Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 538 Shock
On July 30, 1642, Mexico City was shrouded in suffocating heat.

The scorching sun relentlessly baked the most prosperous colonial city in the New World, and even the air was filled with a scorching atmosphere.

Inside the Governor's Palace council chamber, the heavy oak doors were tightly shut, blocking out the scorching sunlight outside. Only a few rays of light shone through the stained glass windows, casting dappled colors on the long corridor covered with a deep red carpet.

Count Diego López Pacheco, the Governor-General of New Spain, stood before a large map, arms crossed, staring silently at the messy markings and lines on it.

His exquisitely tailored black velvet tuxedo, with gold thread embellishing the cuffs and collar, occasionally shimmered in the dim light, contrasting sharply with his somber expression.

On either side of the conference table, Lieutenant General Soto (Chairman of the Military Council of the Governorate), Lieutenant General Borja (Chairman of the Naval Council of the Governorate), and a group of colonial generals sat upright.

The people occasionally exchanged uneasy glances, then lowered their heads to look at the documents in their hands. The rustling sound of the papers only deepened the eerie silence in the council chamber.

"General Soto..."

Finally, Governor Pacheco's voice broke the unsettling silence.

He turned around, looking at General Soto with a serious expression, his deep eyes blazing with suppressed anger: "I want to know, what exactly is General Toledo and his five thousand soldiers doing right now? Are they having a grand picnic in New Galicia province?"

"It took him over a month to finally set off from Iraplatz, crawling along like a snail towards Guadalajara. And now, instead of news of victory, I've received a request for reinforcements!"

Lieutenant General Soto shifted his posture uneasily, a fine bead of sweat sliding down his graying temples and dampening the stiff collar of his uniform. "Your Excellency," he said, "General Toledo has indeed encountered some unforeseen difficulties. From Iraplatto to Guadalajara, the terrain is complex, the mountain roads are rugged, and the supply lines are long and fragile..."

"So, he has a reason to demand more reinforcements and supplies?" Governor Pacheco interrupted him rudely, his voice rising abruptly. "Oh, right, I almost forgot. They also suffered an 'unexpected' defeat when they reached Lake Chapala near Guadalajara, losing three hundred soldiers."

The governor walked to the table, placed his hands on the gleaming walnut wood, leaned forward, and stared intently at Lieutenant General Soto: "I want to know if General Toledo is still capable of commanding this force."

"You must understand, he's leading an army of over five thousand! We practically emptied the entire defenses of the Viceroyalty of New Spain just to muster this force. And yet, he still feels he doesn't have enough troops, demanding another three thousand reinforcements and twenty siege cannons from us! Does he think the Viceroyalty has an inexhaustible supply of soldiers?"

Lieutenant General Soto wiped the sweat from his brow and explained in a low voice, "Your Excellency, after the Xinhua captured Guadalajara, they also allowed their troops to loot all the villages and manors within a radius of several leagues, making it impossible for General Toledo's troops to obtain supplies locally. Moreover, in the past few months, the Xinhua has significantly strengthened the defenses of Guadalajara, so five thousand troops might be a little insufficient for a siege..."

"Enough!" the governor interrupted him again, slamming his hand heavily on the table with a dull thud. "I don't need to hear these long-winded excuses! It's said that the Xinhua army that captured Guadalajara numbered only a little over three thousand, and presumably half of them were militia and Indian servants. Are you saying our five thousand troops can't handle them? This is clearly cowardice! This is fear of war!"

The council chamber was silent, save for the governor's slightly rapid breathing, a sound born of his anger.

In the portrait of Philip IV hanging on the wall, the king's eyes seem to be sternly watching everyone present, exerting silent pressure.

Governor Pacheco walked to the window, exhaled a breath of stale air, and gazed at the spire of the Catholic church outside, the spiritual pillar of the Spanish in Mexico City.

But at this moment, even the church bells seemed to have an unusual dullness to them, as if they were ringing out for some ominous omen.

His tone softened slightly, but remained firm and unwavering: "Gentlemen, you all know that the eyes of the Madrid court are on everything that is happening in New Spain."

"If His Majesty the King knew that in less than three months since the start of the war, we had lost the Banderas Valley, the city of Guadalajara, the capital of New Galicia Province, and even our seas were blockaded by the new Chinese, and the port of Acapulco was shelled, what would he think? What would the Indian Affairs Council think?"

"If Toledo continues to drag this out and keeps cowering and avoiding battle, not only will he lose his position as general, but I, as governor, will probably be recalled to the mainland for questioning or even trial!"

