Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1615 - 1148: Striking First! Columbus’s Ruthlessness

"Che minchione! I told you not to leave the ship, you bunch of fools insisted on going down! I told you that this native tribe is tricky, to trade properly... But none of you listened to me, insisting on starting a fight! Now you can't even win, getting your asses kicked by the natives! Ha! You sniveling cowards, even a woman's 'sheath' is tougher than your 'swords'!"

The night was dim, and the torches flickered away. Three sea ships, with their sails half full, sailed towards the narrow rivermouth. The fleet landed and fought for half a day, failing to raid the native tribe, losing six sailors, and injuring several others. The morale of the entire fleet had noticeably dropped, even the flag of Castile at the ship's bow was weakly swaying.

In the fleet, the flagship Maria, a larger Clark Sailing Ship, was not as light and agile as the two Caravels, and therefore lagged behind. The two Light Sailing Ships led the way ahead, quickly pulling away, showing no intention of escorting the flagship.

At this moment, at the bow of the flagship, there was an indescribable silence. Only the loud voice of the Expedition Commander Columbus, fervently cursing, echoed through the night sky.

"Vaffanculo! You bunch of snotty, soft guts like pig noses, stupid like a mule's ass! Even a limping wild dog runs faster than you, and the earwax I dig out is bigger than your brains!"

Hearing such vulgar and terrifying profanity, the scribe Rodrigo frowned, regretting not plugging his ears. He glanced at the loudly cursing and well-prepared Expedition Commander Columbus and roughly guessed the other's intention. However, as an exalted representative of the Royal Family, he did not wish to involve himself in the conflicts among the low-class people onboard.

"Honorable Royal Steward Gutierrez... it's a bit noisy at the bow, let's go to the stern and take a look! This native village on this 'Cipangu' Great Island, I have never seen anything like it and am filled with curiosity..."

"Merciful Lord, shining upon us, also shines on this Great Island! Alright, I wish to see more, to bring detailed information about this new route back to the Queen. The Queen has high hopes for the opening of this new route! After all, the Kingdom's finances are tight..."

The Royal Steward Gutierrez gently nodded, gracefully reaching out a hand forward. The two then left the disturbances at the bow together, heading to the back to catch the breeze.

Seeing the two Royal Family representatives leave, Columbus's expression grew invigorated, his smile more sinister. With a "clank", he drew out the noble rapier bestowed by the Queen from his waist. Then, he strode forward, accompanied by a few armed loyal sailors, to the face of the two embarrassed boatswains and mocked even more crazily.

"Merda! I'm not stopping you from plundering and pillaging, not stopping you from getting rich and having fun! But what kind of dumb dog ignores rotten meat, and goes to chew bone? ... Oh no! There really are, two right in front of me leading the way!"

"Columbus! You!..."

"What do you mean you?! Call me Commander!"

Columbus grinned, but there wasn't a hint of humor in his eyes. He stared fiercely at Boatswain Barto and Second Boatswain Qia Chu, loudly reprimanding.

"What! Am I not speaking the truth? Barto, it was you who disobeyed orders this time, constantly provoking and agitating, and in the end, led the sailors ashore! Now defeated by the natives, what do you have to say for yourself?..."

Hearing Columbus's reprimand, Boatswain Barto's face turned a livid green, unable to resist pressing his hand against the hilt of his dagger. But having fought for most of the day on shore and escaped back on board with nothing to drink, his entire body was drained of strength. Looking around, even his usual loyal sailors did not speak for him. Some even backed away by two steps, deliberately keeping a distance from him.

"These damned bastards! This damned bastard!..."

Seeing the sailors' behavior, Boatswain Barto pressed his lips tightly, immediately sensing something amiss. He slightly turned his head, glancing at the Second Boatswain Qia Chu who landed with him. As expected, the latter didn't let him down, bravely jumping forward.

"Joder! Columbus, you ultimately agreed to us going ashore to raid the natives!"

"Vaffanculo! Call me Commander!!..."

Columbus shouted loudly, thrusting his rapier towards the source of the voice, stabbing it into the large dead fish Qia Chu was holding. Then, he pulled out his rapier, its shiny point waving in front of Qia Chu's eyes, expressing an unspoken threat. The few loyal sailors behind him also drew their daggers, pointing them at the second boatswain. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Merda! Qia Chu! You still have the face to talk?! If you hadn't insisted on catching fish before escaping, we wouldn't have been the last of the three ships, ultimately losing two brothers! ... Everyone saw it, you're just a fool with the eyesight as big as a green bean!..."

"I!..."

"Diamine! What do you mean you? You not only lost to the natives but also couldn't outrun the Pinzon brothers! I trusted you, handed the sailors to you, but what a mistake that was! You're a brainless fool! ... As Commander, I'll ask you one last time, do you admit your fault or not?"

