Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 67 Containment
Guangzhou is not only the largest commercial port in southern China, but also a historic city where prosperity and vicissitudes are intertwined.

Shops are lined on both sides of the stone streets, with vermilion painted signs swaying gracefully in the wind.

The streets are crowded with people, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining are heard one after another, forming a unique urban folk custom.

The West Gate mansions within the city, with their blue brick and tiled roofs and majestic stone lions at their gates, exude a sense of tranquility and antiquity. Lush trees lining the courtyards, the occasional chirping of cicadas and birdsong, seem to tell of the vicissitudes of history. Inside, the mansions, with their carved beams and painted rafters and exquisite wooden windows filtering through dappled light and shadow, exude a quaint elegance.

Outside the city, there are many sailboats on the banks of the Pearl River and fishermen rowing to catch fish.

Fishermen's songs can be heard from the sparkling river surface.

The dock was piled high with goods, and merchants gathered there. Merchants from all over the country met here, and various dialects blended together, making the place extremely noisy.

After passing through the bustling streets, a deep alley came into view. Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it seemed particularly peaceful.

The mottled brick walls are covered with moss, and from time to time you can hear the sounds of children playing.

The lonely old man sat on the doorstep, gently waving a fan to drive away mosquitoes and flies, reminiscing about the past.

At this time, Guangzhou was not only a commercial center, but also a cultural intersection.

The clear sound of students reading in the academy and the ringing of bells from the distant temple complement each other, presenting a prosperous scene where culture and commerce are equally important.

Several men in strange costumes, accompanied by a local guide, walked in the bustling streets, looking around curiously, as if they were full of strong interest in everything in this city.

"Hey, look over there!" Chen Rui gently touched Zhou Yong's shoulder and motioned him to look towards the corner of the street.

"Oh, this is... selling children!"

Zhou Yong looked in the direction he pointed, and saw seven or eight children kneeling there, all under ten years old, both boys and girls.

The boys were all naked, and the girls were only covered with a piece of rag. Their hair was loose, dirty and messy, and they had their heads drooping dejectedly.

Behind the children may be their parents or human traffickers, their eyes constantly looking out to the street, hoping that generous buyers will come and buy these children in exchange for a few meals.

However, the pedestrians on the street were walking hurriedly, no one stopped or even looked.

I think he has long been accustomed to this kind of thing.

Over the years, the Ming Dynasty has been plagued by disasters and man-made disasters, and the imperial court has been extremely anxious and has been trying to patch up the holes everywhere.

However, this centuries-old house of Daming is really dilapidated and difficult to maintain. If there is no good paperhanger, how can the holes that leak air everywhere be blocked?

In Guangzhou City, there are countless refugees like this who sell their children, so no one would pay any attention to them.

"You want to buy them?"

Zhou Yong watched as these seven or eight children snatched up the few pieces of cakes handed to them by Chen Rui in an instant, stuffed them into their mouths quickly, then raised their heads with eager expressions, hoping for a little more, and he felt very sorry for them.

"We are short of people." Chen Rui squatted on the ground and looked at the children with sympathy.

"We are currently short of young and strong men..."

"These half-grown kids can also do things." Chen Rui said, looking at the former navigation instructor Kuang Xu.

"Ask them how much each child gets?" Kuang Xu also looked worried.

What a sin! These children were already skin and bones, looking at them pitifully, their mouths constantly swallowing saliva. The little food they had just given them had already aroused their hunger, and their shriveled stomachs rose and fell.

The adults behind the child showed some hesitation, feeling both painful and helpless, and subconsciously reached out to pull the child closer to them.

"Or, take the adults away as well." Chen Rui felt even more uncomfortable when he saw this.

"We'll be leaving in two days." Zhou Yong said worriedly, "If we take them all with us, will they be able to survive on the boat in their current physical condition?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Kuang Xu looked at the dozen or so adults and children in front of him who were so weak that they would almost fall down at the slightest gust of wind. His heart sank and an indescribable sadness immediately surged out of his heart.

This damn era, this damn end of the dynasty, this damn natural and man-made disasters!

If no one takes care of this, they will probably starve to death on the streets.

"Are you willing to go out to sea and try to survive?" he asked softly, squatting down. "Gentlemen, if you can give us food, we're willing to work like slaves, big or small!" a man as thin as a skeleton said weakly.

"Crossing the ocean by boat is a dangerous journey. You might die along the way..."

"Gentlemen...how many days do you think we can...last?"

"Alright!" Kuang Xu stood up and exhaled the depression in his chest. "Since you want to live, then I will take you out to sea to fight for a better future. ...Wait a moment, I'll call an ox cart over and take you away."

