Opening game, American Tycoon

Chapter 442 White Gold ([-]rd update, please subscribe)
Outside the city of Madita on the Congo River, there is a vast expanse of rubber plantations, as dense as a rainforest.

This rubber plantation is the rubber plantation reclaimed at the beginning of Madita's founding, and it is also the first batch of tropical plantations in the city.And different from other places, the more than 2000 rubber trees planted in this rubber plantation are not local seedlings, but saplings of 2 to 3 years old transported from the tropical rainforest of Brazil. Planted by transplanting.

Compared with the rubber trees in other plantations, they are extraordinarily strong.We started picking glue last year.

Like all rubber trees that have been harvested, these rubber trees are riddled with holes, full of traces left by the rubber.

"Lily, you are carrying the lantern."

Because rubber tapping can only be carried out in the early morning, Chen Jinshui specially asked the maid to illuminate him. When he cut a hole in the bark of the rubber tree with a special knife, Li Wende and others were all watching the white water slowly flowing out. milk.

"When harvesting rubber, we only need to cut a very shallow cut in the tree, but do not touch the cambium. As long as the cambium is not damaged, rubber can be continuously obtained without harming the rubber tree..."

Chen Jinshui is the first batch of overseas students sent by Nanhua. He studied botany in the UK. As a botanist, he came to China-Africa Company two years ago and has been engaged in the research of rubber trees.

At the beginning, he was studying seedling cultivation—every year, the company collected millions of rubber tree seeds from Brazil, but the germination rate of the seedlings was less than 5%. As a botanist, he spent a year researching Improved seedling raising technology, after raising the germination rate to 70%.He turned his attention to the improvement of rubber mining technology.

"Whether in South America or in Congo, workers use a similar method to harvest rubber, that is, use an ax to cut a hole in the trunk, which cuts the bark, but at the same time damages the underside of the bark. "Cambium". The so-called cambium is a thin layer of tissue located between the bark and the xylem of the trunk. Although the cambium is thin, it is very important because both the bark and the trunk are made of the cambium Cells are formed, and only when the cells in the cambium keep dividing and growing, can the trunk continue to grow thicker. The rubber tapping method I invented will not cause any damage to the rubber tree, and can continue to produce rubber in the next few decades! The current harvest The rubber method, at most three or four years, the rubber tree will die."

Li Wende asked, staring at the cut rubber opening by the light.

"Is the output of this rubber tapping method guaranteed?"

"The output is slightly higher than the previous rubber mining method."

Staring at the rubber slowly dripping into the bowl, Li Wende laughed.

"Mr. Chen is a great talent. The great prosperity of our China-Africa rubber planting industry is due to Mr.'s invention of the "rubber tapping method". If this method is successful, Li will definitely ask Nanhua for instructions to award Mr. Chen with honors."

Amidst the cheers of everyone, Chen Jinshui said again.

"Mr. Li, this rubber tapping method can be used not only on Brasilian rubber trees, but also on Congo rubber trees. I have been experimenting in the rainforest for the past few months. I hope to train a group of rubber tapping workers in various tribes and use the new After the method, not only the output of rubber can be greatly increased, but also the tribe can collect rubber nearby instead of going deep into the rainforest as it is now," said Dr.

Five years ago, just after Li Wende established a firm foothold in Madita, which was still a small fishing village, he sent an expedition team to the inland. What was the biggest discovery of the expedition team?
It's a rubber tree!
In the rainforest area of ​​Congo, wild rubber trees grow everywhere.Unlike Hevea brasiliensis, however, this rubber tree looks almost like a vine.

It is precisely because of the rubber trees in the rainforest that the company is driven to expand inland, and even built a railway leading to the inland.At the same time, the company also signed a treaty with the chiefs, stipulating that the various tribes pay a monthly rubber tax, but harvesting wild rubber is a very hard and dangerous job-in order to obtain rubber, they have to go deep into the rainforest and use a sharp The knife cuts open the bark and vines of the rubber tree to extract the rubber juice.In order to force men to pay their taxes, they even took Aboriginal women and children as hostages.

"At that time, each village will be able to complete the corresponding quota, and all the problems will be..."

Before Chen Jinshui finished speaking, Li Wende said haha.

"Oh, let's conduct such an experiment in our own rubber plantation first. As for the tribe, don't worry about it."

Then Li Wende changed the topic again, seeing this, Major Ding Quan, who was standing beside the chief, just smiled indifferently.

What is the rubber tax amount?
In fact, it is a tool to force the tribe to work.

