Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 519 The Flames of War (Part 7)

Mao Falu crouched behind a waist-high bush, squinting as he surveyed the manor ahead, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "My goodness, this isn't a Spanish manor at all."

He turned to his squad leader, Luo Daikui, and lowered his voice even further: "Squad leader, I feel like this is clearly a small fortress. Without artillery, we probably won't be able to take it down anytime soon!"

From the outside, the estate called Santa Ana does indeed look more like a military fortress than a farm.

The white wall, four or five meters high, was made of rammed earth, with large stone blocks piled up to reinforce important parts. The top of the wall was also covered with sharp thorns, and there was a protruding semi-circular watchtower every few tens of meters.

The tower had narrow firing ports, and Spanish guards could be vaguely seen stationed there.

At each of the four corners of the wall stands a stone tower, two or three meters higher than the wall itself, with a watchtower on top.

The only entrance to the manor was a pair of heavy oak gates covered with iron sheets and nailed with copper nails the size of bowls.

Above the door is a large cross emblem, below which is a line of Spanish inscription.

There was a stone bunker on each side of the gate, large enough to accommodate several musketeers firing outwards through the firing ports.

“Look at the thickness of that wall…” Luo Daikui stared intently at the manor, unconsciously licking his slightly chapped lips. “I reckon it’s at least a meter thick. It could probably withstand several rounds of artillery bombardment.”

Outside the wall is an open area about 70 or 80 meters wide, which was obviously cleared by people and had no shelter.

Anyone who tries to approach will be exposed to the firepower of the manor guards.

A dry trench was dug at the outer edge of the open ground. Although it was not deep, it was enough to hinder the rapid advance of the infantry.

Further away are neat farmlands and orchards, with lush green wheat fields and olive trees laden with fruit surrounding the estate, creating a striking visual contrast—the idyllic pastoral scene outside the walls and the strict security inside seem like two different worlds.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A few sharp gunshots suddenly rang out, and a Spanish guard standing on the wall fell to the ground. He struggled to crawl a few steps and then fell silent.

He had just brandished a rapier and shouted loudly at the Xinhua Army outside, seemingly questioning or provoking them, which prompted several stragglers to fire at him.

We've already captured Guadalajara, and you little manor dare to bar your teeth at us so arrogantly?
Three days ago, after occupying Guadalajara, the Xinhua Army Special Task Force took a short rest and took the opportunity to take stock of the spoils captured in the city.

Immediately afterwards, the troops, organized into companies and accompanied by several militiamen, launched a ruthless sweep of the Spanish estates and villages surrounding Guaçu.

More than 100 officers and soldiers from the 2nd Company of the 1st Mixed Battalion, where Mao Faluo was stationed, arrived at the manor, which was about four kilometers away from Guacheng, guided by several enthusiastic local "guides".

They originally thought that this manor was like the small manors they had encountered on their way here. Although it had some defensive facilities, they were not very strong and there were probably not many guards. It was not worth mentioning to the Xinhua Army. They could easily break through it with a little effort.

However, when they arrived at the manor called Santa Ana, they discovered that its size and defenses far exceeded their expectations.

According to the enthusiastic "guide," in fact, in inland provinces like New Caledonia, most manors were not so well-defended. They were simply marked by wooden fences or low adobe walls, which were mainly used to prevent livestock from getting lost and slaves from escaping, rather than to defend against external attacks.

Of course, the manor owner's residence might have been reinforced to some extent, such as thickened wooden doors and windows and the installation of firing ports on the second floor, but this was only to deal with thieves or individual rebels and could not withstand an organized attack by the army.

Santa Ana Estate, however, is quite different, as its owner is a distinguished count who once served as the governor of the province of Nova Biscay, and whose family still operates the local silver mines.

In other words, this manor owner was not only noble, but also extremely wealthy.

Therefore, in order to ensure his own life and property safety, this count spared no expense and spent several years building this "fortress manor" that far exceeded the defenses of Gua City.

"The artillery is coming!"

Amidst enthusiastic cheers, a light field gun was quickly pushed over, and the gunners skillfully prepared to fire.

Mao Falu held his breath, excitedly looking in the direction of the manor, waiting for the deafening roar.

"Target: the manor gate ahead! Load solid shot!" the gunner shouted.

The shells were loaded, and the cannon was slightly adjusted to aim at the iron-clad oak gate.

"put!"

"boom!"

The first shell whistled out, but its aim was slightly off, hitting the wall to the left of the gate, sending rubble and dirt flying.

