Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 208 Plot
"If you were attacked by the military of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, could you hold on?"

In a large manor on the outskirts of Panama City, Pedro del Alamober leaned back in a soft chair, gently wiping an ornately decorated rapier with a rag in his hand, and glanced up at the man opposite him seemingly casually.

"Of course I can hold on!" Adro Papu Gomez stared at Pedro's hand holding the rapier and answered very firmly.

"No matter how many warships and troops the Viceroyalty of New Spain sends, can you withstand it?"

"..." Gomez hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How many warships and troops can Mexico send to attack our Qiming Island?"

"Hmm..., there should be seven or eight warships and one or two thousand troops."

"With this amount of troops, it should be impossible to defeat Qiming Island."

"Are you sure?" Pedro stopped wiping his rapier and looked at him intently.

"..." Gomez took a deep breath, nodded affirmatively and said: "I am very sure!"

"Haha..." Pedro laughed. "If the Viceroyalty of New Spain requests support from Peru and deploys a large number of ships and troops to attack Xinhua, can you still withstand it?"

"No way?" Gomez was stunned.

Since their establishment, the two major viceroyalties in Spanish America have been independent of each other and have restricted each other, and only obey the Indian Affairs Committee and His Majesty the King.

In order to get the two viceroyalties to reach a consensus and coordinate steps, and to withdraw ships and troops to support the other viceroyalty, it would be necessary to consult the Madrid court and then send a chief inspector or a special envoy of the king to make the above series of arrangements and deployments.

If this is the case, it will probably take one or two years to exchange reports, discuss and decide, and then appoint a special envoy.

If the Madrid court drags on for some time, and the two viceroyalties continue to wrangle and shirk responsibility, it may take two or three years before they can reach a unanimous decision to send troops.

Besides, why should the Viceroyalty of Peru spend so much manpower and resources to help you clean up the mess caused by the Mexican colonial authorities?

What's more, there are still a lot of troubles to deal with in Peru, so where can we spare any extra energy!

There was a military threat from the Guaymiye people in the Panamanian region, and disputes with Portuguese Brazil over the ownership of the East Coast (present-day Uruguay) continued. Furthermore, the Netherlands launched a large-scale invasion of the Bonambuge region (present-day Pernambuco State) in Portuguese Brazil, posing a subtle threat to Venezuela. Furthermore, the Mapuche people in southern Chile were once again engaged in an armed standoff with the local governorate and parish.

Look, compared to the Viceroyalty of New Spain, Peru seems to be facing more problems and more serious threats. It is already struggling to take care of itself, so how can it have the energy to care about things in the north?

"If the Mexican authorities believe that your Xinhua presence poses a threat to the security of the entire Americas, and they try their best to persuade the Madrid court and the Indian Affairs Committee, then they can dispatch a large number of ships and troops to encircle and destroy your Qiming Island, it is not impossible." Pedro said with a smile: "Then how will you respond when our Spanish army approaches?"

"How should we respond?" Gomez gave a wry smile. "We can only fight to the death and resist resolutely."

"Shouldn't you abandon the island and sail away to America?"

"If we had been attacked by the Mexican authorities four or five years ago, we might have chosen to withdraw. But over the years, we've built several castles on the island, cultivated large tracts of land, and established many workshops. Our population has grown to 3,000 to 4,000 people, and we're already planning to settle down there."

"Let me ask you, in this situation, how could we choose to directly sail away from Qiming Island?"

"Oh, so you're reluctant?"

"Of course I can't bear to leave!" Gomez shook his head and said, "That place has become our home. How can we give it up so easily?"

After hearing this, Pedro nodded slightly and continued to wipe the rapier with a rag.

"Mr. Alamober, are the Mexican authorities ready to send troops to attack our Qiming Island?" Gomez asked.

"No." Pedro looked up at him and said, "According to news from Mexico City, the Viceroyalty of New Spain has not yet begun military preparations for an attack on your Qiming Island. Furthermore, based on feedback from various channels, the Mexican authorities are unlikely to launch an attack on you within this year."

