Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 202: Finding wealth in danger?
"Captain, what do you think about the New Chinese wanting to sign a five-year service contract with us?"

On December 1631, 12, in a tavern in Shixing Fort, the Portuguese first mate of the "Qishun" Vasco Sousa was eating a delicious and hot "mixed pot soup (hot pot)" while chatting with his captain Diogo Costa.

In June, they were hired by Xinhua's warehouse in Guangzhou to manage a newly built ocean-going merchant ship, responsible for safely sailing the ship back to the New Continent.

The Xinhua people offered them an irresistible salary and provided more than fifty extremely hardworking Ming sailors for the ship.

When leaving Guangzhou, Xinhua people crammed three naval trainee officers onto the ship and asked them to provide necessary technical guidance and experience sharing during the voyage.

Of course, Xinhua will pay an additional guidance fee based on the evaluation of the training results of these trainee officers to thank them for their hard work and efforts.
In mid-June, this large ship, which was unlike any other ship in shape, was loaded with immigrants and supplies such as food, cotton, copper, and lead. It crossed the vast Pacific Ocean with the Chinese and Portuguese immigrant fleet and arrived at Qiming Island after more than three months.

Here they saw a very different kind of colony.

Although Xinhua is not very prosperous and lively, it is not as poor and desolate as imagined.

The port has a sturdy breakwater, a pier built of stone (cement), a series of towering pulley booms, and even a dock deep in the harbor, which can not only provide comprehensive repairs and maintenance for ships, but also build large ships with a displacement of hundreds of tons.

Although most of the buildings on the shore are made of wood and have simple decorations, the overall layout is very regular, with rows and columns, horizontal and vertical, which makes people feel inexplicably comfortable when they see them.

When we got to the city, we saw a little more brick and stone buildings, but they were still so neat and uniform, as if the people here had an obsessive-compulsive disorder and had to build all the houses so neatly and to such a standard.

What is most amazing is that this place is very clean and orderly. There is no sewage and garbage everywhere like in European cities, nor is there beggars running around and thieves rampant like in colonial cities.

Moreover, from the state displayed by the pedestrians on the street, it can be seen that the living standards of the people here do not seem to be low. They all have rosy complexions, strong bodies, and their words and deeds reveal a sense of confidence.

Children playing and having fun are also very lively, chasing and fighting around, which shows that they are well-nourished.

Even the native Indians looked lively and energetic, as if they had not been discriminated against or enslaved too much by the new Chinese. Instead, they were very willing to submit to them.

It is undeniable that the overall feeling Xinhua gives people is that everything seems so full of vitality and so prosperous.

In the workshop, people are constantly hammering and producing industrial products.

The vast fields are full of harvests of various crops. Loads of wheat and baskets of corn are transported in from the fields to the barn in an endless stream.

Their government officials, street police, and military soldiers also showed a very positive and optimistic attitude, and each one seemed to be full of infinite passion.

This kind of scene can never be seen in Malacca or Goa. Even the more prosperous and wealthy Oyster Bay does not have this kind of vibrant feeling.

It seems that Xinhua's colonial methods are quite sophisticated. In just five or six years, they have built this place into a decent place.

Their financial resources seemed to be strong. More than a month ago, without blinking an eye, they took out gold and silver coins worth 17 taels of silver to pay for the immigration shipping and material procurement costs of four Portuguese ships.

As for the Portuguese who were hired, they received their wages for the past few months in full. Except for a small amount of silver coins, most of them were gold coins of high purity.

According to the employment agreement reached with Xinhua in Guangzhou, their service period is only one year.

In other words, after driving the ship back to the Ming Dynasty, the contract between them will end. Then they will take the compensation given by the new Chinese and either continue to stay in Haojing to look for better opportunities to make money, or be employed by a Portuguese ship to go to India, or return to mainland Europe.

However, half a month ago, Xinhua approached them several times, saying they wanted to sign a long-term employment contract and increase their current salary by 20 percent.

If they are willing to settle down and become naturalized in Xinhua, they will enjoy many benefits of the Xinhua Navy and will also receive a piece of free land after completing their career at sea.

It is said that most of the hired Ming sailors chose to sign long-term employment contracts with Xinhua, and a small number chose to become Xinhua citizens, which allowed them to obtain a high income while also securing a guarantee for their future.

There were five hired Portuguese on the "Qishun", all of whom were veterans who had been on the sea for many years. They traveled thousands of miles from mainland Europe to the East, all hoping to earn a coveted fortune.

