Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 572 Transportation (Part 1)

On May 25, 1643, at dawn, the milky white sea fog still lingered on the surface of Honglin Bay (now Humboldt Bay), shrouding the world in a hazy mist.

The damp, cold air was infused with the unique fragrance of the redwood forest and the salty tang of the sea.

A brand-new concrete pier, like the arm of a giant, resolutely extends into the misty depths of the bay. This is the most profound industrial imprint left by the new Chinese on this pristine coastline.

A three-masted sailing ship, the "Wind Chaser," belonging to the Second Pacific Transport Company, passed through the barrier of fog and the headland, broke through the mirror-like sea surface, and slowly sailed into the bay.

Guided by the pilot's flag signals, it steadily docked at the deepest berth beside the pier.

When the heavy cable was firmly secured to the mooring bollard, Zhao Dezhu, the port authority manager on the dock—a former junior officer of the Dengzhou Garrison—slowly exhaled the half-breath he had been holding in, and then rang the bronze bell that signified the safe arrival of the ship.

The sound of bells echoed in the bay, waking up this settlement that had only been established for a little over a year.

Redwood Fort (now Eureka, California) possessed the only natural deep-water harbor between Yuzhou (now San Francisco) and Zhaoye (now Astoria, Oregon). Backed by endless redwood forests and facing the vast Pacific Ocean, its strategic position was highly valued by Xinhua's top leadership from the day it was "discovered".

In just one year, the immigration and settlement department sent more than 400 immigrants to the area to cut down trees, clear land, build houses and forts, and build a settlement of considerable size on this alluvial plain on the coast.

This concrete pier and its associated dock facilities are the result of the Xinhua government's significant investment of manpower and resources, aiming to make it a key supply hub connecting the north and south shipping routes.

"Get moving, everyone! The 'Chengfeng' has docked, get ready to unload!" Zhao Dezhu called out to the dockworkers in his thick Jiaodong accent.

Most of these workers were immigrants from the Ming Dynasty who had arrived in this new land a year ago. They put down the wooden crates and fishing nets they were sorting and gathered around.

However, as the workers prepared to unload the expected grain, cloth, ironware, or hardware tools as usual, they smelled an unfamiliar mineral odor with a hint of sulfur.

Foreman Li Dashan stepped onto the gangplank, leaned out and looked into the cargo hold, and was immediately stunned. He turned back and shouted to Zhao Dezhu, "Foreman Zhao, this ship... it's not loaded with grain or daily necessities, it's full of black coal!"

Sure enough, the huge cargo hold was not filled with the usual grain and miscellaneous goods, but only with coal, which gleamed with a cold, metallic luster under the sunlight that was gradually penetrating the sea fog.

The captain of the "Chengfeng" was a capable middle-aged man named Sun Haisheng. He walked over with a smile and kicked the coal in the cabin. "That's right, it's coal, top-quality anthracite, transported from the mines in the port of this prefecture (now Nanaimo).

Li Dashan and the workers who gathered around him were all filled with confusion.

"What, did headquarters send us a whole ship full of coal because they were worried we'd freeze here?" someone said with a sneer.

"Hey, we've got plenty of firewood here!" one worker chimed in, pointing to the endless forest behind the dock, a hint of mockery in his voice. "In our Red Forest Fortress, I can't say for sure about anything else, but we probably have enough firewood to burn for hundreds of years. Tell me, why go through all this trouble, transporting coal all the way from the north? How much manpower and shipping power does that take?"

"That's right! I guess we'll have to pay for this coal, right? ... We're broke, we don't have any spare money to buy this stuff!"

"That's right! Instead of wasting time transporting coal, why not send us a few dozen women? They could warm our beds, have a few babies, and that would truly show the court's consideration for our hard work in this land reclamation and development!" Someone laughed and echoed, sparking a lively and ambiguous chatter.

"You know nothing!" Captain Sun Haisheng looked at the group of new immigrants with disdain, raised his chin, and spoke with undisguised superiority. "You newly arrived beggars, how could you afford coal! Let me tell you, this coal is not for you to use to start fires in your stoves for cooking, or to keep warm and survive in the winter."

"What's that for?" a worker muttered.

"What are they used for?" Sun Haisheng paused deliberately, whetting everyone's appetite. "These coals are the 'food' for the ship!"

"Huh? Food for the ship...?"

"Don't kid us! From ancient times to the present, this ship has never been known to eat coal, except for wind and brute force. If a ship can eat coal, then I can swallow stones!" A skinny man shook his head, his face full of disbelief.

"What a bunch of ignorant bumpkins!" Sun Haisheng sneered, his eyes sweeping over the unloading workers with disdain. "Just because there weren't coal-powered ships before doesn't mean there aren't now. Hmph, in a few months, one after another, ships that can run on coal alone will be sailing off the Xinhua Special Shipyard in Shaowu Naval Port (now Esquimolt Port)!"

"Really? Is that true?" Li Dashan stared at him blankly. "Burning coal can make a boat move by itself? That's too far-fetched, like those wooden oxen and flowing horses that storytellers talk about."

