The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 222 Awareness of Place
"Disembarking, disembarking!... We are about to enter the port, everyone is getting ready to disembark!"

Following waves of shouts from the sailors, the immigrants and indentured laborers huddled in the bottom cabin immediately sat up, first stretched their limbs vigorously, and then hugged the small bundles they carried with them and climbed up the wooden ladder towards the upper deck. Go up.

"It's so cold!" Standing on the deck, Wang Shuigen couldn't help but shuddered when he was blown by the salty, wet and cold sea breeze, and quickly wrapped the tattered cotton coat around him a little tighter.

What the hell is this place? It's so warm and humid on Weiyi Island, but when it comes to Yinzhou Continent, it's freezing cold.

Well, it's much colder than back home in Wenzhou.

In fact, at noon yesterday, the large ship they were on had already sailed into the bay. However, the berths in the port were limited, and all ships had to wait to enter the port in order, so they could only temporarily anchor in the bay.

There were only a few small vents in the bottom cabin, and more than 300 people were crammed in. Apart from the fishy stench that filled the cabin, I didn't feel too cold. It's just that when sleeping at night, you need to wrap the cotton clothes you brought with you to dispel the slight chill in the night.

But I didn't expect that it would be so cold after getting on the deck.

Oh, yes, this season is winter.

God has blessed us. After nearly two months of rough seas, we finally arrived safely at Yinzhou Continent.

The reason for such a strict quarantine is that more than 20 years ago, during the Xuanzhou Gold Rush, with the influx of gold diggers from all over the world, a severe cholera broke out in the entire region, causing a total of More than 8,000 people died. And the number of deaths among local indigenous people who had no immunity was doubled. This has given the colonial authorities a deep warning to this day, fearing that other deadly viruses might spread to the Yinzhou Continent from outside.

However, what made Wang Shuigen and other indentured workers a little dissatisfied was that a Qi official responsible for managing them required everyone to shave their heads.

Damn it, these Japanese people originally had an ugly Tsukiyo hairstyle on their heads, which made them look extremely vulgar. Now, in order to show his submission to the people of Qi, he shaved off his bald head, which makes him look much more pleasing to the eye than before.

It's pitiful to think about it. Those who died, just because they could no longer survive in their hometown, or because they wanted to earn a generous reward for their families, listened to the propaganda (beguiling) of the people of Qi, boarded their ships, and headed to this area. The wild Yinzhou continent is "gold mining". But on the way, one by one died unexpectedly. What's even more tragic is that they were thrown into the sea without a burial place.

Obviously, the people of Qi were very satisfied with the performance of the Japanese, and then stared at the Qin and Koreans who were still hesitating with a critical eye.

The big ship docked slowly at the berth of the pier. After the cables were tightened and the gangway was lowered, all the passengers lined up to disembark in an orderly manner, and then gathered in the designated area of ​​the pier to wait for quarantine at Huaiyuan Port.

They will serve in the gold mine developed by the Gold Reserve Department of the Imperial Household Ministry for five years and earn what they consider to be the most generous rewards in their lives.

His grandma's mother had rice porridge and vegetables almost every day during the five days in the port quarantine area, which made them think that Yinzhou Continent only had this level of food, and they were a little worried about the high-intensity work in the mine in the future. concern.

But we Chinese people are very particular about our body, hair, and skin. How can we shave off our hair so casually?

He claimed that hair that was too long was difficult to manage and could easily breed various germs. Moreover, in the mine, you have to come into contact with many machines. If you are not careful, your hair may be too long and get mixed in, hurting people, or even losing your life.

You know, on such a long journey, eight or nine people died one after another in the big ship they were on, all of whom were thrown directly into the sea by those damn sailors and became food for fish and shrimps.

Of course, these are not free and each passenger needs to pay a fee for them.

For immigrant and indentured labor groups, it is paid by the recipient and the employer respectively.

After five days of quarantine, Wang Shuigen and a group of more than a hundred indentured laborers were taken into Huaiyuan City by several carriages. They rested in a warehouse for a few days and then were arranged to take a small steamer through Huaiyuan Bay (San Francisco Bay). ), sailed to the mouth of the Guangfeng River, and finally went up and down the river to Guangfeng (now Sacramento City).

After the initial screening, a thorough cleaning and disinfection must be carried out in the port quarantine area. Men and women are separated, take off all their clothes, rinse them from beginning to end with hot water up to 40 or 50 degrees Celsius, and then put on the uniforms specially provided by the port department. clothes for five days of quarantine.

This Qi people are probably not forcing us all to behave exactly like them in words and deeds!
Most likely, I heard the masters in the village say that although the people of Qi live in the Hanzhou continent in the south, they are bent on competing with me, the Qin Dynasty, in terms of culture and inheritance, and believe that they are the leaders and defenders of the Chinese civilized world.

