In late September 1650, the all-steam-powered ship Tahiti, which had just been repaired at the port of Goldhill in Australia, was sailing the vast South Pacific Ocean. At this time, the world's first all-steam-powered ship had just stepped out of a cloudy sea, and everyone on board smiled when the golden sunlight poured over the entire deck.

Zhang Jinhua looked sideways at the mercury thermometer in the cabin - 25.5 °C, very good, very good weather! Winter in the South Pacific is so pleasant, with intense sunlight and little temperature difference between day and night, and if it weren't for the desolate seas – which, alas, they only encountered on Fiji Island – would have been almost "wonderful" (relatively, of course).

With the shout of the lookout, the outline of a piece of land gradually appeared in front of everyone's eyes. Zhang Jinhua walked to the railing outside the captain's room, raised the telescope on his chest, and saw that it was a blue island. In the center of the island is a huge mountain range rising from the ground, the mountains are high and steep, and the top is slightly desolate and looks like a volcano. This characteristic is obvious, and those who have been here know that this is Tahiti, and their destination has arrived!

The news spread quickly, and not only the sailors were elated, but even the more than a thousand immigrants seated in the cabin were inexplicably happy. Although they were saddened when they learned that they were going to be sent to live on an overseas island—how was that different from exile? But after so many months, they have already gradually accepted the reality - what can they do if they don't? - So at this moment, after hearing the news from the sailors, they all collected their moods one by one. Silently accepted the arrangement of fate. Prepare to settle on this desert island where birds don't.

The noise of the steam engine in the engine room next door is getting less and less. The migrants know that the ship is slowing down, and this is a sign that it is going to dock! Sure enough, with a violent vibration, the officer's loud voice rang out on the deck. Soon, heavily armed sailors came to the door of the cabin and asked everyone to get up in groups, and follow them out of the cabin in turn, as they had done on the deck. Since this movement has been practiced many times. In addition, they had arrived at their destination, and everyone's mood was quite stable, so the order was not bad, and soon some people went down the pedal to the trestle under the guidance of the sailors.

The pier is made of wood, and it is obvious that it has not been built very recently, because even the bark on the wood has not been cleaned. The pier is flanked by crystal clear turquoise waters, which are dazzlingly beautiful in the sun. The water is full of corals and fish, making it a beautiful harbor with abundant resources. In fact, it is true that the place where the Tahiti was anchored at this time was located in a lagoon surrounded by coral reefs. It is calm and calm, rich in fishery, and has special products such as black pearls. It's almost the essence of Tahiti.

The lagoon is generally only accessible to small boats, but it is not without deep water, but this requires a pilot who is familiar with the local hydrology, otherwise it is likely to run aground or run aground. And it was this calm lagoon, formed by coral reefs, that formed the first line of defense on the outskirts of Tahiti, at least, the enemy's large warships did not dare to drive directly into it.

When the first Ming immigrants cautiously set foot on the land of Tahiti Island, the military and political personnel led by Wang Sizhong, the captain of the garrison, who had been waiting in the harbor for a long time, immediately let out enthusiastic cheers. This is a tradition on Tahiti, because every time a foreign ship comes, there is always a qualitative leap in the living standards and labor efficiency of the people on the island: daily consumer goods, weapons and ammunition, livestock, food, tools, books and newspapers, and even people from the mainland are all urgently needed here.

This time, the "Tahiti" sailed all the way from Yantai to Dinghai to Jinshan, bringing a large amount of supplies and people. The materials were all raised locally in Dengzhou and Ningbo, mainly cloth, grain, farm tools and livestock; The population also came from these two places, including 600 immigrants from Huai'an Province in Jiangbei, nearly 500 Ming people who migrated from Guanhaiwei and Cixi counties, and even more than 100 Australian aborigines who were shipped and exiled in Jinshan Port.

After the arrival of this total of 1,200 people, the number of immigrants on Tahiti Island officially exceeded 2,800 people, although it is still less than the unknown number of natives on the island, but with the backing of the mother country on the east coast, if they still can't play those wild people who are still drinking blood and can't successfully colonize the rich Tahiti Island, then everyone will simply die!

