Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2407 Morocco ([-])

"This place in Morocco is not bad, not as bad as imagined." In June 1700, in the castle outside the city of Chefchaouen, Lieutenant Colonel Bai Chuanping, head of the Army's Sixth Mixed Regiment, had tea and chatted with Cai Zhenguo.

The old castle is actually not very "ancient", because it is only about 100 years old.Because its owner had serious anti-east bank behaviors in the previous war (organizing cavalry to attack the supply line of the army on the east bank), his family fled south after the war and took refuge in Fez.But the monk couldn't run away from the temple if he ran away. The old castle and the large farmland outside were confiscated by the people on the east coast and became state-owned property.

The castle should continue to be used by the military in the future. Because it is small and dark, it is neither suitable for office nor for living. It also has military defense functions, so it just makes the best use of it.The fields outside the fort will be sold at a low price to the people from the east coast who are willing to immigrate.The Moroccans have been in business for hundreds of years. The land is flat, irrigation facilities are complete, and even farmhouses and houses are ready-made. As long as there are immigrants, benefits can be generated immediately.

However, this immigration is not easy after all!Although the counties of Danji and Ceuta have a Mediterranean climate, with a lot of precipitation and a beautiful environment, they are still far away in Europe.It takes two or three months to travel from the mainland by the latest liner, which greatly reduces its attractiveness.Moreover, even if you want to immigrate to Europe, why not go to Haji County, which is more economically developed?The environment on the coast of the Black Sea is also very beautiful, and the income there is high. Even a small worker who washes dishes can earn as much as the middle class in London. Don't be too comfortable living the addiction of the rich.Danji County and Ceuta County were founded, except for some broken ports and farmland, there is almost nothing, why let me go?

This is the contradiction, and there is no solution if you think about it carefully.Now that the country has passed the early days, people are no longer required to make contributions, so how to force them to immigrate there?

"The place is good, but it's useless if no one is there. These two counties are not small in size, and they don't feel cramped at all with 10 people living in them. Leader Bai, we are now in the same boat, and we are all prosperous. You can help me find a way, How can we get enough immigrants?" Cai Zhenguo picked up his teacup, but put it down again, with a worried look on his brows.

"Difficult!" Bai Chuanping didn't say much, just one word.

"By the way, don't the Moroccans think about it? There are quite a lot of them." Bai Chuanping asked with a smile, as if he had forgotten how he dealt with those Moroccans before.

Cai Zhenguo glanced at him and said nothing, but the meaning was already very clear, no!

It is said that during the six months since the people on the east coast formally accepted the counties of Danji and Ceuta, they have severely rectified the Moroccans in the territory.They have extreme distrust of these aliens, and think that they are all potential anti-Eastern elements, so they have used many powerful methods.One is to settle accounts after the fall, that is, to arrest people who have anti-Eastern behaviors during the war, including but not limited to resisting taxes and food, resisting shipments, tipping off, spreading dangerous speeches, and directly rebelling against the East. With the acquiescence of the two, the expansion was carried out, so the total number of Moroccans involved reached more than 6. They were all imprisoned in concentration camps, and compiled together with the population captured from Fes and other places in the south. Several road construction teams repaired the infrastructure in the territory.

Is this routine familiar?In fact, it was the same thing that people from the East Coast did in Shandong back then.However, the landlords, gentry, and Qing army prisoners were arrested back then, and the number was very large. The roads and ports in Denglai were well renovated, and the benefits have been benefited to this day.Moroccans will soon "enjoy" this kind of treatment, and the infrastructure of the two counties of Danji and Ceuta will inevitably begin to improve at an astonishing speed in the next few years.

The second major method used by people on the east coast is religion.In fact, it is still the old routine, which is to force the people in the occupied areas to convert to East Coast Taoism.Remember the excuse the East Coasters used to go to war?By the way, that's right, the missionaries are missing.Now that the war has been won, the Moroccan Sultan has ceded land and paid compensation, and the soldiers on the east coast are rampant north of 34 degrees north latitude, so it is time to spread the majesty and benevolence of Tianzun.

The army directly stated that, except for foreign businessmen who came to trade, all Moroccans must convert to East Coast Taoism.If you don't believe me, I'll give you a chance, pack up your bags and leave immediately, and go back to the Moroccan Sultanate in the south, and the people on the east coast will not interfere at all!As for the property you left after you left, we are also fair and paid to buy it back, although the price seems a bit unacceptable.

