Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 26 The Spanish Judgment

January 1626, 1, Mexico City.

The sun was rising, its golden rays filtering through sparse clouds, dappling the red brick roofs of the ancient city. The market was already bustling with activity, the cries of vendors mingling with the lowing of livestock and the clamor of passersby.

The streets of Mexico City during this period were narrow and winding, and the cobblestone roads were bumpy due to years of trampling.

In the square in the city center, the water from the fountain sparkled silver in the sunlight, and children were laughing and chasing each other.

In the distance, towering churches rose into the sky, their bells ringing in stark contrast to the bustle of the market. Priests, dressed in black robes, walked slowly through the streets, their faces solemn, crosses in their hands, and prayers in their mouths.

The streets are filled with the aroma of spices and roasted corn, and occasionally you can smell the scent of herbs coming from afar.

The stalls in the market are filled with colorful goods, bright cloth, exquisite silver jewelry and various pottery, attracting many eyes. In the corner, craftsmen are concentrating on hammering copper and iron, making utensils for daily life.

The grand and magnificent Governor's Palace stands in the center of the city. It represents the supreme power of the great Kingdom of Spain. In the name of the king, it issues various decrees and rules this vast and fertile land.

This tall and majestic building was originally built by the Aztec Emperor Motezuma II in the 16th century. When the Spaniards arrived, they naturally set up the Governor's Palace in this former imperial palace and converted it into the traditional Spanish style with a spacious atrium.

As the Governor-General of New Spain, Marquis Pedro de Rivera was King Philip IV's most trusted minister and the most loyal aristocrat. His responsibility was to guard this vast colonial territory for His Majesty the King and prevent Indian resistance and invasion by foreign forces.

Of course, there is a more important responsibility, which is to try every means to increase more income for the royal family.

In order to win the European war and defeat one sinister enemy after another, King Philip IV has expanded the size of the kingdom's army to nearly 300,000, and launched the most fierce attacks on the enemies of the Kingdom of Spain in several battlefield directions to demonstrate the kingdom's hegemony in Europe.

Under this situation, the Viceroyalty of New Spain received constant urging from the "Committee on Indian Affairs" and the Kingdom's Finance Committee, demanding that it increase the collection of "taxes" in the colonial territories and the amount of gold and silver mining and refining as much as possible to provide sufficient monetary funds for the kingdom's increasingly high war budget.

After taking a sip of the tea from the East, Marquis Rivera couldn't help but frown and put the cup down again.

I really don't understand why so many doctors recommend this kind of "leaves". He soaked them in hot water and drank it, but the bitter taste made him feel a little uncomfortable.

It would be better to have a glass of wine to cheer people up.

However, it is said that this kind of "leaf" has become increasingly popular among European aristocratic circles as a way to show noble status.

After all, this thing is not easy to obtain. Apart from the Netherlands and England who can get some from the East trade, only we Spaniards can indirectly purchase some tea from the Philippines through trans-Pacific trade, and then transport it to mainland Europe. It is worth more than gold.

I looked through some letters from Spain. The contents were trivial and boring. They were nothing more than which noble in the court had won the favor of His Majesty the King, which young lady was going to marry a talented nobleman, and the kingdom's army had won another great victory.

He put the letter aside and picked up several business reports from various places on the table.

"Hmm?" When Marquis Rivera turned to the second report, his expression became obviously solemn.

"What do you think about the pirate attack on Banderas Valley half a month ago?" Marquis Rivera summoned Agustín Ruiz Iturbide, secretary of the Governor's Office, and General Antonio López Santa Anna, commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, to inquire about the pirate attacks on the coastal areas.

"We received this report two days ago." General Santa Anna glanced at Secretary Iturbide, carefully considering his words, and said softly, "Unfortunately, that pirate group has almost completely plundered the Banderas Valley. I'm sorry, but when I say 'clean,' I'm not exaggerating."

"Because the pirates plundered that coastal town from almost everything. Gold, silver, currency, grain, livestock, poultry, farm tools, and even small items like dishes, cutlery, tongs, and spatulas were all taken. A merchant ship passing through the town was damaged and burned by the pirates, and the iron, copper, and some pottery on board were also looted."

"Before leaving, the pirates also abducted over thirty residents of the town, all of whom were craftsmen like blacksmiths, silversmiths, and leatherworkers. Fortunately, however, the pirates restrained their brutality and refrained from massacres or burning the town. During their five days of looting, they resulted in seven deaths and four minor injuries. Women and children were not abused or persecuted."

