Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 660 Byproduct

In the North Sea, fishing boats are standard equipment for coastal families, and almost every household has them.

Of course, the fishing boats here are not the kind of motorized iron-hulled fishing boats produced by Nyasaland Shipyard. A few of those fishing boats are too expensive, and only big companies like Nyasaland Aquatic Products Company can afford them. Use your brain to make a wooden boat or something. No matter how weak your manual skills are, you can always cut a few pieces of wood and connect them together to make a raft.

With fishing boats and fruit trees that can be seen everywhere along the coast, basic survival is guaranteed. Countless new immigrants have settled down on the coast of the North Sea and took root.

"There used to be a lot of wild animals around here, including crocodiles, pythons, rhinos, hippopotamuses, and even elephants, which were a great threat to humans. The marine police and nearby troops organized several large-scale hunts. Now the situation is much better. At least the people here don’t have to worry about the attacks of wild animals.” Rock is also very helpless, in the 21st century, wild animals must be protected, but in Africa in this era, wild animals need to be controlled by organized hunting quantity.

"We need to increase the number of immigrants here—from here to the Congo Free State—" Viscount Gladstone looked in the direction of the Congo Free State with fascination.

"Yes, about [-] kilometers in the past." Rock was still a little embarrassed. When Nyasaland and the Congo Free State determined the border, it was stipulated that the [-] kilometers along the coast of the North Sea belonged to Nyasaland. Now this regulation It has become a dead letter. Nyasaland’s colonial development team has explored nearly [-] kilometers from Ulysses along the Lukuga River to the hinterland of the Congo Free State. The colonial government of the Congo Free State seems to know nothing about it.

For Belgium, which has a land area of ​​only 230 square kilometers, the Congo Free State with a total area of ​​more than [-] million square kilometers is too big. It is so big that Belgium does not have enough manpower to effectively control the Congo Free State, so it has to The land is leased to those foreign companies to operate.

The contradiction between the Belgian royal family and the government also had a serious impact on the management of the Congo Free State by the Belgian government. At the beginning, Leopold II handed over the Congo Free State to the Belgian government under the pressure of international public opinion, but before the transfer of power, Leopold II Bode II leased a large amount of land in the Congo Free State to those foreign companies. The Belgian government did not get much actual benefits. Instead, it had to increase more expenses for the management of the Congo Free State. The less you care.

"Seize the opportunity—" Viscount Gladstone didn't say it clearly, but it didn't prevent Rock from understanding Viscount Gladstone's meaning.

Viscount Gladstone is quite pragmatic. In a small town not far from Ulysses, Viscount Gladstone boarded a simple pier to see with his own eyes the family life of residents along the North Sea coast.

The town is indeed a bit small, with only a dozen or so scattered households, which is a very ordinary residential area.

However, this residential area has all internal organs. There is a mayor elected by the residents, and a sheriff appointed by the Ulysses City Government.

The mayor and the magistrate are all Chinese. They are the first batch of Chinese immigrating to Nyasaland. They were members of the colonial pioneer team at the earliest. After their families came to Nyasaland, they chose to settle in various parts of Nyasaland. .

When Viscount Gladstone and Rock boarded the simple pier, the mayor and the sheriff were waiting on the pier. With the help of the mayor and the sheriff introducing themselves, dozens of guards went to the town to make sure it was safe. Rock and Viscount Gladstone left the pier after getting Zack's affirmative look.

"We have a total of 26 households here. The total population is exactly [-]. There are only [-] households here, and [-] households are farther away. They have just moved here. The land around here has been allocated. , so they went to the other side of the river—" The mayor guessed that he had never seen such a big official in his life, so he was a little nervous.

200 people, 26 households, with an average of more than seven people per household, which is a normal level in southern Africa.

"Are all school-age children enrolled?" Rock asked casually. Nyasaland implements a compulsory education system with very strict requirements. If any school-age children fail to enroll, the mayor will be held accountable.

"Yes, all of them are enrolled. The school is in Ulysses, which is a bit far away. There are five days off and two days off. The marine police will pick up and drop off the children. The Lord spared the children's training. Who would dare not let the children go to school? You will be scolded so much that you can’t hold your head up.” The mayor is grateful, and the good things that were undreamed of in the past are happening one after another in southern Africa.

"Your compulsory education in Nyasaland is very good. Cape now also implements a public education system, but many farmers would rather let their children herd cattle than go to school for education." Viscount Gladstone lamented, also Not all parents are willing to send their children to school.

In this regard, there is still a difference between whites and Chinese.

