Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1532 - 1073: The Voyage of 1492 AD, the Santa Fe Agreement (Extra for Silver Alliance Member Tokugawa Tanuki)
April 17, 1492, Granada City, Alhambra Palace.
The spring breeze of April blew over the mountainous, towering city and also swept through the intricately carved Red Palace. The bright spring sunlight shone on the magnificent palace wall murals and also reflected off the exquisitely decorated stone pillars, together telling the ancient legends of the Moorish ancestors and the Crescent Moon Religion. This was a stone palace composed of sculptures, a true wonder of the Middle Ages.
However, at this moment, at the top of the thirty-meter-high red palace walls, flags of the Dual Kings and the Cross stood everywhere, indicating who was the rightful owner of this ancient marvel today. The reason these heathen murals and carvings could still be temporarily preserved was simply that the treasury of the Castilian Royal Family was empty, unable to afford craftsmen and painters from the Italian Peninsula to redo the carvings. But without a doubt, new paintings of the Holy Mother and Saint Heir would surely completely cover and erase these heathen traces not accepted by the Lord. Just as the Lord's people of Castile would completely cover and erase the Moors from this land!
"Your Lordship, Don Christopher Columbus, is there any clause you wish to amend in this maritime exploration agreement between the Castilian and Aragonese Royal Families?..."
"Praise the Almighty! Praise the generous Queen and King, and sincerely praise you, pious Sir Luis! I've considered these clauses for a long time and there is no need for any further modification..."
In the splendid Alhambra Palace, the Mesaar Hall was not large, and its style was rather simple. It was the most historically significant functional area of the entire palace wonder, a hall where Moorish Sultan officials once received and handled noble administrative affairs. In fact, after completely controlling the city of Granada, the Alhambra Palace had officially been transformed from a conquered heathen palace into the secondary palace of the Dual Kings of Spain. The only publicly accessible areas were these traditional functional halls.
At this moment, in the Mesaar Hall where state affairs were being handled, besides the Castilla guards, there were only three "distinguished persons." Representing the Queen was the confessional priest, Granada Archbishop Talavera; representing the King was the financial advisor Sir Luis, and the newly appointed "Admiral" and "Noble Knight," Don Christopher Columbus.
"May the Holy Mother protect! I, Castilian Admiral, Don Christopher Columbus, with the courage of the Lord, fearless and pious, will discover new routes to the Khitan and India, proving my worthiness of the Queen's and King's favor!..."
In front of the two royal representatives, Columbus held his head high, his stubborn and confident mule-like face barely concealing excitement and elation. Wearing a slanted hat symbolizing nobility, a brand new, tight-fitting noble suit, and tall boots polished with lard, he eagerly reached out, pinching the parchment agreement document in Sir Luis's hand, his eyes practically glowing.
"Praise the merciful Lord! Honorable Sir Luis! May I sign now?..."
"Ahem! Your Lordship, Columbus, please do not rush...I must have the Queen's representative, Archbishop Talavera, read and confirm it once more..."
Sir Luis smiled, gently pulling the agreement document from Columbus's hand and handing it to the ever-stern-faced priest Talavera.
Talavera, wearing a gray priestly robe, had a ring symbolizing the Archbishop's status on his right ring finger, and in his left hand, he held a bishop's crozier. He glanced at the lofty Columbus, then unfurled the document, calmly reading aloud.
"We, Ferdinand and Isabella, by the grace of God, King and Queen of Castile, Leon, Aragon, Sicily, Granada, Toledo, Valencia, Galicia, Majorca, Seville, Corsica, Murcia, Jaen, Algarve, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, Count of Barcelona, Lord of Bilbao and Molina, Duke of Athens and Neopatras, Count of Roussillon and Cerdanya, Marquis of Oristano and Goceano..."
"We, by legal means and on behalf of our lawful heirs and successors, grant you, Christopher Columbus, the ruler of the seas, our Admiral, the right to manage the fleets and all crew members in your exploration, to manage all the islands and continents of the new oceans you discover, explore, and conquest, from parts east of Cape Bojador and the eastern islands known as the Azores Islands, and any other islands and lands in the East..."
"We authorize you, Christopher Columbus, and your lawful heirs and successors, to forever and ever be the ruler, regional governor, and court governor of these territories. You may choose, according to your will, either yourself or your agents to hold these positions and enjoy the rights of these offices, including fishermen, officials, scribes, pharmacists, surgeons, tax officers and any other persons in these areas..."
