Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2266 Leisure time in Chile

April 1695, 2, sunny.

Xu Xiangdong just woke up in a villa in San Diego.He gently shook the rope bell beside the bed, and after a while, a young Spanish girl came in and helped Xu Xiangdong get up and change quickly.

Although he is already in his fifties, Xu Xiangdong's body is not old. President Xu's body, who often does sports and even plays polo, can even be called strong, but he does not reject some basic benefits, such as a personal maid Serve.As the president of Nantie Group, the two-story villa in San Diego where he lives now is owned by the Nantie Trading Company under the group, and the male and female servants are also hired by the company to serve the president alone.

The villa in San Diego is one of the few assets of the Southern Railway Trading Company in the New World.Because it began to focus on the business of the Jiaoyan Railway and the affiliated areas along the Shangding Railway, Nantie Trading Company sold off most of its industries in the New World. At present, it only keeps a few warehouses or offices in some cities to maintain the shrinking Pretty powerful Peruvian trade business.The funds obtained from the sale of the property were basically invested in the Denglai and Ningshao areas to build local business networks, purchase property facilities, purchase goods, develop agents, etc. In short, they were extremely busy.

The current trade of Southern Railway Trading Company in Chile is basically limited to the purchase of local materials such as sulfur, mercury, and wood, and then re-exports some goods produced locally on the east coast. The scale is not large, and it can only be said to be barely maintained.Just like their trade volume in the city of Santiago, it only adds up to 30 to [-] yuan a year, which is not the same as the huge profits of the previous monopoly.

After getting dressed, Xu Xiangdong left the bedroom and walked towards the dining room.Standing outside the bedroom were two hired Spanish security guards. They saluted Xu Xiangdong respectfully, and Xu Xiangdong nodded indifferently in response.The two Spanish security guards in full armor are also very interesting. They have leather armor on their upper body and short breeches on their lower body, which are as long as their knees, and are wrapped with rope at the bottom; On his feet were knee-high wool socks; on his head he wore an iron helmet with padding inside, and a leather belt, which hung down his cheeks and was fastened under his beard.With such a dress, they look like soldiers of the Spanish Colonial Legion, and in fact, they are true Spanish soldiers who have retired from active service. They are now serving the people on the east coast and doing some housekeeping work.You know, the current economy in San Diego is not very good, and it is not so easy to find a job.

Because the people on the east coast have officially acquired most of La Plata, Spain in Chile is now also panicking.Many people think that maybe it won't be long before the people on the east coast will take Chile, either by paying for it or by military occupation.It should be said that these rumors have greatly impacted the fragile psychology of the Spaniards. Many Spaniards who are unwilling to be nationals of the East Coast are already seriously considering where to move.For them, the inability to redeem their souls is a very serious matter, so serious that they are willing to give up the opportunity of being people from the east coast and live in Peru instead.

Therefore, in the past two years, there have been many people selling real estate and land in San Diego.These people have basically decided to move and live further north, so they began to sell off their property in Chile on a large scale, so that they can re-establish their family business in Lima, Guayaquil, Panama and other places.The concentrated selling in a short period of time caused a comprehensive plunge in the real estate market price in San Diego. Nantie Trading Company saw the opportunity and bought the rented villas and warehouses with only a small amount of money. stronghold.

The economy of Santiago, which has experienced a large-scale flight of rich people and nobles, is naturally not much better.There was a large outflow of funds, a sharp decrease in jobs, a sharp drop in government revenue, and a large amount of salary arrears for soldiers.Later, the San Diego Town Council simply ordered the layoff of some soldiers to reduce financial pressure.Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?On the one hand, I am afraid that people from the east coast will come, and on the other hand, I am disarming, which is a very contradictory operation.But the fact is that, maybe the gentlemen of the town council think that these soldiers are idiots, and they can’t stop the East Coast Army, even for a day, so it’s better to lay off them all, and use all the money saved to pay salaries for themselves and civil servants alright.Anyway, if the east coast army appears outside the city, everyone just surrender, what a big deal!

A considerable part of the unemployed soldiers were employed by businessmen on the east coast.The Southern Railway Trading Company hired about [-] people, some of them took care of the house, and some traveled between Valparaíso and Santiago to escort the goods.As for what will these people do if they really call from the east coast in the future?In fact, the problem is not big, Xu Xiangdong once assessed that most of these people will be used by me if there is no accident.

The restaurant was temporarily set up on the balcony on the roof of the second floor, which was specially requested by Xu Xiangdong, so that he could enjoy the scenery while having breakfast.

The main city of Santiago is actually very close to the Andes. Sitting on the roof, you can see the white snow on the peaks of the mountains in the east.Imagine sitting on the top of the building, facing the gentle breeze, enjoying oatmeal, poached eggs, cod balls and other side dishes, and looking at the beautiful scenery, the mood is naturally extremely refreshing.

