Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2347

On July 1698, 7, the central plateau of Xinhuaxia Island.

Because the Indian Ocean anticyclone formed in the Mascarene Islands moved to about 30 degrees and spread to Xinhua Island, the humid trade wind from the southeast began to develop, and the air flow crossed the side slope near the coastline and entered the central plateau area, forming A very characteristic sinking wind.But this kind of wind that started in May and ended in September has dried up after entering the Central Plateau and cannot bring a lot of rain here.And this is one of the main reasons why the annual rainfall in the Central Plateau is significantly less than that near the coastline.But thankfully, the central plateau doesn't need as much rain, even in the dry season (cool season).

Take Tananarivo, which was just occupied by the people on the east coast, as an example. It rains about 365 days out of 160 days a year, and the annual rainfall is as high as 1300 millimeters, which is really too much.Even in the dry season from May to October, the monthly rainfall ranges from 5 to 10 millimeters. With the artificially built reservoir and irrigation system, not only will people and animals have safe drinking water, but even agricultural production will not be greatly affected. Why so much rain!

Tananarivo has now been renamed Da'an, to show the long-term peace and stability after the people from the east coast occupy here.The altitude of Da’an is 1433 meters, and the climate is very cool. The annual average temperature is between 17-18 degrees, which is similar to many temperate regions. It is not like a tropical city located at 18.5 degrees south latitude.As a result, Wang Dazhuang, who was recently promoted from the commissioner of the Hexi District Administrative Office, has already planned to move the capital of New China. The Xinhua Port is too hot and humid. Local officials on the east coast of the temperate zone have difficulty adapting, and have been looking for a new capital with a milder and cooler climate. The newly captured Da'an City seems to be a perfect solution.

Wang Dazhuang even took Batavia under the control of the Dutch as an example, pointing out that although many ponds in this city have been filled (but it is impossible to fill them completely, there is still a large amount of water in the urban area), but due to the hot climate, bacteria breed , the colonists from Northern Europe were extremely unadapted to the climate, and the death rate remained high.Although Xinhua Port has improved its municipal management and construction, and its medical and health standards are higher than Batavia's, the death rate is not low.After all, those colonists on the east coast who lived in an ice and snow environment and had distinct seasons throughout the year were also very uncomfortable when they first arrived. Even if every person on the east coast who had worked for many years did not die, he must be suffering from chronic diseases. The natives there are completely incomparable.Therefore, Wang Dazhuang insisted on moving the capital to the central plateau, and has reported the plan to the mainland for approval.

Of course, before waiting for local approval (approval is not a big problem), Wang Dazhuang is not idle. He stays in Da'an City for almost half a year, supervising the implementation of many projects and the construction of the surrounding areas of the city.

Xinhuaxia Island is rich. It exports a large amount of very profitable commodities such as pepper, sisal hemp, copra, palm oil, vanilla, coffee, cocoa, rubber, cane sugar, medicinal materials, dried fruits, gold, and high-grade seafood to the mainland every year. Bringing a lot of cash and creating countless millionaires.Due to the political nature of the Xinhua Island colony, the pioneering team government has great power and can levy heavy taxes without restriction (of course not completely unlimited). Therefore, the government's financial situation is also very good. In addition to the funding for the construction of the Ue Seng area, the subsidy for marching immigration, and the sponsorship for the Navy’s Second Fleet, the government’s annual funds for the construction of the island are still very large, almost reaching 300 million yuan, equivalent to more than 50 residents (If you ignore the equally large number of aborigines or slaves) each person paid more than a dozen dollars, and the tax burden was more than twice that of the natives.

But regardless of the tax burden, it is a fact that the government of the New China Pioneering Team has money.Before being further plundered by the mainland—there are rumors that the central government intends to formally include the taxes collected from Xinhua Island in the fiscal budget in the fiscal year 1699-1700, which is no longer the current unplanned income. It will definitely mean that the degree of squeeze will be further deepened——Wang Dazhuang plans to carry out several large projects, first to build Da'an City and its surrounding areas within dozens of kilometers, and to create a model test area for both industry and agriculture, and then use this as an example. The origin, radiating surrounding areas, and eventually developing another engine for the island's economy.

The first is to rebuild the city palace complex and other buildings left by the Melina people.The current urban structure is enough to serve as the capital of the backward Melina Kingdom, but it is far from enough for the well-informed and ambitious East Coasters.Wang Dazhuang intends to spend a lot of money to hire several well-known design teams to help design dozens of buildings including the headquarters of the pioneering team (dubbed the "Governor's Mansion" by some).In view of the fact that most of the powerful local design teams have already worked on projects in Luoyang Mansion, coupled with Wang’s personal preferences, this time he hired many architectural designers from Qing Dynasty and Shun State to design the "Governor's Mansion", Changchun Palace, Core buildings such as Da'an Railway Station, Bank Building, People's Grand Theater, Da'an Memorial Hospital, and Security Command were designed.

In these buildings, there is no doubt that Wang's personal color is very strong, reflecting his aesthetic tendency.For example, the "Governor's Mansion" almost completely copied the design drawings of the original Shandong Hengwang Mansion found from the pile of old papers. more than ten thousand yuan).The contract for the construction of the "Governor's Mansion" is from the local Communications Construction Bureau, but most of the subcontractors are from the island, which is also Wang Dazhuang's special request.He once calculated that this alone can create at least 50 jobs for Xinhua Island, which has effectively stimulated the prosperity of the island's construction industry and technological progress.

