Chapter 517 Hongzhi Meets an Opponent of Equal Status

The sudden outbreak of smallpox in the East not only brought destructive disasters to Europe, but also slowed down Europe's enthusiasm for exploring the east to a certain extent.

After the great geographical discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, European royal families found the key to the Indian Ocean, but they encountered a smallpox epidemic that everyone feared.

However, many European royal families were in financial crisis. They did not dare to compete with the astronomy they believed in, but instead prompted more forces to focus on the new route to the west.

That's why, in addition to the Spanish royal family, many European nobles also sent fleets into the Atlantic to explore, hoping to get a share of the pie.

In April, a fleet from France sailed on the sea.

This fleet carried the glory and mission of France. Although they did not actually get Columbus's navigation chart, they still decided to go to the West Indies to find gold.

However, what they did not expect was that a terrible disaster was quietly coming when they just set out on their journey.

A crew member in the fleet suddenly fell ill, and a terrible pustule grew on his face. At first, no one realized that this was a sign of smallpox until the epidemic spread rapidly throughout the fleet.

In the cabin, the originally strong soldiers fell ill one by one, their faces were covered with red pustules, then they had a high fever and groaned in pain.

Due to limited medical conditions, the captain seemed helpless and could only watch the epidemic raging, and fear and despair enveloped the entire fleet.

As time went on, the number of deaths increased, and the cabin was filled with the breath of death.

Even though they finally killed the infected and threw them into the sea, the surviving crew members were greatly devastated physically and mentally, and even infighting broke out on the ship.

Under the ravages of this smallpox epidemic, the fleet's mission was forced to be interrupted.

Originally this was a journey full of hope, but it turned into a death voyage due to smallpox, and the entire fleet fell into an unprecedented predicament.

In the end, when the fleet barely returned home, although they did not suffer any natural disasters, the ship was empty and there were few survivors.

The smallpox epidemic not only affected Europe's enthusiasm for exploring the New World, but also slowly spread across Europe, and the entire European population faced an unprecedented test.

When it came to June, European countries were invaded by the smallpox epidemic, and a large number of people died every day, and even the king was not immune to infection.

King Ferdinand II of Spain was unfortunately infected with the smallpox virus. You must know that smallpox is a fatal disease. This incident shocked the whole country.

Facing King Ferdinand II who had smallpox, the Spanish court physician carefully examined the condition and then solemnly recommended bloodletting as a treatment method.

As for the therapeutic effect of bloodletting therapy, people familiar with history know that many famous people died from bloodletting therapy, and now it seems that another king is going to be added.

Fortunately, Ferdinand II was lucky. When he was dying from bloodletting, he was awakened by a pet white horse he raised. I don't know if it was because of excitement that he woke up, or if it was really effective. Ferdinand II went through the gates of hell and finally survived.

Thanks to the successful case of the King of Spain, bloodletting therapy became a good way to treat smallpox.

Although King Ferdinand II of Spain defeated the smallpox virus, Ferdinand II's brother was not so lucky. He also used bloodletting therapy, but he could not be saved.

People died during the day, don't ask how many people died. The sun was bleak and the clouds were gloomy. Three people walked, and before ten steps, two people died and crossed the road.

Similar tragic situations are no longer limited to India, and the whole of Europe has suffered from the ravages of the smallpox virus. London, which was once prosperous, has become a hell on earth.

Europe does not have fertile land, rich mineral resources, or even ways to prevent smallpox. This smallpox epidemic was more destructive and caused an immeasurable blow to the entire European society.

You must know that Europe had not completed primitive accumulation during this period, and now it has been so devastated by the smallpox virus that it is afraid to lag behind the world.

This smallpox epidemic did not actually stop in Europe. In the process of Europe's exploration of South America, the smallpox virus has been brought to that new continent.

The American continent is a relatively closed area. When the smallpox virus came here, the infectiousness and lethality were obviously raised to a higher level.

It is completely foreseeable that the total population of North America in the north and South America, which is now more active, will be halved.