"Reload!" the gunner roared, a hint of annoyance flashing across his face.

The gunners acted quickly, cleaning the gun barrels and reloading the ammunition.

The gunner squatted beside the cannon, carefully adjusting the muzzle angle, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"put!"

"boom!"

The second shell roared out of the cannon barrel, this time hitting the gate precisely. Wood chips flew everywhere, iron sheets twisted, and a huge gap was torn open.

"Again!" The gunner's spirits lifted.

The gunners quickly cleaned the breech and reloaded the cannon.

The third and fourth shells blasted into the gate in succession.

With several shells hitting the gate, it finally gave way, and half of it was smashed open, revealing a huge breach.

"Victory!" The soldiers of the Xinhua Army erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"Charge in!" Company Commander Tang Xiaohu swung his hand forward sharply.

Soldiers, bayonets at their ready, surged toward the breached gate like a tidal wave.

The manor guards attempted to put up a resistance, but were quickly overwhelmed by the well-trained soldiers of the Xinhua Army.

Sporadic gunshots and the clang of close combat echoed through the manor, but the resistance was quickly and completely crushed.

"Clean up the entire manor and make sure every corner is safe!" Tang Xiaohu ordered.

The soldiers split into several groups and surged toward various parts of the manor.

Luo Daikui led his team straight to the main house and kicked open the ornate carved wooden door.

As soon as they rushed into the house, all the soldiers were stunned by the luxurious decorations inside.

The hall floor was covered with exquisite hand-woven carpets, the walls were adorned with oil paintings and gold and silver ornaments, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

All the furniture was made of finely carved mahogany and covered with silk cushions.

"Damn it, how much is this worth?!" a young soldier exclaimed, his fingers lightly brushing against a silver candlestick.

"Don't touch anything!" Luo Daikui shouted. "Everyone must strictly abide by military discipline. No stealing, and no hiding!" After confirming that there was no resistance in the main house, the soldiers began to search each room.

When the soldiers searched the basement, they found an iron door blocking their way.

The soldiers pounded on the iron gate with all their might, but they couldn't budge it an inch.

"Use explosives?" a soldier asked tentatively.

"Is there anything precious and fragile inside?" Mao Falu asked worriedly.

"Who cares, let's open it up first!" Luo Daikui said nonchalantly, "There must be a lot of valuable things inside!"

"I'll go find the grenadier," a soldier said, and trudged up the wooden ladder to the first floor.

"boom!"

"boom!"

Several metal canister bombs were detonated in succession. Although they did not destroy the iron door, they damaged the door frame. With the combined force of several soldiers, the basement door was finally opened.

The moment they burst through the door, everyone gasped in shock.

It was filled with gold bars and silver ingots, which gleamed alluringly under the light of the oil lamp.

There were also a dozen or so wooden boxes. When we opened a few, we found that they contained various gold and silver coins. Another box contained various gemstones: rubies like congealed blood, emeralds like deep pools of blue water, and diamonds like stars imprisoned in the sky.

“This…so much gold and silver jewelry…” a soldier stammered.

Luo Daikui suppressed his shock: "Go quickly and report to the company commander!"

While Luo Daikui turned around, Mao Falu quickly reached out and grabbed a few gems, stuffed them into his pocket, and then subconsciously took two steps back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that one of the militiamen who had followed me was brazenly stuffing gold bars and silver ingots into his clothes.

"What the hell are you doing?" Upon seeing this, Luo Daikui kicked him to the ground, scattering the gold and silver ingots in his arms all over the ground.

“We fight alongside the army and don’t get much pay. Are we not allowed to take some spoils of war?” The militiaman looked at him indignantly. “With so much gold and silver, I’ll take a little. That way, I can build a new house and get some livestock when I get back.”

"You son of a bitch..." Luo Daikui was so angry at his words that he laughed. "All spoils of war belong to the public. That's military discipline. Didn't they tell you that when you came? You dare to steal spoils of war? Believe me, I'll enforce military law and kill you on the spot!"

The militiaman immediately fell silent, his eyes still fixed on the scattered gold and silver ingots on the ground, his face full of reluctance.

Upon hearing Luo Daikui's warning to the militia, Mao Faluo's heart tightened. He reached into his trouser pocket with his right hand, touching the few smooth gems, and was filled with conflicting emotions.

