Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 389 Reaction
The heated public opinion storm overseas did not cause much interference to the rural area of ​​La Plata, tens of thousands of kilometers away.

In late October, the suburbs of Chang'an had just welcomed the vibrant spring. In the early morning, the fiery red sun rose slowly from the vast horizon. In the rural settlements shrouded by the sun, the farmers in the houses got up early. The husbands carried dried hay and walked to the livestock pens to feed the hungry cattle and sheep.

The young wife, who had just rested from the confinement period, carefully placed her infant child on the bed, then covered three or four older children with quilts. Then she gently walked down from the bed, carrying the wooden bucket distributed by the milk company, opened a wooden shed with an area of ​​about 200 square meters, and started the milking work every morning.

At the end of 1868, Li Mingyuan led the Chinese workers in the uprising and initially settled down in two southern states of Brazil. When the government encouraged people to raise dairy cows, the view of ordinary Chinese people was that "Chinese people have no habit of drinking milk. Farmers raise cows for farming and transportation, not for milking them. Cows only have milk when their calves are born, and milk is for calves to drink, so we cannot compete with calves for milk."

Because of the old ideas, ordinary Chinese people had no idea that there were such animals as dairy cows in the world. In January of the following year, the government sent officials to Chinese communities to promote the benefits of drinking milk and teach ordinary Chinese farmers how to raise dairy cows and the technology of obtaining and temporarily storing milk.

Because the government lacked administrative officials at that time and the farmers' inherent ideas were difficult to change in a short period of time,

The publicity effect in the first year did not achieve the expected promotion goals.

In February 1873, the government opened 2 dairy farms based on livestock production in five northern states of Argentina and began purchasing fresh milk from local farmers.

However, because it was implemented hastily, the milk at that time was pure raw milk and had not been sterilized in any way.

In September 1873, the Han government wrote to Wang Youtian, the head of immigration affairs in the United States, asking the US Office to introduce milk production and manufacturing equipment to the American dairy industry (at that time, relations between Han and the United States had not yet deteriorated).
Half a year later, the first batch of machinery and equipment for sterilization, packaging and other processes, sufficient to build eleven large milk production plants, arrived in the country.

In 1874, industries such as dairy cattle breeding and milk purchasing began to develop in the two southern states of Brazil and the five northern states of Argentina within the areas controlled by the Han Kingdom.

In June 1875, the government commissioned the medical community to publish a popular science book titled "Research on White Milk" to promote basic knowledge and nutritional value of milk to the public.

In September 1875, the Xinjing government promulgated the "Milk Extraction Rules", and in November issued the "Milk Business Management Rules", stipulating that milk must be distributed in tin cans.

In July 1876, the Yangzhou State Livestock Farm under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture successfully developed the technology of adding sugar to milk to make condensed milk.
The taste of milk is more in line with the eating habits of Chinese people, and consumption has increased accordingly.

Initially, milk was mainly used as a nourishing and strengthening drink for patients and the weak, and as a breast milk substitute by some mothers who could not express milk. The target audience was very narrow.

At that time, milk was easily spoiled and had a bad reputation. This was because the cowsheds and milking factories at that time did not have good hygiene management. Later, with the continuous support of the government, thorough hygiene management was carried out on milk production plants that did not meet the standards.

After 1877, more advanced steam sterilization technology was introduced from Germany, which sterilized milk more effectively than the American equipment.
Therefore, when the so-called "completely sterilized milk" came on the market, the sales channels of milk products were greatly expanded.

People are becoming more and more accepting of new milk products.

With the introduction of new milk production technologies, especially "completely sterilized milk" in glass bottles, it has become a healthy and nutritious beverage advocated by the government and has been widely praised by the public.

Early American milk production equipment was quickly eliminated.

The number of people raising and managing dairy cows, operating the milking industry and selling milk is increasing rapidly.

After 1880, the price of milk approached the price of ordinary grain, and one Han yuan could buy 200 liters of processed milk drinks. From then on, milk went out of the vast countryside and became one of the essential daily drinks for residents of newly established cities such as Chang'an and Xinjing.

Also in 1880, in order to implement the national education proposed by Li Mingyuan, the Ministry of Finance of Han and the Ministry of Education jointly provided free breakfast milk to students in local primary and secondary schools. Each student could receive 200 ml of sterile milk and a discounted meal including beef, mutton, steamed buns, and rice every day. Although students did not have to spend money to buy milk, in the vast countryside and suburban areas of the country, because each farmer's family generally raised two to five cows, the family had abundant self-produced milk resources, plus dozens of cattle and sheep, more than % of the students from local farmer's families would eat breakfast at home, and then ride horses to school with their fathers or themselves.

