Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 318 Xinhua Bay Colonization Team
As dusk settled, the night market in Shixing City began to bustle. Inside a tavern on the street, Luo Congnan sat down opposite Deng Kun, looking dejected. After hesitating for a long time, he finally tilted his head back and gulped down the wine in his glass with a "thud." Then he slammed the glass down on the table and said dejectedly, "Sir, I've been exiled!"

Major Deng Kun, the chief instructor of the army cavalry, was about to put a piece of salmon into his mouth when he heard this. His hand suddenly stopped, and he paused for a moment. The chopsticks were left hanging in mid-air. He frowned slightly, his gaze quickly locking onto Luo Congnan, and asked, "Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Yesterday, the Ministry of the Interior sent a transfer order, arranging for me to serve as the deputy chief police captain of the Xinhua Bay Colonization Team." Luo Congnan said with a hint of resentment and indignation on his face, "That wretched place has been developed for less than two years, with only five or six forts built in total, and only a little over seven hundred immigrants. It's a barren wasteland, a complete wasteland."

"But now, the Ministry of the Interior has sent me from the bustling city of Shixing to there. This is clearly a disguised form of exile! I keep thinking to myself, is it because I have acted rashly in the past and accidentally offended some important person above me, which has led to this situation?"

Luo Congnan took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself down, but the grievance in his voice was still clearly audible: "Two years ago, when we were fighting against the Westerners, I volunteered to participate in the expeditionary operation to raid the fleet. Along that route, whether on the scorching beaches of Mexico or in the humid jungles of Panama, I was always at the forefront of every battle?"

As he spoke, he loosened his collar, revealing a hideous scar below his collarbone: "Amidst the hail of bullets and whistling arrows, I didn't even blink. I still remember in Panama, I led twenty brothers through a hail of bullets, charging into the Westerners' musket formation and personally cutting down their standard-bearer."

"Based on these merits, even if I don't get a high-ranking, desirable job in the military, I shouldn't be worse off than others, right? But what happened? After returning from the war, I was assigned to be the police chief of the East District in Shixing City. Am I, Luo Congnan, the kind of person who cares about gains and losses? I didn't say much. I just thought, since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it, do this job well, take care of my wife and children, and live a peaceful and happy life."

"But who could have predicted that before I could even settle into my new position and enjoy a few days of comfort, a transfer order sent me to that damn Xinhua Bay Colonization Team. Just imagine, who wouldn't be frustrated in that situation? What am I going to do now?" With that, he picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp.

"Heh..." Deng Kun had been listening quietly. Once Luo Congnan finished venting, a slight smile appeared on his lips. He then pointed at Luo Congnan and chuckled, "You're a real idiot!"

"Master..." Luo Congnan was completely bewildered by the scolding and looked at him without understanding why.

"By the way, don't call me 'General Manager' anymore." Deng Kun slowly picked up the wine pot, first filling the empty wine cup of the man, and then pouring a cup for himself. "We've been in Xinzhou for five years now, and I'm no longer the centurion of Dongjiang Town. Things are different now, just call me Old Deng from now on."

Upon hearing this, Luo Congnan immediately straightened his back and said earnestly, "...Back in Liaodong, on that icy battlefield, you saved my life from the Jurchens. I, Luo Congnan, will remember this great kindness for the rest of my life. You are my Lord for life. Besides, you are now the Chief Instructor of the Xinhua Cavalry, holding a high position and great power. It is only right and proper for me to call you Lord."

“You…” Deng Kun shook his head helplessly, held up his chopsticks, pointed at Luo Congnan, and said earnestly, “Our Xinzhou is not like the Ming Dynasty. We can’t win people’s hearts with favors like this. Here, everything is based on ability. What the higher-ups value is real achievements and ability. You need to change your old ideas.”

"Hmph!" Luo Congnan sneered. "Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness—these virtues of our ancestors have been passed down for thousands of years. How can we just discard the word 'righteousness'? Don't we believe that there are any bonds of gratitude and loyalty among the high-ranking officials in our Xinzhou? I refuse to believe that without 'righteousness,' everything will go smoothly."

"Shut up!..." Deng Kun's face darkened, and he scolded in a low voice, "Although we in Xinzhou do not punish people for their words, your unrestrained criticism of high-ranking officials is just asking for trouble! Have you forgotten the saying that trouble comes from the mouth?"

“I’ve never talked about these things with outsiders before…” Luo Congnan said hesitantly.

