Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 355 The Untamed Natives
On September 17, 1637, a light drizzle shrouded Fort Gopen (now Juneau, Alaska) in a misty haze.

The wooden walls of the village were soaked by the rain, gleaming with a dark brown luster. In the drainage ditch at the corner of the wall, turbid water carrying withered leaves and pebbles swirled and rushed out, eventually flowing into the stream not far away, stirring up tiny splashes of water.

The distant coastline was blurred, with only a small sloop moored at a makeshift dock visible in the rain. It swayed gently with the waves, its sails long since furled and hanging wetly on the mast.

The brass bells hanging from the ship's side jingled in the wind and rain, their clear sound carrying a hint of loneliness.

A year and a half ago, this was just a desolate coastline, with only the occasional canoes of the Tringgit people passing by.

Today, a fortified village has taken shape on the seashore. Two wooden warehouses are filled with furs purchased from surrounding tribes. A dozen wooden houses are neatly arranged, and the smoke rising from the chimneys is dispersed by the rain, turning into wisps of white mist in the air.

Initially, Gaopingbao was similar in nature to several other settlements in the north. Its main task was to collect furs from the surrounding indigenous tribes, then sort and pack them, and transport them back to Qiming Island by merchant ships on regular patrols. After simple tanning, the furs were eventually sold to the Ming Dynasty or Spanish America (generally, after some local circulation, they were all sold to Europe).

However, a chance discovery in April of this year completely changed the fate of the place, causing the population of the fortress to more than double in an instant.

At that time, several armed guards were resting near the Jinshui River (now Huangjinxi) when they unexpectedly discovered glittering gold particles in the sand and gravel washed by the river.

After the news reached the headquarters on Qiming Island, the Precious Metals Management Department of the Ministry of Finance immediately joined forces with the Ministry of Mining to dispatch an exploration team, which confirmed the existence of placer gold deposits.

A month ago, more than 50 miners and several armed police officers were mobilized here to begin preliminary mining of this placer gold mine.

Today, along both banks of the river, simple wooden gold panning troughs and gold sifting frames are lined up in a row. Miners bend over and use wooden basins to wash the sand and soil again and again, searching for that alluring gold.

Next to the fur storage shed in the village, a brick and stone vault was specially built, where two clerks from the Precious Metals Management Office were responsible for counting and storing the collected gold.

However, gold brings not only wealth, but also trouble.

The surrounding Tringians were initially quite friendly towards the Chinese fur trade, but their attitude became more nuanced after news of the gold rush spread.

Two weeks ago, when the Northern Trading Company's employees went to a nearby indigenous village, they were met with an unprecedented cold reception. The villagers expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Chinese mining gold.

The shaman in the tribe, with a solemn expression and holding a bone staff, declared in a mysterious and majestic tone, "Gold is the blood of the mountain god," and that unauthorized mining would bring disaster upon everyone.

"Disaster?" Zheng Shengsuo, the head of the Precious Metals Management Bureau stationed in Gaopingbao, sneered, standing under the eaves and looking at the rain. "If they really dare to make a move, I want to see whether their bone arrows are faster or our muskets are faster!"

“A conflict is not necessarily going to happen, but if they adopt an uncooperative attitude, it will still make things very difficult for the many garrison personnel in Gaopingbao.” Clerk Liu Qingshan said with a wry smile, “As you know, their performance evaluation is based on the number of furs they purchase. If these natives cause trouble and don’t sell the furs they hunt to Gaopingbao, they’ll probably starve.”

"Are the people from Gaopingbao complaining about you?" Zheng Shengsuo glanced at him.

"Hehe, it's inevitable that they'll complain a bit," Liu Qingshan said. "But after all, we represent the Precious Metals Management Department and the government, so they can only say it."

"Those natives are probably even more upset than if they keep the pelts they hunted to themselves and don't trade with Gaopingbao," Zheng Shengsuo said sarcastically. "It's ridiculous, really. Are all the thirty or forty muskets Gaopingbao has just sitting there watching the natives refuse to cooperate?"

"..." Upon hearing these murderous words, Liu Qingshan's eyelids twitched involuntarily.

Several years ago, after the Xinhua government organized an army to launch a severe military strike against the unruly Haida people in the Qing'ai Islands (now the Queen Charlotte Islands), it greatly deterred all the surrounding indigenous tribes, making them more discerning when trading furs with the Xinhua people.

A year and a half ago, after the Northern Trading Company established a fort and stronghold here, it demonstrated its formidable strength to the nearby Tringgit people by easily hunting down the large brown bears in the area. Then, it sold various goods to them at "favorable" prices, thus maintaining a certain degree of friendly relations between the two sides.

