Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 417 Laba Festival
January 11, 1640, Laba Festival.

Yongning City (present-day Oakland, California).

At dawn, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The clock tower, located at the crossroads of the city, rang out several long chimes, waking the sleeping town.

As blacksmith Mao Chenghui removed the shop's door panels, the lingering sound of the bronze bell swept across the city's rooftops, which were arranged at varying heights.

He squinted at the main street—five years ago this was a wasteland full of tree stumps, but now the cobblestone streets are lined with brick and wood houses, and the smoke from the chimneys weaves a warm net in the morning light.

"Master Mao, here are the ingredients for your Laba porridge!" The temporary helper at the grain shop on the street carried half a sack across the threshold, then placed it steadily on the ground, opened the sack to reveal plump red beans, peanuts, and dried fruit inside.

Mao Chenghui squatted down, picked up a few peanuts with his hands, put them in his mouth and chewed. For some reason, he suddenly recalled the scene when he first landed five years ago.

Back then, the thirty-odd men squeezed into a wooden house to get through the winter, and on Laba Festival they could only cook a pot of mixed stew with corn porridge, potatoes and dried fish.

Now, however, we must follow the tradition of the Ming Dynasty, prepare all kinds of fine ingredients, and cook a pot of real Laba porridge.

Life is getting better!
Previously, because he was skilled at repairing musket parts, he became the only gunsmith in the fortress. Later, he took advantage of this opportunity to open this shop, importing several machines from the local area and taking on some farm tools and equipment for forging and repairing. Gradually, he grew his business and became the largest blacksmith shop in Yongning City and the surrounding fortresses. He even built a two-courtyard house in the back and lived a prosperous and peaceful life.

"Master Mao, I heard they're giving out Laba porridge at the square," the grain shop clerk said in a low voice. "My wife went to line up before dawn."

"Why are you in such a hurry!" Mao Chenghui chuckled upon hearing this. "Who in Yongning City is lacking food these days? They have fish and meat every day, why would they care about this? ...Is it really necessary to queue up early in the morning for Laba porridge?"

“Master Mao, I’m not like you!” the waiter muttered. “I’ve just finished my service period and I still owe the government several tens of yuan! They’re giving out porridge in the square, it’s free, why not take it? It can save me a meal, right?”

“Look at you, so pathetic! You have forty acres of land, you can make a good living no matter what you do, there’s no need to squeeze in with those new immigrants just for a bowl of Laba porridge! You can save five or six yuan a winter working odd jobs at Old Li’s grain shop, enough for you to eat Laba porridge for several months.”

“Sigh, we’re so hungry. Why not take a free serving of Laba porridge?” The shopkeeper said, turning to leave and heading back to the grain shop. “Besides, the government hasn’t said that we old immigrants aren’t allowed to take Laba porridge. We should take advantage of this.”

"Ha, so petty!" Mao Chenghui shook his head, took a broom from behind the door, and began cleaning in front of the shop.

A squad of police officers in gray-blue uniforms were passing through the street corner. The team was neat and imposing, and the collar insignia on their cuffs reflected the dazzling light in the morning sun.

By the third quarter of Chen Shi (7:45 AM), the main street had come alive.

The fish market owner, Lin Ada, set up a canvas awning, where salmon and abalone in wooden basins were still jumping around.

When I first came here five years ago, there were so many fish in Yongning Bay that you could catch them by hand. Now, with all kinds of trawls, the catch is plentiful all year round, making it the cheapest thing in town.

"Manager Lin, leave me the biggest one, I'll come back for it tonight!" Zhou Wenyu, the math teacher at Yongning Elementary School, squeezed through the crowd, his eyes sunken, clearly having stayed up all night. "Today, I'm having a small get-together with some colleagues..."

"I know!" Lin Ada ignored the other customers, enthusiastically scooped a big fish out of the basin, quickly tied a straw rope around it, and hung it on the scale hook.

"Eight cents and five fen, I'll give you eight cents!" He moved the scale in front of the schoolteacher, and inadvertently glanced at the oil paper package in the other's arms. "Oh, your school also gives out Laba Festival gifts?"

The edges of pine nut candy peeked out from the oil paper package. This was a new product that only appeared at headquarters last year, and it was exported in large quantities to Spanish Mexico, where it was very popular with the Westerners.

Zhou Wenyu was secretly pleased, but he pretended to be modest and waved his hand: "It's not like the colonial government. I heard that the Commissioner gave his subordinates refined dried fruit and refined white sugar."

"Sigh, in our Xinhua, you scholars still have it easy!" Lin Ada said with no small amount of envy. "Whether it's in the colonial government or schools at all levels, the salaries are generous, and there are often many gifts given out on holidays. We ordinary people can't compare to that..."

