Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 408 Fushan Fortress

August 2, 1639, Birliburg, dock.

The water vapor on the river surface evaporated in the morning light, enveloping the entire dock in a layer of fine sand.

Wang Mingyuan stood at the end of the wooden boardwalk, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of the sword at his waist.

This knife was personally given to him by Colonization Commissioner Qi two years ago when he left Beiying Island, in the hope that he could expand the territory of Xinhua in the Heishui region and make great achievements.

"My lord, the ship is ready and can set sail at any time."

A familiar voice came from behind him. Wang Mingyuan turned around and saw Zhang Yaoshen bowing to him.

The fleet manager, who was in his early forties, had dark skin, a lithe build, and short hair that made him look exceptionally energetic.

"Then let's set sail!" Wang Mingyuan nodded slightly, his gaze passing over Zhang Yaoshen and looking at the two small oar-powered sailboats moored at the dock.

Because the ship's hold was filled with light cargo such as furs, medicinal herbs, gold dust, winter ginseng, and deer antlers, the ship's waterline was noticeably shallower than when it came.

"Does the master have any further instructions?"

"Give this letter to Commissioner Qi." Wang Mingyuan handed over a letter wrapped in oiled paper.

Zhang Yaoshen took it with both hands and carefully put it into the waterproof leather pouch close to his body: "Rest assured, sir, I will personally deliver it to Lord Qi."

"Hmm." Wang Mingyuan nodded, his gaze passing over Zhang Yaoshen and looking towards the confluence of the two rivers in the distance.

The morning mist is dissipating, revealing the lush primeval forest on the opposite bank.

How many pairs of eyes might be watching from there?

"Tell the Commissioner that next year you must bring more people to my Blackwater Colonization Zone." Wang Mingyuan took a deep breath, his voice low and firm. "At least three hundred households, both men and women, preferably mostly young and strong."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yaoshen hesitated, "Sir, Beiying Island is desperately short of manpower, having exhausted all means to meet its population needs for immigration. Moreover, Beiying's main target for overseas expansion and development is the Haidong Colonization Zone. As for your Heishui Colonization Zone, I'm afraid..."

“You can tell the Commissioner,” Wang Mingyuan interrupted him, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, “The Qing have already set their sights on our Bolibao. Even if they don’t launch a large-scale attack on Heishui next year, they will definitely mobilize their elite Eight Banners troops to attack the year after next.”

"Even if we mobilize all our troops, we will have less than three hundred soldiers available. If the local people in the surrounding area rebel and join the Qing, we will be in grave danger."

“How could the natives rebel and even side with the Qing barbarians?” Zhang Yaoshen was skeptical. “A while ago, didn’t they attack the hundreds of Qing barbarians who came under our inducement and coercion? If the Qing barbarians send troops to attack again, they will have no choice but to stand on our side and continue to fight together to repel the Qing barbarians’ attack in order to avoid being purged.”

"Only in this way can they have a sliver of a chance to survive."

"What if the Qing, backed by their superior military strength, tries to appease and win over the natives?" Wang Mingyuan said softly. "The natives fear power but do not appreciate kindness; they are polite in small ways but lack a sense of righteousness. If the Qing show goodwill and deceive them with empty words, how can we be sure that the natives won't change their minds?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Zhang Yaoshen subconsciously turned his head to look at the dock.

A group of local tribesmen had gathered there, their eyes filled with curiosity as they scrutinized the two galleys.

They looked so honest and simple...

But he knew that these were all appearances. Just as Lord Wang had said, in order to survive and continue the tribe's reproduction, they would be fickle, have no principles, and not care which side they belonged to.

“My lord, I have noted it down.” He nodded emphatically to Wang Mingyuan. “After returning to Beiying, I will certainly report the perilous situation that your Blackwater is facing to the Commissioner.”

The bosun's shouts came from the ship, reminding the fleet that they were about to weigh anchor and raise the sails.

Wang Mingyuan handed over another list: "These are the urgently needed supplies for next year. Swords, spears, ironware, firearms, and gunpowder are listed first."

He paused, then lowered his voice slightly: "If possible, please send a few more light artillery pieces for land combat. These will be crucial weapons for us to break into those indigenous villages."

Zhang Yaoshen took the list of supplies needed, solemnly bowed to him, then turned around, stepped onto the platform, and boarded the "Yuanwang-3".

The mooring lines were untied, and the boat slowly left the dock, with several sails rising one after another as it drifted downstream.

In a short while, they turned into two small black dots on the river surface.
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The river wind howled, causing the mainsail of the "Yuanwang-3" to swell like a full moon.

