Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2138 Development Wave ([-])

Jose Rodriguez got up early in the morning.He got on his horse, and rode round his estate and pastures, and came back for breakfast.

At the gate of the manor, he met Major Carlos who was also riding a horse.This officer who just came from the Old Continent more than two years ago is an upright man. The king has not paid him a military salary for half a year, but he is still working meticulously.A clanging saber hung beside him, and a rifle lay across the saddle. His eyes were sharp and energetic, and he was always full of fighting spirit. He and José were good friends.

"You are always so dedicated, Carlos." Jose Rodriguez made an invitation gesture, inviting Major Carlos and several of his partners to enter the manor for breakfast.His manor is very large, and there are more than ten servants, mainly from the war-torn Dalmatian coast-the Venetians occupy a part here, and the Austrians and Ottomans see each other repeatedly-everyone The monthly package of food and lodging, plus two pesos for them, would be a joy.

It is worth mentioning that the employment years of all the servants in the Rodriguez family's six manors near Buenos Aires are not high, mainly due to the high turnover of personnel.Except for a few backbone servants who have worked for many years, the others basically quit after two years of work and went to pursue a better life of their own.

In the past, when the officials and lords of the Buenos Aires Procuratorate District still had some motivation and were willing to do things for the kingdom, they would find ways to spend their savings, bribe the lords, and obtain the right to reclaim a piece of land. And take it as the foundation of the family that can be passed on to all descendants.But this is actually very troublesome. The land near the city is owned by the local white elite. They are usually big landowners and manor owners. The land under their names is terrible. Not willing to give it away or sell it to others.Therefore, if you want to own land that can be reclaimed, you can only go to a distant place, but you will face the threat of Indians or unknown bandits. At the same time, it is difficult to buy labor tools or daily necessities, and you can only suffer by yourself when you get sick. , is not a good choice.

Up to now, due to the development of the situation, the colonial government institutions in La Plata have been semi-paralyzed, and their prestige has also been greatly affected.Those officials are now in a state of eating and dying, basically doing nothing, and occasionally doing things that are not human affairs, such as extortion and so on.

With such an inefficient and corrupt government, you still want to buy land?Want the government to send troops and money to build colonial towns on unoccupied commons so you can all live?No, this requires a vibrant and fiscally healthy colonial government, which might have been possible 20 years ago, but not now with the Buenos Aires Inquisition Court!

Therefore, most of the hired workers who left the Rodriguez family's manor did not stay in the local area.Except for a few of them who went to other smaller towns to look for the slim chance of obtaining land, most of them went to the control area on the east bank to find job opportunities.

Unsurprisingly, most of them went to the nearby Yanbu Railway to find work.Especially Nancun Port, which is very close to Buenos Aires, because of the intersection of railway, road and water transportation routes, the commodity wholesale market here is very prosperous, and a large number of laborers are needed to help load, unload and transport goods. The demand for labor is very strong, and this undoubtedly gives opportunities to these immigrants from the old continent who left the manor - as a laborer, they can earn at least four yuan a month, and those who are willing to endure hardship can even earn six or seven yuan. They quickly accumulated funds, and at the same time accumulated working years. When they become full-timers in the future, they can buy land and settle down, and their lives will be on the right track from then on.

Therefore, the economic downturn in the Spanish colony—or the downturn in various businesses—probably also has something to do with this terrible loss of personnel, and it is not all due to the inaction of the officials.The nearby East Coast Republic had a strong siphon effect on the Buenos Aires Prosecutor’s Court District, sucking away the population and funds in a large area, and then making it sink continuously, with no possibility of development, unless the East The Shores came and took over the area.

"I've always been proud of the living, the dead, and almost myself. It's my job to keep it safe here, and I'll do it well, that's all." Accepted Jose Rodrigue After Si's invitation, Major Carlos and his party came to the restaurant of the manor, where the servants were preparing breakfast for them.

Major Carlos and his master Jose have bread, butter, coffee and other food to enjoy, while the followers can only use some barbecue and water, the cheapest food in La Plata.Of course, barbecue is the crudest rib. There is no spice, and it doesn’t taste very good if you eat it with water. But enough nutrition is the key to the survival of the lower class.

There is something lovely about La Plata in that regard, at least here, where one is less likely to starve to death.Compared with North America, where cold waves often break out, the climate here is relatively warm, and there are not so many tough Indians, the number of bison is huge, and the Hispanic culture has always had the tradition of catching cattle, so meat is not at all Short.If you don't mind eating poor-tasting beef that's cured or smoked, you can feed yourself for less than buying bread.

Not to mention, if you can't survive, you can still go to work with people from the east coast!The construction crews there are always recruiting, and they seem to have an endless supply of railroads, roads, docks, reservoirs, or other structures.And if you want to get rich quickly, you can even join the ranks of sewer cleaners. The monthly salary can reach 8-10 yuan, which is definitely the best choice for immigrants with nothing.

"You are really a respectable person, with a heart that is extremely sincere to the kingdom. It's a pity that the Buenos Aires Prosecutor's Court is about to disappear." After gesturing to the servant to bring some more cheese, Jose Rodriguez said with some sadness: "Actually, I don't know what to do. Have you thought about it, Major?"

"Actually, I haven't made up my mind. I think, I might go to Lima, where there are more opportunities. Or I will go to Concepcion and Santiago, where my relatives serve, but it's not final yet. Sure." Major Carlos thanked the host for his hospitality, and then said: "The gentleman group will be disbanded, there is no doubt about it. Although I want to take most of the boys to Lima, Lima needs these pure blood Soldiers who can fight, but obviously this is unrealistic. Many people are greedy for the prosperity of the east coast, and are even willing to sell their souls for it. This is really ridiculous. I think that in the end, less than half of the people are willing to follow me Well, this is the most optimistic prediction."

