Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 499

Warm and humid air from the South Atlantic brought a downpour of spring rain to La Plata.

In the city of Buenos Aires, the poor municipal facilities were exposed under the spring rain.The overflowing sewage filled almost every inch of space on the narrow streets. These muddy liquids mixed with garbage, human and animal feces, and dead rats flowed in front of the doors of every house.Pedestrians were struggling to find a place to set off on the road. Occasionally, a noble carriage passed by, and the splashed sewage made these decent middle-class people dirty. An unbearable pungent smell.

The tramps who huddled at the foot of the roadside wall laughed at this, as if the misfortune of this respectable man could bring them great pleasure.They laughed so happily that some coughed violently and flushed sickly.

"You humble vagabonds, God never intended for you to eat a meal of white bread, nor to live in a bright, dry, beautiful house. Rats as companions. Repent, proletarians, you are a disgrace to this city." The middle-aged man whose clothes were stained by the carriage cursed angrily.His upper body is a fine silk and short wool blend jacket, his lower body is a pair of black cotton trousers, two purple stockings below the knees, and a pair of light blue whale leather shoes with natural patterns.

There is no doubt that he is a rich man.The trousers were dyed with the famous East Coast black (Anilin Black) and were sold at an unusual price.The same is true for socks, the dazzling purple color seems to be the famous East Coast purple (aniline purple), the natural dyes in the old world cannot produce this effect, it is far from it.As for the pair of leather shoes, they must be high-end whale leather shoes sold by people on the east coast. This was once all the rage in Buenos Aires and Asuncion, and was the favorite of countless nobles and big businessmen.

When such a noble gentleman put on a serious face and lectured a few boring tramps, one can imagine how terrified they should be.And they were indeed like this at the beginning, it was their instinct to be in awe of gentlemen, but maybe the unexpected heavy rain today aroused their anger, and soon, a homeless man launched a counterattack: "Come on Come on, lord of shoes, you will soon be able to tell me no more, because I am going to the east coast, where my boy Zamparini made a fortune, and he has two horses at home. Horses, five cows, and fine silks and china sent from the Orient, his family lived the life of gentlemen in La Plata by the Duck Lake. I'm going to be like him soon, and I'm going to Got rich, ahem..."

"Matri, this guy with a sense of superiority seems to be Alvaro Rodriguez from the north of the city. I hate him when I think of him. This guy once hired me to help him dig a canal, and he was exhausted. I couldn’t get enough to eat, and my feet were soaked in the water. But he only gave me four silver pesos in the end, instead of the eight pesos originally negotiated. He even withheld our rations, and at night Let's just live in the wilderness, God, what kind of a natural villain would do such a thing, he should go to hell!" Another tramp stood up to support the one who had just spoken.

Alvaro's face froze when he heard the words. He squeezed the rapier at his waist first, then put it down again. After a heavy snort, he turned and disappeared into the boundless rain.In the distance, a few candle lights have been hung in front of some shops. The bright candlelight is shrouded in a glass case, somewhat dim in the rain.

Alvaro hurried into a store that mainly sold metal farm tools, dyed leather goods, and general hardware products. The owner Thiago immediately let out an exclamation when he saw his owner coming in in a mess.

"Father, why did you become like this?" Alvaro's son, Alvarez, also came out of the store, holding a ledger in his hand, as if he was calculating something.

"The car was damaged outside the city, and Domingos led people there to guard the goods. After all, it was the priceless whale oil soap bought from the east coast, and there is no room for carelessness. I have something to do in a while, so I will go first I’m back, and I met a few homeless people talking nonsense on the road, it’s really bad luck.” Alvaro still didn’t seem to be free from the anger just now, he slammed the saber at his waist on the table, and said There was a loud bang.Fortunately, the rosewood table imported from the east coast was strong enough, and after being hit by a heavy saber, there was not even a mark on the table.

"Why are there so many homeless people in the city?" Alvarez asked a little strangely, "Father Ramirez and Captain Tavares are currently recruiting homeless people and beggars to join the army, and they are planning to go north to Paraná to preach Go to join the Guarani people there. They should all go away, why are they still in Buenos Aires? Who gave them food? Are they crazy?"