However, war is the main theme of mankind, and the Inca Empire is experiencing a major war.

As the night fell, the sea breeze blew the bay and rippled.

The Spanish fleet was neatly anchored in a bay, where the lights flickered like a sea of ​​stars.

Columbus was both the governor of this land and the commander-in-chief of this fleet. He was standing on the deck of the flagship, looking at the bay line in the distance.

It was thought that as long as he found a route to India or the ancient golden country in the East, with the help of the Spanish fleet, the gold and spices here would be at his fingertips.

It's just that the gold here is not as widespread as the rumors say, and no trace of spices has been found so far, which is somewhat different from the Eastern world imagined by everyone.

Although more magical parrots were found here and many beautiful gems were seen, these things obviously could not satisfy the appetite of the Spanish royal family.

In theory, the 34 Spanish warships and 3,000 Spanish soldiers he led this time were enough to conquer the entire Eastern continent and loot all the property they were interested in.

Unfortunately, their Spanish fleet encountered this indigenous imperial army. Although their weapons were very backward, they had extremely high combat skills.

There was even a rumor that the mysterious ancient golden country in the East had a powerful fleet, and even their Spanish Invincible Fleet was no match for it.

"Governor, as long as you can help this prince regain the throne, all the gold in the golden cave in the Inca King City will belong to you!" The Inca prince did not give up his throne and promised again at this moment.

Although he did not think gold had any value, seeing the obsession of these Spanish soldiers with gold, he also realized that gold had a strong charm for white people.

As long as he used the gold in the golden cave as a bargaining chip, these white people would definitely help him restore his country.

Columbus was not interested in this Inca prince, with a hint of disdain at the corner of his mouth.

If I didn't need a puppet king, if I didn't need a guide, I wouldn't care about this Inca prince who was like a stray dog.

As for the gold cave he promised, why did he need a stray dog ​​to give the gold there? I had to get his approval to take the gold away when I got there?

Columbus suddenly noticed the lights in front of him, and a smile appeared on his face: "Inca Prince, your people have finally surrendered, and we will help you return to the throne in no time!"

"This prince is here!" The Inca prince saw the ships sailing into the bay and waved happily.

Although he was already a wandering prince, he was the orthodox of the Inca Empire after all, and one of the legal heirs of the Inca Empire.

Since everyone knew that their father had become a puppet, more and more people surrendered to him, and his military strength was also strengthened step by step.

Tonight, he rebelled against the Inca navy, which was once an obstacle to the Spanish fleet's northward movement, but now it will be used by him.

Columbus was a proud man, but he looked down on the approaching Inca fleet from the bottom of his heart.

In fact, this Inca fleet was not worthy of its name. The reason why he had not gone north for a long time was mainly because the wind direction of the season was wrong, but these things were destined to be impossible to tell the Inca prince.

However, now that this fleet has turned over, it has reduced some unnecessary troubles for his fleet and even brought a little help.

"What happened?" The Inca prince who was waving suddenly froze and said in confusion.

The movement in the bay attracted the attention of many people. In the confused eyes of the crowd, they saw that the ships coming towards this side were suddenly ignited, and those small boats were full of flammable firewood and grease.

"Haha... white people, go to hell!" The Inca warriors ignited the firewood and grease on the boat, and the flames shot up into the sky in an instant. They jumped into the sea with wild laughter.

Hundreds of small boats that appeared in the bay instantly turned into fireboats. Under the influence of the sea breeze, they were rushing towards the Spanish fleet anchored in the bay like sharp arrows.

"No, this is a counter-espionage plot!" Faced with the sudden rebellion of the Inca fleet, Columbus seemed to be late to realize it.

In fact, he didn't understand it at all. The West Indians, who were obviously extremely backward, had a military mind that was beyond the reach of their superior Europeans.

But everything was too late. The fire ships set fire to more than 30 Spanish warships anchored in the bay, and the Spanish fleet suddenly fell into chaos.

