After putting the four well-fed and tired children to sleep, Sun Yingtai turned around and discussed with his wife, "I will be back soon this time. At around 11 o'clock tomorrow night, all six of our family will go to the entrance of Hutou Village to meet other people."
Let's meet. Time is very tight. Let the children stay at home during the day tomorrow and don't run around. You and I will go to Uncle Wu's place in the morning and entrust Uncle Wu to take care of our thatched hut. If there is a chance to return to Yangshu Village in the future,
, it would be nice to have a place to stay. If he doesn’t come back, our thatched house and the one and a half acres of sloping land in the back hill will be given to Uncle Wu. Let’s take it as a way of repaying Uncle Wu for taking care of the children these years.
"
"You're leaving in such a hurry? Can't you stay for five or six more days until I get rid of a sheep, two chickens, and some other bottles and jars at home? Can't you leave then?"
"I have time to wait for things at home to be settled, but the transport fleet in Annan will not wait for us. Before we came back, the company commander and platoon leader reminded me several times that it would be a year and a half later.
Within the territory of Annan, there are more than one million people, soldiers have to move to South America, and ocean shipping ships in the local area are tight. If the delay is too late, not only the good land and pasture in the local area will be divided by others in advance, but also it may
encountered other mishaps.
The situation in Annan is very unstable. The French foreigners are constantly making trouble for the Annan government. No one knows whether the French will leave in 1883 and send troops to attack the Annan Beiban area. Therefore, the sooner we arrive at Annan, the sooner we can board
The better if the convoy leaves."
"Then, after I find a suitable buyer to sell the goats and two chickens at home tomorrow, we can leave. That's okay."
"Don't bother so much. I'll give the goat to Uncle Wu. I'll kill the two chickens tomorrow morning. I'll go to town to buy some side dishes and call Uncle Wu's family to get together at home. After dinner, we'll have dinner with our family members."
The huts, sloping fields, and bottles and cans are all given to the Fifth Uncle. You can’t take these things with you anyway, so giving them to the Fifth Uncle doesn’t make it easier for outsiders. Why bother with so many things?”
Sun Yingtai urged.
"Humph, you are quite generous. Do you know how much I suffered at home and how much I suffered in order to feed a few children? It was just a goat and two chickens, and I finally spent a dollar of hard work.
, I have worked so hard to take care of and raise them, I don’t want them when I say I don’t want them, I give them away when I want to give them away, have you ever thought about the suffering of me and these children?”
As the wife spoke, she shed tears and vented, "You made a little money outside, but you paid for it with your life. Our family is originally a poor family. There is no harm in saving more money.
Otherwise, if the family encounters difficulties again, even an extra penny is better than nothing at all. Do you think you care about what I said?"
"Ajuan, it's my fault. I didn't understand your mothers' difficulties. Please stop crying, okay?"
Seeing his wife shed tears, Sun Yingtai felt uncomfortable. While wiping his wife's tears with his sleeve, he explained, "What I originally thought was that our family was given a small pasture in South America. It is said that it covers an area of 260 acres."
So many, and after you and your four children arrive in the mainland, after you register as retired military dependents, the government will also provide 12 acres of cultivated land to each adult, regardless of gender, according to the retired military dependents standards, and 5 acres of cultivated land to each minor child, or
Converted to pasture grass, that is five people, a total of 120 acres of pasture.
I thought at the time that our family had so much land. After arriving in the mainland, the government would also provide agricultural equipment and livestock such as cattle and sheep in the form of loans. With these family assets, one sheep and two chickens would be given to the five families.
My uncle’s family doesn’t have anything. Anyway, the prices of native cattle, sheep, chickens and other livestock in South America are very cheap. When the time comes, we will buy dozens of sheep first. When it stabilizes, with the area of our family’s pasture, we will not be able to raise seven or eight hundred sheep.
Disaster…………"
"Is the price of livestock in South America really that cheap?"
The wife was full of curiosity and interrupted her husband to ask.
"I'm not lying to you at all. When I was serving in Annan, there were more than 20 brothers in the company who divided their fields and started families in the mainland. They all said this."
"Then we can't give away the goats. We have given away our house and fields, including this one sheep. I think it's better to sell the goats for some money. Even if we go to South America, we can get more money."
Get some furniture.”
"You have the final say in matters at home, and everything is at your discretion."......
The next morning, Sun Yingtai put on a fake braid, went to the town market early to buy some food, and then visited relatives in the clan with his wife.
Because they acted cautiously and kept a low profile, the soldiers who went home with Sun Yingtai to pick up their relatives did not encounter any obstacles. That night, nearly a hundred people, including their families, rushed to the pre-arranged location and left by boat...
Similar incidents continue to take place in southern Fujian and Guangdong and Guangxi. Before making up their minds to go overseas, because they have not personally contacted the real situation in Nanyang and South America, most young people hold on to the idea of taking a chance. If they fail, the worst is to be alone.
If a person dies outside the country, makes a name for himself, or finds a way to support his family, he returns home in person, or asks a trusted fellow villager to bring his family to live with him in South America.
Letters across the ocean were delivered to family members through the hands of fellow villagers. True news came from the mouths of the Chinese returning home, which strengthened the family members' belief in pursuing a new life overseas. The South American Han Kingdom in the mainland area
Through the simplest and most primitive method, the influence has gradually expanded to southern Fujian, central Guangdong and Guangxi, and inland areas. Small and backward mountain villages have been isolated and backward. Due to the influence of returning young people, a wave of people leaving home and going to sea has gradually set off. Mountain villages
There were fewer and fewer young people, and in the end, there were only dozens of old and weak people left who could not bear the bumps of the sea and missed their hometown. They sat on the stone mill in front of the mountain village and quietly watched one family after another leaving.
