Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1321 Terrace ([-])

On August 1662, 8, after a month of preparation, the first immigrant ship, under the guidance of a hastily built lighthouse at the mouth of the Ludang River, carefully avoided the sandy shoals near the mouth of the river. After entering the Ludang River, which is wide and deep, and after going up for about 15 kilometers, it slowly anchored and moored near the planned Xuanwu Fort.

There is already an advance team working on the shore. Dozens of supervisors are divided into two shifts, driving [-] Congolese black slaves to rush to build warehouses, houses and docks day and night. The pioneering work of Xuanwubao, It's officially launched!

Xuanwubao is definitely not the only new settlement on the banks of the Ludang River.In fact, in the surrounding areas, the people of the East Coast have also established seven new settlements to resettle the [-] immigrants allocated to Patagonia this year. These seven settlements are: located in the later San Javier Shunchang Township near the town, Qiaocheng Township near West San Antonio, and Suiyang Township near General Conesa Town—this will be the approximate jurisdiction of Xuanwu County in the future; located in Carmen de Patagones Daliangbao near the city (that is, on the other side of the Viedma River), Changyuan Township near Stroed, Fengze Township near San Blas Port, and Yongqiu Township near Villalonga— This will be the basic area of ​​Daliang County in the future. The hundreds of miles of plains on the north bank of the Ludang River, the soil texture is not bad, and the precipitation is also a lot because it is located on the northern edge of Patagonia, so it is a good dry farming area. Later generations here It is a famous wheat producing area.

In the future, once these two counties are officially established, it will also mean that the nearby counties of Yancheng, Daliang, and Xuanwu will be integrated into one, and the main products will be wheat, sorghum, corn, soybeans, fruits, beef and mutton, dairy products, seafood, Although the building materials such as wool, leather, tallow, pottery and lime are not comparable to those of the local industrial and commercial counties, it is not a big problem to have enough food and clothing, and the people's life is not bad.

Cai Huaze came to Xuanwu Fort and Daliang Fort once again today, and began to supervise the work as the deputy commissioner of the Northern Patagonia region, coordinating with the National Development Bureau, the Immigration Department, the National Grain Reserve and other agencies to do a good job in the construction of the new settlements. Construction and resettlement work.

"In the future, the economy of Xuanwu County and Daliang County can refer to Hai'an County on the banks of the Chubut River. In addition to developing part of dry farming to provide grain, the orchard industry can be vigorously developed. Patagonian fruits have gradually opened up in the local area. This is a big market of several 10 yuan a year, and it must not be ignored." Cai Huaze squeezed the soil in the valley, and then looked up at the sunshine and the clear and transparent air that were not blocked by a cloud. Said.

It is said that the fruit industry along the Chubut River is very popular nowadays. In addition to a large number of small orchards planted by farmers themselves, there are also three large-scale enterprises investing in it. They are Mashi Fruit Industry, which has been operating the orchard industry in Shenwu County in the north for many years. It has a profound background. , Chuangji Investment Company with complex equity, and Oasis Fruit Industry invested by the Cai Huaze family.

The three companies rented a large area of ​​land on both sides of the Chubut River, and began to build irrigation systems, windbreak forests and other systems. After several years of construction, the industry has become popular at present. The production of black currants, watermelons and other fruits is gradually increasing. In addition to being processed into canned and dried fruits, some fresh fruits are shipped to the local market for sale by express ship, and they have gained a lot of money. According to colleagues from the Haian County Fruit Industry Association It is estimated that last year (1661) a total of 24 yuan worth of various fruits, canned and dried fruits were exported to the mainland, and the profit after excluding costs was nearly 5 yuan, which effectively prospered the local economy and attracted more and more people. More and more capital is coming to Patagonia to invest.

Now that the Ludang River, which is in better condition than the Chubut River, is available, fools will not make good use of it!No, without the mobilization and orders of Cai Huaze and others, the Hai'an County Fruit Industry Association has already sent people to inspect the development prospects of the orchard here, and the result is naturally extremely satisfactory.In order to support the development of the local economy, the Northwest Reclamation Bank also set up a branch in Xuanwubao, which specializes in investment loans for agriculture, fishery and animal husbandry in nearby areas, and the interest is extremely low. They are very happy.

