A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Otherwise, it will probably never come.

They just want to get a bargain and take advantage of the situation.

Thomas sneered in his heart.

However, this was already within his expectations.

That's why he had to be careful all the way, only extorting and not fighting.

The expeditionary force is now in good condition, and along the way, the soldiers have witnessed many Star-Moon Sect cities surrender and pay tribute, so their morale is high and it is time to put their weapons to use.

Chapter 173 Expedition 10

In the history of the previous life, it was the Portuguese who captured Ceuta.

The Portuguese sold everything they had and managed to gather about 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers, and then claimed that they captured the port of Ceuta with only eight casualties.

From then on, Portugal had a very important maritime trade base. In addition, a school was established here to teach various knowledge and skills and cultivate navigation talents.

It can be said that this marked the beginning of Portugal's expansion during the Age of Exploration and the beginning of its hegemony.

But don't mistake the port of Ceuta for a small place in this battle. In fact, according to Thomas's memories of a previous life, Ceuta's commerce was extremely prosperous, accumulating a vast amount of wealth! Furthermore, Ceuta's defenses were formidable, with a large military force and robust city defenses, earning it the reputation of being one of the strongest fortresses in the Mediterranean.

Unfortunately, that was the "strongest fortress" of the last era.

The Portuguese attacked by land and sea, and while they might have spent some time cutting off traffic, digging trenches, and building fortifications, they took Ceuta in just one day after the actual attack began.

There's no special technique involved; it's quite simple. Strategically, the army assembles and moves quickly, catching the enemy off guard.

Tactically, the walls of Ceuta were demolished with cannon fire. Then, the Portuguese commander, Prince Henry, reportedly led the charge himself, greatly boosting morale and routing the defenders.

That's it.

The Portuguese then massacred the city for three days, seizing booty that included countless gold, spices, and other valuables. They became rich almost instantly.

Furthermore, the Portuguese built bastions and successfully repelled several Moroccan counterattacks, thus completely occupying Ceuta.

By bringing this golden land under his rule, the rich trade profits brought economic prosperity to the country.

To be honest, when Thomas attacked Smyrna, he was more or less influenced by this record.

If the Portuguese could do it in their previous life, why can't I do it?

However, in this world, the time when the Portuguese captured Ceuta was obviously delayed.

Or rather, this task was done by Thomas.

"Ignore them." Thomas looked at Pierre beside him, "Let's take action immediately!"

He turned to face the Portuguese envoy. "Did the Portuguese royal family give you the power of representation?"

The messenger took out a document with the Portuguese royal seal and the king's signature.

The document clearly stated that the envoy had sufficient authority to sign the treaty on behalf of Portugal. He was not a fraud, but a representative with sufficient authority.

Before going to war, some things must be discussed.

"Since the Portuguese army won't be able to reach the battlefield in time," Thomas said, "the distribution of the spoils we originally agreed upon will naturally need to be adjusted."

"Of course." The Portuguese envoy kept smiling.

"Also, I have agreed with the Portuguese royal family to donate 15% of Ceuta's annual tax revenue to the Knights of Rhodes... Now I think it's necessary to increase it to 20%."

The other party still kept smiling.

After all, this is a no-cost business, and you don't need to bear any risks. In this case, it is normal to be generous.

An agreement was then signed between the Portuguese representatives and the Knights of Rhodes.

The content of the agreement was also very simple. The Knights of Rhodes would hand over Ceuta in its entirety to the Portuguese royal family. In return, 20% of the taxes Portugal collected from the city would be "donated" to the Knights of Rhodes.

In addition, all unpaid funds in the arms agreement between the Knights and Portugal were written off.

The Knights Templar were witnesses to this agreement.

The Knights Templar had no share, but what they lacked now was not money, but artifacts. Or, in other words, favors.

"Why did we sign this agreement with the Portuguese?" Pierre suddenly asked when everything was over and arrangements for the soldiers to land were being made.

For the Portuguese, this agreement is like a pie in the sky. They can take over Ceuta at no cost, which is a great thing.

On the contrary, this is not the case for the expeditionary force.

"If you give this place to Venice... I guarantee the profits will be at least three times higher!"

"It's better to be safe." Thomas smiled and didn't explain further.

Neither order could possibly conquer Ceuta—it was too far away. It was practically on opposite sides of the Mediterranean Sea from Rhodes or the Holy Land. No order could possibly control it from such a distance in this day and age.

So it can only be handed over to other forces.

In Thomas' previous life, the Portuguese proved their ability to control this place.

He didn't know whether others could do it, but the Portuguese could definitely do it.

Apart from anything else, the amount of armaments they can export shows that the Portuguese are preparing for war.

In this case, what Thomas has to do is to get as much as possible.

In fact, Thomas cared more about Pierre than the Portuguese.

It's not about the Knights Templar, but about Pierre as a person.

Thomas knew he was selfish, and the reason he seemed selfless now was mainly because he considered the Knights of Rhode Island his own private property. It didn't matter if his own things were passed from one hand to the other.

Selfish people all know that it is most comfortable to get along with people who are equally selfish - selfish people are afraid of death.

In fact, it cannot be said to be comfortable. If I have to describe it in detail, I would say it is controllable.

It's like a math problem, the selfish person is a constant and the idealist is a variable.

People with weaknesses are the easiest to control and calculate.

But Pierre is an idealist. Idealists are different from selfish people. Idealists have no weaknesses except that they will die. They have only two endings: win or die.

