1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 402 New Immigrants

April 1629, 4, Sanya Luhuitou Peninsula, immigration isolation camp.

Four queues more than ten feet long lined up outside the gate of the camp, and at the end of the queue was the food distribution point under the awning.Everyone must wait in line according to the straight line drawn with lime powder on the ground. If anyone tries to jump in line or intentionally disturb the order of the line, security guards in the camp will soon come to maintain order with short black sticks. You will be beaten head-to-head and face-to-face.If you are still not convinced, you will be dragged out of the queue and thrown into another camp hundreds of feet away—a hard labor camp.If he entered that place, he would have to serve 30 days of hard labor at the earliest before he would have a chance to come out.

These security guards who maintain order in the immigration isolation camp are different from the official Haihan police. They are only selected from the reserve militia and serve as security guards here at different times to alleviate the shortage of police in the judiciary.These people basically have their own jobs, and they just do part-time jobs here during non-working hours to earn extra income. Although they can’t say they have any fighting power, the wooden batons and copper whistles they are given are enough to deal with these unarmed immigrants. .

Ruan Jinggui was holding a large coarse porcelain bowl with an eight-inch diameter in his hand, and he was also obediently standing in the queue waiting for his turn.This kind of large bowl, worth at most a few copper plates, doesn't even have the usual decorative patterns on it. On the wall of the bowl, there are eight Chinese characters "Save food, waste is shameful", and there is a sign of "Shengli Port Ceramics Factory" on the bottom of the bowl. Seals and chopsticks are just ordinary bamboo chopsticks.The bowls and chopsticks were put down by human hair when they entered the immigration isolation camp. If they were placed in the past, Ruan Jinggui would not even take a look at them. But here, everything must be done by yourself. If there is no The bowls and chopsticks, it is very likely that you will not even have to eat.

Although Ruan Jinggui did not enter the officialdom when he was in Annan, he was still a nobleman, and after opening his eyes every day, he was served by someone for his daily necessities. experience.When he came here as a peace envoy last year, Ruan Jinggui also received the diplomatic treatment that an envoy should have. The Haihan people even sent someone to take care of his affairs.However, when he came to the area under the rule of the Haihan people this time, the situation was not what it used to be, and there was indeed a certain psychological gap for him.

Before leaving Annan, Ruan Jinggui had very direct exchanges with Yan Chujie, Wang Tom and other high-level Haihan officials. You can choose whether to join the business department under the executive committee of Haihan.Ruan Jinggui knew that this was actually a disguised recruitment. For a party like him who leads the way, getting such a way out is already a pretty good ending, so he agreed without hesitation and took a sea trip with his family. Han's big ship came here.

However, after arriving here, the promises made by the Haihan people were not fulfilled immediately, and he and his family were sent to men's camps, women's camps and children's camps respectively.When Ruan Jinggui came here last year, he knew that the Haihan people had this rule for new immigrants, but he never imagined that he would enjoy such treatment one day.According to the explanation given by the immigration officials, all newly arrived immigrants must go through a seven to fourteen-day quarantine and observation period in this camp to ensure that they are free of hidden diseases before they are allowed to enter the city to live.Although Ruan Jinggui's group of immigrants from South Vietnam had a special status, they also had to check in according to this rule.And for the sake of safety, during their stay in the isolation camp, except for a small change of clothes, all luggage must be handed over to the Immigration Administration under the Ministry of Civil Affairs for inspection and storage.

Most of these South Vietnamese immigrants came from powerful families, and they brought some personal belongings with them when they came. Naturally, they would not rest assured that they would be handed over to the Haihan people. For this reason, they even had a fight with the management personnel of the camp, and were almost dragged out. Sent to a labor camp.In the end, Ruan Jinggui, who is more familiar with the people of Haihan, came out to quell the dispute. His reason for persuading his companions was also very simple-if the Haihan people really wanted to rob your property, they would have already robbed it in Hue, and there was no need to wait for it. Now is the time to do it.Besides, after being repeatedly squeezed by the Haihan people, there are actually not many valuables around him, so how can that little money be compared to his own life and gold?

The accommodation conditions in the immigration isolation camps are not ideal. Regardless of rich or poor, or background, they all live in boat-shaped houses with uniform regulations.The men's camp has a room of ten people. Ruan Jinggui and his group come here with more people, so all the people living together are members of the Ruan clan. Because of his status, Ruan Jinggui was also appointed as the temporary head of the house, responsible for counting the number of people every night, organizing The staff of the same dormitory listened to the policy presentation in the afternoon and other affairs.

Although sleeping on the bamboo beds in the dormitory is not comfortable, in the eyes of these immigrants from South Vietnam, it is still better than living in the city of Hue, where the artillery is rumbling every day.From the time when the Haihan militia attacked Hue City at the end of February, to the time the city was broken and captured at the end of March, these people hardly slept a full night's sleep.After arriving in Sanya, I was completely relieved. Not far from the camp area is the army station of the Haihan Militia. Every day, I can hear the soldiers in the barracks shouting their numbers, and I can still see Haihan’s soldiers in the morning and evening. The figure of the warship cruising on the nearby sea, under the protection of the powerful force of the militia, simply made these new immigrants who had just left the battlefield feel a sense of security.

