Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 416 Preparations
Winters in Yongning Bay are always gloomy and unbearable.

The sea breeze blowing from the Pacific Ocean, carrying icy rain, enveloped the entire colony in a damp, chilly fog.

Such weather should have made people curl up indoors, sip some hot wine, and take a leisurely rest, but the colonization officials never wasted a single "winter leisure" day.

During this season, officials at various settlements would often launch a construction frenzy for local infrastructure, such as repairing farmland irrigation systems, building reservoirs and ponds, or constructing cities and roads, leaving the immigrants with no free time and making their lives extremely miserable.

On December 4, in the fields outside Yichuan Fort (now Berkeley, California), a group of new immigrants dressed in uniform coarse cotton clothes and with shaved heads began to wield shovels and build a long irrigation canal.

Most of these people arrived at Shixing Port on Qiming Island by ship in September of this year. After completing the initial quarantine period, they traveled south by ship again and were assigned to the Yongning Bay colonization area.

Among them were Ming Chinese, Koreans, and even a few Japanese. Without exception, they were all thin and rather reserved in their speech and behavior, clearly worn down by the suffering they had endured.

However, after recuperating in Xinhua for several months, their faces regained some color, and their energy returned. Under the leadership of the colonization officials, they were working hard, sweating profusely.

When the Xinhua officials conscripted laborers for hard labor, they would provide them with meals.

Moreover, they eat three meals a day, and every meal is dry.

For that reason alone, we'll work ourselves to the bone.

Yichuanbao was established as a settlement three years ago, with an original population of over 260. With the addition of the 35 new immigrants who arrived this year, the total number of residents has just exceeded 300.

Yichuan is backed by hills and faces Yongning Bay. Its terrain transitions from mountains to plains, with large areas of river valleys and alluvial plains. Moreover, the soil is mainly composed of sandy clay and alluvial layers, which is relatively fertile and provides excellent conditions for agriculture.

There are also small rivers in the surrounding area, such as the Chixi River (now Strawberry Creek), which have relatively abundant water volume due to frequent rainfall in winter.

However, in summer, rainfall decreases and evaporation increases, making these streams and rivers prone to drying up or even ceasing to flow.

Fortunately, after three years of continuous development and construction, a small reservoir covering more than ten acres and a large number of irrigation ditches have been built near Yichuanbao, which can barely cope with seasonal agricultural water shortages.

Thanks to the superior agricultural conditions and the indomitable spirit of the more than 200 hardworking immigrants, Yichuanbao achieved food self-sufficiency this year and even had a slight surplus, which greatly reduced the food burden of the entire colonization area.

Besides these 300-plus immigrants, there are several small tribes within a 10-kilometer radius of Yichuanbao, with populations ranging from 30 to 100.

For the new Chinese who were extremely short of labor, they certainly wouldn't let go of these local indigenous people.

According to the orders of Commissioner Han of the Colonization Area, several towns and outposts near the exit of Yongning Bay were to build fortifications and add artillery emplacements during the winter off-season to prepare for the invasion of foreign enemies.

For example, there were several fortified towns such as Yuzhou, Yongning (now Auckland), Yichuan, Fengping (now Albany), and Yuanling (now Richmond).

Although the Yongning Bay settlement was an encroachment on the border, the Spanish in the south seemed completely unaware of the situation over the years. Of course, they may have been aware of it, but given their own powerlessness, they chose to deliberately turn a blind eye, never coming to stop them, let alone sending armed ships to threaten them.

As a result, the colony became increasingly daring, gradually expanding its fortified outposts from relatively hidden locations within the bay to the bay entrance.

But all of this still did not attract any interference from the Spanish, not even verbal ones.

Besides the Spanish, are there any other external threats here?
Although the local colonization officials did not quite understand the commissioner's orders, they still chose to obey firmly and began to strengthen the defense and security of their respective territories.

Yichuan Fort conscripted over two hundred able-bodied men from several nearby indigenous tribes to undertake the arduous task of building the city walls.

The conscripted laborers did not receive the same treatment as the immigrants.

They only provide one meal a day at noon, and you have to bring your own tools and run errands seven or eight kilometers back and forth, which is quite tiring.

However, they dared not complain too much, nor dared not come to answer the call.

If the new Chinese are angered, the tribe's trade relations will be immediately cut off.

They would not be able to obtain a single grain of rice, salt, ironware, or wine.

If you still harbor rebellious intentions and attempt to confront the new Chinese community, then the fate awaiting them will be the annihilation of the entire tribe, with everyone plunged into an abyss of no return.

The arrival of the new Chinese helped these indigenous tribes escape the primitive and ignorant era, greatly improving their living conditions. They were also guided to cultivate and plant a lot of grains, which was much better than their previous days of fishing, hunting and gathering.

However, they also paid a price for it.

That is, a certain amount of "freedom and romance" is lost.