"..." Lieutenant General Soto opened his mouth, but in the end he couldn't say anything, and just lowered his head deeply.

The governor continued his tirade, each word like a whip lashing at him: "To gather these five thousand men, we emptied the defenses of every region; to raise that damned military budget, we nearly offended all the nobles and merchants of Mexico! Now he cowers at the slightest setback—is this the general His Majesty the King trusts? Is this the courage and honor of us Spanish soldiers?"

“Therefore,” the governor’s voice was as cold as iron, “he must take decisive action immediately and launch a fearless attack on the new Chinese who are entrenched in the city, and use victory to salvage his own dignity and honor as well as that of the Spanish Empire!”

“Yes, Your Excellency,” Lieutenant General Soto nodded with difficulty, his voice hoarse. “Later, I will dispatch the most reliable messenger to deliver Your Excellency’s orders to him accurately. However…”

He hesitated for a moment, seemingly weighing his words, "In order to address the potential, broader military risks, I urge Your Excellency to consider..."

He swallowed hard, mustered his courage, and looked at Governor Pacheco: "I urge you to consider another emergency military mobilization throughout the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and to conscript more than three thousand militiamen as our strategic reserve."

Upon hearing this, Governor Pacheco turned around abruptly, staring coldly at him, and said, word by word, "Do you think we have the extra resources and time to recruit, train, and equip more soldiers? General Soto, this is America, not Spain, where we can build up an army indefinitely!"

“Your Excellency, this is to prepare for the worst-case scenario, to ensure…” Lieutenant General Soto made a final effort.

“The worst-case scenario?” Governor Pacheco scoffed and retorted, “Do you think General Toledo will suffer a humiliating defeat in front of those new Chinese and then lose all five thousand troops?”

"..." Lieutenant General Soto's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes twitched uncontrollably a few times. "Governor, I think... I think the possibility of such a thing happening is extremely low. Even if the war cannot make progress in the short term, with General Toledo's ability, he can at least find a way to preserve the main force of this army. It is impossible... impossible to lose too many troops."

“However,” he changed his tone, insisting, “given that the new Chinese currently have complete control of the Pacific coast, we cannot rule out the possibility that they may launch another landing attack in our other coastal areas where defenses are extremely weak. Therefore, we must have a mobile force, even if it is limited in size, but capable of fighting, to deal with this potential invasion threat.”

Governor Pacheco remained silent for a moment before finally relenting slightly: "Alright. Order all regions to raise the alert level and enter a state of emergency preparedness, ensuring that local militias are ready for combat at any time. However, the large-scale conscription of new soldiers will be discussed later. The most urgent task is to get Toledo moving!"

When the topic of maritime threats came up, Governor Pacheco immediately turned his sharp gaze to Vice Admiral Álvaro de Borja, the chairman of the Naval Committee who had remained silent: "So, how is your navy making progress, General Borja?"

"Is our Caribbean fleet still leisurely basking in the warm Caribbean sun? When will they be able to send warships to break this suffocating maritime blockade in the Pacific?"

General Borja immediately looked troubled: "Your Excellency, the Caribbean Fleet currently has twenty-four ships of various types, of which only eleven can truly be called main warships, namely galleons and frigates. The rest are armed merchant ships and small vessels with varying combat capabilities."

"To deal with the Xinhua Navy fleet currently active in the Pacific, we would need to deploy at least five to six of our main warships to have any chance of victory. But..."

“But…” he emphasized, “if we move these core warships, the defenses of the Caribbean will be severely weakened, and the security of major shipping routes and many important islands will be compromised. The Dutch, the French, the English… they are watching those waters every moment, like sharks that have smelled blood…”

Upon hearing this, the governor let out a cold, mocking laugh: "So, you mean we can neither repel the enemy on land nor break the blockade by sea? This is the desperate situation facing the richest viceroyalty of the great Kingdom of Spain? This is the answer you've given me?"

A hint of embarrassment and helplessness flashed across General Borja's face. He hesitated, then said, "Your Excellency, the Caribbean Fleet has been severely weakened in the past few years, especially after the Battle of the Downs. It is indeed unable to safeguard the security of both oceans simultaneously. Unless..."

"Unless what?" the governor pressed.

"Unless we recruit a large number of merchant ships, arm them, and then combine them with a number of elite warships drawn from the Caribbean Fleet to form a temporary task force, only in this way can we assemble a sufficiently powerful naval force to bypass the southern tip of the Americas, come to the Pacific Ocean, and engage in a decisive battle with the new Chinese."

