Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 438 Northward Journey
On August 17, 1640, the fog had not yet dissipated when the port of Shixing was bustling with activity. Passengers, vendors, sailors, and immigrants arriving at the port were all crowded together.

Mu Shunan tightened his grip on his luggage, looking at the crowded scene before him, and for a moment felt a sense of bewilderment and helplessness.

"We weren't very lucky today. A large number of immigrant ships were entering the port, and we got squeezed in!" Liu Yao, deputy chief engineer of Guangfeng Steel Plant, wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to Mu Shunan and the others, calling out, "Stay close, don't get pushed far away by the crowd. Sigh, it'll be better once we're on the ship... Damn it, where's our ship?"

In addition to a large number of transport ships coming and going, the port also had twelve immigrant ships returning from the third batch docked there, their masts like a forest, their sails lowered and hanging limply on the masts.

The air above the port was filled with the salty smell of the sea, the sweat of the crowd, and the occasional aroma of barbecue stalls wafting from afar.

"Chief Engineer Liu, our ship is over there!" Zhao Yonghe pointed to a medium-sized galley on the right side of the dock.

The ship was painted sky blue, almost indistinguishable from the sea, and a large "MRT-5" sign was marked on the side of the ship, the white lettering reflecting a sliver of light in the morning light.

Liu Yao nodded and beckoned the master craftsmen from the ironworks behind him to follow.

They weaved through the crowded streets, occasionally having to sidestep immigrants carrying luggage.

These immigrants, who had already undergone half a month of quarantine, were waiting in long queues amidst the desperate shouts of immigration officials and clerks, unsure of where they would be transferred.

A North Korean woman carrying a toddler was pushed out of the queue and nearly bumped into Mu Shunan, who was passing by.

He quickly reached out to support her swaying figure: "Hey, be careful!"

The woman looked up at him, her face full of exhaustion and fear, thanked him softly in Korean, and then rejoined the queue.

"This is much bigger than last year!" Liu Yao exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Although it wasn't very hot in August on Qiming Island, the crowded pier still made everyone break a slight sweat.

“There are definitely more people than last year!” Mu Shunan nodded in agreement. “Last year, it was said that more than a dozen immigrant ships were transferred to fight the Spanish in Luzon, and the number of people brought back was only a little over ten thousand. Judging from this year’s situation, there are probably twenty thousand people.”

“Perhaps more than 20,000.” A young craftsman interjected, “The newspapers say that there are famines all over the Ming Dynasty. In addition, the Tartars ravaged the entire capital region, Hebei and northern Shandong last year, creating millions of refugees. Our Xinhua immigrant ships can take as many people as we want.”

"What a tragedy!" Zhao Yonghe, who was at the very back, sighed. "Millions of people have been affected by the disaster, but Xinhua can only bring back a maximum of 20,000 to 30,000 people. Aren't the rest of the victims just sitting here waiting to die?"

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed.

Alas, the Ming Dynasty suffered countless disasters, and its people were filled with misery and helplessness.

Mu Shunan's gaze swept over the massive immigrant reception station in the port area. In addition to hundreds of permanent row houses, countless tents had been temporarily erected on the open ground by the sea. Immigrants from the Ming Dynasty, Japan, and Korea sat or stood, waiting anxiously for the end of their quarantine period.

Some people may appear numb, some may be filled with boundless hope, but most will feel incredibly lucky.

Once you reach the New Continent, you'll have food to eat and will be able to survive.

The group arrived at the boarding area, where port officials were checking passengers' tickets and information.

Liu Yao took out several documents from his bag, issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Guangfeng Steel Plant, which were stamped with the government's bright red seal.

"Chief Engineer Liu, right? You and the five master craftsmen have a special compartment at the stern, but the conditions are a bit less comfortable, please forgive us." The port staff said respectfully, "However, this ship also needs to carry more than 180 immigrants, so the departure time may be slightly delayed."

Liu Yao nodded in understanding.

After boarding, everyone discovered that the so-called "special compartments" were nothing more than a dozen narrow berths partitioned off by wooden planks at the stern. Apart from being able to lie down and sleep, there was hardly any room for movement.

However, this was much better than the conditions that transported migrants.

This galley has a displacement of only 350 tons, a long hull, and 15 long oars on each side. It is mainly used for short-distance transportation along the coast.

The cramped hold was packed with immigrants, with only a few narrow ventilation holes, making it feel extremely crowded. The air was thick with the smells of sweat and anxiety. Mu Shunan placed his luggage on his bunk in the compartment and immediately went up to the deck to enjoy the sea breeze and breathe in the fresh air.

