Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 128: State Fort

At 1629:9 a.m. on September 17, 1, after two days of sailing, the "Fortune-" (one of the two Spanish merchant ships captured in San Diego Bay) rounded Gabriola Island and arrived in the waters near what is now Nanaimo.

Oh, by the way, the location where we are about to land and set up camp has been renamed Fenzhou Fort. As the name suggests, it is a branch outpost outside the main base.

At this time, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. It was really a good day.

After Shunyun-1 dropped its sails and anchored, a flat-bottomed boat was towed to the sea below the side of the ship. Two sailors swiftly climbed down to the ship via the rope ladder on the side protective net, and then they held on to the rope ladder tightly to slightly secure the rope net for the subsequent personnel to disembark.

The boat swayed from side to side in the rolling waves. Several Indians who got off the boat seemed to be afraid of water. They held on to the side tightly and stopped climbing down.

Seeing this, Zheng Yuexin stepped forward, shouted a few words at them, and ordered them to get off the boat quickly and not delay the entire landing operation.

Seeing the ferocious look of the Chinese on the boat, several Indians suppressed their fear, clumsily clung to the rope ladder, and slowly got down to the flat-bottomed boat.

However, the surging waves caused them to fall one by one when they landed on the boat, and they lay on the deck of the boat in a very embarrassed manner, unable to get up for a long time.

Their faces were a little pale. Ignoring the sailors' kicks and kicks, they turned around, clung to the side of the boat, and made bursts of dry heaving sounds, which showed that they were slightly seasick.

In less than two days' voyage, these Indians who were as swift as the wind in the forest were turned into weaklings.

Of course, they were in relatively good condition. At this time, five or six Indians who were severely seasick were lying in the dim bottom cabin of "Shun Yun-1" and groaning weakly.

Subsequently, several more Indians and young immigrants were released.

After a dozen people gathered on the flat-bottomed boat, they began to carefully receive the landing supplies.

Flintlock rifles, ammunition bags, machetes, tents, packages, food, water, sickles and other tools, as well as a hunting dog, were all hoisted onto the flat-bottomed boat by the sailors on the Shunyun-1 using ropes.

After the ship was loaded with people and supplies, the sailors began to row hard and head towards the shore.

A sailor observed the situation on the sea while taking out tools to measure the water depth and record the data.

What is surprising is that the water depth measured by the flat-bottomed boat is more than four meters until it approaches the shore. This means that the "Shunyun-1" can directly sail to the shore and then build a wooden pier, which can save the trouble of the small boat going back and forth to transport supplies.

After about two quarters of an hour, the flat-bottomed boat reached the mudflat near the shore and ran aground less than three meters away from the land.

Several Indians were ordered to get off the boat, jump into the knee-deep water, and push the boat ashore with great effort.

The shore is covered with low shrubs. Fifty or sixty meters further away is a dense primeval forest. Tall fir and pine trees stand on the edge of the forest, as if trying to prevent any outsiders from entering.

When Zheng Yuexin arrived at the shore on the shuttle boat, seven or eight Indians, led by several old immigrants, were waving machetes and clearing the bushes and weeds near the landing point to make enough space for the temporary camp.

"Don't just stand there, get moving." He poured the seawater out of his boots, put them back on, sat up, and shouted, "You, and you, lead the hunting dogs into the forest and survey the area within 400 meters. If you encounter any danger, fire a warning shot immediately."

"You, you... the three of you, immediately start setting up tents in the cleared space and move all the supplies you brought ashore into the tents."

"You, start a fire right now and dry everyone's wet clothes. ...On the first day of landing, I don't want to see anyone sick and unable to work in the tent!"

"You two, don't just row back to pick up people and goods. Take some long branches and sticks with you!... You have to mark a safe passage for Shunyun-1!"

"Alright, alright, everyone, be quick, move quickly, and be smart. You need to understand the coordination of all matters. ... What, what is coordination?" "Forget it, forget it. I'm too lazy to explain it to you. Just do as I tell you. ... Everyone, work hard and try to set up our temporary camp before nightfall. Otherwise, we'll have to sleep in the wilderness, and we might be snatched away by hungry grizzly bears or wild wolves in our sleep!"

"..."

Under Zheng Yuexin's assignment, more than 30 immigrants and Indians who landed one after another immediately started working separately.

According to the plan made in advance, after their advance team landed, they had to build a stable landing point in the shortest time possible.

Next, the sailors and those who are seasick on the ship will unload various building materials and daily necessities from the cabin of Shunyun-1 and assist the advance personnel in building a formal settlement.

As for finding coal mines, that is the next step. Only after all personnel are settled will we arrange personnel to go deep inland to explore for mines.

After a new batch of Ming Dynasty immigrants arrive this season, Shixing Fort will provide a second round of supplies to the area and send a number of immigrants to strengthen the area's manpower.

It is estimated that the official mining and coal mining will not start until the early spring of next year when the weather gets warmer.

Zheng Yuexin looked around, carefully studied the geographical environment, and began to make some plans for the upcoming camp.

There are many small puddles of different sizes hidden in the bushes near the coast. The water in these puddles far away from the shore is still fresh water, and there are scattered fish and shrimps swimming in them.

These puddles should be the result of accumulated rainwater over time. If they are modified, they should be able to form a slightly larger pond to provide the necessary fresh water for the settlement.

There is a slope to the southeast of the landing point where a watchtower can be built to guard the woodlands and mudflats within a few kilometers.

To the northwest, there is a flat land. As long as the bushes and trees are cleared away and then set on fire, dozens of acres of land can be reclaimed.

However, it is probably impossible to grow any grain crops at this time of year, but you can plant some autumn vegetables, such as cabbage, carrots, radish, spinach, etc. These crops suitable for cold climates can provide some side dishes for the residents of the settlement even if the harvest is poor.

A few artillery batteries can be set up on a small island a few hundred meters northeast of the coast (i.e., Guard Island near Nanaimo) to completely protect the safety of Fort Ferry and prevent the enemy from launching a landing operation from the front.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the transport ship "Shunyun-1", which had been anchored hundreds of meters away, slowly approached the shore along the channel marked by surveyors with floats and tree trunks, and re-anchored more than ten meters from the shore.

At this time, the advance team had cleared an area of ​​about 1,000 square meters on land and built several crude tents.

Several immigrants and a dozen Indians were cutting wood at the edge of the woods, dragging saws and axes.

The thick trunks will be used to build temporary piers and trestles, while the thinner branches will be used to make fences to prevent attacks by wild animals.

With the addition of a transport boat, the deck of "Shunyun-1" immediately became busy. The sailors methodically lifted bags and barrels of supplies from the deck to the boats on both sides of the ship. After the boats were full of supplies, the rowers immediately rowed the oars, transporting the supplies to the shore one trip after another. The whole scene was noisy and lively.

The people on the shore had a simple lunch and rested for less than a quarter of an hour before they started to get busy again under the command of Zheng Yuexin.

On the cleared space, the land is leveled, the foundation is excavated, puddles are filled, and ditches are dug for drainage.

This wild and untouched land was transformed by dozens of laborers from Shixing Fort and welcomed the baptism of civilization for the first time.

(End of this chapter)