Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2271 Training ([-])

On March 1695, 3, Datong Town, moderate rain.

In fact, in this place with a latitude of more than 30 degrees south, an altitude of 800 meters, and more or less affected by some continental climate, it is reasonable to say that it is late March, and it should be a bit chilly.But the fact is that from October to March of the following year, it is relatively hot for more than five months, and the highest daytime temperature (usually between December and January) can reach more than 12 degrees and last for several hours. It does not drop rapidly until after sunset.

Of course, this climate is also good, that is, the days are warmer in winter.The high transparency of the atmosphere exacerbates the high temperature during the day, and the high insolation coefficient makes the climate here very unique - very suitable for growing crops, isn't it?

As for the amount of precipitation here, to be honest, it's not that bad, but I can't say how much, it's about 700 millimeters.No way, the Pampa Mountains area-this is an area designated by the people on the east coast based on the climate, which roughly includes the provinces of Córdoba, San Luis, Santiago de Estero, Tucuman, and Cata The provinces of Marca, La Rioja and parts of San Juan cover an area of ​​24.7 square kilometers - and the overall precipitation is not much.In places where there are few, such as the low-altitude salt marsh area in the northwest of Cordoba, according to the data measured by the observers of the Army Meteorological Department over the years, it is roughly less than 350 mm, and even in some dry areas around La Rioja, The annual precipitation is only 300 mm, which is almost at the same level as that of the southern cone.At this time, as long as the people living in this land, no matter who they are, will be grateful for those towering mountains.Because it is these silent peaks that interrupt the eastward extension of the desert in the western dry zone, intercepting the precious warm and humid air blowing from the Atlantic Ocean (which has been greatly weakened), and nourishing these precious intermountain basins.

The precipitation in Luoyang, the new capital set by the people on the east coast, is not too much, about 900 millimeters a year, which is generally worse than the Denglai area in the Far East.The place where there is really a lot of precipitation is the place where the east meets the humid Pampa. The precipitation there can generally reach 1000-[-] mm a year, which is relatively humid.

When the Ninth Infantry Battalion of the Army arrived near Datong Town, it was the rainy season of the year (September-May) in the Pampa Mountains area, so it was not wrong for them to encounter this heavy rain. In recent months, It has been raining intermittently here, providing a precious source of life for the growth of crops.

There are several lakes in the mountains northeast of Datong Town, which are filled with clear fresh water and are the largest source of drinking water for the entire city.You may not believe it, but in a relatively dry place like Datong Town, there are actually floods, and they happen almost every year.The reason is mainly due to the imbalance of river water and lake water flow in a year, and in the final analysis, it is the cauldron of large seasonal changes in rainfall.When the rainy season comes in summer, the water levels of lakes and rivers soar and there is plenty of water. If there are several consecutive heavy rains at this time, mountain torrents will erupt.

Not long before the Ninth Infantry Battalion arrived, a flash flood broke out here.Note that the word flash flood has a unique meaning here, because it is not a normal flood of rivers in wet areas, but a violent, short-lived sudden phenomenon in dry areas.When the torrential rain poured on the mountain lakes and river areas, a huge amount of water rushed down the road rapidly, engulfing a large number of stones, sand, trees, and even humans and animals.Flash floods usually last for several hours. Afterwards, the river bed collapses, and at the "water tail" at the end of the river, the muddy ground left by the last flash flood that has begun to harden is covered with a thick layer of silt again.Undoubtedly, these silts are very fertile, and the pastures growing on them are so tender and juicy that many herdsmen like to buy livestock and drive them here to eat the pastures. In fact, the cattle and sheep in Hungary are so famous in Europe. Thanks to the rich grass near the flooded riverbed.

"It's unbelievable! The Spaniards have colonized for so many years, but they didn't even think about repairing the flood control facilities. The flood caused by the summer rainstorm is so wasted." When the troops passed by a river, the logistics staff sitting in the carriage said with emotion Said: "In my hometown, the river used to flood frequently, but since a series of artificial reservoirs were built and the river channel was dredged, these floods can no longer harm us. On the contrary, they have provided a lot of valuable domestic and agricultural water. The Spaniards are terrible, don't they think about how they will live when the summer and autumn flood season is over and there is only a trickle in the river bed? Well, maybe life is not a problem, but the water consumption is more Serious agriculture and industry will definitely not be able to develop, and they will face a series of troubles when the population increases in the future. They are really too bad. It is a shame that such a good land has been developed like this!"