There was another guest who was dining with Xu Xiangdong on the roof today, and that was Park Shitang, the North Korean official who came to visit yesterday and had a long talk with Xu Xiangdong.This gentleman was standing by the railing, shaking his head, as if he wanted to chant a poem but couldn't, which made Xu Xiangdong shake his head and laugh.

"Minister Park is very elegant. Have you ever seen the Andes?" Xu Xiangdong sat down at the dining table with the help of his servants and asked with a smile.

"Majestic and majestic, majestic and majestic, but it seems to be too graceful." Pu Shitang turned his head when he heard the words, and replied.

"Come, please have a meal." Xu Xiangdong greeted Pu Shitang to sit down and eat, and then said with a smile: "I heard that there are also famous mountains in North Korea. Mount Kumgang and Mt.

"President Xu also knows Miaoxiang Mountain? Haha, that's a good place. It's a pity that it's remote and difficult to travel. It would be much more convenient if there is a railway track in your country." Park Shitang tentatively said.

"Hehe, the railway is good, but the cost is very high." Xu Xiangdong said while drinking his porridge slowly.

This Pu Shitang, ever since he heard that he was living in the city of Santiago, he has been rushing to visit him.It happened that Xu Xiangdong was also interested in North Korea, so he chatted with him, which was considered speculative.However, the North Korean Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce has a big appetite, and has been tentatively asking whether the South Railway Company can build a railway in North Korea, which is simply whimsical.Leaving aside the fact that Southern Railway is still repaying debts for the Jiaoyan and Shangding railways that were built before, let’s say that the company’s next expansion direction should also be the Pingrong Railway that crosses Denglai. You North Korea He Dehe Yes, you actually want us to repair the railway, are you too drunk?

But this Pu Shitang was also persistent, and kept saying that North Korea needed a railway, which could start from Dandong Port in Liaodong, pass through Pyongyang, Hanyang, and Busan, and run through the entire Korean Peninsula, which would bring great benefits.To be honest, Park Shitang's idea really shocked Xu Xiangdong. North Korea, a poor and weak country, actually wants to own a railway of nearly a thousand kilometers. Is it plausible?Are they going to take the lead and build it?There is no need to consider whether the East Coast government approves or not. The astronomical amount of funds required for the construction of this railway alone is enough to make Xu Xiangdong flinch. You Pu Shitang are here to make a joke, right?

Instead of going to North Korea to build a railway, it is better to listen to the advice of the Ministry of Railways, turn your energy to the country again, and build a large north-south railway in the Central Valley of Chile!The gang of big men from the Ministry of Railways even promised that they would not let China Railway or Amtrak "make trouble" for the railway west of the Andes, and would entrust the construction of the railway to the Southern Railway Company, provided that they raised their own funds.

To be honest, the conditions for this exclusive right are actually quite generous.The conditions in the Central Valley of Chile are very good, the population is also large, and the economy has been growing steadily for many years. If a north-south railway is built, extending from Liucheng Port to Santiago, it should be a very good deal. For inland areas A career in transportation was also a leap forward.But Xu Xiangdong thought about it, and finally gave up.Now that Southern Railway has left the mainland and focuses on operating the Far East, it should not be half-hearted.Now the two lines of Jiaoyan and Shangding are making stable profits. After a few years, after the debt pressure on the body is lessened, we can think of a way to repair the Pingrong line, which will be beneficial to the development of the company. Could be better.

And another reason for not building the Chilean railway is that Santiago is still Spanish territory!The king is not dead yet, so let's take the idea of ​​attacking their land, and we even have a pole as far as Santiago. Is it really appropriate to not give face?If Santiago wants to have a railway, it is better to rely on the American Railway Company. After they repair the railway from the mouth of the Bianhe River to Luoyang, they will find a way to extend it westward, and even go all the way to Chile. This may be more reliable. Some.It just so happened that the people in the executive committee were thinking all day about how to connect Shandong and Shanxi (Andes), so wouldn't a railway that crossed the Andes be just right?Hehe, Amtrak should take care of this cauldron of political correctness. Our Southern Railway Company is small and weak, but we can't do such a difficult job.

Park Shitang did not get a satisfactory answer from Xu Xiangdong, and he was not discouraged. Then he asked if he could build a railway from Pyongyang to Hanyang first to connect the two capitals.Xu Xiangdong was annoyed by the questions, so he hurriedly ended the breakfast, and then went directly to the warehouse on the pretext of busy business.The North Koreans are so ignorant, if you have the time to grind your teeth with them, you might as well check the goods and accounts carefully.

Recently, the army informed them to slowly store various supplies including food, medicine, tents, shovels, etc. in Valparaíso and Santiago in private. Thoughtful.There is no way, this is the boss's order - don't doubt, the major shareholder of the South Railway Company is the Ministry of the Army - no matter how dissatisfied, it must be carried out, so after Xu Xiangdong left the villa, he rode a horse under the protection of four guards , swaggeringly headed towards the warehouse.

(End of this chapter)