At this moment, their company commander, Tang Xiaohu, led a squad of soldiers to break into a warehouse. Inside, in addition to several boxes of gold and silver coins, there were many exquisitely crafted gold and silver utensils: candlesticks, tableware, religious relics, and even several silver statues of the Virgin Mary that were almost life-size.

Clearly, these items were used by the plantation owner for banquets and religious ceremonies.

The warehouse also contained a large number of exquisite porcelain and handicrafts from the Ming Dynasty, wood carvings and tortoiseshell from Southeast Asia, ivory and gemstones from India, Japanese lacquerware and screens, and even several oriental paintings.

"Company Commander, look at this!" A soldier opened a carved wooden box, inside which were lined with white velvet and neatly arranged a dozen or so pure medals, inlaid with various gemstones.

"Tsk tsk..." Tang Xiaohu picked up a medal, his face showing an expression of amazement. "Damn it, these Spaniards have plundered so much wealth, and they can still enjoy medals from their king!"

While the enormous wealth unearthed from the manor shocked all the soldiers of the Xinhua Army, the subsequent discoveries sent chills down their spines.

When the soldiers opened the last warehouse deep inside the manor, they were met with an indescribable stench.

The warehouse was dark inside, with only a few rays of sunlight streaming in through the high-rise windows.

In the dim light, the soldiers saw that the warehouse was filled with all sorts of horrifying "collections": wine glasses made from human skulls, drumheads made from human skin, necklaces made of finger bones, and even a meticulously preserved mummy dressed in gorgeous Spanish aristocratic clothing, yet clearly bearing the characteristics of an Indian.

"Damn it..." a soldier couldn't help but vomit.

Tang Xiaohu suppressed his nausea and carefully examined the "collection".

In a glass case, he discovered dozens of shrunken heads, which should have been a traditional "craft" of some Amazonian tribes, but were now apparently used by the Spanish to display their harvested "trophies".

Each shrunken head retained the expression of agony before death, sending chills down one's spine.

"Company commander, here are a few books!" A soldier found a thick leather-covered booklet on a desk in the corner.

Tang Xiaohu took the book and casually flipped through a few pages. It was all written in Spanish, so it was probably a diary or a travelogue.

"Hmm, pack these books up and take them with us along with the seized valuables." Tang Xiaohu glanced at a few pages, then impatiently tossed them back onto the table.

"Company commander, what about these things..." a soldier pointed to the special "collectibles".

"You want all this filth?" Tang Xiaohu glared at him angrily. "Clean this up later, then burn this house down. What the hell is all this garbage..."

Just then, there was a commotion outside.

A soldier ran in and reported, "Company commander! We've discovered a dungeon in the backyard! Inside... inside there are many living people!"

The group immediately rushed to the dungeon.

The entrance is hidden behind the haystacks in the stable, with narrow stone steps leading underground.

The dungeon was dark and damp, filled with the stench of decay and blood.

By the light of the torches, they saw various horrific instruments of torture laid out in the dungeon, with dark brown bloodstains on the walls and floor.

The scene at the innermost part was even more suffocating. In the flickering torchlight, more than twenty Native Americans huddled in a corner like discarded rag dolls.

They were emaciated, with their ribs clearly visible, and many of them were covered with festering whip marks and charred marks left by branding irons.

A young woman's fingers were broken off and twisted at an eerie angle, and a cross-shaped bloodstain was slashed across her face; another old man's eye sockets were empty, clearly indicating that his eyes had been gouged out.

What is most heartbreaking is that of several young men whose hands have been severed, who are barely breathing, their eyes slightly open but empty and lifeless, as if they have long lost their desire for life.

The straw piled in the corner was soaked with dark red bloodstains, exuding an aura of death.

These imprisoned people were too weak to even look up at the people around them; only the slight rise and fall of their chests proved that they were still alive.

As the soldiers carefully carried the survivors out of the dungeon, a gaunt old man suddenly grabbed one of their arms and spoke excitedly in broken Spanish mixed with a local language.

The Spanish "guide," who had been summoned, said awkwardly in a low voice, "Sir, he's accusing Count Mendoza of cruelty and greed..."

"Continue the search, don't miss any place!" Tang Xiaohu quickly withdrew his sympathy and began to continue performing his duties: "Release all the native slave laborers in the manor, and then recruit some people to help pack and organize the supplies."

As night fell, the Santa Ana estate remained brightly lit, with Xinhua Army soldiers constantly coming and going. Carts and donkey carts were loaded with heavy boxes and then transported to Guadalajara.
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(End of this chapter)