"Hmph..." Deng Kun snorted coldly, his expression softening slightly. "In my Xinzhou, as long as you focus on your work, you will have a bright future. Don't be like those gossipy women, spreading rumors and talking nonsense."

"Yes, sir." Luo Congnan nodded in response. "By the way, sir, about my transfer to the Xinhua Bay Colonization Team..."

"Ha, you really are a blockhead!" Deng Kun said with a laugh. "This transfer order of yours isn't sending you to exile, it's a damn good-for-nothing move!"

"Huh?" Luo Congnan stared at him in astonishment. "You threw me into this godforsaken place so you could make good use of me?"

How many counties have been established in Xinzhou so far?

"Four."

"Was the Xinhua Bay Colonization Team further divided into two colonization areas, East Bay and South Bay?"

"Hmm..." Luo Congnan nodded blankly, not understanding why Deng Kun brought up the organizational structure of Xinhua Bay.

"Do you know that the Dongwan and Nanwan colonization areas are only half a level lower than the existing four counties?"

"..." Luo Congnan shook his head.

"What does this mean?" Deng Kun was somewhat exasperated.

"What does it mean?"

"You're such a fucking blockhead!" Deng Kun was getting exasperated by his adorable but stupid appearance. "This means that Xinhua Bay has the status of two counties. Think about it, a newly developed area has the quota of two counties, what does that mean?"

"This clearly shows that the decision-making committee attaches great importance to that area! Once the population reaches a certain size, the entire Xinhua Bay Colonization Team will likely be beyond the capacity of a county-level organization to handle!"

"So, wouldn't your position as the deputy chief police officer of the colonization team be more promising than your current position as the police chief of the southern district of Shixing City?"

"But the Xinhua Bay Colonization Team only has a little over seven hundred people!"

"Are you fucking brainless?" Deng Kun's voice rose, drawing strange looks from diners at several nearby tables. "Doesn't our Xinzhou government plan to increase the population here in the future?"

"This year, fourteen transport ships have been deployed for immigration. Just imagine how many people they can bring back on a single trip! You know, those dedicated immigration ships don't just make one trip!" "I've also heard that after the Portuguese in Haojing were restricted from trading with Japan, they have quite a few large ships available. They'll probably negotiate with our Guangzhou trading post to dispatch a few ships to help us transport Ming Dynasty immigrants and earn some hard-earned money."

"You fucking count on your fingers, how many people can we bring back to Xinzhou this year? With so many immigrants being brought back, besides sending some to Qiming Island, won't we also send some to the Xinhua Bay Colonization Team?"

“Our Xinzhou government is planning to develop the Xinhua Bay settlement into a forward base for southward expansion, so the development speed will naturally be fast. Perhaps, in just a few years, it will quickly accumulate thousands or even tens of thousands of people and establish no less than two counties.”

"Hmph, by then, you, the deputy chief of police, will probably soon become a powerful and influential figure!"

"..." Upon hearing this, Luo Congnan's expression changed drastically, his lips slowly parted into a smile, and his eyes sparkled with countless tiny stars.

I've been given an important position!
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"What about next year?" Lu Zhenzhong, deputy director of the Xinzhou Immigration and Settlement Department and head of the Xinhua Bay Settlement Team, asked, still unwilling to give up.

Inside the government building located on the west side of Shixing City, Lu Zhenzhong, who is about to take office, is having a conversation with Chief Cabinet Secretary Li Xianqing.

Upon hearing that the Xinhua Bay Colonization Team would be receiving 1,200 immigrants from the Ming Dynasty this year, Lü Zhenzhong's face, which had been slightly tense due to the heavy responsibility he was shouldering, instantly blossomed like a spring flower, and he couldn't help but smile, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turning up.

He secretly calculated that in less than two years, the entire Xinhua Bay colony would have a population of two thousand. In terms of development speed, it would not only far surpass the Jinchuan River area (now Vancouver and its surrounding areas), but probably even some of the established counties in the core base of Qiming Island would be unable to catch up.

In this era, population is the driving force for development.

If we add some policy support, the pace of development and construction will definitely accelerate by leaps and bounds.

The Jinchuan River area has many swamps. In the early stages of development, a lot of effort was needed to carry out drainage projects. Moreover, if the river overflows even slightly, it will flood and destroy farmland and residential areas.

