Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2189 Central Valley (23)

Valdivia is now renamed Yingtian Port. Historically, it made a living from the copper, tin, and silver mines in the interior and the transshipment of agricultural products and daily necessities in the north. The population is quite large. Even if it takes over on the east coast, a large number of its original population fled After that, there are three 4000 people here.Of course, these three to 4000 people did not count the people from the east coast. Originally, there were a large number of immigrants from the east coast who crossed the colony, but they were not counted. A considerable part of these people had been diverted to the vast countryside, but they stayed in the city and There are still many in the suburbs, and there are about 1 people in total.

After the arrival of more than 1 people, the economic strength of Yingtian Port was greatly enhanced: a large amount of abandoned land was reclaimed, and wheat, corn, potatoes and various vegetables were planted; As a result, fresh meat and dairy products on the market began to be abundant; there were many more fishing boats on the Wa River, and many cages for breeding appeared near the shore, and the price of aquatic products began to fall; marble, sulfur, mercury, and even The silver mines were mined, and the number of logging camps increased dramatically. The prosperity brought by the mineral economy benefited the city's handicraftsmen. The development of the entire city entered the fast lane, and the economy began a virtuous circle.

Therefore, people from the East Coast are born builders and hardworking developers.Everywhere they went, they would use their industrious and dexterous hands to bring prosperity to the local area, instead of only knowing how to destroy with swords and artillery like the Spanish colonists at the beginning, and let the Indians endure great suffering that could not be recovered— —In the area controlled by the Spaniards, the Indians still have to undertake the disgraceful "Mita" system of labor, which caused huge casualties to them.

Although the people on the east coast are also rude to the aborigines, they are much gentler than the brutal Spaniards.At least, after the Indians go to Africa, they can get a piece of land that they own forever, and the harvest is owned by them. The tax rate is also very low, and the working hours on weekdays are not long, and the work intensity is not high. It is really a There is a sky and an underground.

The mestizos had little to gain, and possibly even some harm, compared with the benefits to the Indians.They were originally in the colonies, serving as low-level civil servants, junior military officers, noble servants, small businessmen, small farmers, etc., and their lives were actually okay.Some people who bought blood purification certificates from the king even climbed to the middle and upper levels of society (the East Coast government does not recognize the validity of blood purification certificates).How difficult it is for you to let them drop everything and go to Africa!

Therefore, the greatest obstacle that the people of the East Coast encountered in receiving new lands were the mestizos.The more radical ones even organized attacks on the people on the east bank, destroying various facilities and killing people everywhere.Although these behaviors were suppressed in the end, the losses have actually been caused, which makes people feel very uncomfortable.

Of course, it is impossible for their stupid behavior to shake the determination of the people on the east coast.People on the east coast have a firm policy of cleaning up people of aboriginal descent, and there is no possibility of changing course.These Mestizo people fought hard, but they just sang a tragic elegy for themselves.There is little chance that they will even occupy a page in the history books, let alone be honored by posterity for their heroic deeds.

As soon as Xiang Zirui arrived at Yingtian Port, he called a meeting of local officials and reiterated the principle of cleaning up the aborigines.At this meeting, he even used the adjective "quickly cut the mess" and asked local officials not to procrastinate, but to complete the task as soon as possible.Without security, the economy cannot achieve stable development. If the economy does not develop, how can we take further actions?As for what the further action is, everyone is very clear, isn't it just to continue to cultivate across the border to the north, they all understand!

Yes, that's right!The people on the east bank who have just rented the large fertile valley north of the Lower Boundary River and south of the Wa River have once again had the idea of ​​going north to reclaim wasteland, and this seems to be their usual routine.The only problem may be that the Central Valley north of the Wa River has a large population. After all, it is already close to the core area of ​​​​Spanish Chile. The Spaniards have been operating for a long time and the population is understandable.

But this does not mean that the people on the east coast will not cross the border to cultivate, it is impossible!At most, they will go north after accumulating more strength and formulating a better plan. In essence, they are not much different from previous operations.Cross-border reclamation-lease-buy-out-cross-border reclamation again is a tried-and-true trick that people on the east coast have encroached on the Central Valley of Chile for many years, and of course they will not give up easily.

Xiang Zirui also met Wang Zhijie, a famous biologist on the East Coast, in Yingtian Port.This person is leading a team to investigate nearby. It is said that in the next stage, they will cross the Wa River and go deep into the Spanish-controlled area to investigate the local ecological conditions.Xiang Zirui chatted with him and learned that Wang Zhijie is currently working on a topic related to the domestication of plants.

The New World of America is the origin of many species, such as pepper, tobacco, corn, potato, tomato and so on.The Spaniards discovered the New World and spread these seeds all over the world, objectively creating great value for the people of the world.Therefore, after several years of demonstration, East Coast Agriculture approved and funded a project, which is the possibility of domestication of new plants in the Americas, and named Wang Zhijie to lead the research.

Wang Zhijie did not refuse this project, but he expanded it, that is, not only looking for new useful plants that can be domesticated by humans, but also including the domestication of old continent plants after they are introduced into the new continent.He has led a team to study in Pampa, Chaco and Southern Cone for a period of time, and arrived in Chile by boat last month. He is ready to study the domestication of plants here and hopes to produce some good results. .

"Many medicinal plants from the Old World, especially China, have caused many problems after they were introduced to the New World, that is, the active ingredients in the plants that could have cured diseases have changed, resulting in poor efficacy of the locally cultivated medicinal plants." When facing Xiang Zirui, Wang Zhijie briefly introduced the significance of his project, and he continued: "Our nation's traditional medicine is a huge treasure house, especially the knowledge about herbal medicine, which deserves people's attention. There are problems with the quality of many herbal medicines. I think this is actually because the plants have not adapted to the environment of the New World and have not been fully domesticated. The work I am doing now has this part of the content, and the Ministry of Health may also send some in the next stage Manpower and additional funds will come in. If this project is successful, it will be a great project with great achievements in the present and future generations, and its significance cannot be overstated.”

It can be seen that Wang Zhijie is quite devoted to this project.As he said, once he succeeds, he will gain a huge reputation, and it is almost certain that he will be famous in history in the future.Now that he has money and status, what he lacks is the honor and prestige that can be passed on to future generations.Obviously, this plant domestication project is a good opportunity, so he couldn't help but seize the opportunity.

Xiang Zirui expressed appreciation for Wang Zhijie's ideals.Everyone has their own pursuits, which is normal.The Central Valley of Chile is the original birthplace of many American animals and plants. Wang Zhijie came here to conduct research, and the possibility of producing results is relatively high. Xiang Zirui does not feel much jealousy about this.On the contrary, he believes that once the project is successful, it will be a huge boost to the future economic development of Chile's Central Valley.

High-value crops such as peppers, tobacco, and potatoes can be domesticated and spread all over the world. Wang Zhijie's team is now strong. Apparently it was their Southern Chile area, and then it was their turn.

"Director Wang's words are timely. The popularization of basic medical care in our country has not been properly resolved. If your team solves the problem of domestication of medicinal plants in the old road, this achievement is indeed few people can match. I hope you can succeed as soon as possible." Xiang Zirui said: "If there is any need, feel free to bring it up to our local government or even the regional administrative office. If it can be solved, we will not say anything. If it cannot be solved, we will always find a way. We still have this consciousness. "

The business trip is not over yet, I am so sleepy, I have to go to bed after typing so many words, and everyone goes to bed early.

(End of this chapter)