Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1904 West Indian Ocean ([-])

On July 1684, 7, Yiyang Bay, the southeast wind was five.

A heavy rain had just fallen, and the ground was muddy. Many militiamen on the east bank who looked like mud monkeys rolled up their trouser legs, jumped into a pit, and tried their best to push a certain heavy cargo carriage stuck inside. go out.

The rainfall on the east coast of South Africa is undoubtedly abundant. People on the east coast label their climate type as a subtropical climate, which is completely different from the climate on the west and south coasts. This may be the result of the combination of topography and ocean currents flowing near the coast.

The eastern coastal area is quite large, starting from the Great Cliff in the west, extending to the Indian Ocean in the east, starting from the southern border of Mozambique in the north, and reaching the mouth of the Great Fish River in the south, extending about a thousand kilometers from north to south.Its northern area, composed of ancient granite and gneiss, has the characteristics of hilly plains, and its absolute height basically does not exceed 900 meters.

The central and southern part of the coastal plain is dominated by plateau slopes with some headwaters flowing into the Indian Ocean, and the surface is more strongly incised, but otherwise generally flat.The valleys of rivers, especially in the upper reaches, are very deep and narrow, which is conducive to the construction of various reservoirs and dams. The water storage function is quite good, which is very critical for agricultural production.

Of course, these rivers are not the only factors that are conducive to agricultural production in the eastern coastal areas.In fact, the climate of the lowlands along the eastern coast of South Africa's Natal and Eastern Cape provinces in later generations was very humid, which was a more critical factor.The terrain here is relatively flat, there is a lot of rainfall, there is also a lot of surface runoff, the climate is warm and pleasant, and the soil is fertile, so it is called the garden of the Republic of South Africa.Today, this place is being targeted by colonists from the east coast of the New World. They are very interested in this land where the temperature does not change sharply throughout the year, it is very mild, and the humidity is high. The government of South Africa's eastern seaboard is on the agenda.

The first thing to be changed is the defense zone of the South African Garrison, the most powerful armed force on the ground in South Africa.In accordance with the latest document issued by the local Ministry of War, the South African Garrison was reorganized and renamed the Army Reorganized First Mixed Regiment, which has four major parts: the Second Infantry Battalion, the Sixth Infantry Battalion, the First Cavalry Battalion, and the First Supplies Battalion. , plus some regiment headquarters security forces, staff and miscellaneous personnel, and medical and health personnel, the total number is about 3500.

Among them, the Second Infantry Battalion and the Sixth Infantry Battalion were changed from the original mixed battalion, that is, their respective technical arms were eliminated, and only four infantry companies were retained, with a staff of about 1000.A total of two cavalry companies, two artillery companies, a supply company, and an engineering platoon that were eliminated in total were organized into troops directly under the regiment headquarters: the Ministry of the Army allocated three cavalry companies to the regiment, and the original two companies The First Cavalry Battalion of the First Regiment was formed; the Ministry of War also assigned an artillery company to the regiment, and formed the First Artillery Battalion of the First Regiment with the two artillery companies. There were 24 artillery pieces of various types in total. There are about 300 grooms, porters, and repairmen; in the end, the logistics unit was not left behind. They and an additional engineer platoon allocated from the mainland formed a brand new first logistics battalion, with a staff of 450 people.

This brand-new organization is also an attempt by the Ministry of the Army to reform the existing military system. That is, with the rapid development of the East Coast site, population and economy, they want to gradually change the existing battalion-level organization into a regiment Level organization, in order to better meet the needs of the times.Of course, this kind of reform must be gradual. For a long period of time in the foreseeable future, the battalions and regiments will coexist until one condition is ripe and all mixed battalions will be reorganized into mixed regiments.

At present, the army system has reorganized two regiments, both of which are mixed regiments.The first regiment is now headed by Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liang. The regiment headquarters is currently in Yiyang Port. The second regiment is headed by Colonel Guo Handong. The regiment headquarters and main station are in Niuzhuang County. adaptation.

