Chapter 87

Shao Shude, covered in dust and fatigue, hurriedly returned to Eastern Harbor by boat. It was already November 10th, and outside Eastern Harbor, the spring planting of 4,000 mu of soybeans was underway. The planting season of last autumn and winter had been delayed due to the war, making the spring planting particularly crucial. To make up for the potential shortage of labor, some factories temporarily shut down for a day or two, organizing people to work in the fields.

Shao Shude found the Minister of Agriculture, Jin Kela, who had just finished work at the field edge: "Old Jin, what's going on? I heard you intercepted the new immigrants who were supposed to be sent to Duck Lake?"

"Hehe, there was a shortage of labor for the spring planting, so I borrowed them for a few days," Jin Kela said with an awkward smile. "Alright, I'll return them to you now. There they are, sitting over there, supervised by Wei Aiweng. Go talk to him."

Shao Shude was speechless. These immigrants were like a piece of meat that everyone wanted a bite of. Originally, all 605 of them were supposed to be sent to Duck Lake, but before they even set off, over a hundred had quietly "disappeared," mostly assigned to the recently expanded hydropower textile factory.

Shao Shude felt a deep sense of crisis. He needed to take these people away as soon as possible; every extra day they stayed would mean fewer people. The construction of Zhenhai Fort in Duck Lake was in full swing, and a new fort was being planned near the coal mine, creating a significant labor shortage. He couldn't wait any longer; he needed to process the paperwork and take the people away immediately.

Shao Shude walked quickly to Wei Aiweng, exchanged the acceptance documents, and the immigrants, under the command of the drill instructors, formed a long queue and headed towards the dock. The transport ship "Galician Flying Fish" was waiting for them.

At the dock, two Portuguese ships were also setting sail, heading for Brazil. The Executive Committee ultimately decided to pay Captain Assunção the full amount of 4,840 cruzados (approximately 240,000 yuan) for the immigrants, but they also questioned the Portuguese's lack of integrity and stated that if there were any Japanese or Korean immigrants in the future, they would only pay 4 cruzados per person. In addition to the immigrants, Captain Assunção had brought some goods, seeds, and saplings from East Asia, which he generously offered to the Eastern Shore Republic as compensation for his mistake.

After leaving Eastern Harbor, the two ships would head to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and then leave Brazil in the summer, heading to Portuguese East Africa, and finally returning to Macau. Before departure, they indicated that two or more immigrant ships from Macau would arrive in October or November of the following year, and the agreement between the two sides would remain valid.

After paying the huge sum of 240,000 yuan (200,000 of which was an interest-free loan provided by the Eastern Shore Company), the national treasury was left with only about 40,000 yuan to maintain government operations, and the Eastern Shore Company's treasury had only about 150,000 yuan left. The穿越众's (穿越众 refers to the穿越者, or "穿越ers," who are people from the future who have traveled back in time) financial reserves were in a dangerous state. Faced with the potential annual shortfall in immigrant costs, the officials of the Eastern Shore Republic of China were truly on the verge of despair.

However, these were not Shao Shude's current concerns. Earning money was a headache for the State Council, and he was the head of the coal working group. His primary responsibility was to build Duck Lake and ensure the early production of coal.

More than 400 immigrants squeezed into the spacious hold of the "Galician Flying Fish." After two days of rough seas, the "Galician Flying Fish" skillfully navigated through the channel and safely docked at the pier outside Zhenhai Fort. It was a bit windy and rainy outside, with a temperature of around 11 or 12 degrees Celsius. Under the urging of the naval sailors, the 400 immigrants, dressed in uniformly issued linen clothes, climbed out of the hold and onto the deck, then formed a queue to disembark. After half a month of basic military training, these new immigrants had developed a preliminary sense of order.

Zhenhai Fort had undergone significant changes. About a hundred red-brick and green-tile houses had been built in the city, and many reed huts had been demolished for use as firewood. The foundation of the city wall had been laid, and construction could begin. However, this was a major project, and with only a few hundred residents in Zhenhai Fort, it would be challenging. Fortunately, there were no external threats, so this was not an urgent matter. In the past two months, no natives had appeared, although pumas and jaguars had visited a few times but were scared away by the residents' firearms.