As for the so-called "hostages", they are also very useful. They take care of the daily life of the white captives while working in the plantation. ) is like (FANG) fire (DANG), it is easy to hook up with dry wood and fire.

In the company's plantations, many captives combined with local aboriginal women to form families. The appearance of these black and white families is conducive to the ideological stability of the captives.Many of them have even given up the idea of ​​returning to Chile.

Of course, they have no chance to go back. In Chile, no, in Shanxi, their wives have already remarried, and their lovers have become other people's brides.

This is the case in Chile, and it will be the same in the future Argentina. Those Argentine captives will multiply here. They and their mixed descendants will reclaim the land and become the pioneers of South China's colonization.

So why change all this?

Looking at Chen Jinshui who was discussing the "rubber tapping law" with the governor enthusiastically, Ding Quan couldn't help smiling. These scholars are like this, they don't look at the problem from a realistic perspective at all.

Without those methods, how could Congo produce more than [-] tons of rubber every year, and without Congo's rubber, how could Nanhua produce so many airships.

airship!

Only with airships can Nan Hua rule over the sky. However, it seems that airships are no longer exclusive to Nan Hua. The French already have airships.

They don't have rubber, though.

Thinking of this, looking at the rubber plantation, staring at the drops of rubber, Ding Quan suddenly said.

"Your Excellency, I think that the new rubber tapping method cannot be spread, and we must keep it strictly confidential."

"Secret? Why?"

Chen Jinshui was surprised.

"For the benefit of the country, Mr. Chen, the new rubber tapping method and rubber plantations will inevitably bring about a surge in rubber production. Now, only Congo and Brazil have rubber in the world. We monopolize the supply of rubber, which means that we The airship can be controlled from the source."

Pointing to the sky, Ding Quan said seriously.

"The airship is the most effective weapon for us to defeat all enemies, Mr. Chen, as long as we master the rubber, the sky will be ours for at least the next ten years! Whether it is the British or the French, they are unlikely to get enough Rubber, of course, the demand for rubber will also stimulate its price, and I believe that the company's income will be very considerable by then, while safeguarding the national interest."

Just as they were talking, accompanied by a rush of hoofbeats, a signal soldier rushed over on horseback.

"Sir, an urgent letter from the port."

The letter was sent by the harbor officer of the port. The content of the letter was very simple. It was to tell the Governor that there was a fleet from the mainland, and the fleet was boarded by the famous Nanhua Floating Force.

"Go, go to the port immediately!"

Li Wende's tone seemed a little eager, but more happy.

Half an hour later, at the pier, when he saw Li Du, he immediately walked up and gave him a strong hug.

"Brother, you are here."

They were brothers in a shed when they were in the gold mines.Even until now, he feels that he was able to survive from the gold mine at that time because of Li Du's care. During the few years since he came here, he never thought that he would meet Li Du in Africa one day.

"Xiao Jiu, haven't seen you here in the past few years, are you okay?"

Li Du looked at his brother and asked.

"I've heard that this place is not a good place."

"Brother, look at what you said, let me tell you, there is no better place in the world than this, just look."

Pointing to the city behind him, Li Wende said proudly.

"Do you see a better place than this?"

Then he looked back at his elder brother and asked.

"How did you get here and..."

His eyes were like those ships in the harbour.

"Don't go to the Three Treasures Palace if you have nothing to do. This time we came here with a military order. This is the commander's order."

"Marshal's letter?"

Li Wende took the letter and looked at it for a while, then nodded vigorously and said.

"Brother, please don't worry, this matter will be taken care of by the younger brother, and I promise that it will never delay the important matter of the commander-in-chief."

"Well, I know, after I settle down the brothers first, we brothers will get together properly."

Li Du patted his brother on the shoulder, and then said this.

"For a while, we have to rely on you."

"Brother, look at what you said, the whole family does not talk about two things, it is all for Nanhua."

While speaking, Li Wende looked at the officers and soldiers of the airship troops who got off the ship on the port, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart, where are those airships?
He had heard a lot about that airship these days, and now the airship unit has actually arrived here.At that time, as long as there is a chance, I will definitely go to the sky for a big tour.

There was no need for Li Wende to say anything, Li Du knew what he was thinking by looking at his expression, so he took the initiative to speak.

"After the troops settle down in Kinshasa, do you want to go to the sky with them during training?"

Think, how can you not want to?

Who in this world doesn't want to go to the sky to see?

(End of this chapter)