After landing in Port Segurus, the "second detachment" found an Indian village six miles offshore, 10 kilometers, but the natives there did not have peanuts, which showed how important it was to prepare for the mouth of the Amazon at the beginning. If you had gone straight south at that time, the process of finding peanuts would have become quite cumbersome.

On the "Pelican", Ferdinand looked at the coast and distant mountains of Brazil, the blue water and blue waves of the South Atlantic, and sighed with emotion.

"Well, Columbus was supposed to return to Castile in March 1496, so what was he doing in the year and a half? You don't have to explore all the time, do you? ”

Ferdinand thought for a moment, and then suddenly thought of the answer, and a gloating smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Columbus apparently did not show the devotion he had previously shown in the New World, and after work, little Native American girls between the ages of nine and twelve were his favorite pastimes. Of course, when there is no ideal goal, eighteen or nineteen-year-old girls are also within the scope of his hunt.

The one-sided conversation with Ferdinand on Hispaniola, the silent King of Aragon had apparently made Columbus aware of His Majesty's disgust at such behavior. Columbus also made up his mind not to make an example, but he couldn't restrain his desires every time.

Sometimes Columbus can't help but complain, how did the 3,000 people brought by His Majesty manage to meditate with such peace of mind every day?

……

"You don't understand the world of single dogs, but you will understand the hardships of single dogs right away." In the vast South Atlantic Ocean, Ferdinand smiled and teased Columbus on the ship.

……

The "second detachment" established the fortress of Seguru in the port of Segouru, that is, in the Bay of Gabralia, leaving three ships and one hundred and two people. On July 9, 1494, the remaining 18 sailing ships sailed north with the current, and in only three weeks returned to the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic margin, crossing the Shekou Strait, crossing the Gulf of Paria, and sailing westward.

On 6 August, the fleet returned to the fortress of Colón in the Gulf of Limón to share with the comrades who had remained in Panama the great discoveries of the voyage, and everyone was very proud of the great achievements and good fortune of Castile.

The next day, the "second detachment" sailed northeast with 19 sailing ships—one of which had been sent to Hispaniola by the troops of the Reclamation Corps remaining on the Isthmus of Panama, where they were to receive supplies from the Kingdom of Castile in November.

After a week of sailing at full speed in the Caribbean Sea, on the morning of August 14, 1494, the ships of the "Second Detachment" finally reached the town of Isabella in the eastern part of Hispaniola.

By this time, only half of the island's colonists remained, and the survivors were struggling to escape syphilis and starvation. They learned that the soldiers of the "second detachment" were not only unscathed, but also firmly established four colonial strongholds with a distance of thousands of miles from north to south while maintaining good relations with the Indians, and that all life and work were in good order and prosperous. The colonists were surprised and incredulous when they heard this, but it was clearly true that a sailing ship that had discovered the "Pacific Ocean" was waiting here for supplies from the mainland to be sent to their southern strongholds. In addition to envy, everyone resented Columbus even more.

Soon rumors began to circulate among the colonists that the king intended to make every inch of his newly discovered land Castile's territory, rather than simply sending garrisons, mining minerals, and grabbing wealth. The new territory will be governed by the governor rather than the governor.

Of course, these rumours were all "policy signals" that Ferdinand had arranged to spread.

Ferdinand and Juana walked around the town of Isabella. The Castilian war to conquer Hispaniola continued, and although they had not yet received reinforcements from their homeland, the Castilians had stabilized the situation with advanced weapons and tactics. The front, if it could be called a "front," was stable about a mile west of the town of Isabella, and the Castilians attempted to re-land in the north to open a second battlefield.

In November of this year, the first supplies of men and supplies from the mainland will arrive in the town of Isabella, and the conquest of the island of Hispaniola by Castilla will be very smooth.

But why wasn't Columbus there?

Columbus had a big deal, and he was in a very bad situation now, and of course he was to blame for all this.