The compensation offered by the new Chinese was far more than what they had earned from "working" on Portuguese ships before. It would be a lie to say that they were not tempted.

As for whether to settle in Xinhua and become a citizen, they naturally didn't consider it much.

After making money, of course they want to return home in glory, return to Portugal, then buy a piece of land, build a mansion, marry a beautiful wife and enjoy a wonderful life. Isn't this supporting their dreams after working hard overseas for many years?
The Xinhua were sincere and offered generous terms. Logically, they had no reason to hesitate and should have immediately agreed to sign the long-term employment contract. However, during their stay in Shixing Fort, the Portuguese unexpectedly learned that the Xinhua were about to face a war with a huge disparity in strength.

Yes, the Spanish American colonial authorities in the south are likely to launch attacks on the new Chinese in order to safeguard the "territorial sovereignty" of the Kingdom of Spain and thereby demonstrate the dignity and honor of the kingdom.

In the eyes of the Spaniards, the entire Americas were their sacred kingdom, and no country or force was allowed to interfere, let alone engage in large-scale strategy and colonization.

More than half a year ago, a Spanish exploratory fleet discovered the existence of Xinhua, and a small-scale armed conflict broke out, resulting in the loss of an armed ship.

Although the Spaniards were repelled, it can be predicted that they will assemble a powerful fleet in the Americas at some point in the future and attack again.

However, the New Chinese developed rapidly in just a few years, with a population of thousands and an army of several hundred people.

But this level of strength is probably not enough in front of the powerful Spaniards.

You have to know that there were hundreds of thousands of Spaniards in Mexico alone. If you add the Indians they controlled, the number would probably exceed one million.

Not to mention, the Spanish also had an army of five to six thousand stationed in Mexico and owned at least dozens of armed ships.

Once the Spaniards come, the Chinese in New China will probably find it difficult to resist.

Then, the final outcome would probably be that the new Chinese would flee to other places by boat to avoid being hunted down and massacred by the Spanish.

Everything here will be destroyed, the port will be demolished, the cities and farms will be burned, the fields will be completely destroyed, and those who have not escaped and the Indians who surrender will also face brutal massacres.

Yes, the Spanish will definitely do that.

In this situation, is it necessary for them to sign a long-term employment contract with Xinhua?

"Vasco, regarding the employment contract with the New China, I think we should politely decline it." Diogo Costa chewed the whale meat in his mouth hard and swallowed it. Then he picked up the wine bowl on the table and said with a smile, "Otherwise, when the New China sends us to fight the Spanish, should we agree or disobey?"

"The New Chinese promised us they wouldn't send us into combat," Vasco Sosa said. "We'll just have to help them transport the migrants by boat."

"Do you believe what they say?" Costa smiled. "They just lost a ship and dozens of experienced crew members at sea, and they're desperately short of manpower. Do you think they'll let us just transport immigrants across the Pacific? In the face of the Spanish invasion, the New Chinese will surely mobilize and gather all their forces, including us hired crew members."

"Captain, do you think the New Chinese will definitely be defeated by the Spanish?"

"They are too weak in front of the Spanish." Costa shook his head and said, "So, it's best for us to stay out of this war."

"But I heard that the Xinhua people are preparing to take the initiative and attack the Spanish southward to delay their invasion of Xinhua."

"Oh, of course." Costa shrugged nonchalantly. "They could attack ports and towns along the Pacific coast of America like pirates, but that wouldn't prevent their ultimate defeat; it would only further infuriate the Spanish."

"By then, the Spanish would only need to deploy a dozen or so armed ships to completely blockade Shixing Port. Then, they could cover a landing operation by several thousand troops and capture the port in one fell swoop. Do you think the New Chinese, having lost their roots, can pose much of a threat to the Spanish?"

"What if the Spanish underestimate the enemy and are defeated by the New Chinese here? What will happen next?"

"Beat the Spaniards?" Costa was stunned. "Oh, if this really happens, it must be that God has ruthlessly abandoned the Spaniards."

"Captain, I have a feeling that the New Chinese might actually defeat the Spanish."

"Oh, so..." Costa gave a strange expression.

"I want to sign that long-term employment contract." Sousa licked his lips and looked at the other person intently. "Who knows, I might be able to get an unexpected and wonderful result from it."

“…”Costa.

(End of this chapter)