Chapter 46

March 2, 1633. West wind, temperature only 2 degrees Celsius.

Fine raindrops pattered on the oilskin raincoat, cold enough to make one shiver.

On the land inside Sullivan Bay on the southeastern part of Solitude Island, 16 Spanish sailors were leveling the ground, while the Charuans, under Yulian's command, were repairing the deck and stern of the captured Spanish "Galician Flying Fish" warship. The ship had been hit by over a dozen cannonballs in the battle with the "Eagle of the East Coast," and some areas were severely damaged. Fortunately, there were some spare planks in the hold, so Yulian took them out to make repairs.

The captain of the "Galician Flying Fish" had been unlucky enough to be grazed by a 24-pound cannonball during the previous battle, and the boatswain was also seriously injured. The Spaniards were "humanely" thrown into the sea by the time-travelers. Now, among the remaining 16 sailors, there were no officers. They were forced to work under the time-travelers, receiving only enough food to barely fill their stomachs and a mouthful of hot water each day.

Some simple wooden huts had been built on the shore, with thick thatch and oilskin covering the roofs to ensure they were waterproof. Inside, they stored supplies such as food and gunpowder.

The "Eagle of the East Coast" had already returned yesterday. Those left on the island included the new captain of the "Galician Flying Fish," Yulian de Aubry, 30 students from the navigation school, 47 temporarily assigned first platoon army soldiers, 10 navy gunners, and 50 Charuans (not counting the Spanish captives).

Currently, all the remaining personnel were under the command of the acting platoon leader, Lieutenant Xie Hansan of the Army. Xie Hansan was 28 years old, of medium height, and had previously worked as a manager at a brickyard. He had participated in the previous battle against French pirates and, after the battle, chose to leave the army and return to the brickyard as a foreman. After the Spanish formally declared war, the time-travelers began to mobilize veterans, and Xie Hansan, with his considerable experience, was re-enlisted in the first wave of mobilization on February 20th, serving as the acting platoon leader of the temporarily assigned first platoon. He followed the navy to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

His task was to build simple housing, a prison, and a supply warehouse on the shore during the period between the arrival of the "Prosperity One" and the "Eagle of the East Coast." A batch of simple housing was built on the first day, but the continuous rain and snow in the following days seriously affected the construction progress. Xie Hansan, out of necessity, ordered most people to rest, and only the Spanish captives were still "persevering" in their work outdoors.

The port chosen by the time-travelers was located in a sheltered bay on the southeastern part of East Island. The location was excellent and well-concealed, and even if ships occasionally sought refuge from storms in the Falkland Islands, they would not choose this area. It was a carefully chosen spot.

"Damn weather! We've been here for a few days, and it's been raining every day except the first one," Fabian Klinger complained under the rain shelter, his eyes fixed on the Spanish captives working in the rain. He didn't need to be so tense; these Spaniards would not attempt to escape unless they were killed. The island was covered in rain and snow, with only penguins and seals. They would freeze or starve to death within two days, becoming food for Antarctic wolves.

Inside the rain shelter, his neighbor Hans was warming himself by the fire. The fire was fueled by peat, a partially decomposed plant material, also known as biological sludge. Due to the unique climate, peat was abundant on the island and made for good fuel.

"Hey, Fabian! Don't be so tense! If I were one of those Spaniards, I'd only try to resist or escape if I were crazy. This damn weather, I'm really starting to miss the warm little houses in the village," Hans said as he warmed himself by the fire.

"Yeah, Dinging Fortress doesn't have such terrible weather. It's so cold here. I could really go for a bowl of delicious cabbage and tofu soup right now, with some meat in it," Fabian said, licking his lips.

The two were chatting idly when they saw a group of people approaching from a distance. Fabian and Hans nervously picked up their rifles, but soon relaxed when they saw it was Xie Hansan leading the patrol. Since landing, the cautious Xie Hansan insisted on leading patrols every day, regardless of the weather. The patrol area was generally within a kilometer of the landing site. On this uninhabited island, if you ignored the bad weather and muddy ground, the patrols were more like sightseeing tours.

