Wild North America 1846

Chapter 687
In the ranking of the top [-] cities in the Tang Empire, New Xi'an and Donggang on Paradise Island performed brilliantly, but after all, they were far away from the mainland of the empire, and their comprehensive influence was relatively small.

In this list, in addition to the traditional metropolises of the West Coast and the Great Lakes region, Houston and Dallas from Texas rank 13th and 15th respectively, and are the twin star cities with the fastest progress in the city rankings.

Especially Houston, with a total population of 93.2 at the end of the period, is only one step away from a million-dollar metropolis.

Houston is known as the "Petrochemical City". The main industrial economic pillar of the city is the petrochemical industry. It has the capacity to refine 6000 million barrels of oil per year. There are 11 petroleum refineries, dozens of ethylene and other large and medium-sized petrochemical companies, and thousands of downstream small and medium-sized plastic and chemical fiber companies.

Houston is located in the northwest corner of the Gulf of Mexico. Tens of millions of barrels of kerosene, diesel and lubricating oil exported to Europe are shipped from the seaport here.Bringing back immeasurable wealth for the Tang Empire and the royal family is the largest export product and the most lucrative export product.

Since 1862

After 23 years of rapid development, the emerging metropolises of Houston and Dallas centered on oil exploration and trade have developed far faster than other local cities, and they still have strong stamina.

The development of these two emerging big cities has driven more than a dozen small and medium-sized cities and more towns around them, forming the most economically dynamic urban agglomeration in the Tang Empire.

The state's population has also grown rapidly from less than 1862 in 35 to more than 530 million today, making it an out-and-out economic center and populous province of the empire.

In Texas, most of the cobweb-like highways are paved with asphalt, flat and extending in all directions. There are many high-rise buildings in the city, and more buildings with more than ten floors have sprung up.

There is constant traffic on the roads, and thanks to cheap gas prices and higher average incomes, the affluent middle class accounts for more than a third of the total population.Texas has the second-highest car ownership per capita in the country, second only to California.

nowadays

Houston has developed into a commercial distribution center in the south-central region of the empire, an important export center for the petrochemical industry, and a world-class production base for emerging petrochemical industries. The future development prospects are extremely bright.

After more than 20 years of construction, the railway transportation in Texas is also extremely developed.

Another important city in the province, Dallas, is the hub city of railway transportation in the central and southern regions of the Tang Empire. There are a total of 7 main railway lines converging here, and it is very convenient to travel to any city in North America.

The main railway line to the north connects to Kansas City, and continues north to reach Chicago and important cities around the Great Lakes.

The main railway line leading to the northwest connects to Rio Rancho, from where it turns west to reach Gallup, and continues westward to Las Vegas and the big city of Los Angeles on the west coast.

Continuing northward from Rio Rancho is the core city of Taoyuan in the central part of the empire. This is also the most important transportation hub city in the central part of the Tang Empire. If you cross the Rocky Mountains to the west, you can reach Salt Lake City, Sacramento and the imperial capital Chang'an.

Take the Northern Railway northward, cross the Rocky Mountains to reach Portland, Salem and Seattle, and continue northward for more than 170 kilometers to Vancouver.

The completion of the Gulf of Mexico Railroad made it easy for Dallas to connect to Mexico City to the southwest, Orleans to the east, and to the Republic of Mississippi and the Republic of Florida.

Well known
People can move freely in the entire North American region, there are almost no hard restrictions, and cross-border travel and business only need to pay related fees of [-] to [-] Tang yuan, and the procedures are extremely simple.

The only restriction of the Tang Empire is that black people are strictly prohibited from entering.

There are even some dark-skinned Central Americans who were turned away by border immigration officers because they could not produce documents to prove that they were not black.

This situation is not bad. Once he enters the country, he may be arrested in the city at any time because of his dark skin, and then thrown directly into a labor camp.

Under the simple and crude policy, many people were indeed wronged, but it has to be admitted that it is very effective.

In the vast territory of the Tang Empire from south to north, it is extremely rare to see people with dark skin, which is a direct manifestation of the power of this policy.

there was a time

In 1869, after the end of the Second South American War, a large number of captured black Brazilian soldiers became the main source of labor for the construction of the Nicaragua Canal, and paid countless sweats and even lives for the construction of the Central Plains Province.

More than 10 years later, the Nicaragua Canal was officially opened to navigation. The construction of roads, railways, cities and farmland water conservancy in the Central Plains Province was basically completed. The remaining tens of thousands of black convicts returned to Brazil by boat, and none remained in the territory.

This resolute policy of the Tang Empire also affected the areas after the split of the former Confederate States of America.

The Kingdom of Kentucky, the Kingdom of Oklahoma, the Republic of Mississippi and the Republic of Florida successively introduced relevant bills to gradually clear away free blacks, most of whom were sold to white cotton planters in the Republic of Carolina.

Today, slavery has been abolished throughout the Americas, but in the Carolina Republic, the stronghold of white conservative forces, there are still more than 380 to 400 million black employees.

They got rid of their status as slaves in name, but in fact they were still firmly attached to the white plantation owners, and they were discriminated against and degraded by hard work in exchange for a meager income.

because of this

The Republic of Carolina has also been widely criticized by European and American civilized societies, and the British guy who has always had a bad mouth is not polite, calling it "a conservative country established by a group of morally corrupt slave owners, who obtained wealth by squeezing black hired workers, revealing everywhere The smell of brutality and blood."

