King of German Mercenaries

On Christmas Eve 1500, Amerigo finally returned with the expedition. Marin was very happy, held a grand ceremony to welcome Amerigo's return, and immediately fulfilled his promise, made Amerigo hereditary knight, and rewarded 100 Ugrams of farmland and manor.

The voyage data recorded by Amerigo this time is very detailed, and it is positioned almost every once in a while to accurately record the route. Of course, because the route to the Caribbean Sea has long been recorded by Columbus, Amerigo just recorded the specific coordinates. After all, the nautical diary recorded by Columbus has no accurate latitude and longitude. Amerigo was "on-demand" by Marin and was also equipped with a sextant produced by Ada, which was naturally more convenient to record.

The most important thing in Amerigo this time is to record the transatlantic route from the North American Twin Islands to East Friesland. This route, in fact, is very convenient to go from North America to Europe. Because, the ship can sail along the North Atlantic warm current. Moreover, during the voyage, it is basically in the westerly belt (30 degrees to 60 degrees north latitude). So sailing from the North American twin islands to East Friesland is a smooth sailing journey. If it wasn't for Amerigoth slowing down to record the coordinates in detail, they would have been back.

But on the other hand, going from East Friesland to the North American Twin Islands would be extremely tragic. Therefore, the historical "Mayflower" set off from Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, and arrived at Cape Cohen on November 21, 1620, which took two and a half months.

However, when the "Mayflower" returned to England the following year, it set off on April 5, 1621, and returned to England on May 6, which took only one month and one day.

So sailing downwind from North America to Europe takes less than half the time it takes to sail from Europe to North America upwind. This is the major feature of the era of sailing - fast downwind, slow headwind.

Therefore, when Columbus went to the Americas, he did not go directly west, but first took the fleet to the south, passed the 30th parallel north, first arrived in the Canary Islands, and entered the east wind belt. Then, continue southward, follow the Canary Cold Current, and after reaching the North Equatorial Warm Current, follow the easterly wind and the North Equatorial Warm Current flowing westward, all the way to the west. When returning to the voyage, first sail from the northern section of the Windward Islands, sail to the northeast, reach 30 degrees north latitude, and then return to Spain with the west wind.

Because Amerigo stayed in North America for a long time, he visited the east coast of North America for a while. In addition, he kept slowing down in the middle to determine the coordinates, so it took him two or three months to return to East Friesland from the North American Twin Islands. However, now that he has a precise record, the next voyage, from the North American Twin Islands to Europe, will be faster.

The coordinates and route maps recorded by Amerigo were listed as one of the top secrets of East Frisian by Marin, and Amerigo swore never to disclose it, otherwise he would be severely punished.

On the way home, Amerigo also made stops in Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island, landed for investigation, and drew a map.

What surprised Marin was that after Amerigo landed in a good harbor on Cape Breton Island, a coal mine was discovered some distance inland from the harbor...

Through the map drawn by Amerigo, Marin recognized that it was Cape Breton Island, and instructed that the harbor where Amerigo landed was Sydney, Canada...

Yes, Sydney, Canada. When Marin searched the encyclopedia in his previous life, he searched for Sydney, and two Sydneys came up. So, Marin was very impressed with this Canadian Sydney, and also memorized the map of Cape Breton Island.

The coal mine found by Amerigo is obviously a coal mine near Sydney, Canada (the mining area near North Sydney, right by the sea). Strictly speaking, this is a coal mine very close to the sea, ideal for colonizer applications. Also, it is an open pit mine and mining is simple.

As a result, Sydney, Canada became a steel center as early as the 19th century. Because there is a lot of local coal...

Marin almost forgot about it. Unexpectedly, Amerigo occasionally passed Cape Breton Island and discovered not only Sydney Bay, but also the Sydney Mines in North Sydney (Sydney Mines, easy to find on a satellite map, 51240 Google Maps) of the coal, was nothing short of a surprise.

Of course, Marin isn't saying he wants to ship North Sydney's coal back to Europe for use. Doing so would cost too much. After all, shipping from North America to Europe is long and costly. This era is not the era of super-large diesel-powered super freighters in later generations. The size of the sailboat is far less than the freighter of later generations, and the larger the ship, the lower the transportation cost. Therefore, it is not economical to ship coal back to Europe, and it is better to import it from the UK.

However, North American coal can be used on the spot!

What to use it for? Paper and Shipbuilding!

