Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2293 Pampa (39)

South Cone area, January 1696, 1.

The sky is blue and the air smells of green grass.In front of a farm in the north of Sheyan Township, Dingnan County, an old man with a pipe between his lips was repairing a fence.

This farm is not big, about seven or eight houses.The texture of the houses is all brick or stone. In order to adapt to the harsh environment, the houses here have always been extremely strong and practical.They can be used to house people, livestock, storage rooms, and even fortresses.

Yang Yang and Cai Daoxing leaned side by side on horseback. Behind them, there were several soldiers holding prey. It seemed that they were hunting people.

The Wolf Green Dog pricked up its ears alertly, then barked frantically at the approaching uninvited guest.The old man scolded a few times, and the dog calmed down immediately, but still looked at Yang Yang and his party with vigilant eyes.The old man didn't believe that the visitor was malicious, and like most hospitable hostesses in the Southern Cone, he invited the group to his home.

As soon as you enter the fence, what you see is a large-scale vegetable garden.The verdant vegetables, the watermelon that looks like it weighs several catties, and the attractively colored tomatoes all make Yang Yang and Cai Daoxing happy.On the right side of the garden, several apple trees and pear trees stand there, separating a small strawberry field.Strawberries are growing now, they are green and red, and they smell refreshing.

An old lady came out of the main room.She was small, and age had gradually shrunk his stature.With a smile, she warmly invited a group of people to the house as guests.Yang and Cai thanked each other again and again, and followed inside, while the entourage consciously stayed outside, washed the horses, and even helped the old couple repair fences and farm tools.

The decoration in the main room is very simple, it seems that no one else lives except the old couple.After questioning, I found out that, sure enough, the three children of the old couple were not around. Among them, the eldest was serving in the naval battery of Yancheng Port, the second was working in the Nanhai Fishery Company, and the youngest son was doing some small business in Dingnan County. I seldom return to the rural side of Sheyan Township.

After brewing a pot of yerba mate tea, the old man gathered around with Yang and Cai, chatting while drinking tea.The old lady returned to the spinning wheel in the corner, twisting the thread with one hand, and putting away the basket of wool that had been picked with the other.Every time a spindle of yarn is spun, she carefully collects it and waits for the merchant who collects the yarn to come to sell in the future.The old lady at work seemed very calm. She had already gotten used to these boring jobs over the long years.She didn't have a trace of impatience, and while she was working, she was listening to the guests talking about all kinds of interesting things outside, with a smile on her lips.

A private came in, and after whispering to Yang Yang, he went out again and took out a turkey from the game bag under the saddle—the turkey was imported from New Spain many years ago—and several others Someone has set up a pot in the yard, and hot water is boiling in the pot.Soon, a hearty turkey dinner will be on the scene.

"Is life okay now?" After chatting about anecdotes for a while, Yang Yang, the captain of the cavalry of the East Coast Army, asked.He is a senior company commander of the cavalry regiment, and his grandfather is Yang Mingyang, a veteran of the army who has been in charge of Patagonia for many years.Now he has also come to the place where his grandfather fought to garrison and train, and he feels very close emotionally.

"Okay, okay. The railway is open, and life is much better." The old man grinned and said, "We grow some melons, fruits and vegetables on weekdays, and sell them in the market. The woolen yarn spun by the boss is also regularly visited by people. Take it, life is not bad."

It is said that the east bank government has made great efforts to build the wool transportation alignment railway. After nine years of intermittent construction, one of them has finally been opened. It crosses the railway in three counties of Dingnan, Luyang and Yancheng to the east.After this road is opened to traffic, the entire river-forming oasis in the Ludang River Basin will be blessed. The local famous fruits, wool, mutton, leather and other materials can be transported all the way east through this traffic artery to Yancheng Port, an important port in the south. And then sold to all parts of the country.

