Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2399 Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves

"Sir, this is the document, please check it." On March 1700, 3, in the Xuanwu Harbor of the Turtle Islands, the captain of the "Hawthorn" respectfully took out a document and handed it to the second lieutenant who had just boarded the ship. .

In fact, according to the normal process, it should be the customs staff who check various documents at the port.It's just that about a year ago, people from the Third Fleet of the Navy arrived here and officially took over all the work of the customs.They have the authorization issued by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and have the power to inspect the personnel and goods carried by all passing ships.The reason for this is actually very simple. The current Turtle Island Islands or Xuanwu County has become a huge warehouse. The military has built eight material warehouses on a total of three islands to store weapons, ammunition, food, and fuel. , various tools and other necessities.At the same time, the Ministry of Health invested in Xuanwu Port to build a hospital with more than [-] beds—Xuanwu County People’s Hospital—the doctors in the hospital are all transferred from the local area, and all kinds of equipment are also up-to-date. Very solid.

In addition, a huge playground was specially leveled on a saline-alkali sandy land in the outskirts of Xuanwu County where food cannot be grown, and apartment-style barracks were built to accommodate more than 6000 people.These are for the accommodation and training of the officers and soldiers of the security regiments from various counties who came to participate in the war.If the militiamen who were pulled out of the field work factory wanted to enter the fighting state, it would be impossible not to conduct closed training several months in advance.Otherwise, the mentality has not been reversed after entering the battle. I am afraid that he will be laughed at by the Spaniards. The Ministry of War cannot afford to lose this person.

All of the above are special funds for the war, with a total investment of more than 65 yuan in French currency.Many people sadly pointed out that these are all one-time investments for war, and the waste is too serious.Xuanwu County has a household registration population of just over [-] people. These facilities are completely overbuilt for the county and are a waste of money.

But locals don't seem to see it that way.The influx of large sums of money has brought great prosperity to the local food market, construction market, transportation market, and service industry. Everyone's income is rising rapidly, and there is laughter everywhere, as if the war that is close at hand will affect them It's not a burden, but a money-making feast-well, it's almost the same.

The arrival of several ships such as the "Hawthorn" today has added a large amount of supplies to the warehouse on the island, including rattan hats, mosquito nets, wind balm, wind repellent oil, and cinchona cream needed for tropical jungle warfare.Of course, the largest quantity is all kinds of canned food, many of which are newly produced series in accordance with the military ration regulations of the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy in recent years, for the Army's First Mixed Regiment that will go to the island in May.

The First Mixed Regiment has many officials' children. Although they have been ridiculed and despised by other brother troops, they are still not to be underestimated. There has never been a shortage of various supplies.If there is a good opportunity to make meritorious service on the battlefield, they will also be dispatched.Just like the upcoming East-West War, the First Mixed Regiment will make its debut and land on the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, cutting off the north-south line of communication.After several other field forces have completely occupied the entire Viceroyalty of Peru, they will attack the Viceroyalty of New Spain together—no way, the Americas are too big, and the Army on the East Coast is only so small. We are stretched, unless the navy gang agrees to the army's new round of military expansion plan, but how difficult it is!

"Your destination is Jiaozhou Port in Denglai?" The second lieutenant of the Navy looked up at the brig and said in a surprised tone: "You are quite fat! There is no steam power, and the tonnage is not very large. It’s admirable for such a long-distance cross-ocean voyage.”

"It's not easy to make money these days. The Southern Railway Company has ordered a large number of railway equipment, and the freight paid is very generous. Dongbao (East Shore Insurance) has also given preferential premium rates on the basis of policies. If this business is not done, I'm afraid that the transportation system won't work in the future." The captain handed the second lieutenant a cigarette and said fawningly.

"The equipment of the South Railway?" The second lieutenant of the navy seemed to have thought of something, and said, "It's really bold. It should be the Pingrong Line Railway mentioned in the newspaper that is under construction here? Tsk tsk, the one who repaired the rubber smoke line and the upper fixed line back then The debt has not yet been paid off, and they actually went to the Mapingrong Line again. It seems that the Southern Railway Company has tasted the sweetness of those two railways. It’s just that they have been operating in such debts, and they are not afraid that the capital chain will be too tight? Haha , People in the army are always in such a hurry, as if someone is robbing them of business."

The second lieutenant's words sounded quite opinionated. The captain of the "Hawthorn" lowered his eyebrows and pleasingly, and wisely said nothing.It is not the first time for him to travel to the feudal states of the Far East, and he has also heard about the Nantie Company in Denglai and Ningshao.Since the company left the mainland and took root in the Far East, it has been carefully operating the railway and its affiliated areas. The Jiaoyan Line Railway under its operation has become a stable cash cow, and the Shangding Railway in Ningshao has also begun to make stable profits. The local traditional inland river boat transportation has been severely impacted.This will build the Pingrong Line again, and it should also see a stable profit prospect, and gradually stabilize its foundation.

In contrast, the Caribbean Shipping Company, which has a strong navy color, has been engaged in entrepot trade and plantation industry so far. It seems to make a lot of money, but there is always a feeling that its foundation is not solid enough.He always felt that in case the government took back their monopoly rights in the Caribbean-this is not impossible, after the war, the executive committee that occupied Peru and New Spain could make any decision- Air Canada is bound to be hit hard, there's no question about that.

