Rise of the 1630s South America

October 10th.The light rain began to fall in the morning, and finally turned into a heavy rain at noon. The Big Fish River (the river that crosses the public, was named after Xiao Bailang caught a fish weighing more than 15 catties in this river. .) Both banks were soaked in a white mist of rain.

There are now close to a hundred simple wooden houses in the residential area on the North Shore, and a large number of time travelers have already brought their luggage and settled here.A thin wooden fence in a rectangular shape encloses the residential area, wood processing plant, canteen, warehouse, and toilet. There are two gates on the fence: the south gate and the north gate.Outside the south gate is the pontoon bridge connecting the two banks of the Dayu River, and 250 meters north of the north gate is the newly reclaimed vegetable field and water treatment plant.This place can be said to be the real core area of ​​crossing people. As early as the third day after crossing, Wang Qinian brought a squad of guards here. The wooden fence was built earlier than the residential area, and the tall watchtower It was also erected at the first time.

The south bank of the Dayu River is an industrial area planned by the committee, and the three scattered small strongholds of lumber mills, brick kilns, and mining farms are distributed in an equilateral triangle.The lumber field goes far south, and this forest has contributed thousands of trees to the crossing people, and the Indians who once spied on the crossing people in the woods seem to have disappeared.Not long after the brick kiln was completed, the exterior of the brick kiln was covered with soil, and there was even turf transplanted by the crossing crowd.A large number of adobes were piled up in the shade shed on the open space outside the kiln, and a thick layer of thatch or rain cloth was pressed on the adobes.A lot of simple shacks were set up outside the mining site, and there was a constant clanging sound inside the shacks, which meant that someone was making limestone powder.

The bad weather caused most of the industrial and agricultural activities to temporarily stop, and the bored travelers gathered together in twos and threes to smoke, chat, and play cards. They had been under high-intensity labor these days and finally had rare leisure time.But the good times were destined to be short-lived. Just after lunch, Wang Qinian rushed into the wooden office where the committee members gathered, and reported a shocking news: a sailboat broke into the mouth of Dayu River.

The committee members who got the news were shocked, Xiao Bailang made a decisive decision, and immediately returned to the freighter to play the news repeatedly on the tweeter on the ship, and then sent people to inform the crossing people scattered on both sides of the Dayu River.Peng Zhicheng began to gather troops in residential areas. There are currently 4 security squads, two of which are stationed in residential areas, one is stationed in vegetable fields and water treatment plants, and one is stationed in brick kiln factories. They must be assembled as soon as possible.

Wang Tiehammer began to distribute hunting crossbows to those who stayed on the freighter. Today is a rainy day, and there are quite a few people left on the ship, which is considered a blessing among misfortunes.The atmosphere on the ship suddenly became tense, and many people were fidgeting, crowding around the hatch to observe the situation outside.

The Dayu River is not a deep-water river. The average water depth of the section where Yunsheng No. 3 is currently stranded is only a little over 4 meters, and the water depth at the mouth of the river is not much different, about 5-[-] meters.If this sailboat sails upstream, I believe she will run aground immediately, and any sane captain would not do such a crazy thing.But what was surprising was that the boat was still traveling upstream until she sank into the soft mud at the bottom of the Big Fish River and could no longer move.

Peng Zhicheng led three squads of 45 security guards, stumbling through the soft soil.Surprisingly, the large sailing ship ran aground about 100 meters downstream of Yunsheng No. [-]. From time to time, there were people walking around on the deck of the ship, and some people were shouting something.Soon, several small boats were put down from the boat, and some sailors on the boat surrounded several people and rowed towards the north bank.

"Everyone has them, load them with 8mm featherless arrows, listen to my order!" Peng Zhicheng couldn't figure out what the other party wanted to do, but subconsciously ordered the weapons to be loaded.

The other party abandoned the boat and went ashore. There were a total of ten people who landed, with various weapons in their hands, including sabers, knives, and several antique muskets (according to Peng Zhicheng's visual inspection, they were arquebus guns).Well, in this heavy rain, there is no difference between an arquebus and a fire stick.

have weapons!The guards behind Peng Zhicheng were a little uneasy and commotion.The other party was still yelling and trying to get closer.