It can be said that the traffic bottleneck that originally restricted the sales of agricultural products in the Ludang River Basin has been broken, and the problem of high import costs of foreign materials has also been solved. The economy of the entire region has become active, and people's income has naturally increased.Just like the old man in front of him, although his home is still some distance from the nearest train station, the fruits, wool yarn, sheepskin, and mutton produced by his home can still be transported to Dingnan County by small punting boats on the Jinsha River, and then loaded and transported to the coast. Compared with the past, the port is really a heaven and an underground.It's a pity that the old couple are getting old, and none of the three sons are willing to inherit the family business. They have all gone outside to develop. They have been unable to continue to expand the planting area.Even after a few years, when they can't do it at all, how to deal with the land at home will be a very scratchy thing.

Agriculture is not attractive!

In addition, another part of the wool transport line has not yet been completed.This railway covers Jincheng, Shangluo, Shuofang, Pule, Xuanwu, Daliang and some parts of Yancheng. So far, only the coastal part, namely the section from Qiaocheng Port to Yancheng Port in Xuanwu County, has been completed and is ready for trial operation.As for the rest, the American Railway Company has not had time to take care of it. To put it bluntly, it is poor and short of funds!

Fortunately, the priority of this railway is relatively high, and the funding for the Great Northern Railway and Marching Railway under construction is not as high as it.The American Railway Company expects that if all goes well, the railway will be opened to traffic within three to five years, so that the rich wool resources in the inland areas can be transported out for the production of woolen textile enterprises in the coastal areas.Now, the situation in the woolen market is really good, and the high temperature continues, making this railway more and more important in the eyes of the upper class.

But they still have to hurry up, and it is best to take advantage of the precious time window of these few years to get more money and quickly repair the railway.Otherwise, if the construction of various railways leading to the new capital Luoyang Prefecture also starts in the future, the construction funds for the dedicated wool transportation line will inevitably be squeezed out, and the situation will become complicated again.So we must hurry up, there is no second way to go!

"It's good to have a good life." Yang Yang echoed.The flames under the iron pot outside the door were blazing, and the dry wood crackled, and everyone fell silent for a while.The old lady squinted her eyes, placed the twisting hammer between her legs, and continued spinning.The gray clouds clipped from the sheep in the spring turned to wispy white threads, and the spinning wheel hummed, and no one wanted to break the stillness until the smell of turkey dinner wafted in from outside.

Yang and Cai invited the old couple to have lunch together, and they happily agreed.The soldiers brought out wine, cans, dry food and cakes, and everyone sat around the iron pot and had an unforgettable lunch.When we were leaving after lunch, the old couple went to the garden to pick some strawberries for everyone, which was very touching.Maybe they would be very happy to have someone to accompany them. The children are far away and busy with their own careers. Although they live a peaceful and peaceful life in the countryside, they are still a little empty after all!

"I'm going to be stationed in the north next month. Are you still collecting wool here?" Riding on the horse, Yang Yang asked Cai Daoxing.Cai Daoxing is the grandson of Cai Huaze, the former commissioner of the Northern Patagonia Regional Administration. He currently has no public office. He is a wool merchant and has purchasing stations in Dingnan County and other places.Because of the relationship between their ancestors who worked together, the relationship between the two is relatively good, and they often play and hunt together.

Yang Yang mentioned "going to the north to garrison", in fact, because some new settlements have been established in the dry pampa area in the north, and they need their cavalry company to help take care of it in the early stage.Their more than a hundred riders were responsible for the security of seven settlements, namely: Anche Township (located near the later town of Puerches), Guanglu Township (located near the later May 25th Town), Woye Township (located near the later city of Rincon de los Sousos), Shanquan Township (located near the small town of Butaranquil in the later generations), Wumei Township (located near the later city of Malaguay), Shisai Township (located in the later Algarrobo· near the small town of Del Aquila), Bumin Township (near the later town of Limay Mavida).Some of these settlements use water sources such as rivers and mountain springs to open up agricultural land, and some are mining towns, all of which are relatively important, so the task is still relatively heavy.Fortunately, the local natives have almost cleaned up, so there shouldn't be any major incidents.

