1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 994 The Desire to Make Contributions

November 1682, 11, Ryukyu, Zhongshan Port (now Naha).

A group of bare-chested workers with tanned skin were driven by the supervisor, holding farm tools, and stumbling forward in the drizzle.These laborers include Ryukyu people, Japanese, Koreans, and some Qin people.

Some Han Chinese and Japanese who arrived in the early days have successfully escaped the sea of ​​suffering. Now they have either transformed into local farmers, or become armed guards and supervisors in major sugar cane plantations or construction sites. In short, life is a heaven and an underground compared to before. , can not be compared in the same breath.

At this time, the seven or eight supervisors who drove the laborers to work were the Japanese immigrants introduced in the early days and the residents of the overseas territories of the Daqi Empire. They are now the supervisors of a nearby sugarcane plantation, supervising the labor of more than 70 laborers.A few days ago, a typhoon passed through the border, which caused heavy rain on the island in recent days. The plantation owner was worried that the drainage in the plantation would not be smooth and cause waterlogging, so he went out to work in the rain, checking the water supply and drainage system, and cleaning the silted water by the way. gutter.

The supervisors were all wearing bamboo hats, waterproof coir raincoats, long knives around their waists, and short sticks in their hands. They were cursing and complaining softly about the damn weather.They followed the laborers far away, occasionally looking up, not afraid of them running away.

Everyone is not stupid. From the vicinity of Zhongshan Port to Shuri Castle eight or nine miles away, there is nothing but barren slopes and forests except for large tracts of sugarcane plantations.In such a heavy rainy weather, there is no food to be found when running out. There is no second possibility other than death from starvation and disease. Therefore, the management is very lax, as long as the workers finish their work on time.

Zhongshan City, with the increase of immigrants from all over the world, gradually formed a prosperous seaside port city.A few years ago, the Kingdom of Ryukyu named it Zhongshan after consulting the people of Qi, which meant to commemorate their former name of Zhongshan.

There is a large sugar factory in the city, which was jointly invested and built by several businessmen from Qi State, with more than 300 workers.The sugar factory bought several steam engine-driven sugar extraction equipment from Hanzhou, and has various types of steam engines with a total horsepower of more than 150 horsepower.At the same time, this sugar factory spared no expense to build a horse-drawn truck track leading to the deep-water wharf of the port. The infrastructure can be described as excellent, which undoubtedly guarantees its strong production capacity.

In the whole of last year, this "Xiangruiji" sugar factory produced a total of more than [-] tons of sucrose. Although the production capacity is far less than those large-scale sugar factories in Hanzhou that can easily produce thousands of tons, it is the Regions—including Qin, Japan, North Korea and other countries—produce sugar factories with the largest scale and the most advanced facilities.

Such a "huge" production capacity naturally benefits from the strong market demand in the surrounding areas.In recent years, new beverages such as coffee and cocoa powder flowing from Weiyuan (now New Guinea Island) and Xuanhua (Timor Island) have become popular in large quantities, which undoubtedly greatly stimulated the consumption of sucrose. Those who like the above two beverages The Governor-General of the Ryukyu Region, the Luzon Islands, the upper class officials and nobles in Japan, and the wealthy people in the south of the Qin Kingdom are all the largest consumers of sucrose.

Compared with the relatively barren food culture in the West, the food originating from the Chinese civilization is also richer and more colorful. Many sweets that are popular in a small and narrow circle in the Jiangnan area of ​​Qin State have entered the mainland of Qi State and some overseas territories. Ordinary people's homes, which undoubtedly need to consume a lot of sucrose and spices, are an extremely large consumer market.

Excluding the overseas territories, the millions of people in Qi alone consumed no less than [-] tons of sucrose last year, with an average of about two kilograms per person. The amount is extremely staggering and far exceeds the world average consumption level.

The Ryukyu Island is poor in resources and the soil is barren. The early agricultural development was extremely backward, and the rice produced could not meet the needs of the local people at all.Later, the Qi people gradually took control of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and moved the residence of the Governor's Mansion from Hanxing Island (today's Miyako Island) to Zhongshan Port, and began to focus on the development and construction of this strategically important island.

Rice and other food crops in Ryukyu Island have low yields, but the climate and environment here are very suitable for growing economic crops such as sugar cane and pineapples, which has attracted many investors who are interested in developing plantations.

In Qi State, sucrose has always been a traditional bulk commodity for export. It is not only sold to Europe through the Dutch East India Company, but also exported to India, Persia, Arabia, and the Ottoman mainland through several international trading companies under its banner, earning a lot of money. Lots of "forex".

The demand for sucrose consumption in Qi is increasing, and the European region is also growing slowly under the influence of new beverages.At present, Qi is already the second largest coffee exporting region in the world, and as time goes by, it is rapidly surpassing traditional coffee producing regions such as East Africa and Arabia.

