Wild North America 1846

Chapter 63 The First Central American Immigrants
"Hang the gun on your shoulder and walk in unison."

Under the command of the British instructors, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty in full British military uniform lined up neatly and marched in line to the sound of military drums, initially showing the demeanor of a strong army.

Wearing the uniform of a major in the British Army, Li Cha stood on the sidelines of the training field with a serious expression, supervising the training of the officers and soldiers.

There was no expression on his face, but he had to admit it from the bottom of his heart; after putting on the uniform of the British army, this armed force of the Tang Dynasty really looked like an army.

After all, they had a good foundation before and had experienced the baptism of battle. After training these days, the queue has moved in style. The morale of the officers and soldiers is high, showing the strength and vigor of an army.

At this moment

A messenger ran to the front, stood at attention, and saluted and reported; "Sir, the latest news has been sent from the docks in the Bay Area; the first two ships of Central American Chinese immigrants transported by Pacific Cruise Lines, a total of 1 people, have arrived in Hong Kong. Would you please instruct?"

"Oh, someone sent it so soon?"

Li Cha raised his brows when he heard the words, a trace of surprise appeared on his serious face, and then he ordered with a serious expression; "Notify the logistics team about the preparations to receive personnel, and order the personal guard cavalry team to go to the bay area pier in 10 minutes to pick them up." people."

"Yes, sir." The orderly stood at attention again, saluted, then quickly turned and ran away to convey the order.

At the beginning, Richard reached an agreement with the British forces behind Ronald Evanson, led by the British, to send a large number of Chinese immigrants from Central and South America to the San Francisco area in order to increase the population base of the area and expand the size of the army , was originally the meaning in the title.

In just over two weeks, the first group of Chinese immigrants arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area. It must be said that the Britons are still very effective in matters related to their own interests.

Panama in Central America is less than 2000 kilometers away from Alta California. If you use a new type of ship to sail by sea, it takes about 4 to 5 days, and the distance is not too far.

There is only one city in the entire Panama region, and that is Panama City on the Pacific side. More than [-]% of the population in the region lives in Panama City, which also means that the vast majority of Chinese workers are stranded in the city.

According to the methods of the British, as long as a job announcement with a promised salary of 15 US dollars is issued, the vast majority of Chinese workers can be attracted, and the effect of saving time and effort is good.

This group of Chinese laborers came at the right time. With these labor forces, workshops such as brick kilns, hydraulic sawmills, hydraulic gold pans, mills, and oil mills can be opened to solve the imminent labor problem.

After simple preparation

Li Cha personally led the people to greet them first. He may not participate in this kind of thing in the future, and just leave it to his subordinates to do it.

But this is the first batch of Central American Chinese immigrants, and Richard felt that it was necessary to go out in person to show his serious attitude.

bay area pier
Today's bay area wharf is just a crude wooden trestle. When Li Cha led the crowd to arrive, he saw hundreds of Chinese laborers with dark skin, torn clothes, braids, and melon caps. The numb and helpless look in his eyes deeply hurt his heart.

This made his originally prepared words choke in his throat, and finally turned into a soft sigh.

These Chinese laborers from Central America have experienced more than two years of hard work, and many of them lost their lives in the dangerous tropical rainforest. However, under the pressure of the local construction party, they did not earn much money.

When I first came, the enthusiasm and impulse in the eyes have been tempered by heavy labor, and now there is only heartbreaking numbness and helplessness left.

What they need now is food and hot water, and then take a good rest. If there is anything to do, we can talk about it in two days.

Li Cha beckoned in exchange for Gai Wangshan, and ordered: "Put down the dried meat and cakes, find a way to cook a few pots of hot soup, let these compatriots have a full stomach, and then set off to return to Grape Valley. Remember not to make arrangements for these two days What matters is mainly based on recuperation and recovery."

"Understood, young master, I'll make arrangements now." Gai Wangshan nodded, and hurried away.

Li Cha walked in front of this group of Chinese laborers who were like refugees, and immediately caused a commotion.

Many people saw Li Cha's extraordinary status, and one of them immediately greeted him, saying, "Fan Zhiyuan, a foreigner, is thanks to the love of the Huagong brothers. He is the foreman. May I ask if this noble son is the owner?"

"Well, you're right about the owner, I asked the English to hire you here..."

"We grassroots, pay homage to the master." Fan Zhiyuan heard that it was indeed the rightful owner, and directly knelt down on his knees to pay respects.

Behind him, a group of Chinese laborers all knelt down in black, the formation was quite astonishing.

Li Cha didn't expect this to happen, so he quickly stepped forward and stretched out his hand to pull Fan Zhiyuan up, and then said to everyone;
"Brothers, please stand up, you will be home when you arrive here, please don't perform this big ceremony.

On this three-acre land in San Francisco, I, Li Cha, regard you as blood-related clansmen, and regard you as your own brothers.

