From Robinson Crusoe

The reunion of a father and son separated for a long time must be an extremely touching scene.

After the operation was over, Chen Zhou was also moved as he listened to Sunday's vivid description of the scene of Lu Si'er and her child shouting and hugging each other tightly.

Indigenous people are human too. Although they possess less knowledge, in terms of emotions and desires, they are no different from modern people.

A person like Lu Si'er, who cares deeply for her family and always maintains a heart full of concern and sincerity, would be worthy of Chen Zhou's approval, not just in the 17th century, but even in modern times.

After learning about Lu Si'er's ordeal and the whole process of searching for her son from Sunday, Chen Zhou approved Lu Si'er's request to "resign" and transferred her away from the seaborne logistics team.

Those who go out to sea on missions should ideally have few worries, so that they can fight or sail without distractions.

Now that there are enough people on the island, unlike before when Lu Si'er had to participate in missions. Moreover, Lu Si'er has been thinking about her child for so many years, and now that her dream has finally come true, it's time for her to reunite with her child and spend some time together.

Therefore, Chen Zhou specifically approved Lu Si'er to visit the child at school once a week.

The children who were captured were all given strict, closed-door education in schools, which was intended to correct the bad habits they had developed in the indigenous tribes from the most basic level.

Compared to other children, Ruth's child is lucky; the weekly reunion will help him get through this difficult and long time and support him in quickly adapting to his new life on the island.

……

Lu Si'er's story came to a close and achieved a happy ending, which greatly pleased Chen Zhou, who liked the cliché "happy ending".

However, the everyday matters of the islanders' lives, no matter how complicated, are nothing to worry about. What Chen Zhou was most concerned about was the issue of the Spanish armed merchant ships that he had mentioned on Sunday.

He described it on Sunday and drew it on Saturday, and soon he had a hand-drawn sketch of the Spanish merchant ship that was ninety percent similar to the original.

When it comes to important matters, Sunday's observation and memory skills never disappoint.

Despite the great distance between him and the large ship, he meticulously memorized every detail he saw on board using a monocular telescope.

Information includes the number of cannons, the number of sailors on one side, the number of masts, and whether the hull is damaged.

Using this information, Chen Zhou deduced the firepower of the armed merchant ship and estimated the total number of sailors on board.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. Being able to gather intelligence before a conflict occurs is already a huge advantage.

After noting down this intelligence in his notes and listening to Sunday's supplementary details about the operation, and having a general understanding of the performance of all the combat personnel involved in the operation, Chen Zhou left the office.

……

The natives on the other island were relatively friendly to the outsiders and did not launch an attack rashly. They even complied with Sunday's request and voluntarily sent Ruth's child away.

This action made Sunday feel favorably toward them, and he gave the order to avoid firing shots if possible, and to avoid killing people if possible.

Of course, that's what they say, but once a war breaks out, the safety of the guards must be the top priority.

If our side loses men in this overwhelming battle, we won't be able to explain it to Chen Zhou on Sunday.

Moreover, no matter how much affection the natives have, they are still strangers. These guards were trained by Sunday himself and have been with him day and night. Sunday can tell which is more important.

After the war began, whenever he noticed that the natives were shooting arrows or throwing wooden spears to injure people, or attempting to ambush them with wooden swords, he would not hesitate to use the bullets in his gun.

Gunfire erupted like raindrops, and as the native warriors fell one by one, the conflict quickly turned into a one-sided "pig-catching contest."

The result was a foregone conclusion.

After paying a spectacular "zero casualties" price, Sunday perfectly achieved the mission objective.

At this moment, the captured natives are undergoing basic body cleaning and internal and external deworming procedures under Chen Fu's arrangement.

After the deworming is completed, they will be divided into two or three categories according to their age and gender, receive different educations, and then learn to work under the guidance of other islanders, gradually rising to become "house owners" and finding a way to climb the social ladder.

This is almost an inevitable path for every islander. From uncivilized natives to semi-civilized people, they need such a process.

……

Chen Zhou has always believed that while people may have innate differences in their abilities, most abilities can be compensated for through practice and hard work.

Leadership skills are a skill that can be developed through training.

When Chen Fu, Chen Lu, and Chen Shou first came to be with him, they would ask for his opinion on even the smallest matters.

Starting with the most basic questioning and understanding of the situation, they gradually took over the important work on the island and gradually got to where they are today.

