1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 516 Difficult Start in the West ([-])
On September 9, Bi Zhengxing arrived at Jieshibao (now Geraldton, Western Australia), the largest settlement in Southwest China, a beautiful and clean seaside stronghold.It has a long coastline, rolling mountains and meandering rivers, as well as a suitable Mediterranean climate and elegant environment.

At present, the population here is also the largest in the southwest region, with more than [-] immigrants. For a settlement that has not been established for more than a year, Jieshibao's population resources are quite "rich".

According to Hanzhou's years of colonization experience, the most important task of opening up a new place is to reclaim arable land, try to achieve local food self-sufficiency in the shortest possible time, so that more space can be made available for ships transporting materials. To ship the daily production and daily necessities needed by other immigrants.Especially for areas with superior geographical and climatic conditions, local civil affairs officials are required to maximize the production of grain and other agricultural by-products to provide necessary food support for the next settlement point or supply point with poor agricultural conditions.

After Bi Zhengxing rested for one night, he was accompanied by Lin Chenshui, the commander of Jieshibao, to inspect the progress of various local tasks the next day.

Lin Chenshui was one of the first immigrants to come to Hanzhou. He first cultivated land in Jianye City, and later became the first batch of soldiers in the Marine Corps.After serving for three years, he returned to the local area and successively served as the captain of the village soldiers in Siming Township of Jianye City, the head of Panjiang Tun in Heishan City, and the head of Shangwan Township. It can be counted as a practical official who rose step by step from the grassroots.

"My lord, in the east and south of the city, a total of more than 900 mu of cultivated land has been reclaimed, and the nearby small river is mainly used for irrigation. There is not a lot of precipitation here, and it is generally concentrated in the winter from June to August, and the rainfall is not very large. In summer, there are very few rainy days." Lin Chenshui pointed to the green wheat seedlings in front of him and said, "The soil and climate here are very suitable for planting wheat. At the beginning of the month, we planted all the corn and sorghum in the previous season. It seems that the seedlings are not bad now, and the yield is estimated to be higher than that of Jianye Mansion."

"This time, more than 350 immigrants were brought from Jianye Mansion. Apart from the dozens of people assigned to several supply points along the way, there are still more than 200 people left." Bi Zhengxing said: "Now [-] people are allocated here, maybe they can be properly resettled? Also, can the arable land be doubled next year?"

"200 people? We should be able to settle in Jieshi Castle." Lin Chenshui thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "The climate here is mild, and there is no extreme cold weather. Let's build a few wooden houses to live there for a while. It will be summer in a blink of an eye, then It’s easier to deal with. Because there is little rain here, in the slack season, the immigrants can be organized to build some rammed earth row houses, and the immigrants can be distributed to officially live in it. Moreover, even in winter, the temperature here is still warm, and there is no need to burn fire.”

"If next year, the arable land of Jieshi Castle is doubled to [-] mu, it will be difficult, but it can be done with a little bit of hard work. Why, the adults of the Immigration Department, are you planning to immigrate here vigorously? "

"Well, starting from next year, the immigration quota in Southwest China will increase from the originally planned 1000 to 2000." Bi Zhengxing said, "I came all the way from Jianye City, and found out that the immigration quota from Linhai (now Port Hedland, Australia) In places like Xiningbao (now Caernarfon City, Western Australia), the agricultural conditions are not very ideal. It may not be possible to achieve food self-sufficiency within a few years, and naturally it will not be able to accommodate more immigrants. It is only here that we can see There is some hope. Therefore, I want Commander Lin to reclaim some more land here, which will be used by later immigrants."

"Then the distribution of immigrants next year will basically be sent to us?" Lin Chenshui asked in surprise.

"According to the current situation, only Fort Xining (now Caernarfon, Western Australia) and Jieshi Fort are acceptable enough to accommodate more immigrants. As for Anfeng Fort (now Zhuli, southwest Australia), which was established in April this year Enwan Town), Guizhou Fort (now Perth, Australia), then I need to see the situation on the spot before making a decision. Therefore, you should prepare early for the arrival of immigrants next year." Bi Zhengxing nodded and said.

However, according to the planning of the Prime Minister's Office and the Immigration Department, in the next few years, the development focus of the Southwest General District will be in the Guizhou area. According to the king, the climate, environment and geography here are very suitable, enough to settle millions of people and become Hanzhou. Southwest powerhouse.Moreover, his father once told him in private that there might be a huge gold mine in Guizhou, and if there is a chance, someone should investigate it.Once the news of the gold mine is actually implemented, it will definitely attract the attention of the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Finance, and the Hanzhou Big Bank, and will attract enough immigrants to flock here.At that time, the development of the southwest region will naturally enter a fast track.

"Are there any indigenous people around here?" After walking for more than half an hour, Bi Zheng was sweating on his forehead, and his legs and feet were a little weak, so he stopped and looked around at the lush forests. It was really a beautiful landscape.

"There is an indigenous tribe in the valley more than ten miles southeast of Jieshi Castle." Lin Chenshui showed an unnatural expression on his face: "However, we had some conflicts with them two months ago and killed many of them. People. Now, they have disappeared."

"Oh?" Bi Zhengxing turned his head to look at Lin Chenshui, and then his heart became clear.The so-called "conflict" was mostly caused by the town soldiers in Jieshi Fort. During the slack season, they ran into the inland in groups to look for possible wild animals and get some furs. They must have encountered that indigenous tribe by accident.These lawless local soldiers may have become malicious and robbed other people's tribes.

"If you encounter an indigenous tribe in the future, don't kill them lightly." Bi Zhengxing said calmly, not intending to pursue the matter.

"Yes, sir." Lin Chenshui breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that this knowledgeable chief executive would feel dissatisfied because the local soldiers killed the natives without authorization.Scholars, aren't they all full of benevolence and morality, and like to show their kindness to the barbarians.

"We are short of manpower, so we can use some means to bring the surrounding aborigines into the camp to work. Those rough jobs such as opening ponds and canals, dock construction, etc., can't waste the precious Ming immigrants needlessly." After Bi Zhengxing finished speaking, he turned to Jieshi Fort go.

"Ah?" Hearing this, Lin Chenshui couldn't help being stunned for a while, and then a strange expression appeared on his face.

Well, we can’t consume those immigrants from Daming that we brought back after thousands of miles, then we can only let the stupid natives do those rough jobs!

In the future, the southwest region will definitely not only grow food, but also develop industry and mining in the future. If there is no reserve of "labor", how can it develop rapidly.If you want to rely on Timor Island and Weiyuan Island to send natives, the price will be a little bit high.As for Guangbu Wanghua, and showing favor to the barbarians, we can only spare the time to do so after our country of Qi develops slowly.

In the evening of that day, Bi Zhengxing tasted the local lobster that is abundant in Jieshibao, supplemented by a few simple side dishes, it was extremely delicious.Afterwards, he ordered to take out some of the honey wine and sorghum shochu brought by the people on the boat, and share them with the main local civil affairs officials and the people. The official establishment of the general management area encourages everyone to continue to carry forward the spirit of self-reliance and hard work to build a better home.

On September 9, after an accompanying transport ship unloaded all the immigrants and materials it carried to Jieshi Fort, it turned around with an empty cabin and Yang Fan headed north.Bi Zhengxing took the remaining transport ship and headed for the next supply point, Fort Anfeng (now a small town in Jurien Bay in southwestern Australia).

On September 9, after staying at this small supply point with a population of just over 28 people for one night, the ship went straight to Guizhou Fort, the end of the trip.

(End of this chapter)