Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 524 The Rear (Part 1)

June 13, 1642, Yongping County (now Salem, Oregon), Hewan Township.

As temperatures gradually rise, the Qiongjiang River Valley region enters early summer. The warm sunshine shines on the rolling fertile fields, turning the wheat that is filling out into a boundless light golden sea.

A gentle breeze blew from the southern end of the valley, carrying the scent of black soil, the fragrance of green grass, and the faint aroma of pine resin from the distant forest.

However, the farmers of Hewan Township have no time to indulge in this idyllic pastoral scene.

The relatively slack time before the wheat harvest has been occupied by a more ambitious and urgent project: the construction of the Hewan Irrigation Project.

The project plans to excavate a main canal that runs through the township, drawing water from the Qiongjiang River, and then branching out countless canals like capillaries to nourish every piece of land. At the same time, it will excavate and expand the large swampy depressions along the riverbank that were formed by floods in previous years into reservoirs that can store and drain water, completely turning water hazards into water resources.

"Keep up the good work! Get the foundation of this section of the main canal solid before the autumn flood season!" Deputy Township Head Liu Wencheng's slightly hoarse voice echoed across the construction site, drowning out the sounds of shovels and picks clashing and soil turning.

This former scholar from the Ming Dynasty, after just over two years of experience in grassroots government affairs, although he still occasionally displays a touch of pedantry, has shed the restraint and dogmatism of his past life in the vibrant land of New Continent, and has grown into a calm, pragmatic, and competent official capable of handling local affairs.

After serving successively as the secretary of Hewanbao and the political assistant, he was promoted to deputy township head in March of this year when Hewan Township was established, in charge of farmland water conservancy construction.

Beneath his feet lay a massive, already taking shape, canal that stretched out towards the fertile Qiongjiang River (Vilamet River) in the distance, like a giant, earthen-yellow python being tamed.

Hundreds of villagers were scattered inside and outside the canal. The men were shirtless, their bronze backs glistening with sweat, as they wielded heavy iron picks and hoes, digging with all their might.

The women were responsible for transporting the excavated soil to the canal embankment in willow baskets and compacting it layer by layer.

More than a dozen people worked together, chanting slogans, to drag the huge stone roller back and forth to press the bottom of the canal, ensuring that it was solid and impermeable to water.

Looking at the bustling construction scene before him, Liu Wencheng felt a surge of pride.

With his hands behind his back, like a general inspecting a battlefield, he walked through each section of the work site, encouraging the villagers from time to time.

"As everyone knows, our Qiongjiang River Valley has a good climate, flat terrain, and abundant water. It's a treasure land blessed by God! But in the past, the water was unruly, flooding and drying up at will."

As he spoke, he casually gave a push to a man pulling a rickshaw, and then continued, "Now, the main canals and branch canals we've built, which are connected to the Hewan Reservoir which is currently being expanded, are all designed to make the water behave properly! It can irrigate during droughts and drain during floods. In the future, doubling the grain yield per mu in our Hewan Township will not be a dream!"

"With more grain, we can feed more people. The Ming Dynasty is currently in chaos due to war and disasters, with millions of starving people. However, with grain, we can bring them all back and let them live a better life together, no longer suffering from hunger and cold, and we can also build our homeland into a more prosperous one."

"Oh, right." He suddenly remembered something and pointed south. "Our Xinhua is currently fighting against those... what the Mexican barbarians are. The army is setting out and the fleet is heading south, which will consume a lot of food. If we can capture more grain in the Qiongjiang River Valley, that will be a contribution to the country, to the court... no, to the Xinhua government."

"Village chief, can our Xinhua defeat those... what kind of Western barbarians?" A villager stopped picking his pickaxe and asked with concern, "If the government troops are defeated, will the Western barbarians come and attack our Hewan Township? Just like the Tartars in Liaodong, who repeatedly entered the pass to burn, kill, plunder, and slaughter our people?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Wencheng turned to look at the villager who had asked the question, a confident smile on his face: "Yes, that's a good question! I have something to tell you all: the barbarians will never invade our Xinhua territory like the Tartars in Liaodong. You can all rest assured!"

