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Chapter 1328 Chain Reaction
The reason for such a strange arrangement is mainly due to the topography of the Viceroyalty of Peru, which requires us to adopt a method that adapts to local conditions.

The Viceroyalty of Peru was mainly used to manage the colonies occupied by the Spanish Kingdom in South America, which roughly included Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, northern Chile, and western Bolivia in later generations, stretching more than 3000 kilometers from north to south.

Not only is the distance far, but the terrain is also complex. The entire viceroyalty is almost entirely built to the west of the Andes Mountains, the longest mountain range in South America. Along the way there are either lush tropical jungles or undulating mountains and rivers, with altitudes varying by several thousand meters.

Not to mention in the 17th century, even in later times, with railways and roads combined, it was not very convenient to cross this area vertically.

During the Spanish colonial rule, roads were built in some areas from large cities to the surrounding areas, but long-distance transportation was basically carried out by sea. It just so happened that the Viceroyalty of Peru was a long strip along the sea, and any place where ships could dock would become a node and radiate inland.

The Spanish relied on the convenience of sailing ships to defeat the indigenous people and rule the majority with a minority. But everything has two sides. Once this mode of transportation that relies too much on sea transportation loses its control of the sea, it will be stuck in a quagmire, unable to move, and unable to take care of both ends.

Settle and Du Wenhuan took over the port of Guayaquil quietly and without any warning. In addition to using the shipyards and port areas here to create favorable conditions for subsequent operations, another important consideration was to cut off the sea transportation lines between Lima and Panama.

As a result, most of the instructions issued by the Viceroy of Peru from Lima could not be delivered on time, and important cities in the Viceroyalty were unable to provide feedback. It would not be long before the entire Viceroyalty of Peru would gradually fall into chaos.

It is like a person's lumbar spine is injured, causing damage to the central nervous system, so that the brain cannot send commands to the hands and feet, and the hands and feet cannot give feedback to the brain. Isn't this paralysis of the whole body, and after a long time, it may become a vegetable.

The Port of Guayaquil is the waist of the Viceroyalty of Peru, but it is currently pierced by a sharp iron thorn. If it cannot be removed in time, the consequences will be disastrous.

Unfortunately, the Spaniards were too sick to survive, and their brains were unaware of the blow to their waists. Almost a month later, sporadic news was heard from some mercenaries who had managed to escape from the port of Guayaquil and successfully reached a nearby fishing village, and who were able to drive small fishing boats to avoid the blockade of the Ming Navy.

If it were a year ago, no one in the Governor's Office in Lima would have believed these rumors to be true. The Ming Empire was thousands of miles away, so how could it have crossed the ocean and suddenly captured the strongly defended port of Guayaquil? This was complete nonsense!

However, after a naval battle in which the colonial fleet was almost wiped out, the name of the Ming Empire Navy is now more famous in all Spanish colonies than the devil in hell. Everyone who hears about it changes color and everyone who hears about it is terrified.

It's finally here! Most Spaniards, including the Governor, sighed inwardly.

This outcome is not difficult to guess. Since the day the colonial fleet was destroyed, anyone who has a little understanding of the world situation would have thought of it. But just thinking of it is useless. If you want to avoid the bad consequences, you must take practical measures, and you can't be slow.

But a year later, what did the Spanish government do? Not a single warship was sent, and despite the governor's repeated letters to the king and ministers, nothing was done. More than 400 soldiers were sent from Havana, but they stayed in Panama City and refused to go south.

The problem of silver transport ships was solved. The Spanish government decided not to transfer silver from the Potosí silver mine through Panama City. Instead, the silver was transported by donkeys across the Catamar Desert to the port of Iquique, and then transported by silver fleets from the mainland along the Strait of Magellan once a year. This method was obviously an idea that the king and nobles came up with on a whim. These fat guys were far less concerned about the colonies than the white silver.

However, they could not provide a fleet sufficient to guarantee the sea power of the colonies, so they simply settled for the second best and ignored the safety of the Viceroyalty of Peru and just shipped the silver back to their country for their enjoyment.

However, the effect is always mutual. If the mother country gives up its colonies in actual actions, the colonies can also treat the mother country with the same attitude, especially when a crisis comes.

When they heard that the port of Guayaquil had been captured by the Ming army, the first people to react were definitely the high-ranking officials of the Governorate. Governor de Cabrera, who had already been beaten once, did not say a word and asked his family to pack up their belongings and prepare to move to the Potosí mining area that night.

But it is definitely not safe to rely on family members alone, so military generals must be brought along. It is impossible for the generals to escort the governor's family out of the city alone, so they must also bring trusted officers, and the officers will then select a more trustworthy unit...

As a result, the news that the Governor of Peru was going to flee spread from one person to another and soon spread throughout the city of Lima. Combined with the rumor that the port of Guayaquil had been captured by the Ming army, all the prominent figures in Lima panicked. They tried every means to sell their properties and move to the Potosí mining area with their families and valuables.

Then the prosperous city of Lima suddenly became a lawless place, with all kinds of theft, robbery and murder cases emerging one after another. The mixed-race people, natives and black slaves who were previously bullied by the Peninsular and Creole people finally had a chance to turn things around.

Although they don't dare to jump out and take charge openly, there are already obvious signs, as if a pot of boiling water is constantly bubbling, waiting for enough pressure to break free and burst out completely.

Faced with this situation, Governor de Cabrera was powerless. On the surface, he pretended to be calm and claimed that he had never planned to leave Lima, but secretly he was still busy secretly sending his valuables and family members out of the city.

I hope that more accurate news will be delivered in the near future to tell everyone that the port of Guayaquil is still there and the war is far away. Then I will flaunt my heroism of living and dying with the city, buy some high-quality industries at low prices, and resume my original life.

However, a fire at the University of San Marcos completely ignited the emotions of the people and plunged the entire city into chaos. Mobs and groups of armed elements were everywhere, and all commercial stores, warehouses, and docks were looted, and many houses of the Peninsula residents were also affected.

Finally, Governor de Cabrera had to order the troops in the city to gather at the Plaza de Armas and escort the families of the Peninsular out of the city in batches. He also left this nostalgic and hated city through the side door behind the church with the last two carriages and valuables.

This time Governor de Cabrera finally chose the right answer. If he still held on to the illusion that he would not be abandoned by his motherland, what might greet him was the butcher's knife of the mob or the bullets of the Ming Army.

(End of this chapter)