After some thought, one of his most powerful henchmen in the expedition, the clerk Bernal Díaz del Castillo, was summoned by Cortés to wait for the important instructions of the expedition's supreme commander with a serious face.

“…… Every word I say must be taken to heart and kept secret, especially to those sent by Governor Diego Velázquez. Cortez said coldly. …… Tomorrow I will remove from the ranks the men sent by the Doge, give them the title of Courier, and give them two more ships to return to Cuba with the treasures sent by the Aztecs, and use these Oriental treasures to ease the Doge's hostility towards me on the one hand, and to ask the Doge Velasquez for more arms and reinforcements on the other......"

It was a good move, and Cortés saw a look of appreciation flash across Castillo's face.

“…… Your Excellency is wise! Castillo's face suddenly relaxed a lot, "...... Indeed, we should have made peace with the Governor. ”

In fact, Castillo, one of the few wise men of the expedition, was always worried about the future of the expedition, and always persuaded Cortés to try to put aside his prejudices and repair relations with Governor Velasquez, even if he gave up all dignity.

No matter how much they tried to cheer themselves up, Cortés and his cronies knew that they were leading a small rabble. Not only is it not a regular army, it doesn't even have a little decent discipline and training, many of them are even strong men who have been caught or deceived along the way, and most of the leaders are not really experienced knights.

In fact, even the third-rate mercenaries in Europe were stronger than them, because none of them required soldiers to go to war at their own expense.

In short, they are too amateurish compared to the great expeditionary heroes of Western history, such as Alexander the Great, Caesar, Charlemagne, and Richard the Lionheart.

What's worse is that this hastily formed team is also mixed with internal components, and it is only with the desire to make a fortune that they are gathered together, so most people only have gold in their eyes, and they have no loyalty to their commander Cortés.

What's even more incredible is that from the day Cortés set out, not only did he have to face the unknown shijie, but there was no way back at all - due to the fierce conflict that broke out with the Cuban governor Diego Velázquez before the departure, the island of Cuba, which was the base of the expedition, instead of providing Cortés with backup, might send a crusade to unite with the Indians to exterminate them on the beaches of Mexico!

The worst thing is that even if Cortés completes the scheduled expedition and obtains a huge amount of wealth, after returning to Cuba, he may still face the wrath of the governor of Velasquez, and may even be sent directly to the gallows!

A very shrewd gambler, Cortez recklessly put himself to death this time!

Obviously, after Cortez calmed down, he was not unaware of the danger and dilemma he was in now. But the problem is that he also suffers from the lack of countermeasures to resolve the crisis for a while.

Even the small amount of gold they had brought from the Mayans would not satisfy the greedy appetite of His Excellency the Governor of Velasquez. And Cortés must also give the gold to the crew, and he can't take it alone, otherwise it will be a situation of total mutiny.

-- Cortés's expedition was actually a joint-stock company, and the members who invested a lot of money in it actually saw themselves as shareholders, large and small, and Cortez was only the general manager or CEO recognized by them. Once Cortez dared to touch their interests to a large extent, the first reaction of the players was definitely to kick out this incompetent general manager and replace him without discussion! …,

Therefore, it is impossible to use that pitiful gold without permission, and Cortés does not have such a high prestige in the expedition at the moment.

Now, however, this piece of information about the trade routes of the East may be more effective than gold in dispelling the Doge's resentment.

-- Mysterious China and rich India were like paradise in the minds of Europeans at this time.

“…… Listen carefully to me, and the next thing is the point. Cortez took a deep breath, "...... After your arrival in Cuba and the offering of your gifts, if the Governor of Velázquez wishes to drop the charges against me and restore me to my legitimate position as commander-in-chief, then I ask you to return with a new letter of appointment and reinforcements. If the Governor of Velázquez still refuses to reach an understanding with me, or if he has been hesitant, then you should go around the tavern or any other crowded place as you can, and spread the word about the discovery of Chinese and Indian goods, to put it mildly...... In short, get as many people as possible to come to Veracruz and join me on this expedition!