“But we’ve heard that the Western barbarians outnumber our Xinhua people by a great deal!” another villager asked. “As the saying goes, two fists can’t beat four hands. If the Western barbarians gather tens of thousands of troops, our Xinhua army of only three or four thousand might not be able to hold them off, right?”

"What good are a lot of people?" Liu Wencheng curled his lip and said disdainfully, "In the Ming Dynasty, we had hundreds of millions of people and a million soldiers, but what was the result? We were beaten badly by a few hundred thousand Tartars, and we almost lost all of our territory in Liaodong. In the Battle of Songjin last year, if it weren't for our Xinhua going to help, we might have suffered another great defeat and let the Tartars invade the interior!"

"That's right, our new China is a relatively new nation, and our population is indeed less than one ten-thousandth of that of the Ming Dynasty. Even compared to the Western Barbarians, we are at a significant disadvantage. Furthermore, the Western Barbarians have been operating in the south for a century, their foundations are deep, and their strength should not be underestimated. However..."

He abruptly changed the subject, his voice rising sharply as he waved his arms, “However, our Xinhua army is far superior to the Ming Dynasty's garrison soldiers, much less those decrepit beggar soldiers of the Western barbarians! You all participated in military training and fired muskets during the off-season; you should understand that victory on the battlefield depends not on brute force, but on strict discipline, honed skills, and superior artillery and firearms.” “You probably haven't witnessed the might and might of our Xinhua army, nor do you know their courage and confidence in fighting to the death. Every soldier in our Xinhua army is a carefully selected group of fine young men. They are not only well-fed and warmly clothed, but also receive generous pay. Their training is extremely rigorous, and the sharpness of their muskets and cannons far surpasses those old-fashioned Western barbarians!”

"As far as I know, the Western barbarian soldiers spend less time practicing firearms each year than you do during your winter training, and the amount of gunpowder and bullets they fire is less than one-tenth of what you use. Not to mention, the Western barbarian soldiers often have their pay delayed for months or even a year, and their morale is practically nonexistent."

"Tell me, how dare such an army claim to be able to defeat my Xinhua Heavenly Army? The Western barbarians may seem large, but they are actually all bark and no bite. They have been oppressing the natives in the south for a long time. They are good for nothing but pleasure and have long been corrupt and rotten. They are no match for my Xinhua Tiger Army!"

"Ten days ago, the central government sent a report of victory, saying that our Xinhua Army had already invaded the territory of the Western Barbarians, captured several major cities and strongholds, and annihilated tens of thousands of Western Barbarian troops. Hehe, I think it won't be long before the Western Barbarians will take the initiative to surrender to our Xinhua to avoid the great disaster of national subjugation and extermination."

"Is this good news true?" someone muttered to themselves.

In the past, during the Ming Dynasty, the imperial gazette would proclaim every day how they had defeated the Tartars yesterday, how many heads had been taken, and what glorious victories they had achieved against the bandits today, annihilating a certain large bandit force.

But why did the Tartars grow stronger with each battle, repeatedly invading the interior, attacking prefectures and counties, even capturing provincial capitals like Jinan, plundering hundreds of thousands of people, and then swaggering back to the interior?

Those bandits who were wiped out by the imperial army always quickly resurfaced and continued to wreak havoc in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Henan and other places. They even managed to invade Sichuan and caused even more trouble.

So, will our Xinhua government also feign defeat to cover up the truth and create a false sense of peace?
Hearing the muttering, Liu Wencheng glared at him angrily.

These new immigrants are truly fools, trying to judge the customs and culture of our new China based on the affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

However, he couldn't rebuke him with words in this situation, so he stroked his short beard and laughed loudly, feigning confidence.

