The sun never sets in America

Chapter 158 Han Journey: Lingnan
Lingnan Province is the closest province to Mexico in the Han Dynasty, except for Guangling Province. The upper half of the province borders a large area with Mexico.

Therefore, this is also the most important garrison location of the Han State. It is the rear area of ​​Guangling, the four major military bases of the Han State. It can even be said that the existence of the entire Guangling military base is to provide backing for the two provinces of Lingnan and Guangling. When necessary, time, to protect their safety. As for who they are protecting, everyone knows very well...

The largest city in Lingnan Province is Luling, which is located at the junction of Lingnan Province and Jiuyuan Province. In the Han-Mexican War a few years ago, this was the front line of the battle between Han and Mexico.

(Nogales, Mexico)
After the Han-Mexican War, the Republic of Mexico ceded the entire Solano Province to the Han State, and this Solano is now Lingnan Province.

For the people in Lingnan Province, especially those who were under the original Mexican rule, they completed the change from Mexicans to Han Chinese in just a few years.

At the beginning, it was actually difficult for these Mexicans to accept that they were citizens under pagans, so they launched several large riots. The largest one even had more than 5000 people. It can be seen that at that time, there were more than [-] people in Lingnan Province. How powerful is the Mexican resistance...

But these eventually came to naught under the impact of time, especially in the early days, during the year-long military control, Mexicans got a taste of the iron fist of imperialism.

From the abolition of the official status of Spanish to the forced promotion of Chinese-style education, Han Dynasty has done absolutely nothing, and it is the kind of absolute that leaves no way out.

The reason is that during the Han-Mexican War, one-third of the Mexican soldiers killed by the Han on the front line were from Sonora. This also explains why Guangling, which is also the traditional territory of Mexico, There were not many troubles in the province, but the Mexicans in Lingnan Province had to rebel one after another. It all originated from the Nogales Line of Defense War. (Guangling Province is also the Province of Sinaloa, Mexico)

That's why after the Sino-Mexican Treaty was signed, the resistance of the Mexicans here was so fierce.

But all this is over. With the passage of time and the arrival of a large number of immigrants, Lingnan Province eventually became the Lingnan of the Han Dynasty, not the Lingnan of the Mexicans.

Especially with the rise of Lingnan tea industry, the province's economy has also been revitalized.

Judging from the map, the terrain of Lingnan Province is actually the same as that of nearby Hanzhou Province, except that the plain area is much smaller than that of Hanzhou Province, and the roads are more rugged.

However, places like this are often mountainous, especially the water vapor on the west coast, which brings abundant water resources. Although due to the geography of Mexico, a lot of water resources are partially evaporated by the dry air coming from the center of Mexico. , but there are still a lot of groundwater and mountain springs in the local area, which are necessary conditions for growing tea.

Because the center of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is influenced by the west coast, the climate in Lingnan Province is relatively humid compared to other parts of Mexico, which brings opportunities to the local tea industry.

Of course, it is not without trouble. The area close to Jiuyuan Province is relatively arid compared to other places. However, this area is not impossible to manage. Therefore, after the Han Dynasty occupied it, in order to prevent further desertification, it was planted There are a large number of sand-proof plants, the most famous of which is Western Wei tamarisk.

This is a plant that can improve soil quality. Its rhizomes can penetrate deep into the ground and absorb the abundant groundwater in Lingnan Province, greatly improving the ecological situation of Lingnan Province.

In addition to the mountains and hills where tea can be grown, Lingnan Province also has a lot of arable land.

Of course, this kind of plant requires a lot of groundwater. If it is a pure desert area like Mobei, even if you scatter the seeds throughout Mobei, it may not be of any use.

An analogy is that part of Lingnan Province is an undeveloped treasure. Plants that improve the environment and anti-desertification projects are just the keys to unlocking this treasure.

As for desert areas like Mobei Province and even some desert areas in Jiuyuan Province, they are really deserts and cannot be saved even if they want to. Medicines and medicines cannot kill people, but they cannot really heal people who are already dead! !

