Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 365 If you don’t take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences!
On March 7, 1638, just after the Awakening of Insects, light gray smoke once again billowed from the chimney of the Xinhua Sugar Factory.

Zhang Ruosong, a member of Xinhua's decision-making committee and deputy cabinet secretary, and Xiong Zeqian, head of the Light Industry Group, stood in front of a large vat, watching a group of craftsmen using the absorbent properties of yellow clay (bentonite) to decolorize crude syrup.

They poured the boiled, yellowish-black syrup into a funnel-shaped earthenware trough, with a large vat underneath to collect the filtered sugar residue.

Several craftsmen poured yellow mud water over the syrup, causing the black residue in the syrup to fall into the vat, while only white sugar frosting remained in the earthenware trough.

Once it solidifies and dries, it will turn into white sugar.

During this period, more than 99 percent of sugar products existed in the form of raw sugar (yellow or yellowish-black) and brown sugar (or black sugar).

As for the pure white sugar like that of later generations, it is almost non-existent.

Even the whitest sugar, such as Venetian sugar, has a pale yellow tint and is produced in very limited quantities, reserved for European royalty and nobility.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, there was a type of white sugar of extremely high quality. Although it was slightly yellow and not as pure as modern refined white sugar, it was considered the purest "white sugar" in the world.

This white sugar became the most important export commodity of the Ming Dynasty, and was sold as far as Southeast Asia and Europe.

The book "Tiangong Kaiwu," which was just published in the Ming Dynasty, provides a detailed description of how to make white sugar, complete with illustrations.

Last year, while collecting Ming Dynasty books and artifacts, the immigrant fleet unexpectedly came across this book, hailed as a 17th-century industrial encyclopedia, in Dengzhou and Laizhou. They were immediately overjoyed and bought up all the copies sold in Penglai County before bringing them back to Xinhua.

This book, "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature), written by Song Yingxing, contains a very detailed description of various methods for planting sugarcane and making sugar, which is more systematic and detailed than "Tangshuangpu" (written by Wang Zhuo of the Northern Song Dynasty).

According to the book, the yellow mud bleaching method (yellow mud water leaching sugar method) can remove impurities and pigments from the syrup through adsorption, ultimately yielding a lighter-colored white sugar.

However, the method described in the book is not precise enough; it is only generally described as pouring yellow mud to clarify the impurities in the raw sugar.

The correct method is to first use kaolin to remove impurities before boiling, so as to produce sugar with a pure color and a snow-white appearance, rather than directly pouring yellow mud water over the brown sugar.

This improvement was the most effective method obtained by Xinhua Light Industry Research Institute and Xinhua Sugar Factory after more than two months of repeated boiling experiments.

In fact, the best way to decolorize and clarify crude sugar is to use activated carbon or centrifugal separation technology, which is more efficient and less costly.

However, due to the temporary lack of technology and materials, the sugar factory could not use the two methods mentioned above, and could only make white sugar by relying on the yellow mud bleaching method, and made some optimizations in the process.

This is a physical decolorization technology based on kaolin adsorption, which is an important breakthrough in the sugar-making process of our Chinese ancestors. Although it still lags far behind the industrial sugar-making technology of later generations, it was among the first tier of white sugar production technology in the world at that time.

Although the technology for producing white sugar using this decolorization method is quite mature, production is limited by raw materials, processes, and market demand, and the overall scale is not large, making it a high-value niche product.

In the Ming Dynasty, ordinary people mainly consumed brown sugar, with only wealthy families or those using it for medicinal purposes purchasing small quantities. The majority of the sugar was exported to Southeast Asia, Japan, and other places.

Before the Lunar New Year, Xinhua Sugar Factory decolorized some of the cane sugar imported from Spanish America, obtaining a batch of white sugar with good color and quality.

After being launched on the market, it quickly gained favor among many consumers, who used it as a New Year's gift to show off when visiting relatives and friends.

"So, your light industry group plans to expand the production of white sugar?" Zhang Ruosong briefly inspected the sugar factory's production line. Although the equipment was crude and rudimentary, the production scene and operating procedures were quite orderly, and the craftsmen and apprentices were uniformly dressed, making it seem like a modern factory.

