Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 270 Hope (I)

On March 1634, 3, spring had quietly arrived, and nature slowly awakened from its winter slumber, showing vitality.

The trees in the forest began to sprout tender green buds, and the grass gradually turned from withered yellow to bright green. The entire earth was covered with a layer of light green, full of warmth and vitality, and also brought a breath of hope.

In a newly established settlement near East Saanich (now the town of Central Saanich, twelve kilometers north of Victoria), a group of immigrants were busy leveling the land, digging ditches, and clearing the remaining tree roots and weeds on the ground.

On the rocky beach of the river not far away, there were wild vines as thick as arms, and withered reeds grew wildly in the cracks of the rocks.

Li Dashan raised the hoe and dug the stones hard. The dark brown soil was turned out, and the smell of moist soil mixed with the smell of grass root juice hit his face.

"It's raw soil!" Li Dashan squatted on the ground, digging his ten fingers deep into the soil. "Well, it's not bad. This soil can give life to people!"

The midday sun shone through the clouds, illuminating the earth warmly. After several days of cultivation, more than fifty acres of land had been dug out from the wilderness on the left bank of the stream.

The humus rolled under the hoe blade, and the dormant earthworms fled in panic, crawling towards the safer soil.

Piles of picked up dead branches were piled in the leeward place, and someone lit them with flint, sending up clouds of fireworks.

"You know what, after taking a break, I still feel a little cold." Hu Maochun grabbed the kettle on the ground, poured a bowl of water, drank it in a few gulps, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve and stood at the edge of the ridged field to take a breath.

"You think this is cold?" Li Dashan curled his lips and said, "If you spend a whole winter in Liaodong, you'll know how cold it is! Even if you pee, you'll be frozen solid, and you'll have to hit it with a stick before they can take back your work. To be honest, compared to that place, our Xinhua area is not cold at all."

"As a Cantonese, I'm naturally not as cold-resistant as you Liao people!" Hu Maochun placed the large tea bowl on the kettle and stretched his aching back vigorously. "You don't know, last January, Guangzhou Prefecture suddenly had a heavy snowfall, several feet deep, and thousands of people froze to death in a single night."

"Why, has it never snowed in Guangdong before?"

"Look at what you're saying. Guangdong is the southernmost part of the Ming Dynasty!" Hu Maochun spat, then said with a wry smile, "In previous winters, the coldest weather in Guangzhou was a thin layer of ice on the small rivers and streams, which melted before noon. We've never experienced such a cold snowy day in our lifetimes."

"Oh, God, not only did we northerners have no way to survive, but you southerners also suffered from this freezing snowstorm." Li Dashan sighed, "It seems that we really can't stay in the Ming Dynasty any longer."

"Tsk!" Hu Maochun scoffed. "The Ming Dynasty hasn't suffered disasters only during this period. During the Hongwu and Yongle reigns, there were all sorts of calamities, but not many people starved to death. If you ask me, the biggest reason people can't survive isn't natural disasters, but the court officials' refusal to let us ordinary people live."

"..." Li Dashan was stunned when he heard this. Then he thought of the brutal Jiannu, the indifferent government, and the corrupt Liaodong generals. His eyes twitched a few times.

"Fortunately, we are lucky enough to have boarded the Xinhua immigration ship and arrived at this new continent. From now on, we don't have to worry about being hungry or cold..." Hu Maochun said as he walked into the field, spat into his palm, swung the hoe, and dug the soil vigorously.

"Hey, hey... why are you standing there like an idiot? ... Are you trying to be lazy?"

When Li Dashan was in a daze, a rough voice sounded behind him, which scared him.

"Captain, I'm not being lazy..." Li Dashan said nervously, "I... I was thirsty just now, so I drank some water."

"Everyone, move quickly. Let's clear this field today." Han Maocai bent down and reached out to pull at the half-dry tree root on the ground, but it didn't budge. He looked up and motioned for Li Dashan to come over and dig a few more times. "When the sun warms up, we can sow some corn. At least we can harvest some food this year."

"Hey..." Li Dashan responded, swinging his hoe and digging vigorously at the soil under the tree roots. "Captain, if this land is cultivated for two years, it will become a good fertile land and will definitely produce a lot of grain."

"Well, work hard. If you can get the land ready, maybe I can give it to you in the end!" Han Maocai clapped his hands and said, "After we divide the land, build a house, marry a wife, and have a bunch of kids, we can live a happy life!"

"Hehehe..." Li Dashan grinned when he heard that.

"Why, you don't believe it?" Han Maocai glared at him. "I do, I do..." Li Dashan nodded hurriedly. "The officials in Xinhua treat us immigrants really well. They not only provide us with food and clothing, but also provide medical treatment when we're sick. And when they say they'll give us land, they'll definitely keep their word."

"Damn it, you said it so smoothly, it looks like you're just trying to fool me!"

"Captain, how dare I treat you perfunctorily..." Li Dashan said with a bitter face.

Facing the village chief, he was still a little scared.

Not to mention, he was in charge of more than 50 people in their village, deciding everyone's food, drink, defecation and urination. Just looking at his fierce look, people couldn't help but feel scared when they saw him.

It is said that this village chief had once fought on the battlefield as a militiaman, fighting against the Western barbarians, and his hands were stained with blood.

Half a month ago, when they had just arrived in this wilderness, they suddenly encountered a huge brown bear. Just when everyone was scared and running for their lives, the village chief scolded them for being cowards and rushed forward with his rifle. Together with the militia captain, he knocked the big guy to the ground.

Soon after, he happily pulled out his dagger and peeled off the brown bear's skin. Then, taking advantage of a rainy day to take a break, he ran to Dongsheng Fort to exchange it for a dozen dollars.

As for the nearby indigenous tribes, he treated them with disdain.

During the more than ten days of reclamation, he constantly instilled in the immigrants an idea, that is, within the territory of Xinhua, everyone must obey the government, follow the decision-making committee, and unite with each other, so that they can become strong and not fear any invasion from foreign enemies.

In this wild land, we are all Han compatriots with Chinese blood. We must unite as one and be self-reliant and strong. Only in this way can we gain a firm foothold.

Li Dashan seemed to understand what the village chief said, but he also felt that there seemed to be some truth in it.

The land they are cultivating is ostensibly unowned land, but in reality it is where the natives have lived for generations.

Now, our Xinhua is strong, so we can occupy these lands, and then transform them into fertile fields, so that we can live a peaceful and happy life.

If we were not united and had no strength, we might be driven out by the natives or the Western barbarians, and would have to continue living the same miserable life of hunger and cold as in the Ming Dynasty.

Alas, those days make me feel cold when I think about them, and I can’t bear to recall them.

The saddest thing in this world is not that the dream has ended and there is no way to go, but that the road has not yet ended, but there are no more dreams to pursue.

In the Ming Dynasty, as an ordinary citizen, there was no hope of making a name for yourself.

Only after coming to Xinhua did I find a glimmer of hope in life.

"Work hard, divide the land, divide the house, marry a wife, and have children!"

Li Dashan muttered to himself and swung the hoe in his hand more vigorously.

Perhaps, this place really allows people to live like human beings, and through their own efforts, they can realize this seemingly unattainable dream.

The sun shone on his back and sweat soaked his clothes, but his heart was filled with endless hope and strength.

He knew that this land would be their new home and they would build a happy life here.
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(End of this chapter)