Outside the city of Madita on the banks of the Congo River, there is a vast rubber plantation that is as dense as a rainforest.
This rubber plantation was opened when Madita was founded, and it was also the first tropical plantation in the city. And unlike other places, the more than 2,000 rubber trees planted in this rubber plantation are not local seedlings.
, but saplings that are 2 to 3 years old were transported thousands of miles from the tropical rain forests of Brazil and planted by transplanting.
Compared with the rubber trees in other plantations, they are exceptionally strong. Rubber harvesting started last year.
Like all rubber trees that have been harvested for rubber, these rubber trees are riddled with holes, all traces of rubber harvesting.
"Lily, you hold the lantern."
Because rubber tapping can only be done in the early morning, Chen Jinshui asked the maid to shine a light for him. When he used a special knife to cut a hole in the bark of the rubber tree, Li Wende and others all watched the white water slowly flowing out.
milk.
"When tapping rubber, we only need to cut a very shallow opening in the tree, but do not touch the cambium layer. As long as we do not damage the cambium layer, we can continue to obtain rubber without harming the rubber tree..."
Chen Jinshui was one of the first batch of overseas students sent by Nanhua. He studied botany in the UK. As a botanist, he came to China-Africa Company two years ago and has been engaged in research on rubber trees.
At the beginning, he studied seedlings - every year, the company collects millions of rubber tree seeds from Brazil, but the germination rate of seedlings is less than 5%. As a botanist, he spent a year researching
After improving the seedling raising technology and increasing the germination rate to 70%, he turned his attention to improving the glue harvesting technology.
"Whether it is in South America or the Congo, workers use similar methods to tap gum, which is to use an ax to cut holes in the trunk of the tree. This method cuts the bark, but it also damages the bark below.
"Cambium". The so-called cambium is a thin layer of tissue located between the bark and the xylem of the trunk. Although the cambium is thin, it is very important because both the bark and the trunk are made of cambium.
Cell formation, only when the cells in the cambium layer keep dividing and growing can the tree trunk continue to grow thicker. The rubber tapping method I invented will not cause any harm to the rubber tree and can continue to produce rubber in the next few decades! Today's tapping method
With the glue method, the rubber tree will die within three to four years at most."
Li Wende asked, using the light and staring at the cut gum opening.
“Is the output of this rubber tapping method guaranteed?”
“The yield is slightly higher than the previous rubber tapping method.”
Staring at the rubber slowly dripping into the bowl, Li Wende smiled.
"Mr. Chen is a great talent. The great success of China-Africa rubber planting industry is entirely due to Mr. Chen's invention of the "rubber tapping method." If this method is successful, Li will definitely ask Nanhua for instructions to award Mr. Chen a medal."
Amidst the joy of everyone, Chen Jinshui said again.
"Mr. Li, this tapping method can be used not only on Brazilian rubber trees, but also on Congolese rubber trees. I have been testing it in the rainforest in the past few months. I hope to train a group of rubber tapping workers in various tribes and use the new rubber tapping method.
With this method, not only can rubber production be greatly increased, but tribes can collect rubber nearby instead of going deep into the rainforest like they do now,"
Five years ago, after Li Wende had just established a foothold in Madita, which was still just a small fishing village, he sent an expedition team to the inland. What was the biggest discovery of the expedition team?
It’s the rubber tree!
In the rainforest areas of Congo, wild rubber trees grow everywhere. However, unlike the Brazilian rubber tree, this rubber tree looks similar to a vine.
It was precisely because of the rubber trees in the rainforest that the company was driven to expand inland, and even built a railway to the inland. At the same time, the company also signed a treaty with the chiefs, stipulating the monthly rubber tax paid by each tribe.
But harvesting wild rubber is a very hard and dangerous job - in order to obtain rubber, they have to go deep into the rainforest and use sharp knives to cut off the bark and vines of the rubber trees to get the rubber juice out of them. In order to force the men to complete the tax,
They even took indigenous women and children hostage.
"At that time, each village will be able to complete the corresponding quota, and all the problems will be..."
Before Chen Jinshui could finish what he said, Li Wende laughed and said.
"Oh, let's conduct this experiment in our own rubber plantation first. As for the tribe, we don't have to worry about it."
Then Li Wende changed the topic again. Upon seeing this, Major Ding Quan, who was standing next to the commander, just smiled indifferently.
What is the rubber tax?
In fact, it was a tool to force tribes to work.
