New World 1620

The heavy rain that lasted for several days finally passed, and the Hudson River in the valley of the Appalachian Mountains was much more turbulent than usual.From time to time, small animals drowned in the torrential rain in the upper reaches of the rushing river, mixed with rotten and blackened tree trunks and branches, rolled towards the south.

On the west side of the twisting river, in the protruding part of the gentle river valley, West Point Town has undergone two intensive expansions in the past month, expanding from a village with an area of ​​no more than [-] acres to a town that can truly be called a town. place of residence.

As more and more Indian hired workers have become proficient, the output of building materials such as cement and masonry in the Brooklyn industrial area has also increased to a relatively considerable height, and some masonry workshops are even sold directly to the Delaware people. Indian villages were exchanged for more land.The Brooklyn Industrial District, which has saved another batch of skilled workers, only needs to pay an extremely low price to obtain these primary industrial products in large quantities, which makes the village leaders who have been coveting for a long time very happy.

Now, even in West Point Town, there are many houses with mixed wood and masonry structures. In the wide town area protected by wooden fences and guard towers, every immigrant enjoys a large area of ​​comfortable residential environment. .Even several of the most critical militarized facilities have used more high-grade cement building materials.

The newly opened vegetable fields outside the town are already green, and the vines on the grape trellises are much denser than before. Several European women are carefully arranging these crops in the fields and grape sheds.

The wet and rainy days made the residents of West Point Town have to spend a few days of irritated and depressing life. Except for the young and strong men who had to go to the mines to work as supervisors of Pequot Indian prisoners of war, the women and their families could only huddle in their houses all day long. Canvas - This is an order commissioned by the Brooklyn Industrial District, for which the Brooklyn Shipyard under the Ministry of Industry will pay 5 Spanish silver dollar per 1 square meters.

The Manhattan community has gradually begun to replace vouchers with Spanish silver dollars sent by European trade, and now the basic exchange ratio remains at 1 Spanish silver dollar: 100 vouchers.Although vouchers are easier to carry, for immigrant men and women in Europe, these genuine silver coins are the economic symbol that can truly feel settled in a strange place.

In the eyes of the people of the Manhattan community, neither silver coins nor vouchers were anything more than means of payment for the purchase of goods.However, in order to prevent any hidden dangers that might lead to an uncontrollable economy, the community committee temporarily used the first batch of Spanish silver dollars as the current currency, and gradually recovered the large-value vouchers that had been issued before.After industrial leaders such as Lin Youde solve the equipment and steam power, the community committee will actually issue its own currency.

For the English immigrant families who can only do these jobs, sewing European cheesecloth into canvas can somewhat subsidize the family. As long as the weekly orders are completed, they can earn more living security for the family.The cost is so high, from traditional candles to novel kerosene lamps, from convenient and clean briquettes to beautiful white porcelain pots and tableware, especially the extraordinarily expensive olive oil imported from Europe, each family will spend a lot income.

It is worth mentioning that the stainless steel kitchen utensils sorted out from the ruins of the catastrophe and exported to Southeast Asia have also become a legend in West Point Town.Housewives could hardly believe their eyes. At one point, someone left a frying pan outside in the sun and rain for several days before proving that he was not a fool.

It is said that when an uncle from England bought the first mirror, he thought that the other party had miscalculated the price and hid it at home for almost a week before he dared to take it out.

Early in the morning, Pastor Brest walked out of the house in a clean robe and walked towards a newly built small church in the town.The American government's tolerant and indifferent attitude towards religious belief made Brest very moved. Although he no longer had any hope of being able to spread the gospel of God to all the American people, at least the immigrants living in West Point should not As for feeling alienated from God.

An Englishman who lost his leg in the Indian war in West Point became the acting mayor of West Point. Today's English immigrants can be regarded as semi-official free residents, and Brest has become a full-time mayor of the town as a matter of course. Priest.