The coast was filled with flocks of penguins, lazy seals, and large groups of seabirds, a sight that amazed the inexperienced men. The only real threat on the island was the Antarctic wolf, but these animals were timid and never attacked humans, behaving more like foxes, feeding on birds, penguins, and fish. The island was rich in peat, suitable for use as fertilizer or fuel. The grasslands were also widespread, making it a good place for livestock farming. In fact, in the 21st century, the island's residents lived by raising sheep, fishing, and tourism.

Xie Hansan entered the rain shelter, exchanged salutes with Fabian, and then sat down by the fire, taking a few gulps of strong liquor from his canteen before passing it to someone else.

"I don't know when this will end. Sigh, working at the brickyard was much more comfortable. At least we didn't have to deal with this rain and wind," Xie Hansan sighed deeply.

The others chuckled awkwardly, not daring to respond, and just drank the strong liquor to keep warm. The "Eagle of the East Coast" had left most of the supplies, including fish, dried meat, ham, and some dried fruits. The men on the island were well-supplied, but the constant strong west wind and rain and snow were getting on their nerves.

Xie Hansan was a friendly person, and the men were willing to chat with him. Bored, Fabian asked, "Platoon leader, I heard the navy will attack Spanish ships near the Strait of Magellan to the west. I heard the sea conditions there are terrible, and we only have a few ships. How can we fight the powerful Spanish?"

"Hah, don't worry about that," Xie Hansan said, burping. "The navy guys are very cunning. They won't fight a large, well-armed fleet. They'll only attack weakly armed transport ships or lone small and medium-sized warships."

"What's our task? Just guarding the supplies and captives? Or will we go ashore to attack the Spanish?"

"It's hard to say," Xie Hansan said uncertainly. "In theory, that's our task, but we might also be sent to land in a weakly defended area. I've heard Chile is very wealthy. To put more pressure on the Spanish, we might be sent ashore. But don't worry, if we do, it will be a carefully selected place, not a heavily fortified Spanish town."

"Will the Spanish suspect we have a port here after they are attacked?"

"The coastline from Patagonia in southern La Plata to Tierra del Fuego stretches for thousands of kilometers, with many ports. The Spanish will suspect those areas first. By the time they check each one, months will have passed," Xie Hansan said. "And the port we chose here is well-concealed, far from any shipping routes, and the buildings are hidden from view. As long as there are no ships anchored on the shore, the Spanish won't find us unless they come ashore to search. Don't worry."

"When will the war end?"

"That depends on the Spanish," Xie Hansan said, setting a pot over the fire. As he added water to the pot, he continued, "We wish the war had never happened. But the greedy Spanish covet our wealth. They are almost bankrupt from fighting in Europe. If we surrender, they will drain us dry, just as they did to the poor Araucanians in Chile. So we must resist and protect our wealth and our land. To hell with the Spanish!"

"Damn Spanish!" everyone cursed together. The Spanish captives working in the drizzle suddenly shivered, as if they could feel the hostile gazes.

"Come, come, the water is boiling, come help me!" Xie Hansan called out, adding dried beef, smoked pork, ham, cabbage, radishes, potatoes, and salted fish to the pot. He then took out many white bird eggs from his bag, smiling. "Look, I have many bird eggs I 'picked up' by the sea. Wash them and we'll cook them together."

Someone responded and took the eggs to wash them outside.

Xie Hansan sniffed the pot, which was now emitting a savory aroma, and said contentedly, "In this terrible weather, having a delicious meal is a real pleasure. Let the navy guys cry and gnaw on salted fish on their ships. Ha, we don't care about them!"

Soon, the eggs were washed and added to the pot. The men, unable to wait, took out their wooden bowls and chopsticks, drinking the broth and chewing large pieces of meat from the pot.

This life, finding joy in hardship, was not so bad. Xie Hansan took a big gulp of strong liquor, feeling a bit dazed.