New World 1620

The Indian trade in the lower reaches of the Hudson River went very smoothly, and even the Iroquois Indian League in the far northwest has established a trade connection with Manhattan that is more symbolic than practical with the help of the Mohawks.

Successively, many trading products from the north entered Manhattan. To the surprise of Li Xiang, the head of the Indian trade, there was even natural dog's head gold in the things brought by the Mohawks!The natural gold nuggets weighing several kilograms or even dozens of kilograms almost made the young people who registered the transaction list almost jump up.

These tidbits can only be regarded as slight fluctuations in the current situation where gold is not as good as butter, but a report submitted by Lin Youde, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry, made the committee dare not neglect.

According to the latest industrial development status, Lin Youde very neatly obtained the data on the mineable minerals in Manhattan.Long Island's fingernail-sized mineable reserves of iron ore are obviously not enough to support a larger plan to increase steel production.

It is optimistically estimated that with the current iron ore mining technology and steel production capacity, the iron ore that can be stripped and collected by the existing technical conditions will be exhausted within three years. continuous extraction.

This tragic conclusion made Mr. Liu, who knew nothing about industry, worried. More passionate youths clamored to advance in the direction of Pittsburgh in the future, but people who understood almost didn't look at the map and concluded that such a move was purely courting death.

Lacking the tools and manpower to build land transportation, let alone Pittsburgh, even the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains west of Manhattan, the transportation projects of dozens of kilometers are unimaginable.

The great task was submitted to the Geology and Mineral Exploration Team. The geography teacher An Shaoqing was ordered in the face of danger and drew a new direction according to the map - the upper and middle reaches of the Hudson River.According to his memory, the large reserves of iron ore, coal and some non-ferrous metal mines in New York State were distributed on both sides of the Appalachian Mountains in the middle reaches of the Hudson River.

This time, the first permanent stronghold other than the Manhattan community will be built directly, and it will be used as a bridgehead for the large-scale import of northern ore into Manhattan along the inland waterway in the future.Facing the map, Zheng Quan, An Shaoqing, and several other committee members kept moving their fingers northward, and finally landed on a small stretch of valley plain on the west bank of the Hudson River about 80 kilometers away from Manhattan.

"While exploring the mines along the river, let's build a permanent stronghold here. The name...I think it's called 'West Point'?" Zheng Quan solemnly removed his finger from the map and looked around at his colleagues. , "meaning our first permanent foothold on the west bank of the Hudson River."

Contempt... People with a little bit of historical common sense can't help but roll their eyes.This place is clearly West Point in history, and it still beats around the bush to explain what it is.

The plan was quickly approved by the committee, but considering that this is currently the farthest base project from Manhattan, the shortage of manpower, and the possibility of contact with other strange Indians there, the committee decided to use another group of people after careful consideration .

Soon, Reverend Blyster of the Staten Island Coal Mine welcomed several big names in the "American government."

According to the official statement, the remaining Englishmen on Staten Island had outstanding performance in labor reform, and the U.S. government decided to change the remaining labor to be executed outside prison.Excluding the English craftsmen who have already participated in the shipyard work in the Brooklyn industrial area, including the pastor Brest, the remaining 42 English adult men will be placed in the "West Point Town" to look after the nearby mines, and the mining work , will employ nearby Indians.

If you behave well, you can even get official residency after learning Chinese!

There is no longer the previous armed detention, no more dark coal mining labor, no more half-day rest every week... Suddenly, I was told to live in a pioneering town where I could keep free activities at least most of the time, Pastor Brest couldn't hide his inner ecstasy, and nodded repeatedly.

Enough is enough here!When Brest returned to Staten Island to tell the good news to his remaining companions, almost all the men in England cheered and the women heaved a sigh of relief.Although they still have to face a temporary separation from their families, at least they still have the hope of becoming truly free people, because the "Americans" have agreed to send them to the new town in the north soon.

The officers and soldiers of the Ground Guard standing guard nearby shook their heads secretly when they saw this situation. They already knew that these Englishmen were about to live in a certain riverside stronghold town in the middle reaches of the Hudson River with no retreat.Apart from superficial freedom, they could hardly leave the few kilometers around that stronghold.Even every grain of grain needs to be transported by Manhattan every week.The harsh natural environment surrounding the Hudson Valley of the Appalachian Mountains was far less hospitable to later generations of scenic spots.

Maybe it won't be long before Brest regrets his choice now.

Dozens of matchlock guns, some iron spears, several barrels of gunpowder, and some basic living and working supplies seized from the Dutch fleet became the carry-on luggage of the first residents of West Point Town.The committee also specially mobilized a small construction team to go north with the inland river fleet to carry out the first phase of the stronghold project for West Point Town.