The Xinhua Bay area is different. It has many deep-water harbors along the coast, suitable for various types of ships to dock, and many rivers meander through the area with a relatively even annual runoff. It will not dry up completely in the dry season, leaving the settlements along the coast without water, nor will it flood and destroy everything in the rainy season.

What's even more remarkable is that several rivers, such as the Taibai River (now the Snoqualmie River) and the Lan River (now the Duwamish River that flows through Seattle), are calm and gentle, connecting to the ocean, making them very suitable for river-sea combined transport (small and medium-sized vessels).

This has an immeasurable positive effect on the rapid turnover of domestic supplies, the convenient allocation of personnel, and even the exploration and expansion into the inland areas.

In later generations, the bay area centered on Seattle (Puget Sound) became the most economically developed region in the Northwest, and also the region's most important shipping and shipbuilding center.

“Hehe…” Li Xianqing, the cabinet minister of Xinzhou, sat upright behind his large desk, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface, making a rhythmic tapping sound. He then smiled and said unhurriedly, “The number of immigrants next year will depend on the development and construction progress of your Xinhua Bay Colonization Team. If your food self-sufficiency rate can reach 40%, we will send you 2,000 people. If the self-sufficiency rate reaches 50%, then we will send you 2,500 people.”

"What if the food self-sufficiency rate reaches 60%?" Lü Zhenzhong looked at him hopefully.

"Do you think that's possible?" Li Xianqing retorted irritably.

“Hehe…” Lu Zhenzhong touched his nose and said with a smile, “Even if the crops in our fields cannot grow rapidly in the short term, we can catch fish! At this time, the Seattle area has not yet been urbanized on a large scale, the waters have not been polluted or affected, and there are not many dams built on the migrating rivers, so the salmon resources should still be relatively abundant.”

"At that time, we can take advantage of the off-season to organize the migrants to catch salmon, which will increase our food supply. In addition, there should be plenty of animal resources in the dense forests, which are all walking carnivores. I think it might be difficult to support six or seven thousand people in a short period of time, but supporting four or five thousand people should be no problem."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew!" Li Xianqing shook his head and said, "Every immigrant is extremely valuable and cannot be wasted. In newly developed areas, the population is growing too fast. Not to mention that the supply of materials may not be able to keep up in time, we will face various problems in many aspects such as sanitation, medical care, education, and management."

"Oh, right, there's also the matter of dealing with the local indigenous people, which is quite tricky. We have to be very careful in handling it so as not to delay local development. They have their own culture, customs, and territorial consciousness. Even a slight conflict could lead to bloodshed, which would be extremely detrimental to our ability to establish ourselves."

"Yes, I will be careful." Lü Zhenzhong nodded.

"We must remember that development and construction are always the focus of our current work," Li Xianqing said earnestly. "Although we have been developing for ten years, our foundation is still very weak and we cannot withstand too much turmoil. Perhaps, in many people's eyes, our population has grown from a few dozen people to more than 40,000 today, and our industrial and agricultural construction has gone from nothing to gradually achieving self-sufficiency in some production and living materials."

"But let's not forget that we are still in a weak and developing stage, and we need all of us to work together to continue to consolidate our foundation, strive to improve our productivity, and make our material reserves abundant."

"In the foreseeable future decades, increasing immigration and expanding the population will be our unwavering strategic goal. We must do everything in our power to bring in people before the situation in the Ming Dynasty deteriorates beyond repair, and more importantly, when the Spanish are bogged down in the European wars and unable to pose a threat to us."

"Therefore, our food production, including cereals, whole grains, and all foods that can fill our stomachs, such as eggs, poultry, fish, and meat, will inevitably remain in a state of extreme strain."

"If your Xinhua Colonization Area can contribute to increasing the grain supply in Xinzhou in a very short period of time, then your work will be rated as qualified and competent."

“I understand!” Lu Zhenzhong took a deep breath and firmly promised, “I guarantee that within the next three to five years, the entire Xinhua Bay colonization area will achieve food self-sufficiency.”

"Yes, very good!" Li Xianqing looked at him with satisfaction. "Currently, we are actively purchasing large quantities of guano from Spanish America to increase crop yields. Although we haven't yet verified the specific effects on yield, there's no doubt that guano is far more effective than ordinary compost."

"Once the autumn harvest is over this year and the data from the experimental fields are available, we will promote it on a large scale in the farmland throughout Xinzhou based on the specific increase in production, and strive to bring our agricultural production to a new level in the next few years."
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(End of this chapter)