Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Puerto Rico Island lies like a jade slab, resting in the wind of the Caribbean Sea. It stretches approximately 180 kilometers from east to west, 65 kilometers from south to north, with a coastline exceeding 500 kilometers and a total area of 9,100 square kilometers. Its terrain runs from north to south, beginning with coastal plains, then hills, followed by the Central Mountain Range and inland highland, finally transitioning to the southern lowlands. A bird’s-eye view of the entire island resembles a mango with a high center and low edges.

"Hoo! Hoo!..."

The whistling northeast trade winds provide the force for navigation. Two caravels of the Castilian Expeditionary Army sail along the northern coast of the "mango," returning to the naturally sheltered San Juan Bay.

Hundreds of Taino strong men, bound with ropes and chains, under the threat of the colonizers’ long spears, have already built four or five wooden houses and are now constructing the foundation of a stone fortress. Four long-barreled 10-pound cannons have been installed at the natural harbor of North Bay village, serving as the initial "light fortress guns." Five Clark galleons, eight caravels, and supply ships are anchored in this narrow bay, with tall masts standing and cannon mouths gleaming coldly.

"Lord! Is this? Has the expeditionary army launched a military attack on the natives?"...

When De La Cosa returned, San Juan Port presented such a cold and brutal scene.

The expressions of the Taino strong men were despairing and numb, with occasional falls from exhaustion met by the guards’ whips. Their hoarse voices of pleading, tinged with sobs, soon turned into low cries, finally silenced by the sharp sword. Bright red blood flowed onto the white sand of the port, leaving an unmoving corpse on the ground. The soldiers cursed and beat the "lazy" bodies, hanging them on trees to intimidate the crying natives, forcing them into endless labor.

When doing evil does not receive any punishment, and is not even seen as an evil act, it will occur recklessly. In front of the Taino natives, who are different in skin color and mild in temperament, the colonizers’ greatest malice emerged nakedly, at all times. At this moment, the colony had no laws. Killing, looting, or raping a native did not even require compensation of a copper coin, and the life of a native was considered even less valuable than that of a black slave with a master!

"Holy Mother! If the merciful Queen Isabella were to see the scenes of the colony, she would probably be quite angry. Such anger would not target the ordinary soldiers but would become dissatisfaction with us nobles of the expeditionary army... You must know, the reputation the Queen desires is ’civilized traders communicating with the East,’ becoming ’devotees spreading the Lord’s gospel,’ and absolutely not a ’slave merchant enslaving Eastern yellow slaves!’"...

Seeing this scene at the port, De La Cosa frowned, revealing obvious concern on his face. He was not worried about the lives of the Taino natives but rather concerned that such indiscriminate plundering and enslavement would be reported to the ears of the Queen by returning priests or church personnel. King Ferdinand would certainly not care about this, but the holy and merciful Queen, whether to maintain the noble reputation like the "Holy Mother" or from genuine inner mercy, would surely express an opinion! Of course, in De La Cosa’s view, it’s a combination of both.

In the current era, the enslavement of the Southern Continent’s black-skinned tribes is an ancient, accepted behavior in Europe, practiced since the Roman Era through the Renaissance.

This is because the Vatican, at this time, did not regard the tribes of Black Africa as "enlightenable, convertible citizens of the Lord." However, for the imagined "rich civilization" of the East, for the "yellow-skinned people" of "India, Cipangu, Khitan, Seris," the attitude and definite stance of the Vatican is viewing them as "convertible and enlightenable citizens of the Lord," "civilized Easterners who can cooperate in attacking the Heavenly Faithful."

Just like when Columbus first sailed, bringing back the Taino native Shushu. Although he was observed and recorded by Portuguese scholars like some rare exhibition, he was not directly confined as a slave in the end.

Shushu, after superficially converting to the cross, still went to Bruno’s fleet and joined the glorious Portuguese Navy. Even the Portuguese, who traded black slaves, acted this way; thus, with Queen Isabella’s "Holy Mother"-like image in the minds of Castilian nobles, she could not possibly accept directly enslaving Eastern natives!

"Lord! Why are there Taino strong men wearing cross amulets among the enslaved? Can even the priests’ conversions and baptisms not stop these arrogant soldiers?"...

De La Cosa stood at the port, observing carefully for a long time. Soldiers came and went around him, some saluting, others oblivious. After a while, he discovered cross amulets, symbols of the Lord, among these "slaves!"

Could the atrocities happening in Puerto Rico’s port not avoid even the Taino natives wearing cross amulets? This then contravened a doctrine that ostensibly needed to be adhered to within the Catholic world of faith, "prohibiting the enslavement of Christians."

"This won’t do! It is, of course, nothing to enslave natives, but if rumors of enslavement of Christians spread, it will be a bad reputation for us nobles in the expeditionary army! Hmm... got to think of a way, come up with a good reason to avoid leaving an excuse..."