Chapter 533 - 50: Accident (Part 2)
"Dealing with Primitive People doesn’t require sophisticated weapons."
"Not to mention anything else, the power system of the steam-powered sailboats can greatly reduce the effectiveness of chain shots."
"When the enemy’s chain shot successfully destroys the mast and prepares to treat this bizarre vessel as fish on the chopping board, they will be surprised to see it still moving."
"Moreover, using steam power can also elevate the sturdiness of the hull further; while designing this new ship, Chen Zhou thickened the side hull to resist cannonball attacks."
"Once reinforced, if the distance isn’t close enough, the contemporary naval cannon may not penetrate the hull even if it hits successfully, providing time for a more fierce counterattack."
...
"The ship’s defense capability is linked to tolerance, but its threat is truly determined by its offensive ability."
"Chen Zhou initially planned to use World War I naval cannon as a template to equip his ’Iron Backbone Ship’ with top-notch weapons that surpass the era."
"However, the island’s industrial capabilities are ultimately insufficiently developed. Without the key components provided by mysterious rewards, manufacturing advanced naval cannons is purely fanciful, much more difficult than improving firearms."
"Just the shells require advanced metallurgy, raw material cutting, heating, forging, pressing, stretching, and even sandblasting technology."
"Also, there’s heat treatment, surface treatment, precision machining, bore polishing, and other technologies that are currently unachievable."
"Most importantly, the island doesn’t have sufficient reserves of the TNT or nitroglycerin mixture required to manufacture shells; during this time, Chen Zhou led people out several times to search for raw materials on the island to set up a production line."
"Unfortunately, it’s just an island, incomparable to resource-rich continents, making it unrealistic to build a cannon production line on the island."
"Unless he could truly open up new trade routes and establish trade relations with maritime powers of the 17th century to import supplies..."
...
"The development of advanced artillery is still ongoing."
"However, for the islanders, whether it’s steam-powered ships or cannons or sea trade, they’re distant and unfamiliar terms; all their focus is on their own lives."
"Especially after entering the rainy season, whether they’re new islanders or those who’ve lived here for more than two years, they all start preparing for the festivals."
"Under Chen Zhou’s promotion along with sailors like Sunday and Saturday, the three annual festivals have become increasingly grand, gradually forming the concept of ’holidays.’
"August 1, 1665, the leader’s birthday has just passed, September 30 is approaching."
"Although the festival has not yet begun, the island is already engulfed in a lively atmosphere."
...
"Still in the rainy season, fishing boats dare to linger near the coast when there’s light rain and calm seas; currently, they’re using nets woven by vine craftsmen, diving only when preparing ingredients for the leader."
"The nets can catch schools of fish, but are powerless against sea cucumbers, lobsters, crabs, and other marine creatures at the bottom; to taste particularly fresh and unique food, one always has to take risks and make efforts."
"However, ever since the increase of island natives, the seafood Chen Zhou has tasted has also increased; recently, he has grown somewhat tired of the taste of seafood."
"Moreover, entering the rainy season, with raging undercurrents, the risk of fatal diving increases, so he ordered a ban on dangerous diving, preparing to reopen it in the dry season."
"However, diving is hard to strictly regulate. Lobster, sea cucumber, sea urchin, and other seafood loved by the ’leader’ are highly popular on the island."
"Like other things related to the leader, after these seafoods are brought to Chen Zhou’s table, their prices skyrocket."
"Everyone on the island who claims to have status and position will find ways to get lobsters and other seafood on their tables, especially as the festival approaches."
"Besides the common participation in worship and beach banquets, on the evening of the festival, the ’upper class’ living below the factories will host family banquets to entertain friendly contacts and reputable craftsmen to enhance relationships."
"The food used in such a grand festival cannot be the same as usual; precious ingredients already have high prices usually, and even more so during the festival period."
"The old islanders with solid foundations don’t care about this expenditure."