The position of Lingnan Province in the economic map of Han Dynasty is actually very strange. It produces tea that is needed by the entire Han Dynasty. However, because of the difference in climate from China, the tea here always feels like a tea drink rather than a tea drink. Real tea.

In response to this situation, the local people in Lingnan are looking for better places to grow tea, while developing local groundwater and spring water to water the tea, hoping to simulate the conditions required for Chinese tea to the greatest extent.

But it’s useless. Just like Chinese tea leaves become Indian black tea when they arrive in India, Lingnan tea is still Lingnan tea after all and cannot change into Chinese tea.

Therefore, this kind of tea is generally used as a raw material for making milk tea in the Han Dynasty. It is just an ingredient, just like the brick tea that the Mongolians drink. They do not really come to taste the tea, but just need the vitamins and antioxidants in the tea. Just tired of it.

Just like a tea farmer who grows tea in Lingnan Province said: "All of us who grow tea know that Lingnan tea cannot become Shenzhou tea, nor can it be sold as expensive as Shenzhou tea, but we just want to grow authentic Lingnan tea. , a tea that belongs to the Han people..." (Due to the long journey, the tea brought from China costs one Chinese yuan per catty after arriving in the Han Dynasty, while the locally produced Lingnan tea costs less than twenty copper yuan per catty. The gap may never be bridged)

This sentence is actually a bit sad, but there is no way, the reality is like this.

Especially tea, a plant that is extremely dependent on water, soil and climate. The taste of tea is not the same if you bring it from China to the Americas. Humidity, climate, and temperature all greatly affect the taste. Even China's own tea leaves have different tastes. This is true, not to mention the so-called Lingnan tea in Han Dynasty! !

But even so, as the Lingnan people themselves said, Lingnan tea will still occupy most of the lower-class Han market, because there are too few people who can afford Shenzhou tea. This is their opportunity.

.............................................

ding ding ding...

A little donkey with a bell hanging on it walked on the official road from Luling City to Jiangling.

There are a large number of cacti on both sides of the official road. This is also a characteristic of Mexico. That is, no matter whether this place is a desert or lacks water, there are a large number of cacti growing and multiplying.

Lingnan Province is a province of Han Dynasty occupied by cactus. It is full of earth-yellow, sandy land like Mexico.

It looks like a drought and water shortage, but in fact there is a large amount of groundwater underground. Otherwise, the tea industry in Lingnan Province would not be able to develop.

This can be seen from the cactus taller than a person on the roadside. There are abundant water resources underground here.

Riding on the little donkey was a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat. The man had a weird hairstyle. There was more hair in the front, and the hair in the back looked like it had just grown out.

He looked very uncoordinated, and even doubted whether the person who gave him a haircut really knew how to cut hair.

In fact, this person is Lin Yusheng who is still writing the Han Dynasty. After this guy came to Han from China, the first thing he did was to visit Xijing and Jinshan, the two largest cities in Han.

Finally, he came to the conclusion that the cities of Han were far superior to the Jiangnan cities such as Suzhou and Hangzhou he saw in China.

Apart from anything else, even in the richest Jiangnan area, there are a large number of beggars begging on the streets. They are all sallow and thin, and they need to use crutches to walk.

In Han, had he ever seen beggars? There were indeed a few, but those few were simply liars.

When he first saw a few beggars in rags in the north of Jinshan City, Lin Yusheng was actually very happy. He even almost cheered as if he was grabbing Han pigtails.

But it was quickly discovered that after seeing the steamed buns he gave, these people not only did not thank him, but even said to him: "Damn it, I'm here to ask for money, not food!!"

This sentence shocked Lin Yusheng speechless at that time.

The reason is that the blow Lin Yusheng suffered along the way was too great, as a traditional Confucian apprentice.In the 30 years before his death, Lin Yu was taught traditional Confucian culture such as the principles of heaven and earth, king, teacher, three cardinal guides and five constant principles.

In his hometown in the south of the Yangtze River, the Lin family where Lin Yusheng lives is also a local scholarly family that has been passed down for centuries. The family has thousands of acres of fertile land, four or five shops, and dozens of servants.

