Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1479 He Jian (Twenty)

The 150-ton inland river steamer struggled to sail on the mighty Parana River. Li Dayan, who has been the editor-in-chief of "Pravda" for more than ten years, has students all over the country's major newspapers, magazines, and book publishing houses. Standing on the foredeck, planning to do one last major interview before retirement—a foreign affairs event to witness the handover of land.

After this time, his students will basically do these interviews that consume more physical and energy in the future. They are in the prime of life, which is a good time for career.As for Li Dayan, who has worked for Pravda for half his life and advocated for the elders for half his life, he can gradually retreat to the second line in the future, which is also better paving the way for young people.Of course, the treatment and status that should be given to him will not be less at all, and this is what it should be. After all, he has "talked and laughed happily" with many big shots, and this network is not ordinary.

"The country has been developing for almost 37 years, and has a population of nearly 200 million (as of July 1667, according to the latest national population statistics and estimates, the total population of the East Coast Republic of China has reached 7 million, and the number of non-nationals It also continued to expand to 198.54 people, and the population size cannot be underestimated), and the number of commodities produced is also increasing. The mileage of infrastructure such as roads, railways, docks, and canals is also increasing, and trade is developed and commodities are prosperous. , the rhythm is fast, and the nature of the whole country has gradually become very different from that of the old continent." Li Dayan, who was standing facing the wind, said this, adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and said to his students with a gentle smile: " But many people in the country—including quite a few journalists—claim that agriculture is still the largest industry in our country. This argument is true to some extent, because until last year, agriculture was the largest socio-economic major in our country by population. The label of the group, there is no industry - such as textiles, steel, construction, shipping, coal, timber, machinery manufacturing, etc. - whose employment population exceeds that of agriculture, and even being connected is a luxury. More than 26.1% of the whole society The population is related to agriculture. More than half of the adult males are direct grain growers, and most of the others are vegetable garden owners, fruit growers, farmers, herdsmen or agricultural machinery maintenance workers. Such a huge population, economic and social group, The industry he is engaged in is defined as the largest industry in the country, there is really no problem, and it is well deserved..."

Generally speaking, in a system like the East Coast Republic of China, the situation is almost as Li Dayan said, either due to economic factors, or out of traditional habits, or out of policy guidance, a huge number of new people devote themselves to agriculture every year , is indeed a well-known thing, and it is indeed something that people are willing to see.

In the mainstream consciousness of this country, agricultural groups should receive the most care and attention, because they can produce wheat, fruits, vegetables, sugar and other products necessary for national life; a balance between agriculture and industry and commerce is also necessary, and self-sufficiency in food It is especially important for a country on the east coast that is not dependent on four things (although this pressure is not great, because there are countless bison in the pampas grassland waiting for you to catch), agricultural products like the United Province cannot support one percent of the country The abnormal economic model of the people is also strictly prohibited on the east coast.

"At present, some big cities—such as Dongfang County, Qingdao County, Pingan County, Zhenhai County, etc.—have a tendency to degenerate agricultural planting, and even some of the remaining agriculture has been affected by commercial and economic factors. The number of people who run agriculture is on the decline. There is no doubt that in the big cities or industrial areas there has been a race for life and food due to the improvement of our medical conditions and the development of our economy, but the will to grow food locally is still not very strong. From this point of view, our country—at least some areas—no longer has the characteristics of an agricultural country, especially in the early establishment of about ten counties with a population of 10, a considerable proportion of them are engaged in industry and commerce. This is the most important source of strength for our country.” Li Dayan added: “So, now the focus of food cultivation has begun to shift outward, especially in new areas like Hejian. In fact, these agricultural planting areas should have been gradually transferred to the surrounding areas of the above-mentioned big cities, but the local area could not get enough public land allocation indicators, so the area of ​​cultivated land would naturally not increase. It can be said that such There are also policy factors in this situation, because the population density of our country is too low, and the government needs to artificially control the citizens to open up wasteland and strengthen the frontier. This seems very unreasonable, but it is necessary and a century-old plan.”