Zhang Laosan was a Shandong immigrant in his twenties. Last year, the Tartars wreaked havoc in the north and even reached Shandong. To escape the war, he followed a large group of refugees all the way to Dengzhou.

Because, not long after the war broke out, there were rumors that there was food in Dengzhou and that there was a chance to immigrate to the mainland, so he took his parents, wife and children and fled to the seaside.

However, during the journey, his parents were unexpectedly separated, and their chances of survival were slim. His three-year-old son also died on the way, and he only managed to reach Dengzhou with his wife.

After several transfers, they arrived in this unfamiliar place on a new Chinese immigrant ship.

He followed the team to the North Slope Reservoir, looked at the half-dug pit, rubbed his aching back and sighed: "This job is even more tiring than repairing the river embankment back home!"

Kim Dae-soon, the North Korean man next to him, couldn't understand his words, but judging from his expression, he guessed what was going on. He smiled wryly and said in broken Chinese, "Tired, but at least... I'm full."

Zhang Laosan nodded.

Yes, at Xinhua, although there is endless work, including a lot of heavy work, at least we can eat our fill and occasionally have fish and meat.

Life is much better now than it was during the Ming Dynasty.

He picked up a shovel and began digging.

It rained yesterday, and the soil is wet, cold, sticky, and heavy, requiring a lot of effort to shovel every time.

In a short while, he was panting heavily, and his wrist felt heavier.

But he dared not stop. The colonization officer said that if he didn't finish digging this section of the canal today, his dinner would be halved, and he wouldn't even get fish soup.

It's rare to have such good weather without rain, we can't let it go to waste.

Not far away, several Japanese men were using a rickshaw and ropes to move bricks and stones.

They were short in stature, but they worked exceptionally hard, never complaining, and often humming strange songs under their breath.

"Hey! You two..." A colonization officer walked over and pointed to a newly dug ditch. "Pile bricks and stones here, mix in some cement, and reinforce the slope!" The Japanese couldn't understand his words, but seeing his gestures, they immediately understood what he meant. They hurriedly nodded and bowed as they moved the bricks and stones over and began to reinforce the slope.

On a piece of wasteland on the east side of the reservoir, more than forty women and a group of children were burning stubble.

Zhou Shuiniang was one of the earliest immigrants to Yichuanbao. Her husband was a grassroots team leader who responded to the government's call and took the initiative to go south to Yongning Bay to reclaim land.

At this moment, she led her five-year-old son, Qiu Xiaohu, and used a flint and steel to set fire to a pile of bushes.

"Mommy, will this fire start? Can we roast potatoes in it?" the child asked in a childish voice, clutching a stick.

"Silly son!" Zhou Shui Niang affectionately tapped her son's forehead. "If the fire starts soon, we'd better get out of there quickly, or we'll both turn into roasted potatoes!"

According to regulations, these old immigrants who came from their homeland to this newly developed land, in addition to receiving their allotted forty mu of land, could also purchase an additional forty mu of hillside land and woodland at a price of two silver dollars per mu.

This price was significantly lower than that of Xinhua Bay and Ziwu River, which attracted a group of long-time immigrants who were extremely eager for land.

The hillside in front of them, which had been burned, was an extra ten-odd acres of land that the couple had bought with their savings over several years. They planned to burn the land, plant a crop of alfalfa, produce some concentrated feed to feed their dozen or so cattle and sheep, and improve the soil.

With the large-scale production of Xinhua Agricultural Machinery, their Yichuan Cooperative also introduced several large agricultural machines last year. For a small fee, they can rent both horses and machines, allowing farmers like them to cultivate more land.

The fire started small, but with the help of the wind, it gradually spread, and thick black smoke rose into the gray sky.

Some women used long poles to carefully control the fire, preventing it from burning across the firebreak and igniting the nearby woods.

"I heard that the higher-ups ordered the construction of city walls to guard against invasions from the barbarians in the south," a young woman whispered.

"Huh? Isn't it said that the New Continent is peaceful and tranquil, without external threats or internal strife? Why... why do we need to guard against the barbarians from the south?" A woman who had just immigrated to Xinhua this year asked in surprise, her face showing a hint of panic.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Zhou Shui Niang spat. "What external threat is there in Yongning Bay? The Western barbarians are far away from here! Besides, Yuzhou Fort is guarding the bay entrance. How can the barbarians get in? ... In my opinion, building city walls is just giving those natives something to do!"
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On the construction site west of Yichuan Fort, more than a hundred local young men are building the city wall.

They came from several nearby tribes and were forcibly conscripted by the colonization government to perform hard labor.

Their skin was tanned dark, their hair was disheveled, and they were only wrapped in simple animal skins or coarse linen.

The cotton-padded clothes obtained from Yichuan Fort were never worn while working, lest they get accidentally torn and cause unnecessary heartache.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle!" A Xinhua craftsman paced back and forth, constantly urging them on.