There is nothing to argue about. We Chinese people have lived in China for generations and have been the leaders of civilization in the Eastern world since ancient times. No matter how rich and powerful your Qi country is, it is just a branch from the mainland.

But I didn't expect that after entering the city and arriving at the owner's territory, he would be given such a good meal!
If we leave this to Da Qin, I’m afraid Mr. Kong Da’s family in the countryside may not be able to eat this kind of food every day, right?
Well, what I didn’t say is that if my boss doesn’t treat me well when it comes to food, then we should put aside our efforts and work hard for them.

In the warehouse, Wang Shuigen was surprised to find that the food for these indentured workers was extremely rich, including large pieces of beef, plump sea fish, rich bone soup, and unlimited steamed buns and rice.

Yes, all passengers arriving at Yinzhou need to go through a quarantine inspection at the pier, which mainly involves simply observing their face and tongue coating, measuring their body temperature, and asking about their past history of infectious diseases.

In addition to most of them coming from Daqin, there are also Koreans and Japanese, and they basically all have traditional long hair. While the Qin and Koreans were still hesitating about the Qi people's request, the short and tall Japanese didn't say anything, and went straight to the barber to have their heads shaved off.

Yes, it is the collateral branch of my big Chinese family who ran away to start an independent family. No matter how hard it is, it cannot be regarded as the direct descendant of the eldest brother and become the orthodox one!

That's all, that's all, work hard to make money in other people's territory and be under their control, let's obey them for the time being. If this hair is shaved, it will be shaved. The worst case scenario is that after the five-year service period is over, I will take the money I earned and return to the mainland to continue living my own life. Otherwise, in a year or two, my hair will grow out again.
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The Guangfeng River (Sacramento River) is about 600 kilometers long, with a drainage area of ​​tens of thousands square kilometers and abundant water. It is one of the most important crop production bases in the Xuanzhou Governor-General Region. The river's flood season generally occurs between winter and spring and summer, and the runoff is very large. It is navigable about 300 kilometers above the river mouth.

On January 1730, 1, two small steamers with a displacement of 2 tons spewed out black smoke and sailed along the wide river against the current at a speed of 3-4 knots per hour towards the upper reaches of the Guangfeng River. go.

In addition to being loaded with a large amount of supplies, the small steamers also carried more than a hundred immigrants and indentured laborers, which pushed the waterline very low.

These two small steamers were obviously dedicated to carrying cargo. Although they had cabins and four walls, they were not well covered. During the journey, cold wind kept blowing in, forcing the passengers to wrap up their cotton clothes tightly. Huddled together, keeping each other warm.

Wang Shuigen curled up his neck, folded his arms, his face was blue and blue from the cold, and he kept blowing out white air as he breathed in and out of his mouth and nose.

There are lush trees growing on both sides of the river bank. They are tall and straight, reaching into the sky. Occasionally, a nimble gray fox jumps out of the forest. It stares at the small steamer driving in the river. After a while, it seems that it feels some kind of danger. , and ran back into the dense forest. On the way, you will occasionally see some immigrant settlements, solid wooden houses, curling smoke, neat fields, vertical and horizontal ditches, and cattle and sheep grazing lazily. Everything seems so peaceful and beautiful.

I heard from those in Qi that every new immigrant could buy a large tract of land at a very low price and pass it on to future generations. If you have no money, you can also borrow money from the government and repay it in annual installments.

The taxes that farmers need to pay are also equivalent to those in Hanzhou, and will not exceed 10% of the total harvest. As long as you work a little harder, it won't be a problem to have enough food and clothing.

In addition, the forests here are densely covered and the animal resources are extremely rich. During the winter leisure time, you can meet up with a few people, bring muskets and other hunting tools, and hunt all kinds of wild beasts. Not only can you get a lot of meat, but you can also peel off their skins and sell them to wandering traders to earn extra money. income.

Oh, by the way, when you go hunting in the mountains and forests, you have to be careful about the grizzly bears inside. If you're not careful, that guy will definitely knock you to the ground and bite your face ferociously.

However, if you are brave enough and agile enough, you can still make a lot of money by hunting a grizzly bear. Many people believe that bear paws and bear bile have magical medicinal properties, and they are not afraid that no one will pay a lot of money to buy them.

Judging from the situation expressed by the people of Qi, it seems that the immigrants in Yinzhou can live a good life. Even if they are not as good as those in Hanzhou, they are definitely better than the ordinary people of Daqin.

Wang Shuigen tentatively asked about the land price here, and then got an answer that stunned him.

An acre of land only costs two yuan!
The equivalent of less than seven taels of silver!

God! You know, in my country, Daqin, the buying and selling price of one acre of land is more than forty taels of silver. And if you buy those very fertile lands with good geographical locations, the price per acre is definitely not worth forty taels, and may be as high as five or sixty taels of silver.