Marin had previously thought about using North American forest resources to make paper, using logs as a source of pulp. However, this requires the use of a sealed pressure vessel, adding sodium sulfate or caustic soda to simmer. As a result, a lot of fuel is required.

Originally, Marin intended to directly use the scraps of felled wood (such as dead branches, dead leaves, etc.) as fuel. However, the calorific value of dead branches and leaves is not high, and boiling pulp requires intense fire. Therefore, using coal is a better choice.

Now, with coal, naturally everyone is happy. Moreover, with coal, Marin can also use the high-temperature steam from the coal stove to soften the wood and process it into ship ribs during the shipbuilding process.

In short, with coal, the fuel issue is no longer an issue. As for the dead branches and leaves and bark left over from cutting down trees, they can be used as firewood for the common people. Industrial production uses coal from Cape Breton Island.

To tell the truth, Cape Breton Island has coal mines, which is a very good development base. However, it also has major flaws.

Because Cape Breton Island is relatively north, the climate is relatively cold. Therefore, there are more coniferous forests in the cold temperate zone and few broad-leaved forests.

The oak tree that Marin needs most is on a high-latitude island such as Cape Breton Island, although there are, but the proportion is very small. Coniferous trees such as birch and pine are the most abundant on the island. However, coniferous trees such as birch and pine have poor corrosion resistance and are not suitable for shipbuilding.

Therefore, although Cape Breton Island has coal mines, it is not suitable as a shipbuilding base. However, the wood from the coniferous forest is used to make paper without any problems.

Therefore, after thinking twice, Marin finally made up his mind - to open a base on Cape Breton Island, mainly for coal mining and paper production. Of course, the nearby land can also be used for sheep herding.

I have investigated Amerigoden Island, where there are very few Indian aborigines, and the danger of occupying the island is very small...

It is no wonder that the native Indians are a backward civilization after all, still in the stage of hunting and primitive agriculture. However, Cape Breton Island is not suitable for growing food because of its high latitude. And because of the cold winter, hunting is also troublesome.

Anyway, in this era, the North American continent has few people, so there is absolutely no need for the Indians to trap themselves here, and they can completely move south to the land of the United States in later generations. After all, the further south you go, the more animals there are, and the more suitable for growing crops.

Therefore, it is very convenient to occupy Cape Breton Island without fear of being besieged by the Indians. Unlike the coastal areas of the later United States, where the climate is warm, the land is fertile, and there are many Indians. When the British colonized Virginia in the 17th century, they were often besieged by Indians, causing many people to starve to death. If it wasn't for the Indians who couldn't break through the strong castle, the British colonists would have been slaughtered many times.

After deciding to colonize Grenada, the North American Twin Islands and Cape Breton Island, Marin began to write a report, preparing to report these three colonization points to the Spanish royal family to ensure their legitimacy.

In fact, Marin is also reluctant to give Spain this face. However, Spain's acquisition of the Americas was approved by the Holy See after all. If you occupy these three places without greeting the Spanish royal family, it will not only attract dissatisfaction from the Holy See and Spain, but also make a bad start to other European countries, which will lead to other countries to follow suit.

Therefore, according to the rules, Marin counted these three colonies as one of the 15 colonies and reported them to the Spanish royal family to show their legitimacy.

Moreover, in order to continue to win over the two great navigators Columbus and Amerigo, Marin decided to replace the name of the North American Twin Islands with the names of the two great navigators.

For example, Nantucket Island was named Amerigo Island by Marin. Martha's Vineyard was named Columbus Island.

When Amerigo heard the news, he was very happy and ran over to thank him. After all, in addition to pursuing interests, these great navigators also care about their reputation.

It is an honorable thing to name an island after oneself. You know, people's lifespan is limited, but the name of the island can last forever. Marin's move is simply a name for the two of them. That is, Columbus was still on the Indian side, and he would be very happy to know that there was an island named after him.

As for Grenada and Cape Breton Island, Marin has no plans to change names. It was suggested that Marin should name Cape Breton Island Marin Island, but Marin did not agree. It's not that he doesn't want to name it after himself, but that Marin doesn't like this broken island at all. If you want to name it, you have to name the prosperous areas in the future, such as New York, after your own name. Cape Breton Island is a subarctic island, and agriculture cannot be done, so it is destined to fail. Is it not in vain to name this kind of island after yourself? Or find a place where I can develop and name it after my own...