In November, the east coast area is the time of spring, and the countryside of Dingyuan Fort is a busy scene.

As one of the earliest developed mature areas in the country, 15 production teams in Dingyuan Township have opened up more than 10,000 acres of potato planting area; Together with the 8,000 acres of soybean planting area and 2,000 acres of wheat planting area on the outskirts of Chengguan Town, it is known as one of the two major granaries of the Republic of China on the east coast of China.

Mo Ming led the horse to stroll along the country road, and the sun shone on his shoulders through the shade of the trees, making him feel warm all over. The sides of the country dirt roads are lined with jujube, poplar, oak, pear and other street trees, and a few years ago the Government Council promoted a nationwide movement that everyone should plant a tree that can be used for shipbuilding. Due to the climatic conditions and soil conditions in the East Coast region, oak and walnut trees can only be planted in large quantities. For this reason, the Executive Committee at that time spent a lot of money to bring in many saplings from Europe to plant.

Now, a few years later, the growth of small saplings such as oak trees is extremely slow, but some fast-growing poplars, which are in high demand in high commercial demand, have become shady, adding a different kind of scenery to these trails.

The street trees are flanked by artificially excavated irrigation canals, which are four meters wide and about two meters deep. In addition to irrigating the farmland, some freshwater fish are also cultivated in the canal, and at the end of the year, the production team organizes the villagers to fish collectively, which is one of the welfare benefits of the villagers.

The water of the canal is supplied by artificial reservoirs that can be found everywhere in the township of Dingyuanbao. Due to the lack of large-scale surface runoff in the vast area around Dongfang County, the Executive Committee and the Government Council have made great efforts to build a large number of artificial water conservancy facilities in the county in recent years. The density of irrigation canals, rainwater harvesting ponds, and artificial reservoirs is frightening, and water lifting stations are everywhere.

No, there is a gray flat-roofed building not far ahead. On the exterior wall of the building, white lime water is painted with the words "Dingyuan Township Third Water Lifting Station". It turned out that there was a small artificial reservoir with rippling blue waves in front of it. The water lifting station next to the reservoir is responsible for pumping water from the reservoir into several irrigation canals around it.

Mo Ming led the horse and leaned over. Torricelli, who had come from Florence, was busy with a group of people at the door of this building. It was only fourteen or fifteen degrees outside, but Torricelli was still sweating profusely, and he took off his woolen jacket and threw it on the grass to the side, crouching in front of a black machine disassembling something.

This was a Barbarian-1 steam engine, and Mo Ming quickly recognized it. Then the boiler in the house should be the boiler that drives the steam engine, Mo Ming looked carefully, this steam engine should be used on the pumping machine of the water lifting station, used to pump the water in the reservoir where the water level dropped due to the dry season in the spring to the irrigation canal next to it.

This steam engine is supposed to have a broken part. So Torric and others are urgently repairing. Li Hongxing from the boiler workshop of the First Machinery Factory was also at the scene, and he and Torrey Sholi and others wasted all their efforts to replace the new parts. After confirming that there was no problem, the two Chaluya hired men in the house began to swing their shovels, and with one spade, they added coarse coal mixed with gangue to the stove. With their efforts, the boiler began to be slowly pressurized, and after reaching the rated pressure, it began to drive the pumping machine to work through a certain transmission device, and the water in the reservoir was pushed by the piston pressure into the pumping machine, and then discharged into the adjacent irrigation canal.

"I didn't expect you to adapt to your new surroundings so quickly, Evangelista. I was a little worried. Seeing that the steam engine had begun to work normally, Mo Ming picked up the woolen coat that had been thrown to the ground by Torricari. He handed it over and said, "Put on your clothes, my friend, it's still a little cold outside, don't catch a cold." ”

Mo Ming remembered that in his previous life, in 1647, Torricelli died of typhoid fever in Florence. He didn't want to repeat this tragedy in this era, and if the great scientist died of a headache and brain fever, it would really be a joke that was not funny.

