Chapter 68

Since 1518, when Cortés led six hundred Spaniards, two hundred Indians, and several blacks to begin the exploration and conquest of Mexico, Veracruz has been the first colonial settlement he ordered to be established. A century later, Veracruz has developed into one of the largest cities in New Spain. Every spring, the fleet "Flota" from Seville, Spain, primarily docks at Veracruz.

The arrival of the Flota brought great prosperity to Veracruz. Timber from Campeche, pepper from Tabasco, tobacco from Córdoba, cochineal from Oaxaca, raw silk from Manila, silver bars from Guanajuato, local vanilla, indigo from Honduras, sugar, salted meat, leather, and other goods gathered here to trade with the machinery, bricks, mercury, iron, steel, weapons, gunpowder, clothing, hats, wine, wax, and other supplies brought by the Flota. During the month when the market was open, the tax collectors in Veracruz collected so much money that their hands ached.

In mid-July, Veracruz was still relatively humid and hot. Inspector General Alfonso Romero was having a dinner with the dignitaries of New Spain. Due to the immense power represented by Romero, almost all the influential officials in New Spain, along with their families, had come to Veracruz.

The attendees included the Viceroy of New Spain, the President of the Royal Audiencia of Mexico, the President of the Royal Audiencia of Guadalajara, the President of the Royal Audiencia of Guatemala, the Governor of Panama, the Governor of New Mexico, the Governor of Texas, the Bishop of Mexico, the Commander of the Flota, prominent local merchants, provincial governors, mayors of major cities, and renowned artists...

Alfonso Romero, the Inspector General, was the second son of the old Marquis Romero. Unable to inherit the title, he was sent to the royal court at a young age to learn etiquette, which also gave him the opportunity to gain the king's favor. Last year, he secured a plum assignment from the king—accompanying the "Galeones" fleet to the "Spanish Main" to inspect the kingdom's territories in the New World.

The young King Philip IV was concerned about his officials in the Americas, so he decided to send trusted officials from the mainland to inspect the entire American territory to ensure the royal interests were not compromised. After a fierce competition, Alfonso Romero successfully obtained this lucrative assignment.

After setting sail from Seville and landing in Santo Domingo, Romero traveled south through Cartagena, Riohacha, San Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Asunción, Charcas, Mendoza, Santiago, Concepción, Lima, Quito, Panama, Acapulco, and Mexico City, finally arriving in Veracruz. In nearly a year, the Inspector General had traveled through most of Brazil, Peru, New Granada, and New Spain, and his personal wealth had multiplied many times over. This was his last night in Veracruz; the next day, he would set off for Havana, where he would wait for the Flota and the Galeones fleets to converge, and return to Seville in March of the following year.

To bid farewell to the Inspector General, the Viceroy of New Spain gathered all the important figures in the territory for this farewell dinner. The farewell dinner was grand and the atmosphere was lively. Governor Gonzalo personally gave a speech: "... Mr. Alfonso Bianca de Santis Romero is an elegant, learned, astute, and wise gentleman. He comes from an ancient knightly family, is devout to the Lord, compassionate to all, and adheres to the code of chivalry, earning the admiration and favor of His Majesty the King..."

After a lengthy speech, Alfonso Romero raised his glass with a smile and thanked everyone: "His Majesty the King sent me to the New World to inspect his territories. After a year of inspection, I want to say that the governance of the gentlemen of New Spain has left a deep impression on me. You have faithfully fulfilled your duties, managing mines, factories, plantations, ranches, and ports in an orderly manner, creating unimaginable wealth for His Majesty. I will report your achievements to His Majesty, and I am sure he will be pleased to see your accomplishments. Let's raise a toast to His Majesty the King!"

"To His Majesty the King!"

Following this, the dinner entered a free phase. Many officials and nobles who were usually stationed in different regions had a rare opportunity to catch up and chat, and to introduce their nephews and nieces into this social circle. While the gentlemen gathered to chat about various topics, the beautiful ladies and young misses excitedly exchanged recent gossip and anecdotes, often bursting into collective exclamations or laughter, which attracted the attention of many men at the dinner. Especially the young nobles who had come with their elders, their eyes lingered repeatedly on these ladies.

