Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 349 Return to Heishui Port ([-])

On March 1643, 3, after arranging work for the remaining soldiers and technicians in Gushan Port for the next period of time, the expedition fleet set sail and left Jinshan Bay one by one.Before leaving, Mo Ming also officially announced the pardon of the slave status of all Koreans who were plundered in 5 within the jurisdiction of the Heishui Pioneering Team (Heishui Port, Gushan Port, and Jinshan Port), and registered them. From now on They began to enjoy the rights and duties of freedmen.After this order came out, the faces of the Eight Banners warriors and the officers and soldiers of the stand-up team on the shore suddenly turned pale, and they realized that the old officer must have seen the evil they had done.

Ignoring the small thoughts of these people, under the order of Mo Ming, the navy captain Li Yi commanded four multi-purpose expedition ships, a flute-shaped transport ship (belonging to the East African Transport Company) and an armed transport ship to turn due east, towards the Head towards Jinshan Port.The other two flute-shaped transport ships, under the escort of the fast cruiser "Yangwu", turned due west, preparing to return to Fort Xinhua along the counterclockwise circulation of the southern Indian Ocean.After arriving at Fort Xinhua, they will transport a large amount of grain, livestock, building materials and a small number of Malay slaves to Gushan Port from there, so as to fully guarantee the construction of this important node of Gushan Port.

The cargo carried by the original ships has also been reorganized. The [-] tons of rice and wheat on the "Businessman" remain unchanged, while the flute-shaped transport ship "Baobab" belonging to the East African Shipping Company The cabins of the ships are full of goods such as cloth, wine, iron products, as well as some weapons and ammunition.The original ship of weapons and ammunition was temporarily stored in the warehouse of Gushan Port, and then found a way to transport it to Heishui Port when free in the future.

After all the explanations were completed, the six ships left the coastline and headed for Jinshan Port in the southeast corner smoothly in the deep water area.This time they only spent 11 days. At noon on March 3, the six ships sailed into the harbor in the anticipation of the 16 left-behind Eight Banners warriors in Jinshan Port, and anchored firmly at the pier.

Compared with Gushan Port, Jinshan Port has not changed much, and it still looks desolate and desolate when it first arrived last year.It is no wonder that there are only 150 Eight Banners warriors and about [-] North Korean prisoners on their side, and there is very little they can do.At present, it seems that they have been able to reclaim about [-] acres of farmland outside the village on the basis of excavating a large amount of coal. At least Mo Ming is very satisfied with their work.

The fleet still rested here for two days, and at the same time replenished Jinshanbao's warehouse with about 3 tons of grain, as well as some of the livestock brought over, mainly cattle and llamas.Similarly, about 18 technicians from all walks of life have also been retained, and they will also build brick kilns and ship repair shops here, just like what Gushan Port did before.After giving some property rewards to all those who stayed here, on March [-], Mo Ming led the fleet to leave Jinshan Port again, heading for the terminal of the voyage - Heishui Port.

Although it is going against the east Australian warm current going south, under the injection of the strong southeast trade wind, the fleet of the people on the east coast still marches forward bravely northward relying on the power of the sails.After sailing into the northeast sea area of ​​the Australian mainland at a speed of 4-5 knots, the fleet overcame multiple unfavorable factors such as headwind (northwest wind), changing ocean currents, and hot weather, and slowly but resolutely crossed this sea area (Coral Sea), And continue northward to stop near Rabaul, and go ashore to replenish fresh water and coconuts.In this last difficult voyage, the two sailing ships even needed to be dragged by the steamer with cables to reach the shore near Rabaul, which was really hard work.Only steam-powered ships can sail freely and dock in sea areas with no wind, changeable weather, and complicated ocean currents. Of course, only crazy people on the east coast will take such a desolate, remote and dangerous route.

After replenishing the fresh water, several ships left the humid and hot Rabaul port on the same day, crossed the equator north, and then headed all the way north, following the ocean current and the sudden southwest monsoon, crossing the waters between Taiwan and Yonaguni Island, crossing Tsushima Strait, into the Tatar Strait.

The Tartar Strait has been thawing for a period of time in late April, and six ships sailing along the Japanese warm current and southeasterly wind are sailing in the extremely cold water.The further north the fleet went, the lower the temperature; when crossing the waters near the Soviet Port and heading north, Mo Ming even saw some thin ice floes remaining on the sea.While the ice floes look small and thin, it's a creepy sight to see at this time of year.

Because it is in the strait, the waves on the sea do not fluctuate much. Some sailors who sailed here for the first time also crowded on the deck. islands.Dressed in sky-blue navy winter uniforms, warm suede boots, and sealskin caps, they chatted softly and pointed toward the shore.

At this time, Captain Li Yi on the flagship issued an order, and the six ships gradually closed their formation and sailed cautiously northward at a speed of 5-6 knots.I was worried that I would encounter some ice floes when sailing at night. Although the size of these ice floes is not too much of a hindrance, it is never a big mistake to be careful. Therefore, when the sky was just dark, several ships approached together. Anchored on the shore and waited for dawn to sail again.