"Captain Tavares' recruiting campaign didn't go very well, and at first it was thought that he was going to the Paraná mission to fight the Mamelucos and Sao Paulos of the Brazilian Slavery Banners - as they had for decades However, some people later rumored that this time they were going to the Rio Grande do Sul Mission, southeast of the Paraná Mission, to fight against those vicious East Coasters, which caused many people to fight Back off." Alvaro changed into a set of clean clothes under the service of his servants, and then explained to his son.

"Damn war!" Alvarez complained, and then he couldn't help saying to his father: "Father Ramirez asked our United Chamber of Commerce to sponsor at least [-] silver pesos, and at the same time, the missionary areas will also add more money." Taxes are collected to pay for the high maintenance costs of the mercenaries from the Old World. I heard that the Guarani people in Paraguay are extremely enthusiastic. Not only did they donate a lot of money, they even volunteered to join the church army to save them Loved ones in the Rio Grande mission."

"This is really absurd, where are the savages in Paraguay and the barbarians in Rio Grande del Sur related?" Alvaro snorted and said disdainfully: "This is all trying to find legitimacy for my actions. However, the church has developed rapidly in the Parana River Basin over the years, armed a large number of Guarani people, and rumors of the fiasco of the St. Rio Grande do Sul mission, heh, do they think they are dying? East coast people are comparable to those cowardly Sao Paulo people? Barbarians are barbarians after all, even if they have put on a cloak of civilization, But still a savage."

"Compared to savages, I actually hate heretics more." Alvarez looked at his father's face and said firmly: "Although I have done a good job in business dealings with people from the east coast, But they are heathens after all - a group of heathens who persecute Christians vigorously. This is an unforgivable crime. Although they have created an extremely civilized, rich and amazing life, heathens are inherently sinful. In the name of God, They all deserve a harsh and fair religious trial."

Alvaro sniffed his sleeves, and there still seemed to be a faint smell, which made him very distressed.Soon there will be a banquet from all walks of life in Buenos Aires to welcome the Inspector General who has recently arrived in La Plata. As a representative of the local business community, he has successfully increased his property in recent years relying on the prosperous trade with people on the east coast Alvaro Rodriguez, who has grown several times, will naturally be present, and the mayor will undoubtedly introduce him to the distinguished "Peninsula" (the Inspector General) as an important local gentleman .

Alvaro looked at the luxury pendulum clock imported from the east coast worth [-] pesos placed on the table by the wall. It seemed that there was still some time, so he quickly decided that it would be better to take a bath first.Tiago quickly ordered two Sicilian maids to prepare the expensive East Coast whale oil soap, thick white towels—well, also East Coast goods, high-quality hardwood bathtubs—Or East Coast goods, and finally some from the East Coast. Kashmiri perfume imported by the Ottomans. After everything was ready, Alvaro went to the backyard and began to take a bath.

"Tiago, bring my cloak and rapier, I want to meet Dominguez." Alvarez looked at the light rain outside the window and said with a sigh.

"It's dark outside and it's still raining. This is not a good time to go out. Domingos has served in the Flemish Legion for many years, and he knows the gaucho horse bandits on the grassland and the Italian tramps. All tricks, nothing will happen." Thiago said with some hesitation.

"No, you don't understand what I mean." Alvarez said without doubt, "I want to send all the Hungarian contract slaves in the convoy to the country farms. The new supervisor Garcia is a ruthless character. , is the descendant of that lowly pig herder who has decreed the overslavery of indentured slaves throughout La Plata and enlisted them in large numbers to guard against the East Coasters. I hate the East Coasters too, but Garcia This kind of stupid thing done by the Superintendent is likely to get the whole of La Plata into big trouble. Forget it, I can’t take care of that much. It’s important to hurry up and transfer those dirty Hungarians to the countryside. In order not to be caught by that pig herder."

After speaking, Alvarez put on a high-quality raincoat made of whale intestines from the east coast, took four servants with swords, and drove away from the shop.Thiago looked at the dark rain curtain outside the door, and sighed, La Plata was undercurrent, and the good days seemed to be coming soon.Closing his eyes, Thiago can still remember the tragic battle that took place in Rocha more than ten years ago. The soldiers on the east bank wearing blue and red-trimmed military trousers stepped on their shiny military boots beside him who was injured and fell to the ground. It was a feeling of helplessness he didn't want to experience again in Buenos Aires.

(End of this chapter)