Governor Gonzalo's daughter, Miss Juana, with her beautiful face and slender figure, was a natural leader in this circle. She was listening with great interest to a young noble lady from Panama recounting some news from the south.

"A few months ago, when I was staying at my aunt's house in Santiago, I heard that some Tartar pirates had attacked southern Chile. These Tartars had about a dozen ships, and they would always land at night in small boats, then plunder every village or town they encountered. God, they were so cruel, even robbing the property of the Church and monasteries." Miss Diana, with her freckled face, narrated in an exaggerated tone, constantly making the sign of the cross.

Her news undoubtedly caused a chorus of exclamations from the bored young ladies, which gave her a slight sense of satisfaction.

"Tartars? Miss Diana, how can there be Tartars in Peru? As far as I know, the Tartars live near the barbaric Russians and the evil Turks. How did they cross the vast ocean to reach the New World?" Miss Juana was not an uneducated noble lady; on the contrary, she had received a systematic and excellent education, thanks to her father, Governor Gonzalo's doting.

"I don't know..." Miss Diana's face turned slightly red, eager to gain Miss Juana's approval, she quickly explained: "It's true! When I was staying at my aunt's house, the news of the Tartar attack had already spread throughout Santiago, and many men were conscripted into the army. My brother serves in the fleet in Callao, and Governor Gutiérrez of Lima has already ordered his fleet to set out to eliminate these Tartar pirates. It's said that these Tartars have threatened the silver mine transport lines in Valdivia, and the governor has ordered them to be eliminated as soon as possible."

Miss Juana listened thoughtfully and then quickly changed the subject: "Ha ha, dear Diana, it seems you had an extraordinary adventure. Let's not talk about these depressing topics anymore. Let's chat about something else." Soon, she and the other noble ladies began discussing the sweet cocoa from New Granada.

While the ladies were gossiping about some strange news from the distant south, some of the important figures from New Spain were also having a quiet conversation.

"I heard that Gutiérrez's men suffered a major defeat in the La Plata region," said a middle-aged man in army dress, holding a glass of wine. "Poor Viscount Fernández was confirmed dead off the Strait of Magellan, along with two warships and 150 musketeers from the Peruvian fleet. According to news from Chile, it was likely the Tartar fleet currently raiding the Chilean coast that did it."

"Yes, I heard that too. It's a sad story," said another middle-aged man in naval dress, sipping his wine. "The Tartars' performance has surprised me, especially their cunning and tenacity. Chiloé Island, Chacao Strait, Concepción, Valdivia River... all these places have been or are being raided by them. The Peruvian fleet from Callao has set out, but the Tartars are playing hide and seek with them at sea. Everything looks very difficult."

"Yes, Raúl, everything is very difficult," the middle-aged army man sighed. "The Araucanians in central and southern Chile are also becoming restless. Especially in Chiloé, the damned Tartars, after raiding the port of Castro, left a large number of weapons to the lowly Araucanians before they left. These Araucanian slaves used these weapons to massacre many of the kingdom's settlers. They even sailed to the mainland to attack colonial settlements, assassinate local officials, and incite miners to revolt. In short, the situation in the south is not optimistic."

"The military forces in Chile are not very sufficient. The frequency of Araucanian uprisings has increased by more than thirty percent in the past month, and the brutality is unprecedented. They have started to use some muskets, which has caused a lot of trouble for the troops suppressing the rebellion. The Governor of Peru is now feeling uneasy. The La Plata and Chile regions are consuming a large number of troops, and the Audiencias of Ecuador and Upper Peru have begun to conscript civilians in small numbers. Governor Gutiérrez wants to quickly stabilize the situation or end the war. I'm not worried about Chile, but I'm not sure if the generals in the La Plata region can achieve this. I know Major Antonio Carlos, he is a cautious person, but lacks initiative, and perhaps sending him to lead the army in La Plata is not a very suitable decision."

① Flota, Galeones: Spanish fleets that set sail from Seville annually in spring and summer, docking in the Caribbean and the New World colonies for trade, and returning the following year.

② Cochineal: An insect containing a substance that can be used for dyeing.

③ Raw silk was transported from Manila to Acapulco via the North Pacific and the coast of California by the Manila galleon fleet.

④ Spanish Main refers to the region of New Granada, roughly including present-day Colombia and Venezuela.

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