In the vast majority of Chinese families, parents would rather suffer a little more than let their children go to school for education.

This is not true for white families, and some whites are unwilling to let their children receive education. The most obvious manifestation in southern Africa is the Boers. Because schools in southern Africa are forced to use English, many Boers strongly resist public education in southern Africa.

This kind of behavior will not show any serious consequences for a while, but when the children of this generation grow up, the gap will be obvious. At that time, there will be a large number of "poor whites" among the Boers. This is another time and space. An important reason for the emergence of "poor whites" in Africa.

Rock does not explain the 5000-year history of Chinese civilization and the various subtle influences it has brought to the Chinese. As long as the Chinese are given a chance, Rock can build a completely different southern Africa.

Walking into the town, this feeling is even more obvious. More than a dozen families are scattered on both sides of the road in an orderly manner. The buildings in the town are all wooden buildings that are common in southern Africa. There are many more vegetable fields and fruit trees, and there are a little more chickens, ducks and geese in the yard, but it is amazing that there is not much unpleasant smell in the air, and there is not much sewage on the ground. The whole town is very clean.

Walk into a family at random, the honest and honest host, the nervous hostess, the mature older son who is farming at home, the older daughter who hides upstairs and dare not come down, a standard Chinese family.

"Old Zhang is from Northern Zhili. He came to Nyasaland ten years ago when there was a military disaster in his hometown. Although his family's money was robbed and the house was burned down, everyone in the family was fine. When we arrived in Beihai, Lao Zhang's house In the past few years, I have added a son and two daughters, and now the younger one is going to school in Ulysses, and the older one is helping out at home—" the mayor offered to introduce, and the smile on Old Zhang's face was like a blooming flower.

Viscount Gladstone couldn't understand, but from the smile on Lao Zhang's face, he could tell that Lao Zhang was living a good life.

The days were really good, probably because the guards reminded that there were three South African mastiffs tied under the fruit trees next to the old Zhang’s house. Yes, if people can't eat, dogs probably can't eat so fat.

When Rock and Viscount Gladstone came, Lao Zhang's son was cleaning a brand new motorcycle. This is the new favorite of southern African farm families in recent years. After all, no matter how cheap a car is, not every family buys it. To be able to afford it, the key is not to be willing to buy it. The quality of motorcycles produced in Johannesburg is not bad. The production has gradually increased in recent years, and finally they have the opportunity to enter ordinary families.

When motorcycles first appeared, even the needs of the troops could not be met. Later, the police system also began to order motorcycles in batches, so motorcycles have always been in short supply.

Compared with cars, the production of motorcycles is obviously simpler. Now there are motorcycle factories in Port Edward, Salisbury, and Cape Town, so the price of motorcycles can be reduced to an acceptable level for farmers.

"How much does such a motorcycle cost in the market?" Viscount Gladstone was also very interested in motorcycles, but he obviously didn't know enough about the situation.

"About one hundred rand." Rock knew a little, but not much.

One hundred rand is not a small amount in southern Africa, almost the entire annual income of a middle-class family.

"Isn't this price quite expensive for a farm?" Viscount Gladstone asked.

"It's still possible to get it together—" Lao Zhang's expression was obviously not very good, and he didn't know how he got it together.

"The eldest son of the old Zhang family fell in love with a girl from Ulysses, and her girl works in the school—" the mayor took the initiative to explain.

"White people?"

"Chinese--"

Rock nodded. For a family that immigrated to southern Africa ten years ago, it is normal to spend one hundred rand.

What's more, even if you can't get it out, there is still Rand Bank that can provide loans. For farmers who have farms at home, Rand Bank is quite generous.

The Chinese save money, which is famous in southern Africa.

White farmers only know how to raise cattle and herd sheep. Even with the guidance of agricultural technology experts, few people try to change.

Chinese farmers are much more flexible. They first plant some potatoes, fruit trees, vegetables and other guaranteed food rations, and then start raising all kinds of poultry when there is more surplus food. If each farm does not have hundreds of chickens, ducks and geese, it is simply a pity for the farmers. this identity.

Once chickens, ducks, and geese are scaled up, the profits generated are also considerable, especially around the North Sea, where the water resources are very developed, and there is no need to raise ducks and geese at all. Go to the lake to eat some small fish and shrimp. , the eggs laid are red hearts, the most popular in the market.

The motorcycles of the old Zhang’s family may have been exchanged for the agricultural and sideline products that these white farmers looked down upon.

At least as far as Rock knew, very few white farmers kept poultry like chickens, ducks and geese, not because they were dirty or noisy, but because of trouble.

(End of this chapter)