"Then we must recruit merchant ships and get to work immediately," the governor said impatiently. "The New Chinese, relying on their maritime advantage, have actually used the Banderas Valley as their logistical base for raiding Mexico. This is intolerable. No matter the cost, we must break the New Chinese's control over the Pacific coast and effectively safeguard the security of our colonial territories and the glory of our kingdom."

“This…” General Borja’s face showed even more difficulty. “Your Excellency, this requires your special authorization, or even a mandatory order. Many large merchant ship owners, when we try to issue a conscription order, often obstruct and refuse in every way possible, relying on their powerful backgrounds and networks of connections in their homeland…”

During this period, all large merchant ships engaged in Atlantic trade were backed by prominent local nobles or royalty, and they were not particularly compliant with colonial orders.

Although General Borja is a high-ranking and powerful figure in Mexico City and even the Caribbean, he is no match for the powerful and influential figures with deep-rooted backgrounds on the mainland.

Governor Pacheco pondered for a moment, a resolute glint in his grey-blue eyes, before quickly making his decision: "Very well. I will immediately sign a special authorization order granting you the power of unlimited conscription."

"All merchant ships flying the flag of the Kingdom of Spain may be requisitioned for military purposes under the pretext of the Kingdom's highest state of emergency. General Borja, within two months, I must see a special fleet capable of combat on the Pacific coast! Remember, this is an order, and there is no room for change!"

"Yes, Your Excellency." General Borja nodded solemnly in acceptance, as if the pressure on his shoulders had instantly increased by a thousand pounds.

He paused, then suggested in a low voice, "Your Excellency, perhaps... we could send another official letter to the Viceroyalty of Peru? They have a Peruvian detachment stationed in Callao. If we could get a few warships and some ground troops, the pressure on us would be significantly reduced." At the mention of the Viceroyalty of Peru, a clear look of anger appeared on Governor Pacheco's face.

Since Xinhua declared war on the Kingdom of Spain, in order to deal with this sudden military crisis, he has written to the Viceroyalty of Peru more than once, and even sent a special envoy, requesting that the other party, in view of the fact that they are both under the royal family, mobilize some of the naval and land forces to go north to support the Mexican authorities.

However, Lima's responses were always filled with bureaucratic evasions and indifferent excuses.

The opposing side either emphasized the importance of maintaining local security and order, claiming that there were simply no extra troops available to be deployed; or pointed out that the Peruvian detachment had the absolute mission of protecting the treasure convoy and must defend Callao Port at all times, and could not be easily mobilized.

What's even more infuriating is that the other side eventually brought up an edict issued by the King of Spain years ago, claiming that the two viceroyalties were strictly prohibited from engaging in any form of economic and military exchanges.

To obtain military support from the Viceroyalty of Peru, a direct decree from the Madrid court or a clear instruction from the Indian Affairs Council is required.

Otherwise, any form of cross-governing territory military cooperation would be considered illegal.

The meeting fell into a suffocating silence once again.

Just as the oppressive silence was about to freeze the air, a series of unusually rapid, frantic, almost disordered footsteps suddenly came from outside the corridor.

A messenger, travel-worn and covered in dust and mud in his military uniform, rushed into the council chamber without even waiting for a formal announcement from his attendant, disregarding etiquette.

His face was deathly pale, a mixture of extreme exhaustion and fear; his lips were cracked and bleeding from thirst; and his chest heaved violently, as if he had just escaped the pursuit of a demon.

"Your Excellency!...Urgent report from Guadalajara!" The messenger's voice trembled with fear. "General Toledo has sent...a battle report!"

Governor Pacheco's heart sank. He stood up abruptly, took the letter, and his fingers trembled slightly.

His movements were somewhat clumsy and slow as he tore open the envelope, his nervousness making him appear nervous.

The council chamber was completely silent; everyone held their breath as they watched the governor read the letter.

Governor Pacheco's face turned from red to white, and finally to ashen.

The letter slipped from his hand and fluttered onto the luxurious carpet.

“Oh, merciful God…” the governor murmured to himself, his body swaying slightly, but fortunately he managed to grab the edge of the table in time to avoid falling over.

A strong sense of unease welled up in Lieutenant General Soto's heart. He carefully bent down to pick up the letter that would decide his fate and quickly began to read it.

A moment later, his face turned deathly pale, and his hand holding the letter began to tremble. "This...how could this be...this is absolutely impossible..."

