A month passed in the blink of an eye. The expedition team circled along the Gulf of Mexico, then turned around and continued north, starting its trip to the east coast.
Like the west coast, the population of the east coast is mainly concentrated in a dozen cities along the coast. The population distribution becomes sparse as you go north, reaching as far as New York.
North of New York is an absolute no man's land.
On October 2, the inspection team arrived in Miami.
Miami is now truly the largest city on the East Coast, with a population of about 550,000. It is also the largest grain-producing area in the Americas, comparable to the Dinghai Shenzhen.
Starting from Miami and heading north to Atlantic Beach, there is a villa resort area that is hundreds of kilometers long and is also the base camp for East Coast scavengers.
However, with the transfer of the waste collection center, the popularity of this area has plummeted, and it has once again turned into a ghost town.
What he saw and heard along the way made Zhang Hao sigh with emotion:
"It's a pity that such a good coastline is so abandoned. If it were placed in the Eastern Region, it could be sold for a lot of money just by selling land."
Governor Philip shrugged: "Consul, no matter how good a place is, it is useless without industry. In the past two years, the scavengers have gradually moved to the west coast. They not only took away the population, but also took away the industry."
"Have you ever thought about transitioning?"
The waste-picking industry is not a long-term solution.
"Yes." Governor Philip nodded, "We initially wanted to rely on the oil resources in the Gulf of Mexico to develop supporting petrochemical industries, but in the end the results were not very good and we could not compete with the state of Cuba."
“Why can’t we compete?”
Zhang Hao took advantage of the situation and asked.
"Lack of money, investment in the petrochemical industry is particularly large, and rich people have fled to Cuba."
Governor Philip answered truthfully.
Zhang Hao frowned: "Besides the petrochemical industry, do you have other plans?"
"Of course there is. Later, shipbuilding and textiles were tried one after another, but they all failed in the end. In the final analysis, the population was too small.
To be honest, if it weren’t for the success of the plantation factory and the preservation of a part of the population, Miami as a whole would not even be as good as a county in Cuba.”
"What are your plans next?"
Zhang Hao didn’t have any good suggestions either.
As the other party said, population is the cornerstone of development. Without population, no matter how hard you work, it will be useless.
Philip simply said: "Consul, we hope to recruit a group of immigrants from Europe to make up for the lack of population. We hope that the central government can provide support."
"Why Europa? South America or the Tianzhu Peninsula are both economically difficult places, wouldn't they be better choices?"
Zhang Hao expressed confusion.
"Archon, what we need is qualified labor force, rather than trying to bring chaos in."
Governor Philip spread his hands.
Zhang Hao suddenly looked solemn: "Governor Philip, whether a person is successful or not often depends on education and social environment. No one is born a waste.
I hope you can correct your attitude and stop having this kind of discriminatory mentality. It will be a hundred years since the establishment of the Federation. You are discrediting the Federation."
As the rumors say, these southern states are generally conservative and are at the forefront of anti-immigration.
After all, even now, we are still showing a superior attitude. No wonder in the dream, the East Coast has never been able to develop.
Governor Philip quickly said sorry.
However, Zhang Hao could tell that this guy was just talking and didn't take it seriously at all.
"Well, Governor Philip, I won't hide it from you. The catastrophe we are currently facing will not end in a short time. This is a protracted war.
I sincerely hope that you can put aside your prejudices. Only if we all unite as one can we overcome this difficulty together, otherwise we will only be destroyed."
Governor Philip was stunned for a moment, but soon showed a trace of ridicule. He knew very well how Africans disappeared.
As expected, those who engage in politics are all double-standard dogs.
"Consul, you have learned a lesson."
Zhang Hao couldn't help but sigh: "OK, the border of Georgia is ahead. Let's say goodbye here. You don't need to accompany us for the rest of the trip."
Facing such an incompetent person, he has lost his enthusiasm for inspection.
"Consul, why are you in such a hurry? The city of Jacksonville is right next to you, why don't you stay here for one night and then leave?"
Governor Philip tried his best to persuade him to stay.
The thigh in the center cannot be left alone.
