Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 243 A Difficult Journey

"At 8:14 a.m. on August , the task force, greeted by numerous officials and residents, departed from the port of Acapulco and embarked on a journey to suppress pirates in the north."

"Over the harbor, seagulls circled, chirping as if seeing the fleet off. On the dock, women waved their handkerchiefs and children stood on tiptoe, trying to see the ships going away."

Fleet Commander General Gomez stood on the deck of the flagship, the Salti, with a solemn expression and a determined gaze, waving to the farewell crowd. He knew that this mission was not only about the honor of Spain, but also about the security of the entire New World.

"As soon as the fleet left the bay, it felt a strong northwest wind that almost blew the ships southward. Under this situation, all the ships in the fleet had to move forward with difficulty in a 'Z' shape, going against the wind."

"Despite the difficult voyage, the crew maintained high morale and believed that God's blessing would accompany them all the way."

"..."

"On August 8, the fleet had been sailing for ten days, but we still had not left Mexican waters and had barely reached the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula."

The fleet made a brief half-day stop at San José (present-day Los Cabos, a small supply point built during the Galleon era) and managed to replenish a large amount of fresh water on land. The crew finally had the opportunity to step onto land, and their tense nerves relaxed a little.

"We've probably only completed less than one-fifth of our journey. Thinking of the long journey ahead, we all fell silent."

"Fortunately, the fleet has been able to sail without incident for the past ten days. The weather has been good, the sea conditions are good, and the crews are doing well."

“Perhaps, our sincere prayers to the Lord before leaving had the desired effect.”

"Lord, be with us, so we are all safe and sound."

"..."

On September 9, the fleet arrived at San Diego Bay, where it was warmly welcomed by over fifty immigrants. Fleet Commander General Gomez ordered all officers and men to disembark for two days to rest and recuperate, hoping to be in the best possible condition for the next stage of the arduous voyage.

"Because we had previously transported immigrants and supplies to the colony, our ship, the San Jose, was treated with special favor by the stronghold's commander, Mr. Lopez. He not only replaced the large amount of spoiled dried meat in our hold, but also gave us an extra half barrel of tequila."

"..."

"On September 9th, the fleet continued its journey towards the northern pirate stronghold."

"Before leaving, the fleet left more than sixty sick sailors and soldiers at Fort San Diego. These people were either severely seasick and unable to continue the next leg of the journey, or they were so exhausted from dysentery that they could barely move, so they had no choice but to be left here."

"Perhaps to prevent the shortage of crew and soldiers, the fleet commander General Gomez recruited 120 Indians."

"These individuals were baptized by Father Eido Serra within the past year and have converted to our Lord. To ensure their loyalty, General Gomez promised that if they assisted the task force officers and soldiers in defeating the pirates, they would all receive special guardianship of the Governor's District and be exempted from most of the head taxes they were required to pay."

"However, these Indians didn't seem to care much about the general's promise. Several Indian leaders hoped to receive their fair share of spoils and slaves after the battle."

"General Gomez, after a brief hesitation, generously agreed to their request."

"But we all know that if they successfully breach the pirates' lair, the spoils they will obtain will be quite limited."

"Because, to boost morale, the general, after obtaining the Governor-General's permission, announced to all sailors and soldiers in the fleet that only 30% of the final spoils of war would be handed over to the Governor-General's Office, and the rest would be distributed among them."

"Even if the pirates had a lot of spoils, there would certainly be very little to share with these Indians. It's even uncertain whether all of them would live to see the spoils divided."

"..."

"On September 9, the sailors and soldiers on board began to fall ill again. Without exception, they all suffered from symptoms of dysentery, diarrhea and vomiting, and the cabin was filled with a foul odor."

"Just eight days after leaving Fort San Diego, the fresh water began to turn yellow and turbid, and the quality of the food also dropped dramatically, causing many people to vomit and have diarrhea after eating, becoming physically exhausted."