"Oh, so this group of pirates raided that town just to plunder supplies, right, General Santa Anna?" Marquis Rivera gave him a somewhat dissatisfied look. "Then where are these pirates from? ... English? Dutch? Or French?"

"Governor, based on the news from that town, we can't determine where the pirates are from," General Santa Anna said. "It's said that among the pirates there are Spanish and... people with Oriental features."

"There are Spanish pirates among them? And... people with Oriental faces?" Marquis Rivera was stunned when he heard this. "You mean, that group of pirates is from... the Philippines, or Japan? Oh, God, how is this possible!"

Can you cross the vast Pacific Ocean with just the kind of canoes that are local to the Philippines?
Japanese? That's even more impossible. I heard that their ruling general strictly restricted domestic merchants and civilians from going out to sea, and even issued some bans for this purpose.

During this period, the only Oriental people that the Spaniards came into contact with were the Japanese, apart from the indigenous people of the Philippines and the Chinese.

However, in his opinion, it was impossible for the "natives" of the above two regions to sail thousands of miles to our New Spain territory to become pirates, and even rob a remote town with little wealth.

Are they crazy?
"Yes, Your Excellency, Governor, we also believe this attack wasn't carried out by a group of pirates from the East," General Santa Anna nodded. "Our initial inference is that it was most likely launched by an Indian tribe. Only they would have looted the town, and only they could have launched a raid on Mexico from a hidden stronghold along the Pacific coast, boarding a ship. Furthermore, Indians and Orientals are quite similar in some ways, easily leading some to mistakenly accuse them of being the same ethnic group."

"How could an Indian tribe have a large ship capable of sailing the seas?" Marquis Rivera asked doubtfully. "I just saw the complaint from the Banderas Valley. They say the pirates arrived in their town on a massive three-masted sailing ship. Could those primitive and ignorant Indians have built a large ship?"

"Your Excellency, Governor, the news from the town says the pirates' ship is enormous, a giant warship," General Santa Anna said. "But we believe their claims may not be entirely accurate or reliable. Granted, they suffered unprecedented losses from the pirate attacks, so to highlight their own weakness and powerlessness and the pirates' strength and brutality, they may have exaggerated their descriptions, saying things like, for example, that the pirates' armed ships are enormous, that their muskets can fire continuously and at great distances, that they behave in a very well-trained manner, and so on."

"However, our military believes that both the pirates and the natives have very limited strength. Whether they are operating armed ships or wielding muskets, they are certainly no match for our Spanish army. Otherwise, they wouldn't have secretly chosen a remote coastal town as their target for looting."

"Governor, the reason we believe that group of pirates may be from an indigenous Indian tribe is because various reports from the town indicate that the pirates who betrayed the Spanish Kingdom all obeyed the orders of someone with an Eastern face... well, to be more precise, someone with an Indian face. Therefore, it's very likely that the Indian tribe received some assistance from an alien civilization, able to operate ships and use muskets, and most likely received some degree of military training."

"As for why they had a large ship sailing the seas and why they suddenly attacked a small coastal town in our New Spain Viceroyalty, it may be related to a merchant ship that recently lost contact. More than two months ago, among the three merchant ships returning to Acapulco Port from the Philippines, one named the 'St. Louis' failed to arrive as scheduled and disappeared. Many people say it encountered a storm at sea, and all the crew and cargo sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean."

"You mean, the missing 'San Louis' was captured by a certain Native American tribe, and then they took those sailors hostage, operated the ship, and launched a surprise attack on the Banderas Valley?" Marquis Rivera found it a little unbelievable.

"Yes, Your Excellency," General Santa Anna nodded. "Previously, the pirates who attacked our coastal areas of America were all from European countries. There had never been a single incident of an invasion by pirates with Eastern or Indian appearances. But why did this suddenly happen over two months after the St. Louis went missing? We boldly speculate that the St. Louis may have been caught in a storm and unfortunately stranded on a coast somewhere, where she happened to be captured by a local Native American tribe."

"And to avoid being killed by the Indians, those cowardly sailors offered to lead the natives in raiding the Banderas Valley, plundering a vast amount of supplies they needed. This explains why this group of pirates completely looted the town, taking everything from the residents' tableware to even the women's needlework. After all, those ignorant and backward Indians couldn't produce anything; they needed everything we, the Spanish, needed!"

"..." Marquis Rivera nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then asked expressionlessly: "So, where is this Native American tribe that attacked us?"

(End of this chapter)