The wharf was originally a lush forest, but the early East Coast settlers cut down a piece of it and rebuilt the wharf and pier bridge. The Ming immigrants who came down to the island from the cabin looked at the strange trees on both sides of the road: coconut palms, lemon trees, orange trees, banana trees, and bread trees, which were basically native varieties except for banana trees and orange trees, and they had grown near the docks for I don't know how many years, and the fruits produced were very delicious and delicious, and they were very popular food for local immigrants and foreign sailors. Banana trees and orange trees, on the other hand, were introduced from elsewhere by the people of the East Coast, and are only seedlings at present, planted in the control area of the East Coast people near the wharf, so as not to be destroyed by the barbarians.

Among these fruit trees, the people of the east coast also cleared the weeds and shrubs in a timely manner, and planted yams, sweet potatoes, pineapples and other plants, and the growth was also very good. In addition, the people of the East Coast have also carved out a special plot of land along the coast near the wharf and planted the local specialty Tahitian sugar cane. A ring of shrubs around the sugarcane fields – guavas imported from the mainland, perhaps because the environment on Tahiti Island is so suitable for this crop that they grow so well that local agricultural technicians wonder if they will cause invasive species that could endanger other crops – but this will need to be seen and determined.

The Ming settlers walked along the gravel roads surrounded by tall bread and coconut trees, which grew so tall, had such luxuriant foliage, and the fruit was so enticing – the fruit trees on Tahiti were always productive and delicious, thanks to the island's special climate, and some children held in their mother's arms were clamoring for food.

Their wish was soon granted, and dozens of servants from Aboriginal Australia soon came up with cleanly washed fruits, which they placed under a large row of pergolas at the end of the path, and then bowed slightly, looking at the new Ming immigrants with flattering expressions—these people were of the same race as the foremen who managed them, and they had to be well entertained.

The cool tree-lined trail shrouded in lush foliage was quickly completed, and large groups of migrants poured under the pergola at the end of the road, where they sat on the floor in small groups, waiting for their next steps. According to what they thought, the people from the "government" will probably come forward soon, and then it should be clear what they should do and what they should not do. Alas, they have already arrived at this place where birds don't - well, it doesn't seem to be the "bad land" that I imagined, the fruit trees are shady, the land looks good, and it should be able to get a lot of food-what the old saying goes, if you come, you will be safe, and if you live first, this place is not like it can't support the thousands of people they have. As long as you can farm the land and collect food, then everyone can take root, and the days will not be much worse, and it is better than being precarious in the Ming Dynasty, right?

"The land suitable for cultivation on the island is near the sea, and most of it is distributed at the foot of the mountain, which is impact soil, and the soil is volcanic ash, which is relatively fertile and conducive to farming." As soon as Zhang Jinhua came ashore, he brought in an official in charge of agriculture on the island and asked about the cultivation status on the island, and the agricultural official immediately replied truthfully: "We have developed a small area of these plains on the island, which we took from the natives through the battle of Guò, and it is now relatively stable." At the end of the rainy season, we planted a crop of corn on it, which was just harvested a while ago, and the yield per mu reached more than 300 catties, which was quite good for the first year. As for what to plant next, I would like to ask Commissioner Zhang to instruct ......"

"Let's continue to grow corn." As soon as Zhang Jinhua heard this, he immediately said, "At present, we are still focusing on more grain and stabilizing the foundation. You see that there are so many immigrants on the island, and the food is still a little tight. Well, you can intergrow corn and sweet potatoes, which is an excellent experience of Xinhuaxia Island, which can effectively increase the grain yield per unit area. As the saying goes, if you have food in your hands and don't panic in your heart, we will have a series of actions on the island next, and food is the basis of our action plan. ”

"In addition......" Zhang Jinhua continued to instruct, "now that there are more people, the land is a little tight, and this is to ask the natives." Since our relationship with the natives has been strained to such an extent, there is no way to redeem us, so there is only one way to go war. There are more than 200 Tahiti garrisons, and they are well-equipped, and I have just taken a cursory look at the training, so I can only say that it is so-so, but it is more than enough to deal with those natives. Now I order that two hundred of the new immigrants be selected and put into the Tahitian garrison, and that they be rigorously trained. As for the original 200 soldiers of the garrison, Wang Sizhong, you come over to me! ”

"My lord, the end will be here!" This Wang Jiazhong's nephew immediately trotted all the way over.

"Immediately count the military personnel, search and advance to the north, and if you encounter an attack by the natives, you can make arbitrary decisions on the spot, without asking for instructions. Also, organize those Australians to clear the bushes and weeds and level the land north. Zhang Jinhua immediately gave an order. (To be continued......)