"The Spaniards have a whole army, and they seem to have a plan." Pravda reported on February 4, 1646. In this article, the Coasters recount in detail what the new Superintendent did when he arrived in La Plata, and focuses on the refurbishment of the Buenos Aires coastal forts and the garrison forts, as well as the recounting of the entry of some of the Spanish warships from Callao into La Plata via the Strait of Magellan, and their preparation for a permanent station.

An intern journalist named Lai Tat-yen commented: "The new supervisor next door has wantonly undermined the mutual trust between the two countries, and this move is suspected of provoking an inter-regional arms race." Whether it is a new battery, a new fortress, or a new fleet, all of them have greatly deteriorated the international situation in our country. Such an approach by the Kingdom of Spain is not the attitude of a responsible Power. ”

Álvaro sat in his room and watched his son Alvarez's translation of the highlights of Pravda. His son has been learning Chinese for many years and can read the newspapers of the people on the East Coast. And these newspapers were also obtained by him from the East Coast through special channels, and to be honest, it was not easy. Because on the East Coast at this time, the people who could buy a copy of Pravda every week were not ordinary people, at least above the middle class. Being able to get newspapers from these people, I have to say that the Rodriguez family has a lot of connections.

Although Alvaro was very uncomfortable with the content and wording habits of Pravda, this did not prevent him from understanding the general meaning of the articles in the newspaper. The name -- well, Lai Tat-yan or Lai Dayan's journalist is very inflammatory, and he first recalled the "good relations" between the East Coast and La Plata in the past, such as the joint construction of the Colonia Free Trade City, the joint fight against British and French piracy along the coast, and the beef cattle trade that benefited tens of thousands of people in both countries. At the end of the article, he sharply criticized the policies of the new La Plata superintendent. Accusing it of undermining mutual trust between the two countries. Attempts to provoke an arms race. Hurt the feelings of the people of the East Coast. I believe that anyone who has read the article of the Lebanese reporter will have sympathy for the people on the east coast and involuntarily feel disgusted by La Plata's "reckless militarism".

"It's ridiculous! It is ridiculous that the people of the east coast, who have several formidable gunboats of the battle line, thousands of standing troops, and militia reservists who are several times as large as them, and who have a frighteningly high ratio of soldiers to civilians, are now the first to accuse the people of La Plata of being reckless! Sure enough, it's a shameless infidel, everything is someone else's fault! Álvaro muttered disgruntled as he spoke. While patiently continuing to read the newspaper summary.

"Lift the mystery of the infantry regiment of La Plata - the new sword of the Spaniards!" The February 11 issue of Pravda once again brought the news from La Plata to the headlines. In the article, it was the royal pen named Li Dayan who learned that the Spaniards had formed a new regiment in Santa Fe, the La Plata Regiment, under the command of Major Anthony, through interviews with some Central and Southern Europeans who had been smuggled to the port of Rocha on the east coast.

"The regiment has an establishment of more than 1,200 people, all of whom use new flintlock rifles, and also have a number of light and heavy artillery, and their combat effectiveness is relatively strong." "Since its founding in the second half of last year, the regiment has participated in numerous battles against the Indians, slaughtering thousands of peace-loving Indians, and suppressing a large number of freedom-loving gaucho herders," the article continued. Right now. They also targeted the people of the East Coast, and they worked hard day and night. We have reason to believe. After the appointment of Inspector García, who was known for his cruelty and harshness, it is possible that the commanders of the Troupe de La Plata, in order to gain the approval of the Governor, will take tough measures against the people of the East Coast and destroy our beautiful and peaceful life. ”

"Ridiculous! It's ridiculous! "Álvaro was almost. This Lebanese reporter is really shameless, forget it if the organization and equipment of the La Plata regiment are not clear, after all, they don't understand the actual situation, but where did this massacre of Indians start? They had a few fights with the Indians, but the problem was that all the engagements were mostly frontal, and the massacres were largely non-existent - well, that's because they were going to capture slaves. Moreover, the suppressed gauchos are also horse bandits, and this kind of person is not hunted down on the east coast itself? By alluding to the massacre of Indians by the Spaniards, Lai hints to the reader that sooner or later the La Plata regiment will do the same to the people of the East Coast.

