Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 77 The Decisive Battle: The End ([-])

There had been a strange silence between the two sides since the preliminary agreement with the Spaniards was reached on July 7, namely, that the East Coasters controlled the land and the Spaniards controlled the sea.The Spanish main fleet was still cruising in the sea off the line from Rocha to Dayu River. The six warships were divided into two groups, with the "Rock of Cadiz" and "Countesa Alfonso" as flagships respectively.Two groups of warships patrolled in shifts, one group rested at the port of Buenos Aires, and the other group faithfully performed patrol and blockade tasks.After all, the two sides have not yet concluded a formal peace treaty.

Post-war reconstruction is proceeding in an orderly manner. More than 700 Spanish prisoners of war were urged to get up by the police of the Ministry of the Interior every day before dawn, and then braved the wind and snow to go to various construction sites to work until night.After more than a week, several frail Spanish patients died of exhaustion on the construction site.Of course, the effect of doing so is also very significant. As of July 7, these Spanish prisoners of war have repaired more than 28 houses, drilled 800 wells, built a 10-meter-long aqueduct, and dug three water storages. pool.

……

The winter in Buenos Aires is warm. Even in this cold era, she has maintained a temperature above zero most of the time.

Salvador Angel Bravo opened the curtains, and a large amount of water mist condensed on the inner walls of the luxuriously decorated glass windows.The interior is warm as spring, and the charcoal burning in the fireplace adds enough heat to the room.Salvador, in pajamas and a fluffy Turkish rug, walked barefoot to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of wine.This is a wine made from vineyards in Asunción. Although the taste is slightly inferior to local and French wines, it has a unique flavor, which adds a touch of color to the night in El Salvador.

Baron Salvador Bravo rang the bell on the wall, and soon his valet and private secretary entered.

"Gilberto, how's the quality of those guys?" Baron Bravo said slowly, sipping the red liquid in his glass.

"It's very fine." Gilberto smiled, "Whether it's from Santa Fe or the local businessmen are very rich, especially Manuel Ignacio Rodriguez who runs the ranch , he sacrificed thirty horses to us at one time."

Baron Bravo chuckled, playing with the glass in his hand, and said: "This is really a ridiculous and strange war. From Buenos Aires and Santa Fe to Asuncion and Charcas, Almost all native civilized people are looking forward to the defeat of the kingdom in order to satisfy their growing greedy desires. It’s amazing, haha, now their wishes are fulfilled. The defeat of the kingdom resulted in the loss of nearly two thousand soldiers and several A battleship, and even the righteous Viscount Fernandez was inspired by the Lord, but all of this actually made these people's pocketbooks."

"It was the departure of Viscount Fernandez that freed up the position of commander-in-chief for you. In any case, the Tartans won the war. The sluggish colonial army is not their opponent at all. They have the right to claim a share of their own That piece of cake." Gilberto continued, "After the establishment of Colonia, a trading town with the Tartans, the annual benefits will not be less than 20 pesos. Your Excellency, please Believe me, the Tartans will not be so honest as to only transport 500 tons of materials to trade each year. Moreover, they themselves have a great demand for La Plata's products, and the profits in this are astonishing!"

Salvador smiled and poured the remaining wine in the glass into his mouth, closed his eyes and tasted it carefully. "Okay, then sign this peace treaty. I hurried from Lima to deal with the mess, and I didn't expect such a good thing to happen. As for the heartbroken Mrs. Valerie left after the death of Viscount Fernandez, When I get back to Lima, I will make it 'good' to her."

Gilberto smiled knowingly.Then he seemed to think of something again, and hurriedly said: "His Excellency Inspector General Romero mentioned a young army captain serving in the La Plata area before he left Lima——Juan Cruz Torres, He is the youngest son of Earl Torres, and the Earl has an influence that cannot be underestimated in the affairs of the West India Academy..."

Salvador tried hard to remember for a long time before he remembered who Torres was.

"That poor boy," said Salvador with a sigh, "he looks completely broken. Shoulders bent, lifeless, unresponsive, he must be under the witchcraft of the Tartans, what a poor fellow." He is a child of the nobles in Valladolid and Madrid's salons more than two years ago, and now he is a poor man played by fate. Fortunately, he also has a father who loves him, well, Perhaps the rank of Major is a fitting tribute to Captain Torres for his devotion to duty against the Tartans and his tenacity to the last minute. Of course, someone has to pay for this lost war, Antonio Carlos The Major is also notorious in Lima for being too cautious and indecisive, and he is not suitable for such an important position as Superintendent of La Plata. Oh, and, I almost forgot. My deputy, Task Force The Admiral of the Fleet, the son of that lowly swineherd, who commanded the whole campaign, has proved his foolishness and ignorance, and he should take his own responsibility. Am I right, Gilberto?"

