Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 237 Attack
Early summer in June is the most comfortable season on Qiming Island. The sun becomes warm and bright, and the gentle sea breeze makes people feel a long-lost sense of comfort and laziness.

Changpingbao (now the small town of Tofino on Vancouver Island) is located on the west coast of Qiming Island and is surrounded by magnificent scenery of the Pacific Ocean and lush rainforests.

In the evening, the mist slowly rises from the sea, and the sunset rays shine through the clouds onto the sparkling water. The air is filled with the salty and humid sea breeze and the unique fresh scent of the rainforest.

At the edge of the forest, the chirping of birds and the gurgling of streams bring a touch of elegance to this wild and primitive land.

Occasionally, the sound of reindeer braying could be heard from the forest, as if calling the lost children.

A faint smoke was rising from the fort, and from time to time there could be heard the rough laughter of men and the whimpering of hunting dogs begging for food.

Faintly, there seemed to be a faint aroma of grilled fish drifting towards the edge of the woods, attracting the scattered Indians outside to sniff hard and cast fascinated glances.

Luo Congnan angrily turned the woman's head around so that she could look at him.

Damn it, why are you so inattentive!
The Indian woman blushed, and she was not offended at all by his rude turning of her head. She even stretched out a hand with a smile and touched his face.

Luo Congnan shook her hand away and pressed it on the grass, responding to her carelessness with even more ferocious actions.

“……%#%……￥@%……” The Indian woman held his head and whispered softly, as if begging for something.

But Luo Congnan did not respond. He just held her in his arms, breathing heavily, and slowly recovering his strength.

Alas, I was thrown into this godforsaken place where I can hardly see anyone all day long. If it weren't for this country girl to cater to me, my life would be really boring.

In December of the previous year (1631), a great chief of Xinhua approached him and asked if he would be willing to bring more than ten armed militiamen to this place to colonize and provide the necessary protection for this immigration transit point.

Even though the other party asked for his opinion in a very kind tone, he didn't dare to say no.

If you disobey, you might get a good beating or even be killed.

This is their territory. Not to mention that they have just established a firearms unit that looks extremely professional, even with so many militiamen trained by them on a daily basis, they can easily chop you, a refugee who disobeys military orders, into countless pieces with just one order.

For example, Liu Xingzhi, relying only on a few of his brothers and a hundred or eighty barbarians, killed Chen Jisheng, the deputy general who was temporarily in charge of Dongjiang affairs, which frightened all the generals in Pi Island and made them dare not say a word.

The eight or nine thousand people on the entire Qiming Island have been unified and trained for years by the big leaders of the committee such as Luo, Li, and Wei. They have been provided with food, clothing, housing, and land. Each of them has lived like a human being and they all regard them as their reborn parents.

With just one order, I believe countless immigrants will go through fire and water and risk their lives for them.

Well, it can be said that the many good policies implemented by the leaders of the committee in Xinhua have won the hearts of the people.

Given time, the new continent they built, China, might actually be successful and rise on this wild continent.

You know, decades ago, when the slave chief "Wild Boar Skin" made his fortune in Jianzhou, it seemed that he didn't have many people under his command.

However, through continuous wars and annexations, they unified the chaotic Jiannu tribes in Liaodong, and eventually grew stronger and became a serious threat to the Ming Dynasty.

Ah, bah, bah, bah, I have left Dongjiang and come to this new continent. I am no longer a citizen of the Ming Dynasty.

We are now Xinhua people and we are committed to working for Xinhua.

With a hint of panic and reluctance, two years ago, he brought more than ten armed militiamen and protected more than forty immigrants to this remote coast. They cut down trees to build houses, dug ditches and trenches, and it took them half a month to build this fortress.

However, the leaders of the committee defined the base as an immigration transit point, providing necessary food and water supplies for the returning immigrant fleet.

But Luo Congnan saw the clue at a glance. This stronghold was clearly a guard post of Xinhua. When the Western Yi attacked, it could give advance warning to the rear base and make necessary defense preparations.

Of course, when the Western Yi fleet besieged and blockaded Shixing Port, this place was also a temporary refuge for the returning immigrant fleet, where the returning immigrants were temporarily placed while waiting for the end of the war.

Almost every two or three months, a transport ship would arrive from Shixing Port, bringing them supplies as well as a large amount of processed building materials such as house panels, cement, bricks, etc., so that these remaining personnel could build warehouses, houses and other facilities on a large scale.

After more than a year of continuous construction, although the population of Changping Fort was only more than 70 people, temporary houses that could accommodate more than 600 people were built, and a large amount of food, clothing, salt and other daily necessities were stored.