In addition, in the mountainous area west of Dingnan County, due to the relatively abundant rainfall, people gradually went to the area for reclamation over the past ten years, and several settlements have been formed so far, namely: Jilu Township (located near the later city of Josmaral) , Kenmu Township (located near the later town of Hervecu), Anshan Township (located near the later town of Longkepuai), Heguaizi Township (located near the later town of Las Lajas), Lvguo Township ( Located near the later town of Longjimai), there are a total of five settlements, and more than 1 people have lived there.The reason is that the climate in the mountains is cooler, the local water resources are much more abundant than those at the bottom of the mountains, and the flat land between the mountains is also large, so it is a unique place.

The Ministry of Communications also pays more attention to this area, because after careful investigation, they found that the mountain valley here is not only large in size and wide enough, but also low in altitude, which is an important passage to the Chilean region of Shanxi.Even, they have the urge to build a railway here, that is, to directly extend the wool transportation line, and then lead to the central valley of Chile. tunnel.The only worry is that the relatively heavy snowfall in winter will cause trains to stop running and the utilization rate of railways will drop.So, after much deliberation, they found that in the case of relatively tight funds, it is better to build other railways first, and come back to build this road when they have money later.

Isn't there a story about the horizontal railway crossing the Andes from the mainland on the east coast to Chile?The agricultural conditions in Chile are so superior, the mineral resources are so rich, the offshore fishery resources are so abundant, and the strategic location is so important. There are not many strategic roads and railways leading there. Can the members of the Executive Committee rest assured?The answer is obvious.

"Now that the northern line of the special wool transportation line has been opened, I will naturally take root here for a long time. You see, I have invested and built such a large logistics and storage base in Dingnan County, and I can't leave anymore. Next, my whole family will move here In the future, I will be the one who will make trouble." Cai Daoxing replied with a smile: "Collect the wool first, and stabilize the supply relationship. After accumulating a little profit and repaying some debts owed to the bank, I will find a way to get involved Other industries. The quality of the fruits here is so good, who can’t be envious! Anyway, I reserved a part when I bought the land, and it will be very convenient to expand the warehouse in the future.”

"Your business is very smooth." Yang Yang also smiled and said: "When you set foot in the food industry, why, are you drifting away, or are the industry giants such as Dafeng Food, Songhe Food, and Ma's Food unable to raise their swords? I think Without these people, you can’t win the lawsuit-ridden Chuangji Investment Company, right? Don’t aim too high, take your time. The wool business is actually not that easy to do, and the competition is fierce. You are an outsider, It's not that simple to compete with those local snakes in Dingnan County. Even though your grandfather has been in power here for many years, and your father has also served as the head of Luyang County for five years, I'm afraid there are still some shortcomings. , But the iron law of officialdom. When your grandfather was alive, these white shirts still respected you a little, but now that they are gone, the affection has faded. I have seen too many of these crap. "

As if remembering something, the two friends with similar backgrounds sighed together and said nothing.There was a burst of singing from the sky. Listen carefully, but it is the famous song "Uruguay River" on the east bank. Maybe it is a shepherd walking on the vast grassland to relieve loneliness.Breathing the clear and transparent air, the clouds in the sky are reflected on the clear river, which is as beautiful as a mirror of the sky.The scenery is so beautiful, but the people are so sad, which makes people feel a little regretful.

"Haha, I'm just kidding, don't be dejected." After a long time, Yang Yang said with a sudden smile: "The wool market is so big, no one has the ability to eat it all! In my opinion, the next ten or twenty years will be in rapid growth In the short term, your investment will only bring you rich returns. As for the future, don’t even think about diversification, why bother? The competition in the food industry is too fierce. On the contrary, the textile industry has great potential! Those state-owned textile factories are now Old and dead, although the market share is still huge, I'm afraid it won't come back to life. These factories have terrible internal problems, and their profit margins have been declining year after year. If you are brave enough, you might as well enter this industry. There are some leaders. If there is a little more luck, the future wool textile giant may just turn out. Haha."

Cai Daoxing also laughed when he heard the words, but he didn't speak.The road is made step by step, let's keep our feet on the ground first.

(End of this chapter)