Wild North America 1846

Chapter 665 The Hand of Friendship
"Your Majesty Qizuo, how should the affairs of the Korean Peninsula be handled?"

"It is not appropriate for the empire to intervene for the time being. All matters involving the mainland must be cautious. That is not the key area for the future development of the Tang Empire. The current priority is to thoroughly digest the colony of the Luzon Islands. What is the current situation?"

"Return to His Majesty;

It has been seven years since the Empire signed the Treaty of Berlin with the Kingdom of Spain on July 1878, 7, formally taking over Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Luzon Islands.

Adhering to the consistent purpose, the Colonial Department strictly enforced the 8 prohibitions, and has always pushed forward the colonization work with high pressure, and has achieved remarkable results.

For more than 7 years
Thanks to the massive investment of the Royal Household Office, the empire has built a total of 2.7 kilometers of roads of various grades across the Luzon Islands, and 1760 kilometers of railways have been built, and about 5500 kilometers of railways are still planned to be built.

Dozens of towns were built and expanded, 724 bridges were erected, 28 dams were built, three thermal power plants were built, hundreds of new quarries and brick kilns were built, and extremely remarkable construction results were achieved.

After vigorous construction, the original relatively primitive appearance of the Luzon Islands has taken on a new look. More new towns have sprung up, and a large number of mainland immigrants have been resettled. The total number has reached 7 million in seven years.

These 133 million Chinese immigrants have formed more than 130 million families. The source of women is mainly from the local aborigines. After a short period of chaos in the early stage, the society is now stable and the agricultural development is full of stamina.

A total of 121 million laborers in hard labor camps, mainly local male aborigines, were employed above, with a loss of more than 70 people, mainly died of various tropical plagues and long-term heavy physical labor, and more than 50 people remained.

In order to supplement the labor force, the Luzon Governor's Office has organized a team mainly composed of Chinese militias to search for the remaining aborigines in tropical jungles and remote islands, and has achieved a lot of results.

According to the latest reported data;
During the operation that lasted several months, more than 37 local aborigines were successively arrested, and more than 3 rebel militants were killed. Among them, more than 20 aboriginal males could serve as labor force, and the remaining women and children will flow into the population market. .

The Luzon Governor’s Mansion plans to take advantage of the time when the indigenous population is still sufficient, and concentrate on laying the remaining 5500 kilometers of railway lines. There are also some seaports, beaches, mines, and some large-scale bridge projects. infrastructure.

In addition to self-raised funds, the construction plan submitted by the Luzon Governor's Office also requires the Royal Office of the Interior to increase the appropriation of 550 million Tang Yuan per year to maintain the current relatively large scale of construction.

The food tax and commercial tax collected by the Luzon Governor's Mansion every year are enough to support the daily food and labor expenses of the million-scale hard labor camp, which can save a lot of construction costs.

The focus of development now is mainly on the copper and nickel resources discovered on Mindanao Island, as well as the large-scale iron ore veins.

The Governor's Office of the Luzon Islands plans to invest a lot of manpower in the development of mines, and invest in the construction of ore processing and smelting plants, build a steel plant with an annual output of 10 tons, a copper smelter with an annual output of 1.2 tons of copper fine powder, and an annual output of 600 tons of nickel For metal processing plants, some agricultural product processing plants, food plants, and no less than six cement plants will also be built.

Exploitation of tropical rainforest also requires some engineering machinery, including tractors, diesel engines, sawmills, etc. The main reason for the increase in expenditure is the import of steel bars and other materials for construction from Paradise Province.

The latest population statistics show that;

The Chinese-dominated society in the Luzon Islands is stable and the market is prosperous. At the end of 1884, the total population had reached more than 337 million (note; statistics do not include indigenous peoples). , about 23 early immigrants, coupled with newborns born in Chinese families in recent years, the population has grown rapidly and powerfully.

Since the Luzon Islands are geographically close to the mainland, it is convenient for large-scale immigration. It is estimated that the total population will reach tens of millions by the end of this century (note; local indigenous people are excluded), entering a long-term stable development state.

Looking ahead to the next decade..."

Yuan Guanglin, Minister of the Colonial Department, knew the situation of the Luzon Islands very well. He reported all kinds of data casually, and the introduction was clear and organized.

Emperor Li Cha of the Tang Dynasty nodded frequently when he heard this, and his eyes flickered with appreciation from time to time, expressing his appreciation for this young and vigorous middle-aged official.