"噗!" The 8mm featherless arrow sank into the mud less than one meter in front of the opponent's leader.The opponent's footsteps suddenly stagnated, but his tone became more urgent.

"It's European!" Everyone saw clearly now, but unfortunately no one understood what the other party was saying.

Peng Zhicheng asked a few words in English, the other party was taken aback, and then he continued to say something in a language that everyone could not understand.

"Go back and call someone. Didn't that Gao Mo claim to know French? Let him try it." Peng Zhicheng ordered the person behind him.

"Laydown your arms!" Peng Zhicheng roared again.Now the other party seemed to understand, hesitated for a while, the leader took off his sword, and the others also put down their weapons.But it didn't come close, and the weapons were placed within their reach.

The heavy rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the two sides stood in the mud and faced each other strangely until the arrival of the backup troops.

Ma Ganzu, Ma Jia, and Shao Shude organized more than fifty men who volunteered, and before they had time to go to the boat to get weapons, they rushed over to support them with logging axes, shovels, and picks.

With a shovel in his hand and mud all over his trousers, Gao Mo slipped to the front of the team step by step and shouted to the other party in French.The other party seemed a little puzzled, but it was obvious that they understood it, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief, and then Gao Mo started talking with the other party's leader.

"Captain Couette is the captain of the armed sailing ship 'Orange River', employed by the Dutch West India Company." Gao Mo said, "He and his sailors were attacked by the Spaniards off the coast of La Plata. The hull was severely damaged by the attack, unable to return to their base in the Caribbean Sea, so they could only run aground here."

"Spanish? Where are they?" Everyone was nervous.

"Perhaps they have returned to the city of Buenos Aires." Gaumo talked a few more words, and then said, "Captain Couette got rid of them after fighting the Spaniards. He asked to stay with us temporarily, We will leave when the ship is repaired. For this we will have his personal friendship, the friendship of the Dutch West India Company and, of course, money."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay. In fact, what happened today was too sudden. They hadn't figured out what attitude they should use to deal with these outsiders.

"Old Gao, tell them that we need to discuss this matter before we can answer." Ma Ganzu said, "They are allowed to enter the shed over there to shelter from the rain, provided they surrender their weapons and accept our supervision. Of course, they will have our security guarantee and personal items will be kept."

The Dutch are of course not very satisfied with this condition, but there is no other way.At present, the ship has been stranded on the beach, the sailors are injured and sick, and there is not much fresh water left on the ship, so we can only agree first.

"No! These people must be 'disposed of'!" Upon returning to the office, Peng Zhicheng was the first to jump out, "Let them go this time, and next time they will bring a fleet and sell us all slave."

"Maybe next time what they bring is what we urgently need?" Liu Weimin disagreed, "We can make a deal with them."

"We need a lot of pig iron, gunpowder, lead, copper, graphite, and fur." ​​The vest thought for a while, and now that the people who travel through the world are poor and white, they really need a trade partner.

"There are also cattle and sheep, cloth, medicines, tools, seeds, etc." Shao Shude added, "Of course, what we lack most is population, and we need a lot of labor."

"But what about the security issue? Can you guarantee that these Dutch people will keep their promises and come to trade after they go back, instead of bringing a fleet to rob?" Wang Qinian and Peng Zhicheng were in agreement, always thinking that the current time travelers are still very weak and cannot tolerate any risks.

Now no one speaks.There's no guarantee what the Dutch will do.The sailors in the Age of Discovery can basically be equated with scum, no matter which country he is from, they only recognize money and strength.

"I only have one question, and that is what capacity do we use to interact with the outside world? A country? A company? Or a general group?" Xiao Bailang asked.

"I ask a good question. We have traveled to the present for more than a week, and there is no formal organizational structure. How long will this temporary self-rescue committee last?" Ma Ganzu said slowly, "I met the Dutchman today, Tomorrow we will meet the Portuguese, and the day after tomorrow the Spaniards will come to our door. We should think carefully about how we should appear in this world. The current state of looseness cannot continue. I suggest a general meeting discuss."

Everyone looked at Xiao Bailang and Ma Ganzu suspiciously.However, this issue is really crucial. Although the current work of the interim committee is quite effective, not every cross-traveler will be satisfied.Some things will come sooner or later, late is worse than early, so I just take this opportunity to solve it together.