Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1531 - 1072: The Voyage of 1492 AD, Near-Bankrupt Finances, and the Proposal Passed for the Second Time!
"By the Almighty's witness! Sir Alonso, did you persuade Captain Juan de la Cosa to join this voyage with the Holy Maria?"...
"Blessings from the Holy Mother! Father Talavera, it was Juan's own decision. Of course, I did communicate with him earlier. The Crusades on the Peninsula have ended, and the Royal Family wants to repay the massive loans to the Roman Church and the Republic of Venice. Exploring a new route in the Atlantic Ocean might be a solution!"...
"Sir Alonso, the Royal Committee has already deliberated on the previous voyage proposal. The Eurasian route across the Atlantic is far more than 4-5 thousand kilometers; it's quadruple that distance! Such a distant and unpredictable route cannot be opened in a short time. To support Columbus's voyage, the Royal Family needs to allocate about 5000 gold ducats, which amounts to a full 2 million maravedi copper coins..."
"Cough! Father Talavera, you understand. 5000 gold ducats are truly insignificant compared to the kingdom's 500,000 gold ducat debt. Moreover, we don't need to offer any cash; we can directly requisition ships, men, and supplies from coastal towns... Many towns have failed to complete the tax levies increased for the Crusades and simply cannot come up with cash..."
A brilliant light falls from the splendid dome, as if granted by the Lord's glory. Yet beneath this radiance, numerous nobles and clergy of the kingdom do not discuss their sacred faith or the mission of opening new routes for evangelization. They are mired in the swamp of greed, debating monetary figures, unabashedly expressing their desire for wealth.
At this moment, the Castilian Royal Family, much like a traveler who has slipped into a deep pit, is struggling in a mire of enormous war debts. Queen Isabella's empty treasury and the heavy debt documents are a direct reflection of financial difficulties.
Sitting Audit Sir Alonso cautiously turns his head, glancing at the contemplative Queen Isabella. Then he lowers his voice and leans towards the queen's confessor, Father Talavera, speaking sincerely.
"Father Talavera! Even if this time Columbus's voyage becomes a one-way trip, the Royal Family would only lose the ships and manpower requisitioned from various towns. But as long as there's a discovery in the Atlantic voyage, even if it's just a transit island like Cape Verde held by the Portuguese, it could be mortgaged to the Roman Church and the Republic of Venice for tens of thousands, or even more, gold ducats! After all, it would be the transit island of the new Western route! The value of the future is completely incalculable..."
The Crusade in the Southern Peninsula, from February 1482 until January 1492, lasted a full ten years. The joint Holy War army of Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon, along with the Crusader knights and retainers from various countries with their own rations, hired mercenaries from Shenluo and Italy... The Crusader army on the Peninsula once exceeded one hundred thousand! The regular army, maintained daily, consisted of at least sixty thousand, maintaining a cavalry of over ten thousand, which destroyed and conquered the Granada Moorish Kingdom with a population of nearly two million!
This logistics distance for fifty thousand Crusader infantry plus ten thousand Crusader cavalry was approximately one thousand li, one-third of which was the difficult terrain of Granada's rugged mountains. The logistics consumption of materials and finances in the war alone amounted to a terrifying astronomical figure. Not to mention the wages and pensions for the army during the war, the constant expenditure on mercenaries, the plague and disease encountered, and those lengthy and arduous siege losses...
Excessive military mobilization, lengthy war duration, difficult logistics support, and sudden plague disasters... This series of encounters in the Holy War was utterly devastating to the finances of Spain's two kingdoms!
And the reason this decade-long Holy War managed to persist was the financial loans and transfusions from the Roman Church and the Republic of Venice... But borrowed loans always need to be repaid. At least the two kingdoms currently lack the strength to tear up the IOUs of their major debtors, Rome and Venice...
At this moment, at the end of the war in 1492, the Castilian Royal Family, as the main force of the Holy War, owes the Roman Church and the Republic of Venice at least 700,000 gold ducats in debt. Meanwhile, the Royal Family of Aragon fares much better, with about only 200,000 gold ducats in debt...
Of course, under the guarantee of the Roman Church, these Holy War debts had low-interest rates, less than 10%. Compared to other loans of the time, this figure was genuinely low. But multiplied by the horrendous amount of hundreds of thousands, the Cadtilian Royal Family has to pay at least 60-70 thousand gold ducats in interest each year. And this enormous figure is several times the meager fiscal income of Castile, ensuring insolvency, with debts growing increasingly.
Meanwhile, the annual interest for the Aragon Royal Family debt is 20,000 gold ducats. The fiscal income of the Kingdom of Aragon is healthier, squeezing here and there, oppressing farmers and craftsmen, confiscating and collecting properties from petty nobles and small monasteries, and persecuting and executing more heretics and Jews... They are still able to repay the debt.
"700,000 gold ducats in debt, offset by 200,000 gold ducats of spoils and ransom from the entire city's plunder of Granada... leaving now only 500,000 in unpaid debts, with an annual interest rate of 10%, requiring payment of 50,000 interest..."