The colonial policy of the Tang Empire was brutal, direct and effective. The policy of "vacating cages and changing birds" in the Luzon Islands, which took over in 1878, made great progress. The local aboriginal women were directly recruited into the population market, and then they were influx of Chinese immigrants Buy, form new family.

The Luzon Governor's Office has a flexible policy in this process, allowing Chinese immigrants to owe part of the money on credit, but with varying amounts of interest.

This move quickly digested nearly half of the local indigenous population, and the indigenous men were thrown into hard labor camps. They worked hard day after day to change the appearance of the island, and built a large number of farmland and water conservancy facilities, roads, railways, docks and town buildings. Revitalize the original backward appearance.

As an emerging colonial power, the Tang Empire completely looked down on the backward city appearance and almost zero infrastructure left by the Spaniards, so it built a lot of construction in Puerto Rico and the Luzon Islands in Cuba. This construction boom has lasted for a full 7 years.

It is estimated that it will take another 7 to 8 years before the construction boom involving infrastructure will come to an end, and the colony will enter the ranks of the overseas provinces of the empire with a new look, heralding the end of the "vacate the cage and change the bird" policy.

For the long-term stability of the new colony, the Colonial Department upholds the sacred will to promote the policy of forced assimilation. This policy does not require large-scale killings, and it appears to be more benevolent than the Portuguese, Spanish and Belgian colonists.

In the hard labor camp, we can't say how good the food is, at least we can eat enough food, and there is less deliberate abuse and corporal punishment.However, due to long-term heavy physical labor and severe physical exhaustion, prisoners in hard labor camps rarely survived 10 years.

After one road is built, another is built, and the mines are opened after the wharf is built. There is always endless heavy physical labor waiting for the convicts, day after day, year after year.

It has been more than an hour since Yuan Guanglin, Minister of the Colonial Empire, finished his eloquent introduction.

Emperor Li Cha nodded kindly and said;
"Yuan Aiqing, I have seen the many efforts of the Colonial Department, the Luzon Governor's Office and the Cuban Governor's Office, and I am very pleased.

It is because of you capable ministers and officials who strictly implement the imperial policy and persevere in colonization and development that the empire is thriving and prosperous today.

Lovers must keep in mind;

The policy that seems a bit excessive today is for the sake of future generations to live and work in peace and contentment for hundreds of years and thousands of years, and it must not be benevolent.

I would rather bear the infamy, but also eliminate those alien races in the colony, just for the sake of this, for the long-term consideration, so as not to leave future troubles for future generations..."

When he said this, all the ministers couldn't sit still, they stood up one after another and bowed to the bottom, saying; "Your Majesty the Holy Emperor has learned thousands of miles, and he has worked for our Chinese nation for thousands of years. His benevolence and virtue are enough to shine through the past and present. I respectfully ask Your Majesty for thousands of years!" Don't blame yourself, that is a burden that the empire cannot bear, and we are all guilty of death."

"How could it be so exaggerated? Forget it, you all get up." Emperor Li Chaxu gave a support, and all the officials stood up and retreated to the sides.

Only the prime minister, Marquis Chen Cailiang, still stood at the bottom of the steps, and after saluting again, he said: "Qi Zou Your Majesty;
After the Qing Dynasty

The prestige of the French state plummeted, and the Qing Dynasty did not lose an inch of land or pay a tael of silver. It won the praise of the world powers, and its international reputation was greatly improved.

Recently, His Excellency François Paul Jules Grevy, President of the French State, has written frequently to explain the East Asia policy to the empire, and promised that in the future, he will guard the south of Lang Son and the French army will never take a step north.

This is one of them.

On the other hand, the French side expressed concern about the large-scale reduction of the army of the Tang Empire, President Francois believes;

As the de facto American hegemon, Tang has an unshirkable international responsibility for maintaining regional security and stability, especially at present, when the United States is becoming more and more independent.

President Francois pointed out bluntly; "London is jumping up and down in the United States, intending to split the United States to achieve the sinister goal of weakening France and Tang. It can be said that it is not evil..."

"France and Tang Dynasty should work together on American affairs, maintain the traditional combat friendship between the two sides that originated in 1853 (note, the Crimean War) with a firm stand, and repel the sinister plot of foreign powers to intervene in the North American continent."

"The French side will look forward to Tang's hand of friendship with a sincere attitude of comprehensive cooperation..."