"Good morning, Reverend Brest!"

"Oh, morning, Danielson!"

Just as Brest walked to the door of the chapel, he saw a European immigrant who had been arranged to live in West Point not long ago, a Dutch youth who dreamed of coming to the New World to make a fortune but was once imprisoned in a cell of the US Maritime Guard.

Stopping with a smile, Brest put his hand on the opponent's shoulder like a loving father, just opened his mouth, but seemed to see something, and suddenly changed to very unfamiliar Chinese and said: "God protects... ...very...well, you adapt, live, begin to be happy."

The Dutch young man stared blankly at the English pastor in front of him, with his mouth opened wide, a little bewildered.

"Oh, young man, don't forget, you are still in the supervision period. If you don't want to be picked out by the police chief of this town, go to work quickly..."

Seeing the "American Sheriff" in police uniform walking leisurely not far away, Brest could only lower his voice.

"Hey, Boo, are you going to start preaching today?"

Glancing at the Dutchman who was hurrying towards the vegetable field outside the town with a wooden rake on his back, Sheriff Guan Ruzhong subconsciously touched the dogleg scabbard hanging around his waist, with a vigilant smile on his face.

The former technical worker of the construction team had to stay in West Point Town because of his involvement in the rape of an Indian girl, which triggered a war. Now he has become the only policeman and sheriff in West Point Town.Guan Ruzhong's 1-meter tall man has almost become a symbol in the entire West Point town.And his other companion, Mao Jian, who had the same experience, became a tax official in West Point Town.

Different from the image of ordinary dock workers who were silent and extremely low-key in the Manhattan community after the catastrophe, Guan Ruzhong at this time can speak fluent English, and his gestures are clearly highly educated.This change surprised Mao Jiandu, who had previously voluntarily interceded and applied to stay in West Point Town.

"Oh, dear Mr. Sheriff, I want to correct you. It's not preaching, but praying to God." Pastor Brest actually likes this man who usually looks dignified, but is actually very serious about every European in West Point Town. The sheriff was very tolerant of immigrants.

"Well, everyone needs some sustenance...then I hope God can hear your prayer." Guan Ruzhong said, then raised his hand and looked at his watch, "This time the fleet should be able to arrive, because of the damn weather , the transportation has been interrupted for several days.”

Due to the temporary interruption of Hudson River shipping caused by heavy rain upstream, more than 2000 tons of iron ore and coal several times that amount have accumulated in the ore warehouse outside West Point.

The committee agreed to continue to resume weekly round-trip deliveries.And also mysteriously informed that a new gadget will be brought to West Point Town.

Guan Ruzhong didn't take it seriously because of his attitude of being a closet. What he is worried about now is that the supervisory manpower of the two mines is about to reach a critical point.In the past month, the Mohican Indians allied with the Manhattan community and the captured Pequot Indian remnants have brought the total number of POW workers in the two mines to more than 1000!And even a temporary amnesty for the dozen or so Dutch who joined West Point to make up the number would only bring the number of male residents of West Point to 45.

45 men, plus the 10-man Land Guard stationed in West Point Town, are only enough for self-defense, and there is a serious shortage of manpower who can be transferred to the mine to serve as supervisors.In the end, only some Mohican fighters could be hired to serve as guards in the prisoner-of-war labor camp.

According to the plan revealed by the committee, West Point will receive more European immigrants in the next few months. They will all be bankrupt farmers or indentured slaves who are desperate in Europe.

This semi-segregated European way of settlement made Guan Ruzhong secretly insomnia for several nights, resulting in protruding bags under the eyes during the day. As for the reason, Mao Jian, the only friend after the catastrophe, did not know.

From the public bathhouse to the septic tank, from the drainage ditch to the guard tower, and even the small logging camp outside the town, it took less than an hour, and every corner of the town was shut down. over again.

Seeing that it was almost time, Guan Ruzhong walked towards the mayor's house, planning to discuss how to deal with the resettlement of more immigrants in the future.