"You are the new governor's plenipotentiary envoy and commander-in-chief of the task force ①, and now your will is La Plata's will." Gilberto complimented.

With the help of Gilberto, Salvador put on the clothes, and then asked casually: "What are the conditions of the Tartans? I mean other than trade, damn it, the descendant of the pig herder hasn't even given the original document to I've seen it even once!"

"The Tatans have made a lot of territorial claims." Gilberto helped Baron Bravo get the top hat, and said, "It's just some uninhabited and wild land, maybe some Jesuit missionaries will set up there. Mission areas, but not many after all. Neither the kingdom nor the Brazilians are interested in it for the time being.”

"It's the Jesuits again! Damn it!" Baron Bravo put on his courtesy and said a little angrily, "These guys are always messing with me in the Chilean area. My ranch is so short of manpower, this gang of Jesus The missionaries of the church still think that those lowly Araucans are the free people of the kingdom and the flock of the Lord, and they are not allowed to be captured by my faithful servants. Absurd! Absurd! Civilized people are the protagonists of this world, and these lowly The barbarians of Araucan are only worthy of us as slaves. Well, stop talking about these spoilers, and throw all those lands to the Tartans! Let them teach those Jesuit missionaries a lesson! Gilberto , Let’s have breakfast with me, La Plata’s deep-sea cod is quite famous. You know, you can’t eat such fresh cod in summer and autumn, and only at this time can we have a taste of delicious food.”

"It's a great honor, Your Excellency the Baron." Gilberto bowed.

……

August 8th.After waiting for more than ten days, Salvador Angel, the new commander-in-chief of the Spanish task force and special envoy of the Governor of Peru to Buenos Aires by land from Lima via Chalcas, Asuncion, and Santa Fe, Baron Bravo arrived in Port Rocha on the battleship "Countess Alfonso".

The special envoy of the Peruvian Governor set off from Lima in mid-July, when the news of the disappearance of Viscount Fernandez aboard the "Toledo Fanatic" had just reached Lima.Somewhat disturbed, Governor Gutierrez decided to send his trusted Salvador to La Plata to replace the hapless Viscount Fernandez.Baron Salvador Bravo set off from Lima, and his entourage brought a large number of horses, and hurried all the way, and then arrived in Buenos Aires in early August.

The next story is clear to everyone. The Baron Bravo, who came here in a hurry, suddenly found that he had nothing to do, except to sign a peace treaty with the Tartans.

Of course, his faithful servant Gilberto soon finds him something new to do.The local merchants privately requested the governor's plenipotentiary special envoy, Baron Bravo, to sign a peace treaty with the Tatans as soon as possible, to end the current state of war between the two sides, and to open trade between the two sides as soon as possible.To this end, Álvaro, the son of Manuel Ignacio Rodriguez, a local businessman, leader of the landowners and municipal councilor of Buenos Aires, made a generous gift on behalf of the local businessmen , and promised to give Lord Baron a share of the trade income generated by the trade town of Colonia that will be opened in the future.

His Excellency the Baron was naturally beaten by sugar-coated bullets, and he readily agreed with the merchants.Therefore, on August 8th, he arrived at the port of Rocha on a warship.At the same time, Gao Mo, the foreign minister and chief negotiator of the East Coast Republic of China, arrived at Luocha Port under the escort of two platoons of cavalry.

Twelve o'clock sharp.Gaumo boarded the battleship "Countesa Alfonso" in a transport boat, and then signed a peace treaty with Baron Salvador Angel Bravo, the plenipotentiary envoy of the Governor of Peru, in the captain's room in the luxuriously decorated poop of the warship. The content is as previously agreed.

This peace treaty, known as the "Rocha Peace Treaty", is in duplicate, without witnesses, and is kept by both parties.At this point, after five months and 5 days of hardship, the Kingdom of Spain and the East China Republic finally ended the state of war.

The next morning after the signing of the peace treaty, all the Spanish warships withdrew from the Dayu River to the Rocha line and returned to Buenos Aires.At noon, the soldiers of the first platoon of the cavalry battalion entered the simple pier of Rocha Port, and raised the American Eagle Army flag on the pier, officially declaring their sovereignty.

①The Spanish fleet generally has a fleet commander-in-chief and a fleet commander.The Commander-in-Chief is the Commander-in-Chief of the entire fleet and the soldiers on board.The fleet commander is generally just the commander of all warships, and is the second-in-command to the commander-in-chief.

(End of this chapter)