Chapter two hundred and ninety-two young children in the United States
More than 30 kilometers west of Chang'an (Cordoba), at the foot of a stretch of rolling hills, green water converges into a long river. One side of the river is steep and smooth rocks, and the other side is green shrubs and water plants.
Two shepherd dogs were driving five to six hundred cattle and sheep to drink water by the river, followed by a family of four shepherds riding horses.
A middle-aged Chinese man, two teenagers in their 13s and 14s, and a girl in her 15s or 16s.
A middle-aged Chinese named Huang Mingsheng was a small businessman who did business in Nanyang in his early years. In 1875, when the situation in Han Dynasty stabilized, Huang Sheng moved to South America with Hu Yaqi and other Nanyang merchants, and stayed there for four years.
Unlike Hu Yaji, Chen Jinzhong and others, Huang Sheng did not have extraordinary talents or ambitions to become an official. Therefore, after moving to Han with his family, Huang Sheng used his accumulated property to buy a hundred acres on the outskirts of Xinjing.
With fields and two thousand pastures, he could live the life of a rich country man with peace of mind.
In early August 1879, the National Defense Forces occupied Argentina, and the news that the government encouraged Chinese families to move to the newly occupied areas reached Xinjing. Encouraged by old friends in the surrounding areas, Huang Sheng gritted his teeth and made up his mind to sell his family's land in Xinjing at a price lower than the market price.
He sold it to the government at a price of 20%, and then borrowed a sum of money from the Royal Bank with the guarantee of local government officials. Relying on the funds obtained from various sources, Huang Sheng led a family of five people, old and young, three miles away from Chang'an.
Settled down in the small town of Jinjiang (Carlos Pas) ten kilometers away.
Jinjiang Town is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Its altitude is 200 meters higher than that of Chang'an City. It has a cool climate, is connected to surrounding areas by highways, has convenient transportation, and has a beautiful environment. Some discerning businessmen have taken a fancy to the superior natural conditions of Jinjiang Town and have already taken action.
Purchased a large amount of land from the small town, and planned to take advantage of the planning and construction of Chang'an City to build the land owned by the family into a good place for leisure and vacation for the people of the capital.
When Huang Sheng purchased the small town on the outskirts of Jinjiang Town, he was only interested in the natural environment there, but he didn't consider it as much as the businessmen did.
Five hundred acres of woodland at the foot of the mountain, a scattered small pasture, 400 sheep, and 150 cattle. The family fortune Huang Sheng earned during his half-life wandering in Southeast Asia was all replaced by the land and cattle and sheep in the surrounding areas below his feet.
South America is rich in agricultural resources. An ordinary Chinese family of five members usually owns about 100 acres of farmland or 500 acres of pasture and woodland.
Take the Huang Sheng family as an example. According to the decree issued by the Han government, the adult household head Huang Sheng and his wife were able to purchase 20 acres of land at 40% of the market price. However, because their three children were minors, the government required each person to purchase 20 acres of land.
According to the standard of 5 acres of land, 15 acres of land will be allocated free of charge.
Each household has a minimum of 35 acres of farmland and a maximum of 500 acres of farmland. Additional land taxes will be imposed on farmland areas above the upper limit.
The farmland, pastures, and forest land owned by Huang Sheng's family are all within the upper limit stipulated by the government. They originally sold the land in Xinjing and borrowed silver dollars from Impression. After purchasing the land, the rest was spent on purchasing agricultural equipment and
On cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, pigs and other livestock.
There are a large number of poultry and livestock in the La Plata area, and the prices of some common cattle and sheep are even cheaper than food in mainland China. In addition to spending money to buy cattle, sheep and other livestock, Chinese families with young labors can also
Obtain livestock by hunting wild cattle, horses, deer, etc.
Huang Sheng's physical condition is not very good. The pain caused by his early travels in Southeast Asia prevents him from hunting wild livestock in the mountains and forests like retired Chinese soldiers. Therefore, the two pack horses and four small South American hybrid horses they own at home are all
Bought from the market.
Raising free-range chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep is not an easy task. After four years of farming life in Han, South America, Huang Sheng understood the truth about agriculture and animal husbandry.
The scale of livestock breeding must be maintained within a certain range. Generally speaking, it is most economical and suitable for a family to have a breeding area of 400-600 acres and a number of cattle and sheep below 2,000.
Livestock exceeding this upper limit are prone to plague.
At five o'clock in the morning, it was still dark before I went out to graze. I walked for nearly two hours on the mountain road to the newly purchased forest land.
Looking up at the sun that was tilted towards the top of the mountain forest, Huang Sheng estimated that it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon.
Next to the woodland beside the stream, two shepherd dogs shuttled among the chubby sheep. Two children jumped off their ponies and shouted the names of the shepherd dogs to prevent them from disturbing the sheep to drink water.
