The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 233 The French’s concerns
On July 1730, 7, a traditional three-masted sailing ship sailed slowly on the wide St. Lawrence River. It did not stop at any farms and villages opened by the French along the way, but headed straight for its final destination, Quebec. .

"The river valleys on both sides of the river are where the population of the New France Territory is most concentrated. It is estimated that there are between 15,000 and 18,000 people, accounting for more than half of the population of the entire territory." An Acadian guide pointed to both sides of the river. There are farms and cottages crisscrossing the streets, with a bit of pride and yearning on his face, "These farms were built bit by bit by the indentured farmers over a period of more than a hundred years. After the three-year term of the indentured farmers expired, they all Each would become a farmer, usually running a tenant farm, which was enough to support the entire family. The farm plots, like the manorial estates, were arranged vertically and narrowly on the surrounding rivers to facilitate farming and water transportation.”

"The situation on both sides of the St. Lawrence River that your Excellency sees now is almost the same as the pastoral scenery in mainland France. Throughout the New France territory, bread is the main food of farmers, and wheat is naturally the basic food crop in the territory. Since the early days of King Louis XIV of France (1650), the residents of New France no longer relied on the food supply of mainland France. It is incredible that in New France, except for the impact of occasional wars and disturbances, the price of bread has continued for seven decades. After more than ten years of decline, farmers’ lives have finally stabilized.”

"However, since the entire territory is far away from the European market, everything must be self-sufficient for food and clothing. Each farm and manor has a vegetable garden and raises livestock to maintain a small amount of meat, milk and eggs. From simple utensils, sheep wool, linen From cloth to leather shoes, everything was homegrown, but farmers in New France generally had better food than those in most European countries.”

"I know etiquette well. I guess the culture and education in the New France Territory are also very prosperous, right?" Qi Zehuai looked at the contiguous farms and manors on both sides of the Taiwan Strait with some envy. When he thought of Chenzhou, which was still in the difficult development stage, he couldn't help but wonder. I lost some confidence.

On the order of his father, he went to Quebec as an envoy to meet with the Governor of the New France Colony. In order to have a peaceful and stable development environment for Chenzhou, he took the initiative to show his goodwill to the French and expected to exchange needs and trade with them.

But looking at how prosperous the country is, with more than enough food, a prosperous fur business, and a stable life for the residents, if I rush here, I am afraid that I will be despised and ignored by the French.

Not to mention, there are many people of French descent in Qingchuan and Changxing Island. There may be many complications and constraints in the process of handling the relationship between the two parties.

"Your Majesty the Duke, when it comes to the culture and education in the New France Territory, it makes people sigh." The Acadian guide hesitated for a moment and felt that it was better to tell the truth. "In the territory, although the life of farmers is fully guaranteed, , but daily work is still very difficult. The farm requires the entire family to work together. There is no clear division of labor in the family. Women generally take care of the farm together with men, and children also have to work in the fields with their parents. In this way, they are not able to work together. Maybe get more education. So, there is a very sad phenomenon. These immigrants' descendants are often less educated than their parents. That... the number of illiterates in the countryside is very high, maybe nine percent. 10. Oh, God, this is so unacceptable that some of the young immigrants can't even spell the letters of the Kingdom of France!"

"Ah?!" Qi Zehuai couldn't help being surprised after hearing what the translator next to him said.

As the capital of the New France colony, Quebec is the most spectacular and oldest city in the entire colony. Its population doubled from about 1700 people in 1730 to more than people in .

In order to strengthen the local centripetal force and sense of belonging, many overseas colonial territories naturally have to conduct large-scale education, learn Chinese, practice Chinese customs, and cultivate Chinese civilization.

The most critical one is that all local Acadian residents must pay corresponding taxes. The agricultural tax is set at 10% and the commercial tax is set at 12% to meet the basic daily operations and defense needs of the colonial government. .

Needless to say, important directly-controlled territories (incorporated into the cabinet administrative system) not only have complete free compulsory education, but also universities jointly built by the government and local governments to cultivate high-level talents for the local areas, such as India, Bangladesh, Qianzhou, and Yin Remote colonial territories such as Zhouzhou and Haizhou, which are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Overseas Colonial Affairs, will also implement Chinese education in the controlled areas as much as possible and implant Qi civilization into them to reduce resistance to colonial rule.

In order to ensure Chenzhou's centripetal force and sense of belonging, King Chen also announced the implementation of four years of free compulsory education in the vassal territory. All children of school age must enter school and receive Chinese teaching. If there are children with excellent qualifications and potential to learn, the Chenzhou colonial government can recommend them to Xuanzhou or Qianzhou senior schools, or universities for further "advanced studies."