Since childhood, Lin Yusheng has lived a ridiculous life of reaching out for clothes, opening his mouth for food, riding in a bamboo sedan when going out, reading when he is busy, and teasing maids when he is free.

And when he was 25 years old, he passed the scholar examination again. After the New Year, as long as he passed the examination, he could find someone to communicate with him, spend some money, and get a good job in the Qing Dynasty.

But unfortunately, the scientific examination after the age of 25 is like a curse. He just fails the examination and ends up with the name Lin Buju, which means that he will never be able to pass the examination in his life.

Of course, the other meaning of this sentence was so humiliating that Lin Yusheng himself was embarrassed to say it.

Frustrated, Lin Yusheng started running his family's business honestly.

Then, like many second-generation rich people, Lin Yusheng married a well-matched Miss Tang and eventually gave birth to a boy and two girls.

I originally thought that this would be how I would live my whole life. Who would have thought that by chance I would go to Guangzhou to discuss business, and I would accidentally learn about the news that overseas businessmen were pulling Chinese people to farm overseas. It was nothing at first, but after When he learned that no less than [-] people go to sea through Guangzhou Port every year, he was completely dumbfounded...

He couldn't understand why the foreigners wanted to drag so many people away. Even for farming, they didn't need so many people? ?
After talking with other businessmen, he learned about the country Han. In fact, Han was no longer a secret to the people along the coast of China.

Even some of the Eight Banners generals stationed there knew more or less about the affairs of the Han Kingdom.

At first, when the Eight Banners generals and local officials heard the news about the Han Kingdom, they were so angry that they wanted to report to the court immediately and strictly prohibit the people from going to sea. Some even said that they would send troops to destroy the Han Kingdom. (Actually, that person didn’t know where Han was at all, but when he heard the name Han, he felt fear from the bottom of his heart)
In the end, this news was reported to the Qing court. As expected, it caused an uproar in the government and the public. Even Emperor Daoguang at the time personally issued the so-called sea ban, strictly prohibiting coastal people from going to sea. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy! !
This so-called sea ban did affect Han's immigration work at the beginning of this year. The number of immigrants that month dropped by one-third.

But just like the Maginot Line, the Qing Dynasty's sea ban also had its own Ardennes Forest.

That is, the coast is too long. It is too difficult to block the [-] kilometers of coastline. You cannot go from Guangdong, but you can go through Fujian and Zhejiang, and vice versa. You can even go through Vietnam. (In fact, there are still immigrants leaving, mostly people from Guangdong and Guangxi areas)

Coupled with the fact that in the coastal areas, corrupt officials who were bribed by the Han State in the early days and had control over the situation, these so-called sea bans were of no use at all.

It's really just like the Maginot Line, fragile, one blitz, and it's over! !
Lin Yusheng went to Han State because of this sea ban. After more than a month at home, Lin Yusheng finally made up his mind to go to Han State in person to see this country that suddenly appeared, a country called Han State. .

In fact, Lin Yusheng was still very afraid of going to Han. He was afraid that if he went to a country that did not respect Confucianism and had short hair, he would be persecuted.

But in the end, the adventurous gene in my heart defeated the fear of the unknown.

After settling all the major and minor matters at home, Lin Yusheng officially embarked on the road to Han.

Different from Han's current Pacific route, Lin Yusheng took the safest continental route, that is, along the continental shelf to North America. This route is the safest and most popular. This will still be the case even after Han takes control of Hawaii.

After all, the risks in the Pacific are still greater than those in the mainland routes.

But the biggest trouble with the mainland route is that there is no fulcrum, and the places used are technical secondary schools in other countries. Therefore, within the country of Han, naturally, they are very interested in opening up the mainland route, and are currently planning a colonization plan along the mainland route.

Following the mainland route, stopping and going, a month later, we arrived at Xijing Port in Han Dynasty.