From the personal letter, we can see the anxiety in President François' heart.

The humble minister secretly thought;
Cooperation on the US issue is a good proposition and will help strengthen our side, both militarily and politically and economically.

In view of the importance of the matter, we must ask the Holy Judge! "

"Chen Aiqing doesn't need to be polite, please get up." Emperor Li Cha raised his hand to help him, then leaned back and lay comfortably on the throne, and said after a while;

"Looking at the essence through the phenomenon, we can discover;
The reason why the British fanned the flames in the upper class of the United States, created different topics everywhere, aroused fear of the empire, and encouraged the division of independent forces, their purpose was to mess up North America and compete for the right to speak in North America and even the entire America.

I have dealt with Sir William Cecil, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, more than twenty years ago. He is an outstanding statesman with a keen mind and a broad international vision.

As soon as he makes a move, he can see that he is shrewd and sophisticated, and goes straight to the point. He is by no means an easy character to deal with.

All lovers know;

The United States is carrying heavy debts to move forward. In the past two decades and the next two decades, or even longer, it has not had the right to have an equal dialogue with the empire.

This is like a person with a heavy millstone on his back, why should he challenge my Tang Empire?
The purpose of the British people is to help the United States get rid of this heavy millstone. Even though the United States is divided into two, one into three or one into four, after removing the heavy burden, the combat effectiveness is stronger and more flexible.

If it joins forces with Canada in the north and the Republic of Carolina in the south, with the British standing behind it, it will indeed cause a lot of trouble for the empire.

When we are busy dealing with American affairs, we have no time to pay attention to the colonial expansion in other parts of the world, and we also have no time to pay attention to the changes that are taking place in the East Asian continent. Many precious opportunities may be lost.

Perhaps, this is the purpose of British Prime Minister William Cecil.

Once we know the opponent's intentions, we can deal with it calmly. Over the years, increasing immigration to the United States and reducing military personnel are one of the means of coping.

Now that the French have stretched out their hands, it can be used as an option to enrich our response plan, which is beneficial and harmless to the US issue.

But remember, always keep a distance from the French, and it is best to let the French rush ahead to take the mine.

The British guy is like a jealous and narrow-minded woman. Although she finds awkwardness everywhere, maintaining this marriage is still of great benefit to the empire. It is necessary to maintain a delicate balance of fighting without breaking. "

"Your Majesty, I understand." Prime Minister Chen Cailiang replied respectfully.

The metaphor of His Majesty the Emperor is very vivid, and all the ministers will know how to deal with it.

The British can be said to be masters of strategy who have mastered the essence of Western strategies, but they still seem a bit crude when faced with inheriting ancient Eastern wisdom.

After all, he was from the Vikings of Northern Europe, so playing tricks is always a little less interesting.

Now the British guy is just like tossing around in the backyard of the Tang Empire. Whenever he asks questions, he always blushes and replies out of breath; Help tidy up."

Obviously doing bad things, but being able to speak justly, this is the so-called gangster logic.

discussed for a while
Emperor Richard returned the topic to the 12th Los Angeles World Expo, and praised the many new technologies and inventions that have exploded in the economic and industrial fields. The body has a unique luster, and the bones are lightened several taels.

His Majesty has always attached great importance to scientific and technological inventions, and specifically named several important subject inventions, such as the world's first motorcycle, the world's first wireless transmitter, and the world's single marine steam turbine with a power of 1 horsepower, etc. A gold medal will be given to the expo, and relevant scientific and technological personnel will be rewarded for encouragement.

These matters can only be handled by the officials below. It would be too grand for the royal family to come forward, and it would be too much.

Emperor Li Cha specifically urged these advanced scientific and technological inventions to focus on practical application and promotion, to put scientific and technological inventions into production as soon as possible, to continuously improve in practical applications, to form new industries, and to benefit more people in society.

With the attention of the supreme ruler of the empire, these new technological achievements will be quickly implemented and promoted.

Just like the bicycle in the past, it has now widely appeared in urban and rural areas, and has become a more convenient means of personal travel after the rail, tram, car and horse-drawn carriage.

More than a dozen bicycle manufacturers have sprung up in the Tang Empire, with an annual output of more than 32 bicycles and a certain export capacity.

The wide application of automobiles and bicycles has greatly enhanced the demand for natural rubber, and then promoted the expansion of natural rubber plantations, forming a beneficial virtuous circle.

(End of this chapter)