"Great!" Gomez raised his eyebrows upon hearing this, and immediately clapped his hands and sighed, "If the Mexican authorities don't launch an attack this year, then we on Qiming Island will have more than a year to prepare. Mr. Pedro, can you find a way to get this news to Qiming Island?" "Then can you lead the way for us?"

"Mr. Pedro, you mean..."

"I need to send someone to check on you..." Pedro gave him a meaningful look, "Because I need to make an accurate assessment and judgment of your strength. This will be more conducive to our long-term cooperation."

"Then why didn't you come to Maria Island to trade with us over a month ago?" Gomez asked. "If you wanted to truly understand, assess, and judge our strength, you could have asked to come to Qiming Island in person. I don't think our people would have refused you."

"Maria Island is no longer safe," Pedro said. "Since the return of the exploratory fleet last year, the Pacific Fleet has increased its patrols along the Mexican coast, and Puerto Banderas (present-day Puerto Vallarta, Mexico), across from Maria Island, has become an important supply base for the fleet."

"Oh..." Gomez nodded, then asked, "If you send a ship to our Qiming Island, aren't you afraid of encountering that cruising Pacific Fleet on the way?"

"Mr. Gomez, you were once a veteran sailor, so how could you ask such a foolish question?" Pedro looked at him with a half-smile. "Could it be that the only way to reach your Qiming Island is to sail along the American coastline?"

"..." Gomez smiled awkwardly when he heard that.

However, he always felt that something was wrong with Pedro's initiative to send people to Qiming Island, but he couldn't figure out what the problem was.

Sitting there, I stared blankly at the other person getting up and leaving.

"Pedro, are we really going to send a ship and people to that pirate island?" After walking for a while with his brother, Luis Siguénza Alamober couldn't hold back and asked, "If we're intercepted by the Mexican authorities along the way, we'll be in big trouble!"

"Sometimes, we have to take risks." Pedro said lightly.

"With our current wealth, even if we cut off the smuggling trade with those pirates, all members of our Alamober family can live a life that ordinary people can hardly achieve." Louis whispered, "So, there is no need for us to take such a risk."

"Besides, the Mexican authorities have already discovered their location. Even if they can't attack them this year, as soon as the Viceroyalty of New Spain can, they will definitely send troops to wipe them out. This means that these Eastern pirates will eventually be destroyed. We should try to sever ties with them and look for other business opportunities."

"Can we cut off all ties with them?" Pedro paused, looked up at the magnificent mansion ahead, and shook his head. "It would be best if the Mexican authorities could kill them all when they attack that pirate island."

"If, during the suppression, a large number of those pirates are captured by the Mexican authorities, do you think they will give us away?"

"..." Louis couldn't help but get nervous after hearing this. "When the Mexican authorities send troops to attack that pirate island, we can bribe some officers heavily and ask them to help deal with those pirates. That way, we won't..."

"Can you guarantee that all pirates who know about this will be killed on the spot?" Pedro interrupted him.

"What should we do?" Louis showed a trace of panic on his face.

"So, we need to send someone over to take a look," Pedro said. "We need to understand the pirates' specific strength so we can plan ahead for our subsequent arrangements."

"If the pirates are strong enough to withstand the Mexican authorities' attack, then we can naturally breathe a sigh of relief and wait for a conclusion between the two sides. If such a war can make the Mexican authorities acknowledge the existence of the pirates occupying the island and reach some kind of reconciliation, that would be the best outcome for us."

"What if the pirates are no match for the Mexican authorities?"

"Then we should consider transferring our property to a safer country or region to avoid the pursuit of the colonial authorities."

"There are wars all over the European continent. Where can we move to?"

"Dear Louis, in this world, as long as you have enough wealth, you will be extremely welcome in any country or region."

"As for loyalty, that is not within our consideration."

(End of this chapter)