……

……

The familiar sound of motors from fishing boats came from the distance of the river, and the European men and women or Mohican Indian employees left behind in West Point Town were all standing by the small pier expectantly.They all stared at the curved place in the distance of the river, looking forward to the appearance of the fleet.

The fishing boat slowly appeared at a speed of less than 3 knots, with a cement barge behind it.In view of the shortage of inland water transport capacity, the 20-ton wood-reinforced concrete barge temporarily manufactured by the Brooklyn Shipyard is basically used as a disposable product.

The fleet loaded with all kinds of supplies approached the pier with great difficulty. More than a dozen Mohican Indian employees quickly tightened the ropes thrown by the Delaware Indian employees on the barges, and then slowly pulled the barges to the shore. .

Before unloading, nearly 20 European women walked to the pier with laughter.The residents of West Point Town, who have gradually become accustomed to the fishing boats without sails, are only looking at the various daily necessities on the barge, and they are still holding silver coins or vouchers tightly in their hands.

A group of less than 30 European men and women dressed in simple but extremely clean clothes silently filed down from the fishing boat. The men, like the townspeople, had their heads shaved and wore various damaged hats. Carrying small packages in their hands.This scene stunned the residents of West Point Town who were waiting at the pier, and then they all crossed themselves on their chests.

"Haha, Xiaoguan, are you in a hurry these days?!"

Fleet commander and 40-year-old fishing boat captain Liu Baidong jumped ashore with a smile, handed over a cigarette, and said with a proud expression: "Last week, the Mermaid met an English sailing ship when it was whaling in the open sea. It is said that it is I got lost in a storm on the road to Jamestown, New England. The ship almost fell apart and drifted for more than ten days. The sailors on the ship were almost dead, and there were more than 40 Irish or Scottish men and women left alive in the cabin. The passengers are all European refugees who are so poor that they can’t even afford food. These are ordinary people with no special skills, so they can be regarded as supplementary manpower for you!”

After finishing speaking, the simple and honest old fisherman glanced sympathetically at those down-and-out Irishmen who had been disinfected and observed in the quarantine area of ​​Staten Island for several days.

"Mayor William, please arrange the residence of these residents immediately!" Guan Ruzhong immediately shouted to a middle-aged man with a wooden crutch on one leg among the residents of West Point Town behind him.

"Oh, merciful God! They will have a good life." The acting mayor, One-legged William, hastily greeted several young men and women, and a group of West Point residents went up to greet them, and put the unlucky Irish who were almost wiped out at sea. One by one, they all entered the gate of the town's wall.

"Just these daily necessities? Are you going to spend the poor income of these European residents again? The stores managed by Mao Jian are not cheap."

Guan Ruzhong looked at the unloaded supplies, most of which were building materials, and there was only one real daily necessities, so Guan Ruzhong frowned.

"Now the production in the industrial zone has just started, and there are few people in West Point Town, so there is not much shortage of things. By the way, there is a doctor among these Irish people, who is currently watching the 'miracle' in the community hospital, waiting to be sorted out Alright, I'll bring it to you too."

Liu Baidong was also humorous for a rare time, and then he turned his head to greet a young man among the porters on the boat and shouted loudly: "Gong Qin, don't dawdle, let someone move the good things down!"

"Well, I know, you guys are going to clean up the pier soon. This thing is very precious, and I can't afford to take care of it if there is a problem." The young engineer carefully tightened the ropes of the wooden box covered with canvas, and exposed it to Liu Baidong. dissatisfied look.

The so-called engineer Qin Zhaohe who spoke was 28 years old this year. Before the catastrophe, he was just an ordinary mechanic in the wharf machine repair station. He was the nephew of Aunt Hai Huifen, who is now in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture.Since I was young, I loved manual work. After I grew up, I learned electric welding, worked in auto parts, worked in carpentry, and drove trucks. So I went to my cousin Hai Huifen’s house and found a job as a mechanic at the dock. Hai Huifen, who delivered meals by herself, was involved in the catastrophe together.