Although the immigrants have not been assigned jobs for the time being, their daily schedule is still very full.The wake-up call will be heard at [-] o'clock in the morning. Everyone must gather outside the dormitory for roll call.

Breakfast starts at eight o'clock and ends at nine o'clock. If you want to go back to sleep, if you miss this meal, you can only be hungry until the afternoon.Because no physical labor was arranged for the immigrants, the camp only provided two meals in the morning and one evening. The content was basically rice porridge with seasonal vegetables, and there would be an additional vegetable the next day-locally produced salted fish.This kind of food is enough for the poor people who come here to survive, but it is a bit difficult for nobles like Ruan Jinggui.Especially when he recalled the various Haihan delicacies he had tasted when he was here as an envoy last year, he felt that the difference in treatment now was too great.

After the breakfast time, the management staff will gather the immigrants in each dormitory and go to the square at the entrance of the camp to have a big class, the content is to learn Haihan Mandarin.Immigrants from different regions and with different accents followed the sound from the loudspeaker and practiced their daily expressions over and over again.

"Hello Chief!" "Report to Chief!" "Serve the Executive Committee!" "Please wait in line!"

Although they may not fully understand the meaning of these words, most people will learn and remember these everyday expressions honestly.They will live under the rule of the Haihan Executive Committee in the future, and this is one of the survival skills that must be mastered.Immigrants from Ming and North Vietnam have a better foundation in this aspect and can learn it faster, but the accent in South Vietnam is more Malay, and it will be more difficult to change language habits.Fortunately, people from aristocratic backgrounds like Ruan Jinggui have generally studied Chinese culture systematically, and many of them can speak a little Mandarin with Guangdong and Guangxi accents. It is not particularly difficult to learn Haihan Mandarin now.

The language class lasts until noon, and then there is a two-hour break.At [-] o'clock in the afternoon, everyone had to attend class again and listen to the civil affairs cadres explaining the local immigration policy.For immigrants who plan to settle here for a long time, this course is also very important, because the civil affairs cadres have made it very clear at the beginning of the course that the laws and regulations here are different from those in Daming, Annan or other places. If you abide by the law, you can live happily here, but if you don't understand or don't abide by the rules formulated by the executive committee, what awaits the violators will be a long sentence in a hard labor camp.

Of course, this course is not only about immigration and naturalization policy, but also involves all aspects of immigrants' life here in the future.In particular, personal property, land system, housing, education, etc. that immigrants are very concerned about can get a deeper understanding from this course.Ruan Jinggui had a lot of things that he didn't understand when he came last time, but he heard very detailed explanations and explanations here.

Immigrants will be assigned a job and a place of residence immediately after the quarantine period is over. After at least one month of internship, they can apply to the civil affairs department for naturalization with better treatment.The native place of the naturalized people is not obtained after the application, and there is also a certain degree of competition. Only those who perform well at work or have special skills are more likely to be approved as soon as possible.

Of course, special personnel like Ruan Jinggui don't need to worry about this, because the Haihan people have already explained this at the beginning, as long as he chooses to work in the business department under the executive committee, he will immediately get the native place of naturalized people.And as long as they are assigned to a work unit in advance, as long as they obey the assignment after the quarantine period is over, they can get such treatment. For example, the unit assigned to his brother Ruan Jingwen is the Police Department under the Ministry of Justice. Ruan Jingwen once served as the commander of the city defense of Hue, which has a certain relationship.

Only after obtaining naturalized citizenship can they obtain some corresponding treatment in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Executive Committee.For example, free schooling for children, purchase of housing, medical insurance, etc., these are opportunities that non-naturalized citizens have to spend a lot of money to enjoy.Of course, the most important thing is that if you want to get promoted in Haihan's social system, the first condition is to have the native place of naturalized people, otherwise, no matter how powerful you are, no matter how rich you are, it will be useless.Those who want to live in the apartment have chosen to go to Guangzhou, and these Ruan clansmen who settled in the area under Haihan’s rule naturally plan to look like themselves, so obtaining naturalization is also a necessary step for them. .

However, Haihan's civil affairs policies are too complicated. Ruan Jinggui has attended the lecture for three days in a row, but it is said that he hasn't even covered half of it. Those who have a poor memory may have forgotten the content of the previous few days. .

And the most interesting time of the day is the cultural promotion after the course ends.In this link, there are some characteristic local folk arts of Guangdong and Guangxi arranged by the propaganda department. Of course, the content is still to preach the local civil affairs and people's sentiments, to shape the tall image of the Executive Committee and the happy life of the people under its rule.For ordinary people, performances in these forms of folk art are naturally more interesting than dull courses.After babbling and singing for a while, there will be early veteran naturalized people who will give speeches on stage. These specially selected naturalized people are all articulate, and after being trained by the propaganda department, they have also mastered a certain amount of speech. Oratory skills, coupled with their personal experience and programmed speech content, are quite effective for the emotional agitation of new immigrants.