As the fire spread rapidly, the entire Spanish fleet was surrounded by the sea of ​​fire, and the flames that shot up into the sky clearly illuminated the terrified faces of the Spaniards on the deck.

"It's on fire!"

"Everyone, put out the fire!"

"What a joke, how can this fire be put out?"

...

The Spanish soldiers fled in panic, but the fire was too big to escape, and it seemed that only death was waiting for them.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

While the Spanish fleet was busy putting out the fire, Liu Tao had already led a rocket force to lurk on the hilltop of the bay, and immediately took the opportunity to add a few more fires to the Spanish fleet.

For a time, almost none of the thirty-four ships survived, and all were surrounded by fire.

"No, I can't swim!"

"Ah... someone come and save me!"

"We Spanish are invincible, let's have a head-on confrontation!"

...

The three thousand Spanish elites on board struggled in the sea of ​​fire, although they were full of reluctance, especially because the Inca Empire used underhanded tactics, and many Spanish soldiers were eventually buried in the sea of ​​fire.

In fact, in terms of individual combat power, they are far better than the Inca soldiers, but there is a bonus of Chinese wisdom here, especially some people even borrowed the classic case of the Battle of Chibi.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Originally, some Spanish soldiers jumped into the sea to escape, but when they finally swam ashore, they were faced with poisonous arrows, and then they were shot on the beach one after another.

"Asshole! I will come back!"

Columbus was very lucky. With his familiarity with the sea breeze and currents, he led his Santa Maria to escape from the bay that was like a sea of ​​fire, but he sailed away with hatred.

There were only a hundred or so people left on his ship. Now, let alone helping the Inca prince to restore his country, even gaining a foothold in this new continent was a difficult task.

Faced with this major defeat, Columbus knew that he could only go back to ask for help from the Spanish royal family, hoping that they could support him with another Spanish invincible fleet.

After the Inca Empire dealt with the Spanish fleet, it can be said that it eliminated the biggest threat within the Inca Empire, and Su Can's ambition was further exposed.

Inca Royal City, the center of the Inca Empire.

On the towering steps of the Temple of the Sun, in the spotlight, Su Can, wearing a gorgeous and exquisite yellow imperial robe, was slowly walking up to the altar.

A ray of sunlight passed through the clouds and sprinkled on the golden crown, making it shine, as if it was the sacred light bestowed by the sun god on Su Can.

Su Can was born in a military household of the Ming Dynasty. Although his family was not rich, the whole family took care of each other in the army, which was also a good origin.

Because he was smart and studious since he was a child, and had great ambitions, he became the second martial arts champion under the new system after Yu Yuanzan.

He was very lucky and became one of the captains of the Luzon Golden Fleet, which allowed him to contact the ocean early.

If nothing unexpected happened, his life would be tied to the Ming Dynasty. If the opportunity was enough, he might become a high-ranking general such as the commander of the guards or the lieutenant general of the Ming Dynasty, and even leave a hereditary military position for his descendants.

But fate played tricks on him. He was selected by the court as the general of the Americas and followed Liu Zhang to the New World to find treasure seeds.

As a result, things gradually went wrong. He accidentally took control of this royal city, and was even dressed in yellow robes by his subordinates, and finally took control of the Inca Empire as a national teacher.

Su Can's face was solemn and majestic. Every step he took was steady and powerful, showing the domineering power of the emperor who was about to ascend the throne.

That's right, he was no longer satisfied with the identity of the national teacher, but wanted to announce to the world that he would be crowned as an emperor and become an emperor like the Ming Dynasty.

He was not the Inca King, but the Inca Emperor, an existence that could sit on an equal footing with the Ming Emperor.

When Su Can walked to the highest point of the altar, the high priest of the Inca Empire began to recite the ancient coronation oath loudly, and the sound echoed in every corner of the temple.

Then, the priest slowly put a crown on Su Can's head, and Su Can was no longer the American general of Ming Dynasty, but the new emperor of the Inca Empire. (End of this chapter)