Zhang Hao shook his head and said perfunctorily: "Don't bother me. I wasted a lot of time before. When I return, if I have enough time, it won't be too late to go!"
"How about we have a meal before we leave?"
"No need, we'll board the ship right away."
…
Next, the delegation visited Savannah, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Morehead City, Nags Head, Roof, Ocean City, Atlantic City, and finally arrived in New York
.
As the largest city in North America, although New York has a relatively high latitude, many people still choose to stay because of its developed infrastructure.
At the same time, New York is also the first truly underground city, which has very important reference significance. This is also the main purpose of the inspection team's trip.
"Pa bang bang..."
"Consul, we finally have you."
New York Mayor Dehan Chu was full of enthusiasm.
Zhang Hao slowly stepped off the ice bus and waved to the crowd.
Due to the cutoff of land transportation, the delegation came via coastal ice, which is also the main mode of transportation between coastal cities.
Immediately afterwards, he stepped forward and held Chu Dehan's hand: "Mayor Chu, it's too cold at the seaside. Don't let everyone suffer. Let's set off quickly!"
New York in December is the coldest time of the year, with the average temperature being minus 48 or 9 degrees Celsius, which is simply not a place for people to stay.
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Chu Dehan signaled to the deputy, who immediately informed the others to go.
Zhang Hao followed the other party into the welcome car.
In less than ten minutes, the convoy drove into a huge underground entrance, then followed a long underground passage and arrived at a wide square.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Archon, the seat of the city government is ahead."
Chu Dehan quickly introduced.
Yang Haoxuan looked surprised: "Mayor Chu, I heard that everyone here lives in the underground space, just like the plot in the movie "The Wandering Earth"?"
"Yes, although the technological level here is not as advanced as in the movie, the basic living patterns are indeed not much different."
Chu Dehan smiled and nodded.
“How many people are left in New York City right now?”
Yang Haoxuan asked again.
"About 180,000. This is the number we just counted last year. There may be a few thousand fewer this year..." Chu Dehan replied.
Zhang Hao interrupted directly: "Thousands of people a year? How come there are so few?"
"Well, it may be due to the climate. The population has been losing a lot in the past two years. New York is too cold, so many people have moved to the south." Chu Dehan sighed.
"Is life underground not good?"
Zhang Hao tried to ask.
"Life underground is indeed not very satisfying. The key is that life is too depressing. The longer I stay, the more I feel like a country mouse."
Chu Dehan sighed.
"So, the experiment failed?"
Zhang Hao was in a state of despair.
In dreams, urban undergrounding is an inevitable trend. For many people, they cannot see the sun anyway, and there is not much difference between living above and below ground.
Chu Dehan quickly shook his head: "It's too early to draw conclusions now. The main reason is that the underground space in New York is mostly renovated from parking lots and the like. The space is very limited and lacks unified planning, so it gives people a sense of
A very depressing feeling.”
New York City has densely built buildings, and almost every building has its own basement. As long as the basement is opened, a real underground city can be built at the lowest cost.
"You mean...to do some major renovation before moving in?" Zhang Hao thought thoughtfully.
If that's all, the situation is pretty optimistic.
Chu Dehan nodded: "Yes, this is necessary. After years of experience summarizing, we already have a complete set of transformation ideas."
"Oh? How to transform it?"
Zhang Hao became interested instantly.
"It's very simple. It's most efficient to use the subway line as the main trunk and then spread it through the main trunk to the surrounding areas. Otherwise, it will only become more and more chaotic."
Chu Dehan told everything on the spot.
"Subway line? Will it be too scattered?"
Zhang Hao hesitated.
Dispersed living not only means heavy investment in infrastructure, but also increases management costs.
Chu Dehan said with a wry smile: "Sometimes, gathering people together is not necessarily a good thing. For example, in the event of a fire, the situation will become very difficult."
"Fire is indeed a problem that cannot be avoided."
Everyone walked and chatted, and soon arrived in front of the city hall gate.
Here is a brief introduction. The New York City Government is located inside an underground shopping mall. If it weren’t for the plaque hanging at the door, one would have thought it was an ordinary small company.
"Mayor Chu, isn't your place too big?"
