Because of the precedent of Yesen's failed attempt to hold Mingbaozong hostage, even the staff officers who formulated the "Savior Plan" were privately doubting whether it was really worth spending such a huge price to save a king who had lost his army and humiliated his country.
Is a treaty signed with such an expired king really useful?
They obviously did not understand the place this king held in the hearts of the Portuguese people.
The Portuguese have the habit of giving their kings titles, similar to the posthumous titles of Chinese emperors. For example, the recently deceased Henry I was nicknamed "The Pure One" because he never married or had children. Sebastian's father was called "The Pious" because he was a devout Jesuit.
The Portuguese gave Sebastian the title of 'Hope'.
He is the hope of the entire Portuguese village...
When he was defeated on the banks of the Mahazan River and his whereabouts were unknown, the Portuguese people did not resent him for the failure he brought to the country, but kept weeping and lamenting that "Portugal has lost its hope"...
The vast majority of Portuguese, especially civilians, soldiers and merchants, refused to accept the news of his death as long as they had not seen his body.
In their minds, he just disappeared. Many people even firmly believed that he would reappear in Portugal's critical moment and save his country, just like King Arthur of England, Frederick I of Germany, and Constantine XI of the Orthodox world!
He is the spiritual pillar of the Portuguese common people.
This was especially true for the Portuguese trapped in this isolated fortress. In the past year, they had experienced the sudden death of the king, the change of the country's ownership, and the change of the flag of the Indian Governorate. They were confused about who to fight for. Now the Ming fleet was approaching again, and the morale in the city was very low.
At this critical moment, the news that "Portugal's hope" had reappeared in the Far East was like a shot in the arm, driving all the Portuguese in the city crazy in an instant.
Of course, Governor Bernardo was not so excited. Apart from the fact that as a governor he had to remain calm and not believe everything he heard, he also had to do so because he and the Viceroy of Goa had already written letters of allegiance to Philip II.
As soon as Henry the Pure died, Philip II sent messengers to inform the governors of Portugal's overseas colonies that as long as they immediately swore allegiance to him after reading the letter, he would guarantee that they would be allowed to remain in their current positions until they voluntarily retired.
And successors can also be recommended by them.
After receiving the letter, Bernardo made a special trip to Goa to have a face-to-face interview with His Royal Highness the Viceroy. The two had intended to wait and see what would happen, but they did not expect that the nobles in the country were more shameless than each other and surrendered faster than rabbits. In a blink of an eye, Lisbon opened the city to welcome the Duke of Alva's army into the city.
How could the two dare to hesitate now? If they delayed any further, they would be dismissed and investigated by the imperial envoy sent by His Majesty Philip II!
I quickly wrote a cheesy letter of loyalty, asking His Majesty to forgive me for the long journey and the late receipt of His Majesty's order. But our loyalty to His Majesty is more urgent than anyone else...
The letter was just sent out a few days ago and the St. Andrews flag has not been embroidered yet. How come a former king has popped up again?
You are so serious, are you trying to play a joke on me?
Frustrated, the governor ridiculed Pinto, who had worked for the Ming Dynasty for more than ten years, and believed that this was a lie he had fabricated to help the Ming people gain the city!
He ordered the traitor to be taken out and beheaded, but was shocked to find that his guards refused to move.
The Speaker of the Council also reminded him to look outside the castle.
The Governor was shocked when he looked out, to see that all the Portuguese in the city had gathered outside his castle, cheering, singing and dancing, sweeping away the dejection of the past few days.
Now he dared not act rashly. Soldiers who were excited could do anything.
The Speaker then advised him that he and several other members of parliament should go to Singapore with Colonel Pinto to find out the truth.
Governor Bernatto naturally had no way of objecting.
~~
A few days later, several Malacca city councilors met their king on the Sea Power.
Portugal is a small country, and the king likes to travel around, so almost all citizens have seen his majesty. Two members of parliament were summoned by him in Lisbon to ask about their experiences in the East.
So the congressmen recognized Sebastian at once and immediately knelt down and cried bitterly.
Sebastian couldn't help but feel sad, and the king and his ministers hugged each other and cried.
When Zhao Hao saw this, he knew that his guess was correct. Sebastian was much more useful than Ming Baozong.
Besides, he did not come here with Xiao Sai tied up, so he was much more particular than Tai Shi Yesen.
After calming down, several congressmen asked how Sebastian got from Africa to the Far East?
Little Sai was immediately embarrassed and said, "This is all God's arrangement."
"It turned out that God saved His Majesty!" Some members of the parliament understood and pretended to understand, saying, "Because our country is in the most dangerous time, did God return His Majesty to us?"
Sebastian nodded with a smile, thanking them for their imagination. He didn't want them to dwell on his past, so he changed the subject and asked, "Where's Governor Bernardo? Didn't I ask him to come see me?"
"That spineless traitor!" The councillors began to curse Bernardo. "He actually secretly submitted a letter of allegiance to Philip II without telling us!"
What made them most angry was that the guy didn't even invite them to join him...
"It doesn't matter. Who made me disappear for so long?" Sebastian showed his magnanimity and said, "For God's sake, I will give him another chance."
Seeing the now mature and rational King, the parliamentarians burst into tears again. God really had not given up on Portugal. Not only did he give them back hope, but it was a more powerful version... It would be even better if it could be patched with a fertility patch.
The Speaker then said that he would rush back to Malacca and bring Bernardo to see His Majesty.