After going through a whole isolation period of brainwashing, even if the vast majority of immigrants can’t talk about how loyal and supportive they are to the Executive Committee, they are at least full of hope and enthusiasm for their new living environment and jobs, and they clearly know that What kind of treatment and rewards can I get after paying for my labor.

Of course, special personnel like Ruan Jinggui are still different. Those who have been assigned positions in advance basically mean that they have entered the bureaucratic system of Haihan, and the various rules and treatment in this system will not be here. On such occasions, explanations are given to new immigrants who have not yet obtained naturalization.After the quarantine period is over, there is still a seven-day job adaptation period of on-the-job training and practice. That is when he really gets in touch with his future life direction.

After the lecture on literature and art, the sky began to gradually darken, and it was time for dinner.Everyone returned to the dormitory to pick up the bowls and chopsticks. After gathering, they went to the distribution point at the gate of the camp to line up for food.

After living in the camp for a few days, Ruan Jinggui discovered that the Haihan people attached great importance to cultivating the organization and obedience of the people.Like the dormitory for ten people in this camp, these ten people have to gather together for their daily activities, whether it is listening to lectures or eating, they must act in units of ten people, and they will be randomly checked by civil affairs officials at any time, so the management is strict Comparable to a military camp.Another feature is that you have to line up in order on various occasions, whether it is eating, showering, receiving daily necessities, or even going to the toilet. rule.

Ruan Jinggui’s platoon was very near the front, and it didn’t take long for them to arrive at their round. This was also because Ruan Jingwen, a former South Vietnamese military officer, lived in their hut. Every time they assembled, they gathered faster than those who lived in the same period. The other dormitories are faster for a while.But today's dinner is really nothing to look forward to, it's still the same rice porridge with fried seasonal vegetables, and today's special dish - a three-inch long salted fish per person.

Due to the abundance of salt in the area under the Haihan rule, and the increasingly developed shipbuilding industry in the area, the value of salted fish in the local area is even lower than that of rice of the same weight. Immigrants get a little meat at the right time.And the queue next to it is where the staff of the camp receive their food. Seeing that their food includes shrimps, crabs, pickled vegetables, and even the salted fish is half as long as the one in his own bowl, Ruan Jinggui couldn't help swallowing silently. saliva.

"What are you looking at! Keep an eye on the food in your own bowl!" As if feeling the gaze from the side, a security guard who was cooking turned his face and shouted: "Don't pick and choose food that doesn't cost money. Picked it up!"

"I have silver, and I want to eat well!" As if stimulated by these words, a guy behind immediately shouted: "How much is this kind of meal? Give me one too!"

"Are you new here? You can't use silver in this place, you have to use circulation coupons!" Immigrants who are already familiar with the local rules immediately pointed out: "Even if you have silver, you have to wait until you get out from here and get the victory." You can buy food in the cafeteria by going to the exchange center in Hong Kong to exchange for circulation coupons. If you take silver and copper coins out and use them, no place will accept them.”

When Ruan Jinggui came to Shengli Port last year, he had already seen the local special currency.He has been in business for many years, so he naturally understands what it means for the Haihan people to control the circulation of money in the area under their rule.In his opinion, this move of Haihan people can be described as quite clever, using a compulsory method to gather all the precious metals in the private sector into the hands of the executive committee for unified arrangement and use, and the ease of use and credit guarantee of the circulation coupons made the local people Not too repulsed by this enforced financial system.With so much wealth that can be used flexibly in the hands of the Haihan Executive Committee, no matter whether it is to develop or expand the army, the degree of financial affluence is undoubtedly much greater than that of ordinary local governments.

Ruan Jinggui thought back to his own country. If the Hue regime had a financial system and means of conduct similar to that of Hai Han, then why would it be unable to support a long-term large-scale war due to lack of financial resources.According to his estimation, the folk wealth that the Haihan people transported away after the Hue city was broken was at least one million taels of silver. If such a large amount of money could be gathered together and used for the construction of the army, I am afraid that Thang Long Mansion would have already been given to Thang Long Mansion. Flattened.

Of course, this kind of thing can only be thought about. If the citizens are asked to hand over all the real gold and silver in their families to the government, the first ones to jump up will definitely not be ordinary people, but their clansman surnamed Ruan .As the most powerful and wealthiest group of people in South Vietnam, the Nguyen people almost regard the areas and people under the regime as their own private property, but if they are to spit out their private property, they will become The public property of the entire regime is absolutely impossible.If Ruan Fuyuan, who is in power, dared to put forward such an idea, the Nguyen clan in Hue would kill him before the North Vietnamese army came.

(End of this chapter)