Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

In the village of the Marine Tribe, a small stone and wood temple had already been constructed, dedicated to the Chief Divine of the Hummingbird and also housing the Zemi God Card of the tribal ancestors. Thanks to the abundance of food provided by cassava, the Caribbean Islands, especially the two great islands of Cuba and Haiti, had a substantial workforce. With the Kingdom bringing iron tools, stone and wood construction, and farming composting technology, there had been visible changes in the tribe settlements on the two great islands!

The productivity of the various Taino divisions was steadily and slowly improving, much like their faith in the Chief Divine. And at this moment, in the temple of the Chief Divine, Shenluo Mercenary Fritz was kneeling before the bizarre idol of the "Pagan Devil," not daring to lift his head. He merely humbly clung to Priest Martin’s leg, answering truthfully whatever this nobleman asked, divulging all the details of the Castilian Expeditionary Army!

"You mean to say, the Castilian Expeditionary Army has suffered heavy losses and is already considering retreat?!"

"Yes! Yes! Nobleman, the demon’s barbaric natives are always ambushing... ahem! The warriors of the Cuba Kingdom always harass them. Within the expeditionary camp, there have been heavy losses, and morale has dropped significantly! The worst thing is, all the horses have been taken out by the barbarians... by the warriors! Without horses, the warriors come and go as they please. The leaders are furious, but helpless, unable to catch them or eliminate them!..."

"Since they can’t be eliminated, can’t be killed off, yet people keep dying... the sailors’ morale is the first to falter, followed by us mercenaries. Who would be willing to risk their life in this godforsaken place for a few silver coins? Damn those Holy War Veterans, pressing down on us! And the Church Armed Forces’ knights and chamberlain, along with the priest solely focused on proselytizing!..."

"But with the warriors harassing so much, the Holy War Veterans and Church Armed Forces can still stand firm, yet the Castilian captains have already backed down. That Commander Columbus, taking four ships, claimed to look for a safer small island where they could establish themselves, ran off with the four fastest caravel ships! Truly the despicable, cunning City-State man! He had previously agreed with the captain to advance and retreat together, but then turned around and discarded us like garbage!..."

Shenluo Mercenary Fritz, wide-eyed and quite agitated, spoke rapidly, spouting a torrent of Highland German.

If Martin hadn’t been from Bavaria Nuremberg, he might not have understood the other’s words. But now, he not only understood what was said but clearly discerned the emotions and the explicit meaning behind them... He raised an eyebrow and spoke gravely.

"Fritz, is this fleet’s commander really that Columbus? Are you sure? This ignorant, stubborn mule with no true talent?"

"Yes! It’s him!"

"Really him?!"

Upon hearing this, Martin raised an eyebrow, somewhat incredulous.

Before being deceived onto the ship by Bruno, he was a court scholar of the Portuguese Royal Family and had, alongside his colleagues, reviewed Columbus’s nonsensical navigation plans! Those plans were submitted nearly every year and annually dismissed amid their ridicule. When Columbus’s exploration fleet set off, he returned to Shenluo’s University to study geography. When Columbus’s fleet struggled home, he wasn’t in the Portuguese Court and thus wasn’t directly snubbed by Columbus. Later, Bruno coaxed him to the Caribbean Sea...

At this moment, he simply couldn’t fathom how the Castilians could dare appoint such a Genoa "Great Navigator" to lead such a massive expeditionary army? Does Columbus possess the prestige to suppress the entire fleet? If not, then the internal conflicts within the expeditionary army...

"Sir! Columbus was personally appointed by the Queen as the fleet admiral! However, he cannot truly manage the expeditionary army, only responsible for exploring a separate squadron! The real authority of the expeditionary army rests with the Kingdom of Castile nobility, Deputy Commander Antonio! Right now, it is this noble who has experienced Holy War, along with his veteran Camp Commander Pedro, who are holding the San Juan Island stronghold!"

"Witness the Almighty! As for us Shenluo Mercenaries, we are treated like cannon fodder by these damned Castilians! Of our mercenary brigade of 180, only one-third remain in just a few months! Sir, we’ve long ceased to want to risk our lives for the Castilian bastards; they’ve never intended to let us survive!..."

"Respected nobleman! I beg you plead with the natives... no, the nobility of the Cuba Kingdom! Spare me... I swear to the Almighty! I am willing to surrender! I am willing to serve the local Lord! Yes! Not just me, even the Bavarian knight, Captain Reinhardt, would be willing to surrender! Just give us a chance to survive..."

Upon hearing this, Priest Martin squinted his eyes, scrutinizing this Bavarian mercenary compatriot from top to bottom. As a Shenluo noble, he certainly understood that Shenluo Mercenaries were driven solely by money, and their oaths were useless. He was also aware that these fellows would never fight to the death for the Castilians, and for the right price, the mercenaries might even turn the tables!

The key now lay in deciding whether to save this group of mercenaries. Should they change sides and pledge allegiance to the Cuba Kingdom... then as the Bavarian native who recruited them, and as the priest converting them, this isolated military force would naturally fall under his influence, becoming his base of power! He had no way back, and to rise higher within the Cuba Kingdom, he must garner more support and achieve more accomplishments for the Chief Divine!