"Thank you for your concern, my friend." Torricelli washed his hands by the canal, then took the woolen coat and put it on, saying, "It's terrible, the parts are too bad, the parts are too bad, and the steam engine will have problems running for a while." To make matters worse, most of the parts we produce are substandard. God, such a machine is not practical at all, it is too costly, and we must improve it. ”

Looking at the chattering and complaining Torricali, Mo Ming smiled: "I heard from the Academy of Natural Sciences that you are very interested in atmospheric pressure and thermodynamics, and you soak around the steam engine all day long. They complained to me that they hadn't seen you for a long time, and that the pendulum clock you had promised them was not finished. ”

"I've almost forgotten about it." Torricelli smiled embarrassedly, and then said excitedly: "Mo, although this steam engine you invented has such and such problems, it is really an epoch-making machine, which is really amazing!" I originally thought that I could use atmospheric pressure to pump water, but after seeing your machine, I realized that Langdao can drive the pump through steam pressure, which is really a wonderful idea, a perfect machine! ”

"Huh." Mo Ming laughed noncommittally twice, and then said, "Evangelista, my friend, I am really happy to see that you are able to live so happily every day. But I have to say, maybe you won't see me for a long time. So, today I'm here to say goodbye to you. ”

"What? You're going to go far away? Torricelli was stunned.

"Yes, the country wants to open up an African route to the Ottoman Empire, and I have been transferred, and I may have to go on a business trip for several months, or even a year or two." Mo Ming said.

"You're going to war with the British?" Torricelli was silent for a long time before a sentence suddenly came out.

"Hehe, Evangelista, I am amazed at how well you know the international situation." Mo Ming smiled and said, "It is not very likely that there will be a full-scale war with the British, but even a small and medium-sized war is something we cannot afford." We could fail and lose the French market on which we depend. It is for this reason that we are desperate to open up another market, another source of people and goods that are not threatened by the British navy. Forget it, it's useless to say more, the African route to the Ottoman Empire is estimated to be no longer a play for a few years. Good luck to me, my friend. ”

"Good luck, Mo." Torricelli and Mo Ming hugged each other, and then joked, "Maybe I should go back and study the making of the pendulum clock." Ha, you've invested most of your fortune in my experiments, and I can't let you down. Mo, don't have that expression, have some confidence in me, maybe you'll be rich when you come back. ”

After saying goodbye to Torricari, Mo Ming rode back to the General Administration of National Intelligence, and after handing over the affairs at hand a little, he hurried to the Dongfang Port wharf, ready to take the returning coal ship to Zhenhai Fort. There, the formation of the "East Coast Eagle" and the "Galician Exocet" sailing to South Africa has been waiting for a long time.

On the morning of November 5, Mo Ming arrived at Zhenhaibao Pier with simple luggage.

"Sir, you're here at last." Yu Lian, who served as the first mate of the "East Coast Eagle". D'Eblore greeted him, "Both ships have been overhauled, and the personnel and supplies are in place, and they can leave almost today." ”

Mo Ming was handpicked by the central leadership this time to serve as the leader of the South African pioneer team, leading the important task of establishing a secret port in South Africa.

"Let's go, check it out with me." After Mo Ming finished speaking, he climbed onto the deck of the "Galician Exocet" with a rope net. The sailors on the deck were nervously making the most preparations before sailing, and the acting captain of the ship, Navy Ensign Huang Yang, and Fan Lei of the construction team were counting the materials and personnel on the ship one by one.

"Two hundred and fifty flintlock rifles, 800 barrels of gunpowder, two 6-pounder guns, two 8-pounder guns, two 12-pounder guns, 250 sabers, 200 3-meter spears, 100 pairs of armor, 50,000 red bricks, two tons of cement, and 10 heads of livestock......" Huang Yang was counting the list of materials, while Fan Lei was counting his men.

One hundred young men and women from Charuja and fifty French immigrants will be the first residents of the newly established South African stronghold. Of course, it may be difficult for a second group of immigrants to emerge in the foreseeable short period of time. These immigrants and the above materials are all the things allocated to Mo Ming by the Government Council, and he will rely on these limited materials and manpower to establish the first stronghold of the East Coast Republic of China in Africa in South Africa, a wild land that he is not familiar with.

Mo Ming clenched his fists tightly, although the manpower and materials were pitiful, who said that he couldn't build a career.

After the inventory of materials and personnel was completed, the "East Coast Eagle" took the lead and the "Galician Exocet" followed, and the two ships sailed out of the Zhenhai Fort Pier in a low-key manner, turned due south, and headed for Falklands.

The fleet will make a short stop and rest on the Falklands. It is currently the only overseas territory of the East Coast Republic of China, and it is also a place of exile. After years of construction, Sullivan's Shelter Bay on the Falklands has now been initially built into a small supply port with nearly 200 residents.

The vast majority of the inhabitants are former employees of the Charuya Construction Team, and in recent years there have been a number of exiled prisoners. The dozens of pigs, cows, sheep and vicuñas left on the island at that time have become small in scale after several years of development; In addition, the vegetables grown in the fields cultivated by the residents were able to barely replenish the small fleet.

Once rereplenished, the fleet will drift down the westerly wind and then head north to the Berg River in South Africa. (To be continued......)