Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 573 Transportation (Part Two)
June is the most bountiful and busiest season of the year in the Qiongjiang River Valley (Willamit River Valley).

The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the blazing sun shone down on the earth without any obstruction, turning the rolling wheat fields into a brilliant golden hue. The heavy ears of wheat swayed in the breeze, foreshadowing another bountiful year.

In the distance, potato and oat fields are lush and green, intertwining with golden waves of wheat to create a magnificent pastoral scene.

This fertile land has now become the largest and most crucial "granary" in the Xinhua area.

The wheat, potatoes, oats, and barley produced here are continuously transported to various places via the Qiongjiang River, a "golden waterway" that runs through the north and south, supporting the survival and development of tens of thousands of immigrants every year.

However, the Qiongjiang River, the waterway that sustains the economic lifeline of the entire valley, is not always unobstructed.

On the newly built rammed earth embankment in Sanwan Township, Yongping County, Zhou Yuanbo, the person in charge of river engineering and water conservancy in the Ziwu River Special District, looked at the Qiongjiang River with a furrowed brow.

During the dry season (June to September), the water level has dropped significantly, and the once muddy river water has become clearer, but it has also revealed more of the riverbed and shallow water along the banks.

It is said that further upstream, in places like Lichuanbao (now Kovalis) and Nanfengbao (now Eugene), the river channels become increasingly narrow and riddled with reefs, allowing only dugout canoes and small sampans carrying a few tons of cargo to pass.

Grain collected from deep in the valleys often required several transshipments by land and water, consuming a great deal of manpower and time, before it could be loaded onto large ships traveling to and from Huichuan (present-day Portland).

“Director Zhou, look at the water level. It’s half a foot lower than the same period last year.” Liu Wencheng, the mayor of Sanwan Township, pointed to the exposed pebbles on the riverbank, his tone filled with worry. “In the next few months, as rainfall decreases, the water level will drop further.”

“Every year after the autumn harvest, some waterways are shallow and small boats are used for transport. Even worse, in the event of a severe drought, it may be necessary to conscript laborers for land transport, which is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also easily delays the delivery date to Huichuan.”

Zhou Yuanbo sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief: "It's the same every year. We dredge every year, but we can never keep up with the rate of siltation and water usage. In the past, we relied on people carrying things on their shoulders, plus those 'mud-raking boats,' but in a dry season, we could only clean a few miles of the river. It's just a drop in the ocean!"

The "mud-plow boat" he was referring to was moored in a river bend not far away.

It was a simple flat-bottomed boat with a crossbar with iron teeth. It relied on human or animal power to turn the winch, loosening the silt on the riverbed, which was then washed away by the current or retrieved by people going into the river.

At that moment, two blindfolded mules were endlessly circling in the treadle of the boat, driving the heavy rake to scrape the riverbed again and again. The inefficiency was alarming.

"If only we could have the supernatural powers of moving mountains and filling seas, like the legendary Yu the Great who tamed the floods," Liu Wencheng said with a smile and a shake of his head.

“Yu the Great didn’t have that, but we have the science of investigating things and the power of steam!” A loud voice came from behind them.

The two turned around and saw a man in a blue short jacket striding towards them.

He was an engineer sent by the Ministry of Transport Construction. His name was Zheng Yuan. His bronze face bore the marks of long-term fieldwork, but his eyes were exceptionally bright and spirited.

"Engineer Zheng, you've finally arrived!" Zhou Yuanbo's face instantly brightened, and he eagerly went to greet him. "Has that 'iron thing' you mentioned arrived?"

With a confident smile, Zheng Yuan pointed downstream: "We've arrived! 'Qinghe--3' is currently docked at a wharf near Yongping County, undergoing final adjustments."

"Qinghe-3?"

Liu Wencheng and Zhou Yuanbo exchanged a glance, both seeing curiosity and anticipation in each other's eyes.

They had long heard that the Xinhua Special Shipyard, located in the Shaowu Military Port, had been tasked with developing a "steam dredger" that could be used for river dredging after successfully developing a steam-powered ship.

It is said to be an ingenious machine no less than the "wooden ox and flowing horse".

Led by Zheng Yuan, the group rode horses up the riverbank.

Soon, a relatively open river bend near Yongping County came into view.

There, a strangely shaped flat-bottomed boat was moored.

It was more bulky and wide than a typical cargo ship. Instead of cargo holds, it featured a complex metal structure: a huge "chain" made up of many connected iron buckets that jutted out into the water from the bow, a short, thick chimney standing in the middle of the hull, a quaint horizontal steam boiler next to it, and a complex set of connecting rods, gears, and drive shafts.

Several crew members were busy adding coal to the furnace, and black smoke occasionally billowed out of the chimney, accompanied by a muffled hissing sound coming from inside the boiler.

This is the "Qinghe-3", whose design concept is similar to the "Philadelphia Excavator" by American Oliver Evans in the early 19th century. It is the crystallization of Xinhua Engineering's wisdom.

"My God... this, this is a dredging vessel?" Liu Wencheng stared wide-eyed at the steel monster for a long time, unable to contain his astonishment. "These iron chains... can dredge mud?" "Of course!" Zheng Yuan smiled. "We dredged mud all the way from Fengshui County (now Newberg City) on the lower reaches of the Qiongjiang River half a month ago. Come, come, let us demonstrate to you how this iron machine dredges and clears silt!"

