Chapter 82

On the morning of September 5th, the "Eagle of the East" and the "Galician Flying Fish" approached the outlet of Duck Lake at dawn. The sea was rough, and there were no breakwaters or piers built here as there would be in the future, so the ships were somewhat bumpy. However, this did not deter the determination of everyone to land.

A light drizzle began to fall, and a seagull flapped its wings in the wind and rain, flying steadily in the direction of the wind. Bai Shui was the first to climb down the rope ladder on the port side of the "Eagle of the East." Below the ship's hull, on the yellow-green sea, two flat-bottomed boats numbered 331 and 332 were bobbing up and down.

After a heart-stopping climb, Bai Shui leaped onto boat 331, but the rolling waves made him stumble, nearly causing him to fall. He quickly steadied himself, his face pale from mild seasickness. Actually, his condition was still better than Leonid's, the "landlubber" who was lying on a hammock in the dark hold of the "Eagle of the East," groaning and gasping due to severe seasickness.

Some of the sailors also disembarked with him. After boarding their dinghies, they began to row towards the outlet, then started measuring the water depth and marking the channel.

A few more people descended from boat 331, all soldiers. They wrapped their flintlock muskets and ammunition in oil paper to protect them from the drizzle, then began to unload supplies from the ship. Tents, packages, food, water, weapons, tools, 15 horses, and 4 hunting dogs were all hoisted onto the flat-bottomed boats by the sailors on the "Eagle of the East" using pulleys.

The loading operation took several hours. Once the personnel and supplies were loaded, Bai Shui untied the mooring rope, and boat 331 separated from the "Eagle of the East." The 15 crew members raised a soft sail, which immediately swelled with the strong southeast wind, propelling the boat towards the shore. The crew members also rowed hard to control the direction, carefully navigating towards the outlet.

The waves on the sea gradually grew larger. Boat 331 moved helplessly through the waves, with cold rain pelting the cabin, the oilcloth raincoats, and the faces of the crew, blurring everyone's vision. The sky and sea were a hazy gray, with only the occasional cry of a seagull reminding everyone to fight against the wind and waves.

Some floating barrels, anchored to the seabed with small iron anchors, marked the channel for the large ships. The two large ships, with their deep drafts, could not navigate as freely as the small boats, or they risked running aground or hitting rocks. Boat 331, with a draft of less than 1 meter, naturally ignored these barrels and navigated freely in the coastal and inland lake areas.

After two hours of arduous effort, boat 331 successfully crossed the outlet and entered the interior of Duck Lake. The water here was much calmer, with only slight ripples. Bai Shui looked around, and in the misty rain, he could vaguely see the lush forests ahead and on both sides.

Bai Shui took out a relatively accurate hand-drawn map and compared it with a compass, confirming their approximate location. This was the channel between the future Brazilian Grande and the long, narrow sandbar on the east side of Duck Lake. The channel was about 2-3 kilometers wide, and the water depth, according to rough measurements, was over 5 meters in some parts, making it navigable for large ships.

Boat 332 caught up from behind. Xu Yu, wearing an oilcloth raincoat, stood at the bow and shouted, "Bai Shui, prepare to land here."

"Understood!" Bai Shui shouted back and then rowed with the crew towards the shore on the left front. As they approached the shore, the boat ran aground. All the crew members disembarked, wading into the waist-deep lake water, and with a collective effort, pushed the boat onto the shore.

The shore was covered with vast reed beds, some of which were over 20 meters tall, a sight that left everyone in awe. The reed beds were dense, and while waiting for the other boats to arrive, Bai Shui and his companions used machetes to clear a space on the shore. The cut reeds were neatly arranged on the ground. These tall, lightweight, and dry reeds were excellent materials for simple shelters. Many indigenous people in South America used them to build their homes by inserting branches into the ground and covering them with reeds and leaves. Of course, these houses were quite rudimentary and unattractive, leading Portuguese colonizers to mock them as "not even as good as a rabbit hole."