He has two sons and a harmonious family. Looking at the innocent and lively actions of several children among the cattle and sheep, Huang Sheng showed a happy smile on his lips.
Live and work in peace and contentment, go out and return home. The peaceful and busy farm life is a scene that I could not imagine when I was wandering around Southeast Asia in my early years.
The sun gradually set in the west, and after about half an hour, Huang Sheng estimated that it was time to go home. He said hello to the three children, and then the four father and son drove the cattle and sheep towards home.
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On the simple gravel road between Jinjiang and Chang'an, a convoy of more than 20 people happened to meet Huang Sheng's team of four people driving cattle and sheep.
"Master, a group of cattle and sheep are blocking the road ahead. You and Mr. Huang sit in the car for a while and wait for the villain to send away the shepherds blocking the road before continuing on the road."
The driver pulled the curtain in front of the car and whispered.
"Don't be troublesome, wait until the sheep leave us before leaving."
A middle-aged Chinese man wearing a melon cap and braids said.
"Hey, little one, just follow your master's orders."
The driver responded in a low voice, turned around and sat in front of the carriage, tightened the reins with his right hand, and looked solemnly in the direction of the sheep.
"Dad, look at that man with braids!"
Huang Sheng was riding a horse and walking directly in front of the herd of cattle and sheep. He was focusing on the sheep behind him when he suddenly heard his youngest son's surprised cry.
"Rong Tao, don't be rude!"
The driver's face looked very ugly. Huang Sheng turned around and scolded his youngest son.
"profound……"
After being scolded by his father, the Chinese boy whose nickname was Rong Tao responded in a low voice and said nothing...
"Mr. Zhang, this South American Chinese is really a bit... bold!"
Inside the carriage, a Chinese man of about 25 or 26 years old heard the exclamation of the young man outside. He was about to say what he said, but then thought about the scene at hand, and finally changed a word.
"Overseas Chinese find it difficult to make a living in a foreign land. The folk customs and customs are influenced by foreigners, which inevitably makes them rough and tough."
Zhang Zhenxun thought about it for a while and then said.
"The national affairs are not going well, and the imperial court is constantly troubled by internal and external troubles. If the South American country of Han can put aside its past grievances and coordinate with the imperial court, Mr. Chen and all the Chinese citizens stranded in the United States will not be in such a difficult situation."
"The important affairs of the country are managed by famous ministers and wise men. All Zhang can do is to introduce Mr. Huang to His Highness the King of Han. As for whether His Highness will agree with Master Chen's suggestion, Zhang can't influence it."
Not long after Zhang Baoyi arrived in South America, Zhang Zhenxun also came to Han. The Battle of Buenos Aires was over, and Han was ready to engulf the La Plata plain. Therefore, Zhang Zhenxun contacted the Nanyang merchants who stayed in South America, and once again sent a message to Han.
The Han government lent 5 million taels of silver.
Relying on his credit for supporting the government with loans, Zhang Zhenxun was able to meet Li Mingyuan directly, and was subsequently favored by Li Mingyuan, who gave him the important task of assisting in managing the Hanguo National Bank.
On the other hand, affected by the sudden rise of Han in South America, young children studying in the United States and Chen Lanbin, who is in charge of the affairs of young children studying in the United States, have been restricted by the U.S. government, making it difficult to carry out the originally planned study abroad work.
Chen Lanbin was one of the main officials sent by the Manchu Qing court to the United States. If the plan for young children to study abroad was blocked due to American factors, it would not affect Chen Lanbin's career. However, after Wang Youtian and other South American officials intervened in the affairs of the Chinese in the United States,
Not only were nearly half of the Chinese laborers and Chinese immigrants taken away by Wang Youtian and immigrated to the Han Dynasty, but at the same time, 17 young children studying in the United States, who had high hopes from the Qing government, were also taken away by Wang Youtian.
Pan Mingqian, Shi Jinyong, Cao Jifu, Tan Yaoxun and other young children studying in the United States who either died early in history or were dissatisfied with the rule of the Qing Dynasty and took the initiative to cut off their pigtails abroad escaped Manchu supervision with the instigation and cooperation of relevant personnel from the Han Kingdom in South America.
They were persecuted by officials and fled to Han to set up offices in the United States. Then, under the arrangement of Wang Youtian, they were sent to Germany, France and other European countries to continue their studies, in order to play a greater role in national construction after returning from their studies.
effect.
Every young child studying in the United States has gone through many screenings before rushing to the United States. When the news of more than a dozen young children studying in the United States fleeing to Han Dynasty came back to the Manchu Qing government, the first unlucky person was Chen Lanbin. Therefore, for his official status,
Hats and lives, Chen Lanbin learned the old tricks of the Han governors in the southeast of the mainland, and planned to reach a compromise with the Han Dynasty secretly, and maintain the airs of the affairs of young children studying in the United States on the surface, so as not to be directly caught by the Manchu government and used as a scapegoat.