Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 610 The Dawn of Peace (Part Two)
The late autumn sun shone through the sparse clouds and onto the quiet villa garden on the eastern outskirts of Shixing City.

Several large maple trees in the garden have turned varying shades of yellow and sway gently in the breeze.

On a distant hillside, several children were chasing and playing, their laughter carried on the wind, adding a touch of vitality and warmth to the peaceful afternoon.

On the gravel path in the garden, two middle-aged men dressed in casual clothes strolled side by side.

Meng Shengxin, chairman of Xinhua's decision-making committee, stopped in his tracks, his gaze following the children playing in the distance, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Beside him was Premier Li Liang, who was somewhat thin and had a deep worry in his eyes.

"What do you think of the Spanish request for peace?" Meng Shengxin turned his head and asked softly.

Li Liang did not answer immediately. He bent down and picked up a golden maple leaf from the roadside, gently twirling it between his fingers, as if weighing the leaf or carefully considering his words.

"This war should end." He sighed softly. "Although we had the upper hand on the battlefield and seized a lot of spoils in the Spanish territory we occupied, this war has ultimately had a certain impact on our economic development."

He stopped and looked at the factory chimneys that were faintly visible in the direction of Shixing City in the distance: "In the past two years, in order to support this war, we have had to convert more than 40% of our industrial capacity to military use, and more than 100,000 people have served us directly or indirectly."

"Shipyards are building warship after warship, but the capacity of merchant ships and immigrant ships has not increased significantly. Several factories under Xinhua Heavy Industry are producing guns and cannons instead of machinery and agricultural implements. Although military orders have stimulated rapid industrial development, in the long run, it is ultimately a drain on people's livelihood and economy."

A gust of autumn wind blew by, bringing with it the joyful and excited laughter of children in the distance.

Li Liang's gaze involuntarily fell on the children playing, his eyes softening for a moment before turning serious again.

“However…” He paused, then gave Meng Shengxin a wry smile, “the price of peace is probably even more difficult to reconcile than the war itself.”

"Are you worried that the military hasn't had enough of the war yet and wants to continue it?" Meng Shengxin keenly sensed the hidden concern in Li Liang's words.

“It’s more than just not having enough fighting.” Li Liang shook his head. “The news from the military is that they’re willing to cease hostilities with the Spanish, but they want to seize large swathes of Spanish American territory, demand huge reparations, and even force the Spanish to allow the Guaymíye of the Asuero Peninsula, the Peténica Kingdom of Guatemala, and the Araucan people of southern Chile to completely break free from Spanish colonial rule and achieve independence, in order to weaken the Spanish colonial authorities in the Americas to the greatest extent possible.”

"Some have even proposed demanding free passage through the Isthmus of Panama to gain a land route to the Atlantic Ocean!"

At this point, Li Liang took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Meng Shengxin: "This is the peace proposal submitted by the military yesterday. Take a look at these conditions. If they were presented to the Spanish, they would be stunned and would reject them without hesitation."

Meng Shengxin took the paper cover, but did not open it immediately.

He gently twitched the paper cover with his fingers and said with a smile, "The military has its considerations. In this war, we have invested enormous manpower and resources and sacrificed hundreds of officers and soldiers. If the conditions are too lenient, it will indeed be difficult to explain to the thousands of soldiers still fighting on the front lines."

“But even if the Spanish are completely defeated, they will not agree to such humiliating conditions.” Li Liang said firmly, “Leaving aside other conditions, ceding territory west of the Sierra Madre and plotting to seize the Isthmus of Panama will undoubtedly make the Spanish feel deeply threatened and fearful.”

"As for the huge reparations of up to ten million pesos, given the Spanish people's poor financial situation, they probably can't afford it. Of course, it's not that they don't have money; Mexico and Peru have vast amounts of gold and silver. But the problem is that this gold and silver is the main pillar supporting Spain's war in Europe. If they are forced to spend a large sum of money on reparations, it will definitely lead the Spanish people into financial bankruptcy, and may even lead to the collapse of the Spanish kingdom, thus changing the course of the Thirty Years' War in Europe."

The two walked to a hexagonal pavilion in the center of the garden and sat down facing each other.

A servant brought over a tea set, poured hot tea for the two of them, and then quietly withdrew.

Meng Shengxin then unfolded the paper and began to read it carefully.

His brow furrowed and relaxed intermittently. Finally, he gently folded the paper cover again, placed it on the stone table, and took a sip of tea.

