Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 55 "We are far inferior to those pirate pioneers"

The ransom collection work in the small town of Manta has been going on for the second day. As of noon, a total of 18,000 silver pesos and more than 100 pieces of gold and silver jewelry have been delivered to the pirates.

However, the ransom amount collected by more than 800 residents of the city was still far below the pirates' demands.

The pirates seemed to be showing some impatience and issued a threatening warning to the city governor, Mr. Doroteo Arango, that if the city of Manta had not paid the remaining ransom by 5 pm, they would choose an opportunity to select ten residents and hang them in the city square.

Perhaps in order to intimidate the residents of the small town, the pirates, fully armed, forcibly confiscated the property of the two gentlemen. Ignoring their pleadings, they looted hundreds of silver pesos, a large amount of gold and silver utensils, and some valuable items that they had stored in their houses.

In this situation, the city governor, Mr. Arango, had to take the sheriff and several officials to go from house to house again to mobilize residents to pay him their respective shares of the ransom in full in order to calm the pirates' anger.

If this really angers the pirates and they start killing people, it will be too late to regret.

What's even more terrifying is that after the pirates failed to get enough money, they might hang him in the town square to vent their anger, and then loot his house and steal all his wealth.

You know, he had already paid a ransom of four hundred pesos to the pirates to save himself and his family from harm.

In the end, you can't lose everything, including your money and life.

If so, it would be a huge tragedy.

However, around three o'clock in the afternoon, the pirates suddenly began to prepare to evacuate the town of Manta.

They hurriedly collected the thousands of silver pesos that the small town had collected again, and quickly packed up the various scattered valuables and loaded them onto the ship. They covered each other and slowly retreated towards the dock.

Oh, it must be our Spanish reinforcements coming to rescue us!

The residents of the small town watched the pirates board the ship one after another, and they felt relieved and excited at the same time.

Many residents even rummaged through their houses to find muskets and rapiers, or farm tools like hoes and sickles, and quietly walked out of their houses to see if they could launch a surprise attack on the pirates while they were fleeing.

It’s no wonder we were so cowardly. We had to wait until the pirates left before we took up arms and defended our homeland.

Because, when the ransom was being collected yesterday, there were people who resisted, but these pirates were too strong and could not be defeated.

A dozen brave residents contacted each other, gathered together, and tried to launch a surprise attack on several lone pirates, but they were killed by the enemy's muskets before they could get close.

It would be fine if the pirates were armed with ordinary matchlock guns. Even if they suffered casualties, they would be killed before they could reload their ammunition. The others would rush forward and kill the pirates.

However, they did not expect that the enemy's muskets could fire continuously. Before they could rush within a hundred meters, three or four residents of the small town were shot one by one and fell one after another on the cold stone road.

Faced with this situation, the remaining people immediately lost their courage and courage. They shouted and fled in all directions.

Those small town residents who were ready to make a move quickly stopped their movements, closed their doors and windows, hid in their houses, and dared not show their heads again.

Therefore, during the subsequent ransom collection process, everyone obediently handed over their accumulated gold and silver coins.

Now that the pirates are about to evacuate the town, the residents can finally put their minds at ease.

You know, in the afternoon, when the city governor Mr. Arango brought people to collect the ransom again, he conveyed the pirates' threat, saying that if the total amount of ransom they demanded was not collected, they would choose an opportunity to select ten residents and hang them all in the city square.

Everyone was terrified, especially the residents who failed to pay the ransom in full, who hugged each other and cried.

Needless to say, the pirates must have chosen poor people like them who could not afford the ransom.

However, with the pirates' sudden departure, the situation took a dramatic turn for the better. We were all saved!

In fact, during the nearly three days of looting, these pirates were not as brutal as they imagined.

Apart from killing and injuring more than ten small town residents who dared to resist, they did not harm anyone and maintained extremely rare restraint. No vicious incidents such as arson and forced embrace occurred.

According to the town's elders, decades ago, the notorious English pirate Drake raided the Pacific coast. He not only robbed Spanish royal treasure ships but also frequently landed and attacked Spanish port towns, wantonly slaughtering the inhabitants and injuring many. Upon his departure, he even set fire to entire cities, leaving people both indignant and fearful.

Now, everything was over, and the pirates did not dare to stay any longer and had to return to their ship.

The big ship, which is different from any country's model, is raising its sails one after another and is about to set sail, leaving Manta and heading for the boundless ocean with the deep hatred of the residents of the small town.