It should be said that religious belief plays a very important role in people's lives in this era, and Moroccans are no exception.Their ancestors lived here for generations and believed in the Green religion. It is really difficult for them to suddenly convert to a strange religion at this time.Therefore, a large number of people fled to the south with their families. The two counties of Danji and Ceuta are almost empty, and the countryside is also sparsely populated. There are vacant houses and abandoned farmland everywhere. Many people don’t even want their property. I can't wait for the officials from the east coast to come over to value and redeem it, so I will just get out of here.

In fact, the East Coast people are also happy.Of course they need people, but they don't want everyone.If there are too many Moroccans, it will simply plant a bomb for the next decades or even centuries of rule.After all, the homeland of the Moroccans in the south is still there, and they are of the same origin, and their appeal is still quite strong. If they encounter competitors doing bad things again, the two counties of Danji and Ceuta will never have peace.It's good to leave now, once everything is over, the source of turmoil will be gone, and you won't have to worry about it in the future.

The third tactic the East Coasters concocted was blatant discrimination.After officially exercising governance power at the end of last year (1699), the east coast businessmen who originally lived in Ceuta Port rushed over like sharks smelling of blood, dominating the commercial order of the two counties.These people's family property is relatively rich - nonsense, otherwise they would not come to do this overseas trade - although the population of Danji and Ceuta counties has dropped sharply in a short period of time, there may not be many opportunities for the time being, but they will be blocked in advance The instinct to take advantage of the position drove them to rush over.Anyway, it doesn't cost much, so why not do it?

Naturally, the original local Moroccan businessmen couldn't resist, and retreated one after another, losing a lot of business privileges.They were reduced to second-class people overnight and couldn't bear the anger, so they packed up their bags and left in anger, so as not to stay and suffer.

As for some local craftsmen who make a living by handicrafts, they are often discriminated against. They are inspected by soldiers on the east coast (the local area is still under military control) from time to time, and sometimes they suffer from fists and kicks. Go south and start over.

As a result, under these three major policies, a large number of Moroccans in the two counties of Danji and Ceuta lost within six months, and they went to their own motherland in the south.According to the latest statistics of the East Coast Army, the total number of Moroccan businessmen, artisans, farmers, herdsmen, and fishermen remaining in the two counties of Danji and Ceuta is less than [-] (excluding those prisoners in concentration camps who have no personal freedom). People were taken aback.

Those who remained were naturally willing to convert to East Coast Taoism.Regarding their choice, Cai Zhenguo and Bai Chuanping did not have much to say.Let's live a good life and pay taxes according to the regulations. After all, Danji and Ceuta counties also need a little popularity, and local work also needs people to complete, so that's it.

"Tuan Zhang, you should help me think of a way. You are also very aware of the importance of the two counties of Danji and Ceuta. Guard the Strait of Gibraltar. As long as this place is managed well, no ship entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea will be able to escape from us. The palm of your hand." Cai Zhenguo continued: "Besides, your army lacks a good foothold in Europe. As long as you help me with this, then I will write to the mainland, and I have to leave a county for your army. Let’s talk, do you like Danji County or Ceuta County? Let you choose first. You fought here, and the navy has little effort. It’s not good to eat both counties. You have the right to choose first.”

When Cai Zhenguo said this, Bai Chuanping's heart moved suddenly.Yeah, the Army does need a foothold on the Continent.Viana do Castelo in Portugal is good, but after all, it is rented land from others, and the area is very small, surrounded by Portuguese people, cultural and language barriers, so it is meaningless.The same is true for the Campo Morone Fortress in northern Italy. It is just a military base, and it is shared by the East and Italy. It is surrounded by Italian mountain people, in the wilderness. The officers have no place to play when they are on vacation. Depressed tightly.

But Ceuta and Danji counties are different!This is the land of the east coast, and the future will definitely be dominated by the residents of the east coast, with the same culture and language.And depending on its geographical location, it will definitely receive central funding for construction in the future, and economic development is a high probability event.If the East Coast Army took one of the counties—even if only for a while—it would be a very good deal indeed to have the headquarters of the European Expeditionary Force here.

Thinking of this, Bai Chuanping felt that it was necessary to discuss with the local bigwigs.It is rare for the white shirts of the Department of Foreign Affairs to be so good at it, it would be a pity to seize this opportunity.As for where to get people, hey, there are always more ways than difficulties!Big deal, find a way to send an official document to the two mixed groups in the Far East, let them think about recruiting, and see if they can recruit some people in mainland China.Seeing that there will be another war over there, the people's life must be very difficult, and it should still be possible to recruit tens of thousands of people.

With immigrants from the Far East as the basic base, and supplemented by local businessmen, technicians, religious figures, and soldiers, the backbone of the two counties of Danji and Ceuta has almost been established.As long as the economy improves in the future, it can continue to attract immigrants and achieve a virtuous circle.

This business is promising!

(End of this chapter)