"..."

The second boatswain Qia Chu's face flushed red, fiercely gritting his teeth, angrily drawing out his dagger. But at this moment, he, having exhausted his energy in the native village, could not exhibit the prowess of a seasoned sailor. In the perilous coercion of Columbus, faced with four or five sharp swords, he had no choice but to bow his head in frustration, retreating a step, without uttering a word.

"Ha! The Lord is merciful! Qia Chu, it's good that you know your mistake!..."

Columbus curled his lips, defining Qia Chu's bowing silence as an admission of his mistake. In his confident view, Qia Chu was a sharp knife with no brains, as long as he admitted his mistakes, Columbus didn't plan on actually killing him. Taking advantage of the hard-won opportunity, his target continued to be the most influential sailor among the crew, Sailor Chief Barto.

"Barto! How about you! You violated the captain's orders, went ashore and got nothing, and even got defeated by the natives, causing several sailors to die! Do you admit your mistake? Hmm?!"

"..."

Sailor Chief Barto once again looked around, the twenty-odd sailors who went ashore with him now all looked weary and very embarrassed. They were panting heavily, leaning against the ship's railing, without any strength or desire to resist. And the seven or eight sailors in Columbus's hands were each leisurely. They even put on the only three half-body iron armors on the ship, with two matchlock guns set up!

"Damn it! That malicious bastard Columbus! Instead of sending people to assist us during the confrontation on the shore, he waited for us to return and seized this opportunity to strike hard against me!..."

At this moment, a biting chill rose from Sailor Chief Barto's back. He looked imploringly towards Second Captain De La Cosa, who remained silent with a face like iron, wedged firmly by Guard Chief Alana and another sailor.

Everyone must be responsible for their choices. On this ocean-going ship, far from the glory of the Almighty, filled with danger and death, it is all the more so!

At the time of the failed attack on the natives and the humiliating retreat back to the ship, it was Sailor Chief Barto's weakest moment. And Columbus taking action at this moment was like a venomous spider waiting long for the sparrow!...

"Honorable Commander Columbus... I... I admit my mistake!..."

The situation being what it was, Sailor Chief Barto remained silent for a moment, only to temporarily bow his head. He swallowed his anger and humiliation, paid respect to the Expedition Commander who was occupying the high ground, and pleaded for his forgiveness.

"The Lord is witness! I swear! I will definitely follow your orders in the future!..."

"Haha! In the future? Barto... you think there will be a future?..."

"Ah! Columbus... you?!..."

Upon hearing Sailor Chief Barto's confession, Columbus laughed wildly, his mule-like face twisted with pleasure. This opponent had caused mutiny among the sailors several times, almost getting him killed, and was associated with Second Captain De La Cosa, obstructing him from controlling the flagship...

Even though they had sworn a poisoned gold oath, this life-and-death enmity was something Columbus could never forget! It's just that in front of so many sailors, he could not openly break his oath or kill someone in the name of punishing rebellion...

"The Lord is witness! Sailor Chief Barto has confessed! He disregarded the wise Expedition Commander's orders, went ashore on his own, endangering the sailors on board! All responsibilities fall on him alone, and he must accept the Commander's punishment! Get him!... "

Expedition Commander Columbus shouted loudly, raising the noble rapier bestowed by the Queen, then violently swinging it down. Two trusted sailors surged forward, kicking Sailor Chief Barto down, flipping his hands over, and pressing him firmly on the deck. The surrounding sailors, even those who were once closely associated with Barto, remained silent at this time, unwilling to risk their lives for him.

"Hahaha! I, Columbus, am the Expedition Commander appointed by the Queen herself! On this ship, I possess the highest power of judgment and punishment!"

In the dusky night, with the flames flickering, everyone's faces were shrouded in shadow. At this moment, Columbus looked around, all the once unruly sailors on board lowered their heads to him for the first time! And it was also the first time he sensed the majesty of the Expedition Commander, holding the power to say what goes on board!

"The Lord is witness! I declare! Sailor Chief Barto is guilty! Sentenced to exile!... Come! Alana! You and Qia Chu together! Throw him into the sea! Yes! Throw him right here! Do it now! Good!..."

"Haha! From today onwards! The position of Sailor Chief on the ship will be taken over by my Guard Chief, the courageous Alana!... This is the command of the majestic Expedition Commander!..."

"I, Columbus, swear to the Lord! As long as you follow my command, I will lead you to make fortunes in India and Cipangu! Ensuring each of you can get your hands on gleaming gold and return to the port of Seville to rejoice!... The Lord is witness! Trust me, it's as real as true gold!..."