counterexamples. They spent money to purchase a large number of firearms, only to be repeatedly defeated by Uzong Hassan. The firearms purchased with a lot of money became White Sheep Army's trophies.
However, Rome has a normal relationship with Abyssinia. Since the king is willing to purchase firearms, then sell them to him at a high price. If the other party is willing to increase the money, Rome is willing to send officers to teach them infantry tactics..."
After preliminary discussions, the king was willing to purchase 2,500 muskets and 30 artillery pieces. The price was ten times higher than the production cost, reaching an astonishing one hundred thousand Florin.
If the firearms are effective, he promises to continue to purchase them and form a Firearms Corps army with a scale of tens of thousands.
However, Abyssinia has a long heritage, and the king has no intention of imitating the Rome army entirely. He just wants to hire a few instructors to learn how to use firearms.
In addition, he was unwilling to pay too much gold and wanted to use goods to offset part of the payment.
"We don't need slaves." Andronikos agreed to purchase other goods. The specific price will be discussed by the deputy envoy with Abyssinia officials.
The last condition is: the king allows Rome merchants to enjoy the same treatment as merchants from other countries in Massawa Port Trade. In exchange, Eastern Roman Empire also allows Abyssinia to operate in Suez Trade.
All in all, both parties have equal status, do not owe each other anything, and there are no complicated relationships such as tribute, vassalage, or protectorate.
"That's very good." The king's worries dissipated. What he was most worried about was that the emperor asked him to surrender. This approach would seriously weaken the royal authority and cause dissatisfaction among the nobles and the people.
Near noon, the king invited the members of the envoy to a banquet and entertained them with Highest-Level food and drinks.
The dishes of Court are similar to those of Massawa Port. The nobles are accustomed to wrapping a ball of chopped beef in a roll to enjoy the original taste of fresh ingredients.
Why is it raw beef again? I am a fifty-year-old man and I can't stand this kind of harsh diet.
Andronikos secretly complained, and once again took out his identity as a clergyman, saying that he did not eat meat, and only ate some bread and fish. (The church excluded fish as meat)
"This mission went smoothly and the general direction was agreed upon. I wonder how Long-Haired Rabbit is doing?"
Leaving the south of the Red Sea, the view becomes wider.
Ahead is the vast Gulf of Aden, the sea is blue, and the scenery of the Africa coast is still deserted.
"There are deserts everywhere, and the few good ports are occupied by pagan forces. It's really troublesome."
Samuel bypasses the top of Horn of Africa, turns southwest, and explores the area south of Horn of Africa.
As time passed, the atmosphere on the ship became more and more lazy. Samuel looked at the unchanging sea and desert, and his spirit gradually became numb.
On March 10, the scenery of the land changed. Sparse grassland and shrubs replaced the desert. At noon and dusk, lookouts could see smoke from inland directions, proving the presence of human habitation.
"This is seven hundred miles away from the tip of Horn of Africa, and too far from the Red Sea--Indian Ocean trade route to be an outpost."
Samuel made a record in the logbook, intending to sail south to Mogadishu, replenish fresh water and food, and then turn back north.
Currently, Mogadishu is within the sphere of influence of Sultan of Ajuran and is the largest seaport in East Africa, allowing foreign merchant ships to berth in the port.
The main color of the city is white, with dense flat-roofed buildings stacked on top of each other, extending from the inland hills to the seaside. The sea surface is clear emerald green. Samuel lies on the side of the boat and can clearly see the fish and white gravel under the water.
The harbor is densely packed with ships. Samuel roughly counted at least sixty two-masted ships. The air exudes a strong smell of Frankincense and Myrrh (m yà, a kind of brown resin, East Africa specialty, used as medicinal materials or spices).
"There are at least 40,000 people."
Samuel left some sailors to guard the ship, and walked around the dock with his guide and four sailors, purchasing fresh water and supplies, as well as some spices.
On the west side of the pier is an open-air market. The vendors sit in their own tents, with a blanket spread on the ground and various strange objects placed on it.
Suddenly, Samuel was attracted by a certain object. He squatted down, picked up a small half of a bronze medal and looked at it carefully, and saw strange words written on it.
The guide translated Samuel's question into Arabic, and the old vendor replied:
"More than thirty years ago, Emperor Yongle's fleet came here. The bronze medal was left behind by them. It is said to be from a senior officer. Are you interested? Ten gold coins."
Isn't it just a bronze medal? Every Rome officer has one. What kind of rare item is it?
Ten gold coins were Samuel's salary for most of the year. He decisively put down the bronze medal and turned around to leave.
The streets not far away were full of restaurants. Samuel smelled the aroma of roasted camel meat and the sour smell of fermented goat milk, and bought a lot of food from the vendors. Suddenly, a crew member yelled in horror:
"Portugal people?"
Samuel turned his head and saw a huge three-masted sailing ship sailing into the harbor. There were thirteen gun positions on the side and the Portugal flag was flying on the top of the mast.
The next moment, the cup he was holding in his right hand fell, and the goat's milk spilled on the ground, attracting a skinny cat to lick it.
"Malaka! Portugal people bypassed the entire Africa?"
At the same time, the Portugal sailor also discovered the European-style ketch anchored in the harbor. The captain Clement was startled and almost fell on the deck.
From Lisbon to the east of Africa, it is more than 15,000 miles along the way. Clement set out in late April last year and sailed slowly along the coast of Africa. On the way, he was blown by the sea wind to an island in the middle of the ocean. He named the desert island Saint Helena Island.
The sailboat was seriously damaged. Clement anchored on the coast of South Africa for a month, cleaning barnacles, repairing the hull and sail cables, and then sailed north along the coast of Africa.
After eight months of running, the ship finally arrived in the east of Africa and unloaded the one hundred surviving immigrants at Zanzibar Island.
After resting for a while at Zanzibar, Clement was ordered to explore north and collect as much information as possible. The final destination was the west coast of India.
"Bllac! How did the Greece people get to Indian Ocean? Did they start from the Mediterranean Sea and sneak all the way here along our route?"
According to the regulations of the Portugal royal family, the Africa stronghold does not accept ships from other Europe countries, slowing down competitors from exploring Africa.
Sailing from Europe to East Africa, passing through tropical areas, fresh water and food deteriorate quickly. The Greece sailing ship did not stop at a land base on the way. What did they eat? How to maintain the hull?