Early the next morning, the Northward Fleet, mainly diesel-powered fishing boats that made great contributions after the catastrophe, set sail. The fishing boats also towed several five-ton manned wooden boats or rafts.

The farewell crowd, comparable to Su Zining's and others' trip to Europe, saw them off at the Manhattan community pier, and Mr. Liu held Dong Jiunan's hand with a smile on his face and asked repeatedly.

In addition to the 42 men from England, the Manhattan staff on board also included Li Xiang and his wife, a 30-member construction team led by Dong Jiunan, a 3-member prospecting team led by geography teacher An Shaoqing, and a land security guard led by He Yutong. 9-man infantry squad.

Near dusk, the "West Point Town Pioneering Advance Team" with Dong Jiunan as the commander-in-chief arrived at the landing point on the map.At this time, the West Point Riverbank was still a small valley plain mixed with hills, swamps, forests and rocks, and the river flowed much faster here than downstream.

After several near-miss attempts to land, the group of people and supplies finally found a relatively gentle shoal and landed.

The English men, who had worked for several months and basically had no worries about food and clothing, were strong and powerful. Under the command of Dong Jiunan, they quickly picked up tools and started logging. The Delaware Indian employees of the engineering team pushed a flatbed cart to dump a large amount of stones from the nearby rock piles. .He Yu's garrison soldiers divided into several groups and began to search for the key points of the terrain to set up guards. An Shaoqing and his two partners quickly re-recorded the current map according to the inaccurate maps of later generations.

Li Xiang, with his little wife Na Da, began to take a romantic walk along the river, looking at the mountains on both sides of the river valley from time to time.

"Husband...husband...this is not our tribe's territory." Nada squeezed her husband's hand a little nervously, looking at the darkening sky with anxiety on her face, "Pequot...Mohigan... Fight every day."

Pequots?Mohicans?It seems that there is a movie about a certain Indian tribe, called the last of the Mohicans... Li Xiang recalled it for a while, and then hugged his little wife tightly with a nonchalant expression.

Na Da is already pregnant. Although it has only been confirmed for a few days, Li Xiang has never been so secretly excited.At first she didn't intend to let Nata follow her, but when she heard that her husband was going to be away for at least a week, the stubborn little wife insisted on coming, and said that she might be able to help if she met other Indians.

At nightfall, the kerosene, an industrial by-product of the Brooklyn Industrial Zone, came in handy. All the people who landed, whether they were crossing people or Englishmen, except those who were in charge of sentry, crowded into a small piece of flat ground that had been initially leveled to camp and rest. .

A large amount of trade has also brought more food reserves to Manhattan, and simple corn wine has also come to the table. The English immigrants who have not tasted alcohol for several months are holding their allocated wine with eyes like wolves.

But after a short while, the relaxed Englishman began to sing all kinds of praises, and the crossing people stared at them like they were looking at orangutans.

"Dear gentlemen, thank you for giving us this fertile land." Pastor Brest stood in front of the transversal crowd with a kind smile, saluted slightly, and crossed himself on his chest, "God will bless you." Yours!"

"No, Mr. Brest, you probably misunderstood." He Yu, an officer of the Land Guard who has always existed on Staten Island like a local emperor, looked meaningfully at the English pastor who was a little smug after drinking, and pointed Pointing at the other party's feet, "This place has always been the territory of the US government. You have only obtained temporary residence rights outside prison. The US government has never intended to transfer any land ownership."

"Uh... yes, I will cherish such an opportunity extremely."

Brest was taken aback for a moment, looked back at his companions who were still singing by the campfire, and then looked embarrassed.

These Yankees are really... Brest walked towards his companions, cursing secretly.

……

……

Early the next morning, the fishing boat returned, and they will bring in the next batch of supplies two days later.

Li Xiang and his young wife, Na Da, escorted by two guard soldiers, began to explore north along the river valley, hoping to meet the Indians hunting nearby.

An Shaoqing and two colleagues, under the protection of another group of guard soldiers, explored in the direction of the Appalachian Mountains in the southwest.The soil of the few bare land here is red, and it can be seen at a glance that it is soil with a high iron content. It is believed that it is only a matter of time before iron ore is discovered.

The Englishman and Dong Jiunan's construction team are still rushing to build walls and sentry towers around the site, and then use the limited cement prefabricated parts to take care of several most critical construction points, including a simple small dock.

It has to be said that the Europeans who can make up their minds to come to the New World do have perseverance, and their work efficiency is even higher than that of the Indian construction workers who have been working hard.

In the next day, they almost used up most of the building materials that came with the ship this time. Dong Jiunan had to announce the suspension of construction, so as to organize manpower to use local materials to cope with the enthusiasm of the English to build their own homes.