"Newly joined islanders live more frugally; some haven’t even acquired full clothes——"
"The clothes Chen Zhou brought down from the ship have long been distributed; now the island population exceeds a hundred, and he simply doesn’t have enough clothing for the islanders."
"Although the factory’s first floor is already producing cashmere fabric, the meager output barely supplies the old islanders, let alone new members."
"Currently, new islanders mostly wear clothing sewn from sheepskin or rabbit fur; wearing such clothes on the hot island is indeed extremely stuffy, and it’s not aesthetically pleasing either."
...
"People are divided into different ranks."
"In the past, living in the tribe, everyone was naked, seeing each other frankly; the natives never took having clothes as a matter."
"After arriving on the island, attending school, learning Chinese, slowly gaining a sense of shame, under the old islanders’ guidance, new islanders also slowly understood interpersonal relations, human sensibilities, and thus began to cherish face."
"There’s a clear distinction in the status and position of the island residents."
"The batch of people living the best next to the leader has detached houses, kitchens, and toilets at home, decent jobs, and after work can develop hobbies or have a meal with friends, or play a game of chess."
"They wear sailor uniforms; some even wear simpler and more decent work clothes."
"Underneath their outer garments, they have underwear and underpants; the shoes on their feet are complete with upper and sole, looking very proper."
"The people living slightly worse, though without separate houses, also dress appropriately; even if the shoes on their feet are wooden, it doesn’t affect their confident expression when interacting with people."
"The worst batch is the newest arrivals grabbed onto the island."
"To adapt to the new environment, integrate into the new life, and to make themselves look less ’different,’ they’re willing to take risks."
"Those learning farming in the fields have no opportunities."
"Islanders engaging in fishing work can risk their lives diving for seafood in the rainy season to exchange for candies, buying themselves a pair of shoes, a more aesthetically pleasing garment, or more daringly, a bicycle."
...
"For a more reasonable allocation of manpower, upon first landing, Chen Lu investigated and collected statistics on what work the natives are skilled at."
"The islanders capable of fishing have good water skills and are recognized fishers even within the Archipelago. They dive long, with quick and accurate moves, with excellent fishing techniques."
"If diving during the dry season, they hardly bear any risk."
"But diving in the rainy season, sometimes the risks aren’t controllable by human power."
"As the saying goes, the more you walk the night path, the more you will see ghosts; the ’fishing’ behavior defying the ban didn’t last long before a tragic accident occurred on the island——"
"Three new islanders with excellent water skills went missing while diving."
"About a day after their disappearance, their bodies were found on the other side of the beach, the investigation showed all three drowned."
"The old islander who brought them to sea tried to conceal the sequence of events, merely saying they accidentally fell into the sea while fishing, and due to the wind and waves at the time, rescue was impossible, leading to the accident."
"However, there are too many inconsistencies in his statement, and the security team members responsible for investigating the case didn’t believe his testimony and took him to the interrogation room."
"Faced with various torture devices, unable to withstand the pressure in his heart, this well-benefiting old islander quickly spilled the beans, detailing the origin and course of the matter."
...
"’Men die for wealth, birds die for food.’"
"’When not worried about filling the stomach, there are always other things desired, whether it’s clothing, food, or housing...’"
"In the office on the factory’s second floor, under the light, Chen Zhou read the submitted investigation report, and couldn’t help but feel sentimental."
"Just for a few pieces of brown sugar, willing to risk life, defying the ban diving, it seems all humans are the same, unable to escape the shackles of human nature."
"Since the island’s forces gradually shaped, this is the first major accident."
"The death of three new islanders cast a gloomy shade over the festival, and the wording of the ’diving ban’ became stricter."
"Alongside the new ’diving ban,’ a large investigation into private trade of rare seafood was also conducted, many old islanders with past records were caught."
"The punishment for them mainly consisted of fines. Even though the old islanders ’have ample wealth,’ they’ve suffered greatly after this round of fines, unable to resume their generous manners for a while."