While building and repairing houses, they in Changpingbao also opened up more than 40 acres of farmland around the village and planted some potatoes, sweet potatoes and various vegetables.

They also conducted simple commodity trade with nearby Indian tribes and obtained a lot of furs, which added a little income to the village.

It was also because of the frequent dealings with Indians that several immigrants such as Luo Congnan hooked up with women in the tribe and lived a shameless life.

However, from the perspective of the Chinese, these Indian women really do not meet their aesthetic standards. They have stout bodies, bronze skin, pancake-like faces with a natural blush, and wear strange ornaments made of animal bones or stones on their hands and feet. They look like typical barbaric women.

Yeah, a bit like the Mongols. Furthermore, these people have absolutely no regard for hygiene. Not only do they wash their hands before and after meals—well, this hygiene habit was forced upon them after arriving in Xinhua—they even stuff dirty food directly into their mouths.

Sometimes, these Indians even ate raw salmon, drank deer blood, and gnawed raw meat, just like savages.

However, after more than a year of contact and communication, the men and women of the Indian tribe have gradually changed.

At the very least, they no longer eat much raw food, and they also like to add some seasonings such as salt and spices to cooked food.

They even learned a few simple Chinese words and would come forward to exchange or ask for rare items they liked.

"Dudu..."

Suddenly, a horn sounded in the village, which immediately startled Luo Congnan who was resting with his eyes closed.

He pushed himself up with his hands and climbed up from the woman. While tying his belt, he turned his head and looked in the direction of the village.

Is it a ship from Shixing Port, or an external enemy attacking?

“%￥#……￥%#……” The Indian woman also sat up, hugged Luo Congnan’s arm, and talked incoherently.

"I'll go back first!" Luo Congnan swung his arms, broke free from the woman's restraints, and ran towards the village.

He ran two steps, then stopped, untied a small knife from his waist, turned around, and threw it directly to the woman with the leather sheath.

"This is for you! ... Take it with you for protection!"
-

As he watched teams of armed militiamen disembark one after another from two flying fish boats (clippers) and a three-masted sailing ship (a Spanish exploration ship captured two years ago), an idea immediately came to Luo Congnan's mind.

There's going to be a war!

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been three ships arriving at once, carrying Marines, a large number of armed militia, and combat supplies.

It seems that the officials of the committee want to take the initiative and bring the war to the territory of the Western Yi.

If so, it would be a good opportunity to achieve success.

"Captain..." Luo Congnan gently touched Lu Mingsheng, the person in charge of Changping Fort, with a bit of eagerness in his eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you bored staying here?" When Lu Mingsheng saw his expression, he immediately understood what he was thinking and asked with a smile.

"Captain, I don't have any other skills except wielding a sword and a gun and killing people in battle." Luo Congnan did not hide his ambition at all. "But in Changping Fort, the locals around here are weak and pose no threat. I don't have much room to use my skills. I'm really frustrated."

"A few years ago, when Xinhua was recruiting soldiers, they had limited vacancies and they disliked my wild nature, so I wasn't able to join the army. I was depressed for a long time. But now, the Western Barbarians are attacking, and the war is about to begin. This is a great opportunity for me, Luo, to show my skills. So..."

As he spoke, he clasped his fists in a salute and earnestly pleaded, "So, Captain, please tell the general in charge to take me with you so that I can earn some merit on the battlefield. If I become successful in the future, I will never forget your kindness."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." Lu Mingsheng saw several naval officers appear at the gangway and immediately went to greet them.

"The Spanish officially declared war on us, Xinhua, a month ago." Han Jian straightened his uniform and said with a serious expression, "Therefore, according to the decision-making committee's order, your Changping Fort will immediately switch to wartime mode from this moment on and maintain sufficient vigilance to prevent surprise attacks launched by the Western Barbarians."

"Yes, sir." Lu Mingsheng's heart trembled and he nodded solemnly.

Sure enough, the Western Yi were about to attack.

"Also, considering that the Spanish fleet may lay siege to Shixing Port in the coming months, the returning immigrant fleet will be unable to return and will be forced to stop at Changping Fort to avoid the fighting." Han Jian added, "Therefore, you must make preparations for accommodating the immigrants."

"Yes, sir." Lu Mingsheng responded hurriedly.

"Okay, go get us some food and set up some barracks. We'll only be here for one day before heading south to Mexico."

"Are we going to fight our way into the territory of the Western Barbarians?"

"That's right." Han Jian nodded with a smile, "We can't just sit there and watch the Spaniards calmly prepare themselves and then come charging at us, right?"

"Let's burn them first and make them feel the pain!"

(End of this chapter)