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Chapter 1332 The golden cicada escapes from its shell
In addition, there was a high possibility that reinforcements would not be sent from the mainland, because the Spanish and European armies had all gone to the east. No one expected that the Ming Empire would dare to fight on two fronts and launch a large-scale attack on America at this time.

The best way to deal with this situation is to run, first to a safer city, and then find an opportunity to board a ship and run back to the mainland. There is really nothing you can do before you completely defeat the Ming Empire. They will come when they say so, and you will have no time to react.

Where to run to? Just as Wu Bing guessed, the Potosí mining area. That place is called a mining area, but in fact, after nearly a hundred years of development, it has become a city, and there are regular Spanish troops stationed there, which can ensure safety.

But the Potosi mining area is not the ultimate goal, it is just a transit station. The ultimate goal is to wait for the annual silver fleet to arrive, and then bring the whole family and the property accumulated over the years on board the ship and return home.

Just trying to escape from Lima to the Potosí mining area is not an easy task. Not only are the two places thousands of kilometers apart, but there are also mountains and deserts along the way. There are some places with high altitudes where even horses cannot pass, and donkeys are necessary.

Obviously, it is very difficult to get to the Potosí mining area from land. But can it be reached from the sea? Of course it can be reached, and the difficulty has been reduced a lot. Especially after the construction of the new silver transshipment port, you can take a boat directly from Lima, and then switch to a donkey to cross more than 400 kilometers of desert to get there.

"Governor, since you already have a complete plan, why don't you board the ship from Lima Port? At least the church's sailboats are available. The priests should be willing to send us anywhere, including Panama City. Wouldn't it be easier to return to the mainland from there?"

Sitting on the horse's back, swaying along the bumpy road, and looking at the endless mountains in the distance, the archbishop was a little confused. Since they were going to take a boat, why go through so much trouble? If they were afraid of being seen by others during the day, they could just sneak on the boat at night.

And don't go to the Potosí mining area, go directly to Panama City. There are sailing ships that sail directly to Seville, and you can set sail at any time as long as you pay. As for the safety issue, there are 200 Spanish regular troops following, which blind captain would dare to have any bad intentions?
In fact, once you arrive in Panama City, the bishop will have his own way. Whether he should return to his homeland is another matter. The church does not need the King of Spain to appoint him. If he cannot stay in the Peruvian diocese, he can look for a vacancy in the New Spain diocese.

"Bishop Alex, you don't quite understand the strength of the Ming Navy. Since they suddenly appeared in the port of Guayaquil and landed to occupy it, it must be not just a few ships, but a large number, a very, very large number!
I'm not sure it's a good idea to sail north past Guayaquil, but if you insist, you can go north once you get to San Antonio, where there are more than one ocean-going sailing ship and enough sailors."

Cabrera was fed up with the bishop's nagging, but he had endured it for so many years, so there was no need to turn hostile at this time. He immediately explained why he could not go north, and then gave him the right to choose freely.

"Thank you for your generosity, Governor. Please don't mind. I'm just a little curious." Going north alone? The bishop rejected it without even thinking about it.

"When did you come up with the idea of ​​hiding the ships in San Antonio? As far as I know, there is no port or even a dock there." But within two minutes, the bishop spoke again.

"Ever since I heard the news that Spain was forming a European coalition to march east, I had a premonition that this day would come. Now that the Ming Empire Navy has established a foothold in the Ming Islands, it will definitely not stop. There are only two choices: New Spain or Peru."

Governor de Cabrera was not exaggerating. The fall of Lima was not unexpected. He had anticipated this day since March and had secretly made corresponding arrangements. The first thing he would do was to sell his real estate, including shares in several estates, dozens of slaves, and some shops. The reason was very good. With the destruction of the colonial fleet, the governor's position might be lost at any time, so it would be convenient to have more cash in hand.

The second thing was to ask his trusted men in the army to pick three ships in better condition from the few remaining ships in the navy and sail them to a secret anchorage to be ready at any time. They were announced to the public that they were repaired in Guayaquil and Panama City, and no one would go to ask about them.

Now it seems that the initial guess was very accurate and the deployment was necessary. If it weren't for these three ships, I might be trekking along the rugged mountain road with the nobles and refugees in the city, and it would be questionable whether I could reach the Potosí mining area.

Even if they got there, they would have missed the arrival date of the silver fleet, and would have to wait another year. If the Ming army knew that there was a large amount of silver in Potosí, the mountain roads and deserts would not be able to stop them, and they would have nowhere to run.

"I heard from the believers that the ships of the Ming Navy often appear in the nearby waters and have exchanged food and fruits with the fishermen, paying with silver coins. If these rumors are true, then has your secret port been discovered?"

After hearing the governor's explanation, the bishop was not very happy. How could you think of it while he was ignorant? So he began to find faults, as if he could gain a lot from the loss of the governor's ship.

"There is no port there, just a small bay with many reefs at the entrance. Without local people to guide the water and find the most suitable tide, it would be very dangerous to enter and exit. The Ming Navy usually only wanders in the open sea, not too close to the port, and will not explore every place where ships can be moored.

Excuse me, I have to go to the front to discuss the itinerary with Lieutenant Downs. The speed is too slow. We must get to the destination before the Ming army finds out about our whereabouts and catches up with us! "

How could Governor de Cabrera not hear the hatred and ridicule in the bishop's tone? He really didn't want to continue chatting endlessly with him, so he quickly found an excuse to spur his horse away.

Wu Bing and Gao Budong's plan to go south was not carried out as planned because the situation in the city was worse than expected. In addition to the burning of San Marcos University, the mob also set fire to many buildings, including the Governor's Palace, resulting in a large number of fires. It took more than a day just to organize people to put out the fires.

In addition to putting out fires, people also need to be saved. The number of casualties in the riots was not large, but the consequences were serious. It was approaching September, and although it was winter in the southern hemisphere, the latitude of Lima was not high, and the temperature could still reach more than 9 degrees even in winter.

If the bodies in the streets were not cleaned up and buried as soon as possible, once an infectious disease broke out, this victory might turn into a great defeat.

(End of this chapter)