Who said Patagonia was barren?Cai Huaze thought with some pride in his heart that this place contributed 100% of the country's sea animal skins, 100% of whale products, 100% of salt, 90% of hops, more than two-thirds of seafood, all ceramic products, 60 More than 80% of industrial/naval coal, more than half of wool, more than [-]% of mutton, and almost half of fruits. There are also nationally famous military horse farms and breeding stations, as well as the Southern Cone Railway that connects the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Who Dare to say that this is a barren land?See if I don't spray him to death!

"Now the reputation of Chubut River fruit is getting more and more, and the quality of fruit produced by the fruit trees (especially cold-resistant fruit trees) cultivated there is good enough to prove that the local ecological conditions are extremely superior. I’m very confident about it!” Cai Huaze, who was standing with his hips akimbo, said vigorously, “Some fruits, such as sweet and juicy red apples and juicy and sweet Hai’an pears, have been so well received that they It has a good reputation, and its canned products have traveled across the ocean to South Africa and New Courland, and have become the bulk of the county's exports. In addition to cold-resistant fruits, there are also grapes, plums, cherries and walnuts with high yield and high quality. It is also a very good fruit tree plantation, and we want to transplant this successful experience to the Ludang River Basin and develop it into another fertile economic land."

Anyone who has been to the Chubut River Oasis will not have any objection to Cai Huaze's words at this moment.The three major investors there have built a large area of ​​specialized fruit tree plantations to produce fruits, and then transport them to three nearby joint venture fruit processing plants for further processing.The distinctive feature of this specialized agriculture and on-site agricultural product processing industry is the proper planning of rural land, which generally belongs to individuals. After planning (investors build roads, irrigation canals, and windbreaks), a certain The area is planted with fruit, a crop with high economic value, and the products are traded with the outside world through three fruit companies.Doing so ultimately raises the standard of welfare and promotes the formation of a satisfactory society, all of which are conducive to sustainable economic development and cultural prosperity.

Today, in the large-scale agricultural area along the Chubut River, there is a thriving scene. The residents there generally have a good living standard, and the consumption of high-end furniture, leather clothes, fine wine, tobacco, sugar, and meat is very high. In addition, the land there is well-planned, the crops are carefully managed, and poplar windbreaks are planted in rows between the irrigation ditches, creating a beautiful rural landscape.

Of course, apart from the fruit industry, the most famous local area is the marine industry.In addition to the famous fishing port in Hai'an Port itself, the large number of fur seals, walruses and sea lions in the local area is also an extremely huge wealth. Their fur is soft and valuable, and is very popular in the market.Some local women and children will also catch birds, shrimps and sea crabs in the offshore, and salvage a kind of seaweed with special value (only in the northern Patagonia coast). It is processed in the seafood processing factory, and then made into a precious commodity such as agar and exported to the mainland, which is extremely profitable.

The coast of the Chubut River can prosper to this point. Cai Huaze does not believe that the conditions are better and the coast of the Ludang River cannot rise. How is it possible!

"Have the aborigines around the Ludang River been cleared?" Cai Huaze called an officer over and asked.His hands are itching again now, he really wants to put on his armor and wield his blade again, and ride his horse to kill the enemy!

The conditions in the Ludang River Basin are so good. In fact, there are still quite a few natives, mainly Tehuelche people-in fact, it is far more than an Indian nation like Tehuelche, but the people on the east coast are really too lazy to distinguish them, so they can only generalize ——The number of them may be as high as ten thousand. If they are not cleaned up, it will definitely be harmful to the great cause of land reclamation. That's why Cai Huaze asked this question just now.

