What is a war of blood and fire?

Calicut is located in the northern part of present-day Kerala, India. It was the trading center on the west coast of India in ancient times. It is called "Guli" in Chinese historical records. Zheng He visited this place many times during his voyages to the West. ·Gamma is 80 years older. When the Portuguese arrived, the locals also told them about Zheng He's fleet, but there were already very few Chinese merchant ships and personnel in Calicut. At that time, Calicut's commercial trade was particularly developed, and merchants from all over the world opened warehouses along the coast. Silks from China and cotton from India piled up in mountains, spices such as pepper, cloves and cinnamon filled warehouses, and medicinal materials such as camphor and rosin were everywhere. On the mat in front of the gem merchant, there are various colorful gems, including Ceylon sapphires, Burmese rubies, emeralds and various gems from India, as well as various pearl necklaces and processed gold and silver. The hand jewelry is really colorful and dazzling.

Da Gama wanted to visit the local prince, Zamorin, who was living in a villa in the suburbs at that time. On May 22, da Gama sent a representative to see Zamorin and conveyed to him da Gama's wish to see him. Zamorin agreed to receive him and gave him many valuable gifts. On May 28, da Gama personally led 13 followers to the palace to meet Zamorin. He claimed to be the special envoy of the King of Portugal and was ordered to come to establish friendly relations with Calicut. The prince warmly received him in the spacious hall. got them. The next morning, Vasco da Gama sent someone to deliver a meeting gift to the prince, including some striped cloth, a red hat and white sugar. These gifts were not valuable and were laughed at by the reception officials. Of course, the prince was also dissatisfied with this. Vasco da Gama felt frustrated and asked to see the prince again, but when he met, the prince's attitude was already quite cold and he blamed him for the light gift. Da Gama argued that this was just a thought of a poor man like him. The gifts from the King of Portugal had not yet arrived, so they must be very valuable. He once again expressed his hope to establish friendly business and trade relations with Calicut. The purpose of the Portuguese voyages and expeditions was very clear, which was first to engage in trade and then to expand colonization.

The actions of Da Gama and his party attracted the attention of Arab businessmen in the city. Calicut has the largest number of Arab merchants, and most of the local residents are Muslims. They seem to have the power to influence the government. The Arab merchants soon realized that the Portuguese would be a formidable commercial competitor. Soon, the atrocities committed by the Portuguese on the east coast of Africa also reached Calicut. Instigated by Arab merchants, the prince took into account his own interests (the tariffs paid by a large number of Arab merchants) and the influence of local Muslims, and decided to attack Da... Gamma's request was ignored. On May 30, when Vasco da Gama met with the prince for the third time, the prince's attitude was extremely cold. Vasco da Gama was frustrated and had to return to the fleet anchorage with his entourage in frustration. At this time, the weather was already dark, and a strong wind blew up from the sea, causing high waves. Da Gama insisted that all Portuguese return to the fleet, but the princes and officials who accompanied him did not agree with this on the pretext of strong winds. Early the next morning, he still did not agree to allocate a ship to Vasco da Gama and his party. Instead, he suggested that the larger ship should be closer to the shore. This move aroused da Gama's suspicion and he refused. As a result, da Gama's residence was besieged, and he and his entourage were all made prisoners and lost their freedom of movement. The Arabs in the city were even more arrogant, claiming that they would kill them all. Fortunately, the guards sent by the prince protected them. On June 2, after Vasco da Gama agreed to unload part of the cargo on the shore, he was allowed to return to the fleet in a small boat.

Because the Portuguese goods were not valuable, they aroused the ridicule of local Arab merchants, but the prince allowed the Portuguese to retail their goods on the streets of Calicut. Although there were not many customers who came to inquire every day, and no large-scale transactions were made, after two months of hard work by many sailors, they were able to exchange the goods they brought for some valuable items such as spices, cinnamon, and gemstones. By August, some of the cargo had not been completely sold out, and the sailors were increasingly homesick, and the environment in Calicut was becoming increasingly unfavorable for them to stay. At this time, Vasco da Gama saw that the new sea route to India had been opened, transactions had been made, and the main purpose had been achieved, so he decided to prepare to return to his country.

