On March 15, 1493, on this meaningful day, Columbus rushed to the port of Palos and caught up with Captain Pingsong, who was already publicizing his exploits, in order to defend his rights.

Unbeknownst to Columbus, Pinzon may have inadvertently saved his life.

Columbus was already warmly welcomed in Lisbon. The love of adventure knows no borders, and Spain and Portugal are originally one. Despite the anger of João II, the Portuguese warmly welcomed Columbus, who had discovered "India". This scene must have left a deep impression on many witnesses. Magellan, for example.

But why didn't the King of Portugal kill before Columbus appeared in the public eye?

João II wanted to do this, of course, but he learned that Pinzon had sailed to southern Castile, so killing Columbus had no effect.

Neither Columbus nor Hirimatsu knew about this "favor" and did not have time to communicate or quarrel, because Hiramatsu soon died at home and was unable to meet the monarch, the exact cause of which has been described in detail.

Now Columbus became the hero of all of Castile.

Regardless of the conspiracy behind Ferdinand, Columbus's discovery was indeed of great significance, and Ferdinand and Isabella immediately wrote to urge him to come to Barcelona. On April 7, Columbus received a letter from two monarchs, in which he was addressed as "Don Christopher Columbus", an honorific title for the nobility, an honorary title promised to him in the Santa Fe Accords.

“…… Summer has already begun, and there is no room for delay in returning to the land you've discovered...... By the time you return, everything will be in place. ”

Ferdinand put down his pen and took a few sips of wine. Time flies, and the "crazy" idea of going to the Americas, which was only proposed a year ago, is now about to come true.

"No matter what thoughts are behind it, welcome or needed, you can't stab you in the back, and you have to slap in front of you?"

Columbus triumphantly marched through the city of Seville towards Barcelona. He carried a beautiful green parrot, strangely dressed Indians, some gold, and a mask made of precious stones and fish bones. The young boy standing by the church of San Nicolas, the future explorer Bartolomé las de Casas, recalls the scene: "I discovered a land called 'India', full of people and things of all kinds and unheard of things...... The news spread like wildfire in Castile...... The towns he passed, the streets were crowded with people, shoulder to shoulder......"

Columbus's success sparked a passion for Castilian expeditions abroad, and many of his onlookers would follow in his footsteps and go down in history. This is one of the great values of Columbus's voyage. After Columbus, countless Columbus followed.

It was as if the nobles and merchants, especially the Jewish merchants, were soon disappointed when gold and silver treasures from "India" poured into their coffers and wallets.

On 12 April, when news of Columbus's return spread throughout Castile and Aragon, Ferdinand successfully issued a supplementary clause to the Decree on the Restriction of Non-Converting Jews: "Jews who have citizenship of the kingdoms of Castile, León and Granada, Aragon and Sicily, and who have not converted to Catholicism, shall not enter any part of the territories newly added to these three kingdoms after January 2, 1492." ”

For a time, many wealthy Jewish businessmen who were unwilling to give up their huge profits and try to get rid of heavy taxes cheekily converted to Christianity, and some Jewish commoners who wanted to go to the New World to make a living, or those who could no longer live in the local area, also converted to Christianity. Of course, ordinary people who wanted to go to "India" had to wait until after the end of the second voyage in 1496 at the earliest.

Christopher Columbus was greeted with greater pomp and grandeur in Barcelona, and the two monarchs listened intently to his story, and even Ferdinand did not experience the untouched beauty and customs of the Caribbean, and he only sailed through the south and east coasts of the United States.

Columbus's son, Diego Columbus, recalls the scene: "...... He was openly welcomed by the Catholic kings (who were not at the time) who sat majestically and magnificently on their magnificent thrones...... They rose from their thrones...... Let him sit beside them. ”

"At this time, Don Christopher Columbus came and brought with him the first Indians brought back from his first voyage of discovery." Gonzalo Orvieto, the future explorer who was present at the time, recalled with joy and excitement.

The King and Queen treated Columbus as a distinguished gentleman and treated him with great courtesy: "The King and Queen received him very kindly and very gracefully. The king specially ordered that a banner with the inscription "Christopher Columbus of the Warm Welcome Hall" be hung above the palace gates, which later became a tradition for all kinds of major welcome ceremonies......"

Columbus details his experiences and the wealth of distant lands. "There are millions of people there who will go to hell if they are not baptized and saved." For, to their dismay, the voyage found signs of "idolatry, demonic sacrifices, and the worship of Satan."

The two monarchs "listened attentively, raised their hands in prayer, and then knelt down and thanked God." ”

"God has given us the divine duty to save them and to edify them." Ferdinand said. Cisneros stood beside him, always feeling that the king was playing with some bad idea.

The choir of the royal chapel sang "Praise of Thanksgiving", and the wind instruments echoed the chorus. At this moment, it is indeed as if it is filled with the joy of heaven.

"Settle in a new land and convert the people there to Christianity!" Ferdinand said categorically, "This will be what we will fight for all our lives!" ”

The solemn oath of the great pioneers of imperialism seemed to others to fully reflect how much importance the two monarchs attached to the spread of faith.

Queen Isabella also rejoiced: "We have received God's grace because God has allowed us to support and finance this voyage to find so many pagans waiting to be converted to Christianity. In a word, the Indians of the entire New World were "waiting to be converted."

During this period, Cardinal Mendoza, the supreme religious representative of this devout Catholic nation and known as the third monarch of Spain, hosted a feast for Columbus, another sign that Columbus had become extremely favored.

"Yes, so many pagans have been found waiting to be converted...... It's just too much, it should be less. Ferdinand, who had come all the way to eat, muttered quietly at the banquet, undisguised the evil plans of imperialism and the desire for expansion, raised a glass of wine and drank it, and then tasted the traditional Spanish cuisine of barbecue and ham with relish. The king's recent penchant for simple and modest food and wine has been appreciated by many, and the king has behaved more and more like a devout Catholic monarch, and has not heard of a tryst with him since the victorious end of the Reconquista.

At the banquet, Columbus sat in the most honorable position next to the cardinal, which of course Ferdinand voluntarily conceded. For the first time, the cloth navigator from Italy enjoyed a grand banquet with solemn ceremonies and the service of tasters, and the rulers all rewarded him with the honor of raining down. The greatest honor is that Columbus's two sons were taken by Isabella to serve as the prince's chamberlains, but unfortunately he did not have a daughter, otherwise Ferdinand, out of embarrassment to regret it in the future, might have summoned her to Juana as a companion, and could be regarded as a close friend of the future queen.

Ferdinand, who was not interested in appreciating the scene of Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, took his leave after eating. The return of Columbus announces that the time for his departure is getting closer and closer, and he has a lot to do before saying goodbye to Europa.

On May 1, 1493, it was late at night. In the port of Barcelona, three sailing ships quietly set sail.