"Our industrial development strategy at Xinhua is based on heavy industry as the foundation, the leading sector, and the backbone of Xinhua's future; while light industry serves as an auxiliary and supplementary sector, and is also a major lever for increasing social material products and boosting the market," Xiong Zeqian said solemnly.

"Of course, more importantly, our light industry is responsible for making money for the country, providing employment for the people, and raising the level of national income. After all, there is no wealth or strength without industry!"

"As you know, Xinhua currently has a small population and cannot engage in too many labor-intensive industries. You see, although the wool industry has made us a lot of money, it has also consumed a lot of labor. In addition, shipbuilding, steel, machinery, heavy industry, mining and other industries are also major consumers of labor."

"Therefore, our light industry group was thinking about whether we could develop an industry that requires little labor but can create high added value."

“Hehe…” Zhang Ruosong laughed upon hearing this. “You think the sugar industry needs very few workers? Are you mistaken! As far as I know, whether it’s Brazil or the sugar islands in the Caribbean, Cuba, Jamaica, or Barbados, those sugar factories all require hundreds of thousands of workers.”

“A typical sugarcane plantation might only produce a hundred or so tons, but it employs at least several hundred or even a thousand slaves and laborers engaged in planting and processing the sugar. How could this industry possibly have a low demand for labor?”

“Committee Member Zhang, with our current population, we haven’t considered going into the upstream of the sugar industry yet,” Xiong Zeqian said, shaking his head. “We plan to focus on the downstream – sugar refining, which means importing large quantities of raw sugar from Spanish America and processing it into white sugar.”

"In the Ming Dynasty, the price of white sugar was about 5 to 8 times that of brown sugar. In Europe, the price of white sugar was almost the same as silver, which was extremely profitable. Therefore, the white sugar we produce can be sold as a high-end luxury item to Spanish America, or smuggled to Europe through smuggling channels."

"Aren't you afraid of being held hostage by the Spanish? What if Xinhua and the Spanish turn against each other again and cut off your supply? Where will you get the raw sugar?" Zhang Ruosong retorted.

“Isn’t there still the Ming Dynasty?” Xiong Zeqian smiled and said, “Sugarcane is grown in Fujian and Guangdong. If the Spanish cut off our supply, we will increase our purchases from the Ming Dynasty.”

“The Ming Dynasty?” Zhang Ruosong frowned. “How many more years of peace do you think they have left?”

"Ten years from now, surely we won't be unable to protect even the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong?"

"With war and chaos, there's not even enough food to eat. Do you think those places would have the mind to grow sugarcane?"

“Well, that’s the worst-case scenario,” Xiong Zeqian said softly. “So, I think we can consider occupying and developing Hawaii now. Firstly, it can provide a more stable sea transit and supply point for our immigrant fleet. Secondly, it can lay the groundwork for the future development of Xinhua’s sugar industry.”

"It seems you are very determined to develop the sugar industry, and it's a matter of course for you."

“Sugar is an extremely important strategic resource,” Xiong Zeqian said with a determined expression. “We can’t rely entirely on imports for this industry, can we?”

"What kind of support do you want our Ministry of Science and Technology to provide for this?" Zhang Ruosong asked.

"Machines!" Upon hearing this, Xiong Zeqian's face lit up with joy, knowing that he had convinced the other party. "We need the Ministry of Science and Technology and Xinhua Heavy Industry to develop and manufacture the corresponding production and processing equipment for the sugar factory. Ideally, these machines and equipment should maximize production efficiency and reduce labor accordingly, so that they can easily surpass the white sugar produced in the Ming Dynasty and Europe in terms of production and manufacturing costs."

"Your requirements are a bit high!" Zhang Ruosong said with a smile.

“Otherwise, how can we show that Xinhua’s productivity far surpasses that of other countries in the world?” Xiong Zeqian breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression relaxed visibly. “As Xinhua’s population gradually increases, our industrial categories should also increase and expand accordingly.”

"Metallurgy, machinery, food processing, textiles, and even sugar refining are all closely related to people's production and daily life. By reorganizing production methods and introducing various machines, we have been able to reduce the prices of these commodities to an extremely low level. This not only maximizes the enrichment of the domestic market but also gives us an absolute price advantage in international trade, thereby generating high profits to support the development and construction of domestic industry."

