Chapter 39

The 56 Spanish captives caused a sensation in Dinyuan Fort. Xiao Bailang and Lin Youde stared in amazement at the dejected Spaniards, at a loss for words.

On the city wall of Dinyuan Fort, the second watch commander, Lan Guo, who was on duty, led a group of people whistling and jeering, occasionally shouting out phrases like "real men," "brave," and "true tough guys."

Chang Kaisheng spat and ignored these heartless ruffians, walking straight into the fort.

"What's going on? Did you rob the Spanish?" As soon as he entered the city gate, Xiao Bailang nimbly rushed over and grabbed Chang Kaisheng's hand, asking. Lin Youde, standing beside him, looked puzzled and tense.

"Ha! It was the Spanish robbing the Portuguese. I just happened to run into them and decided to uphold justice." Chang Kaisheng joked carelessly, glancing at the two men out of the corner of his eye.

Over the past two days, Chang Kaisheng had come to terms with the situation. Since the deed was done, what could they do to him? They couldn't possibly send him to Buenos Aires to appease the Spanish lords. Besides, he hadn't fired the first shot, so he wasn't really at fault.

However, despite his words, Chang Kaisheng was still a bit uneasy. He偷 glanced at Xiao Bailang's and the others' facial expressions, and seeing no unusual reactions, he felt relieved.

The news spread to Tartan Port on the night Chang Kaisheng returned.

The meeting room on the third floor of the administrative building was filled with gloom. The unexpected armed conflict would have significant impacts and uncertainties on their cause, which was the topic of today's emergency executive committee meeting.

"Yesterday, I inquired. According to some Portuguese smugglers who came to trade, the Spanish in Buenos Aires have recently been launching frequent attacks against smuggling in the La Plata River area. Many unfortunate Portuguese smugglers and even native-born La Plata residents have been captured. Of course, these captures are not peaceful; the Spanish use force, as we encountered. Many of the captured smugglers have been hanged, and the rest have been exiled or sentenced to hard labor." Gao Mo reported the information he had gathered.

"The Portuguese have been involved in smuggling in the La Plata region for years. I estimate they have at least twenty secret trading posts on the eastern shore. The Spanish haven't been so diligent in the past. What's going on this time? Are they on the wrong medication, working so hard?!" The finance commissioner, Tang Yuan, said angrily. His trade department earned thousands of dollars monthly from smuggling, and it would be a pity to lose such a significant source of income.

"It's said that a royal inspector has arrived from the homeland," Gao Mo explained. "This inspector seems quite dedicated. He cannot tolerate these smugglers breaking the laws of the kingdom, or perhaps he cannot tolerate others breaking his piggy bank. This inspector recently went to Lima, where he may have exercised the powers of a viceroy, instructing the La Plata region to crack down on smuggling."

"The question is, how determined are they to crack down on smuggling? It's clear that they are no longer limited to maritime patrols but have begun using the army to raid secret trading posts on land. This is a dangerous signal. They must know of our existence. What is their attitude toward us? Will they also use force to eliminate us?" Xiao Bailang asked. This matter was significant, so he temporarily put aside his work at Dinyuan Fort to return for the meeting.

"It's hard to say," Gao Mo thought for a long time before giving an ambiguous answer. "The roots of the Portuguese smugglers are in Brazil. Although Portugal is currently under Spanish rule, given the Portuguese's traditionally cold attitude toward the Spanish, it would be difficult to cut off their roots from the top. Direct military action is also inappropriate, as it is nominally their own territory. We are different; we are outsiders, and with our limited strength, it's hard to say whether they will have any ill intentions toward us."

"How strong is the military in the La Plata region?" Peng Zhicheng, a military man, was only concerned about the strength of his potential opponents. When Chang Kaisheng had not yet returned to Dinyuan Fort, his subordinate, Jiang Zhicheng, had ridden ahead to Tartan Port to meet Peng Zhicheng privately. Chang Kaisheng's honest deputy had detailed the events to Peng Zhicheng, making him the first of the executive committee members to know the full story. After some thought, Peng Zhicheng felt that Chang Kaisheng had done nothing wrong and instructed Jiang Zhicheng to tell Chang Kaisheng to wait calmly.

"It's probably not very strong," Gao Mo said. "Based on the information we have and historical records, the regular military force near Buenos Aires should not exceed 600. Asunción might have more, around 1000, and with some intermediate towns, the total Spanish military force in La Plata is likely less than 2000."

"2000 people..." Peng Zhicheng mused. "That means if they send the army to deal with us, we would face at most 3-4 companies, or 900-1200 people, plus some volunteer militias, totaling no more than 1500 people."

"1500 people is already a lot," Wang Qianian shot a glance at Peng Zhicheng and said, "Can your army handle 1500 people? I've heard that the Spanish colonial army has a high proportion of musketeers, and many units are equipped with flintlock muskets."