When he first arrived in Xijing, Lin Yusheng still looked at this so-called capital of Han with a critical eye. In Lin Yusheng's words:
"Although the Han country considers itself Han, it does not respect the teachings of famous names, does not accept the teachings of saints, plays with strange skills, keeps short hair, and imitates red-haired foreigners, so it is not Han, but a Western barbarian..." (Han Country Land) Located in the Western Sea of ​​America, considered by Lin Yusheng as a Western Man)
"Although I have inherited the orthodoxy of the previous Ming Dynasty, during the more than two hundred years since the Qing Dynasty entered the Guan Dynasty, I have promoted the teachings of saints, organized imperial examinations, and maintained the rules of etiquette and never lost order..." From this, it can be seen that Lin Yusheng is loyal to the Qing Dynasty in his heart. , after all, he was considered part of the power of the Qing Dynasty.

After seeing Han women wearing improved gauze Song Dynasty Hanfu and Western skirts in summer, Lin Yusheng even said:
"Women misbehave and act obscenely in the street... all the people in the country are barbarians!!"

Although the Han people wore Hanfu and he, Lin Yusheng, was wearing a Qing Dynasty robe, Lin Yusheng was still full of confidence at that time.

Even if many Japanese people point fingers at him on the street, he doesn't care. There is even a feeling that I am proud of the people of the Qing Dynasty! !

But later, after seeing the whole picture of Xijing City, Lin Yusheng fell silent.

Because no matter how he tried to quibble, the wealth of the people in Xijing City, the shops he had never seen in Xijing City, the delicacies he had never tasted, especially the piece of chocolate cake he ate at the Old Love Dessert Shop, had never been the best in his life. He couldn't forget that it was a taste and texture that he had never experienced before, and that kind of tenderness was something he had never experienced before.

Then he visited the Galaxy Stadium, one of the home stadiums of the Galaxy team in Xijing City, and watched a polo match there.

To be honest, he wasn't very interested in polo, and he couldn't understand why the people around him were so excited and making noisy noises while watching a game.

Even those collisions between tall and powerful horses were, in Lin Yusheng's view, a symbol of barbarism and another powerful proof of the uncivilized nature of the Han Dynasty.

Even before he went to Qiuyuan, a theater known as the city that never sleeps by the Han people, he had a critical mentality.

Even after seeing those bright kerosene lamps in the autumn garden, Lin Yusheng even said that the wine and meat in the rich family smelled stinky, and the roads were freezing to death. He didn't care that kerosene was used by all Han families.

Of course, after Lin Yusheng watched several performances, he had to admit that this theater was indeed good. Of course, it was good literally, not in the bottom of his heart.

Although Lin Yusheng came four times in a row later, Lin Yusheng always told himself that he was observing the corrupt life of the Han nobles, so he could criticize it in his article.

After that, Lin Yusheng went to Jinshan again. If Xijing gave Lin Yusheng the feeling of an aristocratic style, with everything outside the rules, then Jinshan allowed Lin Yusheng to see the true face of the Han people.

Everyone here walked very quickly, as if something big had happened. After asking, they found out that this was the largest light industry in Han Dynasty, with a large number of factories. (Light industry, in Lin Yusheng’s eyes, is the production of toothpaste and soap)
Everyone here is talking about money, how to sell the cotton harvested from the interior of Beimen at a high price, and even how to introduce fashionable goods from overseas to Han to make a profit.

All in all, people from Jinshan care more about money than people from Xijing who want to be aristocratic. They never say anything about money throughout the day.

As a result, Lin Yusheng wrote in the Jinshan chapter of the Han Dynasty: "Jinshan is the second largest city in the Han Dynasty. It has a favorable port location. Han and foreigners live together. Han goods are exported to overseas countries and foreign merchants receive them. Foreign goods are transported to the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty The merchants collect them, and so on, and there are as many people worth tens of thousands as a cow's hair..."

"The people of Jinshan love profit and are ashamed to talk about benevolence and righteousness. There are hundreds of thousands of people in the city, ranging from officials to peddlers and pawns. When talking, profit is the top priority. It is a city of true merchants..."

This was Lin Yusheng's early experience, but now, he is in Lingnan, Han Dynasty, and he is wearing Han-made Western clothes. This shows how much changes have occurred in the middle.

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(End of this chapter)