Chapter 69

The rumbling sound of cannon fire echoed across the entire sea.

Time rewound to a few days earlier. Off the coast of the Valdivia River, the Prosperity No. 1, flying the Spanish flag, suddenly opened fire on an approaching Spanish ship. The intense cannon fire stunned the Spanish, and the Spanish sailors who were waving their hands in celebration on the deck were instantly mowed down by grapeshot. On the other side, the "Galicia Flying Fish" also opened its gunports, and the rain of cannonballs fell on the poor Spanish ship, causing numerous large and small wounds.

Ten minutes later, the 400-ton fully loaded Spanish warship "Red Trout" slowly raised a white flag. When Julien de Aubry climbed onto the deck of this ship with his crew, he was shocked by the scene before him. The deck was littered with fallen sailors and crew members; many were already dead, but many more were still moaning in pain. The dead were generally killed by one or several small, oval-shaped projectiles, the work of grapeshot. Julien could only say that God had abandoned these poor Spanish people at this moment, given the brutal bombardment by large-caliber naval guns at close range without cover.

"Englishmen? Frenchmen? Or Dutchmen?" The captain of the surrendered "Red Trout," Falcao, coldly asked Julien as he boarded the ship.

Julien did not answer him. His sailors had no interest in the Spanish man's rambling and bound the surviving Spaniards, then sent them to the Prosperity No. 1 for detention, making it convenient for the officers to interrogate these prisoners of war at any time.

"You have violated morality and the laws of war by raising the flag of the Kingdom of Spain! You should be ashamed! Shameless Frenchmen!" The Spanish old man continued to rant as he was being led away from the ship.

"The victor is not condemned!" Julien suddenly replied with a phrase often on the lips of his men. After saying it, he was stunned himself, then slowly shook his head.

The "Red Trout" was in relatively good condition. Although it had been pummeled by nearly twenty cannons from Xiao Bai Lang's two warships at close range, the main damage was to the crew, not the ship itself. Julien ordered his men to fetch tools and spare ship materials from the "Galicia Flying Fish" and the Chiloé Island to begin a simple repair of the warship.

...

"Alright, noble Captain Falcao. I apologize for the less harmonious way we brought you aboard my flagship. In fact, we need to know the latest news about your country's fleet stationed in Callao. I believe you can give us a satisfactory answer, can't you?" Xiao Bai Lang said, looking at the Spanish captain tied up in a chair. After speaking, he signaled for Father Pedro, who had been urgently recalled from the shore, to translate.

The language genius Father Pedro cleared his throat and began to translate in broken Spanish. After a long pause, he realized that the man was staring intently at the ship's bulkhead, muttering, "Incredible, the ship is made of iron! Incredible! It must be the devil! Almighty Lord, please save my soul."

Father Pedro pursed his lips and kicked Captain Falcao doggedly, then repeated Xiao Bai Lang's question.

Captain Falcao, regaining his senses, spat at Father Pedro in anger. Looking at the priest's cassock, he said disdainfully, "The Lord will not forgive your sins, you shameless traitor who has joined the infidels! You violate morality and do not abide by the laws of war, relying on despicable and shameless tricks to win a trivial victory! I, Falcao from Valladolid, refuse to answer any of your questions!"

Father Pedro translated his words, and Xiao Bai Lang, hearing them, laughed in spite of himself. He instructed his men, "Alright, children, take this noble captain down to warm up. I hope this will help him correctly recognize his current situation. Be careful, don't overdo it."

Twenty minutes later, the bruised and battered Captain Falcao was dragged back by several strong sailors. Xiao Bai Lang, looking at the Spaniard lying on the ground, slowly paced back and forth, saying nothing. The sound of his leather boots hitting the floor echoed. Soon, Captain Wang Tietui of the Prosperity No. 1 entered the cabin with several sheets of paper covered in writing. He had just conducted a quick interrogation of some captured Spanish sailors and a few junior officers, and the papers contained the information he had obtained.

"So, Mr. Adrian Falcao from the Peruvian fleet, are you a bit more clear-headed now?" Xiao Bai Lang asked suddenly after reading the interrogation report. "Tell me, has the main fleet in Callao set sail? When did it set sail? How many warships are there?"

Adrian Falcao did not speak, but continued to mutter something, seemingly praying to God.

Xiao Bai Lang was momentarily speechless, then laughed bitterly. "Mr. Falcao, you are a devout son of God, perhaps you do not care much about your own life. Then, for the sake of your fellow sons of God, save your loyal and pitiful subordinates. In ten minutes, I will order their execution one by one. They have become our captives due to your foolish judgment, and now they will die unless I order their pardon. Do you understand? Brave captain, think about it."

"You are the devil!" Captain Falcao muttered, "Everything you do is devilish..."

"Like what you did to the poor Indians?" Xiao Bai Lang retorted. "I am losing my patience, Mr. Falcao. Your young lieutenant, Felipe Falcao from Valladolid, is about to be hanged. Pray for your nephew, poor man!"

"… My 'Red Trout' was here to scout. The main fleet in Callao has not set sail yet." Adrian Falcao struggled to speak, his expression extremely painful and complex. "The scheduled departure date is July 10th. Due to the war in the La Plata region, the fleet's pre-departure preparations were not fully completed, but the governor has ordered that it must not depart later than July 10th. This time, 8 warships will sail south, with the flagship being the 'San Lorenzo,' which has a displacement of 1,250 tons and over 60 cannons. Baron Nunez will command the fleet, and after sailing south, it will primarily resupply at Valparaíso and Concepción. General Santiago will, as usual, dispatch some army units to accompany the fleet."

"Why only eight warships? So few?" Xiao Bai Lang frowned and asked.

"If we wait another month, the Gayaanes fleet will arrive in Cartagena, then they will sail north to Bello Port. Governor Gutierrez must retain enough warships to escort the fleet to Panama City to trade with the large ships that come overland from Bello Port. The waters around here are not very peaceful, and English, Dutch, and even French pirate ships often come to plunder. Trade fleets without warship escorts are very dangerous, and the governor dares not take the risk," Adrian Falcao explained.

"That makes sense. But the Spanish really seem to respect us, sending half of the remaining warships in Callao to deal with us. I am truly flattered." Xiao Bai Lang, having obtained the information he wanted, said lightly, "Father Pedro, tell this captain that he and his crew are now pardoned from the death penalty. They will be detained by us until the end of the war. If someone is willing to pay a ransom for them, we will not object to granting them freedom. Take them to the lower hold and watch them closely, don't let anything happen!"

After the interrogation, Xiao Bai Lang sent people in a launch to shore to notify the landing party to quickly move the captured supplies to the "Galicia Flying Fish," while he and Wang Tietui discussed the next steps in a low voice.

"I think we should withdraw as soon as possible. Now many Spanish towns along the coast know we are here, and I think it will be increasingly difficult to raid on shore. There's no point in staying here. I suggest we head back to the Chiloé Island area, hand over some of the captured weapons to the Araucanians, and help them gain an advantage before the Spanish main force arrives, causing as much trouble as possible for the Spanish," Wang Tietui said cautiously, smacking his lips.

"Hmm, you have a point," Xiao Bai Lang agreed. "The further north we go, the stronger the Spanish presence, and the more dangerous it is for us. I think we should take what we can and head south, escaping before the Spanish main fleet arrives. As for what to do next, to be honest, I have no clear plan. The key to ending this war lies in the land battles. No matter how much we stir things up here, it's not the main battlefield. Only a decisive victory by the army can end this war."