"No need." Sebastian said calmly, "You can go to Malacca with us."
"Your Majesty, this fleet..." Looking at the expensive teak floor of the warship under their feet, the parliamentarians remembered where they were.
"Oh, this is my brother's fleet." Sebastian said calmly, "I have become brothers with Gongzi Zhao, the chairman of the Daming Jiangnan Group and the commander-in-chief of the Royal Coast Guard Fleet. When he heard that I was going back to restore my country, he formed this volunteer fleet for me and accompanied me back to Europe to fight against the Spanish invaders."
"So, this fleet obeys your Majesty's command?" the parliamentarians asked in shock.
"That's right." Sebastian nodded heavily. For the sake of ruling, all kings are big talkers, and he is no exception.
"Great!" The congressmen were overjoyed when they heard this. Now the biggest threat was resolved.
~~
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the eighth year of the Wanli reign, a large fleet of coast guards arrived on the sea outside Malacca. Portugal's Malacca fleet also appeared in the northwest of the strait.
However, neither side fired a single shot and the atmosphere was very friendly.
Because just yesterday, a galley carrying two parliamentarians brought back the news that His Majesty the King was indeed alive.
Now the Governor was completely unable to stop it, and the people below celebrated wildly.
Moreover, His Majesty promised to give him another chance. If he still didn't know what was good for him, as long as His Majesty raised his arms outside the city, the soldiers would immediately cut off his head and present it to their lost king.
So the Governor ordered the city gates to be opened, and he himself went out of the city and boarded the Sea Power. He knelt down to apologize to His Majesty the King and begged to pledge his allegiance to His Majesty Sebastian again.
Sebadisian drew his sword, tapped him on the shoulder, and accepted his allegiance again.
Then, accompanied by Macaron, Pancho Yun and other knights of the Royal Guard, he entered Malacca City and was worshipped by nearly 10,000 Portuguese people in the Portuguese Square in front of the Governor's Palace.
For a while, the crying was deafening and the tears were pouring down, which made those who heard it sad and those who listened to it wept...
Then Sebastian gave a great speech to his subjects in the Far East entitled "Follow me back to Europe to defend our country"!
"Most loyal subjects of Portugal:
I, the 16th King of Portugal, the 7th monarch of the Avis dynasty, grandson of John III, the only son of Prince John Manuel and Juana, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Sebastian I, am finally back! "
The deafening cheers immediately resounded throughout the square, and even Master Zhao on the Haiquan several miles away could hear it.
"You really can't judge a book by its cover. I didn't expect that a yellow-haired boy like him would have such a high prestige." Tang Baolu on the side couldn't help but sigh.
"The red-haired devil's superstition about bloodline is unmatched in our country." Zhao Hao crossed his arms and laughed, "Besides, you didn't even look at who wrote the lyrics for him."
~~
In Portugal Square, Sebastian, wearing golden armor, continued to speak in a deafening manner:
"As the King of Portugal, I salute you patriots! And I express my most sincere apologies for the mistakes I made before due to my immaturity and for the chaos I brought to the country in the past few years due to my inability to perform my duties!"
European kings were not allowed to issue an edict of apology, and Sebastian's unprecedented apology moved the Portuguese to tears. Not only did they choose to forgive him, but they were also extremely pleased to think that their king had finally matured!
"But I don't have time to repent now. Because of Spain's treacherous attack and the chaos caused by the lack of a leader in the country, we have temporarily lost some areas and our capital, Lisbon!"
"After the arrogant Philip II dreamed of occupying Lisbon, our country immediately surrendered. However, the enemy miscalculated. Although our army and navy suffered a temporary defeat, they are still fighting bravely against the enemy. In the vast colonies of Africa, America and Asia, there are still countless officers and soldiers who will never surrender - of course, including you!"
Cheers resounded through the sky again, and the previously depressed and tired soldiers of the Yuan army suddenly turned into a high-spirited army of restoration!
"In addition, we have received support from the most powerful Ming. Ming has formed a permanent offensive and defensive alliance with Portugal. Their army and navy will fight with us to completely crush the Spanish invaders!"
Thunderous cheers rang out again, and this time it injected confidence into the Restoration Army.
"Our great country has been in a more critical situation than it is now. 200 years ago, the Kingdom of Castile, the predecessor of Spain, annexed our country, including Lisbon, and all of our territory fell into the hands of the enemy. At that time, we did not have overseas colonies, nor were we as wealthy as we are now, nor did we have powerful allies, let alone so many well-trained and battle-hardened land and naval forces. In such a desperate situation, my ancestor, the great King John I, with the support of the young general Alvarez and the Knights of Avis, led the people to launch an uprising, overthrew the puppet regime, and defeated the invading Castilian army in the Battle of Aljubarrota, restoring the country's independence!"
Sebastian drew his sword and roared, "After nearly 200 years, Portugal is once again facing the danger of national destruction. I, Sebastian, swear to follow the example of my ancestors and defend the independence of my country!"
He looked around the room again and asked loudly, "I wonder where my Alvarez and the Knights are?!"
“Here!”
"here!"
"Here!" All the Portuguese raised their weapons high, knelt before their king, and vowed to sacrifice their lives for Portugal.
"Okay, in the name of the king, I order all Portuguese who receive this order to pack up immediately and follow me back to Europe to defend our homeland!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir!" Amid the thunderous cheers, the Portuguese wished they could grow wings and fly back to their homeland.