Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1320 Terrace ([-])

This year, the number of foreign immigrants who came to the east coast was close to [-], a record high. At the same time, it also made the people of the State Development Bureau grey.Without him, the resettlement cost would soar again!

According to the data of the Ministry of Immigration, as of mid-July 1662, the total population of the Eastern China Republic had reached a historical high of 7 million, of which the proportion of Ming people was about 127.7%, and the proportion of second-generation native-born had increased to 46.6%. (Whether they are of European descent, Ming descent or mixed descent, they are all classified into this group). The proportion of white men continues to decline, and has dropped to about 31.8%.

In order to build settlements and repair infrastructure for the new immigrants, the number of non-national laborers has also increased significantly, and it has also reached a historical high: about 14.Nearly 35% of them are black non-nationals, [-]% are white non-nationals, and the rest are mostly Indian, Malay or mixed-race non-nationals. The existence of a huge non-national labor force has effectively activated the domestic labor market on the East Coast. , reduced the somewhat abnormally high wage level due to high inflation, and played a huge role in the construction of the East Coast Republic of China.

Most of the newly arrived immigrants were assigned to the mainland and the wasteland of the newly occupied Brazilian plateau, but according to the usual practice, about 10% of the number (thousands of people, mostly arriving at the mainland through the South Pacific route) were assigned to the South Pacific. Cone and Patagonia to supplement the slow development of the East Coast people.

10% of immigrants, that is the quota of 6000 people, which is not a small amount for the slightly arid Patagonia.Regarding the arrangements for these people, Yang Mingyang, who is in charge of the development of the entire Patagonia region, has decided to allocate all of them to the Ludang River (that is, the Negro River) as the first batch of citizens to occupy this fertile river valley.

By the way, the Spanish special envoy, Baron Bravo, and the people on the east coast have been back and forth for many days on the matter of the princess’s dowry. Some time ago, they finally reached a preliminary agreement, that is, the Kingdom of Spain will take the land south of the Colorado River at 42 degrees south latitude, The shipping rights of the Parana River and the newly developed land in Yancheng County (the people on the east bank have been crossing the border to cultivate more vigorously in recent years, and they are no longer limited to the original "one-shot land") are sold as a whole at a price of 200 million east bank silver dollars. To China East Coast Republic.In return, the East Coast Republic of China announced that it would renounce its debt to the Kingdom of Spain totaling more than [-] million yuan in principal and interest, and there would be no further debts between the two parties.

It is worth mentioning that, due to the birth of King Philip's youngest son, Carlos II, King Philip of the Habsburg dynasty no longer wanted to sell the land to the East Coast, because he already had a male heir (Spain Male heir is preferred), even if the dowry of the daughter has not been raised, as long as the Carlos II line can be passed on smoothly, then the descendants of Louis XIV and Princess Teresa have no reason to claim the Spanish throne.

Later, the old and prudent court nobles persuaded King Philip, because no one could guarantee that Carlos II would be able to grow up and leave his own blood, coupled with the people on the east coast who were determined to win this land and the bad finances of the Kingdom of Spain However, King Philip finally decided to sell this fertile land between the two rivers as a whole.Along with the sale, there is also the right of free navigation of the Paraná River (of course, only for ships on the east coast), and at the same time, the land in Yancheng County that the people on the east coast have crossed the border without authorization has been confirmed, which is tantamount to selling it together That's why the people on the east bank happily took out a huge sum of 200 million silver dollars.

As for the payment for the land purchase, part of it comes from the arrears of movable property tax and real property tax imposed by force, and part of it comes from a number of temporary commodity taxes (commonly known as "war tax"). The sum of these two items is close to 300 million yuan. Except for the construction of new settlements in the Parana River Basin, the rest is more than enough to pay the Spaniards for land purchases-of course, the payment has not yet been finalized, because Philip of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty has not yet Finally, the agreement is signed, but this is almost inevitable, and the people on the east coast are not worried at all, so this time the impetuous Yang Mingyang has already begun to arrange manpower to develop the Negro River Basin, so as to make full use of the agricultural and climate resources here .