In 1710, during the War of Spanish Succession, the New Englanders divided their forces to attack Quebec after occupying Acadia, but its natural barrier once again caused the English to suffer a shameful defeat. In August 1711, seven warships led by the English Admiral Howeden Walker were sunk by the French on the northern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

So, a few months ago, we in Chenzhou announced that all children in the vassal territory, regardless of race or gender, will attend the primary and secondary schools under preparation. Isn't it a bit "shocking"?
A few months ago, Chenzhou relied on the deterrence of more than 200 heavily armed Irish troops to reach several agreements with many local Acadian manor owners and businessmen that were relatively beneficial to the colonial government.

In society, if you can study hard and study hard, although there is no guarantee of wealth, it is definitely the best way to change your own class.

Of course, in order to avoid causing ethnic conflicts and to appease local people, Chenzhou did not ban the use of French and English. However, official documents must be mainly in Chinese, supplemented by English and French.

As for the stamp duty, business tax, income tax and many other taxes commonly used in the local area, considering the poor and weak economic foundation of the entire Chenzhou area, they will not be levied for the time being.

In addition, King Chen promised that as long as the local Acadians swore allegiance and assumed military service, he would establish an institution of the Imperial Council to recruit a large number of local prestigious and fair-minded people to serve as academicians to make suggestions for the development of Chenzhou and participate in politics together. Discuss politics.

Compulsory education in Qi has been implemented for more than 90 years. A unified country, a unified nation, and a unified writing have long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. In addition, Qi's science and technology and industry are constantly iterating and updating, and the economy is booming, all thanks to education.

The South American nation of Qing has such a complex ethnic composition, including European barbarians, South Pacific natives, and many wild and untamable Indian natives. Their government is also sparing no effort to promote Chinese education and strives to use the powerful Chinese civilization to The miscellaneous ethnic groups try to blend together to form the centripetal force of the country.

Therefore, both the cabinet government and the people still attach great importance to education. Every family gives birth to a lot of children, and parents always try their best to provide one or several children who can go to school in order to achieve a class jump.

These teachers will be the foundation of Chenzhou’s future development, and they will also be the key force in spreading the civilization of Qi and uniting the hearts of the Han people.
-
July 7, Quebec.

King Chen, who wanted to make a difference in Chenzhou, naturally could not ignore the power of local education. Among the three batches of people recruited from the local area, in addition to a large number of managers, craftsmen and farmers, there were also more than 30 people with valuable disciplines. teacher.

Whether you pass the government examination, become a scribe, and then be promoted to higher-level officials step by step, or enter a large company or factory and receive favorable treatment, you can greatly change the situation of yourself and your entire family.

During that war, a series of bastions built across the land border had submerged the landmarks erected by Champlain, the founder of Quebec City, and even his cemetery.

The natural barrier atop the cliffs of Diamond Point remains the city's main barrier. The huge building that stands in Fort St. Louis is the colonial governor's residence and the residence of high-ranking officials, as well as churches, seminaries, convents or main palace hospitals. Officers, royal nobles, priests and nuns traveled on foot, on horseback or in carriages.

There are docks in the lower part of the city, where merchant ships dock and barges dock, as well as docks, warehouses, and commercial areas, where merchants, accountants, and sailors gather to unload and store goods in and out of the colony. Solid stone buildings of two or three stories line the narrow streets. Four-wheeled carriages were driving on the street, and wealthy ladies and young ladies led their servants and slaves in and out of shops.

Quebec has no running water, paved streets, or public lighting facilities, but the entire city still displays a strong commercial atmosphere.

The French crown did not encourage the development of manufacturing in the colonies, making it almost impossible to provide workers with survival employment opportunities in the colonial towns of New France, while urban residents learned and engaged in trade, medicine, and crafts.

Quebec and Montreal on the upper reaches of the St. Lawrence River concentrated the main colonial government and trade institutions in the territory, and were also the main residences of royal officials, military officers and church personnel. The colonial upper class can be seen everywhere in the two cities, and together with their families, the population accounts for about 40% of the city.

There was another lower class in Quebec City, the soldiers recruited from mainland France to guard the town. They were stationed among urban residents or close to rural farmers, often used as hired labor in peacetime.

If you are lucky enough to visit their military camps, you will find that these hundreds of so-called professional soldiers have extremely loose military discipline and often have bad habits of stealing and drinking. Some of these soldiers would marry a local maid and settle down after being discharged from the army, thus integrating into the colony.

Despite social differences, nobles, merchants, and craftsmen lived together in crowded towns. Servants were used in all three categories of households. There were more female servants than male servants. Most were born in the colonial territory of New France, and some male servants were recruited from mainland France.

In the official residence of the Governor of New France, a strong atmosphere of sadness permeated all the rooms. Dozens of servants breathed in attentively and did not dare to make any big noise, for fear of disturbing the master who was in mourning and pain.

The fifth son of Charles de La Boisie, the Marquis of Beaunois, the Governor-General, was called by God last night and ascended to heaven, bidding farewell to his parents forever.