“Yes, these conditions are a bit harsh on the Spanish,” Meng Shengxin nodded and said. “But the military is very ambitious. They believe that the Spanish have suffered a complete military defeat and that there is almost no power to resist in the entire Spanish America. We, Xinhua, should offer even harsher peace terms in order to seize substantial benefits. If the conditions are too lenient, it would be unfair to the efforts of thousands of officers and soldiers who have fought for more than two years, and it would also be unfair to the hundreds of soldiers who died in battle.”

Outside the pavilion, a maple leaf twirled and fell, landing right in the center of the stone table.

Li Liang gently picked up the leaf, shook his head with a wry smile.

“But the problem is, we can’t just focus on the Americas,” Li Liang said. “We also need to keep a close eye on the situation in the Ming Dynasty and the surrounding countries and regions. One whale falls, and all things come to life. If the Ming Dynasty changes or suddenly collapses, no one knows what kind of situation it will lead to.”

He put down the maple leaf and took out a report from his leather bag: "This is the latest intelligence from the Ming Dynasty last month. Li Zicheng's peasant army has captured Xiangyang, established rules and regulations, and set up a complete set of court officials."

"Zhang Xianzhong's forces also took over Sichuan and established the so-called Great Western regime. The Jurchens outside the Great Wall were even more unwilling to accept this. In order to break the blockade, they joined forces with various Mongol tribes to break through the pass again, ravaging the capital region, Hebei and other places, plundering grain and wealth to alleviate their internal predicament. The Ming Dynasty, this dilapidated ship, was about to collapse and could capsize at any moment."

Meng Sheng remained silent when asked about the news.

"Therefore, we need to redirect our limited energy to the Ming Dynasty, which can have a direct impact on us," Li Liang continued. "Although we have slightly delayed the demise of the Ming Dynasty, its trend of collapse has not been completely reversed."

"Any increase or decrease in any force could lead to unexpected changes. We must deploy decisive forces on or near the mainland that can change and influence local areas."

In the distance, a boy of about four or five years old ran to the vicinity of the pavilion and curiously peered inside.

Meng Shengxin recognized him as Li Liang's youngest son and smiled as he waved to him.

The boy walked over timidly, and Meng Shengxin gently patted his head and took a pastry from the table and handed it to him.

The boy happily accepted the gift, said "Thank you, Uncle," and skipped back to the lawn. Watching the child's retreating figure, Li Liang's eyes softened, but then regained their politician's sharpness.

"I'll say it again: Spanish America will remain there and won't be moved. In the foreseeable future, no one will take it away," Li Liang said in a deep voice. "As long as we are strong enough and have a large enough population, we can take it whenever we want, and the initiative will always be in our hands."

"If that's the case, why should we push the Spanish too far? Weakening the Spanish too much is not in line with our strategy and would seriously change the geopolitical situation in Europe."

"I think that in order to keep the Europeans from interfering in the affairs of the Americas, we should support the Spanish to a certain extent and make them more aggressive in Europe."

Meng Shengxin stood up, walked to the edge of the pavilion, and looked at the distant mountains.

The autumn sun outlined the mountain ridge with a golden edge, creating a magnificent and tranquil scene.

“I agree with you,” Meng Shengxin nodded and said. “Spain is such a big country, how can we eat it in one bite? Not to mention, we don’t have that kind of appetite, even if we did, it would kill us.”

He turned around and looked intently at Li Liang: "As the saying goes, 'Don't bite off more than you can chew, and don't eat too much.' Taking over the entire California region is already the limit of our expansion. After all, our population is only a little over 500,000, and even with the Native Americans we control, it doesn't exceed 700,000. Where can we possibly take over such a large territory?"

Li Liang also stood up and stood side by side with Meng Shengxin: "Actually, if it weren't for the fact that there is a salt mine with rich reserves on the Baja California Peninsula, I think that using Nanping (San Diego) as the boundary would already meet our requirements. Such a large territory, stretching more than five or six thousand kilometers from north to south, even if we just fill the coastal areas, it would be enough for us to digest for a hundred years."

"As for demanding huge compensation..." Meng Shengxin continued, "We really don't need that much gold and silver. The gold mines in Jinchuan and Yongning Bay are enough for us to mine. If we demand too much, we might really push the Spanish to their limit."

As the sun began to set, it cast long shadows of the two of them.

The children in the garden had been called back inside by their mother, leaving only the rustling of the autumn wind through the treetops.