On July 1662, 7, Yang Mingyang, who also served as the regional commissioner of southern and northern Patagonia, arrived at the mouth of the Ludang River by boat. Escorted by a group of soldiers who arrived here earlier, he marched inland along the river beach.

"The river is very clear." Yang Mingyang, who was riding a tall horse, pointed to the surface of the Ludang River hundreds of meters wide, and said, "The reeds on the banks of the river are also very dense, no wonder Cai Huaze named it Ludang River, which is very appropriate. "

Cai Huaze, the county magistrate of Hai'an County and deputy commissioner of the Beiyazihu ​​area who also accompanied the inspection, smiled a few words, and then said: "I heard that there are many lakes in the upper reaches of the water. The surge of the river water has also played a role in clarifying the river water, and most of the suspended sediment in the upstream river water is deposited in those lakes. This is what Chief Meng told me, right?"

Meng Xiaohu, who had led a team to systematically explore the Ludang River three times before, nodded and said: "Mayor Cai is right, the lakes have played a big role, and these rivers are glacial rivers. There are not many sandben. I have been to the Ludang River three times, and I am deeply intoxicated by it each time. The value of this largest river in the Patagonian platform is unparalleled. The two main tributaries are about the same size and bring together the southern latitude The discharge of water in the Andes between 36 degrees and 41 degrees. According to our field survey, this 555-kilometer-long Andes front is probably the area with the most precipitation in the entire La Plata. The two tributaries meet somewhere upstream, where The current is fast and turbulent, and the available hydraulic resources are abundant, and then the river descends all the way to the mouth of the river. According to our calculations, this section of the river is 635 kilometers long. It follows a wide stepped valley through a barren plain, and the riverbed is flat. The bottom of the river valley occupies only a small part (meaning that most of the land on both sides of the valley can be used for irrigation); some islands are formed at the branch of the river, among which Luyang Island (ie Choele Choel Island) is the The largest alluvial island, the land is so fertile that no words can describe it, and I suggest immigrating there immediately."

"Immigrate there? It's not easy!" Yang Mingyang smiled when he heard the words, then pointed to the estuary behind him that was vaguely blocked by the sand spit, and said, "With this big sand spit lying here, big ships cannot enter the Ludang River. The materials will be several times more difficult, so we have to move a ****, honestly move up from the mouth of the river step by step."

"That's not the case, Commissioner Yang. In fact, the shipping conditions of the Ludang River are not bad, not as pessimistic as you said." Meng Xiaohu entered the scholar mode as soon as he heard it, and he said seriously: "Commissioner Yang, although the estuary of the Ludang River is indeed There are some sand spits that hinder navigation, and the impact of the current often changes their position. But if we sail carefully, and sail at night when the tide is high, we can still pass these shallows and drive large ships into the mouth of the river. Upstream. Well, according to our roughly measured water level, it is no problem for large ships to sail more than 20 kilometers upstream (about the area around the city of Viedma in later generations); as for whether we can sail further up, we are not sure. This requires a comprehensive investigation of the local hydrological conditions, but I think that whether it is a wet season or a dry season, a small boat with a shallow draft—such as a classic 72-ton small steamer or even a larger ship—can still go up easily. As far as the area around Luyang Island, there is no problem at all."

"Oh, it's actually possible to sail to Luyang Island?" Hearing this, both Yang Mingyang and Cai Huaze were a little moved.The boat can only go to Luyang Island, which is two to three hundred kilometers deep inland. This is amazing, which means that people from the east coast can now set up settlements on Luyang Island to gain control of that fertile land.

Of course, compared with the relatively distant Luyang Island, Xuanwubao in the lower reaches of the Ludang River (later Viedma City, Rio Negro Province) was a more realistic goal in the early stage. After all, the agricultural conditions here are also quite good. At one time, he wanted to move the capital to Viedma—in fact, this small city in the northeast of the Patagonian platform still seems to be the capital of Argentina in law, but the move of the capital has not been implemented—planning to better develop the sparsely populated , rich resources, and a vast area of ​​the Southern Cone, so if the conditions here are not good, they will definitely not be favored by the Argentines. Therefore, the first stop for people from the east bank to open up the Ludang River Basin is to land in Xuanwu. Fort here, because it is closer to the sea.

