The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 229 African Development Program

Zhu Jianxuan agreed to Zheng Ruian's request, and then looked at the map on the table again:

"Okay, Duke Min, choose a place."

Duke of Min, Zheng Haikang, took a look at the map of Africa and really didn't know what to choose.

Most of the interior of Africa is still a completely unknown area, which is equivalent to the state with fog of war in the game.

Most people only know what's happening near the coastline, and there doesn't seem to be any difference near the coastline.

It seems that we can only choose a place that looks like it has a better strategic location.

But should such a place be left to the imperial court? Is it appropriate for us to occupy it ourselves?
Zheng Haikang looked at his son Zheng Ruian hesitantly.

Zheng Ruian simply bowed to Zhu Jianxuan:
"Your Highness, please arrange where the Zheng family should establish their country."

Zheng Haikang suddenly realized that since there was nothing good to choose from, he would let Zhu Jianxuan make the arrangements:

"Please give me your instructions, Your Highness."

Zhu Jianxuan was not polite either. He stretched out his hand and circled the southwest corner of the western African bulge, circling the future Guinea and Liberia regions:
“This place… is a key bend in the west coast of Africa and the closest place to America, making it a suitable transit point for shipping routes.

“At the same time, from what I’ve learned, there should be a new metal mine here that will be of great use in the next few decades.

“There are a lot of iron ore here, and they are quite concentrated, and they are close to the coastal areas.

“Europeans may have explored and pioneered in these places and traded with the local indigenous people, so this place can be considered a frontier.

"If the Zheng family goes to this place to develop and build, the court can provide equipment for two more main divisions."

The new metal mine that Zhu Jianxuan mentioned is bauxite. The giant bauxite reserves in Guinea in later generations accounted for more than one-fifth of the world's total reserves.

The iron ore is in Sierra Leone next to Guinea, covering an area of ​​125 square kilometers, with iron ore reserves of 1.8 billion tons, which is times that of the United States.

The main reason is that the iron ore reserves in the United States are too low compared to its size, ranking 19th in the world, and the iron content of the iron ore is extremely low.

Zheng Ruian and his son knew it was a good place as soon as they heard it. The location was good, and there were mineral resources available now and in the future:
"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness."

Zhu Jianxuan arranged the future destination for Zheng father and son, and today's summons ended.

The Zheng father and son left quite satisfied and stayed in the courtyard arranged for them by the Honglu Temple, waiting for the formal meeting to begin in August.

Zhu Jianxuan began to plan the future relocation destinations of other vassal states.

The Zheng family has the opportunity to choose for themselves, and there is also a chance that Zhu Jianxuan will arrange a good place for them.

Most other vassal states did not have this opportunity.

However, the Huang family of Huainan Hou took the initiative to participate in the Northern Expedition, and Zhu Jianxuan planned to promote them to the rank of Duke and give them some extra care.

He was assigned to the southwestern part of the fiefdom of the close relatives of the royal family, the Zambia region in Zhu Jianxuan's previous life.

Zambia is rich in non-ferrous metal minerals, especially copper, which has abundant reserves, accounting for 6 percent of the world's total.

Zhu Jianxuan gestured on the map of Africa, circled most of the remaining empty space, and wrote down the forms of each vassal state.

Those who were loyal to the court in their previous lives will be given a place with more resources in their impression; those who have no impression will be given an ordinary place; and those who have a bad reputation in history will be given a more desolate place.

Now, the eastern, northern and southern coastlines of Africa, except for a very few old Portuguese colonies, are all under the control of the Ming Dynasty court.

The west coast and most of the inland areas, except for a few colonial outposts of Britain, Spain and other countries, were still in a wild state.

Zhu Jianxuan planned to arrange the rulers and ministers of the Ming Dynasty's vassal states to control and conquer these places and incorporate them into the Ming Dynasty system through this enfeoffment and relocation action.

This operation can also be regarded as a comprehensive exploration and conquest of the African continent.

The Ming Dynasty court will also participate.

In the previous life, the Nigerian region, as well as the Congo Basin and the Congo River Basin were circled out as a whole by Zhu Jianxuan and directly developed and controlled by the Ming Dynasty court.

Nigeria is a major oil-producing country in sub-Saharan Africa. Its oil reserves rank eleventh among all countries in the past. Nigeria is also the only coal-producing country in West Africa.

Nigeria is also the most populous country in Africa, which shows that this land not only has resources but can also support people.

Such places should be directly governed by the imperial court.

The Congo Basin is located in the center of the African continent and has a tropical rainforest second only to the Amazon in South America.

The Congo River is the river with the richest hydropower resources in the world.

The annual runoff is 1.3 trillion cubic meters, 30% more than that of the Yangtze River, second only to the Amazon River in South America, and ranks second among all rivers in the world.

Because the main stream of the Congo River is mainly located in tropical rainforests, the water volume is large and is very evenly distributed throughout the year, with no obvious distinction between flood season and dry season.

This tropical rainforest grows in a basin on the plateau continent, and there is a huge drop in elevation between the middle and upper reaches of the river and the estuary.