With that, he stepped onto the ramp, boarded the ship, and gestured to the crew.

At his command, the stoker worked even harder to add coal into the furnace, and the pressure inside the boiler gradually increased.

Zheng Yuan personally grasped a brass lever, took a deep breath, and pulled it down forcefully!
"Clang...creak..."

A sudden, loud metallic scraping sound shattered the tranquility of the river bend.

The steam engine's massive flywheel began to turn slowly, transmitting power through complex linkages and gears to the thick main shaft at the bow of the ship.

The heavy chains connecting countless iron buckets began to move slowly like a giant python. The buckets sank into the water one by one, scraping the riverbed. Then, carrying buckets full of silt, sand, and aquatic plants, they rose from the water, passed a guide wheel at the bow of the boat, and dumped the excavated material onto a large open wooden barge following closely beside the dredger.

Muddy water flowed from the gaps in the barge, while solid matter quickly piled up.

The entire process was coherent and powerful, carrying a kind of "violent aesthetics" unique to industrial machinery.

In just a quarter of an hour, the barge had accumulated a small mountain of silt from the riverbed, far more efficiently than the old "mud-raking boats" that relied on mules and horses and took most of the day to clear away even a little bit of silt.

The people of Yongping County who were watching from the shore exclaimed in surprise from time to time.

Most of them were local farmers and recent immigrants, who were shocked by this sight they had never seen before.

"See that? That iron claw! One strike from it is equivalent to what it would take a dozen of us to dig for half a day!"

"No need to go into the water or get muddy! This machine is amazing!"

"I heard they burn coal, eat 'black stones,' and are stronger than a hundred oxen!"

"With this treasure, will we be able to keep sending big ships across the Qiongjiang River?"

Looking at the efficiently operating "Qinghe-3" and the river channel that was being continuously dredged and clearly deepened and widened, Liu Wencheng felt a surge of emotion.

He turned to face the villagers who had gathered around and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, do you see this? This is the determination of our Xinhua court. The Qiongjiang River runs through the entire territory of Yongping, deep into the valley, just like the blood vessels of a person. When the arteries are unobstructed, the whole body is strong. Now the court is sparing no expense in investing in such machinery. Its intentions are profound!"

He paused, then continued his impassioned speech: "With this iron machine, we can open up waterways, allowing our fellow villagers to transport their grains, fruits, and vegetables more smoothly, and enabling outside goods to be brought in more cheaply. How fortunate you are to live in my Xinhua! And how much my Xinhua court values ​​the people's livelihood! This is... the benevolent rule of the court!"

“Mayor Liu…” Zhou Yuanbo looked at the mayor, who was very good at inspiring the people, and said softly with a slight smile, “In Xinhua, we don’t talk about the imperial court… Moreover, we emphasize the unity of the government and the people, and the spirit of man can conquer nature.”

"Oh, oh..." Liu Wencheng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. "This humble servant is sorry, but I just said it offhand. Our Xinhua Dynasty... government has built transportation infrastructure and dredged waterways, which not only benefits the present but also future generations. We officials and citizens are deeply grateful for the government's actions."

“Hehe…” Zhou Yuanbo chuckled. “Improving transportation and dredging waterways have always been the top priorities of the Xinhua government. Looking at the areas under Xinhua’s jurisdiction, eight or nine out of ten are located along the coast and rivers. Why? Because convenient transportation facilitates the movement of people and goods, and allows for the common development of the region.”

Pointing to the dredgers at work, he continued, "Once the waterway is unblocked after this dredging of the Qiongjiang River, not only will Yongping County benefit, but timber, furs, and even mineral deposits that may be discovered in the future from Lichuan and Nanfeng upstream can also be transported downstream."

"Industrial products and goods from overseas gathered in Huichuan, a major thoroughfare downstream, can also be transported upstream. In this way, the entire valley area will be completely revitalized by this waterway, becoming a vital area for Xinhua's abundant resources and booming economy."

"Therefore, our goal is to enable 50-ton flat-bottomed cargo ships to navigate seasonally to Lichuanbao within three years, and to significantly improve navigation conditions on the river section downstream of Nanfengbao."

"What you said, Master Zhou, is like a wake-up call, and I have benefited greatly from it!" Liu Wencheng exclaimed sincerely. "I have lived in Xinhua for three years and have personally witnessed this place transform from barrenness to prosperity. Such rapid changes and many spectacular sights have been seen, which I have never seen in the decades of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Even 'a thousand miles a day' is not enough to describe the speed of Xinhua's development." Looking at the roaring "Qinghe-3" dredger, Zhou Yuanbo felt a surge of pride. "Given time, Xinhua will surely dominate the entire New Continent, stand proudly among the nations of the world, and create an unprecedented golden age."

The scorching sun shone on the steel body of "Zhenhe No. 1" and on the river channel that was being continuously dredged and widened.

The roar of the steam engine, the scraping of the iron chains, and the splashing of mud and rocks being dumped into the barge intertwined to create a powerful and hopeful pioneering symphony.

Dredging the Qiongjiang River is not just about clearing the silt from the riverbed, but also about dredging the economic lifeline and development prospects of this newly established nation.

Everyone understands that only when this great river comes alive can the entire Qiongjiang River Valley, and even the broader Ziwu River Special Zone, truly "come alive".
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(End of this chapter)