The next day, the sailors hoisted their sails immediately after breakfast, and sailed until the afternoon. Then, under the leadership of the pilot boat, they sailed into Heishui Port, which had been away for more than half a year.The entire fleet set off from Zhenhai Port Wharf on December 1642, 12, and arrived at the Far East Heishui Port on April 10, 1643 after going around half the world. The entire voyage lasted four months and 4 days.Of course, if this speed is replaced by an all-machine sailing fleet, it should be able to be improved a little more, and the entire voyage should be controlled within 29-20 days.But even if some slow-speed transport ships are mixed in, the speed of the East Coast Ocean Fleet is still not very slow, and it can even be said to be a bit fast.

This is due to their general understanding of the climate, ocean currents, and wind directions in the sea they pass, which greatly increases their speed.Don't look at a simple map of ocean currents, as well as some knowledge of geography and climate such as trade winds, which are absolutely invaluable in this era.That is the conclusion that Europeans have drawn after hundreds of years, sinking countless ships, and many years of ingenious scientists. It has a huge impact on navigation that cannot be underestimated.

After several months of ocean voyages, whether it is the four multi-purpose expedition ships or the two sail transport ships, they all look disgraced and embarrassed at the moment, and urgently need to go to the dock for maintenance and repair.The arrival of the fleet from the east coast could not be concealed from the people on the shore. The two sentries standing on the watchtower at the pier were the first to react, waiting to see the shape of the leading ship and the red-bottomed double swords hanging high on the mast. After the Goshawk flag, they immediately ran back to the city to report the news in ecstasy.

After a while, a large number of people poured out of the city. They uniformly wore thick cotton coats and fur caps, and rushed to the pier, waving their arms vigorously, while shouting heartily.After a few months of living like savages, seeing the local fleet approaching now, they all burst into tears with excitement.

After more than half a year of construction by 200 North Koreans in the city and more than 100 Eight Banners warriors (it was impossible to start work after snowing), the Heishui Port has now begun to take shape, at least with all the necessary facilities.Residential houses, warehouses, canteens, bathhouses, city halls, watchtowers, fences, etc. are not lacking, and even a dry dock has been dug, where the [-]-ton fishing boat snatched from the North Koreans is placed. .

Accompanied by Li Yi and others, Mo Ming walked into the city through the remaining snow. Just like in Gushan Port and Jinshan Port, the Eight Banners warriors in the city couldn't help cheering immediately after seeing the old chief appear. , which made Staff Sergeant Johnson, who managed them all winter, extremely envious.There are a large number of residential houses scattered in a mess in the city, and many North Koreans wearing cotton coats of the East Bank standard stand silently at the door, looking at the important figures coming from the pier with eyes full of awe.Only some ignorant children came close to watch with snot in their noses. They were also wearing padded clothes that adults had resized, and their little faces were flushed in the cold wind.

Mo Ming beckoned, and his orderly immediately handed over a cloth bag.Holding the cloth bag in his hand, Mo Ming walked towards these children with a smile, taking out some snacks from the cloth bag and giving them to the children while walking.Most of the children ran away in fright when they saw him coming, only a few brave children stood there stupidly.Mo Ming walked over and patted their heads, and then handed out snacks one by one: coconut sugar, malt sugar, cocoa powder, cashew nuts, longan, beef jerky and so on.The novel food eliminated the barrier between the two parties, and these innocent little kids immediately started eating with a smile on their faces.

"38 people died last winter." Sergeant Johnson immediately stepped forward to report to the new official Mo Ming after receiving Li Yi's hint: "Among them were 13 Eight Banners warriors, 1 left-behind sailor, and the rest The 24 people are all North Koreans. The 14 people who died here were all unaccustomed to the environment and died of deteriorating health conditions. The causes of death for those North Koreans are varied. Some died of poisoning after eating unknown things, and some fought with each other. died from charcoal poisoning, but most of them died because they were too old or too weak to survive the cold weather in winter.”

Mo Ming just nodded, but didn't speak.

Sergeant Johnson peeked at him, and then continued to add: "We found that coal mine in the mountain before it snowed last year. The coal mine was buried very shallow, and the texture was quite good, with a high degree of carbonization. We dug a few We dug some samples and sent them back. Later, because the mountain was about to be blocked by heavy snow, we withdrew. A few days ago, I sent someone to visit the mountain. The wells that were drilled are still there, and it can be done after a little tidying up. Then use it. Hey, Captain Mo, a fox fell into a well, and it was frozen hard. But the skin is not broken, so I just use it to make a waistcoat for you, Captain Mo.”

"Oh?" Mo Ming finally turned his head with some interest. He didn't know whether he was interested in the coal mine or the fox.

(End of this chapter)