Now, even without Chen Zhou's meticulous instructions and guidance, they can handle things in an orderly manner.

Especially in the work of taming the natives, Chen Zhou could completely delegate authority to them, and they proved to have done a good job.

This isn't something you can just boast about; it's something you actually do.

……

As usual, Chen Zhou once again entrusted the taming of the natives to Fu Lu Shou and his two companions, while he devoted himself to developing suitable weapons for his giant steel ship.

But before that, he still had to complete a long-delayed project—

bike.

Among the fitness equipment delivered to the island were two exercise bikes. Chen Zhou had already removed the important parts needed to manufacture the bicycles from them, but he was too busy with work and preparing for the third trip to the island, and he was also keeping an eye on the progress of the shipyard, so he didn't have time to assemble the bicycles yet.

Now that the third operation to capture the natives has come to a successful conclusion, a new batch of people has been added to the island, and the construction of the giant steel ship is progressing smoothly, he can finally bring this mode of transportation, which is out of step with this era, to the big screen of history ahead of schedule.

……

The arrival of new islanders is commonplace for the old islanders; everyone has gone through that phase. In the past, some people liked to observe the new islanders like they were watching animals, but no one does that anymore.

The better life is, the more things we crave.

Now, they would rather use their precious time to hone their professional skills so that they can move into a detached house as soon as possible.

Or perhaps they'd play a game of chess, paint a picture, go fishing, or play the flute for a while; they wouldn't waste time looking at things that everyone else has already seen.

There are many interesting things to see on the island; there's no need to dwell on something old and outdated—that's a sign of being behind the times.

Of course, not all "new things" are the same.

Residents near the execution square are usually unaware of the latest information about the factory.

The trends on the island are like a pyramid, originating from the factory, then flowing to the canteen closest to the factory and the detached residential area below the factory, and finally reaching the residents near the execution square.

Raisins, soybean paste, and playing the flute were all examples of this trend in the past, and recently a new trend has emerged—

bike.

It is unknown who first saw it, but it is said that the leader rode a strangely shaped tool (some say it was an animal) to the beach at great speed, which soon caused a sensation.

The islanders, who are at work, cannot possibly abandon their tasks to search for the chief's whereabouts.

Those who happened to be unemployed turned into "gossip reporters," eager to stick to the leader and see what that thing that could carry people looked like.

Chen Zhou had no intention of hiding it, and those people quickly got to see what the bicycle looked like.

Several people with artistic talent sketched out the structural diagram of the bicycle.

Within days, the bicycle's structural diagrams were laid out on the desks of all the island's top craftsmen. However, this time, the exceptionally skilled craftsmen weren't beaming with joy as before; they were only eager to manufacture the "new machine" as quickly as possible and show it off to the other islanders.

The reason is simple: the structure of a bicycle is far too complex.

The bicycle assembled by Chen Zhou only had some minor changes; its overall structure was basically the same as that of a modern bicycle.

The bicycle is fully equipped with a frame, pedals, tires, brakes, chain, and other components, as well as a basic steering system, drive system, and braking system.

Even a single tire is divided into inner and outer tires, which is a problem that the islanders have been unable to solve even after a lifetime of effort.

Not to mention the even more complex and sophisticated pedal components—

Crank, chainring, bottom bracket, chain, freewheel—none of these are things the islanders can manufacture. Even if they were given the blueprints, they could only sigh in despair.

In fact, let alone the islanders, even Chen Zhou himself couldn't possibly manufacture a bicycle chain.

Although this thing is not as useful as a steam engine, it is much more difficult to manufacture.

He would never have considered making bicycles if it weren't for the fact that fitness equipment already had readily available chains and over 95% of its components.

……

Whenever the leader uses something new, the island's craftsmen can always replicate it in the shortest possible time.

This time, they finally encountered difficulties.

Seeing their leader riding a bicycle between the shipyard and the factory every day, yet unable to have the same means of transportation, these people were all extremely anxious.

When Chen Zhou parked his bicycle outside the shipyard, this group of people would swarm around it like flies attracted by honey, completely surrounding it. Some islanders even got into fights over who could get the closest spot to the bicycle.

If they hadn't seen the guards patrolling nearby, they would have gone to jail for a few days.

……

Observation can only help people better understand the structure of bicycles, but it cannot improve their manufacturing level.

The more the islanders learned about bicycles, the more disheartened they became.