Major Carlos was not shy about telling these things in front of José Rodriguez, whom he already knew had decided to move to Santiago.His cousin runs mines, lumberyards, and many farms there, and the business is huge. Jose can quickly gain a foothold and develop in the past.

Of course, Jose will keep his two sons in Buenos Aires and join the East Coast nationality to live.But this is human nature, you can't ask him to give up everything and be loyal to the king with nothing, it's unrealistic.It is already very good to be able to take a step like Jose and transfer part of the family property and personnel to Chile, and it is already very commendable.

As for why Major Carlos wants to take away more gentlemen, this is actually related to the instruction of his superiors.At present, there are three gentlemen's groups in the La Plata area, two of which are permanent, with a full membership of 1250 people, but generally there are only about 1700 people.In other words, the standing army of the entire Buenos Aires Prosecutorial Court District looks like there are about [-] people, and the loss of personnel has indeed been serious in recent years (who told you to default on military pay...).

In addition, there is a very established gentlemen's group in Paraguay, which is fully staffed, but it is actually a paramilitary organization, which is compiled by temporarily recruiting adult males from the local white residents. There are not many professional soldiers. , the maximum number of people is only two or three hundred.

Major Carlos has been trying to take away at least a thousand officers and soldiers of the Gentlemen's Regiment recently.The West India Affairs Office has sent the king’s personal letter to the governor of Peru, to the effect that the king realized that the people on the east coast were expanding rapidly in the southern New World, and planned to avoid their edge, and gradually shifted their focus to the north, namely the governorate of New Spain.Although many lands there are nominally controlled by the king, they are basically unmanaged. The kingdom only has a few exploration bases, and its strength is very weak.

This time, if the military power of the Buenos Aires Procuratorate District can be brought as far as possible to the north, then the strength of the Kingdom of Spain there will be greatly enhanced, and it can colonize all the way along the Colorado River. Take control of the Texas General District, which is infested with pirates.Even, they can transfer this group of people to the Florida General District to guard against the increasingly restless English nearby.

In short, this group of people can be of great use, provided they are willing to leave.This is what Major Carlos worries about recently. He knows that many soldiers are locals, and they are not very willing to leave their settled life and go to an unknown place to accept challenges.In particular, the people who will take over this area are the East Coasters who have always been strong, civilized, and wealthy. Their domestic newspapers and books are full of discussions about how to develop the vast La Plata. It sounds like huge money will be injected here. Local The economy will also prosper rapidly.In this case, the question arises, are you willing to stay in the local area and become a native of the East Coast, and enjoy a more affluent and peaceful life together with the economic development, or are you willing to go to the barren Colorado River Basin for His Majesty the King? What about fighting the fierce and savage Indians for his ambition and face?

Major Carlos once conducted a survey and found that the situation is not very optimistic, which is the source of his recent distress.Recently, people from the east coast have been developing a lot in La Plata. Because of the shortage of manpower, they have even gone to Buenos Aires and other big cities to recruit laborers. The salaries are not low, causing It caused a commotion among many people, including of course Spanish soldiers who generally owed their salaries for half a year to more than a year.

Therefore, the root of everything lies in money!As big as a government or as small as an organization, if the wages of subordinates cannot be paid in time, then the prestige will be out of the question.Countless Spaniards are fascinated by the wave of development set off by people from the east coast in La Plata and want to join in.Now, if it is not for people who hate people on the east coast, or people with extremely strong religious beliefs, basically they will not leave with Major Carlos. This is a very real economic problem and has nothing to do with other things.

"The East Coast guys are going to take over La Plata soon, Buenos Aires might have their guys in one day, you'd better move fast," said Jose Rodriguez. Of course I have to hurry. The East Coast government has sent an official to me to talk to me about the purchase of our family's property in Buenos Aires. To be honest, the price they offered It’s not satisfying, but at this point, what do you expect? At least they’re willing to negotiate with you instead of robbing you with a gun to your head, which is pretty good.”

"Yes, apart from religious issues, people on the east coast are still considered civilized." On this point, even an orthodox Spaniard like Major Carlos has to admit that the archway of the people on the east coast is indeed well erected.And this may also be one of the main reasons why he is unwilling to confront the East Coast people too much.

In fact, running a country is to some extent the same as running a company, and the intangible value of the brand is also quite huge.A good brand or image will give you benefits in many unexpected times, and the benefits are huge.If you really want to talk about it carefully, this is not much higher than the cost of directly robbing. It is difficult for some army reckless people who only know how to "slap Spain in the face, don't talk nonsense with them, just do it directly". .

"What will Paraguay do?" Jose Rodriguez asked suddenly, putting down the coffee cup in his hand.

"Your Majesty doesn't want to give up there, and of course we don't want to either. Didn't the people on the east coast agree to ensure that Paraguay's external traffic will not be interrupted? That's the only way to go. But it should be certain that Paraguay has set off a wave of immigration. Many people may go to Chile, Chalkas Lima, Panama, New Mexico, Cuba and other places to live, where they are relatively safe." Major Carlos replied: "I think this may be what people on the east coast want to see. People are gone, it would be easier for them to take over Paraguay, but there are too many Guaranís living there, and I don’t think they will.”

Speaking of this, the corners of Major Carlos's mouth also curled up slightly, as if those Guarani or mixed-race people could cause much trouble to the East Coast government.Limited by his own vision, he certainly didn't know how many people would be needed to fill the hole on the yellow-black dividing line in South Africa. The future of those Guarani people has already been doomed.

(End of this chapter)