The huge flow and drop in height have caused the Congo River to cut an extremely deep canyon out of the plateau, making it the deepest river in the world. Many places in the lower reaches of the river are more than two hundred meters deep.

The lower reaches of such a river are very suitable for the construction of super-large hydropower stations.

There is no need for a particularly large reservoir, and a particularly large area will not be flooded. There are basically no residents in the middle and upper reaches of the rainforest who need to migrate.

In the past, the Congo River belonged to two countries due to historical reasons.

Moreover, the political situation in the two countries has been unstable for a long time, and there has been no opportunity to complete large-scale hydropower projects with long construction periods, nor to develop the world's richest hydropower resources.

In the future, Ming Dynasty will have the opportunity to fully control this place, develop hydropower resources to supply Africa’s electricity needs, and build an electrolytic aluminum industry.

The Congo River basin was also suitable for direct control and development by the imperial court.

The absolute geographical distance between Europe and Africa is very close, and the shipping routes in the sailing age were definitely not far.

Starting two hundred years ago, Europeans gradually explored and controlled most of the American continent, but they never penetrated deep into the interior of Africa.

Because the natives of Africa are much more difficult to deal with than those of America.

Although Africa is primitive, it is the Old World after all.

Although most places are wild, there are also many indigenous countries with certain organizational capabilities.

The natives of North and East Africa had long dealt with European and Asian empires and knew what Europeans and Asians were capable of.

The key point is that as both are from the Old World, viruses and bacteria from Europe are not particularly lethal to African natives.

Before the Industrial Revolution, the organizational capabilities of Europeans were not orders of magnitude superior to those of the more powerful indigenous countries in Africa.

At this time, the weapons and equipment of both sides had not yet formed a generation gap of more than one generation.

For European monarchs of this era, conquering a powerful African country was not much different from conquering a small European country.

So in this era, Europeans usually exchanged simple handicrafts for captives captured in wars with indigenous African tribes, and sent them to North America to be sold to plantation owners.

Europeans of this era still had some basic respects when facing indigenous regimes in other regions.

Because the indigenous regimes could really cause them heavy losses, and they also did not have the ability to completely conquer the countries across the ocean.

It was not until the fruits of the Industrial Revolution were fully rolled out that breech-loading rifles and rifled cannons became increasingly popular, and large-scale factories and companies continued to emerge.

The organizational mobilization capabilities, military equipment levels, and maritime transport capabilities of European countries are more than an order of magnitude higher than those of most indigenous peoples in Africa and Asia.

At the end of the 19th century, Europeans began to conquer and occupy Africa, including all the inland areas. Europeans' self-confidence also swelled to an extreme, and they began to regard the natives of other places as human-shaped animals that could be exhibited in zoos.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty's military equipment level, maritime transportation capacity, and organizational mobilization capabilities had reached the level of the late nineteenth century.

Naturally, it would be relatively easy to conquer and occupy Africa.

However, these vassal states of the Ming Dynasty did not have the technological level of the late nineteenth century, nor did they have the same level of production capacity.

Therefore, the court would provide them with equipment for bolt-action rifle divisions and ensure their basic military logistics.

It is also possible to gain control over the vassal state itself through control of military logistics.

The entire African continent is being developed by the Ming people, and future development will definitely be much better than in the past.

Africa's rich resources can also play a greater role in world development.

Zhu Jianxuan arranged a development and allocation plan for Africa and asked the cabinet to prepare the corresponding edict of transfer and enthronement.

Time slowly came to late July, and the quick-witted Duke of Shu and his son rushed to Shuntian Prefecture, hoping to meet the Crown Prince in advance.

Zhu Jianxuan did not have a very good impression of Zhang Xianzhong, and he had already arranged a plan to move his fiefdom, so he did not want to meet them very much.

But considering that the other party coming to pay a visit in advance is also a way of showing loyalty and standing in line, I decided to meet them.

The location was still in the Wenhua Hall where the Crown Prince worked. Duke of Shu Zhang Chuanxun bowed to Zhu Jianxuan very carefully:
"Your Highness, your Highness the Crown Prince, is greeted by your humble servant, Duke of Shu, Zhang Chuanxun."

Zhu Jianxuan waved his hand indifferently and asked him to sit down without any formalities.

After expressing his gratitude, Duke Shu immediately took the initiative to explain his purpose:

"I am willing to defend the country and the border, and I am willing to lead the Shu people to move overseas. Please, Your Highness, arrange a place for the relocation."

Zhu Jianxuan asked the guards to bring over an empty map of Africa and spread it out, circling the Angola region south of the Congo River:
“This is nominally Portuguese territory, but their power here is actually very weak, and their main industry is the trafficking of black slaves to South America.

“The imperial court could organize transport ships to send Shu immigrants and troops to land in the southern part of this area, and then encroach on the local inland wilderness from south to north.

"If the Portuguese are tolerant, then that's fine. But if they are against the Ming, then we will just send troops to seize their colonies.

“The court will provide the Duke of Shu with equipment for a main bolt-action rifle division.

"The existing fiefdom of the Duke of Shu can provide financial and immigration support for the newly developed areas."

