The craftsmen moved quickly, and Marin separated several tons of nickel metal, which was used to eutectic with the iron blocks, resulting in nickel steel with a high nickel content. Then, the craftsmen poured the molten steel into a smooth pool to form a nickel steel plate.

Then, while it was hot, the blacksmiths hammered the still soft iron plates into thinner sheets. Some of the leftovers of nickel steel have also been made into nickel steel nails. In the process of beating the iron sheet, the craftsmen also took advantage of the softness to make a few nail holes in the iron sheet, so that it was convenient to nail it to the boat.

While the craftsmen of the steel mill make nickel steel skins and nails, the craftsmen of the shipyard are not ambiguous and completely prepared.

They first dug a reservoir that could hold four 250-class armed merchant ships, but the reservoir was connected to the outside world, and there was only one huge valve. When the valve is opened, it can accommodate a single Class 250 armed merchant ship in and out.

Then, they lay the prepared cement slab at the bottom of the reservoir. Then, on top of the cement slabs, four huge wooden shelves were made, the kind that could lift the entire ship in the air.

Once the wooden supports were ready, the craftsmen fastened the brackets to the bottom of the reservoir and then opened the huge gates to let water in.

Then, four refitted-ready Class 250 merchant ships sailed into the reservoir and anchored above four massive wooden supports.

After parking the four boats, the floodgates of the reservoir were closed by the joint efforts of everyone. Then, the craftsmen arranged for a large number of people to start pumping water.

As the water level lowered, the bottoms of the four 250-class armed merchant ships landed precisely on the four wooden supports. Almost the bottom of the boat was exposed to the air, and the pumping stopped. Then, a large number of shipbuilders, wearing waterproof suits made of cowhide (it is now winter, you will freeze to death if you soak directly in the water), wading through the water with nickel steel skin and nickel steel nails began to stand under the hull, tilting their heads and began to nail nickel steel skin to the bottom of the ship.

Most of the iron sheets are easy to nail, but the craftsmen can't nail the parts where the bottom of the boat comes into contact with the wooden support. That's not a problem, though.

When most of the nickel steel skin was nailed, the reservoir gates were opened again, but only partially. When the water from the gate is just enough to lift the hull again, the hull will move a little, and the shipbuilders will measure it to ensure that it will be able to reveal the part that had been covered before.

The reservoir then pumped water again, allowing the boat to land in another position on a wooden support. And the shipbuilders naturally nailed the parts that could not be nailed before.

In this way, the nickel steel skin went through some manipulation and wrapped all the parts below the waterline of the four ships. Of course, the sheets were already painted black before they were nailed to the bottom of the boat. Therefore, after nailing to the bottom of the boat, there is no silver glitter, but a black and inconspicuous one.

Soon after nailing the nickel steel skin, the reservoir gate was reopened, and four 250-class armed merchant ships also sailed out of the small reservoir in turn, and re-anchored at the military port wharf, waiting for the cargo to sail.

Because America didn't trust Leonardo's new steering wheel system of ropes and pulleys, three of the four ships still used an expensive steering wheel system made of levers and gears made of navy copper, and only one boat used a new low-effort steering wheel system consisting of ropes and pulleys. Of course, in order to prevent the rope from breaking during the voyage, a large amount of spare linen rope was brought on board.

Finally, it's time to load people and supplies.

Because the Pacific route is a hidden and confidential route, Marin takes this voyage very seriously. This is manifested in the fact that all captains and sailors are subject to strict scrutiny. Only captains and sailors who were born in East Friesland, whose families lived there, and whose loyalty was absolutely fine, were allowed to take part in the voyage. As for the external seafaring talents, they did not bring any of them except Amerigo and a few of his loyal men.

In addition to the seafaring personnel, Marin also staffed the fleet with 100 serfs who knew how to work as masons. Their task was to build a small bunker with high walls, moats, and drawbridges on the island after the fleet arrived at Heping Island (Sheliao Island) at the mouth of the Keelung River.

With such a stronghold of defense, it was possible for the advance party to quickly gain a foothold on the island of peace. Even if a large number of Japanese robbers came, in the face of such a strong bunker, the other party was absolutely helpless.

For this, among the four ships, there was one ship, loaded with a large amount of bricks and cement, which was used in the construction of pillboxes and walls.

In addition, they will also help the villagers of Jilong Village, which originally had a foothold on Heping Island, to build a large defensive wall on the edge of the stronghold, so that they can also protect themselves.

It is impossible to put the other side in the stronghold, because there is still a lack of mutual trust between the two sides. Moreover, if there were villagers in the chicken coop village who were bribed by the Japanese and helped the enemy open the door of the stronghold in the middle of the night, it would be miserable. With the melee ability of the Wako, it would be terrible if they were to be broken into the stronghold. Therefore, it is best to build a compound on the edge of the stronghold to house the villagers of Jilong Village. In addition, it is convenient for the muskets and artillery of the base to support each other.

The other three ships were mainly carrying grain, fresh water, salt, and a large number of iron tools. It is certain that the stronghold of Sliao Island will definitely not be able to achieve food self-sufficiency in the first year. Therefore, it is necessary to bring more food.

Because, Marin has read history and knows that in the original history, after the Spanish colonists occupied Sheliao Island in 1626, the colonists often went hungry because of the lack of food. I went ashore to buy food, but I was beaten back by the natives. Since then, the Spanish colonists on Sliao Island have long relied on ships from Manila for food. If the ship from Manila was late, the Spanish colonists on the island would be starving for a while, which was very miserable.

So, with this lesson, Marin must have asked the first colonists to bring more food to prevent people from starving to death. You must know that Jamestown, the first British colony in North America, was besieged by the Indians and ran out of food, and even had the tragedy of cannibalism.

In addition to bringing food, Marin also prepared a number of fishing nets for them. In this way, in addition to eating food, the colonists could also fish on the Keelung River to increase the richness of food. Of course, there were also vegetable seeds, and Marlin also asked them to bring some so that they would not get scurvy if they didn't have vegetables to eat.

Because there was a lack of firewood on the island, Marin also equipped them with 10 galvanized tin sun cookers to make it easier for them to cook.

The sun stove usually cooks with a fire, and when it is not cooking, it can also boil seawater for salt. The boiled salt can also be used to trade venison and other foods with the natives (there are not too many sika deer on Taidao).

In addition to these things, the rest are naturally weapons such as guns and swords. After all, Sheliao Island is on the seaside, so it is easy to be attacked by the Japanese and may also clash with the natives, so strong armament is a must.

Moreover, 50 soldiers will remain, together with the 100 serfs who know the mason's trade, to guard the island until the second group arrives.

Of course, these were just what the first colonizers needed. Because, colonizing a new place for the first time is bound to be difficult. Whether it's in terms of safety, or in terms of food sources.

And once America returned and recorded the coordinates of the route, Marin could set off with a large army. Because, Ma Lin has to deal with the Ming Empire in person to get the opportunity to trade normally with the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, Marin never felt that he would fail. Because, he has a killer feature - sweet potatoes that yield thousands of catties per mu. In Daming, which is based on agriculture, no one can resist the temptation of such a high-yield sweet potato......

In addition to sweet potatoes, Marin also decided to bring peanuts and corn with him. In addition, he also plans to invite the emperors and ministers of the Ming Empire to have a feast of roasted sweet potatoes, fried peanuts and popcorn, so that they can experience the charm of these exotic delicacies for themselves......