Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1608 - 1143: First Contact Between the Lake Bay Great Tribe and Cuba! (Part 2)
From worthless shards of pottery and glass beads to expensive pearls and gold, these are all decorations that the natives love to wear. But the natives barter and are completely unaware of the value of goods, which creates enormous profits and benefits!...
Similarly, the natives on the islands also use various colored dyes to paint their hair and bodies. Of course, for the sea ships from Europe, white, green, blue, and ordinary red dyes hold no value. However, purple dye extracted from conchs is a symbol of power and status in Christian culture and is a favorite among nobility and clergy! You should know, in the merchant city-state where Columbus was born, the price of 1 pound of purple dye is equivalent to 3 pounds of gold, and it's priceless!
"Almighty's blessing! Listen to me! ... When you encounter the great tribes of the natives, be friendly at first! Offer some small gifts, use worthless glass beads and bells to exchange for their gold and pearls, and then replenish enough food and water!..."
"Then, all of you pay attention and observe the situation of these tribes! If they are really kind and weak, without weapons and armor, without any force of resistance... we will further conquer them harshly, and take away all the wealth that belongs to the Almighty!..."
"Haha! The boss is right! Take away all the gold and cotton, conquer them harshly! With the knife in our hands, with the 'spear' between our legs... ahaha!..."
"Yes! Joder! Ever since that night of fun, I've held back for ten days, not touching a woman..." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
"Indeed! Coño! The commander is great in every way, except for one, too greedy, and another, not allowing women on board..."
"Shh! Chachu, keep your voice down! How can you say that in front of the commander!..."
"What are you afraid of! My knife, Chachu, is faster than any of yours! These days, I've killed dozens of natives, slept with over a dozen women..."
"Pah! Chachu, you're just full of hot air! Others may fear you, but I don't! Come on, let's compare this time, right here in this native's village, see whose knife, 'spear' is stronger!..."
Columbus called the important crew members on the ship, gave a few stern orders. The crowd knowingly nodded, issuing a ghostly howl in response. Here, on the faces of these long-time navigational ruffians, there was undisguised arrogance, greed, and ferocity. In this era, on an ocean-going ship, those who aren't ruthless and cruel simply won't last long...
Soon, over a dozen fishing canoes appeared on the lake's surface not far away. The natives on these canoes used simple fishing nets to catch fish and also used fish hooks that Europeans couldn't understand, constantly pulling up big fish and shellfish from the lake bay.
"Ahem! Quick! Prepare some worthless small gifts, give them to the natives on these canoes! Let them return to the native tribe village and speak well of us, to 'trade' for goods in the village... Hey! These natives are coming over voluntarily! Still no clothes, no ironware or weapons?...
How can this be? Isn't this Cipangu Japan? Or do the Japanese, like Indians, also not like wearing clothes..."
When they saw the three large ships entering the lake bay, a few canoes enthusiastically came forward with their catch. But when they saw the shape of the large ships and the strange white-skinned foreigners on board, the natives on the canoes suddenly froze. Then, their faces showed disbelief, and they started shouting in panic.
"Weixi! Weixi! White! White!... As white as cassava juice! White-skinned people!..."
"Ah! Hummingbird's Sun Supreme God! It's just like the prophecy! White-skinned people have appeared on large ships!..."
"No! They are not human!... In the prophecy of the Longboat Tribe High Priest, they are evil demons! White-skinned demons!..."
"Quick! Go back! Go back and tell the chieftain, tell the warriors of the Longboat Tribe left in the tribe!!..."
"Go! Go back! Remember to blow the conch! Sound the warning conch!..."
Under Columbus's surprised gaze, the few canoes approaching suddenly paused, stopping to observe from a hundred meters away. Then, the yellow-skinned natives on the boats began to shout meanings unknown, but the shouting was clearly filled with panic!
But after just a few breaths, these nimble little boats turned around at lightning speed, like startled flocks of birds, fleeing to the depths of the Great Lake. Meanwhile, the urgent sound of the conch echoed on the lake's surface, prompting all the smaller boats that heard it to hurriedly abandon their fishing tools and flee to the tribal village on the shore!
"Almighty! What is... happening?..."
On the Santa Maria Clark Sailing Ship, Columbus frowned, vaguely feeling something was amiss. However, these natives without clothes, without weapons, and with only a dozen or so meter-long canoes pose no threat at all to the three sailing ships equipped with matchlock guns and cannons...
"This is the first native great tribe, the first major settlement we've encountered on the Cuba Main Island!... There must be gold, pearls, dyes, and cotton in the village here!..."
After a brief contemplation, Columbus's eyes sharpened, and he made a decision.
"Raise the flag! Chase the natives' boats! Let's go see the native village ahead, and take a good look at them, whether they are the naked islanders of the Indian Islands or the cotton-clad tribes of Cipangu Japan!..."
Soon, the red flag was hoisted on the main mast of the Santa Maria. Then, the three sea ships set sail, heading to the depths of the Great Lake. In this unexplored lake, where the depth of water is unknown, the fleet dared not fully raise their sails, moving very slowly, barely keeping pace with the paddling canoes of the natives...
The exploration fleet from Castile sailed for a full one or two hours before reaching the southwestern shore of the Great Lake. A large area of low shanties, wooden houses, and a shallow fence formed the largest tribe the fleet had encountered so far. The scale of this tribal village likely exceeds a thousand people!...
"Send down an armed dinghy! Dispatch two sailors, bringing along the captured tribal guides, with plenty of glass beads, to make contact with these natives! Tell them that we are their friends, we are the envoy of the Almighty!..."
Seeing the scale of this tribal village and the bustling, shouting figures, Columbus furrowed his brows, his expression gradually becoming solemn. He squinted his narrow eyes, staring at the tribal fishermen retreating behind the fence, hearing incomprehensible exclamations and shouts. Then, he watched as hundreds of able-bodied men in the native tribe, all carrying simple long spears, began to gather!
And those tall and able-bodied men gathered behind the village fence, although their faces were timid, their actions unskilled, and some even nervously dropped their long spears... but, relying on the simple fence, under the command of two Samurai dressed in armor, they still formed a laughable spear formation, positioning the spearheads on the fence, pointing the tips at the three sea ships...
"Vaffanculo! This is clear hostility!... What on earth is wrong with this native great tribe?!... Merda! They are throwing stones and spears at our approaching dinghy! Damn it! Get the matchlock guns ready, set up the cannons!..."
Columbus frowned tightly, observing the noisy native great tribe on the shore, with caution appearing on his face for the first time. And on the ship, the sailors all put away their dismissive, predatory smiles. Soon, the drooping match cords were ignited, mounted copper cannons aimed at the shore. One by one, the sailors' daggers gleamed brightly, pointing towards the shore. At that moment, facing the Taino Village of the Fishing Bay Tribe, the three Castile sea ships resembled three wolves facing a porcupine.
"Hmm?! Who are those two in armor, commanding? Are they their officer leaders? … Wait! Why does their armor shimmer with such a... such strange bronze color? ... Almighty! Could it be, nailed beneath that white fabric... is copper armor?!..."