The conversation was interrupted by a commotion as several natives carried two deer past on wooden sticks, their blood dripping onto the bluestone slabs and leaving dark red marks.

Although they didn't know the significance of today's festival, some clever natives still managed to hunt and sell their game in the city.

Such a bustling town should fetch a good price.

At 3:45 AM, the bronze bell at the crossroads struck nine times, and a group of schoolchildren in blue cotton jackets suddenly ran past, clapping bamboo clappers and reciting a newly composed Laba Festival rhyme: "Laba porridge, cooked until thick, the pioneers have no worries; the Kitchen God sits on the kang (heated brick bed), the granary is full, and the irrigation ditches flow..."

This was created by the teachers of Yongning Elementary School, combining local folk rhymes, and it has now become a must-perform program for children on Laba Festival.

Even more lively was the open space at the street corner, where several elderly immigrants were setting up an incense table to worship the land god. Among the offerings were traditional dough figurines and two "water ghosts" made of sea mud.

This is a method taught by indigenous tribes, which is said to be able to quell the winter waves.

"Come and pay your respects to the Earth God!" Old Zhang stuck incense into the incense burner. "Five years ago, when we first came here, not a single decent crop could grow here. Now the wheat is knee-high!"

The local elder next to him also kowtowed, but he was not worshipping the Earth God, but rather a "Sea Spirit" deity made of seashells.

The two kinds of incense smoke mingled together and drifted into the kitchen of the nearby "Jufulou" restaurant, where the chef was sprinkling fried peanuts into the Laba porridge.

According to tradition, peanuts fried on Laba Festival should make a "crackling" sound, symbolizing a prosperous life. However, nowadays, large peanuts from Xinzhou are used, which make a crisper sound when fried.

"Five years!"

During the holiday, Yongning Town Mayor Liao Desheng led a group of settlement officials to inspect the streets. He was deeply moved by the prosperous scene in the town.

Back then, he brought more than forty immigrants to settle here. The process was extremely arduous, and he was constantly worried about being attacked by the Western barbarians to the south or by the local indigenous tribes.

You must understand, this place is thousands of miles away from the headquarters on Qiming Island. If something were to happen here, by the time they receive the news and come to their aid, the bodies would probably be rotting away.

He only breathed a slight sigh of relief when the second batch of more than sixty people arrived the following year. But he still dared not let his guard down. He led about a hundred immigrants to frantically reinforce the fortress's defenses. He even used supplies such as grain, salt, and ironware to recruit several local indigenous tribes to help them build a moat, diverting water from a lagoon several kilometers away. With the addition of several cannons mounted on the city walls, everyone finally felt a little safer.

In the blink of an eye, almost six years have passed. Eight forts and more than 30 immigrant settlements have been established in the Yongning Bay settlement area, and the population has grown to more than 2,800 people. There are also thousands of natives who have returned to the area, and the area has basically established itself.

Even if the Western barbarians dared to send troops to attack, the colonized areas still had a certain degree of self-defense capability.

Since its establishment, Yongning City has always been the seat of government in the colony area, making it the undisputed political and economic center of the region.

For some reason, Commissioner Han was very fond of Yuzhou Fort (now San Francisco), which had been established for less than three years. He not only personally oversaw the development and construction of the area, but also prioritized sending many immigrants and resources allocated from his department to it.

Last June, the entire government of the colony was moved to Yuzhoubao, which greatly disappointed the people of Yongning.

We are clearly the "eldest sons," so why did our "brothers" take our place?
However, Yongning had the advantage of being a first-mover, and in terms of both population size and the level of industrial and agricultural economy, it was still the undisputed number one town in the entire colonization area.

By the end of last year, Yongning had one town and nine villages (hamlets) under its jurisdiction, with a population of over 860 and more than 16,000 mu of cultivated land, more than 60% of which was cultivated land that had undergone "three plowings and three harrowings". It was a major grain exporting area in the colonization zone.

After years of construction, a dense network of irrigation canals has been built in various villages and hamlets. Some of the main canals are still made of bricks, stones and cement, and covered with a layer of wooden planks or stone slabs to prevent excessive evaporation in summer.

Over the years, Xinhua has devoted considerable effort and resources to farmland water conservancy construction, mobilizing a large amount of manpower and resources every year to build water conservancy projects for agricultural production.

According to incomplete statistics, more than 30 reservoirs of various sizes have been built in more than ten counties in the area, as well as a large number of ponds, pumping stations, and a dense network of irrigation canals.

The reason is simple: in order to meet the food needs of the large number of new immigrants each year, as well as the demand for industrial raw materials, Xinhua's agriculture must develop at an extraordinary and rapid pace, increasing the scale and efficiency of agricultural production in the shortest possible time.

With large-scale investment and construction, the people of Xinhua have managed to reclaim two million mu of fertile land from one barren land after another, which was once covered with forests and meadows.