"No! Once I take office as the Archbishop of Granada this year, I will immediately conduct a thorough trial and cleanse of the entire Andalusia's Moorish heretics, seizing all the heretics' assets... extracting at least another 200,000 gold ducats and reducing the Royal Family's debts to 300,000! In this way, the annual interest of 30,000 can still find a way to be paid off..."
Father Hernando de Talavera lowers his gaze, repressing the boiling hatred towards heretics in his heart. He is Queen Isabella's closest confessor and Rome Church and the Kingdom of Castile's jointly designated first Archbishop of Granada.
As the most devout "Servant of the Lord," he certainly wouldn't show mercy to heretics. And with the Castilian Royal Family nearing bankruptcy, the royal finances couldn't allow him to be lenient towards heretics!
"By the Almighty's witness! I originally invited Columbus and supported his maritime proposal, believing his calculated new route was genuinely only 4-5 thousand kilometers... thus requiring merely one or two years of exploration investment to achieve returns like the Portuguese route, greatly improving the queen's finances... You must know, the queen has pawned the Royal Family's crown and jewels!"...
Father Talavera glanced at the resolute and heroic queen, silently lowering his gaze. In his heart, countless thoughts emerged, finally transforming into an indifferent gaze towards the anxious Columbus before the sea chart.
"This foolish and stubborn navigator miscalculated the distance of the new route, making me happy for nothing! According to the calculations of the Maritime Committee, the distance is four times longer… I'm afraid achieving direct returns won't be possible with just one or two years of exploration investment… This is why I turned to negate his proposal again…"
"But according to Sir Alonso's statement, even if the new Atlantic route fails, just finding one or two islands along the way can be mortgaged to the Roman Church and the Republic of Venice… In the end, the new route opened by the Kingdom of Portugal has greatly stimulated both the Roman Church and the Republic of Venice! Especially for the Venetians, as their long-term control over spice trade and coinage rights faces serious challenges from the Portuguese…"
"Lord bear witness! This is indeed a chance to repay debts! It's far more prudent than crossing the Strait to attack the heathen kingdoms on the other side of the sea… No, it's still possible to launch a small-scale attack across the Strait, at least to transport those bankrupt Crusader knights there all at once! Let them plague the Moors' realm across the sea, or die there, rather than squander the wealth of the Kingdom of Castile…"
Priest Talavera pondered for a long time, his eyes flickering uncertainly. He glanced at the "sincere" Queen's auditor, Sir Alonso, and then at the "cunning" financial advisor to the King, Sir Luis, before suddenly speaking.
"Alonso, suddenly recalling Columbus and holding another maritime proposal, then using influence to persuade me to compromise… this is not like your style at all!… Is it Sir Luis' scheme? What benefits does the King gain from maritime expeditions?…"
"Uh…"
Hearing this, Sir Alonso was stunned for a moment, then gently nodded. He wasn't entirely sure about this issue either, so he replied hesitantly.
"The King's benefit… probably more is about acquiring a good reputation for supporting navigation, and preventing Columbus from lobbying the French. After all, the King, more than the Queen, needs a good reputation. And if the Atlantic exploration truly discovers something, most of those honors and accolades will belong to the King who first supported it…"
"Moreover, the ships and manpower to support Columbus' voyage are provided by us, Castile, while the Kingdom of Aragon only provides some logistical supplies…"
"What! Alonso, how did you negotiate with Luis? The major expenses of this exploration are mostly borne by us, Castile?… How could this happen? That cunning Luis!…"
"Ah, ah! Holy King and Queen, esteemed nobility of the kingdom, respected scholars, please quiet down a bit!…"
While the two argued, a gentle and kind voice suddenly sounded. Priest Talavera glared angrily, watching the "cunning" Sir Luis stand up and quickly walk to Columbus' side. With a warm smile, he first bowed to everyone. Then, he pulled Columbus, this "Grand Navigator of the Queen," to bow to everyone.
"Praise the Lord! His merciful care is upon us, and we are blessed with divine favor…"
With Sir Luis' bow, the noisy Hall of Ambassadors gradually quieted down. People may disregard the face of the commoner Columbus, but the face of the King's financial advisor, Sir Luis, must be respected.
"Lord bear witness! Does anyone have any objections to Navigator Columbus' maritime proposal, esteemed kings, nobility, and scholars?"
At this moment, witnessing Sir Luis' inquiry, the expressions on everyone's faces shifted subtly. Yet after waiting for a moment, ultimately no one raised an objection. Even Royal Scholar Pedro and the esteemed confessor Priest Talavera, who spoke bluntly against it last time, nodded in agreement, even if the nod was very slight.
"Excellent! Praise the Lord! Navigator Columbus' maritime proposal is hereby approved!"
"Ah? Ah this! My proposal, ap... approved?! Thank you, Queen Isabella! You are the most sacred, most pure, most beautiful, most devout Saintess!… Uh, thank you as well, King Fernando…"
With a smile, Sir Luis again pulled Columbus to elegantly salute Queen Isabella and King Fernando. Then, looking at the bewildered yet wildly joyful Columbus who was rambling incoherently, he said kindly.
"Congratulations! Grand Navigator of the Queen, esteemed Columbus! You have received unanimous recognition from the Queen and the King!… Next, perhaps we should close the doors and have a good talk about the issues of profits and returns after discovering the new route…"
