Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 201 Public Memorial
November 1631, 11, it was a cloudy day with a biting north wind.

Outside Shixing City, at the foot of Cuishan Mountain, almost all the military and civilian officials of Xinhua stood solemnly in the Martyrs Cemetery to hold a grand public memorial ceremony for all the crew members of the "Zhengtu" who had never returned from the accident.

Indeed, the "Zhengtu" is likely to have been sunk in the sea, and all the crew members are buried at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, so it is impossible for any remains to remain.

The so-called public memorial service is nothing more than burying the clothes worn by the missing crew members in the cemetery for the public and future generations to pay tribute and remember them.

According to the overall planning of the cemetery, a solemn martyrs' shrine will be built on the open space to the left of the entrance, which will include the names of soldiers and civilians who have made outstanding contributions to the development and progress of Xinhua over the years and their deeds, so that they can be admired by all citizens.

One hundred and twenty Marines, dressed in navy blue uniforms and carrying muskets on their shoulders, stood in the middle of the cemetery with solemn expressions.

Dozens of families of the missing crew members looked sad and mournful at the erected tombstones, sobbing softly.

Many people who came spontaneously gathered inside and outside the cemetery. They were initially curious and surprised, but in the end they were all moved by the solemn and tragic atmosphere of the entire cemetery. Together with the police who were maintaining order in the surrounding area, their expressions gradually became solemn and dignified.

"Ready!" A Marine officer drew his saber and held it in front of him, shouting the command loudly.

More than a hundred Marines immediately lowered their guns to their shoulders, gripped the guns tightly with both hands, and pointed the muzzles upwards.

"put!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

The thirty Marines in the first row immediately fired their muskets into the air.

"Hold the gun!"

"Second row, let go!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

"Wow……"

A child in a woman's arms was startled by the sound of gunfire and began to cry loudly with his mouth open.

"Be good, little sister...don't cry, don't cry! Daddy is here, he will protect you..." Ding Cuilian put her face against the child's cheek, gently patted her daughter's back with one hand, and coaxed her in a soft voice.

"Mom..." A three-year-old boy beside her was holding her clothes, his eyes wide open, looking at the rows of Marines in dignified uniforms, his face full of curiosity.

A cloud of gunpowder smoke filled the air above the cemetery. The boy sniffed it hard and seemed to like the smell.

"Be good, Taozi, and don't make noise." Ding Cuilian's face was already covered with tears. She freed her left hand and held the boy tightly to her side.

In front of her was a neatly carved tombstone, like a standing figure, silently watching those who came to pay their respects.

Five time travelers who unfortunately died of illness were originally buried here. Later, sailors (including Hispanic and Ming Dynasty sailors) who died at sea due to various diseases or accidents were also buried here one after another. Eventually, it became a cemetery for loyal martyrs designated by the Xinhua government.

When ordinary residents die, they cannot be buried here and must be buried in another wilderness.

In the past five years, there were only about fifty tombstones in this cemetery. However, with the disaster of the "Zhengtu", the number of tombstones has doubled, which makes people feel sad.

"Hold the gun!"

"stand at attention!"

"The ceremony is over!"

Luo Zhenhui put down his right hand, turned his head to look at the rows of Marines standing solemnly, and nodded slightly.

In such a solemn occasion, it is very necessary to add some military honors and ceremonies, which looks very imposing.

The Marines, in their navy blue uniforms, their coordinated movements, and the salutes they fired, added a touch of solemnity and sanctity to the public funeral ceremony for the missing sailors. "Going forward, this cemetery must be regularly cleaned and maintained. On festivals like Qingming Festival, we must organize ceremonial memorials by government, schools, and community groups, ensuring that these martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the survival and development of Xinhua receive the highest honor," Luo Zhenhui said softly.

"That's exactly what we should do," Li Xianqing nodded. "Furthermore, we must not only honor these deceased individuals with the highest honors, but also provide and implement numerous preferential policies for the martyrs' families and their families, so that they have no worries."

"Have all the compensation been distributed?"

"It was all distributed two days ago," Li Xianqing sighed. "I personally led the team to distribute the compensation to each family one by one. Alas, over forty families lost their husbands and fathers at once, and they are all heartbroken. It's really hard to see."

"During this period, there were many accidents at sea, and the loss of crew members was inevitable..." Luo Zhenhui's heart sank, and he said softly, "What's even more regrettable is that we lost three of our own comrades."

"Lao Luo..." Li Xianqing hesitated for a moment and whispered, "I suggest that, aside from a few of our people on the Wavebreaker, we shouldn't send them aboard the other transport ships. After all, our people can play a more significant role in this world. ...We can't afford to lose any of them!"

"..." Luo Zhenhui's expression froze after hearing this, and he subconsciously looked at the dozens of time travelers present.

"This isn't to make them appear cowardly, or to emphasize so-called distinctions between close and distant relatives," Li Xianqing continued. "Each of them possesses knowledge and ideas unavailable to anyone else in this world, and possesses vision and advanced awareness unmatched by anyone else."

"Needless to say, after years of hard work and experience, each of them has acquired the ability and qualities to stand on their own two feet. They are our most precious seeds in this world, and we should continue to germinate, multiply, and radiate their energy, so that our cause can continue to thrive and ultimately grow stronger."

"Instead of dying silently in a shipwreck. We can't afford to lose any of these people!"

After hearing this, Luo Zhenhui remained silent.

Yes, every time traveler is an extremely valuable talent and cannot be lost easily.

But the problem is that due to the situation, some dangerous positions have to be filled by time travelers!

Initially, the entire group had almost no extra crew members available except for the more than 50 Spanish sailors captured from the "St. Louis".

In order to control the only two ocean-going ships, they had to mix the time travelers and the Spaniards, and only then were they able to operate the two ships to go to the Ming Dynasty to carry the urgently needed immigrants.

Later, with the gradual increase in population and the recruitment of many boat people from the Guangdong coastal areas, the number of travelers on the ship was gradually reduced, allowing them to engage in more important matters.

Even so, due to the lack of experienced, absolutely loyal and reliable personnel, after two ships were added in succession, some key positions such as captain and navigator still needed to be held by time travelers.

To a certain extent, this also puts them at risk of death.

In addition, the development and construction of several branch bases, the formation of standing armies, the defense of coastal artillery batteries, etc., all require the arrangement of reliable time travelers to preside over the work.

They may also be exposed to various risks and accidents.

For example, illness, accidents, conflicts or wars can all lead to losses if you are not careful.

Take the upcoming Spanish invasion as an example. In order to avoid possible casualties when a fierce battle breaks out, will several time travelers in command and technical positions abandon their troops, hide in the city or a safer place, and remotely command and deploy the battle?

This is so unrealistic!

Husband fights with courage.

A general is the courage of his soldiers, how can he retreat in the face of battle?
"We still don't have enough talent!" Luo Zhenhui sighed.

"Yes, we need some time." Li Xianqing looked at the tombstones in front of him and sighed.

Talent takes time to cultivate and grow.

It will probably take some time before the time travelers can truly escape from many dangerous positions or situations.

(End of this chapter)