In order to ensure that the negotiations can proceed smoothly, Christian hopes that Roque can set the tone for the negotiations.
To put it simply, let Roque decide the terms of the Republic of Congo and the Kingdom of Congo, so that the negotiations can proceed smoothly.
There is nothing we can do about it. A bunch of people are greedy. If Isaiah Chamberlain and Lu Taitai are allowed to play freely, there will probably be no results when it comes to next year.
Rock didn't talk nonsense and no longer had much trust in Isaiah Chamberlain and Lu Taitai, and directly asked Angel to bring over a map of the Congo Free State.
And a ruler.
However, when he saw the map, Rock once again fully realized the deep malice of the European powers towards Belgium. A country with an area of more than 2.34 million square kilometers, the outlet to the sea is only 37 kilometers long, and there is no natural port.
Not even Portugal.
This is also understandable. Although Portugal is in decline now, it has been glorious in history and was still somewhat confident when the Berlin Conference was held.
Also at the time of the Berlin Conference, Leopold II was so poor that he could barely raise the funds to form a colonial pioneering mission. In 1884, the Berlin Conference confirmed Leopold II’s management rights over the Congo Free State.
, but it was not until ten years later, in 1894, that the colonial army formed by Leopold II completed complete control of the Congo Free State.
But Portugal is too bullying. Just between the Congo Free State and French Equatorial Africa, there is also a small exclave of Cabinda in Portuguese West Africa. The 2.34 million square kilometers of the Congo Free State has only 37 kilometers of coastline and an area of only 7,000 square kilometers.
Cabinda has a coastline of more than square kilometers but is 90 kilometers long, and Cabinda is also a natural harbor.
From the looks of it, Leopold II probably felt aggrieved during the Berlin Conference.
Rock drew with a ruler for a long time, and finally determined the midpoint of the coastline of the Congo Free State. Then he placed the other end of the ruler in Bukavu and drew it directly with a pencil. The future dividing line between the Republic of Congo and the Kingdom of Congo was fresh.
Out of the oven.
If you only look at the area, both sides are about the same. It doesn't matter if you lose some and gain some. The only serious thing is to end the war as soon as possible.
After he finished drawing, he discovered that his hand probably shook a little while he was drawing, and the lines were a little crooked. Just when Roque wanted to make sure again, Christian finally couldn't help but speak.
"My lord, this is enough, otherwise there will be disputes in the future——"
Yes, if two lines appear at the same time, there will probably be trouble.
However, two lines are in line with the British national structure. If you don't bury a trap at this time, you will be disrespectful to the British identity.
"The middle is a demilitarized zone to avoid direct contact between the two sides." Roque's reason seems to be sufficient, but the two lines that appear to be almost closely connected on the map actually circle more than 10,000 square kilometers.
It’s enough to form another country!
"It looks good. There's Boma on one side and Leopoldville on the other. Which one do you want?" Christian didn't care about these details and took the initiative to give up the choice to Yaya.
Yaya was sweating profusely, and the clothes on his body were a little wet. The muscles on his face were twitching and he looked on the verge of collapse. He probably had never experienced such a magical scene in his life. He looked at the two straight lines closely connected on the map.
,Really are--
I can't find any suitable words to describe it.
"Sir, you pick first." Fortunately, Yaya has not forgotten his identity. Christian is Yaya's boss, so this rule must be followed.
"Okay, Leopoldville is yours." You're welcome, Christian. In terms of area, the northern half seems to be larger, but the southern half is more valuable, and Katanga is in the southern half.
The former Katanga also included Lubumbashi, which has been annexed by Nyasaland. The entire Katanga area is close to 520,000 square kilometers. The ground here is covered with dense forests and endless grasslands, and there are rich reserves underground.
Mineral resources, in addition to copper mines, it also stores one-third of the world's cobalt.
Cobalt is an important raw material for the production of heat-resistant alloys, carbide, anti-corrosion alloys, magnetic alloys and various cobalt salts. Cobalt-based alloys or cobalt-containing alloy steels can be used as blades, impellers, ducts, jet engines, rocket engines, missiles, components of gas turbines, and chemical equipment.
Various high-load heat-resistant components and important metal materials in the atomic energy industry.
Generally speaking, if the grade of cobalt ore is greater than 0.01, it is valuable for mining, and if the grade is 0.2, it can be regarded as concentrate ore.
The grade of cobalt ore in Katanga is around 0.4, and most of it is associated with copper mines. It is buried relatively shallowly and can be mined in the open.
After the rebellion broke out in the Congo Free State, the Haut-Katanga Mining Consolidated Company suffered heavy losses. General Manager Isaiah Chamberlain became one of the rebel leaders. Katanga has now become the property of the Congolese Company, with an annual rent of ten
Thousands of pounds.