The railway and highway construction projects in the ten-year development plan only involve major areas. In the vast rural agricultural areas, the population is scattered and the area is vast. With the government's current financial strength, it is impossible to build roads to every settlement. Therefore, in the various immigrant settlements, which are generally five to seven kilometers away from the school, older students ride their own domesticated horses to school, while younger students are either taken to school by their older brothers and sisters or parents, or volunteers organized by the local government drive horse-drawn carriages to various scattered families to pick up the children and take them to school.

Milk, combined with beef, mutton, pasta and rice as staple food, has created a richer and more reasonable dietary structure than before, which has not only strengthened the physical constitution of the local citizens, but also greatly improved the survival rate of newborns.

Before 1880, every large settlement would experience several tragedies of neonatal mortality and difficult labor every year. However, with the rapid improvement of medical standards, especially in pediatrics and obstetrics, which the Han government attached great importance to, the number of neonatal deaths decreased by more than % each year, and the survival rate of infants and young children in the new settlements quickly stabilized at more than %. Moreover, the survival rate continued to rise slowly over time.

The spring in the La Plata region is still as good as in previous years. The people in the suburbs of Chang'an took advantage of the geographical advantage of being close to the Xing'an River (Primero River) and completed the spring plowing work four days ahead of schedule. Outside the settlement, the dark green wheat sprouted new buds, connecting into an ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Green bricks, red tiles and lush green trees stand on both sides of the road, while verdant vegetables and clear ponds are distributed in front of the new brick houses.

They do agricultural work which is hard but promising, and live in newly built brick houses that combine Chinese and Western styles. Even though most of the country people still don't understand what industrialization and reform are, they are experiencing the completely changed living environment and conditions around them, and they know very well whether the Han government is good or bad.

Li Mingyuan's memorial tablet is placed in the center of every household's living room. After finishing their work and before officially starting breakfast, young husbands and wives usually bring their young children to pay respects and bow to the tablet.

Although the Han government did not advocate the superstitious practice of establishing a longevity position, the farmers in the countryside did not see it that way. They believed that Li Mingyuan was an emperor on earth blessed by the Emperor of Heaven and the Son of Heaven sent down to the earth by the God of Heaven. The stable life of the Chinese people in South America was established under the leadership of Li Mingyuan and the national army. People should not forget their roots, and even if their lives are better now than before, they cannot forget Li Mingyuan's kindness.

The thinking of the Chinese peasants still carries remnants of superstition and feudalism. However, it is undeniable that under the people's feelings of respect and love, many of the reform decrees issued by Li Mingyuan, even though they seemed difficult for ordinary people to understand, were ultimately implemented resolutely.

The unity of the monarch and the people was a unique national condition of the Han Dynasty, which meant that the spies sent by the Qing court were often discovered and reported by ordinary people as soon as they set foot on the South American mainland, or were simply escorted by young farmers to the local government for handover.

After hundreds of loyal spies were captured and dealt with by local Han people and the Ministry of State Security responsible for local intelligence work, the Qing court, which had failed in its efforts, had no choice but to stop sending spies.

The scope of the secret confrontation between the Han Kingdom and the Qing court was quickly shortened from the Han Kingdom in South America, the United States, and Southeast Asia to the Far East continent. As for Southeast Asia and the United States, although a small number of Qing court spies were left, the Qing court was completely at a disadvantage in the intelligence war between the Han and American sides. …………

Passing by several suburban towns under reconstruction on the way, Li Mingyuan's mood gradually calmed down when he saw the green brick and tile houses rising from the ground to replace the traditional Chinese wooden houses.

Although the local population and national strength are still insufficient, the effects of reform and innovation are rapidly changing the living habits of the people that have been passed down for thousands of years.

As life became more affluent and people had extra money, the simple wooden houses were replaced by sturdy brick houses. Brick furnaces emitting black smoke continued to appear on the reclaimed land of Chujing due to the rapidly increasing demand of the people.

The collision and combination of Eastern and Western civilizations, the fusion and influence of classical culture and modern industrial technology. This was an era of remnants of feudalism and ignorance, and it was also the last era for late-developing countries to step into the ranks of the great powers.

The national elite of an era has its corresponding mission of the era. When Li Mingyuan came to this era in the 19th century, he had to shoulder the mission of building a new Chinese paradise in South America and inheriting and promoting the Chinese spirit.

Thinking of the mission he was carrying, Li Mingyuan's gaze became firm again.

On October 1882, 10, Li Mingyuan delivered a speech while inspecting the Yongxing River (Meripuro River) Hydropower Station. During his speech, Li Mingyuan used the story of the reforms of various countries in the Spring and Autumn Period to reiterate the necessity of reforms, industrialization and technological research and development. At the same time, in response to the bills enacted by the US government, he called on all citizens to learn from their mistakes, study scientific knowledge and devote themselves to building a home for local Chinese.

(End of this chapter)