Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 139 National Subconscious
January 1630, 1, María Madre Island.

Wei Yingbin stood on a high rock, covering his mouth and nose with his hands, looking at the sea in the southeast.

As far as the eye can see, there is no ship except the boundless sea.

Obviously, they arrived a little too early, and the Spanish smuggler Pedro had not yet arrived as scheduled, so they could only wait patiently on the island.

After staying for a few days, Wei Yingbin was so bored that he took his men to the island to explore and see if he could find any usable resources.

However, after two days of exploration, it was discovered that the island had almost no fresh water reserves and not many tall trees. Instead, it was covered with piles of bird droppings and dense agaves.

In the eyes of the Spaniards, this island and several other nearby islands may have no value, and the lack of fresh water makes them even less likely to take a look at them.

The place is covered with stinking bird droppings and has a terrible living environment, making it almost uninhabitable. Why would we need to send people to occupy it?

But after a brief investigation, several time travelers showed great interest in the island and even discussed whether to secretly send a few boats here for a visit every year.

Because, after a long period of mineralization, the bird droppings all over the island have turned into phosphate mines, which are natural fertilizers!

If we dig this thing up, crush it, and apply it to farmland, it will definitely increase the yield of crops by at least 40% to 60%, and even doubling it is not impossible.

This bird droppings is white gold!

In later generations, Peru became the richest country in South America by selling guano, and almost half of its national income came from guano exports.

There is also a country called Nauru, which sits on guano. Its per capita income once reached nearly 200,000 US dollars, which is much higher than the rich Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.

Although this small island has not been explored in detail, it can be estimated with the naked eye that the guano reserves are at least tens of thousands of tons.

Assuming that one ton of guano can cover ten to twenty acres of farmland, the guano on this small island alone is enough to develop and transform millions of acres of fertile farmland on Qiming Island.

This small island is not a deserted island at all, it is actually a treasure island rich in "white gold mountains"!

"Coach Wei, when we gain a certain level of strength, we must seize these islands!" Han Jian kicked the hardened phosphate rock, a look of deep desire on his face. "We can collect the guano here and use it to fertilize the farmland. The grain yield will increase several times immediately!"

"Heh, this island is right on Mexico's doorstep. If we seize it, the Spanish won't be able to sleep peacefully at night." Wei Yingbin said with a smile, "They'll always be worried that we'll use these islands to directly land and attack the Mexican mainland. If that happens, we'll be in a situation where we can't stop until one of us dies."

"That's right!" Han Jian nodded and said, "Then, at worst, we can do business with Spain and give them some money to buy the guano from these islands. You know, before we synthesize chemical fertilizers, this stuff is just as effective as chemical fertilizers."

"In addition, there are large areas of wild agave on the island, which is the main raw material for making tequila. Moreover, agave leaf fibers can be used to make products such as ropes, cords, and sacks, which are no less effective than hemp crops."

"Then we must first defeat the Spanish and force them to allow us to trade with them."

"Twenty years?"

"Well, maybe thirty years."

"Thirty years? By then, we'd probably all be buried!"

"So, we must take good care of our bodies and see with our own eyes that the country we have built will grow strong and become an overwhelming force over Spanish America."

"That's tough!" Han Jian thought for a moment and said, "With the medical conditions and living standards of this era, we might not even survive for thirty years."

"Don't be so pessimistic." Wei Yingbin smiled. "In this era, all food should be organic and natural. Maybe it can help you live longer."

"Tell me, when our generation dies, will the foundation we've built, or the country we've established, follow the same historical cycle of dynasties in the past? Or even worse, be swallowed up by the Anzas to the east or the Spaniards to the south?"

"Instead of being so pessimistic and anxious now, we should focus on development and build a solid foundation for a strong nation for future generations." Wei Yingbin was silent for a moment, then spoke generously, "If we develop quickly enough and become powerful enough, we can minimize the Spanish to the south and the Anzas to the east before we die, or even divide and disintegrate them so that they no longer pose a threat, thus eliminating the worries of future generations." "However, I believe that the next generation, and even the next generation, influenced and educated by us will not be so useless. They should have a more forward-looking strategic vision and decisiveness, and will not fall into a situation where their rise is rapid and their fall is sudden."