However, now that Yang and Cai heard that the Inland River Steamboat could travel so far along the Ludang River, they were really surprised and inexplicable, because it means that the people on the east bank have more control over this land. One layer deeper, whether it is transporting materials for pioneering or mobilizing troops to wipe out the natives of Thuelche, it is quite convenient.

"Yes, you can sail to Luyang Island." The young Meng Xiaohu said with certainty, "Moreover, the hope of sailing from Luyang Island to the upstream to the confluence of the tributaries is not completely cut off. I think that if we send Qingtang Army The series of dredgers will dredge the river well, and if we wait for the wet season from May to October, the inland river small steamer should be able to go up to the upper confluence of the two rivers. Or even if it is not possible, we can also specially design the tonnage Smaller, shallower boats, even rafts can be used to transport supplies, which is more convenient than horse-drawn carts. In addition, the most important thing is that from Luyang Island upstream to the tributary, the land on both sides of the river is fertile and the valley is wide , there are no high cliffs, no swamps, no saline-alkali land that are common in the Taiwan area, it is a good oasis of rivers, if it is not well developed, it will be a pity."

Meng Xiaohu is actually talking about the very famous Alto Valle Oasis in the Negro River Basin in Argentina. This oasis is the largest of the many river oases in Patagonia in terms of area. It is located in the upper reaches of the Negro River , Limay River and the lower reaches of the Neuquén River.In this unique place, a series of towns were born in later generations. It is the cultural center and economic center of Neuquen Province, with a high population density, and institutions such as the University of Neuquen and the Petroleum Research Institute have been established.

The Alto Valle Oasis has various favorable natural conditions. Although the climate is a little dry, there are abundant water resources for irrigation; the continuous high temperature in summer and long sunshine are conducive to the growth and ripening of fruits; the narrow and long valley terrain also has It is conducive to the formation of windbreak forest belts, which keep the orchards away from the harsh winter weather of Patagonia; in addition, the alluvial soil of the river is also relatively fertile. When these favorable factors are added together, it would be incredible if the people on the east coast were indifferent, especially Now, thanks to the blessing of the Heavenly Lord, the small river steamer can sail to Luyang Island or even go further upstream, so what are you waiting for?Isn't there [-] new immigrants from Huai'an Prefecture?Assign it!

"If Section Chief Xiaohu is right, then we should seriously consider the development of this Hecheng Oasis." Yang Mingyang, who rode his horse slowly, thought for a while, and said decisively: "Major Cai, this Is it still going to fall on you? After I finish dealing with the affairs in the Huangyang River area over there, I will rush over to stare at Xuanwu and Luyang. I managed to trick this piece of land from the Spaniards. Why? Can it be abandoned? It’s not worth it at all.”

When it comes to going through the "pit" buried in the land purchase agreement ten years ago, and playing a game of forced buying and selling with the Spaniards, Yang and Cai just laughed. No one thinks that there is too much land these days Yes, if you can buy land with money, it is like burning high incense and being blessed by the gods. After all, it is easier than fighting for land, and it is more justified, which is even more irreproachable.

"Don't worry, Commissioner Yang, Lao Cai, I will definitely keep an eye on this area." Cai Huaze, who has become more and more affluent in recent years, patted his chest and promised, "The Chubut River is not as good as the Ludang River. It’s a good look, and now we’re going to do Xuanwu and Luyang, we’re familiar with it, don’t worry, we won’t miss anything, Lao Cai, I have to turn the Ludang River into a new rich town even if I don’t sleep.

To be honest, although Cai Huaze was born as a "rogue" in the Shun Army, his political ability is not bad after years of study. Under his governance, Hai'an County now has a population of nearly 9000 in seven towns, and its economy is not bad. Produces a large amount of grains, seafood, pottery, fur seals, sea lion skins, delicious fruit - especially this last item, the fruit along the Chubut River has been cultivated for many years, and now it has gradually grown in the east bank. Fame and rising sales seem to have a tendency to become a local competitive product, which undoubtedly further stimulates the domestic capital's impulse to invest in the oasis along the Chubut River, and this is undoubtedly an achievement that Cai Huaze himself cannot deny.

(End of this chapter)