Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1834 West Indian Ocean ([-])

On February 1681, 2, Peng Yuanzhi, who had completely ended his military operations on the shores of Lake Alautra, returned exhaustedly to Tacheng Port on the east coast.Here, Ma Xiaoling, the daughter of Ma Wanpeng, president of Xinhua Railway Company and former member of the executive committee, is waiting for him to discuss matters related to the Tadong Railway.

It is said that as the only company involved in railway construction, maintenance, maintenance and operation in Xinhuaxia Island, Xinhuaxia Railway Company is now playing an increasingly important role in the island's economic structure.Especially after the stable commercial operation of the Daqing Railway, it will be decisive for the economy of Mianhe and Xindeng counties along the way!

Xindeng County—established in the middle of last year, has jurisdiction over seven townships, Xindeng Town, Xinlai Township, Zhima Township, Tuofeng Township, Xinxing Township, Laiqu Township, and Manza Township, with a population of more than 9000 people—— It is mainly based on agricultural economy. Due to the dry climate, strong sunlight and high temperature, it is similar to Mianhe County in the south. There are large cotton-growing areas in the county, and a large amount of lint is produced every year.

In addition, Xindeng County has actively developed dry farming in recent years, and the output of sesame, peanut, sorghum and other crops in the territory is also quite large. There are also many irrigated orchards built along the river, which are exported every year, including watermelon. A large number of commodities are sent to Mianhe Port for consumption by a large number of industrial workers, officials, soldiers, and businessmen living there.

Therefore, the economy of Xindeng County is really closely related to the Daqing Railway.Without this railway, all kinds of agricultural products in Xindeng County would be rotten, such as melons and fruits, humped cattle, peanuts and sesame seeds, and cotton.You must know that in the central and southern parts of the west coast of Xinhuaxia Island, because of the dense coral reefs in the offshore and shallow water silting, there is only one place near the mouth of Mianhe River that is suitable for building a large port (but it also needs to be dredged frequently) for large ships to enter and exit.Therefore, all kinds of products in many counties and townships on the west coast of the central and southern regions can only be shipped out of Mianhe Port. It is imported from the river port, so from here we can see the importance of the Daqing Railway and the dependence of the residents of the entire Daqing Basin on this traffic artery.

In the north of Xindeng County, two counties, Qingyang and Zhongwu, will be established this year.Among them, the former has jurisdiction over Qingyang Township, Beiping Township, Manda Township (located near the later Mandabei Township), Leiwu Township (located near the later Beileiwu Township), and Tongyuan Township, with different populations. There are less, nearly 3000 people, and most of them are engaged in dry farming. Of course, there are also many cotton fields, rice fields or orchards near the river, but the scale is not as large as Xindeng County.

In Zhongwu County, which is a little further north, it has jurisdiction over Zhongwu Town, Ancha Township (near the small town of Anchaluwa in later generations), Binda Township (located near the small town of Anbinda in later generations), and Mokou Township (located in Tambu Township in later generations). Hulanu Township), Honghe Township (near the small town of Besalampi in the later generations) five settlements, the population is not as large as that in the south, but it is also properly broken by 1 people.

If the population density of the four counties in the Daqing Basin is extremely high in Xinhuaxia Island if the population of Mianhe County is close to [-], it is no wonder that almost half of the population of the island was concentrated many years ago. Really great.This situation is naturally related to the fact that the local agricultural conditions are more suitable for cotton planting. At the same time, it is also because it is drier, mosquitoes are not easy to reproduce, and malaria is less affected. This has always been a very important issue in tropical areas. Considerations.After all, officials and lords don’t want a large number of people who have worked so hard to get malaria to die, just like the Dutch in Batavia and the Fujianese in Taiwan who were “slaughtered” by malaria. It is absolutely unacceptable.Therefore, after comprehensive consideration of all aspects, the Daqing Basin has been the first choice for resettling immigrants for many years. It was not until the arrival of the cane sugar bull market and the large-scale development of the east coast that it gradually came to an end.

But even though the current policy has turned, the richness and development of the west coast has become a fact, which gives Daqing Railway great room for profit.Coupled with the income from the cable telegraph business along the route, this railway has continued to operate despite the disapproval of many people, and it has maintained a certain degree of profitability. This makes Ma Xiaoling, who actually dominates the operation of this railway, Received praise from many people.