Before setting off, Vasco da Gama sent a representative to see the prince of Calicut and asked the prince to prepare a generous gift for the Portuguese king. The prince not only rejected Vasco da Gama's rude request, but also demanded that the Portuguese pay a high tariff, otherwise they would never leave the port. Da Gama was distraught, but he had an idea and decided to use hostage-taking and force to force the prince to submit. A few days later, Vasco da Gama invited a delegation of local celebrities to visit the fleet, then took them all hostage (including 6 dignitaries from Calicut), and threatened the prince that if they were not allowed to leave the port, they would These hostages were taken away, even executed, and threatened to retaliate against Calicut in the future. The prince was forced to release the detained Portuguese watches, agreed to their duty-free departure from the port, and expressed his willingness to establish commercial relations with Portugal. However, he still withheld the unsold goods left by Vasco da Gama and his party on the shore. Vasco da Gama also released only some of the hostages, claiming that he would release them all if all the goods were on board. The prince was unwilling to be humiliated and deliberately delayed time. He secretly contacted the forces of other territorial states and prepared to jointly deal with the Portuguese. However, how could this trick be hidden from Vasco da Gama? He immediately held a captain's meeting and decided to leave for home immediately.

On August 29, 1498, Vasco da Gama embarked on his return journey with spices, gems and detained Indian hostages. The return journey was also full of difficulties and obstacles, especially in the Indian Ocean. Due to the mysterious disappearance of Ibn Madnad in Calicut, there was no pilot and the route was unfamiliar. At this time, the northeast monsoon had not yet formed, the Indian Ocean was calm and the sailing speed was slow. When traveling along the coast of present-day Somalia, it was constantly attacked by Muslim pirates. Scurvy was rampant, fresh water and fresh food were scarce, and casualties were severe. Dozens of people died. Those who were alive were too weak to even bother to chase away the rats crawling under their feet. Every time pirates attacked, they had to make great efforts. Drive them away. In January 1499, the fleet finally arrived in Malindi again. Just like last time, they received a warm and friendly reception. Here, the fleet was adjusted, and the San Rafael was so damaged that da Gama ordered it to be burned and its crew assigned to the other two ships. The subsequent voyage was basically smooth sailing, but a storm occurred near Cape Verde and the fleet was broken up. The Billy, under the command of captain Kelao, took the lead in returning to Lisbon on July 10, 1499. The flagship arrived in the capital in early August, and da Gama disembarked in the Azores to take care of his seriously ill brother Paul. Later, Paul died on the island. After taking care of Paul's funeral, Vasco da Gama rushed back to Lisbon at the end of August.

The return of Vasco da Gama was cheered by the king and the whole country, and he was regarded as a hero. The King of Portugal awarded him the title of "Admiral of the Indian Ocean" and gave him a large sum of property. The young and powerful Vasco da Gama could be said to have gained both fame and wealth, and was very proud of himself. However, only 55 of the more than 170 people who set out came back. While the palace was reveling and dancing, bursts of painful cries came from the simple house on the seaside. Their sons and husbands were sleeping forever in that distant place. The unknown seabed. They are also the pioneers of new sea routes in India, but as unsung heroes they cannot share any honor and wealth. Only the victors and survivors are the happiest. They not only have their own, but also occupy the honor and wealth that should belong to the dead. , If the deceased has a spirit underground, I don’t know how to feel. It is said that after the gems and spices brought back by the fleet were resold, the profits were more than 60 times their cost. No wonder the search for new sea routes to India attracted such great interest among Europeans.

Not long after Vasco da Gama returned to his country, in order to consolidate the newly discovered sea route and use it to seek high commercial profits, the Portuguese king sent a huge fleet to India. The spices and gems brought back by the fleet once again made huge profits, but the Portuguese sailors were attacked by Muslims in Calicut, and more than 40 people were killed.

In order to take revenge, in early 1502 King Manuel I of Portugal once again sent Vasco da Gama to command a mixed fleet on an expedition to India. The purpose of this trip is no longer pure exploration and business, but has the nature of colonial plunder. It not only wants to eliminate any resistance forces along the way, but also defeats the Arab and Indian fleets in the Indian Ocean. The fleet consisted of three parts: Vasco da Gama personally led a main fleet composed of 10 large ships to attack India; the squadron commanded by his uncle Suret was responsible for intercepting Arab ships in the Arabian Sea; the other squadron was led by Commanded by his nephew Isvar, it anchored on the west coast of India to protect the Portuguese trading posts there.