This is another obviously unequal treaty. When Leopold II ruled the Congo Free State, the Haut-Katanga Mining Consolidated Company not only paid for the occupation costs, but also had to hand over 10% of the profits as rent.
Now it's only 100,000 pounds a year, which is almost like giving it away for free.
This 100,000 includes not only the underground mineral deposits in Katanga, but also the forests and pastures in Katanga. As long as the manager of the Congolese company is not stupid, he can only sell trees for more than 100,000 pounds every year.
"Lord, the rubber company still needs a general manager." Yaya didn't dare to make the decision on his own. This position must be appointed by Roque.
Compared with the mineral resources in the southern part of Congo Free State, the main source of wealth in the north is rubber plantations.
About ten years ago, the rubber plantations in the northern part of the Congo Free State were bringing profits of more than one million pounds to Leopold II every year. Correspondingly, more than 100,000 Africans died on average every year. It can be said that Leo
Every copper earned by Bode II from the Congo Free State was filled with the blood and tears of Congolese Africans.
When Leopold II transferred the Congo Free State to the Belgian government, most of the rubber plantations in the northern part of the Congo Free State belonged to the Anglo-Belgian Rubber Company. After the rebellion, the Anglo-Belgian Rubber Company also suffered heavy losses, and many rubber plantations were destroyed by the rebels.
The damage caused by burning is immeasurable, and it is estimated that it may not be restored within ten years.
It takes many years for a rubber tree to mature from planting. If you start tapping too early, it will affect the life of the rubber tree. Generally, it takes more than seven years to start tapping. At this time, the rubber tree is considered to have entered the maturity stage.
However, the yield of rubber trees that have just started tapping will not be too high, and it will take five years after tapping begins to form a relatively stable output.
"Would you like to give it a try?" Rock didn't want to find anyone else, and Yaya was the best candidate.
Managing a rubber plantation does not require good skills. Technical personnel are naturally responsible for technical matters. The general manager’s main responsibility is to maintain the stability of the rubber plantation and supervise the work of the workers. When necessary, some violent means must be used. Who else can compare?
Yaya is more suitable.
"Of course, Lord, I do!" Yaya did not expect that Roark would hand over the management of the rubber company to him. This job was indeed quite offensive, but it also meant that Yaya began to gradually move from behind the scenes to the front.
In the past, Yaya was a scavenger who did dirty work in the dark. He was a shady kind. If Roque was dissatisfied with Yaya's work, he could get rid of Yaya at any time.
Taking charge of the rubber company, although there will be no profit in a short period of time, it is really getting involved with Rock, which is a huge improvement compared to before.
"You don't have to worry about technical matters. The Forestry College of Nyasaland University will send technical personnel. You must absolutely ensure their personal safety and arrange their food, clothing, housing and transportation. I don't require you to make profits in a short time. Eight years in ten years
You have to be able to endure loneliness." Luo Ke is very demanding. In fact, being the general manager of the rubber company will not delay Yaya's private work, and because of the special nature of the rubber plantation, Yaya can also legitimately raise troops. This
It is more conducive for Roque to exert influence on the future Kingdom of Kongo.
"I will ensure their personal safety and make profits as soon as possible." Yaya is very confident. At this moment, Yaya is willing to give money to run Yaya.
The first time Yaya met Roque was in Oak Town, when Yaya and Kaka were overseers under Christian.
Ten years have passed. Yaya and Kaka are now able to stand alone. Over the years, Yaya has been working for Roque, and Kaka has become the general manager of Christian Construction Company. He has more than 50,000 construction workers.
This is also because southern Africa now has an engineering force, so Christian's construction company is shrinking in size.
In the past few years, when Christian Construction Company was at its largest scale, there were more than 100,000 construction workers. From Nyasaland to Rhodesia and then to the Transvaal, Christian Construction Company's construction sites could be seen.
"Okay, let's start working. Tell Isaiah Chamberlain and Lu Taitai that my patience is limited." Roque said that if we want to end the war as soon as possible and start to restore the economy, we may have to face the Belgian government's formation.
expeditionary force, so the military cannot relax.
Watching Christian and Yaya leave, An Qi and Barton were relatively speechless.
Today's scene had a great impact on Angel and Barton. They had known that Southern Africa had a great influence on surrounding countries and regions, but they did not know that it would be to such an extent.
Moreover, Angel and Barton gained a new understanding of Rock today. The sight of Rock measuring the map with a ruler in the office will probably remain in their memories forever.
"Barton, I feel really lucky now. We live in southern Africa, not the Congo Free State." Angel's feeling was very deep, but it was still not enough.
"An Qi, you are wrong. The reason why we are lucky is not because of Southern Africa, but because of the Lord. You can't imagine how the Chinese people in Southern Africa lived before the Lord came to Southern Africa -" Barton understood more deeply
, Anton still often tells Barton about those dark days.