As long as you go to major cities in Europe, you will know that London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Paris, Bordeaux, Madrid, Lisbon, Cadiz, Florence and other places are full of newly opened cafes, and more and more people like coffee , the demand for sucrose is also increasing day by day.You know, with its huge population, Europe is a super big market more than ten times that of Qi. It is conceivable how much it stimulates sugarcane plantations in various places, and how many long-awaited investors bring capital Go to the rich Caribbean Sea to open up plantations.

Oh, far away.

The "Xiangruiji" sugar factory built in Zhongshan mainly caters to the huge market demands of Japan, North Korea, and Qin.It tried to rely on large-scale industrial production and get closer to the consumer market to compete fiercely with many original sugar workshops in Yizhou (now Taiwan) and Guangxi.

Four years ago, after the sugar factory was put into production, the sales price of sucrose in this area was immediately reduced to less than 100 yuan/ton, and it was maintained at 80-90 yuan/ton, approaching the price of sucrose in Yizhou and Guangxi. The break-even point of the workshop has caused countless main workshop owners to complain.

"Masters, have you heard? The sugar factory in the city has raised wages for workers again." Jiichiro Takeda looked at the workers who were digging ditches in front of him through the thin rain curtain, and said softly: "Those workers can get a monthly wage From four yuan to five yuan, it is much more than us supervisors. It is really enviable!"

"Why do you envy this?" Noda Yuta tightened the coir raincoat on his body, and said with a wry smile: "You need to know that those who can enter the factory to work are all of national (Han) status. Moreover, every ten days However, we still need to carry out certain operational skills training. And we have not been naturalized for three years, and we can’t even complete the most basic Chinese writing, so how can we be qualified to work in factories?”

"Those seniors who were naturalized in the early years mentioned that our country of Qi recruited a large number of warriors more than ten years ago, formed an army outside the ranks, and followed the great Qi Tianbing to fight in all directions. After a few years of resignation, we can become Official Qi residents enjoy all the benefits and treatment given by the government. You will be allocated fields and houses, and will be provided with cattle, horses and farm implements, and even the state will send you a caring wife to bear and reproduce for you.” Jin Ze Yanger said full of longing: "At that time, it was really a beautiful era. Unlike us now, we can only obtain the status of residents of overseas territories. If we want to go to Hanzhou, we need a special application. We can't speak Chinese well, and we can't write. , not even entering the factory.”

"Why, Jin Ze-kun is not satisfied with your current life?" Noda Yuta asked coldly: "Think about how you lived in Kyushu eight years ago? Now, what kind of life are you living now? What if Without Qi, we are like dust in the mud, humble and pitiful!"

"Noda-kun, how can I be dissatisfied with my current life?" Kanazawa Yoji immediately widened his eyes, and hastily argued: "Whether it is food or clothing, we can eat as much as we did when we were in Japan eight years ago. It is said that there is one heaven and one underground! My gratitude to Qi Guo, that is... that cannot be described in words. For Qi Guo, I can dedicate my life."

"Yes, in order to defend our country of Qi, we can all sacrifice our lives for it." Taketa Jiichiro said solemnly, holding the long knife under his waist tightly with his right hand.

"It's a pity that we, the brave men, regret not being able to go to the battlefield to fight and die for our country!"

Several Japanese armed supervisors were impassioned in the drizzle, endlessly expressing their feelings for the country with fists in their chests. On the dirt road not far from them, two soldiers of the Ryukyu garrison regiment were covered in mud. He walked towards the plantation with a shallow foot.

"Sir, do you need help?" The sharp-eyed Noda Yuta saw the plight of the two soldiers on the dirt road, and greeted them enthusiastically.

"Damn it, this damn weather, if I knew it, I wouldn't ride a horse. It's coming, I'll let the horse ride me!" Sergeant Tan Husheng cursed softly, and looked up at the fawning The guard of the plantation, "Hey, how far is it from Mingxikou?"

"Return to sir, Mingxikou is still two kilometers away from here." Noda Yuta said earnestly: "Sir, if it is difficult for you to walk in the rain with your horse, you can temporarily keep the horse in our plantation. Please rest assured, sir. I will definitely take good care of them."

"Alright!" Tan Husheng and his accompanying companions looked at each other, nodded and said, "Let's temporarily store the horse in your plantation. When we return, we won't disturb you for a while."

"Sir, do you have urgent business to go to Mingxikou?" Noda Yuta approached and patted the rain-soaked horse, "If time is not urgent, the two sirs can go to our plantation to take a hot bath first. Take a bath and change into dry clothes. Otherwise, in this weather, it is easy to get sick from the rain."

"Hey, you are thoughtful of us!" Tan Husheng smiled, and he couldn't help but have a good impression of this thin Japanese plantation guard, "There is no urgent business, you might as well rest in your plantation ...Oh, by the way, we have a recruitment order issued by the Governor's Mansion, which is mainly for the laborers of major plantations, but I think you may also be interested."