"What is so good and so mysterious?" Guan Ruzhong looked at the mysterious appearance of the two, but still couldn't figure it out.

"Didn't you complain about the serious water seepage in the mine for a long time, hehe... Mr. Lin and the others have created an experimental steam pump! Basically, the parts are self-produced, and the sealing design is made of old tire rubber. It is a bit clumsy for trial use in West Point Town, but if the performance in all aspects meets the design specifications, our industrial area will be able to use the first batch of real steam engines in a short time!"

Qin Zhaohe looked triumphantly at the wooden boxes behind him that were carefully lifted down by the Indian boatmen, with a proud gleam in his eyes.

"Boss Lin is mighty! You're too domineering!" Guan Ruzhong also shouted suddenly, with uncontrollable excitement in his voice.Steam power!In the future, you can save a lot of diesel in the industrial area, and you don’t even have to worry about running out of diesel!

"It's just an experiment, and there may be more accidents. During this period of time, I stayed in the mine and taught the few Delaware Indian workers who came with the ship to operate. They were all selected from various work areas. They are said to be the group with the smartest brains.”

After Qin Zhaohe finished speaking, he beckoned to an Indian guy who looked like he was 17 or 8 years old standing not far behind: "Fatima, come and meet the police chief here, and I will listen to him from now on."

"Sir...good afternoon."

Fatima walked carefully in front of the tall Chinese youth in a police uniform, almost looking up to see the other person's face, then followed the etiquette taught in the Chinese night school in the industrial area, slightly bowed to the Chinese in front of him bow.

"I can speak Chinese..." Guan Ruzhong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly reached out and patted the other person on the shoulder, "Okay! Everything is fine, and if you have any difficulties, please come to me in the future!"

……

……

At dusk approaching, the components of the 5-ton steam pump finally arrived at the iron mine on the muddy path that had not been opened for a long time.The group of people had long been confused by the wet woods and mud along the way.

After several parts erection and valve docking, the oil-black steam pump was finally installed.After checking several times, Qin Zhaohe began to direct the Indian hired workers to start filling the boiler with coal to start a fire.

Fatima struggled to use a shovel to send shovelfuls of black coal into the fiery red boiler, while secretly looking at the black cylindrical guy on the tall shelf curiously.He already knew that this thing was made of a kind of stone called "metal". The terrible red water that melted was solidified and turned into a hard stone, and then these stones were "kneaded" into various pieces in a big house. This shape is just like the shovel in your hand.

As the temperature in the water boiler gradually increased, wisps of white water vapor emerged from a certain valve on the top of the steam pump. Then, Qin Zhaohe pulled a certain handle, and a huge wheel-shaped transmission device on the side began to Turn slowly.

The steam eruption became more and more powerful and rhythmic, and the wheel-shaped power transmission device also rotated smoothly round and round, driving the steam pumping sleeve to start up and down.The seepage water from the mine pit used as an experiment began to flow out of the pumping pipe in streams, and more and more water came out, converging on the ground into a small water channel and flowing towards the ditch dug next to it.

Fatima stood dumbfounded, staring at everything in front of her with an extremely shocked expression, and cheers from the crowd came from her ears.

"My God, the white-breathing devil, it's really scary..." the acting mayor, William, grabbed his crutch firmly and murmured, but his eyes were more fanatical than others.

"Unbelievable, Mr. Sheriff!" Brest drew the cross on his chest, and his face was also full of excitement, "Great power beyond everything, I am honored to be able to see these!"

"Well, there are more miracles that you have never seen before, Mr. Pastor!"

Guan Ruzhong let out a sigh of relief and looked towards the south. He believed that there, a group of lunatics were still working on more unexpected things for these European and American natives.