"It can be said that we have transferred the price scissors between industry and agriculture to foreign markets through price transfer. This can alleviate the exploitation of agriculture by domestic industry and the market squeeze to some extent, and ease the economic burden on farmers."

Zhang Ruosong listened, smiled, remained noncommittal, and turned to walk out of the sugar-making workshop.

"...transferring the price scissors between industry and agriculture to foreign markets through price transfer."

This statement is simply a euphemism for the exploitation of raw material producing areas by industrial products.

Who were the targets of the plunder?
Naturally, it was the nearby Spanish America, the Spanish, and the millions of Native Americans within its territory.

From then on, they became Xinhua's economic colonies.
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"After more than a year of investigation, we initially believe that the Hawaiian Islands can be colonized and developed."

On March 18, a discussion was held in the conference room of the government building regarding Xinhua's colonization direction and goals for the coming year. After reaffirming the southward expansion strategy, the many committee members and heads of various departments present reached a consensus on the development of the Ziwu River Basin (Columbia River) and the Qiongjiang River Valley (Willamette River Valley). They then engaged in a heated discussion on whether Hawaii should be included in the colonization plan.

Whether it was the Department of Immigration and Colonization, the Department of the Navy, or even the Department of Commerce and Industry, they all unanimously agreed to immediately occupy Hawaii and relocate a corresponding number of immigrants there for colonization and development.

No one understands the strategic value of these archipelago better than the time travelers.

The archipelago is located in the heart of the Pacific Ocean and is a vital transportation hub in the Pacific.

To the south, it can radiate to the vast South Pacific islands; to the east, it guards the west coast of the Americas; to the west, it can reach Japan, the Ming Dynasty, and Southeast Asia; and to the north, it can protect the Linzhou region (Alaska). Moreover, there are almost no islands in between that can be used as a shore for anchorage.

Therefore, the geographical location and strategic position of the Hawaiian Islands are particularly important.

What is particularly valuable is that the archipelago also has many excellent ports, which are conducive to the logistical support for the Xinhua immigrant fleet.

More importantly, Hawaii was once the largest sugarcane producing region in the United States (currently Florida and Louisiana).

For economic reasons, Xinhua also needs to occupy it and make it Xinhua's sugar production base, thereby getting involved in the highly profitable sugar industry.

However, due to concerns about the potential threat of tropical diseases such as malaria and yellow fever on the island, it has never been colonized.

Of course, the main reason is that Xinhua's local population is also very small, and they simply don't have enough manpower to send to the island, so they can only keep it in mind.

Now, thirteen years have passed, and Xinhua's population has reached a certain size. It's time to consider putting our long-held ideas into practice.

By the end of 1637, according to the data collected from various places, the local population of Xinhua reached more than 82,500 (including more than 18,000 natives under direct administration).

Such a small number of people would be insignificant in Europe or the Ming Dynasty, not even equal to the population of a single state or prefecture.

But in the vast and sparsely populated Americas, it was an absolutely formidable force that could not be ignored.

Not to mention, the Xinhua government also used military and economic means to control more than 100,000 local indigenous tribes.

If another war were to break out with the Spanish, as long as the new Chinese were willing to pay any price, they could conscript or mobilize thousands of indigenous servants to fight and be sent to the front lines as cannon fodder to fill trenches.

So, in January of last year, the immigrant fleet, on its way to the Ming Dynasty, took more than seventy settlers with it and sent them to the location of Honolulu on Oahu.

These settlers included doctors, clerks, farmers, surveyors, zoologists, cooks, guards, and other personnel, more than half of whom were naturalized natives.

Their job was to establish a permanent settlement and conduct a detailed survey and record of the climate, geography, soil, flora and fauna, and water resources of the islands, laying the groundwork for subsequent colonization and development.

It was initially thought that the island's tropical environment would lead to a significant loss of the first settlers.

Xinhua Local even prepared for the complete annihilation of their team, planning to select several more batches of "pioneers" and spend 3-4 years perfecting the Honolulu base before developing it appropriately.

Unexpectedly, last September, when the immigrant fleet was returning to Xinhua, they took two ships along the way to take a look and found that most of the advance settlers were still alive and well.

Of course, there were also some personnel losses.