"Instructor Kuang, I'll go find a car." Chen Rui looked happy and turned around and ran towards the intersection.

"I'll go buy some food and let them eat first." Zhou Yong walked towards a bun shop on the street.

"Thank you, sir... for saving our lives!" Several adults, with tears streaming down their faces, immediately knelt on the ground. At the same time, they stretched out their hands to push the children to the ground as well, and kowtowed to Kuang Xu and the others continuously.

"Hey, hey..., what are you doing? Get up quickly!... Get up!" Kuang Xu didn't mind the dirty and smelly smell of the people, and hurriedly helped them up one by one.

"Sir..." The accompanying guide, Zhou Changgui, quickly pulled Kuang Xu aside and whispered, "What are you doing? ... You can't do that! You can't do that!"

"Why?" Kuang Xu glared at him in dissatisfaction. "Are you asking us to watch them die without helping them?... Look how pitiful they are!"

"Oh, my dear guest!" Zhou Changgui showed a helpless expression on his face and pointed behind him, "There are too many things like this! ... We can't save them all. Who knows, we may get into trouble!"

Kuang Xu turned around in confusion and was immediately surprised.

But he saw that more than a hundred refugee beggars had gathered behind him, all with terrifying expressions in their eyes, and their skinny hands were stretched out towards him, hoping to beg for some food.

Moreover, at the street corners, at the end of the alleys, and under the eaves, there are even more beggars, supporting their weak bodies and slowly moving towards this side.

"Look, there are so many people! You can't... save them all!" Zhou Changgui sighed heavily.

"..." Kuang Xu looked at the refugees and beggars who were full of expectations in astonishment, and immediately fell into great entanglement and pain.

How could there be so many Ming Dynasty people who couldn’t survive!
"If you can save one more person, then save one more..."
-
Luo Zhenhui looked at the temporarily rented cargo yard that was packed with refugees and beggars, his brows furrowed, his expression very solemn, and he didn't speak for a long time.

Kuang Xu, who was accompanying him, was even more uneasy. He glanced at her from time to time and wanted to explain something, but he opened his mouth several times but couldn't say anything.

Before arriving, all the staff made a preliminary plan to immigrate 200 to 240 people from the Ming Dynasty based on the existing infrastructure and material reserves of Shixing Fort. They would mainly be craftsmen, artists, and farmers, and the age structure would tend to be young and middle-aged, in order to further consolidate the foundation of Shixing Fort.

In more than 20 days, more than 200 people have been recruited and all of them are kept in this rented freight yard.

Every day, they eat a lot of fish and meat, so that they can replenish a lot of nutrition in the shortest time possible and try their best to improve their physical fitness so that they can return to Qiming Island (now Vancouver Island) on the ship in good health and safety.

In the past few days, the purchased materials have been loaded onto the ship one after another, and all kinds of necessary supplies for the journey have also been prepared. After collecting the money from the last few fur sales, the "Breaking Waves" plans to set sail and return to Qiming Island, thus completing this trip to the mainland.

However, they never expected that when Kuang Xu and others were strolling in the streets of Guangzhou, they ran into a group of refugee beggars. Out of compassion and sympathy, they actually brought them back to the cargo yard, saying that they wanted to find a way to make a living for them.

Wow, there were more than 150 people, big and small, old and young, sitting all over the freight yard.

Perhaps because they have been wandering and begging for a long time, these people hardly have any decent clothes to wear. Even many women cannot cover their important body parts, and they look extremely miserable.

After eating some food, these people's spirits lifted a little. They gathered together, leaned on each other, and looked around timidly.

When Luo Zhenhui and others appeared in front of them, they all showed fearful expressions, squeezed carefully to the middle, and cast expectant glances from time to time.

Can they give themselves a way to survive?

"Take them to take a shower and let everyone change their clothes." Luo Zhenhui sighed slightly, turned and walked outside.

"Captain, should we...should we keep them here?" Kuang Xu asked in a low voice from behind.

"Hmph, do we have to drive them all out?" Luo Zhenhui responded without turning his head.

"Ah?..." Kuang Xu heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this, but then he thought of something else, "Then there are two hundred more people. Can we in Shixing Fort afford to support them?"

"If they can't afford to feed you, they'll chop you up and feed you to them." Luo Zhenhui said angrily, "Hurry up, go find Meng Shengxin and ask him to find a way to buy some food to bring back."

"Yes, Captain!" Kuang Xu slapped his head, "How could I forget about this! We are in Guangzhou now, we can buy food to take back!"

(End of this chapter)