So-called cooperation means that no one can afford to break a contract, so the rules of winning and losing must be followed. But if one party is not afraid of breaking the contract, then the so-called cooperation is a joke, and the other party can flip the table and deny the contract at any time.

……

Unlike the Portuguese in history who needed several days to prepare and one day to siege, this time Thomas did not intend to waste too much time.

The city of Ceuta had already sensed something was amiss, and they even knew about the extortion the expeditionary force had been exacting along the way. This time, before the expeditionary force could send an envoy, the city sent an envoy, offering to pay for peace.

Unfortunately, sometimes you can buy peace of mind with money, but sometimes you can’t.

For example, not right now.

Your destiny should be in your own hands, not in the hands of others.

Thomas had deliberately avoided fighting all along the way, just for this one fight. Of course, he couldn't just take the money and leave at this moment.

The time is different and the environment is different.

Thomas knew that in the historical records of his previous life, the Portuguese captured Ceuta, but the Moroccan reinforcements arrived too late.

But I don’t know what’s the reason behind it.

After all, Thomas is not a professional historian. At most, he has learned some fragmented historical knowledge under the tide of information in the information society.

But he knew one thing, that is, he had to capture the city as quickly as possible, otherwise reinforcements could arrive at any time.

The expeditionary force is not afraid of direct combat, but is afraid of a protracted war.

Once the enemy reinforcements arrive, even if they do not participate in the battle, they will boost the morale of the defenders in the city and drag the war into a protracted war.

In a protracted war, it is difficult to gather troops and concentrate on casting spells, thus turning it into a war of attrition.

Even if we win, we will suffer heavy casualties.

Although they are soldiers of the Knights Templar, it is not good if they suffer too much damage.

Chapter 174 Breaking News

The air was filled with smoke and the flames of war were raging.

A bloody battle erupted on the city walls, the clash of swords and shields, the shouts of warriors intertwined. Even across the vast sea, the scene called "battlefield" still awed them.

Standing at the bow, watching the battlefield as a spectator, was the Portuguese envoy, accompanied by the blue-robed wizard Radagast.

On this expedition, Thomas brought along the magician, advisor to the Knights.

The main reason is that he claims to have the ability to predict the weather, which is really important for the expedition fleet.

The Knights Templar displayed unparalleled courage and determination, fighting fiercely against the defenders of Ceuta on the city walls with resolute steps and sharp weapons. Although outnumbered, their magic, empowered by magic, pushed their superior enemy back.

However, casualties are inevitable.

In desperation, the defenders on the city wall turned the heavy crossbows around and shot at the enemy troops who were attacking the city wall.

The power of the crossbow was so incredible that even the "protective long-range weapons" could not withstand it. Unfortunately, there was no escape from the city walls, and every shot would kill or injure several people.

Of course, the Knights retaliated in kind. Their weapons, enhanced by magic, possessed overwhelming destructive power. The defenders on the front lines could barely hold out for a few rounds before being ripped apart by the swords.

This was just an insignificant corner of the war, and the commander in charge was, at most, a mid-level officer.

More and more intense street fighting scenes were blocked by the city walls and could not be seen.

Even without seeing it, the fierce fighting inside the city was palpable. Streets once bustling with merchants and travelers were now battlefields. Christian soldiers weaved through the narrow streets, locked in a fierce battle with the defenders of Ceuta. Whether axes, spears, or swords, every weapon was wielded in a life-or-death struggle.

The two great commanders have already rushed into the city.

There was some surprise in the Portuguese envoy's eyes.

Or even he did not expect such a scene.

The two Grand Masters of the Knights Templar actually didn't lie... or rather, their previous proposals didn't contain any falsehoods?

They really attacked the city without reservation and with all their might.

To be honest, the Portuguese, including this envoy, felt that this pie in the sky might be poisonous.

In fact, although both were Christian countries, Portugal did not have a particularly close relationship with the two knightly orders. It only signed a contract with the Knights of Rhodes for the sale of weapons and equipment.

In fact, even this contract may be fishy.

Because although the procedures were complete and there was nothing wrong with it, the businessman in charge of the matter never returned.

The Knights reported that he had left, but there was no news from Portugal.

We sent people to investigate, but couldn't find out anything.

Although it is common for merchants to encounter pirates at sea these days, this is too much of a coincidence.

A merchant with 200,000 florins and his family just disappeared without a trace?

Anyone with a little common sense would have doubts.

However, no concrete evidence was found, and the results of the secret investigation showed that there was a high probability that the person in charge had absconded with the money.

The Portuguese can only accept this result temporarily.

In the final analysis, this batch of weapons and equipment did not lose money even if it was sold for 300,000 florins, it could only be said that there was no profit.

Having said that, suspicion has already been sown.

Then it was this Knight Order that suddenly asked for cooperation.

The terms were incredibly generous: everyone would join forces to capture Ceuta and then hand it over to the Portuguese for governance, while they would only need to take 15 percent of the tax revenue.

Anyone with a keen sense of smell can smell the strong smell of conspiracy.

Although the Portuguese's external expansion was inevitable, in fact they had been coveting Ceuta for a long time.

In another ten years or so, I guess I will do it myself even if no one else does it.

But when someone puts this pie right under your nose, you still have to check whether there is a hook inside the pie.

But the current posture...it really shows that he is putting in a lot of effort!

Could it really be a revelation from Christ, prompting the two knights to take the initiative to help Portugal?

At the gap in the city wall, a giant golem was still burning fiercely.

This golem was knocked down by artillery fire from the city wall when it attacked the breach in the city wall.