As long as I, Li Cha, eat in one bite, I will never let you go hungry.

Now that the big guys are newcomers, they may still have doubts.We don't need to say too much sweet talk, everything speaks by action.

Brothers, just watch how I, Li Cha, behave and behave, whether I am a liar or a lie.

These few days have been bumpy and hard at sea, and I will walk back to the Grape Valley on foot later. The big guys help to cook some hot soup, and the food is distributed to everyone's hands immediately.

remember a word;

Within a radius of hundreds of kilometers in North America, we Chinese have to stand up straight and be a man. No one dares to bully you, whether it is a ghost or a Mexican.

I, Richard, said these words. From now on, brothers, watch with your eyes and remember with your heart, and see if these words are just nonsense.

When I get here, as long as the brothers work together to do things with me, I, Li Cha, promise;

Everyone here will have a bright future. They can build a house here, marry a wife and have children, and they can make a fortune here and be respected by others.

Don't talk too much, just watch the action and it's over. "

Li Cha's simple words moved all the Chinese present, and they couldn't help shouting;

"Sir, if you are so kind, we should do our best."

"If that's the case, I'll sell it to Mr. Li in the future after waiting for the humble life of the grassroots overseas."

"I don't want to thank you for your great kindness, please accept our worship, young master."

"To be valued by the nobleman, this life is enough! Whatever orders Mr. Li has, just ask, we will go through fire and water, and we will not hesitate to do so."

"Master Li..."

The simple local accent echoed in his ears, and Li Cha saw the flames of hope in their eyes again, no longer the kind of stinging numbness and helplessness, and felt very relieved in his heart.

He held up his hands and pressed down, and after the voices of the ebullient crowd paused, he said loudly;

"Brothers have a full stomach first, and there is still a long way to go later, rest for two days in Grape Valley, and take a look around, that is the home of our Chinese.

As for what to do in the future, let's talk about it, and it depends on everyone's opinion.

Those who are willing to join the army can join the army, just like these soldiers behind me, after undergoing training, they will become the backbone of our Datang Association.

Those who are willing to work can do so. Many factories will be established in the future, and there will always be something you like to do.

Those who are willing to work in agriculture can do so. We have a large area of ​​fertile land here, which can be used to our advantage.

Those of you who can read, including those who can understand foreign languages, and those who specialize in blacksmithing and carpentry, don't forget to report your family name when you register.

At that time, we will try our best to arrange suitable errands for you.

All right, let's eat something to fill our stomachs first. If there is anything wrong, let's go back to Grape Valley and talk about it in detail. "

Li Cha waved his hands enthusiastically to everyone, and said in a reserved English voice, "It can be seen that they like you."

Li Cha turned around, and in front of him was a tall and thin white ghost with a hooked nose, high cheekbones, and thin lips, looking at him with scrutiny.

From the appearance, this is a rather mean person.

Li Cha took the initiative to say; "Let me introduce myself, Li Cha, the president of the Datang Association, is currently the vice president of the Federation."

"It's a great honor to meet you, dear Lee. I'm Ben Johnson, the director and general manager of Pacific Cruise Lines of the United States. I'm a British descendant from Oxfordshire, England. Besides, I don't have a good opinion of the United States."

"Me too."

after saying this
The two laughed at the same time, and Ben Johnson politely made a "please" gesture, inviting Richard to visit his ship.

The two ships docked on the wooden trestle, a three-masted sailing ship and a 760-ton iron-hull steamer, symbolize the products of two nautical ages.

On the three-masted sailing ship, the white sailors on board were busy cleaning the deck. This type of ship was very common on the east and west coasts of North America. There were more than a dozen sailing ships moored in the bay, which of course did not attract Richard's attention.

What caught his attention was this new iron-hull steam paddle wheel, with a large circular paddle wheel on the left and right sides of the ship, a tall sail mast at the bow, and a propeller at the stern. .

It is this kind of thing, which can be called the top level of shipbuilding technology in the world today, and the "Great Western" sailing in the Atlantic Ocean is also driven by this method.

Compared with sailing ships, iron-hulled paddle wheels can cross the Atlantic within 14 days with their own power regardless of wind direction and speed, and transport more cargo with fewer people. It is undoubtedly an era ahead of sailing cargo ships.

The iron-hulled ship has two cargo holds, most of which are filled with coal, and a thick layer of straw is laid on the coal pile, which is where the Chinese laborers sleep.

When the sea conditions were good, the Chinese laborers could go up to the deck to breathe the fresh sea breeze, the food supply was normal, and they were not abused, so they were in good health.

In the captain's cabin behind the iron paddle wheel, Ben Johnson entertained Richard with coffee and plum biscuits, showing great enthusiasm.

As far as Ben Johnson knew, the elegant young man across the way was a big client.

(End of this chapter)