The Yongning Bay colonization area has a Mediterranean climate, with cool and dry summers (and even almost no rain in some areas) and high evaporation rates. However, it receives more rain in winter, which is completely different from the agricultural environment of the Ming Dynasty, where rain and heat occur simultaneously.

Fortunately, the region has many small and medium-sized rivers, and the problem of water shortage in agriculture during the summer can be alleviated by building more reservoirs and ponds.

"This year, the grain production target assigned to Yongning Town by the colonization area is to increase by 30% compared to last year."

When the group arrived at the town square, they saw several large iron pots simmering with steaming Laba porridge. Long lines of people slowly moved forward as residents happily carried earthenware basins and bowls to receive the porridge provided by the government.

Liao Desheng turned to Liang Wengen, who was in charge of agricultural expansion, and said, "Therefore, we are under great pressure. We must complete the task assigned by the higher-ups no matter what. In addition to tapping the potential of the existing farmland, we must also open up as much new land as possible and plant more high-yield crops such as potatoes and corn."

"Judging from this, the colonization area should be very confident in securing more immigration quotas from the Immigration and Colonization Department this year. We must pay close attention to this and not take it lightly."

"Mayor, don't worry." Liang Wengen patted his chest and assured him, "We can definitely achieve this goal this year. The more than 2,000 mu of land that was newly reclaimed last year has been planted with soybeans, and the soil fertility has been improved to a certain extent. After spreading a layer of manure and bird droppings before spring plowing, let alone a 30% increase, even a 40% increase is no problem."

"In addition, during the winter off-season, we are burning wasteland to reclaim new fields. We estimate that we should be able to reclaim about 3,000 mu by the time of spring sowing in March. We can't grow wheat on these virgin lands, but we can still produce some by planting a crop of soybeans or potatoes. All in all, the output is not small."

"Oh, and there's more! The five indigenous tribes under the jurisdiction of Yongning Town also have two or three thousand acres of land. When it's time to sow, I'll send a few agricultural officials to help guide them, which should increase the yield a bit more."

"Yes, very good!" Liao Desheng nodded in satisfaction: "Later, we will hold a meeting to confirm and implement this matter one by one, and then set out a plan. This year's agricultural production will be strictly promoted around the goal of increasing income."

“Mayor, fish and hunting catches are also important components of grain production, right?” Deputy Mayor Qiu Chengping said with a smile. “The elk and rabbits in the forest, the birds and waterfowl near the lake and streams, and the various fish from the sea—if we organize them carefully, the potential for growth is still very large.”

“Old Qiu is right! With more meat consumed throughout the day, less grain is used, and the extra food can be used to support the new immigrants.” Liao Desheng nodded and said, “How many people do you think the higher-ups will allocate to Yongning this year?”

"If we get 150 or 160, we can break through 1,000 people. Then we can formally apply to establish a township and receive central government funding."

"Mayor, I heard that gold has been discovered in the northeast of the bay, and the reserves are huge." Qiu Chengping said in a low voice, "In that case, the central government will definitely attach great importance to it, and the Ministry of Mining and the Precious Metals Management Department will most likely send people to inspect the site."

“Once the gold mine is opened, at least several hundred or even a thousand miners will need to be brought in, followed by the military police and mine police. If these people have families, the number will likely be even greater. In order to meet the needs of the mining area for production and the large number of personnel and supplies, several agricultural settlements will inevitably need to be established in the surrounding area to provide food and other non-staple foods nearby.”

"I'm thinking that at least two thousand people will be allocated to our entire settlement area this year. Yongning Town is a relatively developed area with a certain industrial and agricultural base, so it can naturally accommodate more immigrants. ... Well, I dare not say more, but there will definitely be at least two hundred immigrants."

"Hey, that's the best!" Liao Desheng was secretly delighted upon hearing this.

If a township is established this year, and a county is established in two years, then I will be a local governor.

Well, that doesn't seem to be entirely true.

Those students who graduated from the main campus's School of Management might be his biggest competitors.

They have received two years of systematic training, and are not only cultured and theoretically sound, but also quite driven in their work.

After a year-long internship, he immediately demonstrated exceptional governance and management skills.

Even when encountering numerous difficulties at work, they can quickly come up with ways to resolve them properly.

Moreover, these "academics" are also reserve cadres cultivated by the central government. As long as they work their way up from the grassroots for two or three years, their promotion speed will be much faster than that of a "country bumpkin" like him.

"Mr. Mayor..."

Just as Liao Desheng was feeling anxious and uncertain, a militiaman on duty rushed over, his face covered in sweat and his expression quite anxious.

"Several indigenous tribes around Shadian Village (now San Leandro, California) are suspected of experiencing a large-scale...smallpox outbreak."
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(End of this chapter)