"When do you expect to reach the sub-state?" he asked a sailor who was inspecting the sail ropes.

"If all goes well, we should arrive by 10 a.m. tomorrow." The sailor replied without looking up, "We will stop for an hour or two when we pass through Long'an and Dongpu Island (now Yanquan Island).

"Oh." Mu Shunan nodded. "Were all the immigrants on the ship sent to the sub-prefectures as well?"

“Not entirely.” The sailor continued tidying the sails and ropes. “Half of the immigrants are to be sent to Shunde (now Vancouver).

How is the prefecture developing now?

"Of course, it can't compare to Shixing City," the sailor said with a smile. "However, after more than a decade of development and construction, it still has a certain liveliness and prosperity. After all, Fenzhou City is the largest coal exporting area in Xinhua, so the local residents can't live too badly."

"That's good, that's good." Mu Shunan breathed a slight sigh of relief. "I've been in Xinhua for over ten years, and I've never even traveled far from home. I'll have to trouble you to explain things to me, young man."

"It's alright." The sailor seemed quite talkative. After re-tying a slipknot on the sail rope in his hand, he clapped his hands and said with a smile, "We sailors may not earn as much as you master craftsmen, but we've been to quite a few places and seen a lot of new things. Our knowledge has certainly grown considerably. It's quite a pleasure for me to show off to you!"

"Let's set sail!"

As they were talking, a sailor shouted from the bow, "Raise anchor!"

"Oh, the ship is about to set sail." Upon hearing the message, the sailor cupped his hands in greeting to Mu Shun'an. "Guest, hurry back to your cabin and stay there. Don't linger under the sail. If you go out on deck for some fresh air, hold on tight to the railings and handrails. If you fall into the sea, you might not be able to get out."

"Excuse me, excuse me!" Mu Shunan cupped his hands in greeting and then turned to walk towards the cabin at the stern of the ship.

Not long after I sat down, the boat suddenly swayed, and I could vaguely hear the anchor chain creaking.

The dockworkers on shore untied the last mooring rope and then threw it forcefully toward the ship.

In a short while, the "MRT-5" slowly left the pier and headed out of the bay.

Mu Shunan lay on the side of the ship, watching Shixing Port gradually disappear into the distance.

Flags fluttered in the wind above the harbor, and further away were the tall fir forests unique to Xinzhou, their dark green canopies stretching to the horizon.

This was his first long voyage since arriving in New Zealand, and he had never seen the land from the perspective of a ship before. When he first arrived in New Zealand more than a decade ago, he was so exhausted that he didn't even take a good look at the mainland coastline.

But for some reason, this time when I boarded the ship again, I no longer felt the hesitation and unease I had felt before, but only endless pride and honor.

This time, we went to Fenshu in the capacity of an "official envoy" to guide the work in this remote area.

“Master Mu!” Zhao Yonghe walked over. “Chief Engineer Liu and the others are starting to get seasick.”

"Really?" Mu Shunan glanced back at the cabin. "Oh dear, that must have been awful. I remember more than ten years ago, I boarded a ship in Guangzhou, and within half a day, I was vomiting uncontrollably. I felt like all my bones had been removed, and I was so weak I couldn't even stand up. Did they eat ginger?"

“He ate some, but it doesn’t seem to have much effect.” Zhao Yonghe shook his head and said, “Chief Engineer Liu even vomited, and he was sweating profusely.”

"Let's just bear with it," Mu Shunan sighed. "Fortunately, the journey isn't long; we'll arrive in Fenzhou tomorrow morning. Hey, Master Zhao, I remember you're from Shandong, right? You haven't gotten seasick at all?"

"Ha, I don't think I've ever been seasick. Seven years ago, when I boarded the ship in Dengzhou, I felt a little scared but nothing else. Master Mu, you don't seem to have any symptoms of seasickness either."

"Now that you mention it, it really is quite strange." Mu Shunan laughed. "In the past ten years or so, apart from the few months I spent traveling by ship from the Ming Dynasty to Xinhua, I have never been to sea since. But today, after boarding the ship and sailing on the sea, I have not experienced any seasickness at all."

"Ha, Master Mu is truly a lucky man." Zhao Yonghe joked, "Perhaps it's the environment of Xinhua that nurtures people, allowing those who previously feared water and suffered from seasickness to overcome these troubles all at once."

The two looked at each other and smiled, as the boat gradually sailed toward the distant horizon.
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(End of this chapter)