The Marquise de Beaunois fainted in grief, which made the Governor and many officials and ladies present nervous. Fortunately, Father Rivado provided emergency assistance and the Marchioness slowly woke up. However, her whole body seemed weak and she was deeply addicted to the pain of losing her son.

Yes, in the New France territory, the infant mortality rate is very high. It may be due to crowded living conditions or diseases. Whether they are ordinary civilians, officials, or noble families, all babies face death fairly. Less than half of newborn babies live healthy until they are four or five years old.

Therefore, compared to the grief-stricken Marquise, the Governor-General, Marquis de Beaunois, only felt a little bit regretful about the premature death of his child, but he could not be said to be too sad.

This is probably God's will.

"What's going on with the little prince from Arcadia?" The governor, Marquis de Beaunois, waved his hand and asked the two servants to leave the room, then turned to look at his political officer.

"People from Qi?" François Bigelow, the councilor of the Governor-General's Palace, was startled for a moment, and then replied with a smile: "In addition to visiting the city, those people from Qi also rode horse-drawn carriages around the manors and farms near Quebec. They even attended several banquet invitations from local manor owners. Well, they seemed to regard this visit as a trip and enjoyed this leisurely and happy day. "

"Oh..." Marquis Beaunois took a deep look at the other party, shook his head incomprehensibly, and continued to ask: "What do you think of the Chinese people's proposal for good relations and trade exchanges between the two parties? "

"Your Majesty the Governor, I think we should agree to the request of the people of Qi." Bigelow said solemnly: "In North America, our biggest enemy will always be the English. In the more than 100 years since we colonized America, we have had a close relationship with England. Conflicts and wars between people continued, and even Quebec was attacked by the English several times. In the Great Lakes region, in Ohio, in the Appalachians, and in the Hudson Bay, we all had relationships with the English. Irreconcilable conflicts and disputes, so no matter what, we need the people of Qi to be on our side."

"The people of Qi built a military stronghold in Amherst near the Isthmus of Chinecto a month ago." Marquis de Beaunois said softly: "What is their intention?"

Four months ago, the French and the Qi people had just clearly demarcated the boundary line in the Acadia region. The two sides continued to use the Chinecto Isthmus from the British and French times as the boundary, and guaranteed to each other that they would restrain the people in their respective territories from crossing the border for colonization.

Who would have known that as soon as the border line was drawn, the Qi people built a military stronghold in Amherst near the border, stationed dozens of soldiers, and recruited many immigrants to settle and colonize there.

What does this mean?
"Oh, that's it." Bigelow heard this, smiled, and said: "The Qi people discovered a fairly rich coal mine in Amherst, so they sent dozens of soldiers and immigrants Go here to settle and colonize. A few days ago, the Qi people politely asked us if they could recruit some indigenous coolies to go to Amherst to mine coal mines. They also tried their best to sell coal to us, hoping to sell this mineral fuel. To our Quebec.”

"The Qi people collected fishery taxes from our French fishermen in Newfoundland. Do they have a reasonable explanation for this?" The Marquis of Beaunois nodded and asked another question.

"The Qi people's explanation for this is that they have no money to maintain the colonial activities and defense requirements of Newfoundland. Therefore, they charge fishery taxes on all fishermen who go to Newfoundland to fish. Well, yes, they not only charge us in France A tax was levied on fishermen, and this tax was also levied on fishermen in England and other European countries.”

"Then do you think the colonial activities of the Qi people in Acadia and Newfoundland will endanger the security of our New France territory?" Marquis Beaunois asked with some worry: "In the past ten years, Qi people have The Chinese continued to send people from the west to explore the Louisiana area. They even set up several trading posts at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, just a stone's throw away from the Missouri River. Also, if the Qi people were to station in Acadia. If we keep our footing, will we unite with England to challenge us?"

"Your Majesty the Governor, the homeland of the Qi people is tens of thousands of miles away from Arcadia. It is not easy to gain a firm foothold." Bigelow thought for a while, shook his head and said: "I always believe that we can do anything to our New France territory. The only people who pose a threat are the English. As for the Qi people, although they send expeditions from time to time in the west and penetrate into Louisiana and the Great Lakes region, I think their purpose may be the same as ours, which is the lucrative fur trade. It is reported that the Qi people's current colonial scope in the west is limited to the Pacific coast. The towering and rugged Rocky Mountains will be a natural barrier for both of us and will prevent the Qi people from expanding eastwards. "

"So, for us at present, the Qi people should be a powerful assistant that can help us contain and deal with the threat of the English. Your Excellency, the Governor, we can sit down and have a good talk with the Qi people, even if we cannot establish some kind of military mutual assistance alliance , but we must also form a subtle cooperative situation, and be able to stand on our side in a timely manner when we conflict with the English.”

(End of this chapter)