But now, Ma Xiaoling, a strong woman, has turned her goal to the Tadong Railway, and is preparing to start building the second main railway line of Xinhua Island.Speaking of Tadong Railway, this is actually no stranger to many people.Once upon a time, this route almost became the first railway in Xinhuaxia Island. At that time, Xinhuaxia Island investigated the feasibility of building a railway in the Daqing Basin and Tacheng Port, but later found that the Daqing Railway has too many benefits. So I didn't choose Tadong Railway.Now that the Daqing Railway has been in normal operation for many years, the debt burden on the New Huaxia Railway Company has been reduced, and the income of the government of the New Huaxia Development Team has also increased greatly with the prosperity of the export of various tropical products. Therefore, the conditions for the construction of the Tadong Railway are ripe. , the big deal is to borrow some money from the bank. Of course, this first requires a shareholders meeting.

And when it comes to the shareholding structure of New China Railway Company, it is definitely very complicated.At present, after several times of capital increase and share expansion, private placement, and the so-called introduction of strategic investors, none of the company that is in charge of the railway transportation business in Xinhua Island now has an absolute controlling stake.Among them, the State Administration of Railways holds the most shares, accounting for about 30% of the shares, followed by the government of the New China Pioneering Team, which accounts for 25% of the shares, followed by Dongan Company with 20%, South Railway Company with 10%, and the remaining About 15% of the total is scattered in the hands of a large number of ordinary natural person investors.Among them, Ma Xiaoling, the president of the company, holds 5% of the shares alone, and it is said that she is also trying to find a way to raise funds to take 10% of the shares in the hands of the Southern Railway Company, because the Southern Railway now wants to concentrate on the railway business in the Far East and does not want to be too distracted. But also to raise enough cash.

So, you can now understand why this woman Ma Xiaoling is so enthusiastic about building the Tadong Railway. This is because she wants to expand the strength of the New China Railway Company. The stronger her strength, the greater her Ma Xiaoling's influence.

"The conditions for the Tadong Railway have indeed been met." After meeting Ma Xiaoling in the outskirts of Tacheng County, Peng Yuanzhi immediately said: "Whether it was Captain Huang Yihuang before or Captain Qiu Haiyangqiu who took office later, they all agreed to this project." The official construction of the railway. Especially Captain Qiu, although his tenure was short, he focused on promoting the progress of the Tadong Railway, approved a batch of sleepers, food, medicine and labor tools as subsidies, and also reorganized Tacheng The highways in the county can be said to have made substantial preparations for the construction of the Tadong Railway.”

"The construction of the Tadong Railway is the strong request of more than [-] people in Xinhua Island, and it is the common wish of everyone. Therefore, after Captain Shao takes office, he should also follow the good advice and take this matter as the main task. .” Peng Yuanzhi finally said.

"Captain Peng, you have said so, and I believe it. What I care about now is when the construction can start. This railway is the result of the hard work of the new railway company. We have spent more than 10 yuan for the preliminary exploration. At the same time, nearly a hundred people died due to various reasons, and at the same time, how can we comfort the spirits of the sacrificed kings if we can't break ground soon." Ma Xiaoling breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "Now , Our company has already started to deploy technicians and equipment, and they are coming to the east coast, and all kinds of materials are also gathering here, our new railway company has made all the preparations, it depends on the meaning of the above."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not the 'superior'. I can't be the boss yet, and I'm not suitable to be the boss. Regarding the Tadong Railway, we still have to wait for Captain Shao to come over to make up his mind. Don't worry, it will probably be within a month. Let’s do it.” Peng Yuanzhi said: “But you are right, President Ma. The new railway company has paid such a high price for the Tadong Railway, and the government has to express it. Well, Captain Qiu gave you a The materials are approved as a subsidy. While I still have some effect, I will grant you a cash subsidy of 5 yuan and a material subsidy of 5 yuan to support your work in building the railway. I have struggled on the east coast for so many years, yes There are also feelings here, and I hope to see the construction of the Tadong Railway completed as soon as possible, so as to benefit the people on the east coast and even the entire Xinhua Island as soon as possible, so that I can feel at ease to take up the post in the Australian Pioneering Team." After thinking about it for a while, Peng Yuanzhi did This decision undoubtedly made Ma Xiaoling even more overjoyed.