"What exactly happened?!" General Borja could no longer contain himself and asked urgently, his voice trembling with tension.

Governor Pacheco looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief, shock, and overwhelming anger, as well as a profound sense of disappointment at being utterly betrayed.

"General Toledo's five thousand troops... suffered a crushing defeat in Guadalajara, losing over four thousand men. Ha, that fool Toledo escaped to Tracpac with fewer than eight hundred men."

A collective gasp filled the council chamber.

The officers exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

This... they really lost?!

Since the start of the war, our Viceroyalty of New Spain has suffered a series of defeats. The Chinese have captured the Banderas Valley, bombarded the port of Acapulco, penetrated into the heart of New Galicia Province, occupied Guadalajara, and now have defeated an army of five thousand...

In just three months, New Spain has been plunged into an unprecedented crisis.

Governor Pacheco slumped back into his chair, his eyes revealing endless frustration and deep disappointment.

Outside the window, the bells of Mexico City rang as usual, melodious and peaceful, but to everyone at that moment, they seemed to be tolling the first death knell for Spain's rule in the New World.

“Immediately…” After a long silence, Pacheco finally spoke again, his voice weak but firm, “Immediately issue a supreme emergency mobilization order to all provinces, declaring a state of war for the entire Viceroyalty. At the same time, send another fast ship to Madrid to request aid from the mainland, explaining the extreme seriousness of our situation. Oh, and also, write another letter to the Governor-General of Peru, telling them in the strongest terms that if they don't provide support, they'll be next!”

The messenger remained frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

General Soto waved for him to leave, then carefully placed the battle report on the table, glancing furtively at the governor.

“Your Excellency…” his voice trembled, “regarding the expenses for conscripting reserve troops, and the procurement of weapons and equipment…”

Governor Pacheco did not respond immediately, but gave him a cold, even slightly disgusted look, as if to say: This is the commander you strongly recommended and vouched for, this is the victory you so confidently promised!
Damn it, Toledo not only failed to repel the new Chinese and relieve Guadalajara, but also lost our only mobile legion.

Now, urgently conscripting reserve troops, let alone whether there is still time, even if the militia and armed citizens pieced together from various places can be barely gathered together, how can their organization and training be completed in time?
What can guarantee their morale and fighting strength?

The vast Viceroyalty of New Spain was like a young girl stripped naked, left to the mercy of the new Chinese.

"What do you think..." Governor Pacheco suddenly asked in an unusually calm tone, but beneath that calm lay a deep fear, "...would Mexico City be the next target of the new Chinese?"

"Huh?..." Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in surprise, their faces showing disbelief and uncertainty.

Yes, General Toledo's 5,000-strong army was defeated, and there were no more organized troops in Mexico that could withstand the attack of the new Chinese. So, would they march straight in and kill their way to Mexico City, the most important and prosperous capital city of the Kingdom of Spain?

“I believe that the Chinese will not launch a direct attack on Mexico City in the short term.” General Soto, seeing that everyone’s eyes were on him, could only say with a forced smile, “The Chinese forces are not large, only a few thousand.”

"After defeating General Toledo's 5,000-strong army, they must have suffered considerable casualties and losses, and need time to rest and replenish their forces. Moreover... Mexico City has strong defenses and a large population, far exceeding that of Guadalajara. Therefore... therefore, they are unlikely to rashly attack Mexico City."

Upon hearing this, Pacheco's expression softened slightly, and he regained a bit of composure.

He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and glanced at each of the generals present. With an almost tragic and resolute tone, he said, "Gentlemen, we are now facing the most serious crisis in the history of Spain in the New World."

"It's safe to say that we're standing on the edge of a precipice. If we can't unite and overcome this challenge, we will all become sinners against the kingdom, and our names will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history!"

"From this moment on, we must abandon all illusions and wishful thinking, muster our utmost spirit, unite as one, mobilize all our strength and courage, and fearlessly face all these challenges. Either we will ultimately repel the invasion of the new Chinese and defend this land that belongs to the King and God; or..."

His voice grew even deeper and more menacing: "Let Mexico be the great graveyard of all of us, and of the Spanish Empire's dreams in the New World. We will fight here to the last man, and we will never back down!"

Everyone was shaken. They looked at each other and saw unprecedented worry and...fear in each other's eyes.

The strength of the new Chinese far exceeded their previous estimates, and the damage they caused also exceeded everyone's expectations.

Perhaps the real test is only just beginning.
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(End of this chapter)