"We authorize you, Christopher Columbus, and your lawful heirs and successors, to receive one-tenth of everything produced from the said lands, such as gold, gemstones, spices, and one-tenth of all bartered and trade profits. In addition to the already stipulated one-tenth, by contributing one-eighth of the exploration costs, you will also receive one-eighth of the profit..."
Priest Talavera, his face ashen, read through these lengthy, greedy discovery clauses revealing Columbus's ambitions. The more he read, the more his anger surged within him, though his face did not reveal it.
According to these complex terms, Columbus and his descendants will obtain three astonishing privileges signed and recognized by the Dual Kings regarding the fleet and newly discovered lands.
First, he will be appointed and inherit the position of Castilian Admiral, gaining the highest personnel authority over the exploration fleet.
Second, he will demand and inherit the Governor role of all "newly discovered lands," gaining permanent "personnel, management, and taxation rights" over those territories.
Third, besides these positions and powers, he also demands nearly "a quarter" of all profits from navigational fleets and newly discovered lands!
"Almighty! This greed surpasses Judas, and his foolishness surpasses Judas as well among the City-State commoners! Has he ever considered what such greedy and foolish agreements truly represent? If he discovers a new island, does it all belong to him? And if he discovers a new continent, will the entire continent belong to him?… What place does he truly put the interests of our Castilian Royal Family?!"
"Ridiculous, truly ridiculous! A son of a City-State leather worker, who has nothing, wishes to become a king who controls everything on exploration fleets and all newly discovered lands, merely with a piece of parchment?! He wants to take away king-like profits yet expects the Kingdom of Castile to guarantee him, to support him regardless of the cost? Who does he think he is? King Enrique's illegitimate child?! Ha! Even Princess Juana wouldn't dare make such demands…"
"Ignorance! Greed! Foolishness! Is the king's power derived from this thin, meaningless paper?… Ha! This kind of ignorance, greed, and foolishness is beyond my imagination!… This is simply an insult to the Castilian Royal Family and an insult to me! I must have been utterly mistaken to introduce such an arrogant fool to the Queen back then…"
Father Talavera read expressionless, suppressing the anger in his heart, the pages filled with demands of the maritime exploration agreement. Then, before handing this document to the ecstatic Columbus for signing, Father Talavera couldn't help but ask one last question. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
"May the Lord witness! Columbus, at the very beginning, it was I who personally introduced you to the Queen… Are you really not considering modifying this document even once? For instance, according to Captain Juan de la Cosa's version, formally pledging loyalty to the Queen and becoming Castilian nobility? Then accept the Royal Family's dispatch, to serve the Holy Kingdom, to discover new routes and new lands for the Kingdom…"
"Hmm? Father Talavera, what are you talking about? Aren't I already a Castilian noble? The Queen has just bestowed upon me the title of 'Don' and appointed me as the kingdom's Admiral!… Besides, how can Juan's ordinary agreement compare with the lucrative agreement I have? He's merely a regular captain who follows my lead…"
Upon hearing such a query, Columbus was momentarily stunned, eyes wide open, and looked at the "peculiar" and "capricious" Father Talavera as if looking at an idiot.
The navigator Juan's agreement has long been signed, and he had carefully reviewed it, which is just an ordinary noble agreement. Even if something new is discovered, even a Gold Mountain, it still belongs to the Kingdom of Castile.
"Ha! Witness the Lord! What on earth is this foolish old man thinking?… Juan merely contributed a Clark Sailing Ship, and receiving a fraction of the return would suffice. Whereas I, I, Don Christopher Columbus, have contributed the entire fearless maritime plan! What harm is there in taking a quarter of the returns and the governor rights of all new lands? These are what I deserve after two decades of hard work!"
"Right! As last time, this old fellow is about to go back on his word again! He cannot bear, cannot bear the Queen's wise generosity, cannot bear me receiving these deserved substantial rewards!…"
Thinking of this, Columbus pursed his lips, glanced at the displeased face of Father Talavera. He remembered the previous backtracking by Talavera, himself invited from Portugal, only to be publicly rejected by the committee before so many nobles and scholars, laughed at by Royal scholars!
Recollecting the humiliating scene from before, Columbus secretly gritted his teeth, an uncontrollable hatred surged within him. But soon, he recalled Talavera's newly obtained status as the Granada Archbishop, so he tried hard to suppress his hatred, merely raised his head, confidently and fearlessly said.
"Witness the Lord! I, I, Don Christopher Columbus, am indeed the Great Navigator who first proposed the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean! My wisdom, my courage, my fearlessness, and my outstanding ability all thoroughly justify the generous agreement bestowed upon me by the Queen!"
"Respected Father Talavera, I have no intention to modify the agreement. Now, please hand me the agreement from the Queen for signing…"