After all, the North American continent operated by Air Canada has no people, while Denglai and Ningshao operated by Southern Railway Company are both places where people's eyes converge and the economy is prosperous. This is the biggest difference between the two companies.

The "Hawthorn" did not stay in Xuanwu Port for a long time, only three days.Three days later, after unloading the cargo and procuring supplies, the ship, together with two three-masted sailing ships, left the port, which was under construction, and continued to sail north.

They first stopped in Panama on the Isthmus of Central America, and then went to Acapulco in Mexico—it’s amazing, everyone knows that the East and West will go to war at any time, but the business can’t stop for a moment——Trade After finishing the commodities, I bought some local specialties, and then set sail, followed the southern equatorial warm current all the way to the west, and finally arrived at Jinhua Port, which is under the jurisdiction of the Tahiti Management Committee, at the end of April 1700.

To be honest, although there is only one city in Jinhua County, it is actually very vast both in terms of geographical area and sea area.It almost includes more than a dozen volcanic islands including the later Tahiti Island, with a registered population of more than 3, and is the largest transit point for people from the east coast in the Pacific Ocean.

It is worth mentioning that there are basically no Pacific Islanders in Jinhua County.Due to the policy of Zhang Jinhua, the first pioneer of the Management Committee, after the establishment of Jinhua Port, the people on the east bank used to drive boats to conquer the surrounding islands, and captured the natives to work on the main island (Tahiti Island). .There is no doubt that those plantations are very cruel. Not only is the environment harsh, but the guards (mostly descendants of the peasant army) are also vicious because of the brutal fighting with the islanders in the early days. Coupled with the impact of infectious diseases, the islanders They suffered heavy casualties, and so far there are no more than one out of ten.

Faced with such a crisis, the Tahiti Management Committee had to actively save itself.When Han Xiangdong was the director of the management committee, they reached an agreement with Ningshao and Denglai, and accepted a considerable number of Qing army prisoners and descendants of the disbanded peasant army to fill the declining total population after the death of the islanders. .

Today, in 1700, among the more than 3 people in the dozens of islands in Jinhua County, the proportion of Pacific Islanders has dropped to less than 10%, and most of the rest are mixed with people from the east coast. Democracy can be declared dead.In this regard, some domestic sociologists on the east coast are actually quite critical. They believe that this has destroyed the diversity of race and culture in the jurisdiction of the Tahiti Management Committee, but no one listens to them. The Tahiti Islands In other words, Jinhua County is continuing the irresistible process of East Coastization.Whether it is language, living habits, architectural style or food and clothing, in a few decades, the last traces of the islanders' existence will disappear in the long river of history.

The weather on the day the "Hawthorn" arrived at Jinhua Port was a bit harsh.It took a lot of effort for the three ships to escape the reef area entering the port, enter the calm atoll lagoon, and anchor.

They also traded here, selling a large amount of daily necessities and luxury goods (clocks, musical instruments, expensive handicrafts, etc.) carried on board, and then purchased a huge amount of dried fruit, sugar, pepper, and black pearls, planning to go to Labao Trade in the area under the jurisdiction of the Seoul Management Committee.

Black pearls are now considered the largest export commodity of the Tahiti Management Committee.The buttons of the military uniforms of the army and navy are all made of black pearls. Affected by this, many middle classes in the Far East and the local area also like to buy clothes with black pearl buttons. Coupled with the needs of the jewelry industry, the black pearls of the Tahiti Islands are really important. It is well-known at home and abroad and has brought huge profits to Jinhua County.

On May 1700, 5, three ships including the "Hawthorn" successfully arrived at the port of Rabaul, the largest city of the Rabaul Management Committee, after experiencing many thrills.

In the past ten years, people from the east coast have been developing more and more deeply in Rabaul.They not only newly established Motu Port, but also moved the management committee government there, and at the same time, they also vigorously developed the surrounding islands. In addition to the native islanders, there were also many people who were exiled from the mainland and the Far East. prisoner.

It is these people who use their lives and sweat to develop a large piece of land that can be called a green desert.Today, in addition to gold, sago, tropical trees, and tuna, the special products of the Rabaul Management Committee also increase the output of rice, taro, fruit, coffee, sugar cane and other commodities. In addition to marketing in this region and neighboring Australia, Markets such as the Dutch East Indies and the Far Eastern vassals have also slowly squeezed in, and the upward trend of the overall economy is very obvious.

And once the economy improves, the Rabaul Management Committee will no longer be a green desert that has changed color for outsiders, but will become a place full of golden opportunities.Businessmen are always the first to spot such opportunities, followed by workers, technicians, soldiers, religious people, and so on.However, the prisoner exile system still needs to be adhered to. It is best to obtain thousands or even tens of thousands of people in one batch, otherwise the speed of development will still be somewhat limited.

The "Hawthorn" and other ships left Rabaul Port in early June.They did not purchase sago locally, that was the business on the return journey (the local milk tea and ice cream industries have always had strong demand for this).The next destination of these three ships is not mainland China, but the Philippine Islands!

In fact, they are headed to Ishiiwei in Mindanao.This was not a planned route from the beginning, but a temporary decision made by the captain of the "Hawthorn" and approved by the other two ships.As an ocean-going businessman, it is a compulsory course to explore every possible business opportunity. Ishii Wei is not far from here, so it doesn’t hurt to take a look.

(End of this chapter)