Could it be that, after more than a year, these natives have forgotten that the new Chinese not only produce and manufacture many novel things, but also have sophisticated killing skills?
“Oh, by the way, Manager Zheng, the ‘Pingchang’ will set sail back to Qiming Island once the weather improves.” Liu Qingshan changed the subject, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. “This morning, Fort Master Xing asked us whether we should transport the stockpiled placer gold ore with the ship.”

"In the blink of an eye, winter is just around the corner." Zheng Shengsuo sighed. "The gold deposits we've collected are only seven or eight hundred taels. The amount we'll have to transport back to headquarters will probably be a bit too little."

"Does Manager Zheng mean... not to transport it back to headquarters for the time being?" Liu Qingshan asked tentatively.

“No, let’s ship them back. It’s better than nothing.” Zheng Shengsuo shook his head and said, “These placer gold deposits are the result of our hard work over the past month. We have to let the officials in the management department see our achievements.”

As the rain intensified, several figures draped in animal skins quietly retreated from the forests outside Gaoping Fort, disappearing into the thick rain and mist.

A vigilant hunting dog suddenly emerged from its kennel, staring warily at the heavy gate. Seemingly puzzled, it barked a few times, attracting the attention of the guards, before wagging its tail vigorously and whimpering softly.
-
The next morning, the air was fresh after the rain, but the chill was even stronger, foreshadowing the slow approach of winter.

The sailors of the "Pyeongchang" conducted another thorough inspection of the ship, and then began to busily prepare for departure, setting sail back to the headquarters on Qiming Island.

The "Pyeongchang" is a 120-ton single-masted sailing ship with a relatively simple structure and easy operation. It is highly maneuverable and very suitable for navigating the waters of the densely populated islands in the northwest of Xinzhou.

Especially when sailing with the wind, the crew only needs to adjust the angle of the sails to use the wind to propel the ship forward.

However, when the wind direction is changeable or when sailing against the wind, the difficulty of maneuvering increases significantly. Sailors need to frequently adjust the sails and rudder, and use wind-catching techniques to try to make the ship move forward in a zigzag pattern, which requires a high level of experience and skill from the sailors.

However, its greatest advantage is that it requires fewer personnel, making it very suitable for Xinhua's current situation of extreme manpower shortage. When a single-masted schooner of a size of over 100 tons, such as the "Pyeongchang," is sailing along the coast, only eight or nine people are needed to maintain basic operations.

The captain is responsible for command and navigation, 3-4 sailors are responsible for operating the sails and rudder, and the rest of the crew are responsible for lookout, ship maintenance and cleaning, and shift watch.

"Set sail!"

With a long, drawn-out call, the "Pyeongchang" slowly sailed out of the rather simple dock at Gaopingbao, its wet sails barely billowing in the breeze.

Compared to the journey there, the return voyage was undoubtedly smooth sailing, and it would take less than half a month to return to Qiming Island.

At that time, all crew members will enjoy a pleasant long vacation and can spend some time with their families.

During this period, they would make a few short voyages, mostly just "strolling" around the waters of Xinhua Bay (now Puget Sound), helping the immigration and settlement department to recruit immigrants and deliver supplies.

"Captain, our ship can be considered a 'treasure ship' now." First Mate Zhang Gui looked at the chest in the cabin with a hint of eagerness in his eyes. "Not only does it contain more than two thousand high-quality furs, but also this chest of gold, which is probably worth more than tens of thousands of dollars, right? If it gets robbed by some pirate on the way, the loss will be huge!"

"Pah, pah, pah..." Captain Ma Changshun spat at him a few times in annoyance. "You son of a bitch, couldn't you have just hoped we'd return to Qiming Island smoothly? ...And you ran into pirates! If we had, they would have chopped your head off first!" "Hehe... I misspoke, I misspoke! I deserve a beating, I deserve a beating!" Zhang Gui also realized his slip of the tongue and lightly slapped his mouth a few times. "However, in this sea area, I'm afraid no daring native would dare to mess with us! Otherwise, they'd be waiting for us to come knocking on their door and wipe out their entire clan."

"Hmph, it's best that no one dares to mess with us." Ma Changshun patted the box and let out a long sigh. "We sailors just want a safe and smooth journey."

“I only hope that all of us, and the cargo on the ship, can be blessed by Mazu and return to Bessing Port (now Victoria Harbour) intact.”
-
On September 21, after two days of sailing, the Pyeongchang arrived at Fort Lizin (now Ketchikan, Alexander Islands, Alaska).

Upon arriving at the port, a sense of impending doom was immediately felt. The fifty-odd guards stationed there all had solemn expressions and were constantly running back and forth, carrying large amounts of gunpowder and weapons onto two small galleys, looking as if they were about to engage in battle.