The "one size fits all" population policy of the Tang Empire can't be said to be very good, at least it got rid of the moral charges of enslaving blacks, and there is no need to bear so many things.

After more than [-] years of development, Texas is famous for its wealth, prosperity and vitality, and it is attracting more and more people to come here.

The only thing that makes Texans feel sorry is;

His Majesty the Emperor has not visited here for more than 20 years. The last time it was in 1863 was the initial stage of the great development of the oil industry. Now it is quite different.

His Majesty the Emperor went south three times without detour, which made the Texans feel a little bit disappointed.

Just like a child who is working hard outside, no matter how dazzling his achievements are, he can't make his father look at him more and care more.

Speaking of this matter, Paradise Island's Xin'an and Donggang, a pair of star cities, feel even more disappointed.

After all, the province of Texas is in North America, and His Majesty the Emperor has been there once, which is already very good for him.

These two brothers seem to be troubled brothers who left their hometown to start a business. Now they have made great achievements, but they seem to be forgotten. Who should they tell their grievances?

1887 year 5 early month
Chang'an City, Daming Palace

"Staying in the palace for the past few years has been really suffocating. I have long wanted to go out and take a look. This time, I might as well go a little farther..."

Emperor Li Cha looked at the large hand-painted world map hanging not far away, stretched out his hand and drew a circle, and continued;
"From Chang'an to the north, through Salem, Seattle and Vancouver, to Ice City in Yukon Province, Alaska and Beihai Province for a circle.

Then go south to the Fusang Kingdom, the Ryukyu Kingdom to the Luzon Islands and Paradise Island, and then to Australia by the way, and from there to the provinces of South America.

After such a circle, it is estimated that it will take more than a year.

While I am still in good health, running through all the mountains and rivers that I have conquered over the years is also a fulfillment of a long-cherished wish in my heart.

The so-called; under the whole world, is it the land of the king.

Only by visiting these overseas provinces in person can I stabilize the hearts of these overseas subjects, feel the empathy of the imperial family, and add a sense of belonging! "

The tour map drawn by His Majesty the Emperor almost circled the Pacific Ocean, and it would take more than a year to realize it anyway.

All the ministers wanted to oppose it, but it was nothing more than the words that the journey was too far, the vast ocean was dangerous and unpredictable, and they were afraid that the holy bow would violate the peace, and the heaven and earth of the Tang Empire would shake.

But looking at the determined expression on His Majesty's face, one knew that the holy will had been decided and it was hard to change it.

but……

The eyes of all the ministers focused on the Prime Minister, Baron Tang Dezhao, hoping that he would come forward to come up with an idea, at least to persuade His Majesty to stay calm and wait until everything is ready before the trip can take place.

It's time for preparation...

Half a year and one year are not too short, and two years and three years are not too long, as long as the preparations are extremely appropriate.

The prime minister, Baron Tang Dezhao, was also helpless. He knew that if His Majesty made a move, he would not be able to bring back a hundred cows, let alone nine.

He had no way to shirk, so he could only stand up bravely and give a deep salute;

"Show Your Majesty;
Weichen thinks that the journey will take thousands of miles, and the vast ocean is unpredictable, which is really worrying.

Your Majesty is responsible for the well-being of billions of subjects, and the holy bow is my Tang Empire's universe, and everyone expects it, and the slightest disturbance cannot be tolerated, so we must be cautious.

The cruise ships available in the Empire today are either too small in tonnage, or are in a state of disrepair and not in satisfactory condition.

Weichen thinks;

When His Majesty travels, he must build a super-large cruise ship that can withstand the most severe winds and waves, and ignore the waves of the ocean, which is enough to ensure the safety of the emperor and reassure the subjects of the empire.

If not, billions of people will not be able to sleep well!
I risked my life to admonish you, begging Your Majesty to be kind, otherwise, even if we are heartbroken, it will be difficult for us to follow our orders. "

"I beg your Majesty to be kind, otherwise, even if we are heartbroken, it will be difficult for us to follow our orders." All the ministers immediately came out and echoed in unison.

Everyone was secretly delighted, Prime Minister Baron Tang Dezhao's "delay strategy" is really wonderful!
It will take two or three years to build a [-]-ton luxury cruise ship. At that time, whether His Majesty the Emperor still wants to inspect the Pacific Ocean is a matter of two opinions?
His Majesty the Emperor used to travel by train, at least it was safe.

But now I suddenly want to inspect overseas provinces. The stormy waves in the Pacific Ocean are not for fun. How many cargo ships sink every year?How many immigrant boats died in the belly of fish?

Even in 1886, there were as many as [-] or [-] seagoing ships that sank due to severe sea conditions.

Among them, there are not only small and medium-sized coastal freighters with one or two thousand tons, but also large ocean-going ships with tens of thousands of tons.

Limited by the technological development of the times, people cannot predict the harsh sea conditions and typhoons, and once they get stuck in them, they can only carry on, so ocean voyages are extremely risky.

Emperor Li Cha saw all the officials admonishing him in unison, hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement, and said;

"My loves, please, if that's the case...then according to what you said, the Royal Office of Internal Affairs will allocate funds to build a new ship and prepare for the voyage. After everything is ready, we will make a decision."

"Your Majesty is wise!" All the ministers replied in unison.

(End of this chapter)