There is no doubt that the First Mixed Regiment is now the most important combat force on the land of South Africa, and the area of ​​defense has also been expanded many times, including the Hezhong area, the Yicheng area and the large blank space between the two places. .Because the large and small Karoo plateaus adjacent to the river area have been plowed many times by the former Colonel Guo Handong led troops, and they even made a detour from the southern coast to further squeeze the remaining forces of the Kama Kingdom to the north and east. Basically, all the blacks in other regions except the eastern coast were killed.Therefore, after Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liang took office, he immediately moved the regiment headquarters and the main force to Yiyang Port, which has a pleasant climate on the east coast. Pen.

It is said that Yiyang Port, a small colonial port belonging to the Yicheng area, was originally created by Major Mao Jun and others.At the beginning, they brought some troops composed of demobilized soldiers and island soldiers from the Eight Banners of the island, and brought a group of poor immigrants to the area of ​​Yiyang Bay, which is not a shit. They built settlements single-handedly.It's a pity that due to the adjustment of regional policies (to build railways, roads, build iron factories, and at the same time wipe out the natives in the mountainous areas to the west), they failed to receive follow-up assistance, or even if they did, it was pitifully small, far from enough Therefore, the scale of this settlement is not very large so far, the population is only about 2000 people, and the economy is so depressed that it is not worth mentioning.

In addition to Yiyang Port, Major Mao Jun, who has been transferred to Huaiyuan Island for training troops (I heard that he may go to Portugal in the next step), also built three other settlements around it, namely Pingjing, which has more than 700 pioneer immigrants. Township (located near the later town of Mtunzini), Zhongshan Township (located near the later town of Mtubatuba) with more than 900 pioneer immigrants, Qi'an Township (located in the later Ntamba Township) with more than 600 pioneer immigrants near the small town of Nana).

Although the population of these three settlements is not large and the economy is not yet self-sufficient, they have played a significant role. Because they are scattered in the shape of a character on the periphery of Yiyang Port, they shield Yiyang Port from the south, north, and west directions. Blocking the first wave of offensives by the black natives allowed the residents of Yiyang Port to farm, graze, and build their homes with peace of mind.

After Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liang led his troops to this place, without further ado, he immediately ordered the militia and security groups from Hezhong, Cape, and Tianxiong counties who came with the army to be stationed in these three settlements, and brought a large amount of materials and supplies. , completely stabilized the local situation.Yang is very clear that the existence of these three settlements can effectively attract the firepower of blacks and provide shelter for Yiyang Port, the most important agricultural and animal husbandry production base, so he immediately sent troops to stabilize the situation and wait for opportunities to develop outward , In-depth attack on the black tribes who have fierce conflicts with the East Coast people over land, pastures and water sources.

Of course, the various supplies needed by these security regiments and the first mixed regiment cannot be supplied by Yiyang Port alone. Send two ships over quarterly to deliver some weapons and ammunition, medicines and food, and supplementary soldiers to ensure the smooth operation of the First Mixed Regiment and its affiliated troops here.

After rectifying most of the military affairs at hand, Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liang also planned to move the regiment headquarters further forward, that is, to the Qi'an Township area, so as to better direct the troops to the nomadic black tribes in the mountains and grasslands.This unit that is fighting against the mud pit is a certain part of the supply battalion directly under the regiment.The department is responsible for packing and transporting the regiment's weapons and ammunition, documents and books, office equipment, food reserves and other personal items to the west, and finally arrives at Qi'an Township, a town called an outpost.

Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liang led the staff and medical personnel of the regiment headquarters, and under the escort of the guard platoons directly under the two regiments, followed this unit (a supply company + an engineering platoon) and also went westward with great difficulty. trekking.

"Isn't the rainfall in most parts of South Africa concentrated in summer? Even if there is some delay, the rain that should have rained is almost gone in autumn. Now it's winter in July, and there is still a little rain, let us know Looking for trouble.” Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liang, who had been soaked in the yellow mud soup of the United Provinces for a long time—believe me, it was not a good memory, when Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liang’s feet and even his crotch were about to rot in the mud—still He was very dissatisfied with this unexpected heavy rain, thinking that it hindered his action plan.