“In that case, we need to determine a reasonable bottom line for peace talks.” Meng Shengxin returned to the stone table, picked up a pen and started writing on the paper. “First, in terms of territory, we can temporarily use the Chishui River (now the Colorado River) as the boundary, so that we can encompass the entire California region.”

"Secondly, regarding the amount of reparations, I think we can ask for a symbolic figure, three to five hundred thousand New Zealand silver dollars, or even less. This way, we won't cripple the Spanish, and we can also give ourselves an explanation."

Li Liang added: "Third, regarding trade terms, Spain must open all its ports in the Americas and grant us the right to trade freely without any restrictions. Furthermore, in order to obtain these terms, appropriate concessions can be made regarding territorial cession and war reparations."

"There are also issues concerning Guaymier, the Petética Kingdom, and the Araucanians..." Meng Shengxin pondered, "We can grant these indigenous American powers autonomy and prohibit the Spanish from carrying out genocidal military attacks against them. In the future, this will make it easier for us to make some moves and take the opportunity to interfere in the affairs of Spanish America."

“This condition will most likely provoke the Spanish…” Li Liang hesitated for a moment, “Should we try a more subtle approach, such as acknowledging the Spanish’s nominal rule over them, but allowing them some kind of limited autonomy?”

The two discussed the various terms of the peace talks in detail, sometimes arguing and sometimes reaching a consensus.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire garden in golden light, and the discussion in the pavilion came to an end.

“The hardest part is not determining the conditions, but persuading the military to accept these relatively mild terms.” Meng Shengxin rubbed his throbbing temples. “A few days ago, after learning that the Spanish liaison representative had arrived in Shixing, Kuang Xu, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, specifically sought me out, saying that he wanted the Spanish to cede all the land north of the future US-Mexico border, thus laying the foundation for the initial territory of our Xinhua.”

Li Liang smiled wryly: "This condition is obviously unrealistic. It will make the Spanish feel the strong expansionist intentions of Xinhua, which will then arouse their high tension and vigilance."

"Furthermore, with so much territory being demanded, where will we find the population to fill it in such a short time? Therefore, regarding the military's tough stance, it is up to you, Chairman, to appease them. After all, while the military has a distinguished record of military achievements, the long-term development of the country requires a more comprehensive consideration."

“Yes, I will find time to have a good talk with them.” Meng Shengxin nodded. “They are just too impatient. They always think that they can solve all the problems once and for all in their lifetime.”

"But the problem is, you have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to do things one step at a time. It's impossible for our generation to do everything for future generations all at once. That's unrealistic and doesn't conform to the laws of development. I think as long as we explain the reasons clearly, they will understand."

As dusk fell, servants came to light the lanterns in the garden.

The orange-yellow lights looked especially warm in the twilight.

"So, where would be a suitable place to hold the negotiations?" Li Liang asked.

Meng Shengxin pondered for a moment: "In order to demonstrate the Spanish people's willingness to make peace, I think the negotiation should be held on our own home turf. How about Nanping? It is both a front-line base and our newly occupied territory, which can make the Spanish people feel real military pressure."

“Good idea,” Li Liang agreed. “During the negotiations in Nanping, we can display our fleet and garrison at any time, allowing the Spanish representatives to directly experience our formidable strength.”

The two walked out of the pavilion and slowly walked back along the path they had come from.

Warm light shone through the windows of the villa, and the aroma of dinner wafted from the kitchen.

"What are your thoughts on the selection of the peace negotiation delegation?" Meng Shengxin asked.

“Let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs take the lead. Chen Rui has a good understanding of European affairs and speaks some Spanish, so he can serve as the chief representative.” Li Liang had clearly considered this beforehand. “The military can send Navy Commander Wei Yingbin to participate, both for supervision and deterrence. Our cabinet can also send a few economic and political advisors to be responsible for negotiating political and trade terms.”

“Alright.” Meng Shengxin stopped in his tracks. “Tomorrow, your cabinet will begin assembling a delegation and informing the Spanish side. We need to reach a consensus internally: the peace talks are not meant to humiliate the Spanish, but to give us more time to develop. We need peace, but it must be a dignified and beneficial peace.”

"Understood." Li Liang nodded. "We'll finalize the negotiation plan first, then discuss it at the Standing Committee meeting, and then begin ceasefire negotiations with the Spanish."

Standing on the terrace, Meng Shengxin gazed at the distant lights and murmured to himself, "Sometimes, knowing when to stop takes more wisdom and courage than relentlessly attacking."
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(End of this chapter)