However, only five members of the team died, and two of them died from their injuries after falling into a ravine while accompanying the explorers deeper into the island.

Even the three settlers who died of illness did not die from tropical diseases such as malaria or yellow fever, but rather from other illnesses caused by acclimatization problems.

What's even more surprising is that there are almost no poisonous insects or snakes on the island that pose a deadly threat to humans.

Only in the nearby waters do ferocious sharks and stonefish exist, which may pose a certain threat to humans.

After these survey data and intelligence were compiled and brought to the mainland, experts from all sides made a comprehensive assessment and initially determined that the Hawaiian Islands did not pose a threat of tropical diseases and could be developed and colonized.

"Based on feedback from some of the returning settlers, our medical department has determined that, due to the unique geographical and historical background of the Hawaiian Islands, their disease environment is drastically different from other tropical regions, such as the Caribbean and Southeast Asia." Dong Xinping, head of the Department of Education and Health, looked at the committee members and heads of various departments present with a relaxed expression.

“We all know that malaria is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, but the native mosquitoes of Hawaii (i.e., Culex mosquitoes) do not have the characteristics of being highly efficient vectors for malaria transmission. So, we may have all misunderstood. At this time, European colonists had not yet discovered and landed on the islands, and naturally they did not bring malaria and other tropical diseases, as well as the vector Anopheles mosquitoes, with them.”

"Similarly, due to the geographical isolation, there is no yellow fever or the Aedes mosquito, the vector of the disease, on the islands. Therefore, our only concern is that as Xinhua sends many immigrants to the islands, the various hidden pathogens they carry may cause the local indigenous people to contract many infectious diseases and die on a large scale."

"At that time, how many indigenous people were there on the Hawaiian Islands?" Cabinet Secretary Lee Hsien-ching asked.

"I estimate it to be between 200,000 and 400,000." Dong Xinping thought for a moment and gave a rough figure. "According to the reports of the first group of settlers, Oahu, where Honolulu is located, has many fertile plains and valleys, and the tribe has a large population of about 60,000 to 80,000. The other islands have not been investigated in detail, but the total population should be over 100,000."

"Won't our continued immigration and development bring... tropical diseases like malaria or yellow fever?" Li Xianqing continued to ask.

“Theoretically speaking… yes.” Dong Xinping carefully considered his words. “With the arrival of immigrants, there is a high probability that tropical infectious diseases will appear in the Hawaiian Islands.”

"So how can we avoid it?"

"It may be difficult to completely prevent the importation of tropical diseases," Dong Xinping said with a wry smile, shaking his head. "However, we can take various preventative measures to delay or mitigate the introduction and spread of tropical diseases as much as possible."

"For example, like in the mainland, we can set up quarantine zones and checkpoints to conduct health screenings on all arriving crew members, immigrants, and businessmen to prevent imported cases."

"Corresponding mosquito control and environmental sanitation are also essential. Drain swamps and clear stagnant water near immigrant settlements to reduce mosquito breeding grounds. Natural mosquito repellents, such as citronella oil and mugwort, or insecticides, such as sulfur fumigation, can also be used."

"How's your medical department's research on quinine going?" Luo Zhenhui suddenly asked.

“We have obtained a large amount of cinchona bark from Peru through smuggling channels, but so far, due to limitations in our technology, we have not been able to extract quinine of sufficient purity.” Dong Xinping’s face showed a bit of helplessness. “Because we cannot separate single alkaloids for the time being, the extract also contains a variety of compounds, making the efficacy extremely unstable.”

Can it cure malaria?

"According to the staff at the Guangzhou branch, they cannot guarantee a 100% cure rate for malaria patients."

What is the cure rate?

"...Fifty percent, I guess."

After hearing this, Luo Zhenhui fell into a brief silence.

“I don’t think the Hawaiian Islands are at risk of tropical disease outbreaks in the short term,” Zhang Lifeng, head of the immigration and settlement department, said softly. “So, we might as well start settlement and development first. By the time tropical infectious diseases appear in a few years, the medical department may have already developed quinine with stable efficacy.”

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances and then nodded slightly.

If Heaven does not grant it, how can one take it?

If Heaven grants something and you do not accept it, you will surely suffer the consequences!
(End of this chapter)