"Head, this is actually just a general situation, but I can't stand it. According to the observations of the meteorological department over the years, there are still many examples of winter rainfall, but it is really rare that such a big one is really rare. It may be built in the future." After the third-class or second-class national road, the situation will be much better." A young staff officer followed Yang Liang's mount, and while walking hard, he said with a wry smile: "Actually, the annual rainfall in Yiyang Bay is It’s still relatively small, only more than 1000 millimeters. In the southern section of the east coast, the annual rainfall is more than 1500 millimeters, and from December to March of the next year, two-thirds of the 12 millimeters of rainfall will be After all are concentrated, then it will really be a rainstorm."

"How extravagant the east coast is!" Hearing this, Yang Liang couldn't help but sighed.Having lived and fought in the river area for several years, he knows how much the local residents look forward to the precipitation, but there is only such a fixed amount of precipitation every year, and it is absolutely impossible for heavy rains to cause disasters.And this is in Hezhong, Tianxiong and other places affected by the Mediterranean climate. In Jingyuan, Bailang, and Lishan County on the Little Karoo Plateau in the far north, the thirsty land does not know how eager it is for rain. It's a pity that it often takes a long time to wait for a large-scale precipitation. Compared with the east coast, it is really a judgment of cloud and mud.

"Captain, we came here because of the good climate and abundant water here. How can such a place with rich water and grass and fertile soil be given to the Xhosa or Zulu? I have seen their farmland system , It's terrible, those sorghum seeds are of poor variety, they haven't been selected at all, the field management and tending are completely messed up, the soil protection is not good, let alone fertilization and weeding, in short, it's a mess." The staff said in a somewhat angry tone. Said: "They are so unmotivated and ignorant, so why do they still occupy those good lands? It is better to hand them over quickly. The nomads who don't even settle down will die sooner."

Undoubtedly, the staff officer's words were tinged with serious nationalism and racial discrimination, but Yang Liang was not surprised at all when he heard it. Obviously, this was in line with his cognition, and it was also in line with the current situation in East China. The values ​​​​of the vast majority of citizens of the Republic of China: This is a dangerous country that advocates social Darwinism, and it is particularly unfriendly to barbarians. This has been confirmed in many places including South Africa, New China, Australia, Patagonia, etc. up.

Of course, there is no opposition in the East Bank, at least Meng Hu, Wang Dali and other disciples and grandchildren in the same line are strongly opposed to this.They are very dissatisfied with the enslavement of black people by many people in the local area. They are even more shocked by the "Southern African Survival Circle Plan" drafted by Xiao Jingzong and supported by many middle and high-level people in the local area. How hard-hearted must be to come up with such a crazy plan to slaughter or drive away the black people in such a large area.

As special experts and lecturers from the Ministry of Geology and the Ministry of Agriculture, Wang Dali and many members of the Menghu family have explored and studied that land, and know that it is a land with a suitable climate, fertile soil, and rich resources.Especially Zimbabwe and other places, although the latitude is not high, but located in the plateau, the climate is cool, and the content of various nutrients in the soil is also particularly rich, which can be seen from the good growth of tobacco in the local area.You must know that tobacco is the most land-consuming thing. This can already judge that the land in Zimbabwe is all high-quality land, and it is worth investing a certain amount of resources to fight for it.

But even so, they also believe that blacks are the natural aborigines there, and the people on the east coast killed or expelled them by violent means, and then robbed the land.However, there are very few people responding to their remarks. Even some people who respect their knowledge and knowledge point out that black people are not the aborigines or natural directors of these places. It's only been a few hundred years, and the claim to the local land rights is "not sufficient", which belongs to "land without owner", and the East Bank People's Congress can occupy it by any means, including violent means.

Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liang also sneered at those Notre Dame factions.From the very beginning, he had the idea of ​​using force to quickly break the situation. Now the Yicheng Railway, the extension line of the Hezhong Railway, and the Tadong Railway are under intense construction. But what if it ruins the national affairs?

(End of this chapter)