"We only cleared 200 kilometers west of Xuanwubao. At that time, we encountered some Tehuelche tribes. We asked them to surrender and hand over their land, but they refused. So some small-scale conflicts broke out. Two tribes were captured, and more than a thousand people were surrendered. Sir, these are the people who repaired the barn over there. We plan to use these labor forces first. As for the next step, it depends on the above. I guess it will eventually be Go to Hezhong or Yicheng area by sea, this is how the latest batch of Indians captured by the Deseado River were handled.” The officer is a young second lieutenant, a second-generation native born, heroic and confident.If you think about it, how can you not have strong self-confidence if you dare to take more than [-] Shandan, Buryat and Spasi cavalry from exile and rush out to wipe out the indigenous tribes?

Cai Huaze looked in the direction of the young second lieutenant's finger, and saw that a medium-sized barn belonging to the national grain reserve was under construction.The materials used for the construction were pulled from the local area (due to the lack of trees nearby, even if there were trees, they would not dare to cut them down), bricks, lime, cement, sand, gravel, and wood were piled up everywhere. Hundreds of Congolese blacks worked hard under the supervision of the supervisor.

As a large state-owned syndicate, the National Grain Reserve has a large number of granaries all over the east coast to store huge amounts of grain, and this is actually an important part of the infrastructure of the East Coast Republic.It is not difficult to understand that as a country with high agricultural output, no matter whether its products are used for domestic consumption or for export, it must have corresponding warehouses with reasonable layout.These warehouses store the public grain collected in the old settlements, and the relief grain to be distributed in the new settlements. Sometimes they can also temporarily store some cured meat, salted fish, fruits and vegetables, etc., which is very convenient.

There are many advantages to using large grains to store grains. The grains will not get wet, moldy, insects, rodents, or dust.If it is stored in other ways, this kind of loss is difficult to avoid.Moreover, the proper stocking of the crop may, without any loss of the kind mentioned above, allow it to wait for a more favorable time to sell it abroad.In order to give full play to the effectiveness of the barn, it is necessary to sow regionally uniform grains (this is somewhat similar to the large-scale container economy of later generations), and people on the east coast are indeed doing the same in most areas.

After Cai Huaze looked at the tall Tehuelche people who were taller than the militiamen on the east bank guarding them for a while, he turned to the second lieutenant officer who was following him and said, "Our footsteps cannot be limited to the west of Xuanwu Fort. Such a piece. We will continue to expand further inland, using the unparalleled mobility of the cavalry to attack and capture all the Tehuelche people we encounter; The reconnaissance cavalry searched in the past, and once they found something, they immediately mobilized the brigade to kill them without mercy. In short, the fewer Tehuelche people in this land, the better, and the more people on the east coast, the better. Of course, If the Tehuelche people we meet clearly express their willingness to surrender—just like the Tehuelche officers and soldiers of the Fifth Battalion of the Volunteer Army who are fighting in Brazil in the north—then we can collect them instead of killing them all, and wait for the arrival of the top Further arrangements. We are not murderers. Killing people is not an end, but a means. Our ultimate goal is to occupy this fertile land."

After Cai Huaze finished speaking, he called several military officers to discuss the suppression plan, and when they heard that Cai Huaze planned to go to battle in person to "have a good time", everyone unanimously expressed their opposition, which made Lao Cai very depressed. Being an officer is not as refreshing as before. , What a bad luck!In the end, he had no choice but to compromise with his subordinates, saying that he would promote Li Yi, the Minister of the Navy who had just been promoted, from colonel to major general because of his extraordinary achievements. Correspondingly, Chief of Staff Mo was also dismissed. Promoted to major general, and there is a possibility of further promotion after the war—Captain Guo Handong, who married his beloved daughter, Miss Li Zexin, was transferred from Polu Township to the Ludang River area.

Cleaning up the aborigines is Guo Handong's old business, and he himself is also an "old friend" of the Tehuelche people. He is well-known among the tribes. The ground is very powerful.The Tehuelche people on the banks of the Ludang River may not have heard of his reputation, but Captain Guo is good at suppressing the aborigines. Sending him here will be very helpful for quickly stabilizing the surrounding situation and further expanding the control area.

On August 1662, 8, Captain Guo Handong arrived at Xuanwu Fort with more than 28 cavalry drawn out. He officially took over the post of Ludang River garrison commander and was directly under the command of Cai Huaze, the executive deputy commissioner of the Northern Patagonia region.

(End of this chapter)