Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 268 Peace Talks (Part )

After the Xinhua delegation reached a deadlock in negotiations on the first day, it did not really just walk away from Acapulco.

Apart from the fact that the "Kaiyuan" that brought them had already sailed to Black Shark Island and was unable to pick them up immediately, the Spaniards later expressed their willingness to continue the talks and tried to retain them.

So, after a brief pause of two days, the two sides resumed negotiations.

The Spaniards did not make any further entanglement about the founding of Xinhua, which was considered as tacit acceptance of this fact.

However, deep down in their hearts they are still full of contempt and disdain for Xinhua.

It is ridiculous that a pirate group with a population of only a few thousand wants to establish a country and shamelessly claim that it has full sovereignty and legal status!
However, this is a minor issue and there is no need to worry about it.

The most urgent task is to reach an acceptable peace agreement with the pirates, oh no, with the New Chinese, and stop the current state of war.

In this battle, the landing force was almost wiped out, and as many as 1,400 officers and soldiers were trapped in Xinhua territory. Even though there were heavy casualties in the battle, it is estimated that more than half of the officers and soldiers were captured alive.

Those Indian servants are fine, it doesn’t matter if they are handed over to the new Chinese, but those four or five hundred Creole musketeers must be rescued.

Not to mention, there were seven or eight noble sons accompanying the army.

They had originally planned to show their prowess in this anti-piracy military operation and add a brilliant achievement to their overseas service experience.

However, they did not expect that they would all be trapped in the battle, with their lives hanging in the balance.

In addition to the captured Spanish officers and soldiers, the Xinhua people also sent several warships to attack several coastal towns in succession, and captured more than 300 Spanish residents.

Now that the two sides have started peace talks, all these people must be handed back to Spain.

But Xinhua people expressed different opinions on this issue.

They claimed that prisoner exchanges should be based on a one-to-one basis, and the rest would need to be redeemed by the Spanish in accordance with traditional European rules.

At the same time, the repatriation of prisoners must be based on the principle of voluntariness.

If your Spanish captives are unwilling to return to Mexico and instead wholeheartedly submit to us in Xinhua, we cannot return them to you Spaniards.

After hearing this, the Spanish negotiator was so angry that his nose was crooked.

One-to-one exchange?
We Spaniards captured a total of seven of you New Chinese, four of whom were Indians (i.e., Nuu-chanul).

Moreover, during the detention and interrogation, four people were killed, leaving only three.

If we follow the principle of one-to-one exchange, we can only get back three Spanish soldiers.

The remaining Spanish officers and soldiers and the looted residents can only be bought back with money!

What's even more outrageous is that the New Chinese proposed the principle of "voluntary repatriation", obviously wanting to detain those soldiers or craftsmen they considered valuable.

After a heated debate and the insistence of the Spanish negotiating representatives, the new Chinese gave up the principle of "voluntary repatriation", but still insisted on the requirement of equal exchange and paying for the remaining redemption.

Moreover, they demanded 30 pesos for each Spanish soldier and 10 pesos for each Indian servant. For officers, the ransom amount ranged from 200 to 1500 pesos, depending on their rank and noble status.

As for the captured weapons, equipment and combat supplies, they would not be returned. The Spanish representatives argued that the ransom was too high and exceeded their expectations.

Although it was common practice to redeem prisoners with money during wars in Europe, our Kingdom of Spain had never had such experience in its colonial territories in the Americas.

Usually we kidnapped an Indian king or tribal leader and asked him to pay money to ransom us.

A hundred years ago, the great Spanish conquistador Pizarro captured Atahualpa, the king of the Inca Empire, in the Battle of Cajamarca and demanded an extremely high ransom from him: filling the "Ransom House (about 6.7 meters long, 5.2 meters wide, and 2.5 meters high)" once with gold and twice with silver.

The total value of the ransom was approximately equivalent to 13000 pounds of gold and 26000 pounds of silver (later estimated to be over billions of dollars).

Is it fate that we Spaniards are destined to pay ransom to our enemies?
Regarding the details of the prisoner ransom, both sides decided to put it aside for the time being and discuss the subsequent armistice conditions.

In order to speed up the negotiations, the Xinhua negotiating representative simply listed his other conditions one by one and then waited for the Spaniards to bargain.

"First, after signing the peace treaty, both sides will cease the state of war and will no longer resort to armed attacks against each other."

"Second, both sides have demarcated their respective borders. The area north of San Francisco Bay is Xinhua territory. Your army is prohibited from crossing the bay and invading Xinhua territory."

"Third, the two sides should engage in friendly trade. The Spanish should not set up trade barriers or prohibit entry barriers against Xinhua in the Mexican region to ensure the free flow of goods and people."

"Fourth, the Kingdom of Spain shall not interfere in the internal affairs of Xinhua, shall not send missionaries into Xinhua territory without authorization, and shall not take guardianship of the local Indians."

"Fifth, Xinhua's civilian merchant ships can enjoy the right to freely navigate along the Pacific coast of the Americas and dock in Spanish ports without hindrance to obtain necessary supplies."

"Sixth, upon payment of the appropriate monetary compensation, we will immediately release all prisoners of war and civilians captured during the war."

As soon as the Xinhua negotiating representative finished stating these conditions, the three Spanish representatives sitting opposite him immediately stood up.

"These conditions are blackmail and extremely disrespectful. They seriously infringe upon the sovereignty and dignity of the Kingdom of Spain!" Vercello declared loudly. "Except for the first and last, we will not agree to any of the other conditions. I hope you understand this: when it comes to the core interests of the Kingdom of Spain, we will not make any concessions."

"Even if we have to start another war for this, we will do it at all costs!"

Lin Ahfu and his two companions exchanged glances, then said expressionlessly, "If you disagree with the other four conditions, please clearly state them. There's no need to get so excited, and certainly don't threaten us with war."

"Similarly, we will fight to protect Xinhua's core interests!"

Vercello gave the other man a steady look, then opened a document and spoke aloud, "First, your territory should not be expanded too much. In other words, your territory will be limited to the islands of Enlightenment, which you currently occupy, and you must not cross the wide Enlightenment Strait (also known as the Strait of Juan de Fuca) to the south."

"Secondly, our Kingdom of Spain has enacted several trade monopoly laws, prohibiting any foreign forces from entering and engaging in trade within our American territories. Therefore, we cannot accept your request for mutual trade."

"Third, regarding your restriction on our missionaries entering the northern part of America, we express our firm opposition. You must know that decades ago, the Pope granted the entire Americas to the Kingdom of Spain as a protectorate. We should enjoy full freedom of missionary work, and no one should prevent or interfere."

"Since the Indians in your territory are now under your jurisdiction, we, the Kingdom of Spain, can give up our right to supervise them and transfer it to you."

"Finally, the American colonial territories are the sacred territory of our Kingdom of Spain and will not be violated by any foreign country or force. Therefore, your request for free navigation along the coast will not be accepted. You are also prohibited from trespassing into our ports and coastal towns to seek supplies. Otherwise, we will regard it as an illegal invasion and will take decisive measures!"

After listening to this, Lin Afu sneered and said slowly, "These demands of yours are perhaps truly disrespectful and blackmailing. Our conditions are based on the principles of reality and fairness, while your response is filled with arrogance and unrealistic fantasies. If you insist on this, then negotiations will be meaningless and war will be inevitable."

The atmosphere at the negotiation table suddenly became tense, and the eyes of the representatives from both sides clashed in the air, as if a silent war was brewing.
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(End of this chapter)