Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 234 Declaration of War
In everyone's inner world, there is more or less the dual impulse of construction and destruction. Unfortunately, traditional history often regards violent politics - conflict and war, devastation and destruction - as the main theme.

History often records the conquest and killing of some people by others, but rarely describes people's achievements in breaking through ignorance and building great things.

If all the wealth and energy that humans have consumed in violent conflicts over thousands of years were built into a golden wall, it would probably be thousands of kilometers long.

On the contrary, the effort put into creation and construction is pitifully small.

But even so, the spiritual and material achievements created by mankind are enough to make all heroes, tyrants and butchers pale in comparison.

As soon as Lieutenant José Andrés Guardado stepped onto the Shixing Port dock, he was immediately shocked by everything here.

At the same time, a strong desire for possession and destruction also arises.

The pier that extends straight into the sea from the shore is built with large blocks of stone (cement). It looks not only extremely solid, but also very neat, as if it were cut by a knife or an axe.

There are several towering pulley booms at the dock, which look very delicate and should play a positive role in improving the efficiency of cargo loading and unloading.

A large section of breakwater was also built along the coast, still made of large stone blocks.

There are several artillery batteries on the east and west sides of the port. Through the half-covered walls, you can vaguely see the powerful cannons inside.

Behind the fort, there is a small diamond-shaped fort to protect its rear and flanks.

It is obvious that if you want to launch an attack from the port, you will definitely be met with a fierce counterattack from the artillery.

As a professional military personnel, Lieutenant Guardado can be sure that there are definitely more than just a few artillery batteries in the port. There must also be coastal defense artillery batteries deployed on the hills with higher terrain and more open views, thus forming a deadly cross-fire against the enemy invading from the sea.

Near the pier, there are large houses, some made of brick and stone, and some made of wood, arranged in rows and lines in a very neat and uniform manner.

Many houses have numerical symbols painted on their walls, but I don’t know what they mean.

There are many wooden boats moored in the port, but they are very small. They should be fishing boats and flat-bottomed transport ships that can only sail near the coast.

Just a quick glance at the dock made him realize that some of the facilities here might be far better than those in Acapulco Port, and even better than some ports in mainland Spain.

Accompanied by an oriental-looking "pirate", Lieutenant Guardado was riding in a simple carriage towards their lair. He was surprised to find that there was a very good road leading from the dock to the city ahead.

The roads are wide and smooth, paved with large stones (cement), and there are simple drainage systems on both sides to drain the accumulated water on the road in time on rainy days.

This is simply unimaginable for a "pirate den" in a wild area.

However, what surprised him even more was yet to come.

When the carriage arrived at the city built by pirates, his eyes immediately widened.

Oh my God, they actually built a city!

The walls were built of heavy bricks and stones, covered with compacted earth to absorb the impact of cannonballs.

The entire city wall is jagged, with protruding edges extending outward like the sharp corners of a star, and artillery positions are arranged on each edge.

The wall is about five to eight meters high, with a wide walkway on the top for soldiers to patrol and shoot.

Although there was no moat outside the city wall, there was a wide trench, which prevented the enemy from quickly advancing to the city wall.

There are watchtowers at the corners of the city wall to observe the enemy.

Although it is impossible to get a glimpse of the entire city's scale, with such defensive capabilities, it is probably not something that can be easily conquered by just a few hundred soldiers.

After entering the town, Lieutenant Guardado found that the street layout was extremely neat, with clear administrative areas, commercial areas, workshop areas and residential areas, dotted with public squares and gardens.

He couldn't imagine how the "pirates" built such a neat and orderly city, and what it cost.

This made Lieutenant Guardado, who was accustomed to the chaotic and disorderly scenes of colonial cities, feel inexplicably shocked.

These "pirates" are not simple, and they don't seem to be as easy to deal with as imagined.

Half of the houses in the city are made of brick and stone, with blue bricks and black tiles, flying eaves and hanging walls, and gray multi-story buildings made of stones.

The exterior windows of many houses are still equipped with opaque glass (qualified transparent glass has not yet been developed), which reflects the sunlight and creates colorful colors.

The city has public facilities such as hospitals, schools, markets and city halls, showing that it has a relatively complete social governance model.

The occasional passersby on the street looked at him with angry and malicious eyes, showing an extremely unfriendly attitude. If it weren't for some uniformed soldiers (police) stopping them, Lieutenant Guardado believed that these people would have thrown stones at him or shouted insults.

In their eyes, they must have been regarded as invaders.

Of course, he didn't come here as a guest, but to issue an ultimatum to the "pirates" here on behalf of the Governor.

This is the sacred territory of the Kingdom of Spain, and the "pirates" must be expelled!
The carriage stopped in front of a two-story building. Lieutenant Guardado got off, straightened his gorgeous military uniform, then raised his chin and looked at the group of "pirates" opposite with a slightly proud expression.

The other party's look was filled with curiosity and doubt, but there didn't seem to be a trace of timidity.

Despite being watched by so many people, Lieutenant Guardado still stood straight, with his chin raised higher, and his eyes revealed a strong contempt.