Zhang Yaoshen stood at the stern, watching the silhouette of Bryburg gradually disappear into the distance, his right hand touching the letter in the leather pouch on his chest.

It contained Wang Mingyuan's handwritten letter and a list of material needs, which must have revealed the perilous situation faced by the Heishui Colonization Zone.

You tell me, after all these years, Xinhua hasn't even filled up Beiying Island, so why are we spending so much effort to develop such a remote place as Heishui?
This has led to a dangerous and dangerous situation, causing widespread anxiety and unease.

I really don't understand what those adults up there are thinking.

"Chief Zhang, at this speed, we should be able to reach Fushan Fort (formerly Fushan Guard of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission of the Ming Dynasty) by tomorrow evening." First mate Li Jing'er walked over, carrying a rough porcelain bowl filled with steaming hot tea.

Zhang Yaoshen took the bowl, the steam quickly dissipating in the river breeze.

“Tell the brothers that when we reach Fushan Fort, we will rest for one night, replenish our fresh water and dry rations, and then continue on our way.”

The river water gurgled beneath the boat, and the primeval forests on both banks formed two high green walls, occasionally revealing steep cliffs.

Zhang Yao squinted and saw several blurry figures on the riverbank in the distance, which then disappeared into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

Was it a native hunter or a black bear hunting for food?
At 4 p.m. the following afternoon, a bend appeared in the river ahead.

The lookout on the mast shouted excitedly, "Fort Fushan is in sight!"

"Lower the sails halfway! Prepare to dock!" Zhang Yaoshen commanded, his voice echoing across the river. Compared to the scale of Boliburg, Fushanburg was pitifully small, about eighty meters long and fifty meters wide, with an area of ​​just over four thousand square meters.

But its location is excellent—backed by steep cliffs, surrounded by water on three sides, with only a narrow dirt road leading inland.

The fortress's walls are three meters high, constructed entirely of tightly packed, thick pine logs, with arrow towers and watchtowers on top.

Outside the wall, there was a trench several meters wide, with sharpened wooden stakes stuck in the bottom.

From the watchtower on the stockade wall, sentries had already spotted them and were waving flags to signal them.

Two galleys slowly approached the shore, and the gates of Fushan Fort were already open, with several armed guards coming to greet them.

The leader was a thin, middle-aged man with a weathered face and a steel knife slung at his waist.

"Hey, Zhang, you guys were delayed in Bryburg for so long before you got back?" the man called out loudly, his voice rough and powerful.

"Of course!" Zhang Yaoshen jumped off the deck, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "This time when we arrived at Boliburg, we even led the brothers in a battle against the Qing invaders. That's why we were delayed for a while!"

"Huh?" Ma Decheng was immediately stunned upon hearing this. "You fought a battle with the Qing invaders?... What happened?"

Zhang Yaoshen briefly explained to him how the Qing invaders attacked, and how Bolibao united with the surrounding indigenous tribes to launch a counterattack, thereby repelling the Qing invaders and achieving final victory.

"Ah!..." Ma Decheng exclaimed with delight upon hearing this, "I never expected that we could actually defeat several hundred Tartars! Congratulations!"

"Our victory over the Tartars was due to our advantageous terrain, the fact that we had a dozen or so local tribes under our control, and our superior numbers. It was only natural that we were able to win this victory," Zhang Yaoshen said with a smile. "Of course, the Tartars also underestimated us. They never expected our firearms to be so powerful, which caused them to flee in disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons."

"That was exhilarating! That was exhilarating!" Ma Decheng exclaimed, slapping his thigh repeatedly, his excitement beyond words. "If it weren't for the limited amount of wine in the village, I would definitely celebrate this victory and drink with my brothers until we were all drunk."

As the two were talking, they entered the village.

It was smaller than I had imagined. In the center was a small rammed earth square, surrounded by warehouses, barracks and more than twenty low wooden houses, with their roofs covered with birch bark and thatch.

The most conspicuous building is a two-story wooden building in the southeast corner, which serves as the command post and office inside the fort.

Seven or eight indigenous women were drying soybeans on the open ground on the west side of the square. When they saw strangers arrive, they immediately lowered their heads and walked away quickly.

“Oh, they’re just delivering dried goods from a nearby tribe.” Zhao Decheng noticed Zhang Yaoshen’s gaze and explained with a smile, “We’re short-handed here, so we’ve handed over some of the rough and heavy work to the hired natives. It doesn’t cost much; we just provide them with a few meals.”

"Hehe, I suppose Commander Zhao is also looking out for some... conveniences for the brothers in the fort." Zhang Yaoshen blinked.