"Now it's clear that the people on the East coast are really sensitive to the situation, and they do feel a strong threat, as you can see in their newspapers. It's a pity that the officials and gentlemen of La Plata are still getting by, thinking that the people of the East Coast will not and cannot afford to start a large-scale war in the short term. "Álvaro, as a veteran who has been wandering for many years, did see a hint of unusual meaning from these two issues of the newspaper. Maybe he doesn't know how to occupy the moral high ground and prepare public opinion, but that doesn't mean he can't feel the smell of gunpowder burning in the air.

How did you suddenly come to this point on the brink of war? Álvaro thought to himself, a little disappointed.

"The official closure of the Colonia Free Trade Market marks the end of relations between the two countries." In the third issue of February 1646 (published on 18 February), Pravda again reported the details of the closure of the Colonia market in the form of a sensational headline. In addition to the narrative report, the article also includes interviews with a number of people from the East Coast. Among these are officials from the State Material Reserve, the State Textile Administration, the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as some merchant groups.

One of them, a pagan businessman named Zhu Heng, complained to Li Dayan, who had been officially converted from a trainee journalist: "In fact, many merchants in La Plata are liars, they look down on others for no reason, and at the same time they are so stingy that they can bargain for a long time for the quality of a bag of wool." To make matters worse, this time many merchants cheated us out of the deposit for the wool order, and then disappeared under the pretext that the Colonia market was closed, which made us very angry! There was a wool merchant with the surname Rodriguez who had swindled me out of a deposit of three hundred and fifty yuan, and I cursed him to go to Jizo King Bodhisattva! ”

It's this Li Dayan again! No matter how good Alvaro is, he is also a little angry at this time. The journalist's article was sensational, and the interviewee's words were also gunshot and sticky. For example, the phrase "there is Rodriguez in the surname" made Álvaro's face even hotter, although he was sure that the people in his family had not done this kind of dishonest behavior of defrauding the deposit, but the word Rodriguez still made him angry, because it was difficult to guarantee that many people who did not know the truth would think that their family had done such a dishonorable thing.

"In the vicinity of New Königsberg, the students of the 35th Regiment of the Guards Regiment fought valiantly, thwarted the enemy attack, killed and wounded more than 60 enemies, and captured a number of Spanish-speaking combatants. After interrogation, the men were from A Coruña and had many years of combat experience. According to the Chairman of the Standing Committee, this is the second time that people on the East Coast have encountered so-called foreign volunteer fighters who speak Spanish. He himself did not believe that these people had nothing to do with the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, and that the Spaniards were obliged to give a convincing explanation for this. But when our correspondent Lai Tat-yen interviewed Bravo, a Spanish Baron based in Port Vostochny, he arrogantly refused the interview, perhaps indicating a certain attitude of the Spaniards. The content of the latest issue of Pravda, published in February, calmed Álvaro's anger and sent a chill through his heart.

He knew too well the lethality of the report, which was enough to make the middle class (skilled men, military officers, wealthy peasants, captains, merchants, small business owners, etc.) who had grown up with the country on the east coast feel a great dislike for the Kingdom of Spain. What is even more desperate is that there were not many Spaniards in these so-called middle-class (as the Spaniards called them), either the Dutch and the French, or the pagan Livonian and Ming, who had no affection for the Kingdom of Spain at all—and now with disgust and hatred.

These people are the backbone of society, and if they don't have a good opinion of Spain, it means that the country of the East Coast Republic as a whole has no good opinion of Spain, which is actually a terrible thing in Álvaro's view.

After reading the four issues of Pravda in February, Álvaro felt nothing but a deep sense of despair and powerlessness. The relationship between La Plata and the East Bank has reached a crossroads, and one wrong step could mean war! This is something that Álvaro cannot afford. But in today's La Plata, or even in the entire Viceroyalty of Peru, no official of the kingdom could accurately foresee the threat of war, and they were so intoxicated by the glory of the Kingdom of Spain that they were blind to the country's weak army, their lack of understanding of the strapped finances, and their ignorance of the chaotic situation. All of them were like an ostrich, burying their heads in the sand and facing their fat butts at the East Coasters. The East Coasters can kick the Spaniards in the ass at any time if they want to.

Álvaro sat in his room reading newspaper summaries, during which he emptied two bags of high-end tobacco imported from Virginia, showing his irritability. After a long time, he finally got up, and after bathing in the backyard, he changed into a new set of clothes, and then boarded a luxury carriage imported from the east coast, escorted by Domingos and other saber retinues, and headed for the General's Palace. He felt obliged to inform Governor García of the grave situation now facing La Plata, so that he could quickly take measures and adjust his policies, preferably to avoid the outbreak of a tragic war between the two sides. (To be continued......)