Chapter 5

October 15th. A light drizzle began in the morning and by noon had turned into a heavy rain. The Dàyú River (the river where the穿越者s are located, named so because Xiāo Bǎilàng caught a fish weighing over 30 kilograms here) was enveloped in a white mist of rain.

On the north bank, the simple wooden houses in the residential area now numbered nearly a hundred. Many of the穿越者s had already moved their luggage and settled in. A thin wooden fence, rectangular in shape, enclosed the residential area, the timber processing plant, the canteen, the warehouse, and the toilet. The fence had two gates: the South Gate and the North Gate. Outside the South Gate was a floating bridge connecting the two banks of the Dàyú River. About 250 meters north of the North Gate were the newly cultivated vegetable fields and the water treatment plant. This area could be considered the core of the穿越者s. As early as the third day after the穿越, Wáng Qínían had led a squad of the security team to establish a presence here. The wooden fence was built even before the residential area, and a tall watchtower was erected at the first opportunity.

The south bank of the Dàyú River was planned as an industrial zone, with three small outposts—logging camp, brick kiln, and mining site—arranged in an equilateral triangle. The logging camp extended far to the south, and this forest had already provided the穿越者s with thousands of large trees. The Indians who had once spied on the穿越者s in the forest seemed to have disappeared. The brick kiln had only recently been completed, with the brick structure covered in mud and even grass transplanted by the穿越者s. Outside the kiln, a drying shed was filled with brick molds, covered with a thick layer of straw or tarpaulin. At the mining site, many simple huts had been erected, and the sound of hammering could be heard as people made limestone powder.

The bad weather had temporarily halted most industrial and agricultural activities. The穿越者s, who had been in a state of high-intensity labor, gathered in small groups to smoke, chat, and play cards, enjoying a rare moment of leisure. However, this pleasant time was destined to be short-lived. Just after lunch, Wáng Qínían rushed into the wooden office where the committee members were gathered and reported a shocking piece of news: a sailboat had entered the mouth of the Dàyú River.

The committee members were stunned. Xiāo Bǎilàng made a quick decision and immediately returned to the cargo ship to broadcast the news repeatedly over the ship's loudspeaker. He then sent people to notify the穿越者s scattered along both banks of the Dàyú River. Péngh Zhìchéng began to gather the troops in the residential area. Currently, there were four security squads, two stationed in the residential area, one in the vegetable fields and water treatment plant, and one at the brick kiln. They needed to be quickly gathered and assembled.

Wáng Tiěchuí began distributing hunting crossbows to those on the cargo ship. It was raining heavily, and many people were still on the ship, which was fortunate. The atmosphere on the ship suddenly became tense, with many people restless and crowding at the hatch to observe the situation outside.

The Dàyú River was not a deep-water river. The average depth of the section where Yunsheng No. 1 was currently stranded was just over 3 meters, and the depth at the river mouth was not much different, around 4-5 meters. If the sailboat continued upstream, it would soon run aground. No rational captain would make such a crazy decision. However, to everyone's surprise, the ship continued upstream until it became stuck in the soft mud at the bottom of the Dàyú River, unable to move.

Péngh Zhìchéng led three squads of 45 security personnel, stumbling through the soft mud. The large sailboat had surprisingly run aground about 100 meters downstream from Yunsheng No. 1. People could be seen walking on the deck, and some were shouting. Soon, several small boats were lowered, and some sailors rowed them toward the north bank, escorting a few people.

"Everyone, load the 8mm featherless arrows, and wait for my command!" Péngh Zhìchéng, unsure of the intentions of the other party, instinctively ordered the loading of weapons.

The other party abandoned the ship and landed, a total of ten people, armed with a variety of weapons, including swords, knives, and a few antique muskets (which Péngh Zhìchéng identified as matchlock guns). Well, in such heavy rain, matchlock guns were no different from firewood.

They had weapons! The security personnel behind Péngh Zhìchéng were uneasy and restless. The other party was still shouting and trying to approach.

"Thud!" An 8mm featherless arrow embedded itself in the mud less than a meter in front of the leading person. The other party's steps suddenly halted, but their tone became more urgent.