The investment in Changchun Palace is not small, but the Taoist Federation will bear more than half of the expenses.The design of this spiritual sanctuary of more than 50 people in Xinhua Island is inspired by the Tianshi Mansion in Longhushan, Jiangxi, but the people on the east coast have made some modifications according to the teachings, and the area will reach thousands of square meters. , not at all inferior to many core Taoist concepts in the local area.Same as the requirements of the "Governor's Mansion", the construction of Changchun Palace should purchase materials and hire personnel on the island as much as possible to reduce the outflow of funds-as long as the money remains in Xinhua Island, even if it is from the government to the hands of businessmen , it’s not a big problem, and it’s not a matter of wanting to recycle it in the future. After all, this is a colony, and many of them are still military areas, but local laws are not popular.

Other buildings, such as the railway station, the theater, and the security headquarters, are in traditional Chinese style, with flying eaves and painted buildings, which are exquisitely crafted.As for the bank building, telegraph office, hospital and other buildings, they are designed in an oriental modern style to maximize the use of space and efficiency.

All in all, Wang Dazhuang was determined to build a large-scale construction project in Da'an City, thinking that he would make preparations for the future "moving the capital".He expects to roughly build a prototype within five years and complete part of the building, and the cost will be controlled within 150 million yuan.After five years, even if he left the post, the problem would not be a big deal. The chief executive who took over could not ignore the half-assed project and could only continue to throw money into it.Afterwards, social funds will slowly catch up, and shops, houses, and markets in Da'an City will spring up like mushrooms, eventually making it a prosperous city and the veritable capital of Xinhua Island.

In addition to building cities, renovating the farmland water conservancy facilities that the Melina people have built for hundreds of years is also a top priority.As Wang Dazhuang, who has been in power in the Hexi region for many years and is very familiar with agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, he once admired the reservoirs and irrigation canals built by the Melina people, but he thinks this is not enough!The Melina people left Southeast Asia hundreds of years ago. Although the level of civilization is much higher than that of Africa, they are still behind.Now that people from the east coast have occupied this place, it is natural to improve it, or even rebuild it.For example, the reservoirs of the Melina people are seriously silted, most of their irrigation canals are not made of stone, and they lack water pumping stations (which means that many farmlands on the highlands cannot be effectively irrigated), etc. building.

Wang Dazhuang's plan is to invest 150 million yuan in batches within five years, first to improve the facilities in the capital and surrounding areas, and to relocate a large number of people from the east coast.He felt that Xinhua Island’s more than 50 citizens are still too few. It is best to rapidly increase the population to more than 80 during his first term of office, and most of the new population will be resettled on the Central Plateau, in order to form a core as soon as possible. agricultural model area.

Xinhuaxia Island is still importing grain from the Hezhong area and Northwest India, which is a shame!Wang Dazhuang absolutely cannot accept that this kind of thing continues to happen.In the past, it was fine if there were no conditions. The coastline occupied by the New China Pioneering Team has a lot of precipitation and high temperature, which is suitable for planting cash crops. But now that there is a relatively cool central plateau, wouldn’t it be useless not to plant food?In the future, the Tadong Railway will be further extended to Da'an City, linking the central plateau grain-producing areas (including the rice-growing area of ​​Jinsha Lake) with the coastal areas with strong consumption capacity to form a complementary economic structure.

In addition, a related light industry system based on this agricultural area can also be established.Don’t businesses like breweries, dairy factories, rice mills, noodle mills, oil mills, canneries, tanning factories, cigarette factories, etc. develop and wait for the New Year?In later generations, there were a large number of such enterprises in Tananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, and its surrounding areas. Its area is less than one-tenth of the entire island, but it has 24% of the total population and created 35% of the country's industrial and agricultural output value. , all for a reason.

As for heavy industry, the chromite ore along the Tadong Railway, the large coal field in the south (the Sakua coal field has a reserve of more than 10 billion tons, which is not considered a small coal field even in the 21st century), and the nickel ore in the west are all valuable for mining.In addition, the large amount of hydropower resources in the central plateau must also be utilized. The water pours down from the plateau, and the river course has a huge drop. If the local licensed technology is exported, then the conditions for the development of hydropower are very favorable.

In short, after occupying the Central Plateau, the construction of Xinhua Island will enter a new period.The construction industry will flourish first, and then agriculture and deep processing of agricultural products will quickly catch up. During this period, there may be some investment in mining and transportation. It is estimated that the total investment in five years will be around 500 million yuan.This amount of money, if the mainland does not suddenly increase the tax payment amount of Xinhua Island (currently 300 million yuan is taken away every year, mainly used for local flood control and water diversion projects in semi-arid areas), the government of the Xinhua Development Team can still afford it of.

People from the east coast have been operating the fourth largest island in the world for 60 years. Relying on its unique climate, special geographical location (meaning that the entrepot trade is very prosperous) and rich resources, it has finally produced a lot of fruit.Its importance to the mainland on the east coast is even much higher than that of the rich Ningshao—what’s interesting is that a few years ago, the Ningshao region transported silver to the mainland for the first time, and the amount was also 300 million yuan—I believe so When the people on the east coast fully control the entire island, when the population increases substantially and the economy prospers rapidly, the value of the island will rise to a higher level.

The fourth largest island in the world, even if it really becomes independent in the future, it will definitely be a unique existence in the circle of Chinese civilization.The people are rich, the commerce is developed, and the tourism resources are abundant. Once the traffic conditions are greatly improved (such as the invention of large cruise ships or jet airliners), then this large island will become the back garden of the Chinese civilization circle more than one billion or even more than 20 billion people. , the future must be limitless!

(End of this chapter)