Columbus also contracted syphilis. He had to return from the Gulf of Paria, and before leaving, he looked unwillingly at the flag of the Holy Cross flying over the South American continent, where His Majesty had set it up. Columbus wanted to venture into the Atlantic Ocean to explore again, but his serious illness forced him to abandon all expeditions or save his life.

……

Ferdinand and Juana spent a month on Hispaniola doing nothing, and it cannot be said that they had nothing to do, and Ferdinand did an important thing to make the guys on the island hurry up and plant sweet potatoes and corn so as not to starve to death on the desert island.

This move made the little lives of the nobles finally see a little bit of light. The mortality rate of the colonists has dropped a little, but it is still high, after all, syphilis is still there, and the stubborn children of aristocratic families always have these stubborn diseases that cannot be changed.

But Ferdinand also found a glimmer of light in these absurd acts—well, some Spaniards were in free love with Indian girls......

Despite their political conservative and authoritarian nature, the Spaniards are quite open to racial ideas, at least the race of beautiful women, which is a good sign.

Even if there aren't enough Hispanics, there can be enough Hispanics!

If the Spaniards intermarried with the Indians, or the children of the Spaniards, these native whites of the New World, if they did not discriminate against him as an "indigenous hybrid" (mestizo) or a "colonial bun" (pureblood), would you say "I am a descendant of a noble Castilian / descendant of a proud Castilian aristocratic family", or would he shout "I am not like you, I am not normal / really white, I am native / I am a white and indigenous hybrid"?

Obviously, the hat of the "native white" is hard buttoned, just as the Shu Han will not call himself Shu, if the "Peninsula people" do not button the hat indiscriminately, it is impossible for the "native white" to add a soil character to himself.

……

1494, September 16.

"Phew, our Ocean Admiral is finally back?" Ferdinand asked with great interest when he heard Asorin's report.

"Why didn't he come to see me first?"

"Your Majesty, said Admiral Ocean...... He said that he was really unwell and really couldn't meet His Majesty, please forgive him......"

"I knew that he hadn't changed after all." Ferdinand smiled.

"Huh? Your Majesty, what to change...... What, no, Columbus is ......"

"Our commander-in-chief will probably be in bed for five or six months. I guess it's inconvenient for him to see people during this time, alas, I still agreed with him to return on November 11th......" Ferdinand suddenly raised his eyebrows, "He won't come to see me, I have to visit your ministers......"

……

Columbus: "Your Majesty ......"

Ferdinand: "......"

Columbus: "Your Majesty, I ......"

Ferdinand: "......"

Columbus: "Your Majesty, I'm sorry I failed to live up to your expectations......"

Ferdinand (pretending to be puzzled, then smiling silently): "......"

———— after a conversation that doesn't count as a conversation————

On September 25, 1494, Ferdinand and Juana were the first to set out on their way home, with the 18 ships of the "Second Detachment". It was a full one-year anniversary since last year's departure from the port of Cádiz.

After the expansion of the cantonment corps during this voyage, it has already included the members of the entire "second detachment", and the returning soldiers, sailors, and even the clergy who accompany the army will form the second batch of cantonment corps together with the next group of soldiers, and expedition to various strongholds in the New World.

The Reclamation Corps has achieved remarkable feats over the past year. Thirty-four ships, 3,000 people, north to 52 degrees north latitude, south to 17 degrees south latitude, vertically running more than 7,000 kilometers, explored tens of thousands of kilometers of continental coastline in the Americas, outlined the main landscape outline of the west coast of the Atlantic, and discovered the vastness of the ocean west of the new land.

Since then, the Atlantic Ocean is no longer boundless, and one can see that Asia, or a continent comparable to Asia, lies in the west of Europe, across the sea from Europe, and the west of the West has an endless world to explore. The era of great geographical discoveries has just begun, and in the future, the expansion of the New World will be from Jessup Point to the Drake Passage, from the Azores to Hawaii, from America to Australia, from New Zealand to Kamchatka, from the Gulf of Aden to the Bering Sea, from Socotra to the Galapagos Islands, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, from Siberia to the Antarctic Peninsula, from Svalbard to the Gulf of Pinrenna......