Humph, what a bunch of rude pirates!
Could it be that he was so shocked to see the envoy of a great country that he forgot to invite him to sit in the small building?
The other party seemed to have realized his impoliteness. The two leading pirates extended their hands in an invitation gesture, then accompanied him into the small building with a smile on their faces.

After arriving at a spacious conference room, Lieutenant Guardado nodded slightly to the pirates present, then took out a document from a leather bag and read it out in a serious expression.

In the name of the Holy Trinity, by the grace and protection of God, King of Spain and the West Indies, Sovereign of Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia, Lawful Ruler of Portugal and the Algarves, Archduke of Austria, Proprietor of Burgundy, Milan, Brabant, Limburg, Luxembourg, and Guerdès, Master of Flanders and Artois, Successor to the House of Habsburg, Vicar of the Holy Roman Emperor, Conqueror of the New World and the Far Seas, Defender of the Catholic Faith, Punisher of Heresy, His Majesty the Great Philip IV, authorizes His Excellency Juan Martínez Montañez, Count of Ávila, Viceroy of New Spain, to convey this message to you:
"In view of your despicable behavior, you have repeatedly violated the sacred territory of the Kingdom of Spain, desecrated the purity of the Catholic faith, and attempted to shake the foundation of our kingdom with despicable means. We can no longer tolerate your barbarity and disrespect."

“Therefore, by the glory of the Kingdom and the will of God, we issue you an ultimatum…”

"...surrender immediately. You must surrender unconditionally to the Kingdom of Spain within one month of receiving this ultimatum and hand over all weapons, ships, and buildings."

"...compensation for the damages. You must compensate the Kingdom of Spain for all the damages suffered as a result of your attacks, totaling one million silver pesos, to be paid within three months."

"…Convert to the faith. You rulers and your subjects must immediately abandon your heretical beliefs, convert to Catholicism, and accept the guidance of the bishops and missionaries sent by our kingdom."

"... Hostage delivery. You must send the three most distinguished members of the pirate group to Mexico City as hostages to ensure your loyalty and obedience."

"...If you fail to fulfill these demands within the stipulated time, the Kingdom of Spain will dispatch its fleet and elite army with unstoppable force to reduce your territories to rubble and put your people to the sword. At that time, you will no longer beg for mercy; only destruction awaits you."

"…This ultimatum is the final will of my kingdom. It cannot be questioned or delayed. Your fate is in the hands of my Kingdom of Spain."

"May God have mercy on your souls!"

"..."

The Spaniard read the lengthy letter for seven or eight minutes before he finished. Then he raised his proud chin again and handed it to Luo Zhenhui, director of the Xinhua Decision-making Committee.

Luo Zhenhui took the statement, glanced at it casually, and then turned to look at Chen Rui.

"This guy said so much, what's the point?"

"...surrender, pay money, convert to religion, and send hostages." Chen Rui sneered and replied concisely and clearly.

"Surrender?" Luo Zhenhui smiled. "Where do they get the confidence to think they can easily make us surrender just by delivering an ultimatum? ...Are the Spanish really that arrogant?"

"Are the Spaniards crazy? They want us to surrender and pay money. Do they really think we are the same as the Indians?"

"Are you kidding me? You want us to believe in a religion? ...What religion? Taoism, Buddhism? ...Or some Five Poison Sect?"

"By the way, what's the point of sending hostages? Will the Spanish treat us well? ... If there's no good food and wine for every meal, we won't go!"

"By the way, the Spanish read so much, but didn't they mention any preferential treatment for us?"

"What preferential conditions are there? There's nothing much to say. Just based on the ultimatums they gave us, we can't agree to them!"

"That's right! Don't waste time talking to them. We've been preparing for so long, aren't we just waiting for them to come?"

"..."

"Tell him, if you want to fight, then go ahead!" Luo Zhenhui waved his hand, stopping the discussion in the conference room and turning to look at the Spaniards. "Since the Spaniards have chosen war, they must bear the consequences. We in Xinhua will not yield to anyone, let alone surrender without a fight. We will fight to the end until we achieve final victory!"

Chen Rui immediately translated his words to the Spaniard opposite him in a solemn and stern tone.

Lieutenant Guardado was not surprised by the "pirates'" reaction. He pulled another document from his leather bag and handed it to Luo Zhenhui. Then he said calmly, "Since you have flatly rejected our ultimatum, from this moment on, the Viceroyalty of New Spain will take necessary military action against you to safeguard the dignity and honor of our Kingdom of Spain."

After saying this, he nodded to the "pirates" present, then took a step back and turned to walk towards the door of the conference hall.

Wow, the other party was obviously well prepared and even the declaration of war was written in advance!
So, if we were a little timid and agreed to all the demands of the Spanish ultimatum, I wonder what the result would be?
Well, it will probably become their sanctuary like those Indian tribes in Mexico!
By the way, the Spaniards have been dithering for nearly two years. Why did they only now think of delivering a sternly worded ultimatum to Xinhua and then formally declaring war?
(End of this chapter)