After Li Dayan said this, he didn't say anything more, but smiled and watched his students chattering.With the development of transportation and communication, as well as closer ties with overseas regions, the country today is quite different from what it was more than 30 years ago, and this is especially evident in agriculture.

For example, La Plata has increasingly become the main source of fresh meat on the east coast. Countless bison wandering on the grasslands were captured by the Spaniards (now the people on the east coast also catch a lot across the border), and then rough processed (Some are not even processed, and live cattle are sold directly) are transported to the east bank for sale-corned beef occupies a dominant position in meat imports, and its import value is higher than that of imported or self-produced cattle, sheep, and pigs on the east coast deer, ostriches, crocodiles, llamas, etc. - the tariff protection is gone, and the domestic meat price on the east coast has experienced a long-term bear market, which has forced more and more farmers (three crops) The crop rotation system needs to raise a lot of livestock) It is not easy to turn to dairy cows, pigs and other livestock that are sold at a high price and can produce a lot of manure to fertilize the field. Change - sometimes it's not all good.

Fortunately, farmers who switch to dairy cows are doing well.The commodity milk is hardly affected by any external price reduction pressure, and with the growth of population and national consumption capacity, the market demand is also increasing, which can be seen from the purchase contracts signed by many domestic hospitals and farmers Come out, this more or less made up for the farmers and returned some income.And the income of farmers has been maintained, which means that the income of the largest middle-class group in the country has been maintained, which is of great benefit to the development of business and industry, because these people are the biggest consumers crowd.

Amid the chatter and laughter of the crowd, the little steamer slowly docked in Baosai County—a newly established county with three settlements under the jurisdiction of Baosai Town, Daning Township, and Ningsai Township. It is the 67th county in the country. County-level administrative unit - the only port, Baosai Port, a river port city located at the confluence of the Baosai River (that is, the Paon River) and the Parana River.

There are already many people on the pier at this moment, most of them are crowded in front of several permanent buildings made of bricks and stones: a band invited from nowhere is adjusting musical instruments, and several Taoist priests are explaining scriptures to everyone surrounded by believers. To solve the problem of righteousness, some people who look like non-national laborers are setting up a high rostrum.Of course, the most eye-catching thing there is still a group of garrison soldiers with live ammunition. Under the leadership of the officers, they are trying to maintain order, and they have surrounded an open space in front of the rostrum to separate some people who seem to have a lot of background. out of space.

"Officials from both parties who participated in the handover ceremony in the Hejian area are there." Li Dayan carefully looked ahead through the reading glasses, and then said firmly: "Let's go there now, I haven't seen some old friends for a long time. "

Li Dayan's so-called old friend is Xu Xin, a former veteran of the diplomatic circles.This gentleman has just resigned from his position as a commissioner of the Jiaohe District Administrative Office, but he is still in good health at the age of 70 or [-]. When he lives in the capital, he can't sit still. He often goes to some old friends' homes, needless to say, .

This time, the east bank fulfilled its obligations under the secret agreement of the military alliance and sent troops to attack the Kingdom of France to help Spain. Naturally, they also had to receive rewards, and this reward was the central valley of Chile south of the river and the Bueno River.Regarding this point, the Spaniards have repeatedly confirmed, and this order has been passed on to the Governor of Peru and General de la Plata. The official handover of the Hejian area is today!

There is no doubt that this is a historic moment, but also an extremely glorious moment.Xu Xin, as the representative of Dong'an, will soon sign the land delivery document. This is also a matter of history, and I don't know how many people are envious.It can also be seen from this that Xu Xin, a retired diplomatic veteran, was sent to participate in this kind of ceremony. It is indeed the central government's reward for him and the recognition of his work for many years. Of course, it also shows that he is very popular. He has great influence, otherwise he would never get such a good thing of grabbing the head!

Li Dayan came to Baosai County today with the backbone of the Yigan Society, naturally also to interview this important historical moment.Expansion of territory is always something that people love to see, and it is also a major event worth remembering. He showed his face at the end of his career, and he will be able to leave a mark in history in the future. This is for him at this age. That being said, the temptation is undoubtedly very great.

