Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 109 Narrow Road
March 1629, 2, early morning.

On the vast blue sea, five armed merchant ships flying the Burgundy Cross flag of the Kingdom of Spain were sailing in the waters on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, slowly meandering towards the north against the strong northwest monsoon.

The sunlight shines on the deck, shining with a blue light, and the sails are inflated, like giant eagles spreading their wings and soaring.

Seagulls circled around the bow, making sharp cries, as if driving away these big guys that were preventing them from catching fish.

The sailors on the ship were busy. Under the scolding of the boatswain, they tightened the sails and constantly adjusted the sail angles to ensure that the ship could make full use of the sea breeze.

At this time, the northwest monsoon was prevailing, forcing the five armed merchant ships to move in a "Z" shape with difficulty so that their sails could better catch the wind.

On the lower gun deck of each ship, there are eight to twenty cannons installed. Through several open gun windows, one can see the cold and gloomy muzzles, exuding a cold murderous intent, demonstrating the power of the Spanish Kingdom's maritime hegemony.

Yes, since pirate ships have been ravaging the Pacific coast for two consecutive years, many merchant ships have had to reinstall the cannons stacked in the bottom of the hold on the gun deck so that in times of danger, the ships can have a certain degree of defense and not be hunted and eaten like lambs to be slaughtered.

The fleet's commander, Captain Plutarco Elias Calles of the San Jose, stood on the high platform at the bow, holding a monocular telescope and carefully observing the surrounding sea.

His face is full of traces of time, and the blue sea and scorching sun have shaped his tough character.

"Captain, are we going to continue our journey north to patrol the west coast of America this year?" the first mate Alvaro Obregón asked softly.

"Yes." Captain Calles put away his telescope and said with a wry smile, "When we return to Acapulco with this fleet, the Governor and General Gomez will undoubtedly order us to patrol the northern waters again to search for pirate lairs."

"Oh, my God!" Obregón complained. "The American coast is long and rugged. How can we find the pirates' lair with just a small exploration fleet? You know, last year we made it all the way to San Francisco (present-day San Francisco), but in the end we found nothing."

"Then, let's travel a little further north this year. Maybe we'll get lucky and stumble upon the pirates' lair."

"Captain..." Obregon was at a loss for words when he heard that. "Captain, even if we follow the coastline all the way to the northernmost tip of America, we might not find those damn pirates. As long as their camp is a little inland, even just a few hundred meters, with the dense coastal forest providing cover, it would be difficult for us to spot them even if we passed by."

"Well, you're quite right." Captain Calles nodded and said, "So, we can only rely on God's blessing and hope to find them suddenly and unexpectedly."

"But this aimless search will be a great torture for our crew." Obregón hesitated for a moment, then said boldly, "Patrolling the northern coast will take at least four or five months. During this time, the crew will not only endure the harsh sea environment, but will also not receive any additional income. Therefore, the sailors..."

"I know they have great complaints about carrying out this mission, but we must obey the orders of the Governor's Office and the Military Council."

“But we are not soldiers…”

"But we are citizens of the kingdom," Captain Calles sighed. "I know that when we were ordered to patrol the northern waters, no one received any additional compensation, which greatly reduced the boys' income and caused them to feel resentful. However, we must accept and obey the orders of the Governor and General Gomez, because they represent His Majesty the King and the authority of the kingdom."

"Actually, there should be many Native American tribes along the northern coast. If we observe carefully, we might be able to gain a lot of useful information. ...Well, then, I will reduce the necessary restrictions and constraints on the crew's actions on shore. I think this may slightly inspire the sailors' enthusiasm and soothe their inner discontent."

“…” After hearing this, Obregon was stunned at first, then a bitter smile appeared on his face.

Well, if we break into a few Indian tribe camps, we can also steal some valuable things, such as furs, copperware, or possibly gold.

Oh, you can also capture all the Indians onto the ship, and after returning to Mexico, sell them all to the mine owners and plantation owners to make some money.

"Alert! Ships are coming from the northwest!" At this moment, the lookout on the mast suddenly issued a warning, "Two three-masted sailing ships! ... About a league and a half away!"

Captain Calles immediately raised his monocular and looked in the direction indicated by the lookout. He saw two sailboats appear in his field of vision, one in front of the other, on the northwest sea.

The other party seemed to have noticed their presence and was adjusting its course, preparing to turn west-southwest.

"...It's them!" Obregon pointed at the two ships and shouted excitedly.

"Yes, it's them." Captain Calles' face was solemn. He turned to him and ordered, "Send a signal immediately to the Ocotal and the St. Vincent. Have them turn northwest and join us in intercepting those two pirate ships! Also, send a signal to the other two armed merchant ships. Have them follow closely behind the San Jose."

"Yes, Captain!"

"All right, men, the pirates have appeared! ... Now, let's intercept them, get close to them, jump onto their decks, kill their sailors, capture their ships, and take their loot. ... God will help us!"
-
"Signal the 'Zhengtu' to avoid engagement and head west at full speed." Wei Yingbin stared intently at the five Spanish armed merchant ships charging from the southeast and shouted, "If you lose contact with us before nightfall, continue on your original course and rendezvous at the originally planned anchorage."

"Yes, Commander!"

Originally, the two ships were scheduled to sail to around 12 degrees north latitude, enter the North Equatorial Current, then turn west, pass through the Marina Islands and the Philippine Islands, cross the Pacific Ocean, and finally reach the coast of Ming Dynasty with smooth sailing.

However, they unexpectedly encountered five Spanish armed merchant ships in the waters near Nicaragua.

Judging from their posture, it is obvious that they are here with ill intentions, and the ship is most likely equipped with a large number of artillery.

Perhaps these armed merchant ships are the Pacific Squadron mentioned by Pedro, which came specifically to "hunt down" them.

Tsk tsk, my good luck over the past three years has probably run out, and I unexpectedly have a formal meeting with the Spaniards here.

However, we cannot continue fighting at this time and should escape as quickly as possible.

Qiming Island only has two large ships capable of ocean voyages, and they must not be damaged in any way.

In the vast ocean, five Spanish armed merchant ships, with several huge sails hoisted, were like five sharp swords, chasing the two fleeing "pirate ships" in front.

Although the crew on the Spanish ship were all veterans and had pushed the ship's speed to the maximum, the headwind in the initial period caused the ship's speed to lag far behind the pirate ship in front, causing the distance between them to gradually widen from one and a half leagues to two leagues.

This made the fleet commander Calles very anxious, and he frequently urged the sailors to quickly adjust the sail angle, increase the windward surface, and increase the ship's speed as much as possible.

This group of pirates has been wreaking havoc on the west coast of America for two years, attacking two coastal towns, killing, injuring and looting nearly a hundred people of the kingdom. They have committed so many evil deeds that we are determined to capture them.

What made them even more crazy (jealous) was that it was said that the "St. Louis" which was fully loaded with oriental goods was hijacked by this group of pirates three years ago.

Oh, by the way, the hijacking of the Maria might have been done by them as well.

If they could capture these pirates, they would not only receive the Governor's commendation, but also, after forcing them to reveal the location of the looted property, they might get lucky and make a fortune.

So, guys, work hard!

(End of this chapter)