Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The occupied wooden pillar of the Cross stood upright on the sands of Puerto Rico San Juan Bay. The scenery of this tropical island was so beautiful. Yet the visible abundance, together with the utterly feeble Natives, constantly provoked everyone in the Castilian Expeditionary Army, constantly inflaming the bestial desires swelling within their hearts.

"Divide the forces? Split the fleet in two?"

Vice Admiral Anton frowned slightly and made no clear comment on the proposal of the Columbus Brothers. What he wanted was, under the intact framework of the entire fleet, to hollow out Columbus, the Commander-in-chief, and turn him into a decorative portrait for show. That is to say, he intended, in the capacity of Vice Admiral, to exercise the real authority of the Fleet Commander and claim all the merits of expansion!

At present, however, these two outlander Columbus Brothers were on the losing side in their power struggle with him and were obviously growing anxious. They had actually come up with the proposal to split the fleet in two, meaning to divide the expeditionary army’s strength into two halves and take them to different places. But once the forces were divided, he could not become two men, and so long as Columbus separated from him, he could legitimately take control of the other half of the fleet. In this way, after the division of forces, the situation of the expeditionary army would shift from his current de facto monopoly of all authority to "half for each man"!

Moreover, both in reason and in sentiment, it ought to be his responsibility to establish Isabella Castle, while Columbus should be tasked with further Western exploration and contact. But which side did the fleet’s captains truly wish to join? Would they rather linger in the harbor, watching the island fortress slowly rise, or would they rather follow Columbus, to cheat, to plunder, to kill, roaming about to find Native villages and even towns to raid and get rich? Does this question even need to be answered? Did this cunning Bartolomeo take him for a fool?!

"By the Almighty as witness! The fleet has yet to gain a foothold, Isabella Castle has not yet been built. How much strength the Natives on this San Juan Island possess is still unknown!"

Deputy Commander Anton pondered for a moment, swept a glance over the eager captains around him, and refused in a righteous tone.

"The Queen’s edict must be carried out! I must first ensure the establishment and security of Isabella Castle... Commander Columbus, Your Excellency, I believe the expeditionary army is not suited to division at this time. Just as you yourself once said, the Native Kingdoms of Cipangu are powerful. My decision is likewise for the safety of the entire fleet!..."

"Therefore, under the Almighty’s protection! I must ask you to return to the fleet’s ’flagship’, or else take charge of the strong men landing to open up the land. If you are willing to lead the Shenluo Mercenaries to scout the situation of other Native villages... I will not oppose it either. That is my opinion!"

After Deputy Commander Anton finished speaking, he looked toward the veteran Camp Commander Pedro. Pedro gave him a supporting glance and immediately declared:

"I support Commander Anton!..."

Anton smiled in salutation, then looked one by one at the captains around him, scrutinizing them as he spoke.

"Honored Nnobility captains, and you? What do you think? Is it to go westward, taking on immense risk and disregarding the Queen’s orders... or to remain here, establish Isabella Castle, and subdue the remaining Natives on this island?"

At this time, the strength of the Castilian Expeditionary Army was just over one thousand men and fifteen Large Ships. Among these thousand men were more than 450 fleet Sailors and Craftsmen embarked with them, 240 Holy War Veterans, roughly 160 Shenluo Mercenaries, over 100 armed strong men, and 60 Church Knights and chamberlains. Of the fifteen Large Ships, five were powerful Clark Galleons, eight were Caravel sailboat Light Sailing Ships, and two were Supply Ships.

In terms of command alignment, the Holy War Veterans of the expeditionary army theoretically all answered to Pedro and Anton. The armed strong men naturally did not acknowledge Columbus; they recognized only the Castile Nnobility Officers. The Church Armed Forces, charged with protecting the Priests, were fairly independent; they inclined to neither side and would not run about aimlessly. The Shenluo Mercenaries listened to their captain Reinhardt and had currently all tilted toward Columbus. As for the most numerous, the fleet’s Sailors, their stance would depend on the choices made by the Castile Nnobility captains.

When Deputy Commander Anton’s gaze swept over, these captains, though inwardly somewhat reluctant, still nodded one after another and said:

"Under the Almighty’s protection, I agree with the Deputy Commander’s proposal!"

"Praise the Queen, the Queen’s Isabella Castle is of paramount importance!"

"Let us first wipe out the surrounding Natives, and then discuss the matter of dividing forces!"

"Since everyone agrees, then it is settled! The expeditionary army will remain here and devote itself fully to building the Queen’s Isabella Castle!"

Deputy Commander Anton thus spoke. Then he no longer looked at the rage-filled Columbus; he merely cast a glance at the silent, contemplative Bartolomeo and directly departed. The seeds of conflict, buried deep between the two, had already sprouted and grown, merely awaiting the day they would blossom into open rupture.

"Clang... clang... clang!...."

Soon, the main force of the expeditionary army successively went ashore and formally took up quarters in the cleared Native village by the San Juan Bay. The fleet’s Blacksmiths carried their Blacksmithing tools onto land and, with a constant "ding ding clang clang," repaired the chipped Swords. The Carpenters were likewise busy, leading the Sailors to fell timber. They had first to build a wooden house for "Commander" Anton. What, you say Columbus is the Commander? How many men does he command, and over whom does he hold sway?

"Hrrr! Hrrr!"

Over twenty warhorses were soothed by the Church Knights and chamberlains as they were carefully led down from the Clark Galleons. More than two months of ocean voyaging, and the storms encountered along the way, had killed fully one-third of these pampered warhorses! Those that remained were all listless, showing no interest in food. In such circumstances, the Knights dared not ride them again; they could only stay with them every Quarter, ceaselessly stroking and calming them, feeding them their favorite beans and oats. These horses were far more precious than men!