The natives remained silent, heads bowed, ceaselessly moving stones and bricks, their breaths coming from their mouths and noses.

They only have one meal a day at noon, usually potato chunks and corn porridge, and occasionally a few pieces of salted dried fish. It's not very nutritious, but it fills their stomachs.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

From time to time, the sound of muskets firing could be heard in the open fields outside the city walls, exploding like popping beans, making the hearts of these laborers pound.

"This isn't the first time we've fired a gun, how come some people still can't remember the steps?" The militia captain of Yichuanbao, holding a musket, demonstrated at the front of the formation while shouting, "Look carefully, all of you! First pour the gunpowder, then load the lead bullet, and tamp it down with a cleaning rod. Finally, raise the gun, aim forward, and wait for the firing command!"

"Damn it, who fired the darts all at once? If a war really breaks out, you'll be a walking death trap! And some people didn't even fire the lead bullets, were they just planning to hear a bang? Damn it, how come they can find their target so easily when they're in the dark, having sex with their wives in bed!"

"Hahaha……"

The elderly immigrants who were conducting a live-fire militia drill burst into laughter, pointing at several militia members who had made mistakes and mocking them.

"Boss Wei, what are you saying!" The militiaman who had accidentally inserted the cleaning rod into the barrel and fired the gun blushed and tried to defend himself, saying, "This musket drill was several months ago, it's normal that I can't remember the steps right away. I've been busy all year round, when have I ever had a chance to rest! My brain is already mush, how would I know how to operate a musket?"

"Yao Shunzi, don't give me this nonsense!" Wei Dashan glared at him. "Who here isn't busy from morning till night, without a break all year round? Do you even know where we are? Do you know how close the Western Barbarians to the south are to us?"

"Just because the Western barbarians haven't attacked in recent years, does that mean our Yongning Bay is safe? What a load of rubbish! Do you know what's going on? News from Luzon says that the Western barbarians there slaughtered tens of thousands of Han Chinese, sparing not even women and children. The piles of corpses have blocked several nearby rivers, and the surrounding seawater is all covered in blood!"

"Damn it, if the Western barbarians manage to reach Yongning Bay and invade Yichuan Fort, none of you will survive! The higher-ups said we need to... take precautions. We need to reinforce the city walls, build artillery emplacements, practice formations, and learn how to fire guns. Moreover, we need to master the muskets so that we can load and fire them with our eyes closed, just like we would our own wives!"

"Captain Wei is absolutely right!" Zhou Mingde, the chief of Yichuan Fort, walked over slowly, looking sternly at the group of militiamen who were lax in their training. "You must remember, on this training ground, you are not farmers or laborers, but militiamen who are defending our homeland!"

"The reason why Yichuan Fort is what it is today is not only due to your hard work, but also to the muskets in your hands and the city walls behind you."

"Did you all hear that?" Wei Dashan roared again: "The muskets you hold in your hands are the weapons to protect our homeland. Your hard training today is the means to protect your wives, children and elderly parents."

"Train well today. Tonight, have the mess hall prepare some wine and meat to reward everyone for their hard work." Zhou Mingde took a musket from a militiaman next to him, skillfully loaded the ammunition, and completed the entire operation in just over ten seconds. Then, he raised his arm and steadily aimed at the target thirty meters away.

"boom!"

A plume of black smoke rose as the bullet flew from the barrel and slammed into the wooden target with a dull thud.

"The General Manager is truly mighty!" Wei Dashan exclaimed loudly.

"You can continue!" Zhou Mingde handed the musket to the militiaman, clapped his hands, and turned to walk towards the city wall construction site.

As darkness fell, a light drizzle began to fall.

The immigrants, exhausted from their work, returned to Yichuan Fort. Without even washing up, they eagerly rushed into the canteen to line up for dinner.

The food was good tonight. In addition to corn porridge, steamed buns, and pickled vegetables, everyone was also given a large, chewy piece of meat.

Zhang Laosan sat at a row of wooden tables, wolfing down his food.

A gaunt immigrant sitting nearby suddenly whispered, "I heard that even more immigrants will be coming next year."

"How do you know?" Zhang Laosan asked, his mouth full and his words muffled.

"On the way back, I heard those settlement officials say that after the irrigation canal is finished, they will organize us to build another wooden fortress north of Yichuan Fort, along with wooden houses and warehouses. Guess how many they'll build?" He said mysteriously, "They said it's to accommodate a hundred people! Goodness, that's a lot of people!"

Zhang Laosan was silent for a while, then smiled: "Good, the more people there are, the greater the strength. Once this place prospers, our lives will be better."

In the distance, Zhou Mingde stood on the city wall, watching the lights gradually come on, a satisfied smile on his face.

"I was the most outstanding graduate of the academy back then, and I will surely become the most accomplished governor in the future!"
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(End of this chapter)