The level of precision in this thing is completely different from the wooden furniture, rattan handicrafts, or pottery they usually make.

Putting aside the other parts, the two perfectly round wheels alone stumped them, and the interlaced spokes inside the wheels were an insurmountable technical hurdle.

If even these two problems cannot be solved, then manufacturing other components is simply wishful thinking.

The islanders simply couldn't fathom what kind of unimaginable skill their great leader possessed to create such an ingenious machine.

Unable to find a reasonable explanation, they could only attribute it all to God.

It would make perfect sense if this task were accomplished by an omnipotent "god".

……

I never expected my mode of transportation to cause such a commotion. Every day when I leave the shipyard, I can see a group of islanders gathered around my bicycle.

Feeling utterly helpless, Chen Zhou had no choice but to find a way to alleviate the islanders' anxiety about "wanting but not getting" their desires.

He recalls that the earliest bicycles used almost no metal parts and could be made entirely of wood.

Of course, early bicycles didn't have as many systems as modern bicycles. They were simply small wooden carts driven by feet, and they couldn't even turn. If you wanted to change direction, you had to get off and move the cart.

Drawing inspiration from early bicycles, Chen Zhou designed a bicycle with an all-wood structure, propelled by pushing off the ground with both feet, and with handlebars at the front, allowing it to change direction while moving forward.

……

The design of the "simplified bicycle" was immediately embraced by all the islanders.

Compared to the chief's "high-spec version," this bicycle may lack many important functions, but it possesses several irreplaceable advantages—

The manufacturing materials are readily available, the structure is simple, and the manufacturing process requirements are low.

This means that even without extraordinary skills, they can still build bicycles.

After receiving the blueprints, several of the most skilled carpenters, despite their exhaustion after get off work, worked late into the night to build the bicycle.

In less than five days, the island's second bicycle was produced.

This bicycle was made by Zebra, the island's most senior carpenter, whose skill and quality in crafting wooden items are unparalleled.

That morning, the zebra, constantly trotting along the ground, bouncing through the rugged woodland and paved paths, became the most eye-catching animal in the entire shipyard.

The islanders looked at his vehicle with envy, regretting that they didn't have skillful hands to create such a wonderful thing.

During his lunch break, the group of veterans who had fought for Zebra and were on good terms with him approached him, offering various rewards, all with the same underlying message—

Get one for me too!
The old guys had saved his life, so Zebra couldn't refuse. But with so many people, deciding who to do it for first was a problem.

Having been on the island for so long, the veterans have gained a deep understanding of human relationships and social dynamics.

Realizing the zebra's predicament, they all spent lavishly, bidding on the spot to compete for ownership of the third bicycle on the island.

This group of people arrived on the island first, and they had accumulated a considerable amount of various supplies at home. The prices they offered were enough to make the new islanders tremble with fear.

Today, the island's hard currency is brown sugar. This type of material, which is uniformly distributed by the factory, has advantages such as wide application, stable output, and good storage properties, and is highly recognized by the islanders.

The veterans used uniformly sized blocks of brown sugar as their unit of measurement when bidding, and quickly raised the price of the bicycle from ten pieces of brown sugar to one hundred pieces.

When the price reaches over one hundred pieces of brown sugar, some people who like sweets lose their confidence and can't keep up the count.

No one expected that Lu Si'er would ultimately win the third bicycle with a price tag of 187 pieces of brown sugar, and the reason he competed so fiercely for this bicycle was quite simple—

Every weekend, he tries to get to school as early as possible to see his son.

……

Zebra's orders quickly filled up a month in advance, and the islanders who were on good terms with him were finally satisfied.

The islanders who ganged up on Zebra were not to be outdone. Although they did not have a skilled old carpenter like Zebra, they had quite a few carpenters with decent skills.

What zebras can do, they can do too, and they can do it faster and better.

With "bicycles" as the target, a tense manufacturing competition quickly broke out on the island.

Even late at night, the lights could be seen burning brightly below the factory or around the execution square, and the sound of sawing wood could be heard.

Bicycles from different factions sprang up around the shipyard like mushrooms after rain.

These convenient and novel little machines, which resembled the leader's vehicle, quickly became the most sought-after new favorites on the island.

As soon as you ride a bicycle, not only will the new islanders still farming in the fields look up to you, but even female factory workers will respect you. This isn't just a matter of face; it also grants you "priority in choosing a spouse."

Those are real, tangible benefits. (End of Chapter)