When the fishing boat arrived for the second time, a small stronghold covering an area of ​​more than 20 acres had begun to take shape with walls and some internal buildings. Although they were all built of logs, Dong Jiunan, who had been trained in various construction projects in Manhattan, still tried his best Taking all stronghold functions into account.

Unexpectedly, Li Xiang and his wife found a nearby Indian village with hundreds of people. The Indian village hidden deep in the northwest river valley was exactly the Pequot Indians.Historically, this Indian tribe has always had conflicts of varying sizes with the Mohawks in the west, but in the face of the more militant Mohawks, the Pequots have been retreating steadily for hundreds of years and have continued to migrate eastward. Today, most of them have retreated to the east bank of the Hudson River and later Connecticut.

The Pequots, who had been bullied by the Mohawks, turned around and bullied several other Indian tribes in Connecticut, and then became bullies, including the famous Mohicans, who were temporarily annexed by them. greatly increased.

The Pequot village, which belongs to the Algonquian language family like the Delaware, received Li Xiang and his party with vigilance. I am extremely interested in the few products I want to bring.After rejecting the transaction of a few strings of shells, Li Xiang took the opportunity to propose the terms of buying land in West Point Town and hiring local Indians to work.

Under the influence of the West's continuous failures, the Pequots did not regard the land in West Point Town as their permanent territory, so they nodded enthusiastically, and then reluctantly agreed to send some people to help work after a brief patriarchal meeting, but The condition was that the "American" had to pay "as many strings of black shells as the fingers of twenty hands" every month.

No wonder, like the Maya Indians in South America, under the 20-base system that the Indians in North America have inherited in one continuous line, the "fingers of twenty hands" is already a fortune...

On the fourth day after the construction of West Point Town, An Shaoqing and others found a piece of shallow surface hematite with rich reserves in the hilly area less than 5 kilometers west of West Point Town, and even a few kilometers in the other direction. There is also a coal mine on the edge of the hills closer to West Point!

Everything looked so smooth and everyone, including the English, was rejoicing.According to a tentative agreement, the English are responsible for supervising and operating the mine here, and Manhattan will regularly send ships to transport away the mined coal and iron ore, and the English will also receive their necessary supplies and even extra luxuries of life or drugs.

On the evening of the sixth day, the first phase of the project in West Point Town was completed ahead of schedule, and the last batch of supplies will arrive in two days. Next, it is up to the English to work hard on their own. Return to Manhattan.

The farewell bonfire party actually made the eyes of several English people red. They babbled a few half-baked Chinese words and leaned against some drunk "American" construction workers.

Several Pequots working in West Point gathered in a corner and silently watched the group of strangers from the south. Among them was an Indian girl who secretly looked at the construction workers who claimed to be Delaware Indians.

In order not to scare the other party with her outfit, Na Da changed into a Delaware Indian costume during the party, and then danced in front of the bonfire in front of Li Xiang.The naive Nada drew applause from all the audience with her enthusiastic dance moves.

"These foreign devils seem to feel very nourished...Damn it, we came so far just to build a house for them?"

A tall middle-aged man in the construction team hiccupped and spit alcohol on Dong Jiunan who was watching Nata dance, "Boss Dong, it's been so long, which Indian woman have you taken a fancy to? I heard A lot of people on the team are going to find an Indian wife."

After finishing speaking, the middle-aged man glanced at Na Da, who was dancing in the center of the venue, with an imperceptible perverted gaze.

"Hehe, I'm not very interested, but it seems that Indian women are also good. Of course, only those under 20 years old are fine. Those over 20 years old look like middle-aged aunts." Dong Jiunan was also a little drunk, leaning on a big stake muttering.

"Of course, I didn't see how our bully little girls in Manhattan take care of themselves all day... Unfortunately, we are not lucky enough to rob women as wives with those big shots..."

The middle-aged man muttered coldly in his nose, and then turned his gaze to a certain corner, where a pile of smaller bonfires was burning. Seven or eight Pequot tribesmen were humming something around the bonfire. The figure of an Indian girl was very clear.

After a while, the yawning around the campfire gradually sounded, and except for a few people who insisted on vigil, everyone went back to sleep in their simple wooden huts or tents.

……

……

Early in the morning, Li Xiang, who was still hugging his little wife in the tent, was suddenly awakened by a loud shout. When he looked at his watch, it was just before 7 am, and the date showed April 4th.

The early morning mist shrouded the surrounding area, and the sound of the Hudson River flowing in the east poured into the town of West Point like invisible waves.Suddenly, a unique bang of a matchlock gun echoed in the valley, and dozens of people in the entire West Point town were alarmed.

The Englishmen crawled out with their trousers or coats on, while the soldiers of the Land Guard quickly dispersed to the nearest high ground and raised their flintlock rifles.

