Chapter 2210 - 1591: Occupying Puerto Rico (Part 2)
Then, Deputy Commander Antonio gave a signal, and Camp Commander Pedro invited Brother Ramon to rest on the ship. Brother Ramon frowned, glanced at the village still burning, and returned to the ship. Since the fleet’s arrival, he had never set foot within the village’s range, not even the conquest post erected two miles away from the village.
This decision had very practical considerations. If he appeared in the village, witnessing the large-scale acts of violence firsthand and doing nothing, he would betray the "morals of the Lord" in his heart and potentially cause doubt among the following Church Knights. On the other hand, if he stood in the way of the soldiers, he might face their brutal attacks in this demonic wilderness, similarly undermining the Church’s authority.
In such circumstances, there was an unspoken teaching among the Franciscans. It was to wait, wait for the violence to pass, and the soldiers’ brutality to subside, then go forth as a "Savior." With the Lord’s mercy, save the surviving natives, offering them conversion and belated protection. At the same time, act as a "comforter," accepting confession, comforting and redeeming the soldiers’ sins, letting the Divine Son bear a little more burden...
Of course, this group of old veteran scum had long been accustomed to killing, would hardly feel any guilt, and naturally did not need confession and prayer. The Church’s influence on them overseas was minimal.
"Antonio, what do you mean? I am the fleet’s Commander-in-chief, I ordered us to continue westward, to the Cipangu Japan Great Island, to seek revenge on those vile natives who dared to attack the queen’s fleet... yet you have all the captains stay here, and sent De La Cosa to explore the entire island?... In the queen’s decree, are you the Fleet Commander, or am I?!"
As soon as Father Ramon left, the conflict between the Fleet Commander and the Deputy Commander erupted again. Columbus glared, restraining the anger in his chest from cursing, staring at the calm Antonio. He took a deep breath, exerted the authority of a Commander, and reprimanded Antonio.
"Witness the Almighty! Open a route to India, establish a trade route, obtain gold, silver, spices, silk, and porcelain from the Eastern natives... this is the queen’s most important order! The royal decree is written on the sheepskin scroll! Do you need me to bring out the scroll and point it out to you personally?..."
"...Commander Columbus, I understand your loyalty to the queen and your urgent desire to avenge your previous disgraceful defeat by the natives..."
With Columbus bringing out the queen’s decree, Antonio had no choice but to muster his spirit and give a clear response. He glanced around at the officers and captains present, and spoke in a deep voice.
"The queen indeed ordered the establishment of trade lines and the return of Eastern wealth... but that is a long-term goal, not urgent! Right now, the most pressing issue is to establish a reliable footing for our expeditionary fleet! This too is prominently mentioned in the queen’s decree, to establish Queen Isabella’s Castle!..."
"You must know, during the storm crossing the Atlantic Ocean, our expeditionary fleet suffered severe losses. Three caravels disappeared into the terrible storm, vanishing completely..."
At this, Antonio looked pained. On one side, the veteran Camp Commander Pedro was even more heartbroken. Among the ships swallowed by the storm, one carried forty Shenluo Mercenaries, whose deaths were considered the end of the Vanguard cannon fodder. But the other two ships carried half of his old veteran company!
After that horrible storm, two old veteran company leaders, a full company of eighty men, perished in the Atlantic’s endless depths without even setting eyes on the Eastern lands. Four elite companies had lost a quarter immediately. Those eighty men, when forming a battle formation, were sufficient to crush two to three times the Moorish army, and ten times the "Eastern natives!"
Add to that over sixty sailors of the three ships, and a single storm had wiped out a hundred and eighty souls. Besides, among over two hundred colonizing strong men, a demonic pox sore erupted at sea, claiming nearly half their lives in over two months. Another hundred were lost in this. A thirteen-hundred-man expeditionary army, upon setting foot on the "Eastern Island," turned into a thousand-men force; this truly was the damned Atlantic Ocean!
"Witness the Almighty! The Atlantic’s storms are so dreadful, yet in a certain great navigator’s log, no mention of it exists... I am forced to harbor a fair doubt concerning some individuals’ private motives, or this great navigator’s sea-faring skills, or the validity and reliability of his words..."
"Damn it! Antonio, you talk nonsense! I had already warned about the Atlantic storms! It’s just that the storm we encountered this time was far more severe than on my previous voyage..."
"Oh?"
Antonio pursed his lips, squinted his eyes, showing no definite attitude. He pointed to the ground of Puerto Rico Island, changing his approach in commanding the conversation, and asked sharply.
"Commander Columbus, according to your logbook, you passed through here and continued westward... yet you claim to have never seen this Great Island, nor know its existence? You sailed directly along the route without encountering this chain of islands, heading to the far western Bahamas Islands?..."
"Uh! My latitude at that time was much higher than 18 degrees north! My sailing latitude was then 24 degrees north..."
Hearing this rebuttal, Columbus was also left speechless. Indeed, he had missed this Great Island of Puerto Rico, never expected there were more islands to the south. Had he known, he’d have explored these places first, find wealth from the weak natives here, rather than confronting the hard bones of the Cipangu Tribal Kingdom...
"Aha! Missed it... What credibility does such a great navigator and such seafaring experience offer to the returned sea charts?..."
Antonio smiled triumphantly, grasping Columbus’ admitted pain point. He launched a ruthless attack on the root of Columbus’ prestige within the fleet, targeting the flawed Eastern exploration experience...
"Your Excellency Antonio! The Cipangu natives indeed exist, their attack on the kingdom fleet is an indisputable fact! They obstruct the kingdom’s trade with the East, while they themselves hold gold and silver, commanding substantial Eastern wealth!"
Before Antonio could continue, Bartolomeo quickly stepped forward, interrupting him to defend his elder brother.
"Witness the Almighty! As the supreme commander of the fleet, Commander Columbus agrees with your proposal to establish a queen-named Isabella Castle on this San Juan Island... However, exploring westward, scouting, and even engaging with the Cipangu Tribal Kingdom is necessary and inevitable! This is also for the safety of the soon-to-be-established Isabella Castle..."
With this, Bartolomeo sharpened his expression, observing Antonio’s pondering face, then looked around at all the officers and captains, proposing.
"Therefore, on behalf of the Commander-in-chief, I propose... to split the fleet in two!"
"Those willing to build the Queen’s Castle, stay here! While those willing to explore and get rich westward with Commander Columbus, come with us!..."