"They are Europeans!" Now everyone could see clearly, but unfortunately, no one understood what they were saying.

Péngh Zhìchéng asked a few questions in English, but the other party was stunned and continued to speak in a language no one understood.

"Go back and call for help. Isn't Gāo Mó supposed to know French? Have him come and try." Péngh Zhìchéng instructed one of his men.

"Lay down your arms!" Péngh Zhìchéng shouted. This time, the other party seemed to understand, hesitated for a moment, and the leader removed his sword, followed by the others laying down their weapons. However, they did not come closer, and the weapons were still within reach.

The rain grew heavier, and both sides stood in the mud, facing each other until reinforcements arrived.

Mǎ Qiángzǔ, Mǎ Jiǎ, and Shào Shùdé organized about fifty men who had volunteered, unable to fetch weapons from the ship, and rushed over with axes, shovels, and picks.

Gāo Mó, holding a shovel and with mud on his pants, slipped and slid to the front of the group and began to speak in French to the other party. The other party seemed puzzled but mostly understood, which relieved everyone. Gāo Mó then began to converse with the leader.

"Captain Kuait is the captain of the armed sailboat 'Orange River,' employed by the Dutch West India Company," Gāo Mó explained. "He and his crew were attacked by the Spanish in the waters off La Plata. The ship was severely damaged and unable to return to their base in the Caribbean, so they had to run aground here."

"Spanish? Where are they?" Everyone was tense.

"Perhaps they returned to Buenos Aires," Gāo Mó continued after a few more exchanges. "After the battle with the Spanish, Captain Kuait managed to escape. He requests temporary shelter here until his ship is repaired and he can leave. In return, he offers the friendship of himself and the Dutch West India Company, of course, along with money."

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of how to respond to these unexpected visitors.

"Old Gāo, tell them we need to discuss this before we can give an answer," Mǎ Qiángzǔ said. "They are allowed to take shelter in the sheds on the condition that they surrender their weapons and accept our supervision. Of course, they will be guaranteed safety, and they can keep their personal belongings."

The Dutch were not entirely satisfied with this condition, but they had no other choice. The ship was already grounded, the crew was injured or sick, and the fresh water on board was almost depleted, so they had to agree.

"No! These people must be 'dealt with'!" As soon as they returned to the office, Péngh Zhìchéng was the first to speak up. "If we let them go this time, they will bring a fleet next time and sell us all into slavery."

"Maybe next time they will bring us what we need," Liú Wéimín disagreed. "We can trade with them."

"We need a lot of pig iron, gunpowder, lead, copper, graphite, and furs," Mǎ Jiǎ thought. The穿越者s were currently poor and in dire need of trading partners.

"Also, cattle, sheep, cloth, medicine, tools, and seeds," Shào Shùdé added. "Of course, what we lack most is people; we need a lot of labor."

"But what about security? Can you guarantee that these Dutch will keep their word and come to trade instead of bringing a fleet to rob us?" Wáng Qínían, in agreement with Péngh Zhìchéng, believed that the穿越者s were still too weak to take any risks.

No one spoke. No one could guarantee what the Dutch would do. In the Age of Exploration, sailors were often scoundrels, regardless of their nationality, driven by money and power.

"I have only one question: what identity should we use to interact with the outside world? As a country, a company, or a general organization?" Xiāo Bǎilàng asked.

"That's a good question. We've been here for over a week, and we still don't have a formal organizational structure. How long will this temporary self-rescue committee remain temporary?" Mǎ Qiángzǔ said slowly. "Today we encountered the Dutch, tomorrow the Portuguese, and the day after, the Spanish will come knocking. We need to carefully consider how we should present ourselves in this world. The current loose state cannot continue. I suggest we hold a general assembly to discuss this."

Everyone looked at Xiāo Bǎilàng and Mǎ Qiángzǔ with doubt. However, this was indeed a critical issue. While the temporary committee had been effective, not everyone was satisfied. Some issues would eventually arise, and it was better to address them sooner rather than later.