"Don't worry about the army. You should be more concerned about the Spanish fleet. Even without considering the possible reinforcements from Peru, the few ships they have in the La Plata region are not something you can handle. Don't let them advance by land and sea, and then we win the land battle but get stuck at home because your navy has no boats. That would be a real injustice." Peng Zhicheng retorted. He was really annoyed with Wang Qianian, especially since their last conflict over the army reduction.

"Speaking of blockades, I think we should increase the import of strategic materials," the materials commissioner, Shao Shude, suggested. "For example, medicines, flax, cotton, gunpowder, copper, pig iron, lead, coal, and even livestock. We need to prepare for a long-term blockade. We are not short of gunpowder, copper, iron, and lead, but we are short of coal, medicines, flax, cotton, and livestock."

"Increasing imports is right, but it will take at least half a year for the goods to arrive. Will that be in time?" Xiao Mingli asked.

"You shouldn't overestimate the efficiency of the Spanish," Gao Mo said. "If the Spanish really plan to attack us, they will need to gather intelligence, prepare supplies, and assemble troops. The more people involved, the longer it will take. With the poor transportation, the time required to transmit messages and orders will be substantial. This war won't start in less than a year or two."

Ma Qianzu had been observing the discussion without speaking. Seeing that the discussion was nearing its end, he felt it was time to make a decision. "Comrades, whether the Spanish will attack us or not, we must be prepared for both scenarios. Militarily, we must continue the militia training we have been insisting on and train them strictly. In case of war, the army will expand, and these militiamen must be able to quickly form combat units. For the navy, we will start the recruitment for the navigation school two months early and increase the number of recruits to 90. Training and learning should go hand in hand, and these people will be the seeds of our navy."

After speaking for a while, Ma Qianzu took a few sips of water and observed the expressions of the others before continuing, "In terms of civil administration, I have summarized the following points. First, we must accelerate the stockpiling of materials, especially those we urgently need and cannot produce in the short term. Starting today, we will place orders with every trading ship that comes, and the price will be negotiable. The more and faster they deliver, the higher the price we will pay. Second, we must speed up immigration. Our current population, including slaves, is less than 6200. While a few thousand people may be a significant city in South America, the Spanish kingdom has a population of four million, and the La Plata colony alone has tens of thousands. We are far behind. Third, the Dinyuan Fort reclamation area is already quite large, with 15 production teams. In case of war, these scattered villages could be used by the enemy. Xiao, give me a clear answer: if war breaks out, can the people from the outside villages and factories be accommodated in the fort?"

"Definitely not!" Xiao Bailang replied. "There are 15 villages, 2 brick factories, 1 cement factory, and 1 livestock farm, with over 2000 people and hundreds of livestock. The circumference of Dinyuan Fort is only 600 meters, and it already houses a factory and a school. There is no space to accommodate them. Even if we could barely fit them, the infrastructure would not support it. The current housing, sanitation, and water supply facilities are designed for 300 residents, which is far from enough."

"Then we must expand!" Ma Qianzu turned to Shao Shude and said, "Is the construction team's workload heavy recently?"

Shao Shude flipped through his notebook and said, "Currently, the construction team has over 600 people, working on projects such as the 14th and 15th production team housing in the Dinyuan Fort reclamation area, the No. 1 road (Tartan Port to Dinyuan Fort), the capital city wall expansion, and the construction of the fourth port battery. The manpower is quite tight."

"Priorities must be set," Ma Qianzu waved his hand and said, "Leave one-quarter of the manpower for the 14th and 15th production team housing project; it's not a problem if it is completed later. The No. 1 road is not urgent, so pause construction. The manpower saved from these two projects should be transferred to Dinyuan Fort for fortification. If manpower is insufficient, we can find more. The European prisoners of war from the mines and the Charuas captured over the past year can be transferred to fortification. Future immigrants will be sent to you in batches to ensure sufficient manpower. You must not slack off; this enemy is not as weak as the Saint Christopher Company. If the fort is not completed in time, I will hold you responsible!"

"There is one more point I almost forgot," Ma Qianzu added. "Currently, most of our grain is stored in the reserve granaries built by each production team. At the time, they were built for convenience, without considering the risks. When the capital and Dinyuan Fort are expanded, we must build large reserve granaries. In the future, most of the grain harvested from the fields should be sent to the nearest city, except for a small portion left locally."

Ma Qianzu's suggestions were reasonable, so there were no objections. The next step was to implement these decisions. The current system of the time travelers was relatively efficient, and once the decision-making level made a decision, the entire machine would operate at a high speed.

① The royal inspector is sent by the royal family at irregular intervals. Upon arrival in the colony, they can immediately exercise the powers of a viceroy, interrogate officials at will, and generally act like a fully empowered imperial envoy in ancient China, with immense authority.