Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 837 Across the Ocean (Seventeen)

In late September 1650, the fully steam-powered ship "Tahiti", which had just undergone some repairs in Jinshan Port, Australia, was sailing in the vast South Pacific.At this time, the world's first fully steam-powered ship had just stepped out of a cloudy sea area. When the long-lost golden sunshine flooded the entire deck, everyone on board showed a long-lost smile.

Zhang Jinhua looked sideways at the mercury thermometer in the cabin - 25.5°C, very good, very good weather!The winter in the South Pacific is so comfortable, with strong sunlight and small temperature difference between day and night. If the sea is not always desolate-God, they only encountered a piece of land such as Fiji Island along the way-the journey would be almost impossible. It can be called "wonderful" (relatively speaking, of course).

With the shout of the watchman, the outline of a piece of land gradually appeared in front of everyone.Zhang Jinhua walked to the captain's outdoor railing, raised the binoculars on his chest, and saw that it was a blue-black island.In the center of the island is a huge mountain range that rises from the ground. The mountain range is towering and steep, and the top is slightly desolate. It looks like a volcano.This feature is obvious. Anyone who has been here knows that this is Tahiti Island, and their destination has arrived!

The news spread quickly, and not only the sailors were elated, but even the more than 1000 immigrants sitting in the cabin became inexplicably happy.Although they were as sad as death when they learned that they were going to be sent to overseas islands to live - how is this different from exile?But after so many months, they have already gradually accepted the reality - what can they do if they don't accept it? ——So at this moment, after hearing the news from the sailors, they all calmed down, silently accepted the arrangement of fate, and prepared to formally settle on this deserted island.

The noise of the steam engine in the engine room next door is getting smaller and smaller, and the immigrants all know that the ship is slowing down, which is a sign that it is time to dock!Sure enough, with a violent vibration, the officer's loud voice sounded from above the deck.Soon, fully armed sailors came to the door of the cabin and asked everyone to get up in groups, just like going to the deck to let the wind before, and follow them out of the cabin one by one.Since this action has been practiced many times, and everyone has reached the destination, everyone’s emotions are still relatively stable, so the order is not bad, and soon someone went down to the trestle bridge along the pedals under the guidance of the sailors.

The trestle is made of wood, and it can be seen that it has not been newly built, because even the bark on the wood has not been cleaned.On both sides of the trestle bridge is the crystal clear blue water, which is dazzlingly beautiful under the sunshine.There are corals everywhere in the water, and the schools of fish are also very dense. It can be seen that it is a beautiful harbor rich in resources.In fact, it is true. At this time, the place where the "Tahiti" is moored is located in a lagoon surrounded by coral reefs. It is calm and the sea is rich in fish, and there are specialties such as black pearls. It is almost the essence of Tahiti. .

Usually only small boats can pass in the lagoon, but it is not without deep water areas, but this requires a pilot who is familiar with the local hydrological conditions to pilot, otherwise most of them will run aground or run aground.And it is this calm lagoon surrounded by coral reefs that constitutes the first line of defense around the island of Tahiti. At least, the enemy's large warships dare not directly enter.

When the first Ming immigrant set foot on the land of Tahiti Island cautiously, the military and government personnel who had already been waiting in the port, headed by the captain of the garrison Wang Sizhong, immediately cheered enthusiastically.This is a tradition in Tahiti, because every time a foreign ship comes over, there will always be a qualitative leap in the living standards and labor efficiency of the people on the island: daily consumer goods, weapons and ammunition, livestock, food, Tools, books, newspapers, and even population are all urgently needed by the people here.

This time the "Tahiti" sailed all the way from Yantai-Dinghai-Jinshan, bringing a lot of supplies and people.Materials were collected locally in Dengzhou and Ningbo, mainly cloth, grain, agricultural tools and livestock; the population also came from these two places, including [-] immigrants from Huai'an Prefecture in Jiangbei, as well as those who migrated from Guanhaiwei and Cixi counties. There were nearly [-] Ming people, and there were even more than [-] Australian aborigines who were exiled in Jinshan Port.

After the arrival of a total of 200 people, the number of immigrants on Tahiti officially exceeded 800. Although it is still less than the unknown number of natives on the island, it is backed by the mother country on the east coast and has a very high level of civilization. If they can't play with those savages who are still drinking blood, and can't successfully colonize the fertile island of Tahiti, then everyone should just die!

