Chapter 55 The land of South China, a thousand miles of fertile soil
Land is always the scarcest resource in the world.
Not only is it limited, it won't grow.
However, in South America in 1861, in this new world, land was the least valuable.
After leaving the South China Sea, passing through a few hills that were not very visible, the endless Pampas plain appeared in front of Zhu Xianhai.
The sky is blue and the earth is green.
This vast expanse of land lay naked before their eyes, shocking everyone.
"Oh my god, this, this..."
Qian Deshan jumped off the horse and was so shocked that he couldn't believe his eyes.
"This, this place is really, really..."
For a moment, Qian Deshan didn't know how to describe this land.
Not to mention him, even Zhu Xianhai was a little surprised.
All he knew about the "Pampas" came from books - it connects the Green Chaco to the north, the Patagonian Plateau to the south, the foothills of the Andes to the west, and the Atlantic coast to the east, covering an area of about 760,000
square kilometers.
"Pampas" originates from the Indian Quechua language, meaning "treeless prairie". It is a relatively unique vegetation type in South America. In terms of zonal and climatic conditions, it is suitable for tree growth. In fact,
Except for the "corridor" trees along both sides of the river, it is basically forest-free grassland.
There is a total of 760,000 square kilometers of prairie, and the black soil is extremely suitable for agricultural cultivation. It does not even have the severe cold of the northern hemisphere winter, and there is sufficient rainfall.
But in the 21st century, such land is actually used to raise cattle. This is simply a waste of natural resources!
"Chilechuan, at the foot of Yinshan Mountain. The sky is like a dome, covering the surrounding fields. The sky is blue and the fields are vast. The wind blows and the grass is low..."
Fang Zhanbo suddenly stopped talking, because... there are no cattle or sheep here.
"Lord, there seems to be no one here!"
Zhu Xianhai laughed.
"Who says there is no one, aren't you and me?"
Pointing at this fertile field, Zhu Xianhai said.
"In the past, this was an unclaimed land, but now, this is our territory in Nanhua. When we bring people from China in the future, they will be settled here."
After thinking about it, Zhu Xianhai said.
"In the future, as long as they pay 200 yuan, each household will receive a thousand acres of land!"
"What! One thousand acres of land, only 200 yuan!"
Fang Zhanbo said excitedly.
Sun Hu and others were even more excited.
"Lord, this, this... I, do we also have a share?"
One thousand acres of land only costs 200 yuan!
In China, that is a family fortune that no one can accumulate in several lifetimes!
How could they not be excited when they heard that so much land could be allocated? As for Fang Zhanbo and Qian Deshan, they looked at Zhu Xianhai nervously. They felt that the land was allocated too much. They simply couldn't imagine that every household had a thousand
acres of land, what will be the result?
"Of course, everyone has one!"
You can't favor one over the other. Moreover, land is the cheapest resource here. Land can not only win over people's hearts, but also allow them to settle down and take root here and become "Southern Chinese".
"It should be said that every family has one, not just one person, it must be a family that can have children!"
"Lord, this, isn't this too much?"
"How much? How can it be so much?"
While sighing, Zhu Xianhai pointed his finger at the endless land in front of him and said.
"One thousand acres seems like a lot, but look at it, is there enough land here?"
“This place is really fertile and wild!”
Qian Deshan, Fang Zhanbo and the hundreds of Chinese workers accompanying them all nodded.
It can’t be too much, a full 760,000 square kilometers!
Seventy-six million hectares!
1.14 billion acres!
Just do the math yourself.
"I tell you, this is just a part, there is more land to the north!"
Going north, there is the even more vast La Plata Plain!
The Great Plains of La Plata is composed of the Pampas and the Great Chaco Plain in the north. Unlike the Pampas, which has few trees and is dominated by grassland, the Great Chaco Plain has vast shrubs and savannahs.
.The area there is...730,000 square kilometers.
That is 73 million hectares of land.
As for how many acres it equals, Zhu Xianhai didn't even bother to calculate it, but one thing is certain. The La Plata Plain, an extremely important and fertile black land, is a rare black land in the world. Its area is almost equivalent to that of all of China.
of total cultivated land.
If such fertile land is not cultivated into cultivated land, will it be worthy of the gift of the earth?
As for one thousand acres of land, is it a lot?
Not much, Zhu Xianhai and Lincoln learned this.
In a few years, in order to win the support of those white people in the war with the southern planters, Lincoln would enact the so-called "Homestead Act".
According to the provisions of this law:
Starting from January 1, 1863, any U.S. citizen who is 21 years of age or older, or a foreigner who meets the naturalization requirements and applies for U.S. citizenship, can receive no more than 160 U.S. dollars for the purpose of living and farming for free or by paying a registration fee of 10 U.S. dollars.
Acres of state-owned land in the west are used as allotments. After cultivating for 5 years, or living on the homestead for half a year within 5 years and paying a fee of US$1.25 per acre, the land received will belong to them.
What are those so-called "state-owned lands"?
The Americans just scratched it on the map and it became state-owned. As for the Indians living on it, well, who are they?
Giving away Indian land to white voters was completely generous.
However, as soon as this law was promulgated, the United States immediately entered an unprecedented era of pioneering. The so-called pioneers of the West held rifles in one hand and drove caravans to the vast western country. They spent a few dollars to set up farms.
host.
As for the Indians who originally lived there?
Either die at gunpoint or be driven into a desolate reservation area.
What about the United States?
Rise from now on!
The vast land in the West attracted millions of people. They reclaimed the land and planted crops. American agricultural products were sold all over the world through railroads. The registration fees they paid enriched the US government's finances, which was hit hard by the Civil War.
The finances are out of a precarious situation.
How could Zhu Xianhai not use such a policy that benefits the country and the people?
160 acres is almost a thousand acres.
Is it more than a thousand acres?
A lot, but...fortunately, the La Plata Plain is big enough, and there is enough land for immigrants from China. Fortunately, it is located at the southernmost point of the world, and the location is remote enough, so I have enough land and time.
to develop...
However, counting the time, they should be here! This is the first test that Nanhua has to face!