“…… This is ...... I'm afraid it's not easy...... I'm afraid I won't be able to take on such a heavy responsibility......"

Castillo's face turned a little pale and he said with a smile.

He was well aware that it would not be difficult to recruit new men from the island of Cuba at this time, even if they were to join at their own expense - the Cuban sailors and captains would surely flock to Puerto Veracruz like sharks smelling of blood. Otherwise, what would they Europeans do by leaving the safety of their homeland and risking their lives to venture abroad? Isn't it just to get an unexpected fortune, to make a fortune, to make a fortune, to make a windfall!

But the real trouble came from the Governor of Velasquez, who was so happy and jealous......

Last time, Cortés was slandered because of his unauthorized actions, and thus completely fell out with the cautious Governor of Velasquez. This time, they have to pull people without permission...... I'm afraid that even if the Governor of Velasquez was still hesitant because he had received a large gift, he would definitely be furious after learning about it, and then he would send his cronies to Mexico with troops to crusade against Cortez!

Therefore, he was visibly hesitant - it was a minor trouble to be unable to do the errand, and the greatest danger was the possibility of losing his life on the island of Cuba.

“…… For you are my most trusted subordinate, the wisest strategist, and of all people, you are the only one who has the best brain......"

Cortés pressed Castillo's shoulders with both hands and said with great sincerity, "...... My lieutenant, Avarado, though loyal and reliable, was hot-tempered, and knew scarcely anything but murder, and there was absolutely no one more well-suited to mediate with the Governor; I can't even trust the others who have been temporarily recruited, and I don't even know if they will turn around and accuse the Governor of my black state, and then come back with a letter of commission, set up an ambush to capture me, and eventually replace me as commander of the expeditionary force...... The only thing I can count on is you, Castillo! ”

Faced with this earnest gaze that represented trust, Castillo finally nodded and took the task, "...... Well, I'll try my best, my Commander-in-Chief. But first of all, please answer me a question, how much silk, porcelain, and spices do you intend to give to our Governor? ”

“…… All! Including these on this table! Cortés waved his hand very boldly, "...... I'm going to send all the silk, porcelain, and spices to Cuba! Only the gold and silver ornaments were left, and they had to be announced and displayed in public in front of everyone.

In this way, the Governor's cronies in our ranks have nothing to say—if such a precious treasure is not handed over to them in their own care, who will be left to face the Governor's wrath if something goes wrong on the way? ”…,

But Castillo frowned, "...... With all due respect, Lord Commander, while you should be effective in weeding out the unstable and making the Governor forget the past in the face of the rich gifts, it will also disappoint the rest. The rest of the gold and silver jewellery alone will not satisfy everyone's appetite - after all, we have risked our lives to follow you on this land only because we want to make a fortune, and not for some other illusory excuse......"

“…… Don't keep your eyes on your nose, Castillo, as long as I hold the back and secure more backups, and get rid of the indiscriminate interference of the Doge's cronies, I'm sure I'll be able to get more of these goodies soon......"

Cortez said confidently, and went on to explain why, "...... When the Aztec envoys were leaving the other day, I asked Teyutila if there was still gold in their city. He asked me about this, and I told him that we Spaniards are born with a disease of the heart and must eat gold from time to time to stay healthy......

Don't laugh, Castillo! To deal with these stupid and ignorant savages, you have to use this stupid-sounding little trick! Listen quietly as I go on, and Teyutila replied to me regretfully at the time that they had a lot of gold there, but they had bought a lot of it because of the recent big deals with a country in the West called Honshutizgan......"

Cortez stretched out his hand and pointed to the dazzling array of Chinese porcelain on the table, "...... So, they may not have much gold left. ”

“…… Hehe, it's not surprising, if it were these things, I'm afraid even I would have taken out all my savings to snap them up......"