"Wooden ox and flowing horse?" Sun Haisheng smacked his lips and nodded. "Hey, now that you mention it, it does look somewhat similar! Those motorized sailboats that have been launched are really like wooden oxen and flowing horses. If you feed them coal, they can run very fast on the sea without relying on wind or water currents."

"A motor-sailboat?"

The word "sailboat" is familiar, after all, everyone came from the Ming Dynasty and has seen many sailboats. But adding "machine" before "sailboat" gives it an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity and mystery.

“Yes, a motor-sailboat!” Sun Haisheng’s voice rose a few decibels, with a hint of boasting. “It’s a boat that retains sails but is also equipped with a huge thing called a ‘steam engine’! That thing burns coal and can generate tremendous power to propel the boat forward at high speed!”

"Think about it, if you encounter a headwind or a completely dry weather, ordinary sailboats would have to wait idly or struggle to row and paddle."

"But this motorboat is different. As long as the coal bunker is full and the furnace is burning brightly, it can move forward on its own, not controlled by the heavens. It can set sail whenever it wants and go in whichever direction it wants. From now on, we who make a living at sea will no longer have to rely on the whims of the heavens and the Dragon King of the Sea."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Everyone exclaimed in amazement upon hearing this.

"What's so special about this?" Sun Haisheng waved his hand proudly. "Xinhua has produced many amazing things! You probably don't know that we can build ships with lumps of iron, do you? Hehe, there are many things that you can't even imagine, but our Xinhua craftsmen can build!"

The workers burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Feeding a ship coal to propel it through the water is somewhat plausible and barely acceptable.

But if you try to build a ship with lumps of iron, that would be a huge joke.

Even a fool knows that if you throw a lump of iron into the water, it will sink to the bottom immediately.

"Alright, alright! Enough with the small talk! Get moving and unload all the coal from the ship." Zhao Dezhu suddenly snapped out of his daze. Now that the cargo ship had arrived in port, unloading was the only proper course of action.

They all stood on the deck like simpletons, listening to the talkative captain brag.

"Yes, yes, hurry up and unload the cargo." Sun Haisheng also stopped talking and waved his hand to urge, "Unload the coal as soon as possible, we still need to clean the hold and load redwood. The journey back is against the wind and the current, it will take a lot of time!"

He turned to Zhao Dezhu, his tone becoming serious: "Manager Zhao, after this coal is unloaded, you'd better put up a shed to cover it up as soon as possible. Although this stuff isn't afraid of being left out, being exposed to the sun and rain will eventually affect its burning performance. If it gets soaked, it won't be able to start, which will delay the motorboat project, and that would be a big problem."

"Yes, of course." Zhao Dezhu nodded. "After the coal is unloaded, I'll find some people to build a simple shed for the storage yard to shelter it from the wind and rain. Hey, will every port along the coast have to build a coal storage station so that your... motorboats can refuel whenever they want?"

“Absolutely!” Sun Haisheng said confidently. “I estimate that from Shixing Port in the north, to Zhaoye Port in the Ziwu River region, to your Honglin Port, and then to Yuzhou (now San Francisco) and Nanping in the south, several important ports need to store large amounts of coal to supply the motorized sailing ships that travel back and forth.”

The unloading operation lasted for two days.

On May 27, when the last grab bucket of coal was cleared from the hold, the sailors immediately used buckets to bring in seawater and carefully washed every corner of the cargo hold until not a trace of coal dust remained.

Subsequently, the "animal-powered crane" on the dock—a tall wooden tower with iron pulleys and winches on top, powered by horses walking in circles in a treadmill—changed its direction and began hoisting the mountains of mahogany piled up on the dock onto the ship one by one.

These coastal redwoods, sourced from the forests surrounding Red Ridge, became an important resource as soon as they were discovered due to their exceptional physical properties.

Its wood is hard, with beautiful grain and a deep, warm color. It also has natural corrosion resistance and insect resistance, and is regarded as a top-grade building material and woodworking raw material in Xinhua.

Whether used for outdoor architecture such as terraces, fences, and benches, or as exterior wall panels and roof shingles for houses, they can all remain as good as new over time.

With the vigorous development of Xinhua's industry and commerce, the wealthy class in society has gradually grown, and the demand for high-end furniture has also increased day by day.

Furniture made of mahogany is not only sturdy and durable, but also highly regarded for its elegant and profound texture, subtly becoming a symbol of status and taste.

This trend brought continuous and considerable economic benefits to Honglinbao, located far on the frontier, becoming an important lifeline supporting the rapid development of this newly established settlement.

The May sunshine, filtering through the thin mist that was gradually dissipating over the bay, warmly bathed the pier, creating a distinct and unique scene.

On one side is a black, gleaming coal mountain, a symbol of industrial power and future driving force, quietly awaiting the steam engine behemoth to awaken it.

On the other side, a giant tree, reddish-brown and lustrous, representing nature's bounty and primal wealth, is being slowly swallowed into the ship's cabin, about to become an integral part of people's lives.

This contrasting black and red resource converges here, weaving together a magnificent picture of the burgeoning Xinhua Empire.
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(End of this chapter)