The Reclamation Corps left behind a total of 16 ships and 1,672 men in the four colonial bases in the Americas, which exceeded the previously expected size. The remaining troops farmed, fished, hunted, graze, and gathered on their own territory, laying the foundation for further exploration and expansion. Since then, two generations of hard work and sweat will henceforth merge with the territory of the New World. Batch after batch of young soldiers, overcoming obstacles and thorns, unremittingly advancing, without stopping.

The fleet encountered a warm North Equatorial Current in the middle of the Atlantic, and the voyage time increased by seventeen days due to sailing against the current in the Atlantic. The fleet arrived in the Canary Islands on 2 November 1494.

On November 6, Ferdinand and others celebrated Juana's 15th birthday on the shores of Tenerife, the largest island in the Canary Islands.

15 years old was considered a critical point of adulthood for women in ancient times in both the East and the West, and they could get married. The situation is strikingly similar. Of course, this is not a good thing. For example, poor Anne of Brittany, who had just turned 15 in 1492, was forced to marry King Charles VIII of France by treaty.

At the foot of Tenerife's spectacular Teyd volcano, sea salt has accumulated quite a bit, and this is a different story. The salt pond by the sea seems to contain great wealth.

Ferdinand imagined what would happen to Sardinia? He's looking forward to it.

After a short delay, the fleet continued to move forward.

On November 20, 1494, the "second detachment" returned to the port of Cádiz, at the southern tip of Castile, the starting point of the second voyage.

"Juana, it looks like we're not going to fall this Christmas." Ferdinand didn't expect to come back so soon, mainly because he couldn't remember the previous information, and then remembered that Columbus had been in bed for at least five months and suffering from syphilis.

With a little excitement, Diego set foot on land in the port of Cádiz.

"I'm back?"

"Yes, you're back, you're back, and you're alive." Carlos, who was traveling with him, spoke in a distinctly complaining tone.

"Do you know how dangerous the situation was, the Indians said that the tigers of the New World were very fierce, and I took great risks to find you. What did you look like? ”

Although Columbus insisted that it was "India", the members of the "second detachment" were quite skeptical. Especially after crossing the Isthmus of Panama, most of the soldiers did not believe that it was India. The soldiers who arrived on the Pacific coast called it "the New World" by name.

Diego was also not angry when he heard this, he stretched out his hand and gestured-

"Three Castilians and five Indians, each with either a machete or a spear, where is the danger? Even three sows and five boars dare to rush forward! ”

"Hey, what do you mean by that? Can we still be friends? ”

……

Officials and citizens of Cadiz were surprised. The king did not specify the date of return, and they thought that Ferdinand and Columbus would return together. Earlier, in February, Torres had returned with 12 ships and 1,000 men, bringing back information that the king was traveling north of his new land, and that the situation on the island of Hispaniola was rather dire. Many are not optimistic, believing that the expedition will not end within this year. The king had to stay there at least until the beginning of the summer of 1495, and did not expect to return in November.

……

Queen Isabella left Barcelona after Charles VIII's invasion of Italy and moved to the old capital of Burgos in the north. In addition to the geography, the safety of Barcelona also unnerved her.

Following Ferdinand's prompt, Barcelona had been hunting for performance artists, but in December 1493 a madman attacked the royal guards in the streets—the reason for the stupid attack on the guards was that it was later confirmed that he was really just a performance artist.

Despite this, Isabella relocated to Burgos.

The situation in Europe was changing, and having just subdued the stubborn Portuguese relative João II, the Castilians had not had time to taste the joy of a diplomatic victory before they had to face the pleas for help from their Neapolitan relatives, France in the north and the Ottomans in the east. Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance, will be the wrestling ground of European powers for decades to come.

When the news of Ferdinand's arrival arrived, Queen Isabella, Juan, Princess Isabella and others were very happy.

Especially Juana's return safe and sound, which is the most joyful for everyone.

"It's great that Juana/Sister Juana/Sister Juana is safe and sound."