The gunshots came from the small watchtower in the north of West Point Town. I saw an English guy in charge of security yelling, with smoke still smoking from the muzzle of the arquebus in his hand.

He Yu and Pastor Brest understood the English guard's words at the same time: the Indians escaped and even grabbed some shovels!

"what happened?!"

He Yu and Dong Jiunan looked at each other, and immediately walked towards the corner where the Pequots lived last night. There was a temporary tent area for the Pequot Indian hired workers who worked as temporary construction workers in West Point Town.

There was no Pequot man to be seen outside the tent, but the tall middle-aged construction worker and a few companions stood there with strange expressions, and a few Englishmen also held matchlock guns in silence.

"God...she's dead..."

Pastor Brest heard the muttering from his companions, and was the first to get into a certain tent, and then hurriedly exited with an anxious expression on his face.

"What did you all do?!" Dong Jiunan suddenly understood something, rushed into the tent, and then walked towards the middle-aged man who was talking to him last night with a furious expression, "Qiao Daqiang, you are crazy, you raped me!" This Indian woman?!"

"Tch, isn't it just an indigenous woman, what's bothering you? Are you still arresting me to the police station and claiming that I committed rape?" .The companions next to him didn't dare to speak, but judging from their expressions and slightly messy clothes, they couldn't escape the relationship.

"Fuck you! You know what you did, you want to kill us?!" Dong Jiunan was furious, and after a few steps up, he slapped the middle-aged man on the face, sending him almost several meters away.

"My surname is Dong, don't bully me with the truth, so what if I did it? Didn't you just flatter those soldiers and policemen, and even become a construction captain..."

After being beaten, Qiao Daqiang smiled instead of anger, and simply sat on the ground, looking at Dong Jiunan provocatively, with the blood on the corner of his mouth looking particularly ferocious.

"Husband...husband..." Na Da, who was hiding next to Li Xiang, also saw the naked body of the Pequot girl from a thin slit exposed in the tent, she was so frightened that her face paled and her whole body trembled.She had never seen such a vicious "Chinese".

"Qiao Daqiang, you have to think about the consequences when you do things. This place is far away from Manhattan, and the nearby Indians are not as close as the Delawares. What if they retaliate, our hard work will be in vain!" Li Xiang lowered his voice, his face pale Terribly serious, "Even if they don't retaliate, don't even think about using them to mine!"

"Lock him up and send him to Manhattan with the ship tomorrow! Others, pay attention to vigilance, and if there is any situation, fire immediately." He Yu stared coldly at the middle-aged man who was falling into madness, and issued orders to his subordinates Order.

"Fuck, I'm not an official. I have nothing to do with mining or not, and I haven't seen them share a few catties of iron with me!" Qiao Daqiang jumped up like a rascal, tore his clothes, and patted The chest roared loudly, "I survived a catastrophe and came to this ghostly place, but who cares about our lives? You, Dong Jiunan, and the rest of you, relying on some small skills to eat and drink, what about us brothers? "

As soon as the words came out, several guard soldiers including He Yu's subordinates looked at each other in blank dismay, the rifles in their hands drooped slightly, and several construction workers lowered their heads deeply, staring at the ground without saying a word.

"Mr. Brest, please organize the residents' defense immediately, and be careful of the Indians' revenge." Li Xiang also quickly warned the stunned English pastor who kept crossing himself.

"Haha, catch me?! Brothers, think about it clearly. It's them who are here for the sake of showing off their power. Don't forget that we were all workers working on the same dock a few months ago. You shot at me with guns. Looking at your own brother, are you at ease?!"

Qiao Daqiang was still dancing, and the two soldiers who were about to step forward stopped again.

"Execute the order! You are soldiers now, soldiers!" He Yu became angry at once, and stretched out his hand to push down on the hesitant front.

"Captain, but he...isn't he an Indian..." The soldier who was pushed turned red with a bad expression.

"Workers, our freedom cannot be deprived by them in this era, we..."

Seeing the change in the atmosphere, Qiao Daqiang waved his hands quickly, wanting to continue shouting a few slogans.As a result, he just raised his fist and before he could speak, a bloody arrow popped out of his mouth.

There were several loud noises in his throat, Qiao Daqiang rolled his eyes, and fell to the ground, his whole body was twitching, and blood kept gushing out from the mouth opened by the arrow.

"Hidden, all hidden!"

He Yu pushed Li Xiang and Na Da behind them into the wooden house, then drew out his pistol, and shouted at the surrounding figures.

There was chaos, the Englishmen and guard soldiers were looking for hiding objects everywhere, and the matchlock guns in the hands of several Englishmen on the watchtower made a loud noise.

A series of arrows were shot from a small hill more than ten meters away from the wall, and a series of swaying figures could be vaguely seen in the surrounding dense forest...