Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 564 Blockade (Part 1)

January 22, 1643, South Pacific Ocean, off the coast of the Biobio River estuary.

The azure sea rippled with tiny white waves under the northwest trade winds, and more than a dozen warships flying the red flag of the five stars were quietly anchored on the sea a few nautical miles from the Chilean coast.

The observation post on the mainmast gazed intently at the distant horizon, while on deck, sailors carried out routine maintenance work, but the tense atmosphere in the air lingered.

Inside the command cabin of the flagship "Haiyan," Wei Yingbin, commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, was attentively listening to a report from Moreno, an agent from the American Division of the General Intelligence Bureau.

Beside the nautical charts spread out on the table, there was a thick stack of files.

"One hundred years ago (1541), Spanish general Pedro de Valdivia led 150 Spanish soldiers and more than 1,000 Indian servants on an expedition to Chile."

"They crossed the coastal desert of northern Chile (Atacama Desert), defeated a large but poorly equipped group of indigenous people on the banks of the Mapocho River in the Central Valley, and then established the city of Santiago in December of that year as an outpost for the Spanish conquest of Chile."

"However, six months later, the main Spanish force withdrew to Peru, and the local Araucanese launched a counterattack, breaching the simple wooden palisade fortress and eventually burning it to the ground. The surviving dozens of Spaniards fled to a small island and held out for reinforcements until Peruvian aid arrived two years later."

"In the following years, the Spanish made steady progress, establishing a series of strongholds along the coastline, gradually extending their sphere of influence south of the Biobío River, and establishing the city of Compceción at the river mouth."

"Unwilling to submit, the Araucanians, led by their chief Lautaro, continued to fight back against Spanish rule. In the raid on the Tucapel fortress, they captured and killed Valdivia, the then-Chilean military governor, achieving a partial victory."

"Although the Araucanians were brave and skilled in battle, good at learning, and even mastered the Spanish cavalry tactics and the use of firearms, they frequently inflicted heavy losses on the Spanish and achieved far greater results than other Native American tribes in the Americas."

"But their social organization was loose, and the tribes could not form a unified command for a long time. They were also always at a significant disadvantage in terms of weaponry, which made it impossible for them to completely drive the Spanish out of Chile."

"After decades of bloody tug-of-war, the Araucanese finally succeeded in blocking the Spanish line of control north of the Biobío River, thanks to their familiarity with the complex terrain and their flexible guerrilla tactics, thus preserving their vast southern homeland."

"The protracted Araucan War became a bleeding wound on the Spanish Kingdom that was difficult to heal, continuously draining the wealth and military strength of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Against this backdrop, under pressure from reality, the Chilean colonial authorities, who had been granted limited authorization by the Viceroy of Peru, finally held formal peace talks with the main leaders of the Araucanians on the banks of the Kirin River last August."

"Soon after, they signed the Treaty of Keeling. Relatively speaking, this treaty was fair to the Native Americans in the Americas, and even made considerable concessions."

"The treaty explicitly stipulated that the Biobío River would serve as the natural boundary between the two sides, and that they would cease hostilities with each other. The land on the south bank of the river would be under the autonomy of the Mapuche people, and the Spanish would promise to withdraw their troops from several forward fortresses near the border."

"However, the Spanish still maintained several exclaves in the south, such as Chiloé and Valdivia, and continued to exert military threats against the Araucanians by relying on their superior naval power."

At this point, Xinhua Intelligence Agency's Americas Division agent Moreno's tone turned serious: "However, Commander, according to our agency's in-depth analysis, the foundation of this peace treaty is not solid. It is more like a weary truce than a true peace."

"It is understood that in the year following the signing of the peace treaty, frictions between the two sides continued in the border area, such as disputes over livestock, covetousness for resources, and small-scale attacks by each other that crossed the border."

"More importantly, the Spanish colonists in Santiago and Compceción, especially the military and landowners eager for more land, were filled with contempt and resentment towards the treaty, viewing it as a humiliating concession to the 'barbarians.' Many radical officers remained unconvinced and were still secretly plotting to one day completely conquer the south."

"..."

After speaking, Moreno gently pushed the pile of files in his hand forward, then straightened his body, placed his hands on his knees, and looked steadily at Wei Yingbin, the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force behind the table, awaiting instructions.

Commander-in-Chief Wei Yingbin of the Expeditionary Force took the document, flipped through it casually, and then asked in a low voice, "So, it's possible that we could join forces with the Araucanians to attack the Spanish in Chile?"

“Yes, Commander.” Moreno nodded firmly. “However, the Araukan people are rather loosely organized and have not yet formed a unified government. They are currently divided into several powerful tribes. If we were to make contact with them, it would probably take quite a bit of effort.”