Juana was Isabella's first child to leave home, and now the only one to leave Europe, crossing the ocean to a place of the unknown, which naturally worries her.

Members of the royal family always chant a few words every day to ask God for their blessing.

"Well, I don't want to talk, let me cry in the corner for a while." Ferdinand knew that this was the case, so he had to draw circles while comforting his wounded heart.

……

Ferdinand and Juana traveled north through Cádiz, Seville, Guadalupe and Ávila, passing through the legendary castles of many later Spanish novels. For Ferdinand now, this is the first time he has traveled in the interior of Spain.

Unsurprisingly, Isabella, along with other members of the royal family, waited at the House of Coldon in the castle of Burgos. It was here in 1497 that Queen Isabella received Christopher Columbus, who had returned from the New World.

Everyone hugged each other in pairs. The atmosphere among the members of the Castilian royal family was not bad, but as the children reached the age of marriage, Isabella began to arrange political marriages, which made everyone including the eldest daughter, Princess Isabella, a young widow who had vowed never to marry again, have to be arranged by her mother to marry her reluctantly, and the court environment was unconsciously tense.

Christmas was fifteen days away, but Maria was still clamoring to compare the speed of weaving with Juana. Juana smiled and nodded. Of course, there is no suspense in the outcome.

Catherine is two years older, and she also came to watch and join in the fun, and the second sister has not seen each other for two years, and she can't remember her appearance clearly.

"Sister, why don't you like to talk now?" Catherine was strange, Juana used to be gossipy.

Prince Juan was also strange. "Sister, are you unhappy, why are you becoming more and more similar to your sister (Princess Isabella)?"

Maria had just lost again, and now she was even more angry and maliciously speculated: "Sister, it won't be that Dad broke up your marriage with that prince, so you ...... Uh, did I say something wrong? ”

The atmosphere was suddenly a little oppressive and awkward. It wasn't Ferdinand who was embarrassed, it was Queen Isabella, it wasn't Juana who was depressed, it was the other children, and then even Maria herself felt that something was wrong.

In fact, everyone knows that these seemingly romantic marriages cannot hide the essence of political marriages. Even everyone has a little bit of a feeling about which country they are going to marry to, or even who they are going to marry. Prince Juan, for example, now knows that he will marry Margaret, and that the youngest Catherine may be sent to England.

Juana was not arranged under Ferdinand's intervention, and everyone was actually a little envious.

After being silent for a while, Juana shook her head with a smile: "...... No, don't talk nonsense. ”

"yes, Juana is sensible, isn't it normal to talk less?" The widowed Princess Isabella smiled a rare moment of approval, and she now enjoys living a nun-like life more and more.

Then the atmosphere returned to normal.

However, it is true that Juana has gradually become more silent, as in history, and perhaps it is her genes that are at work.

But in fact, Juana should not be crazy, or even if she has a mental illness gene, if it were not for the repeated use of oppression by relatives, she would not be crazy.

Now, although Juana is somewhat silent, she will definitely not be mentally ill, and she will not have it in the future, and mental health is not determined by genes.

Ferdinand felt that Juana's current performance was as similar to that of her new ascension to the throne as queen in history — more and more like Queen Victoria.

Ferdinand was also trying to take steps to improve Juana's political literacy, such as the decision to let Fonseca (another member of Fonseca's political family, a politician and diplomat, who had declared war on France on behalf of Castile and Aragon) rise up in 1495 to become Juana's teacher, which was led by doers who understood the political game in reality, and all the previous children's knowledge in this area was taught by the respected court scholar Peter Matt, which is why several of Isabella's children's political views and parents, Especially compared to his mother, he is a little too gentle.

"Well, it's good to be quiet, too," Ferdinand said to Juana with a smile of subtle meaning.

"Quietly, but also to make the world tremble for you."

…… 23 years later......

"Queen Juana usually ...... Usually she didn't do anything, but even the Ottoman emissaries didn't dare to look at her for more than a minute. (Alonso de Ojeda)