"Thank you, Captain Peng. You really have the well-being of more than 10 people on the island in your heart. This subsidy of 20 yuan is enough to do a lot of things. With more money, this will naturally speed up the progress of the construction of the entire railway. Moreover, Captain Peng, you presided over the Battle of Lake Alautra this time, which broke the enemy's nerves and won [-] years of peace. From some kind of To a certain extent, the battle you launched is of decisive significance to the future of the Tadong Railway. Otherwise, the unknown security situation will be enough to increase the construction and maintenance costs of this railway. On this point, we Xintie Company owes your affection, and the people of Xinhua Island also owe your affection." Ma Xiaoling said with a smile.When this woman speaks, she always binds Xintie Company and the people of Xinhua Island intentionally or unintentionally, as if this company represents the interests of the people of the whole island. Speaking of seized.A batch of spoils of food was handed over to the office of Xintie Company in Tacheng County.Anyway, I have to leave. It is the right way to form more good karma, so why worry about other things?

After finishing the conversation with Ma Xiaoling, the president of Xintie, Peng Yuanzhi went to the countryside of Tacheng County for the last time to inspect the planting of cash crops in the eastern coastal slope area that he was more concerned about.Between this vast expanse and the central plateau lies a "gloomy, long, hard barrier" of coastal plains, marshes, and even after decades of development by people on the east coast, they still look barren.

You see, even in an old-fashioned county like Tacheng County, the countryside is still full of forests, grasslands, and swamps. There are many crocodiles hidden in the swamps, and sporadic malicious natives live in the forests. The grasslands are endless. However, there are not many villages of people living on the east coast, and they are relatively scattered.

It can be said that when people from the east coast came to the east coast for development, the first thing they did was to cut down forests and build swamps and canal systems (in order to drain the water in the swamps).This work is in full swing in the south, and in the Tacheng County in the north, it has been carried out more deeply, and has been working with the Bezimisaraka, Bezalozaro, Tana The Ra people fought countless times, and only then did some sandbar pastoral scenery that the Edomites saw as very beautiful appeared in the wild, while the forests slowly degenerated into the lowlands of the river valley, but it was only a matter of time before they were bulldozed by the Edomites. It's just a matter of time.

As for those coastal swamps that are also very large in area, they have received huge investment in the past ten years. Many small reservoirs have been built, and the originally flooded rivers have also been dredged and widened, so that the accumulated water in the swamps has been drained. Slowly draining, the fertile and good fields are revealed-of course, this requires the people on the east coast to hunt down a large number of Nile crocodile subspecies in the swamp first, but this does not seem to be too difficult.

Drained swamps are generally used to plant cash crops such as vanilla, pepper, and chili. Of course, the "oil palm movement" in recent years has also greatly increased the area of ​​oil palm planting, but in any case, they do not grow much food.According to the "Tropical Agriculture" magazine published locally in Xinhuaxia Island: "The land re-fragmentation, water conservancy, mechanization, and the spread of reasonable cultivation techniques have greatly increased the production of vanilla, pepper, pepper, oil, and sisal on the east coast. .On the pioneering frontline of colonial activities, apart from a few state-owned ones, privately invested large farms are unreasonably rare, and the fragmented natural environment is not suitable for the management of large concessions. Instead, enthusiastic small farms Owner farmers, they live in the center of cash crops that exist in the state of small forests, so that they can be nurtured and cared for nearby, and gradually change the appearance of this ancient land that has been sleeping for thousands of years. But food crops have been greatly sacrificed here, The phenomenon of rice shortage is particularly obvious. The growth of population, the vigorous promotion of commercial crops and the shortage of livestock used to step on the fields have greatly restricted the production of rice, although here are all crops that can be harvested twice a year. Good land."

Therefore, after watching the coconuts, pepper, sisal, oil and even honey produced in the countryside of Tacheng County more and more year after year, Peng Yuanzhi also felt more clearly how scarce the food here is.So what else is there to say?The state-run farm on the shore of Alautra Lake must be opened, and the Tadong Railway must also be started, otherwise the further development of the east coast will be greatly restricted.

(End of this chapter)