Castillo picked up a blue and white porcelain tray from the table, which was as warm as jade and had jade bones, first admired its beautiful shape, smooth lines, and pondered the beautiful blue and blue patterns with Chinese characteristics on the plate, and then flicked his fingers on the edge of the plate, only to hear the clear sound, and suddenly couldn't help but lick his lips greedily, and smiled brightly, "...... Look! What a beautiful pattern! What a smooth touch! It looked as if it was shining like a gemstone, and when it was touched, it felt more like it was touching the skin of a sixteen-year-old virgin...... I'm willing to bet that this plate will fetch at least three thousand gold florins in any trading house in Europe! ”

“…… Yes, Castillo, I have only seen this fine porcelain a few times in the mansion of a baron in the city of Seville, and it is only a palm-sized teacup, which he treasures in his secret room, and is only willing to show off when he is festive.

In addition, our Governor Diego Velázquez seems to have a very small Oriental porcelain plate in his hand, which he is never willing to use. And now there are more than 30 pieces of more beautiful porcelain around me!

Hehe, even in the court of King Bixia, I am afraid that he may not be able to collect such a large number of oriental porcelain! Compared to them, the rough gold nuggets of the native natives are simply worthless! ”

Cortés nodded approvingly - Chinese porcelain of this era was a symbol of taste, grade, quality and fashion, and it could be used as the most sought-after hard currency in the whole shijie, and in the European market, it was sold to the point that there was no market!

"So, by this inference, there is obviously a stockpile of more and more Oriental goods in the capital of the Aztecs, so why should we care too much about what we have at the moment?" He said to Castillo.

“…… But, Your Excellency, if it were me, I would likewise only keep these precious collectibles in the most private storerooms, and never use them for ordinary meals. Castillo gestured to the table next to him, "...... Your Excellency is too extravagant. ”…,

-- on a blue-and-white porcelain plate with a rich glaze and fine pattern, a chopped roast turkey was placed; Another white porcelain plate resembling mutton fat and white jade is filled with pineapple slices and cold tomatoes; A lotus bowl depicting a fairy dancing with her sleeves contains a delicious fish soup with coriander and a gorgeous colored porcelain spoon; And in the most colorful porcelain tray was a stack of tortillas; Add a small porcelain jar of pepper and a cup of richly colored Pu'er tea......

In the eyes of later generations of Chinese, this meal may only be regarded as the standard of working meals at best. But in the eyes of Europeans at this time, I am afraid that even the daily meals of the princes and royal families may not often use such "luxurious" tableware, as well as such "extravagant" spices and tea.

“…… After receiving these Chinese porcelain, I used it once today. ”

Hearing the admonition of his subordinates full of envy, Cortez couldn't help but scratch his nose a little embarrassed, "...... Alas, please don't laugh at me, Castillo, it's so distressing to think that these priceless works of art are about to be no longer mine! ”

Although Cortés had already made up his mind to give these porcelain, silk, and spices as gifts to Governor Diego Velázquez in order to settle the feud between the two of them. But the allure of these gorgeous porcelains is really amazing, and Cortez is really reluctant in his heart.

So, on the eve of the departure of the fleet, Cortés couldn't help but take out all the porcelain and play with it over and over again in the sun. Zuihou was even more ruthless, no matter what, he had to use these fine porcelain to eat a meal, so that he could enjoy the panache of the prince and nobles first.

But to be honest, he was terrified of the meal—for fear that a slippery hand would break the ornate porcelain spoon, Cortés drank the soup with his mouth straight to the rim of the bowl, and used the spoon as an ornament entirely.

When he went to the porcelain to fill the dishes, he was even more cautious, for fear that the clumsy Indian slaves would break these priceless treasures, Cortés had to do it all himself.

The worst thing is that in order to prevent the thermal expansion and contraction caused by hot soup and hot dishes from causing the porcelain to burst, Cortez deliberately waited until the food was all cold before daring to put them in the porcelain plate...... The taste of zuihou in your mouth is naturally conceivable.

What's worse is that because his mood is overly stressed, it seriously affects his appetite, and as a result, there are still a lot of food left on the plate......