"Your General Intelligence Bureau should have a contingency plan for this, right?" Wei Yingbin asked with a smile.

"Commander, our Intelligence Bureau did formulate several aid plans for the Araucanians before the war, intending to cultivate such a capable local indigenous force in the Spanish rear," Moreno replied cautiously. "However, this requires Xinhua to achieve more brilliant victories against the Spanish on the battlefield, thereby attracting their attention and... expectations."

Wei Yingbin stood up, walked to the porthole, and looked at the coastline that was faintly visible in the distance: "Yes, our fleet is assembled here for an even more glorious victory."

He turned around and stared intently at Moreno: "Do you think that Spanish task force from the Caribbean will definitely choose Compseción, located at the mouth of the Biobío River, as its resupply point after passing through the Strait of Magellan?"

“Uh…” Moreno hesitated for a moment, bowed slightly, and said with certainty, “Yes, Commander. Although there are Spanish strongholds on Chiloé Island further south, the island is barren, sparsely populated, and has limited resources. It simply cannot provide enough food, fresh water, and ship repair facilities for a fleet of more than ten large warships.”

"Valdivia is surrounded by Araucanian forces. If the fleet arrives, it may provoke the Araucanians. Therefore, I judge that the Spanish fleet commander will choose Compseción, which has better facilities and more abundant supplies, as its port for docking and resupply, unless he makes a fatal mistake."

Wei Yingbin smiled approvingly: "Yes, very good. If we succeed in our surprise attack on the Spanish fleet, your intelligence bureau will deserve much credit."

"Oh, and of course, Agent Moreno, your crucial intelligence and accurate assessment of the situation are also vital. Once the war is over, I will personally recommend you for commendation to the Ministry of the Interior (the direct superior unit of the General Intelligence Directorate)!"

Upon hearing this, Moreno immediately sprang up from his chair, stood ramrod straight, and gave Wei Yingbin a standard military salute.

His face flushed with excitement, but his voice remained restrained: "Thank you for your guidance, Commander! Serving the country and gathering intelligence is my duty!"

"Okay, you can go and rest now. I'll call you over if I need any other intelligence." Wei Yingbin stood up, walked around the table, and patted Moreno's shoulder forcefully.

"Yes, Commander!" Moreno saluted again, then turned around deftly.

A month ago, after Wei Yingbin's Xinhua Assault Fleet blocked the breakout of the Spanish-Peruvian detachment and treasure fleet outside Callao Port, it did not rush to leave, but instead temporarily anchored at the nearby San Lorenzo Island to carry out simple repairs on the damaged ships.

Fortunately, the chaotic battle of the night did not cause fatal damage to the fleet's ships; they only suffered minor "superficial wounds" that could be easily repaired and replaced to restore their original combat effectiveness.

The broken mast was replaced, the sails torn by cannonballs needed to be repaired, and the holes in the hull caused by solid cannonballs were urgently filled with pre-prepared planks and hemp fiber asphalt.

As for personnel, the remains of the twelve who died were laid to rest in the Pacific Ocean after a solemn sea burial ceremony, and the twenty-six wounded received proper treatment from the ship's medical officer, thus maintaining the overall morale of the fleet.

Although most of the Spanish treasure ships escaped, the spoils were still quite substantial.

Apart from two Spanish ships (a warship and a treasure ship) that were severely damaged and beyond salvage, and were subsequently scuttled, the Xinhua Fleet captured three other ships intact. After an inventory check, they discovered that one treasure ship was loaded with a tempting amount of over 300,000 silver pesos, while the rest were piles of South American "specialties": bales of cotton, barrels of sugar, neatly bundled tobacco leaves, sacks of cocoa beans, copper with a dark red luster, and fluffy, soft alpaca wool…

The accompanying clerk estimated that the total value of these supplies was around 500,000 New Zealand silver dollars, which was a considerable sum.

But along with the joy, a sense of annoyance also crept in.

According to the confessions of the captured Spaniards, the two treasure ships, laden with gold and silver, managed to escape under the cover of night and in the chaos.

This left the entire fleet deeply disappointed, as such a large piece of meat that was almost within their grasp had ultimately vanished without a trace.

After a week of rest, the fleet raised its sails and set sail, cruising northward along the west coast of South America.

Perhaps to vent his frustration at failing to capture the silver-carrying ship, or perhaps to further demoralize the Spanish colonists and demonstrate Xinhua's military might, Commander Wei Yingbin issued a series of attack orders.

The fleet bombarded the Spanish port towns it passed through with heavy artillery fire; Vacho, Barranca, Chimbote, and Trujillo were all shelled by Xinhua.

The gun ports on the sides opened one after another, and the dark muzzles spewed flames and smoke, hurling heavy shells at the docks, warehouses and colonial buildings on the shore.