There was originally a lush forest by the pier, and the early colonists on the east coast cut down one of them, and then built the pier and trestle again.Ming immigrants who descended from the cabin to the island in a steady stream, looked at the strange trees on both sides of the road in a daze: coconut trees, lemon trees, orange trees, banana trees, and bread trees. Except for the banana trees and orange trees, they are basically native species. They have been growing near the pier for many years. The fruits they produce are very delicious and delicious, and they are very popular food for local immigrants and foreign sailors.The banana trees and orange trees were introduced from other places by the people from the east coast, and they are still only seedlings. They are planted in the area controlled by the people on the east coast near the pier to avoid being destroyed by the barbarians.

Among these fruit trees, the people on the east bank also cleaned up the weeds and shrubs, and planted yams, sweet potatoes, pineapples and other plants, and the growth was very good.In addition, the people from the east bank also set aside a piece of land on the coast near the pier and planted the local specialty Tahitian sugar cane.A circle of bushes was planted around the sugarcane field—this is guava imported from the local area. Perhaps the environment of Tahiti Island is too suitable for the growth of this crop. Their growth is so good that the local agricultural technicians doubt that it will It will not cause species invasion, which will cause harm to other crops-of course, this requires continuous observation before making a conclusion.

Ming immigrants walked on the gravel road surrounded by tall bread trees and coconut trees. These trees grow so tall, their branches and leaves are so luxuriant, and their fruits are so attractive——Tahiti Island The fruit trees in the island have always been high-yield and have a unique delicacy, which is due to the special climate of the island-seeing some children being held in the arms of their mothers clamoring to eat.

Their wishes were quickly fulfilled, and dozens of servants of Australian aboriginal origin quickly came up with cleanly washed fruits. They placed the fruits under a large row of awnings at the end of the path, and then bowed slightly , looking at these new immigrants from the Ming Dynasty with a flattering expression-these people are of the same race as the foremen who manage them, so they have to be treated well.

The cool tree-shaded path under the lush foliage was soon over, and a large group of immigrants poured into the pergola at the end of the road, and then sat on the floor in their respective groups, waiting for the next arrangement.According to their thinking, people from the "government" will probably show up soon, and it should be clear what they should and should not do next.Sigh, I have already reached this place where birds don’t shit—well, it doesn’t seem to be the "bad land" I imagined. The fruit trees are shady and the land looks good. It should be able to harvest a lot of food—that sentence As the old saying goes, if you come here, you will live in peace, and then you can live here. It doesn't look like this place can't support thousands of people like them.As long as we can plant the land and harvest food, then everyone can take root, and the days will not be too bad, no matter how bad it is, it will be better than being in danger in the Ming Dynasty, right?

"The land suitable for cultivation on the island is near the sea. Most of it is distributed at the foot of the mountain. It is impacted soil. The soil is volcanic ash, which is relatively fertile and good for farming." Zhang Jinhua brought a person in charge of agriculture on the island as soon as he landed. An official asked about the farming situation on the island, and the agricultural official immediately replied truthfully: "We have developed a small piece of these plains on the island, which we took from the natives through fighting, and they are now relatively stable. Our At the end of the rainy season, a crop of corn was planted on it. It was just harvested a while ago, and the yield per mu has reached more than 300 catties, which is quite good for the first year. As for what to plant next, I will ask Special Commissioner Zhang to instruct..."

"Let's continue planting corn." Zhang Jinhua said immediately after hearing this, "At present, we still focus on harvesting more food and stabilizing the foundation. You see, so many immigrants have come to the island, and food is still a bit tight. Well, you guys It can be interplanted with corn and sweet potatoes. This is the good experience of Xinhua Island. It can effectively increase the grain output per unit area. As the saying goes, if you have food in your hand, don’t panic. We will have a series of actions on the island next, and the food It is the foundation of all our action plans."

"In addition..." Zhang Jinhua continued to order, "Now that there are too many people, the land is a little tight, so we have to ask the natives. Since the relationship between us and the natives has become so tense, the way to buy it is also If you can’t get through, then there is only one way to go to war. The Tahiti garrison has more than 200 people, and the equipment is excellent. I just took a rough look at the training. It can only be said to be so-so, but it is more than enough to deal with those natives. .Now I order that [-] people will be selected from among the newly arrived immigrants to be incorporated into the Tahiti garrison and trained strictly. As for the original [-] soldiers of the garrison, Wang Sizhong, come here!"

"My lord, the last general is here!" The nephew of Wang Jiazhong immediately trotted over.

"Immediately count the military personnel and search to the north. If you encounter aboriginal harassment, you can act arbitrarily without asking for instructions. In addition, organize those Australians to clear the bushes and weeds to the north and level the land." Zhang Jinhua immediately issued an order.

(End of this chapter)