Boats 332, 333, and 334, along with a naval dinghy, also landed. Xu Yu sat on the wet mud, took off his leather military boots, drained the water, and put them back on. "Don't just stand there. First platoon, take up positions with your rifles; second platoon, set up the tents and find a water source; the cavalry platoon, gather the horses and don't let them graze freely; the rest, help me cut reeds, quickly, move it!"

Excluding those suffering from seasickness, the four flat-bottomed boats had 49 expedition members, 15 horses, and 4 hunting dogs. Soon, everyone was working in different tasks. According to the plan, after the first batch of the expedition landed, they would quickly establish a secure landing point on the shore. Next, the navy would send personnel and supplies from the "Galician Flying Fish," which was loaded with building materials, to establish a formal base. After all, finding minerals was not a one-time effort. Establishing a secure base at the outlet of Duck Lake would greatly facilitate future operations.

The naval sailors who landed from the dinghies, after a rough survey of the terrain and the geological conditions along the shore, set out in five boats towards the open sea.

The rain continued. In the reed beds covering several acres near the lake shore, there were many small ponds filled with fresh water, some of which even had fish and shrimp. Xu Yu thought about diverting the water from these ponds to create an artificial reservoir to supplement the water supply for the base. However, this was a task for others in the future. Their only task was to assist the navy in establishing a preliminary base and then set out from there to explore the famous confluence of five rivers in the north of Duck Lake, near the future Porto Alegre.

Of course, these were future plans. For now, everyone was focused on cutting reeds and clearing the land. In the afternoon, the "Eagle of the East" and the "Galician Flying Fish," which had been anchored in the open sea, followed the channel marked by the floating barrels and carefully entered Duck Lake, anchoring about 100 meters from the shore. By then, the expedition members on the shore had cleared a large area and set up military tents.

The decks of the two large ships were now bustling with activity as sailors hoisted packages of supplies from the deck onto the four flat-bottomed boats. Once loaded, the boats sailed back and forth, transporting supplies and personnel to the shore, creating a lively scene.

After entering Duck Lake, the ships were away from the rough seas, and the hulls became much more stable. Leonid Fyodorovich, feeling much better, was able to walk slowly on the deck. As a member of the expedition, seeing his teammates already working on the shore, he felt his strength had returned and decided to try to land. He had developed a certain fear of the ship and was eager to set foot on solid ground.

As he slowly climbed down the rope ladder, Leonid was still weak. He felt his hands, gripping the rope net, were so weak that he nearly fell into the lake several times. A gust of wind made the "Eagle of the East," which had only dropped its stern anchor, sway. Leonid, caught off guard, felt his weak hands slipping. At that moment, someone nearby pulled him hard, stopping his fall. Seizing the opportunity, Leonid quickly grabbed the rope ladder again and steadied himself.

Leonid turned to thank the person who had saved him from a cold bath, but he was stunned.

The person who had helped him was wearing a naval cylindrical cap, and a short sword indicating the rank of a lieutenant gleamed on his shoulder. He climbed the rope ladder with agility and skill, already two body lengths below Leonid, clearly an experienced sailor.

"Although you have a terrible impression of me, I still... thank you for your help, Lieutenant John Stone of the Navy," Leonid shouted down.

"Although you are a proud and arrogant guy, we are comrades. I am not the type to stand by and watch a comrade in trouble due to personal grudges, Lieutenant Leonid Fyodorovich of the Cavalry. You don't need to take this too seriously," the other person continued to climb down quickly and then leaped onto boat 331 with ease.

The four flat-bottomed boats, loaded with supplies, and some dinghies filled with Charu laborers, braved the drizzle and headed for the shore. A few hundred meters away, more laborers were already working under the direction of the architects. They were digging ditches to drain water, leveling the land, and excavating foundations. This previously untouched, wild land, with the efforts of hundreds of laborers from the East Coast Republic of China, finally welcomed the touch of civilization.