For some small ports with particularly weak defenses or even no decent coastal fortifications, Wei Yingbin even sent marines from the ships to land in small boats and carry out sweeping attacks.

They burned down dock facilities, looted property, kidnapped artisans, or seized or sank all the small boats abandoned by the Spanish in their haste, plunging the entire Peruvian coastline into panic.

Just as the fleet reached Guayaquil, preparing to launch an indiscriminate attack on the most important port in the Viceroyalty of Peru, it unexpectedly encountered a support fleet that had come from the port of Acapulco.

They not only brought important news, but also reported an unexpected surprise.

Major Sun Dingyuan, the commander of the support fleet, reported to Wei Yingbin that while they were on their way to reinforce the expeditionary fleet and sailing to the waters near Manta, they had the good fortune to intercept the Spanish treasure ship fleet that had escaped from the port of Callao.

After a fierce battle, the support fleet sank a Spanish escort warship and captured another warship and two treasure ships.

Excitingly, the hold of one of the treasure ships was filled with gleaming gold nuggets and gleaming silver ingots, with an initial estimated value of over one million silver pesos!

In addition, the ship carried a large quantity of pearls, gems, and other American specialties.

The seizure of this enormous fortune can be said to have perfectly made up for the regrets of the previous Battle of Kayao, and even far exceeded expectations.

However, the support fleet also suffered considerable damage.

The ships "Haijun" and "Haicang" suffered multiple damages, especially the former, which was severely damaged and is currently stranded on Santa Cruz Island (located in the Galapagos Islands), hundreds of nautical miles away, for comprehensive repairs.

The captured Spanish treasure ships and their cargo were temporarily stored on that small island, awaiting escort by the main fleet to return to Xinhua.

When Wei Yingbin heard Sun Dingyuan report that the Spanish Caribbean Fleet had organized a large task force that had departed from Cuba and was preparing to go to the Pacific Ocean to engage in a strategic decisive battle with the Xinhua Fleet, it immediately aroused his great attention.

After a heated discussion and careful deduction, Wei Yingbin immediately decided that the merged fleet would turn south and take the initiative to confront the Spanish fleet that had come from afar.

It is estimated that after leaving Havana, Cuba, the Spanish would have slowly moved south along the Atlantic coast of the Americas.

Along the way, apart from limited supplies in Cumana or La Guaira in Venezuela, they would not be able to get any help on the vast Portuguese coast of Brazil, and would even be targeted by the Dutch and Portuguese.

Even if the Spanish fleet reached the mouth of the Río de la Plata, how much supplies could that small port of Buenos Aires provide to replenish such a large fleet?

Next, there were more than two thousand kilometers of desolate and barren Patagonian coastline and the turbulent and extremely harsh Strait of Magellan waiting for the Spanish fleet to conquer.

The Spanish fleet successfully crossed the strait and reached the Pacific side, where they were met by the fragmented, turbulent westerly winds and complex undercurrents of southern Chile.

When the Spanish finally arrived at the calm ocean in central Chile after overcoming countless hardships, they were probably exhausted and running out of supplies.

Given this fleet, how much combat power could it possibly retain against the new Chinese?

It's not reasonable to wait until they reach the port of Callao, have a full rest and replenishment, and then engage in a fair and square decisive battle with them, resulting in both sides suffering heavy losses.

That's absolutely insane!

In war, you must take advantage of their weakness and kill them.

While the Spanish are exhausted after their long journey, when else should we not give them a sound beating?

The Xinhua Fleet immediately set sail day and night, quickly heading south to the port of Compseción at the mouth of the Biobío River, where they planned to wait in comfort for the arrival of the Spanish fleet.

Of course, the Xinhua Fleet also launched a probing attack on the port of Compseción, but the colonial outpost, as a forward fortress in the long-term confrontation between the Spanish and the Araucanians, was heavily fortified and sturdy, and was also garrisoned by hundreds of Spanish colonial troops. Without large-scale land support, it was impossible to break through with just a dozen or so ships.

Therefore, he decisively ordered the fleet to cease its attack and retreat to a safe, deep-water area outside the river mouth to anchor and remain stationary.

The fleet did not go far away, but rather, like a group of patient hunters, laid an ambush outside the mouth of the Biobio River.

In order to expand the early warning range and ensure timely monitoring of the Spanish fleet's movements, Wei Yingbin dispatched two patrol ships to the waters near Santa Maria Island, about 30 nautical miles southwest of the river mouth, to carry out early warning missions.

Their mission was crucial: to quickly relay the warning message back to the main anchorage via pre-arranged fireworks or cannon fire the moment the Spanish task force arrived in the area.

Now, the entire fleet is quietly waiting for its prey to arrive.
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(End of this chapter)