"As long as we build the country we have established into a modern nation with a strong sense of national identity over the next 30 to 50 years, based on a common understanding of the same nation, culture, language, and values, then this country will surely stand among the nations of the world and will not be swallowed up by other countries, let alone disappear without cause."
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"Hmph, a conceited and arrogant Peninsular!" Pedro del Alamobo cursed softly while waving goodbye to the exploration fleet that had missed each other with a smile on his face.

"Sir, are we...are we still following the planned route?" Captain Reyes of the Bayano asked with lingering fear.

"Let's go to Colima first and get some fresh water and food," Pedro said calmly. "Then we'll stop there and rest for the night."

"Okay, sir." Captain Reyes breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

"Dear Reyes, are you scared?" Pedro looked at him steadily.

"...No, sir," Reyes said, licking his lips subconsciously and trying to force a smile.

"Don't worry, they won't find out what we're about to do," Pedro said quietly. "Didn't you see? Except for the colonel from the Peninsula, everyone else acted as if it had nothing to do with them. This is America, our America, and those Peninsulars are just passing through."

"Apart from taking away chests of gold and silver, they don't care about anything here, let alone the slightest bit of affection for us. Oh, of course, sometimes they do crazy things to protect the king's dignity and honor. But who cares about them?"

"Sir, that colonel from the Peninsula seems quite surprised to encounter us in these waters, and he's also somewhat suspicious of our journey north," Reyes cautioned. "Do you think they might secretly follow us and discover what we're doing?"

"So, we need to stop in Colima for one night," Pedro said with a smile. "If they really want to sneak up on us, then let them enjoy the sea breeze. But I think what they want most is to return to Acapulco Port as soon as possible and rest for a few days."

"Look at them. They must have been sailing for months. Everyone is so tired and depressed. Do they still have the mind to pay attention to our whereabouts at this time?"

"Oh, I hope so!" Reyes nodded.

"Dear Reyes, sometimes we have to pay a high price to obtain the wealth we desire," Pedro said meaningfully. "That price could be betrayal, conscience, or even our precious lives. What do you think?"

"Sir..." Reyes' heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he quickly said, "Sir, don't worry. We are all utterly loyal to you and would never betray you. Honestly, we are filled with gratitude to you from the bottom of our hearts. Over the past few years, you have enabled us all to obtain an unattainable fortune and live a life of affluence unimaginable to others."

"In fact, if we in the Americas didn't have those people from the peninsula pointing fingers and interfering in everything we do, our lives might be a little better." Pedro turned his head and watched the ships of the exploration fleet gradually disappear on the sea level, with a trace of melancholy on his face.

Throughout Spanish America, the first-class people were always Peninsulars, who served as governors, military governors, prosecutors, municipal governors, senior military governors, as well as bishops and senior administrative officials.

In other words, the upper class of carnivorous people in the colonies were all native Spaniards.

However, these Creoles who were born and raised in the American colonies did not have many political rights. They could only do business or serve as middle or lower-level administrative officials and could not reach the political top level at all.

Well, the reason for this is that those early Spanish immigrants could not make it in their home country and had a low social status, so they could only respond to the king's call and go to sea to make a living.

Most of the officials from the peninsula were aristocrats and upper-class people. They were sent to the colonies to manage the many "losers" in the Americas for the king, including native Spaniards (i.e. Creoles).

At the beginning, the native white people in these colonies also hoped to return to their motherland one day to bask in the glory of the king.

But the problem is, in the eyes of the people of your motherland, you are just a bunch of poor country bumpkins from America!

Those nobles from the peninsula stayed in one colony for a period of time and then were sent to other colonies for a period of time. They could not only make a lot of money, but also accumulate rich overseas experience. After returning to their country, they relied on these management experiences to increase their political resumes and then climb to higher positions.

However, these white people who were born and raised in the colonies could get nothing and could only keep struggling at the bottom.

After all, the Kingdom of Spain at that time was an extremely strict feudal hierarchical society.

"If we could gain a say, why would we risk collaborating with a group of Eastern pirates on smuggling?"

(End of this chapter)