"..." Noda Yuta heard the words, and eager eyes suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"The Ryukyu Fleet Command is ordered by the local military command to go across the sea to expedition to the Spanish American territories." Tan Husheng said with a smile: "Now a large number of armed volunteers are recruited to go with the ship to launch a landing operation on the port town of Xiyi. After the battle is over , all armed personnel will be selected and incorporated into the garrison regiments of Hawaii Island or American Overseas Territories. If they are injured and disabled during the battle, there is no need to worry. The country and the overseas territorial government will support them for life. You can also get a hundred acres of land from the local overseas territorial government. Hehe, one hundred acres, you are a proper little landlord!"

After listening to several plantation armed guards and overseers, people were immediately moved.Although it is a non-economic unit such as the Overseas Territory Garrison Regiment, the treatment enjoyed by officers and soldiers is almost the same as that of the Imperial Army. It is still very attractive to immigrants who are interested in making contributions in the battlefield.Even if you don't serve as a soldier, you can still acquire a hundred acres of land that can be passed on to future generations. What a beautiful thing!
The American War, which has been going on for several years, still shows no sign of stopping.Although, the Spaniards collected more than [-] combat-capable warships from the European continent and sent them to America together with [-] elite kingdom troops, in order to completely drive the power of the Qi people out of La Plata and Gotabana. area, to restore the territorial integrity of the American possessions of the Kingdom of Spain.However, the people of Qi seemed to be greedy robbers. They were not willing to give back the captured land to the Spaniards. They also sent several cutting-edge warships to chase and fight with the Spanish Royal Navy on the east coast of America, vying for sea dominance.

In the past two years, Qi State has sunk and damaged more than ten Spanish ships one after another through the powerful maneuverability of several steam-sail warships. Dare to leave the port to compete with the warships of Qi.

The battle on land has been stalemate. Although the troops commanded by King Qing re-captured Buenos Aires in January last year, the Spaniards established several fortresses in the middle and lower reaches of the Paraná River and the Uruguay River. , stronghold, and successfully prevented the Qi people from invading the wealthy Paraguay region.

It stands to reason that the Spaniards spent such a high price and were still unable to defeat the people of Qi. They should have sat down and had a good talk with Qi, and ended the war between the two countries in a decent way.You know, the Spaniards don't have a lot of money in their hands, and they don't have a lot of money in their pockets. How can they fight with a country that claims to be the hegemon of the Indian Ocean in the Americas, which is a waste of national strength.

Then, in fact, the Kingdom of Spain insisted on holding on to a sigh of relief, cleaned up their empty treasury over and over again, and levied war taxes on the American territories, struggling to squeeze out such a small amount of poor military expenditure, and worked very hard to support this war. The war continued.It seems that those stubborn and stubborn Spaniards are very sure that it must be the Qi people who can't survive in the end.

The cabinet and the military are obviously impatient with this state of endless war.Although the navy is happy to send one cutting-edge warship after another to the Americas to test its combat performance, and to continuously practice new naval tactics, train and accumulate actual combat experience of naval officers and soldiers.But after all, this is too much military expenditure, and it also greatly involves the limited energy and resources of the military.

In order to hit Spain hard, make it feel a real threat, and end this war that lasted more than eight years as soon as possible, the General Staff made a very bold and grand battle plan.

The Indian Ocean Fleet united with the South African Fleet to form an Atlantic task force, along the west coast of Africa, all the way north, to the Spanish mainland, and launched a round of large-scale military strikes on its coastal ports and towns.

The Ryukyu Fleet joined forces with Luzon (Zheng), Wei, Beiming and other vassal states and the navies of the Allies to form a trans-Pacific task force to directly attack the core territory of Spanish America - the Governor-General of New Spain (that is, Mexico).

In order to ensure the smooth capture of the Spanish coastal ports, the Pacific Task Force, in addition to carrying more than 400 officers and soldiers from a mixed battalion stationed in Ryukyu, also recruited a large number of cannon fodder suitable for the battlefield in Ryukyu. It is a tradition that at the beginning of every war, the people of Qi will select personnel with certain military experience from the labor and guard groups in various overseas territories, and then organize them into the servant army to fight.

And the laborers in many overseas territories of Qi State are also looking forward to such a thing, because this is a shortcut for them to quickly get rid of their hard-pressed plantation "slave" status and gain freedom, provided that you obey orders in battle And survived successfully.

To be honest, this is actually not a difficult task among the servants of the Qi State, because the Qi State army has established an undefeated reputation for decades. In every major war, the loss rate of the troops is very low. Obviously, each enemy can't cause much casualties to them, so most of the workers in the plantation yearn to get rid of the embarrassing labor status through war, turn themselves into overseas nationals of Qi in the shortest possible time, and live a full life from then on. Dress warmly for a good day.

(End of this chapter)