"Officer Qin, sometimes I suspect that you are an old farmer." Battalion Commander Bai Chuanping rode on a steed horse and replied with a smile: "The Spaniards are not rubbish, so how can we take our turn to occupy this place?" What about a piece of land? Don't worry, the bureaucrats of the State Development Bureau are the most practical among the white shirts. No matter how incompetent they are, they will definitely have some plans for it. The reservoir in the mountains must be expanded to increase the capacity of the reservoir The riverbed leading to the bottom of the mountain will also be cleaned up, dredging is necessary, and widening is not impossible. In short, the behavior of building shacks and planting crops in the river must be strictly prohibited. They may not be responsible for themselves, but we must not be confused Damn, how can I say this? This is what a white shirt is supposed to do, what the hell am I doing for them? Bad luck, really bad luck!"

"Battalion Commander, you want to make Datong Town a military area. Although I agree, I'm afraid the white shirts won't agree." The intelligence officer rushed up and said sadly.

"Go away! I don't want to use the white shirt. Alas, my strength doesn't allow it. It's different now. However, I can still look for the bad luck of those mestizo people. Doesn't the white shirt mean step up Transport them all to the port so that they can be sent away? Hey, what's the rush? Building roads, houses, reservoirs, and digging riverbeds here doesn't require a lot of labor? What's the joke? Take him to South Africa to dig coal, don't be ridiculous." Bai Chuanping said with a smile, waving his horsewhip, as if he was going to hit the intelligence officer who was making sarcastic remarks next to him.

And what he said basically decided the fate of more than 5000 Mestizos and Indians in Datong Town.They are no longer in a hurry to go to the port to board a ship, but will be detained on the spot, go to the mountains to build reservoirs, dig river beds, and play their part in the construction of local infrastructure, although these infrastructures must have nothing to do with them .

At noon on March 3, thousands of officers and soldiers of the Ninth Infantry Battalion felt Datong Town, and immediately entered a barracks left by the Spaniards in the city.A police force from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who was originally stationed here broke out and set off, heading west along the Tongtian River. The militiamen over there were about to return, and they happened to go over to take over.

After the gang of soldiers from the army—well, the elite—came to Datong, some work that had been stagnant suddenly accelerated.The first thing to bear the brunt is the construction of farmland water conservancy facilities. A large number of people with aboriginal blood were gathered to participate in collective labor. Anyway, their land was basically bought by the government. There is not much farm work to do at home. Simply buy them all (of course, keep the accounts first), cut off their livelihoods, and earn income by working on construction sites.

Naturally, this process cannot be said to be very harmonious, and some people will naturally resist.But their weapons were basically confiscated, and they were managed by army soldiers who had fought in the southern Netherland battlefield, so basically there was no big problem, and they were settled by the army in a few moments.

And after the army became a "wicked person", people from the Taoist Federation came out in time to provide some necessary help to these people in difficult situations, including food and medicine assistance, so as to win these people to convert and become Taoists. believer.Don't tell me, the effect is actually pretty good, especially those Indians, whose beliefs were not firm at first, and then they were wooed by Taoism, and they basically abandoned Catholicism.The Taoist priests who presided over this matter were very satisfied, and decided to intensify their efforts and continue to attack the wall, completely ignoring the dark faces of the Catholic priests in Datong City.

According to the plan of the Ninth Infantry Battalion, such large-scale labor will continue for at least two years to make full use of this labor resource.Anyway, your immigration department doesn't have enough capacity to transport an astonishing number of mestizos and Indians away at the same time, so it's just right, I'll use it first to extract its value to the greatest extent.

In this way, the Ninth Infantry Battalion, while sending a few people to watch over the labor force, was training nearby.They will not be stationed in Datong Town for too long, and it should not exceed the end of May at the latest.At that time, a group of militiamen from the prairie on the east coast will also arrive. At that time, they will gather and evacuate, and then continue to Mendoza and other places in the west.

There are more Mestizos and Indians in Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca, Tucumán, Jujuy, Salta and other places, as well as a large number of former Spanish colonists. town.To be honest, most of these places have remained the same. People from the east coast have only carried out land purchases and other construction activities to a limited extent, and the local situation is also very delicate.The plan of the National Development Administration still needs to be "mixed with sand", that is, a large number of people from the east coast will be relocated to settle there before the situation can be broken.And this undoubtedly requires the escort of army officers and soldiers like the Ninth Infantry Battalion.It just so happens that various departments of the Army have launched high-intensity training operations—this kind of long-term, high-intensity training has been rare in the past ten years. Many people speculate that they may be preparing for war. I have to say that they are still quite insightful. - It happens to be carried out by them, killing two birds with one stone, how wonderful!

(End of this chapter)