Currently, Zhenhai Fort had about 200 permanent residents who had cultivated some wasteland outside the city, mainly growing vegetables and potatoes to strive for self-sufficiency. Additionally, nearly 200 naval crew members lived in the city. As for Xu Yu's exploration team and the approximately 100 Charuia construction laborers, they had already set off ten days ago to establish a new outpost at the northern end of Duck Lake.

The new outpost at the northern end of Duck Lake was located near the confluence of the Gravataí River and the Yacuí River, where the coal mined from the upper reaches of the Kai River would be transported and then shipped to Zhenhai Fort. This town, recently named "Ping'an Fort" by Shao Shude, had only cleared a piece of land so far, and everything else was still on the design drawings.

The climate around Ping'an Fort was suitable, the water abundant, the land fertile, and the resources rich, far surpassing the Eastern Shore region. Moreover, being deep within the Duck Lake basin, it was relatively safe. In the future, after the coal mines stabilized, the Executive Committee planned to establish a blast furnace steel project here. Relying on this steel plant and the nearby abundant hydropower and coal resources, a series of supporting industries such as coal chemical, machinery, and military manufacturing could be built, forming the雏形 of the Eastern Shore Republic of China's heavy industry and energy base.

Under the Executive Committee's arrangement, the 400 new immigrants from the East would become the first permanent residents of Ping'an Fort. This land was suitable for both agriculture and industry, and the subtle arrangement of the Ming immigrants by the Executive Committee was worth pondering.

The new immigrants would rest briefly in Zhenhai Fort for one night and then travel in batches on the six newly added flat-bottomed river boats to Ping'an Fort, using their hands to build their new home.

On November 18th, the first 150 new immigrants arrived at Ping'an Fort on the east bank of the Yacuí River, bringing a batch of supplies. The Charuia construction team, which had been working for over ten days, had cleared and leveled more than 500 mu of land and established public baths, canteens, simple toilets, and warehouses, creating very convenient conditions for the new immigrants.

The arrival of the new immigrants greatly alleviated the labor shortage at Ping'an Fort. These poor but hardworking Zhejiang villagers had been consuming a large amount of fat, protein, and other nutrients, and their physical condition had improved significantly since their arrival. Their feelings of hesitation and fear had also dissipated. They had a simple sense of judgment, and the living standards in this "barbarian land" were clearly much better than they had imagined, as evidenced by the large number of livestock in the ranches and the piles of potatoes in the warehouses. Moreover, the officials here were apparently good to the people, and it was said that the new immigrants who had arrived a few months ago could enjoy a feast of fish and meat every day, and if they worked hard, they could be given land.

Such favorable conditions greatly impressed these mostly tenant farmers and bankrupt peasants. According to Mr. Xu, a scholar whom the villagers regarded as a god-like figure, they were lucky to have caught the "new dynasty's founding." Now, in the "new dynasty," the emperor was wise and the ministers were virtuous, and with "more land and fewer people," as long as they were willing to work hard and listen to the officials, they could be given land and livestock, securing a legacy for their descendants.

Mr. Xu was a scholar, a person of high status, like a star in the sky. If he said it, it must be true. Most of them had never left their village far, and their ancestors had lived by farming in the village. Although they had been captured and sold to a foreign land, the local government was good, and they could be given land, which was certainly better than their previous life of hunger and uncertainty. Moreover, they had been captured and sold in whole villages, and familiar people were still around them. Therefore, the villagers' hearts were no longer as hesitant and resistant, and they began to try to accept this new home.

Speaking of this new place, although it was desolate, the land was very fertile, not inferior to their hometown. If they took good care of it, they might even produce more grain per mu than in their hometown. The surrounding rivers were also abundant, and with a little effort, they could have excellent irrigation fields. The rivers and lakes were full of fish and shrimp, and a bucket of water might even catch a few fish. There were countless wild ducks in the reed beds nearby. It was truly a good place. They never imagined that such a good place existed in a "barbarian land."

With their mindset adjusted, the villagers burst into an unparalleled enthusiasm for construction. Knowing that these newly built beautiful brick and tile houses were for them, they worked day and night under the command of Qian Hao, the person in charge of Ping'an Fort's construction, building their new home brick by brick and tile by tile. The Charuia construction laborers and naval sailors were amazed; they worked hard and tirelessly, but these new immigrants from the East worked even harder and more enthusiastically.

Seeing the enthusiasm of these Ming immigrants, Qian Hao smiled. At their current pace, the construction of Ping'an Fort would be completed much earlier.