Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in hlnovel.com -> Historic -> Xiao Ge Lao

Chapter 1569 Strait of Magellan

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    The Strait of Magellan is located at the southernmost tip of the South American continent and is surrounded by Tierra del Fuego and other islands. It was named after Magellan who first entered the Pacific through here during his voyage around the world.

    It is as winding as a sheep intestine, nearly 600 kilometers long, and only 3.3 kilometers at its narrowest point. It is very difficult to navigate, but it is the most important natural channel between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific.

    In fact, in the perception of navigators in this era, the Strait of Magellan is also the only channel connecting the two oceans.

    This concept also originated from Magellan, who believed that the ¡®Fiere Land¡¯ south of the strait was the starting point of a continent.

    Since the time of ancient Greece, there has been a popular conjecture in Europe that there should be a continent of comparable size in the south of the world, facing Eurasia across the sea.  Otherwise, whether the world is a plane or a sphere, it will be in a state of imbalance.

    This conjectured continent is named ¡®Southern Continent¡¯.  Magellan believed that the ¡®Fierce Land¡¯ he saw was the legendary southern continent.  So this strait is the only passage between the two continents.  This knowledge is so ingrained that it has become common knowledge among European sailors.

    The reason for this is that, firstly, the violent westerly winds make southward exploration full of danger; on the other hand, and the most important point - a long and narrow waterway like the Strait of Magellan has natural defense advantages and the control cost is much lower.  many.

    In view of this, the Spanish are more willing to let the world believe that the south of the strait is a "southern continent" that is always cold and dark. Only through the strait under the control of the Spanish can the Atlantic and Pacific shipping routes be opened.  Over time, even they themselves became convinced.

    For example, Admiral Leon, after El Salvador determined that he had surpassed the Ming Dynasty fleet, he went directly south to Argentina without stopping in this hostile Portuguese colony.  After making sufficient supplies there, he led the fleet into the Strait of Magellan and stationed himself at Hambrae Port.

    Port Hambrai is a stronghold established by the Spanish on the east side of the strait. Because of its remote location, all supplies here are basically transported by sea from Argentina or Chile. Sometimes the sea conditions are bad and no ships arrive for several months, so food is often scarce.  It was called 'Hungry Port' or 'Hungry Port' by the colonists.

    The Spanish paid a high cost to maintain the southernmost stronghold in the world.  But they think it's all worth it, because in their view, controlling the Strait of Magellan can keep those nasty European pirates out of the Pacific.

    In this way, the entire tens of thousands of miles of coastline in South America, Central America, and North America can be used without fortification, which will save a lot of money inside and outside!

    ??~~

    Of course, the Ming Dynasty people may also sail eastward and return to Asia around the Cape of Good Hope.  Not to mention that this possibility is very slim Their goal is to sail around the world, and they have already traveled more than half of the journey, so why should they give up halfway?

    And it doesn¡¯t matter even if they go east, because Spain has sent another powerful fleet of galleons, which has already arrived in Cape Town, guarding the only way for the Ming Dynasty people to go east.

    ¡°Although Admiral Leon proposed to His Majesty in his letter, it would be best to send another fleet to ensure that nothing goes wrong.  But the admiral did not expect that His Majesty would agree One can imagine how angry His Majesty has been; one can imagine how serious a blow the treasure ship was robbed to the royal family.

    This made General Leon feel inexplicable fear. He could not imagine what kind of fate would be waiting for him if he could not catch those damn Ming pirates.

    Therefore, when the Spanish spies in Rio sent intelligence that the Ming people had gone east to Africa, out of caution, he still chose to continue to hold on to the Strait of Magellan.

    What if the smoke bombs were set off by people from the Ming Dynasty?  What if they change their minds midway?  Or what if they hit a wall at the Cape of Good Hope and turn back?

    In short, in order to make sure nothing goes wrong, he decided to stay here for a few months and wait for news from the Cape of Good Hope.

    There is another layer of psychology that is not fair to outsiders, that is, he is full of fear of returning.  Before he received a letter from his family telling him that the alarm was lifted, he would not dare to return to Madrid rashly and face His Majesty's wrath.

    "In addition, what is certain is that the Ming people sold all the stolen goods in Moldova and Rio de Janeiro." Colonel Thiago, who had followed him all the way south since reporting the news, reported again.

    "That's for sure. If they transport the goods back to the Far East, they won't be worth anything." The admiral held his pipe, his beard messy in the cold sea breeze.  He tightened his cloak and said, "Ignore those greedy half-Jews for now. Once I catch the Ming people, I will make them spit out their capital and profits!"

    "That way we can not only recover our losses, but also make a lot of money,"After receiving news that we were heading east, we still stayed here without moving.  It shows that they also have arrangements at the Cape of Good Hope!  "

    "Yes, otherwise there would be no point for them to be here." Zhang Xiaojing nodded in approval.

    "Damn it, I'm so proud that I actually sent two fleets to serve me!" Lin Feng took a sip of wine and said in a deep voice to his subordinates who had no idea:

    ¡°There is only one solution for the present¡ªnot to go through the Strait of Magellan, but to go south around Tierra del Fuego to the Pacific Ocean!¡±

    On the title page of "Little Knowledge of Nature", there is a world map drafted by Zhao Hao and polished by Ma Xianglan. It clearly shows that there is indeed a snow-covered continent south of the South American continent, but there is a gap between the two.  It's far away.

    Therefore, the Strait of Magellan is not the only passage between the two oceans at all, and the ¡®Fiere del Fuego¡¯ is not the starting point of the southern continent, but the real end of the South American continent.

    In fact, as long as you go a few hundred kilometers south along the entrance of the strait, you will find that the "Fiere del Fuego" should be called Tierra del Fuego. To the south of it is the boundless sea.  So just go around it and get back to the Pacific.

    But Zhao Hao specifically emphasized in their special training before departure that they should not take this route unless absolutely necessary

    ps. No more tonight.  (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report