"Actually, this isn't just the case on the San Jose; all ships have this problem. In fact, on many ships, bodies are carried onto the decks every day, given a brief funeral, and then thrown into the sea."

"Comparatively speaking, our situation is still good, and no one has died so far."

"Oh, God help us!"

"..." "On September 9th, a storm suddenly hit. Raindrops as big as beans kept falling, and the huge waves almost capsized our ship."

"Fortunately, the entire fleet was sailing along the coast. After some difficult adjustments, we sailed into a cape bay to avoid the raging winds and huge waves."

"Unfortunately, two supply ships were damaged in the storm. One of them was in a worse condition. It was pushed onto a reef by huge waves, causing a terrible hole in its bottom. It needs urgent repairs."

"As we moved further away from Mexico, it seemed as if the Almighty God was unwilling to accompany us, and troubles came one after another."

"Our fleet is still one-third of the way to the pirates' lair, and we don't know what kind of difficulties we will encounter next."

"..."

"On September 9, the fleet arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River, where we took a short break and replenished much-needed fresh water."

"Fleet Commander General Gomez summoned me to the flagship, the Salti, to inquire about the upcoming voyage. When I informed him that we would reach the pirates' lair in four to five days, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief."

"Yes, our original plan was to reach the pirates' doorstep by mid-September. But now, we're a full half month late. Not only have we used up most of our supplies, but the long voyage has also left the sailors and soldiers extremely tired, and morale is extremely low."

"I don't know if we'll still have enough fighting capacity when we reach the pirate stronghold. Especially the army soldiers. Most of them are lying listlessly in the cabin, unable to move."

General Gomez was silent for a moment, then he inquired in detail about the situation at the pirate port fort.

"I understand what he means. He probably wants to sacrifice the damage to his warships in order to seize the pirates' dock. This will allow the weakened landing force to disembark easily. Furthermore, he can use the port's convenient conditions to unload a large number of artillery and quickly capture the pirates' fortress."

"Because we have lost too much time in preparation and on the road, we are not allowed to take a slow and conservative approach to attack the pirate stronghold."

"But I have to gently warn you. The pirates' port batteries are extremely powerful, with no fewer than twenty guns deployed. They also utilize the surrounding terrain to create a deadly crossfire."

"Two years ago, the St. Vincent made a tentative attempt to enter the harbor. However, in less than an hour, its masts were broken by the enemy, leaving it stranded in the harbor."

"I believe that after such a long time, the pirates' port batteries will surely deploy more artillery and thus have more ferocious firepower."

"It is extremely unwise to rashly enter a pirate port and attempt to seize their dock at the cost of several warships."

"Let's not even talk about whether we have the ability to destroy the enemy's artillery batteries one by one and gain a chance to land. Even if we do have this ability, we will suffer huge losses in the process of bombarding the coastal defense batteries."

"If a large number of ships are damaged or sunk in the bombardment, how will we face the next battle?"

"What's more worrying is that if the war goes against us, we won't even have the chance to retreat back to Mexico!"

"After I tactfully expressed these concerns and warnings, General Gomez fell into a long silence."

"..."

"On September 9th, as the task force entered the wide strait and was about to reach the pirate stronghold, we spotted a small boat near the northern coast."

"When we tried to capture it, it fled to the southeast at an unimaginable speed. In less than twenty minutes, it disappeared from our sight."

"Seeing this scene, everyone in the fleet looked at each other in astonishment."

"The pirates actually arranged a patrol ship on the route to their stronghold to detect the arrival time of our Spanish expeditionary fleet in advance."

"It seems that the pirates have made all preparations for our arrival."

"So, what kind of situation will be waiting for us?"

Captain Calles of the "San Jose" wrote the last paragraph in the logbook, then gently closed it, got up and left the captain's room. Looking at the lush mountains on the left bank, a trace of anxiety arose in his heart.

(End of this chapter)