And yet, not all was lost: help was on the way. By February 1821, the foreign aid requested by the " back in October finally materialized in the form of General Antonio José de Sucre, sent by General Simón Bolívar, President of Gran Colombia. Even more welcomed perhaps was what De Sucre had brought along with him: 1,000 muskets; 50,000 musket rounds; 8,000 bits of flint; 500 sabers, and 100 pairs of pistols. De Sucre's instructions were clear: "To liberate the capital city of Quito, whose taking will bring about the liberation of the whole Department", as the first step towards later operations aimed at securing the complete independence of Perú. Bolívar also informed Guayaquil that he would begin a simultaneous campaign from the north.