"Uh..." Upon hearing this, Zhao Decheng immediately revealed a smile that only men could understand. "There's nothing we can do. Waiting for Beiying Island to send us women would be a long time coming. We have about fifty men here; we can't just sit here and do nothing, can we?"

“That’s true. Only when you have a woman and start a family can you settle down here with peace of mind.” Zhang Yaoshen understood this very well.

From last autumn to this spring, the Qing invaders launched a large-scale invasion and plunder, devastating several provinces including Beijing, Hebei, and Shandong, resulting in millions of refugees.

Xinhua mobilized all its resources and made every effort to recruit immigrants. Over four months, it accommodated and transferred more than 36,000 refugees.

However, women make up less than 40% of the population, and efforts must be made to meet local needs in order to mitigate the excessive gender gap.

Once the local population has been selected, the remaining individuals will naturally be prioritized for allocation to the core headquarters on the northern island of Japan, in order to further optimize the local population structure.

Next came the immigration needs of Sakhalin Island in the north, followed by the coastal colonization zone.

In the end, when it was the turn of the Blackwater colonization area, there were only a few women left.

Therefore, remote villages like Fushanbao and Nuergancheng had no choice but to find suitable women from surrounding indigenous tribes to meet the marriage needs of young and middle-aged immigrant men.

Upon entering the small building in Tunpu, there is a rough wooden table in the hall with a hand-drawn sketch spread out on it.

Zhao Decheng signaled to the guards to go to the mess hall and prepare some good dishes to entertain the arriving sailors.

"Old Zhang, do you think that if the Qing invaders send troops to attack Heishui again in the next year or two, they might sneak over to our Fushan Fort?" He scooped two bowls of liquor from a wooden bucket in the corner and placed them on the table.

Zhang Yaoshen took a sip of wine, the burning sensation spreading from his throat to his stomach. He quickly grabbed a handful of cooked edamame from the plate, peeled them, and ate them.

"It shouldn't be that bad! The Qing invaders have come from afar, but they don't have any decent large ships. With the small boats and dugout canoes they forcibly requisitioned from all directions, traveling hundreds of kilometers to attack your small village, it would be a losing proposition."

"Oh, that's a pity." Zhao Decheng took a plate of salted fish from a guard and pushed it in front of the customer. "I was thinking that if the Tartars dared to sneak over, I would definitely cut off a few heads to avenge my dead family. ... Damn it, out of eight people in my family, only I escaped!"

“Everyone who fled from Liaodong has a blood feud with the Tartars.” Zhang Yaoshen shook his head and comforted him, “Commander Zhao, try to take things easy. Although this place is a bit remote, it is still a peaceful and happy land. Develop and build it up properly, and then live a good life and multiply.”

“Old Zhang, although no Tartars have come over to our Fushan Fort, and it seems peaceful and uncontested, it’s not the tranquil paradise you’re talking about.” Zhao Decheng picked up his wine bowl and took a big gulp. “The local people here are quite unruly! As they’ve become more familiar with us, they’ve started to have some bad intentions.”

"Hmm?" Zhang Yaoshen was taken aback. "Could it be that they harbored ill intentions and had a conflict with you?"

“There was no conflict.” Zhao Decheng reached out and grabbed a piece of salted fish, slowly munching on it. “They wouldn’t dare to mess with our Fushan Fort even if they had ten lives! It’s just that they’re getting increasingly dissatisfied with the fur trade price we set earlier, thinking that we’ve taken advantage of them and want more.”

"Damn it, don't they even remember what kind of life they lived before we came! Now they have iron tools, salt, cotton cloth, and even food for the winter, and they're still not satisfied. Are they going to give them our Fushan Fortress too?"

“Hehe…” Zhang Yaoshen chuckled. “If I’m not mistaken, those dissatisfied natives probably want to take advantage of the convenience of trading directly with us to become middlemen, reselling the various goods they obtain at higher prices to the natives deep in the mountains, thereby making a profit.”

"Yes, that should be the case. Our Fushan Fort has too few people, so we can only influence and control the local tribes within a radius of thirty to fifty miles. If the higher-ups send us more immigrants, we can set up another fort inland, extend our influence there, and bring more local people under our Xinhua rule."

"These natives are ungrateful; they only think about getting benefits and are unwilling to give anything in return. We usually levy taxes on men and furs, and they complain endlessly. If you ask me, they've never experienced the exploitation and harm inflicted by the Tartars. Otherwise, they would know that our methods are already extremely peaceful and appeaseing."

The two drank and chatted about trivial matters until the night deepened, at which point they each went to rest.
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(End of this chapter)