The entire first floor is approximately more than 5,000 square meters, and as far as the eye can see, it is all the city government office area.
"President, New York is vast and sparsely populated. There are only 180,000 people in the entire urban area. The most important thing is housing. Moreover, the city hall is also the location of the fire station, hospitals, schools and other public places. The area is small and not enough."
." Chu Dehan explained in detail.
"Are all the children and teenagers studying here? Are there no other schools?"
Zhang Hao asked casually.
"There are no other schools. Although there are 180,000 people here, there are relatively few children. Many people will try their best to send their children back to their hometown for safety reasons."
“It’s impossible without the next generation.”
"Consul, you are right. The biggest difficulty on the entire East Coast right now is the lack of population. Take New York as an example. Without federal support, it will decline rapidly within a year."
Chu Dehan's words have a strong heart and a long way.
Zhang Hao stopped when he heard this: "This is really strange. The locals think there are too many people and have strict restrictions on immigration. It's just the opposite here."
"Consul, it's not that we haven't thought about attracting immigrants from the mainland, but these people would rather stay in the mainland and guard a house as big as a palm than go out and try their luck."
"You are not using the right method."
Zhang Hao wrote lightly,
Chu Dehan perked up and quickly asked: "Consul, what method should be used?"
"Now is not the time to talk about this. Let's talk about it later." Zhang Hao waved his hand.
"How was tonight?"
Chu Dehan seemed a little impatient.
"Okay!" Zhang Hao smiled and nodded.
After visiting the city hall, the group then went to the garrison base next door.
The garrison base is not large in scale, with only about 300 soldiers in total. The main reason is that guns are strictly prohibited in the underground city, so these many soldiers are enough.
After the condolences were over, Zhang Hao asked the person in charge of the garrison base a relatively direct question:
"Captain Wang, how is the security in the underground city?"
"Reporting to the consul, it was chaotic in the past few years, but it has improved a lot in the past two years." Battalion Commander Wang reported truthfully.
"What's the biggest crisis you've ever faced?"
Battalion Commander Wang thought for a while and replied: "It should be that time five years ago. There was a serious fire that year, and many people took advantage of the fire to rob. It took us a lot of effort to calm down the situation."
"How many people died that time?"
Zhang Hao asked.
Battalion Commander Wang did not answer immediately, but stretched out three fingers.
Zhang Hao guessed: "Four digits?"
"Yes." Battalion Commander Wang nodded, "More than half of them are fire victims."
"So many?" Everyone was surprised.
In recent years, although natural and man-made disasters have occurred frequently in various places, the casualties of thousands of people at one time are definitely big news that shocked the Federation.
However, some choose to keep a low profile.
Chu Dehan rushed to answer: "The most feared thing in the underground city is fire. Once the smoke fills the air, it is easy for people to lose their way. This is the most deadly thing."
Zhang Hao nodded: "Then, how did you solve this problem?"
"On the one hand, we have added smoke exhaust equipment; on the other hand, we have strengthened firefighting training. At the same time, we have strictly banned fires in the entire underground city. If caught, we will be directly fined 10,000 yuan."
"No fire?"
This one is very similar to the shelter in Cuba, in that it cuts off the fire at the source.
"That's right, there is a fire ban. There are many public canteens in the underground city, so residents don't have to cook their own meals. In addition, in terms of electricity, the use of batteries is strictly prohibited, and there is even no electricity in many places."
Chu Dehan explained patiently.
Zhang Hao thought thoughtfully: "It seems that fire is indeed the biggest safety hazard and a major problem that needs to be solved urgently. We must pay attention to it no matter what."
"Indeed, the reason why I recommend dispersed living is to reduce safety risks and provide sufficient warning time for evacuation work."
Chu Dehan quickly agreed.
"Besides fire, are there any other issues that need attention?" Zhang Hao asked immediately.
“There are many, such as toxic gas leaks, carbon monoxide poisoning, and infectious disease outbreaks, which are all areas that need attention.
But in general, fire poses the greatest threat and is the area that needs the most attention. It is really unimaginable what the consequences would be if a fire broke out in an underground city with a population of one million."