Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 193 Wochuan
On August 1631, 8, at a river estuary about 21 or kilometers southwest of Linhai Fort, two large canoes were parked alone on the shore.

One of the sails on the boat was badly damaged and torn into several pieces of cloth, obviously unable to generate wind and power for the boat anymore.

On the flat plain not far from the shore, there is a simple temporary camp. A few pieces of wood and a pile of branches and weeds barely support two temporary wooden houses that can provide some shelter from wind and rain, bringing a little comfort to the people who have fallen on hard times.

A bonfire was burning brightly, and on top of it was a small iron pot with rice porridge bubbling inside. The rich aroma of rice filled the air.

Zhang Dashan held an iron spoon and stirred it gently in the iron pot to prevent the rice porridge from sticking to the pot and becoming burnt.

Soon, he scooped out a spoonful of rice porridge, put it to his mouth and blew hard, then drank it in a few mouthfuls after it cooled down a little.

He smacked his lips, thinking it was almost cooked, and then took a wooden bowl and filled it with half a bowl.

I believe that Lord Wei will be able to regain some energy after drinking some porridge.

Oh, this damn storm!

Six days ago, when we were almost home, we unexpectedly encountered a sudden storm.

Fortunately, when the storm just started, Lord Wei noticed some clues in advance and asked them to move the ships as close to the coast as possible, waiting for an opportunity to find a cape or stream estuary that could provide shelter.

The wind gradually grew stronger, causing waves to surge, and raindrops as big as beans kept hitting them.

Although their two small boats were sailing close to the coast, huge waves continued to hit them.

If the brothers on the boat had not worked together to support the boat and adjust the direction, the boat might have been overturned by the huge waves or hit the rocks on the shore.

Just as the storm was getting more violent, they finally found a small river flowing into the sea. They then struggled upstream and entered a river bay, finally avoiding the raging waves on the sea.

However, after weathering the storm and heavy rain, the leader, Lord Wei, accidentally caught a cold from the water. Not long after landing, he developed a high fever and was unable to perform his duties.

So they set up a temporary camp on the shore and took good care of Lord Wei, preparing to return after he recovered a little.

The storm came quickly and went away quickly. After raging for a day and a night, it dissipated and retreated. The sun also came out, and the sea became rare calm.

But what was worse was that Lord Wei seemed to be even more seriously ill. Not only was he unable to sit or lie down, but he also fell into a coma, and his forehead was burning.

Oh my god, this is terrible!

If fever is not treated properly, it can be fatal.

If Lord Wei died here, they would have a hard time explaining themselves when they returned to Linhai Fort!
How can this be good?

They were in the wilderness, with no herbs to reduce fever, and no place to find a doctor, which really made the seven or eight sailors panic.

In desperation, they could only wet a cloth with water and keep wiping Lord Wei's forehead. They also fed him water in small sips from a kettle, trying to cool him down as much as possible, but they must not burn him to death.

Two days later, Lord Wei regained consciousness. After briefly inquiring about the situation, he ordered someone to fetch the small bag he was carrying.

After rummaging in the bag for a while, he struggled to pull out a handful of white powder that had been turned into a sticky paste by rain and sea water.

He first cursed under his breath, then hesitated for a while, then stuffed the paste-like powder into his mouth, took a big gulp of water, and swallowed it.

Then he fell asleep again.

Perhaps the sticky powder that Lord Wei ate worked. Over the next few days, his fever began to subside and his head wasn't as hot anymore.

When he was occasionally conscious, he would ask the sailors to wipe his body with warm water and change his soaked clothes, and he would swallow a few mouthfuls of cooked porridge and potatoes with difficulty.

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Judging from the situation, Lord Wei should be fine. He will be able to recover after a few more days of rest.

"Sir, are you feeling better?" Zhang Dashan, carrying a wooden bowl, had just entered the wooden house when he found Wei Zhonglong already leaning against a wooden pillar, staring at something in a daze. "Dashan, I've really put you through a lot these days." Wei Zhonglong came to his senses and gave Zhang Dashan a gentle smile.