Damn it, this land in Yinzhou is so worthless, it’s as cheap as cabbage!
Wang Shuigan secretly counted with his fingers. The salary stipulated in the miner's contract he signed was fifteen yuan per month. Even if three yuan for room and board were deducted, twelve yuan would end up in his pocket. One yuan can buy seven acres of land.

Darling, I can buy more than eighty acres of land with my annual income! If this were in Da Qin, he would be a proper small landowner.

If this happens in five years, how much money can be saved?

How much land can I buy with the money I save? !
Oops, then after my absenteeism contract ends, will I have to return to the mainland?
Wang Shuigan suddenly felt confused.

With a "plop", a plump fish jumped out of the river, and then was loaded heavily into the water, causing a wave of waves.

Hey, what am I thinking? Before I even went to work in the mines, I started thinking about what it would be like in five years.

That's all, that's all, let's talk about it then.
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"Hmph, if Yizhou Trading Company is not approved for more gold mining areas, they will recruit more people. Are they planning to increase mining efforts and dig out more gold?"

Xuanzhou Governor Meng Daohe lowered the curtains of the carriage and looked back with a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Governor, if Prince Yi's palace wants to expand its territory, recruit immigrants, and raise troops, it will require a huge amount of funds!" Feng Changzhi, Governor of Guangfeng, said with a smile: "I heard that recently, Prince Yi has sent his third brother In the name of congratulating the new emperor on his enthronement, Qi Siyi went to the Hanzhou mainland to lobby his Majesty and the cabinet to grant them more autonomous powers to the Yizhou clan. He also hoped to gain strong support from the government and private trading companies to explore and colonize the east. "

"If Prince Yi's Mansion is greedy for money, it's nothing more than torturing the people under his control and extorting some wealthy merchants." Meng Daohe sighed and said, "I'm afraid that His Highness Prince Yi will follow the example of Qing Kingdom. If Yizhou is allowed to become powerful, it will inevitably overwhelm our Xuanzhou Governor-General in the future. Over time, its power will grow and it will dominate the west coast of Yinzhou. Doesn’t it mean that the tail is too big to lose?”

"The Governor is overly worried." Feng Changzhi heard this, but he didn't agree in his heart, "Our Qi State's naval strength is the strongest in the world, and its fleet spans all over the world. If the Yizhou vassal has bad intentions, it will reveal the intention of plotting against our Xuanzhou or Pengzhou in the north. , just send any fleet, you can lock the entire west coast of Yinzhou, prohibiting its maritime access, Yizhou's output will not last long, how can it pose any threat to me? What's more, the land of Yinzhou, to me. Xuanzhou has the largest population, the most products, and the strongest strength. There is no need to worry that Yizhou will become big in a short time.”

"In the past, Emperor Taizu once said that the land of Yinzhou is rich in products and resources, and the climate and environment are similar to the mainland of China. If a strong man rises up and unifies the land, he will surely rise and be difficult to contain." Meng Daohe glanced. He glanced at this local official and said in a deep voice: "Otherwise, with a population of hundreds of thousands in Yinzhou, why did the emperor and the cabinet have to divide it into several parts, which are not under each other's control and are not in harmony with each other. To prevent dangers, That’s not the case! There cannot be any local power that can threaten our maritime hegemony in the two oceans.”

"That's what the Governor said." Feng Changzhi said yes, but deep down he didn't agree.

Oh, can Yinzhou threaten Qi in the future?
I'm afraid this is a joke!

The east coast of this continent is the territory of the English, the south is the territory of the Spanish, and the vast plain area in the middle is the territory of the French, divided into several large areas with mixed forces.

Whoever wants to completely occupy this continent will have to fight a four-nation melee.

In addition, the west coast occupied by us Qi people is divided into four parts, from the Linzhou Governor-General in the north, to the Pengzhou Governor-General in the middle, to the Yiwang Domain and Xuanzhou where we are located.

Let me ask, under this situation, how can Yinzhou Continent pose a hegemonic threat to Qi State in the future?
Tsk, offshore balancing?

Then you have to look somewhere! There is no place in Yinzhou that doesn't even have an industrial base, so we still have to be so vigilant and cautious.

To put it bluntly, these upper-class colonial officials from the mainland want to use this excuse to suppress and restrict the development of the Yinzhou area, so that it will permanently become a blood-sucking bag for the locals.

Didn’t you see, the Xuanzhou Governor-General relies on the income from selling land and has to hand over half of it to the mainland.

One-third of the gold mining area in Guangfeng is also occupied by the Gold Reserve Department of the Imperial Household Ministry.

Any trading company or individual who takes gold out of the country must pay high mineral taxes. And all the taxes collected should be turned over to the central finance department of the Ministry of Household Affairs.

Tell me, if all this wealth were left in Xuanzhou, how much money would each local person get?

(End of this chapter)