Zhu Jianxuan arranged future tasks for the Duke of Shu and finally explained the treatment that the court could give them.

The conditions were similar to those of the Zheng family, Duke of Min, and the tax revenue from the original fiefdom was used to support development, but the proportion and period of support were different.

Since the 44th year of Xianning, the support has been reduced by 20% every three years, and the total support period is 15 years.

Unlimited immigration for 15 years.

Duke of Shu Zhang Chuanxun didn't know what the conditions of other vassal states were, but after listening to Zhu Jianxuan's arrangements, he felt they were acceptable.

However, he did not want to accept it just like that, and almost subconsciously began to complain and cry poor, hoping that the court would give him more support and care. In essence, he wanted to put forward conditions:

"Your Highness, the Kingdom of Shu is located in a remote inland area, surrounded by mountains. The roads to Shu have been difficult since ancient times, and it is inconvenient to move assets and people..."

But Zhu Jianxuan would not tolerate this bad habit of his, as the Duke of Shu's Mansion had made no contribution to the Northern Expedition.

Except for the Duke of Min and the Marquis of Huainan, the other vassal states did not have meritorious service in the Northern Expedition to atone for their past sins. Zhu Jianxuan was merciful by not directly wiping them out.

So Zhu Jianxuan interrupted after hearing two sentences:
"Since Shu is in trouble, let's change the financial and immigration support to ten years, reducing it by 10% each year."

When Duke of Shu Zhang Chuanxun heard Zhu Jianxuan speak, he thought his complaint had taken effect and that Zhu Jianxuan was going to impose additional conditions on him.

I was stunned when I heard the second half. Why did they lower the conditions directly?

But Zhang Chuanxun is not a fool. If he were a fool, he would not have come to find Zhu Jianxuan in advance.

He immediately realized that Zhu Jianxuan was very unhappy with his reaction.

In Zhu Jianxuan's opinion, his behavior just now was an act of provocation, or even a show of disrespect.

Zhang Chuanxun immediately stood up, bowed and begged for mercy:
"I am blind, please forgive me, Your Highness, please forgive me..."

Zhu Jianxuan waved his hands expressionlessly:

"Go back and get ready."

Zhang Chuanxun opened his mouth and wanted to ask again, would the support from the court ultimately last ten years or fifteen years?

But after stealing a glance at Zhu Jianxuan's stern face, he ultimately didn't dare to speak again.

It will be troublesome if it is reduced to five years.

Zhang Chuanxun could only bow again, and with great regret, he carefully left the Wenhua Hall.

Zhang Chuanxun stayed in Shuntian Prefecture with mixed feelings, and time slowly came to August.

The vassal officials from other vassal states began to come to Beijing one after another. Some of them asked each other about the situation, while others tried to meet Zhu Jianxuan.

But Zhu Jianxuan never saw anyone else again.

By August 12, most of the local vassal monarchs of the Ming Dynasty had arrived in the capital.

The very few monarchs who did not dare to come themselves pretended to be sick and unable to travel far, and then arranged for their ministers to come to the capital to report and see which way the wind was blowing.

Zhu Jianxuan went to Xiyuan to meet the old emperor with his plan to move the fiefdom.

Zhu Jianxuan felt that the matter of abolishing the fiefdom should be announced by the old emperor rather than himself, the crown prince.

After the old emperor understood Zhu Jianxuan's intention, he gave him a speechless look:
"Okay, okay, let me, an old man, be the bad guy for you once again..."

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Ming Emperor Zhu Zhonglin held a royal court meeting in the Wuying Palace.

The eldest prince, Prince of Liang Zhu Jiancan, and the crown prince Zhu Jianxuan, led all the princes and vassal monarchs to pay homage.

The royal family's relatives were mainly concentrated in the newly developed territories after the Chongzhen period, basically in Southeast Asia.

In the middle and late period of Chongzhen's reign, the original indigenous countries and regions in the Nanyang region were conquered and dismantled by the local military governors organized by Chongzhen.

The five areas of northern Jiaozhi, the southern coastal areas of Siam, both sides of the Strait of Malacca, northern Borneo, and Java Island were directly governed by the central court.

Part of the other regions were given to the royal family members to establish fiefdoms and states, while part was handed over to cooperative vassal states to rule.

Including the vassal states that Chongzhen himself granted fiefdoms and those granted by later emperors, there are still thirty-three overseas vassal states that have been passed down to the present day.

After the ceremony, the old emperor ordered Zhu Jianxuan to read the imperial edict.

Using the old emperor's tone and perspective, it is explained that in the future there will be no more vassal states in the Ming mainland, and all existing vassal states must be withdrawn or moved overseas.

If the feudal princes were to be abolished, the imperial court would build palaces for them near the capital, and they would receive an annual salary of 100,000 silver dollars in the future.

If the domain is moved, it can receive new equipment for a division and build a new domain in Africa with the support of the original domain's finances and immigrants.

The court's support lasts for twenty years, and tax support is reduced by ten percent every two years.

All princes were required to make a decision within three days, report to the Ministry of Clan Affairs, and await further notification from the imperial court.

(End of this chapter)