"Sir, you are too kind." Zhang Dashan walked closer, hesitating whether to continue feeding the baby himself.

"I'll do it myself." Wei Zhonglong reached out and took the wooden bowl.

"My Lord, be careful of the heat."

"Well, I'll eat slowly." Wei Zhonglong looked at this honest and reliable guard, feeling very relieved. "Dashan, when I return to Linhai this time, I will definitely reward you handsomely. If it weren't for your care over the past few days and nights, I would probably be dead."

"Sir, I dare not ask for a reward." Zhang Dashan was suddenly excited when he heard this and grinned. "I'm not the only one taking care of your daily life these days. Tielin, Shuanzi, Gou'er, Dajian and others have also been serving you day and night. I dare not neglect them in the slightest."

"Okay, okay, okay..." Wei Zhonglong nodded repeatedly. "When you return, you will all be handsomely rewarded. Of course, your contributions extend beyond just caring for me. Over the past month or so, we've gone through countless hardships to gather detailed geological data on the Wochuan River (today's Tokachi River) basin. You should also be handsomely rewarded."

"Well, if the immigration fleet brings some women to our Linhai Fort this time, you will also have the right to be allocated first so that you can settle down here!"

"Thank you, sir!" Zhang Dashan was immediately overjoyed after hearing this.

Boy, this was a worthwhile trip!
Not only did he receive a generous reward, but he was also given a wife. What was even more difficult was that he was favored and appreciated by Lord Wei, and he would inevitably be reused or taken care of in the future.

A month ago, led by the head of the Linhai Colonization Team, a group of more than 50 people, carrying a large amount of supplies, drove four large canoes south to find the river valley that was said to be extremely fertile, in order to make preliminary preparations for subsequent colonial development.

After traveling about 150 miles along the coastline, we found the mouth of a large river (Tokachi River).

The exploration team stayed here for a day, then went up the river, following the winding river channel (the Tokachi River has been straightened after years of renovation in later generations), and occasionally went ashore to explore the geographical conditions until they came to the confluence of several rivers (that is, the area around Obihiro City, Hokkaido), and then stopped.

Over the course of nearly a month, they surveyed almost all the land along the river and carefully assessed the agricultural conditions in the area.

What is gratifying is that this vast river valley area is covered with a thick layer of black soil. If you just reach out and grab a handful of the ground, it seems like you can "squeeze out oil"!
Lord Wei mentioned that this black soil is rich in something called "organic matter", which is extremely nutritious for the growth of crops.

Moreover, the newly cultivated fields are fertile in themselves and do not require any composting.

If you plant crops in such fields, you will definitely get an amazing harvest in the fall.

Not to mention, there are several rivers with abundant water in this area, which can provide ample water resources for agricultural planting.

If we increase the development efforts and build various water conservancy projects, we can turn all the farmland developed in the entire river valley into enviable irrigated land.

Thousands of miles of fertile fields probably describe this kind of land!
What’s even better is that Lord Wei also said that this is all unowned land, so we can occupy as much as we want.

Of course, this is not entirely accurate. At least there are more than a dozen large and small native tribes scattered throughout the river valley, and they are considered the indigenous people here.

However, they looked like the natives around Linhai Fort. They did not cultivate the land, but only chased reindeer around in the woods and lived a carefree life.

Therefore, people do not look down on these natives, let alone regard them as the owners of this land.

According to the officials of the colonization team, as long as we Chinese occupy this place, we will naturally become the owners of the land and there is no need to consider the opinions of the indigenous people.

Based on this principle, Lord Wei decided to name this river valley plain area Wochuan, and the river was also called Wochuan River.

After completing the preliminary survey of Wochuan, the exploration team sailed back.

When they arrived at the mouth of the Wochuan River, Lord Wei ordered the more than 30 immigrants accompanying him to build a fort there as a forward outpost for the subsequent colonization of the Wochuan area.

Leaving them with several months' worth of supplies and two small boats, the exploration team set out northward, returning to Linhai Fort.

It is estimated that at this time, the immigration fleet from the Ming Dynasty had arrived in Linhai.

I just don’t know how many immigrants they can leave behind this time.

(End of this chapter)