As for the so-called "hostages", they are also very useful. While working on the plantations, they take care of the daily lives of the white captives. Those white people are all shameless guys, and the indigenous women are also enthusiastic (ji).
) is like (fang) fire (dang), and it is easy to hook up with those who are hot and dry.
On the company's plantations, many captives married local indigenous women and established families. The emergence of these black and white families was conducive to the ideological stability of the captives. Many of them had even given up the idea of returning to Chile.
Of course, they have no chance to go back. In Chile, no, in Shanxi, their wives have already remarried, and their lovers have become someone else's bride.
This is true in Chile, and it will be true in Argentina in the future. Those Argentinian captives will thrive here. They and their mixed-race descendants will reclaim the land and become the pioneers of colonization in South China.
In this case, why change all this?
Looking at Chen Jinshui who was discussing "rubber tapping method" with the governor with great interest, Ding Quan couldn't help but smile. These scholars are like this. They don't look at the problem from a realistic perspective at all.
Without those means, how could Congo now produce more than 300 tons of rubber per year? Without Congo's rubber, how could Nanhua have manufactured so many airships.
airship!
Only with airships can Nanhua rule the sky. However, it seems that airships are no longer unique to Nanhua. The French already have airships.
However, they don't have rubber.
Thinking of this, looking at this rubber plantation and staring at the dripping rubber, Ding Quan suddenly said.
"My Lord Governor, I feel that not only cannot the new rubber tapping method be spread, but we must keep it strictly confidential."
"Secret? Why is that?"
Chen Jinshui said in surprise.
"For the benefit of the country, Mr. Chen, the new rubber tapping method and rubber plantations will inevitably lead to a surge in rubber production. Now, only Congo and Brazil have rubber in the world. We have a monopoly on the supply of rubber, which means that we
The airship can be controlled from the source."
Pointing his finger at the sky, Ding Quan said seriously.
"Airships are our most effective weapon to defeat all enemies. Mr. Chen, as long as we master the rubber, the sky will be ours for at least the next ten years! Neither the British nor the French can obtain enough
Rubber, of course, the demand for rubber will also stimulate its price, and I believe that the company's income will be very considerable by then, while safeguarding national interests."
Just as they were talking, with the rapid sound of horse hooves, a signal soldier came over on horseback.
"Sir, urgent message from the port."
The letter was sent by the port officer. The content of the letter was very simple. It was to tell the governor that there was a fleet coming from the mainland, and the fleet was carrying the famous Nanhua Floating Force.
"Let's go to the port immediately!"
Li Wende's tone seemed a little anxious, but more of a happy one.
Half an hour later, when he saw Li Du at the pier, he immediately walked up and gave him a strong hug.
"Brother, you are here."
They were brothers in the work shed when they were in the gold mine. Even now, he feels that he could survive in the gold mine only because of Li Du's care. In the past few years since he came here, he never thought that one day he would be able to survive.
Meeting Li Du in Africa.
"Xiaojiu, how are you okay not seeing you here in the past few years?"
Li Du looked at his brother and asked.
"I've heard people say that this place is not a good place."
"Brother, look what you said, I tell you, there is no better place in the world than this, look at it."
Pointing at the city behind him, Li Wende said with some pride.
"Do you think there is a better place than this?"
Then he looked back at his elder brother and asked.
"Why are you here and..."
His eyes look at the ships in the harbor.
"There is no need to go to the Three Treasures Palace. This time we came here with a military order. This is the commander-in-chief's handwriting."
"The commander's handwriting?"
Li Wende took the letter and looked at it for a while, then nodded vigorously and said.
"Brother, please rest assured. This matter will be taken care of by my little brother. I guarantee that it will not delay the commander's important events."
"Well, I know. After I get the brothers settled first, we brothers can have a nice gathering together."
Li Du patted his brother on the shoulder and said this.
"We're all counting on you these days."
"Brother, as you said, if a family doesn't talk to each other, it's all for Nanhua."
While talking, Li Wende looked at the airship officers and soldiers who got off the ship at the port, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart, where are those airships?
He has heard a lot about airships these days, and now the airship troops are actually here. By then, if he has the chance, he will definitely take a tour of the sky.
There was no need for Li Wende to speak. Li Du looked at his expression and knew what he was thinking, so he took the initiative to speak.
"After the troops settle down in Kinshasa and train, do you want to go to the sky with them?"
Think about it, how can you not think about it?
Who in this world doesn’t want to go to heaven?
This chapter has been completed!