On the 4th, Vasco da Gama’s fleet set off, showing off its power and murderous intent along the way. Those ports and cities that had been unfriendly to the Portuguese were retaliated by da Gama, either paying ransom or being bombarded. After arriving in Malindi, Vasco da Gama changed his previous route and instead of sailing directly through the Indian Ocean, sailed closer to the coast. He arrived on the west coast of India in early October. Gamma and his gang committed a heinous crime here. On October 11, the Portuguese captured an Arab merchant ship bound for Calicut on the sea near Goa, carrying more than 300 Muslims returning from the pilgrimage to Mecca. Da Gama ordered that all the property on the ship be robbed, and all the men, women, and children on the ship were locked in a closed cabin, and then the ship was set on fire. Most of the people were burned alive, and only 20 boys were spared. The colonists The brutality is fully exposed. Many years later, a sailor who had been involved in the incident still shuddered when recalling the tragedy. On October 30, the fleet arrived at the port of Calicut. When the local prince saw this terrifying fleet, he was frightened and panicked. He immediately sent a representative to express friendship to Vasco da Gama and promised to compensate Portugal for all losses and severely punish the attacking Portuguese. The culprit, but the arrogant Vasco da Gama arbitrarily refused this request. In the afternoon of the same day, Vasco da Gama ordered that 38 Indian fishermen who had boarded the boat to deliver local products be arrested, hung upside down on the mast, and hanged alive. Then, their hands, ears, noses and heads were cut off in a brutal manner. Load it into a sampan and throw it into the sea. The peace negotiation representative sent by the prince did not escape the fate. His hands, ears and nose were cut off, hung around his neck, and sent to the shore on a sampan. Da Gama felt that his hatred was still unresolved, so he ordered the bombardment of Calicut and blockaded its port. Then he led some ships to go south to Cochin and signed an unequal treaty with the local rulers. On February 29, 1503, Vasco da Gama led a fleet loaded with spices, gold and gems on his return journey, arriving in Lisbon on October 11.

In addition to bringing back a large amount of property during this expedition, Vasco da Gama also concluded trade treaties with some port cities in India, which laid the foundation for Portugal to establish commercial strongholds and colonies in India.

The King of Portugal was very satisfied with his achievements, gave him great privileges and honors, and made him a count. Afterwards, the "Indian Ocean Admiral" lived in a luxurious villa in the elegant countryside of évora, and lived a leisurely and peaceful life for nearly 20 years.

In 1524, Vasco da Gama came out for the third time and was appointed governor of Portuguese India by King Joao III. At this time, Portugal had already owned several colonies on the west coast of India, such as Goa, Cochin, and Diu. However, due to the greed and corruption of the colonists, and even more so due to the brutal exploitation and oppression of the colonial system, the Portuguese Indian stronghold was crumbling. Seeing that the "Oriental Empire" that Portugal had worked so hard to build was about to collapse, at this moment the king thought of the experienced and cruel Vasco da Gama, hoping that he could use his iron hand to save the fate of Portuguese India.

In early April, Vasco da Gama once again led his fleet to sail to India. The voyage went smoothly, but when they arrived at about 17 degrees 14 minutes north latitude on the coast of India, a strong submarine earthquake suddenly occurred. In an instant, the calm sea turned into huge waves. The sailors were stunned by this sudden omen, but the experienced Vasco da Gama said to his crew: "Guys, you see, the sea is also trembling in front of us."

9 In the middle of the month, the fleet arrived in Goa. Vasco da Gama held a grand entry ceremony and declared himself the Governor-General of India, integrating legislative, executive and judicial powers, and embarked on disciplinary rectification. He followed suit by first refusing to accept the customary gift. He firmly believed that strict discipline, serious law enforcement and severe punishment could bring order to the colony.

Just a few days after taking office, Vasco da Gama discovered that some noble officers were privately selling arms to the Arabs, and also discovered serious fraud committed by the former governor. Vasco da Gama took resolute and ruthless measures, severely punished the officers who violated the law, arrested the former governor, and escorted him back to his country. Vasco da Gama's governance reforms soon produced results, and Goa's chaotic order was significantly changed. But da Gama was exhausted and terminally ill. The malignant tumor on his head, catalyzed by India's hot climate, eventually killed him. On December 24, 1524, Vasco da Gama died in Cochin, India, at the age of 64.

Strictly speaking, Vasco da Gama opened a direct route to India, but it was definitely not Vasco da Gama who discovered the existence of India on the earth, just like Columbus arrived in America. Many people had reached India and America before them, but the crown of opening the American route and the Indian route still deservedly fell on their heads.