Xu Xin still remembers Li Dayan as an old friend. After all, as the number one writer, imperial literati, and first advocate of the East Coast Republic of China, Li Dayan often goes to and from various ministries and commissions, as well as the Government Council and the Executive Committee compound, and is in charge of the diplomatic and trade systems. Xu Xin, who has been with him for many years, has also been seen from time to time, and the relationship between the two parties has also been maintained very well-of course, this is also the result of Li Dayan's flattery and carefulness over the years.

Xu was very happy with Li Dayan's arrival. The two stood aside and chatted for a long time. It was not until the staff reminded that the preparations were ready and the Spaniard's representative had a bad face, that they ended the conversation at the right time and started the land formally. delivery procedure.

The delivery procedure is actually very simple. It is nothing more than talking nonsense together, and then the two parties review the documents written in Chinese and Spanish, sign and renew the contract after they are correct, and the delivery is completed, just these few steps!It was probably because the representatives of the Kingdom of Spain felt that their faces were dull, or they knew that the Hejian area had already been infiltrated by people from the east bank to cross the border, so they quickly completed the entire ceremony and kept it cold the whole time. The face looks like the whole world owes them money.

Xu Xin didn't care about the attitude of the other party. After signing the contract quickly and completing the contract exchange with the Spaniard, he spent some time cooperating with the painters to record this historic moment with a brush, and then he walked aside to meet with the Spaniard. Li Dayan chatted while smoking: "The central government set the land delivery ceremony in the newly established Baosai County in Hejian. The meaning is actually very clear, that is, the Hejian area will be one of the key immigration areas for a long time to come. [-]. With the gradual decline of agriculture and population growth in the old industrial areas and commercial areas along the eastern coast of the country, the Hejian area, a frontier area with a large number of public land allocation indicators, will usher in a period of great development in the future, especially This is even more true for agriculture."

Li Dayan understood the meaning of Xu Xin's words. In fact, as he said before, in the eastern coastal counties with relatively developed industries and commerce, people are more and more inclined to engage in industry and commerce with higher income, rather than planting where income has hardly increased over the years. Industry.Li Dayan also often went to the countryside for interviews many years ago. Back then, the farmers always devoted themselves to serving the crops in their fields, and their wives and daughters also had to feed the livestock, clean the manure in the livestock pens, and sometimes even to provide enough labor for the family. It can be seen that children are not allowed to study in elementary schools several kilometers away.

But today, after more than 30 years of development in the country, there are fewer and fewer such people, because everyone understands that if a child is illiterate, he will not be able to find a high-paying job.Coupled with the decline in the price of meat and even grains, many lands that were originally planted with wheat were converted to cash crops such as vegetables, fruits, barley, and flax. Farmers—at least the young farmers who grew up in the second generation—are becoming more and more Difficult to keep their own place, they ran to the city to try to find a higher-paying job, which has become an increasingly popular behavior in this era.Therefore, no matter from which point of view, at least in the eastern coastal counties with the most developed economy, the longest history, and the largest population on the east coast, the actual growth area of ​​cultivated land is actually relatively slow, or cannot keep up with the rate of population growth. Under the dual effects of economy and policy, the agricultural area on the shore has been extending more and more to the periphery—or the border area—especially at the moment when the rapid development of transportation conditions has made the freight of goods extremely low.

"Falling grain and meat prices have had a profound impact on rural eastern seaboard counties. They have had to form more efficient, tighter cooperatives to combat unforgiving markets and halt some road, building and drainage works , the work of dredging canals and rivers is not so active, and the use of fertilizers is becoming more and more frugal, but the degree of agricultural mechanization has increased." Xu Xin finally concluded: "The development of social economy has had a great impact on people's lives. It has had a profound impact, and in my opinion, the future agricultural output on the east coast will mainly depend on the newly developed land with unique conditions like Hejian.”

(End of this chapter)