"What...what's going on?" Ma Changshun asked nervously, pulling on a guard, his heart filled with doubt and unease.

"Isn't it obvious?" The guard glared at him and said in a harsh voice, "We're going to fight the natives!"

"Where are these natives from?"

"Haidah people!" The guard spat on the ground, his face contorted with rage. "Damn it! The Haida people from Green Mist Island (now the Queen Charlotte Islands) killed our fur-collecting crew and stole all our goods!"

"Ah!" Ma Changshun exclaimed in shock upon hearing this, "Are they... courting death?"

Didn't we just send in the army a few years ago to plow them up?

What, trying to get yourself killed again?!

"Hmph, who says otherwise!" the guard sneered. "These Haida people have always been unruly and defiant, frequently attacking neighboring tribes, enslaving them, and robbing them of their property."

“In recent years, we have issued several warnings to them not to attack each other and disrupt the regional order. But they have been secretly disobeying us and have been plundering the natives and fighting for fur resources behind our backs.”

"What's even more ridiculous is that they repeatedly demanded that we increase our sales of metal weapons to them, including iron spears, steel knives, and even offensive weapons like muskets. Otherwise, they would refuse to provide us with furs and fish."

"Hey, they really think they're something special, that they can manipulate us!"

"..." Ma Changshun shook his head slightly after hearing this.

The Haida people are mainly scattered across the Qing'ai Islands. They are natural seafarers and are famous for their expertise in building large warships.

The warships they built were 18-24 meters long and about 1.5-2 meters wide, and could accommodate 40-60 people. They were used for tribal conflicts and long-range raids.

Although their boats were still canoes, they achieved extremely high seaworthiness and durability through rib reinforcement and fine carving.

Moreover, their navigation skills were similar to those of the Norse Vikings, enabling them to sail hundreds or even thousands of kilometers without losing their way.

They were as familiar with the ocean as they were with their own home, able to accurately judge wind direction, currents, and tides, and use these natural forces to navigate.

Two years ago, the Haida attacked Beitunbao (now Port Hardy on Vancouver Island) with three large warships and several canoes. They set off from the Qing'ai Islands, sailed south, and attacked the new Chinese.

They also possess considerable tactical skills in armed conflicts, and depending on the opponent and the specific battlefield environment, they can launch surprise attacks, ambush, or use fire attacks. For those indigenous tribes who only know how to shout and then swarm forward with sticks and bone arrows, this is nothing short of a dimensional reduction attack.

It can be said that before Xinhua's forces penetrated into this sea area, the Haida people were the undisputed overlords here. With their superb shipbuilding technology and incomparably brave fighting power, they regarded all the surrounding tribes as their prey and took whatever they wanted.

The Haida people relied heavily on slave labor in their production and daily life, for tasks such as shipbuilding, food gathering, fishing, and household chores.

The vast majority of the slaves they possessed came from the conquest and plunder of other tribes.

Each raid was accompanied by bloodshed and slaughter, bringing immense disaster to other tribes.

The Haida people have a tradition that has lasted for hundreds or even thousands of years – the Winter Gift Festival, in which they display their status by distributing wealth to their people, such as furs, sculptures, fish, and slaves.

It's somewhat similar to the "showing off" or "flaunting wealth" behavior of later generations, but in Haida culture, it is an important way of socializing and symbolizing status.

Wow, bro, that's awesome!
With the arrival of the new Chinese, novel items such as ironware, knives, iron pots, salt, liquor, spices, cloth, and glass beads became the targets of the Haida people.

After being thoroughly humiliated by the newcomers and experiencing their ruthless methods firsthand, the Haida people behaved themselves for a while.

They also hunted furs and fished, just like the Tlingit, and then traded them properly with the new Chinese in exchange for various production and daily necessities they needed.

The problem is that, with the genes for plunder already deeply ingrained in their bodies, the Haida people simply cannot tolerate such a peaceful and tranquil life.

They crave plunder, and yearn for the thrill and glory of battle.

They also desired to have more slaves.

They were even more eager to acquire all sorts of new and exotic items.

However, the rules established by the new Chinese required all tribes and clans not to attack each other, nor to arbitrarily annex each other, and they had to abide by the trading rules and regional order set by the new Chinese.

This is like an invisible shackle, binding the Haida people to the islands where they live.

Without war, the Haida people could not acquire slaves.

Without plundering, the Haida people could not have accumulated wealth so quickly.

Without more wealth, how can I "show off" or "flaunt my wealth" during the winter gift-giving season?
"So, they dared to attack our trading post?"
-
(End of this chapter)