He glanced around at the faces around him, each etched with doubt and past trauma, and nodded slightly: "Well, in my opinion, this fellow villager's worries are nothing but needless anxiety and self-inflicted trouble!"

He took a deep breath, his voice steady and earnest: "We all come from the Ming Dynasty, and we must have seen how the court's official gazettes distorted the truth and whitewashed the reality. It is true that the government troops killed innocent people and claimed credit, and it is also true that they deceived their superiors and subordinates. I, Liu, have also experienced this feeling of being deceived."

Then, he changed the subject: "But please open your eyes and look at this land beneath our feet, and see everything that our Xinhua government has done! The official gazettes of the Ming Dynasty were full of falsehoods, but have any of our Xinhua announcements and newspapers contained a single falsehood? Over the years, which of the many decrees issued by the central government and which of the many policies implemented was false? Which one failed to be put into practice?"

He stepped forward, his voice even louder, and counted on his fingers one by one: "The central government said that all immigrants who come to Xinhua will be granted land and houses after four years of settlement service. Now, there must be quite a few people in Hewan Township who own their own land, right? You can go and ask them, which of them hasn't received their land title and house title?"

"The central government and the Ziwu River Special District have issued a notice that low-interest agricultural loans can be issued to people who own land and houses to help them settle down and start a business. You can go and ask the rural credit cooperatives in your villages. See if the interest rate is so low that it's almost like giving it away for free? Have they ever deducted or delayed the loans from the villagers?"

"The cement and stones used in this irrigation canal we built, were they all funded by special government grants? Were the promised craftsmen and technical guidance provided without any shortage?" He pointed to the water conservancy project under construction at his feet. "These are tangible and real! If our Xinhua government were accustomed to deception, why would we spend such a huge sum of money to build such a project that benefits so many people? Why would we go to such lengths to bring you all here from war and famine, distribute land and houses, and help you rebuild your homes?"

"Fellow countrymen, the way of life in Xinhua is completely different from that in the Ming Dynasty! In the Ming Dynasty, the government treated you like dirt; in Xinhua, the government shares your joys and sorrows! The soldiers on the front lines are fighting bloody battles to protect the foundation we have just built, this good life that allows you to live like real people and has endless hope! Tell me, how can you presume to speculate about the government's actions with your petty minds?"

"As for the good news..." He slowed his pace slightly, appearing more serious, "I dare to guarantee with the heads of those in charge that this is no exaggeration! Why? Because we in Xinhua do not follow the empty formalities of the Ming Dynasty! The calculation of military merits is extremely strict, requiring corroboration from all parties before merits can be recorded and rewards requested. There is absolutely no abuse of killing innocent people to claim credit."

"Furthermore, if the war goes badly, would the government sit idly by and be trapped in a predicament? It would naturally conscript villagers into the army on a large scale, and forcibly conscript countless laborers and collect large amounts of grain and taxes, in order to do everything possible to support the war effort at the front. Fellow villagers, has our Xinhua government done anything like this so far?"

"The village head is absolutely right!" a villager exclaimed in agreement. "I heard from the older immigrants that ten years ago, the Western barbarians from the south invaded our Xinhua. At that time, the entire country had only about 10,000 people and a mere thousand soldiers, yet we decisively defeated the Western barbarian army, capturing and killing over a thousand, ultimately forcing them to sue for peace. Now, our Xinhua's national strength is more than ten times what it was before. We certainly won't lose to the Western barbarians!"

"Indeed!" Liu Wencheng looked at the villager with great appreciation and said in a concluding tone, "We must have faith in the soldiers who are fighting and bleeding on the front lines, and even more so in the Xinhua government that is leading us to create a better home and live a happy life!"

"What we need to do now is to work together to improve agricultural production, increase grain yields, and provide the strongest support to the army at the front!"
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(End of this chapter)