African Nationhood

(Some book friends questioned whether he wanted to proclaim himself emperor and why he set up a committee.

Because the South China Company was converted into a dominion and had to obey the British Crown, the government system of the dominion at this time was still a constitutional monarchy.

The British had requirements for the political system of the colonies, which required separation of powers.

In order to seize power, a committee system was established to avoid decentralization of power between parliament and cabinet.

Now if you want to seek help from Great Britain, you have to obey Great Britain. After the First World War and the founding of the country, you will no longer be restricted by Great Britain. )

……

The capital of a country must have good geographical advantages and water conservancy factor bonuses. Pretoria is located in the Magalethsburg Valley on the northeastern plateau, and the city spans both sides of the Apis River, a tributary of the Limpopo River.

The altitude here is more than 1300 meters, the annual precipitation is 700 mm, and the annual average temperature is 17°C. It can be said that the four seasons are like spring and the water is abundant (the annual precipitation in Beijing is about 600 mm).

In addition, to the east of Pretoria are the tall Drakensberg Mountains that block the hot and humid Indian Ocean water vapor, to the west are the Magallesberg Mountains to block the hot winds blowing from the Bechuanaland region, to the north are the Watt Mountains, and to the south are the Lanland Mountains. Fortress city.

Pretoria is only more than 450 kilometers away from Maputo Port (today's Maputo, Mozambique). It is protected by mountains and rivers and has convenient transportation. It is a good capital location.

Another reason Boss Shi wanted to make his capital here was that it was not affected by stubborn African diseases such as tsetse fly and malaria, which was crucial.

……

"Director Lister, please tell me."

James Lister nodded, "Okay, Mr. Shi, let me first talk about the road repair situation within the company's territory during the war.

During the war, the main railway lines in the Namib region were heavily damaged, with a total mileage of about 420 kilometers. It is estimated that it will take three years to repair these main railway lines.

We are currently speeding up the construction of the railway line from Meibu City (Tsumebu City, Natalia) to Jinshan Town (Karibu City, Namibia). Once completed, the export of pure copper and lead from Chumeib can be opened.

In addition, the East African Administration's main railway line from Beira Port to Jianye (now Harare, Zimbabwe) was also damaged, with a total mileage of about 130 kilometers.

This railway was damaged in widely spaced sections, not in large continuous sections. The repair work should be very fast and is expected to be completed within one year.

Compared with railways, the damage to roads is easier to repair.

After all, any indigenous worker can do this job. The total mileage of damaged roads within the company's territory is about 3120 kilometers, most of which were destroyed by landmines. "

Through the damage to the main roads, we can imagine how fiercely the company's garrison resisted the British army at that time.

"Well, what about the road traffic here in the Transvaal and Orange?"

“The main railway lines in the two regions mainly connect the Cape Administrative Office and the company’s New Orange Town and Map Port. The total mileage of the three main railway lines is not very long, 1500 kilometers (blue line).

There were many damages along the way, with the damaged mileage being 680 kilometers. It will take a long time to completely repair and connect it, estimated to be 3 to 4 years. "

Hearing this situation, Shi Jintang still felt a little achy.

Temporary reinforcements were made to those damaged road sections in order to allow them to be quickly opened to traffic, but they cannot be used for a long time.

Therefore, if you want to repair it in the long term, it still takes too long.

This is also related to the current iron-making capacity of Nanhua Company. After all, the colony lacks sufficient supply of pig iron and steel.

The British mainland aid team has not yet arrived. Once the aid team arrives, they will need to negotiate with the aid team on the production capacity and location of the new steelmaking plant.

This war reparations will be an improvement for the British real economy, because all the British capital at this stage has become financial hot money. They make money all over the world, but they don't invest in domestic industries.

This led to the secret rise of German and American industrial capital and the rapid increase in national power, laying the foundation for hegemony.

Because of this war reparations, Great Britain's industry received huge orders, stimulating the development of industry.

Great Britain's financial capital will invest money back into domestic industries when it sees profits, which can further stimulate the development of the real economy.

……

“Our department has planned two new lines (Green Line).

One is the railway line from Jinling (Bulawayo) to Pretoria, with a total mileage of 780 kilometers.

However, this line can use part of the Ma (Mapu Port)-Bu (Handu) line, and the actual construction mileage is 480 kilometers.

This railway line will be constructed by the South West African Railway Main Line Company and is expected to last 4.5 years.

The other one is from Landfortress (now Johannesburg) to the Port of Durban in Natal, with a total mileage of 520 kilometers. It will also be constructed by the 'Western Railway' company, with an estimated construction period of 5 years. "

Such planning is still necessary. After all, railways are closely related, and both passenger and freight transportation need to be vigorously developed.

"Okay, what about the road plans for the two areas?"

“Our department has compiled statistics on road traffic conditions in these two areas, and most of them are first-class roads, with very few second-class roads.

There are 7.6 kilometers of first-class highways and 0.99 kilometers of second-class highways.

The first-class highways in these two regions have initially connected key towns. In the next stage, our department plans to use indentured laborers to build a large number of second-class highways, and at the same time, build third-class roads paved with asphalt between key cities. "

Hearing that Liszt planned to use oil refining waste to build key urban roads made Shi Jintang hesitate.

The fields in the Transvaal and Orange are very superior and will serve as future bases for agriculture and animal husbandry. If roads are paved with asphalt with serious residues, it will easily cause environmental pollution and be difficult to clean.

"Well, this matter of paving asphalt roads can be done in other non-major agricultural areas. The Transvaal and Orange areas will be postponed for now. After all, the environment and soil here are relatively superior.

Let’s wait until the company’s refining level improves before laying it out. "

Boss Shi spoke, and Liszt naturally agreed, "Okay, Boss Shi. Now we will continue to focus on the construction of secondary highways."

"Well, let's talk about the transportation of supplies during the war."

“During the war, our Transportation Department transported a total of 18 tons of food supplies, a total of 2.1 tons of ammunition and guns, and 55 personnel.

At the same time, we also took on the responsibility of emergency road traffic repairs. During the war, the total mileage of road traffic repairs was 2.1 kilometers. "

Hearing these achievements, Shi Jintang was still very grateful.

"Well, I would like to pay tribute to all the staff of the Transportation Department. Their work is very hard and important!"

When James Lister heard Boss Shi's commendation, a happy smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you, Mr. Shi, for your recognition of our work in the Transportation Department. On behalf of all the civil servants in the Transportation Department, I would like to thank Mr. Shi for the award."

After James Lister finished speaking, he bowed to Boss Shi, and Shi Jintang stood up and helped James Lister up.

Thunderous applause erupted in the venue, and James Lister felt extremely satisfied and proud at this moment. (End of chapter)