Oh, if only they would be caught in a terrible storm and all buried at the bottom of the sea!
"It's said that decades ago, the British pirate Drake led sixty or seventy sailors to plunder more than 60 pounds of wealth along the Pacific coast of America, equivalent to the British royal family's annual income." Chen Rui threw a handful of silver pesos back into the box and curled his lips. "And the gold and silver we got in the small town of Manta this time is probably no more than pesos. We are far behind this pirate pioneer! ... Alas, comparing ourselves to others is really frustrating!"

"Although Drake also attacked three or five port towns, he didn't actually steal anything. The reason he had such a huge fortune was mainly because he was lucky. He robbed a Spanish treasure ship, which contained dozens of tons of silver alone." Zhou Yong hesitated for a long time while holding a silver peso coin, wondering whether he should take a bite to prove whether it was pure silver.

Forget it, I don’t know how many times these pesos have passed through so many hands, they might have carried some unknown germs.

"It would be great if we could also rob a treasure ship!" Chen Rui's eyes lit up when he heard this. "We don't need to rob too much, just 200,000 or 300,000 pesos. With this money, we can at least transport five or six batches of immigrants and bring back a thousand people."

"The ocean is vast, how could we possibly find a Spanish treasure ship?" Zhou Yong stuffed the silver coin into his pocket, intending to play with it when he had some free time. "Drake was incredibly lucky. He accidentally learned that the Spanish treasure ship was heading from Callao to Panama, and he chased it all the way, finally intercepting it in the waters near Ecuador."

"It's true that the Spanish were too arrogant, believing the Pacific Ocean was their own inland sea. So, an important treasure ship, unarmed at all, was captured by Drake through a boarding attack. Afterwards, Drake returned the ship to the Spanish and wrote a list of the loot, demonstrating his buccaneer-like behavior like an English gentleman."

"How come you know so much about the British pirate robberies?"

"There's an old game called 'Uncharted Waters,' have you ever played it?" Zhou Yong said with a smile. "One of the main characters, Otto Spinola, the captain of the British privateer fleet, was based on Drake. I read a lot about him back then, and even knew the details of how he robbed the Spanish treasure ships."

"Really? Tell me about it. If by any chance we encounter a Spanish treasure ship, we can learn from this English pirate."

"Come on!" Zhou Yong clapped his hands and turned to walk towards the gangway. "If you want to rob a Spanish treasure ship in the ocean, it would be much easier to just wait in the Panama port and wait for them to come to you!"

"Located in Panama? Forget it. Even though we have a few cannons on deck, our ship is no match for the Spanish. If they attract a dozen armed Spanish merchant ships and surround us, we won't be able to escape."

"So, don't dream of getting rich." Zhou Yong walked up the gangway step by step. "With the tens of thousands of silver pesos we looted, we can easily recruit hundreds of Ming Dynasty immigrants who want to make a living at sea when we get to the mainland."

"Of course." Chen Rui followed behind, still unwilling to give in. "I was just thinking that when I go to the Ming Dynasty to immigrate every year, I can't just go to Spain and grab a lot of people first, then rush to the Chinese mainland after I have enough money for the journey. After all, this is not a long-term plan. If one day I get lucky and walk into a Spanish trap, it will be very bad!"

"Instructor Meng has been talking to that Spanish smuggler. Maybe we can give him some of the goods we purchase from the mainland to sell in the future. If we can establish a smuggling network, it will be enough to support our annual immigration expenses to and from Ming Dynasty."

"Alas, who knows if this will work? What if that smuggler gets scared, backs off, and refuses to cooperate with us?"

"That's not necessarily true. After all, money is a powerful asset, and the profits from trans-Pacific trade are so lucrative, he might not be able to resist the temptation. At the very least, he didn't express any clear objection to Instructor Meng's proposal."

"If this goes ahead, it would be perfect. We can bring back immigrants from the Ming Dynasty and, while doing so, purchase large quantities of silk, porcelain, tea, spices, and other Eastern products. We can then resell them to them, earning the necessary gold and silver. We can then reinvest this money in the purchase of immigrants and Eastern goods, ultimately forming a virtuous cycle that will continuously strengthen the power of Shixing Fort."

"You are quite optimistic."

"If you are not optimistic, what else can you do? People must always have a little hope in order to persist in living well."

(End of this chapter)