Fellow countrymen, neighbors.
The rapidly growing immigrant population has overwhelmed various departments related to immigration affairs. The number of immigrants entering through legal channels such as official, local private, and third-party shipping companies has rapidly exceeded the 500,000 mark per year, and some immigrants have entered the country without permission from the state.
, the number of Chinese from the Far East who spend money to smuggle themselves privately is also increasing.
Along the two native immigrant transport routes of the southeastern coast-Southern Ocean-East Coast of Africa-South America and the Far East-South Pacific-South America, some Western fleets in order to make profits also imitated the form of native immigrant transport fleets and conducted
Illegal immigrant smuggling activities.
After all, the funds that the Han government can allocate for regular immigration transportation operations are limited. Those Western transportation fleets that cannot get government immigration business orders are reluctant to part with the benefits of immigration transportation and instead choose to carry out immigration activities by smuggling.
The risk of organized smuggling is higher than that of regular ocean shipping, but the benefits they obtain are also much higher than those of regular shipping companies. In order to increase the local population, the government can only choose to turn a blind eye to the Chinese people who smuggle into the mainland.
After all, the people who smuggled in went through great hardships and risked their lives to reach their destination, and the local area is in urgent need of population to increase the country's development potential and war potential. Regardless of whether these people are literate scholars or ignorant poor farmers, anyway
When they go to the mainland, some of them go to newly developed areas to farm and fish, which can also provide some labor force for the local area.
Based on the government's inaction attitude, immigrants who smuggled into the mainland after being reported and discovered were subject to a two-year intensive labor penalty in accordance with regulations. Then, like regular Chinese immigrants, they were required to receive basic literacy teaching as usual. After the two-year labor period,
, the land that should be distributed will not be less.
It is precisely because of this attitude of the local government that the number of illegal immigrants is increasing year by year and is about to exceed 100,000 per year.
Some unfortunate people died on the way to the mainland, and some were sent to the South Pacific islands and Congo colonies because of their unrestrained behavior after arriving in the mainland. The South Pacific accounts for 25% of the world's surface, and is scattered scattered across the vast sea.
With more than 20,000 islands, the French Polynesian Islands in the South Pacific have beautiful scenery. However, as you move further west, the weather is hot and the Samoa Islands are sometimes hit by storms. It is not a good place for the Chinese criminals who are sent.
Good place,
In March 1880, in order to build a shipping transit base in the South Pacific, more than 2,000 criminals were sent to the Samoa Islands. A year and a half later, by September 1881, more than 400 people had died in the Samoa Islands due to diseases, extreme heat and other reasons.
Therefore, although the Samoa Islands and the Polynesian Islands were called the two pearls of the Han Empire in the South Pacific in later generations, the Chinese criminals who faced disease and heavy labor never thought so.
In September 1881, a fleet carrying Annan evacuated soldiers and immigrants sailed to a certain area in the South Pacific. After more than a month of sailing, the passengers on the ship were not in good spirits. Mei Dongxing, Liang Xing, Wang Shizhen and others came out of the cabin
Come out and walk to the deck.
"After receiving His Majesty's order, after the main force of the Nanyang Army arrived in the Samoa Islands, it mixed with the Marine Corps on the spot to form the Yizhou Islands garrison. Captain Wang, I intend to recommend you to serve as the commander of the Apia Port garrison in the Samoa Islands.
,Do you have any idea?"
Mei Dongxing said to Wang Shizhen behind him seemingly casually.
"I am under the position but will be subject to Governor Mei's arrangements."
"Apia Port plans to deploy 400 veterans of the Nanyang Army and 400 affiliated militiamen. Once the formal appointment is notified, your military rank should be promoted to major."
Mei Dongxing looked at the other person's young face with a smile and asked, "Graduating from the fourth phase of the Army Officer School, you should be the first among the classmates in the same period to be promoted to major, right?"
"I feel extremely ashamed to be promoted after taking advantage of all of you, with very little merit in my position."
"For the first time in charge of military affairs, young people should be more cautious and stable."
Mei Dongxing nodded with satisfaction and asked, "After taking over the position of commander of Apia Port, how do you plan to manage local military affairs?"
"The Samoa Islands and the Polynesian Islands are far apart, connected with each other, and supply is inconvenient. In order to deal with enemy sea attacks, the island defense should be based on large-depth defense, supplemented by coastal port defense."
"Tell me your specific thoughts."
"My lords, please take a look."
Wang Shizhen took out a marching map, found the location of the Samoa Islands, and analyzed, "The Samoa Islands cover an area of more than 3,000 square kilometers, of which Savai'i Island covers an area of 1,820 square kilometers; Uburu Island covers an area of 1,113 square kilometers.
The island occupies 90% of the archipelago, so we should focus our defense on Savai'i Island and Ubulu Island.
Savai'i Island is multi-volcanic. The Maugasilisili Mountain in the center is 1,858 meters above sea level, the highest peak in the Samoa Islands. The northwest is a plain. Based on the geographical and environmental characteristics of Savai'i Island, I believe that the main mountain ranges on the island should first be inspected.
Structure, avoid active volcanoes that may erupt, choose suitable mountains, use newly developed bitter and acidic explosives as the detonating explosive, blow up part of the mountain, dig bunkers inside the mountain, and build permanent defenses.
Secondly, the northwest plains were developed, and immigrants on the island were encouraged to plant food crops and graze livestock to ensure the food self-sufficiency of the people on the island.
Finally, a certain amount of food, weapons and other combat readiness materials should be reserved every year so that when war suddenly breaks out, the garrison can rely on mountain fortifications, underground bunkers and other defensive measures to carry out long-term holding operations when local reinforcements cannot arrive."
"It's a good idea, but digging mountain bunkers is a big project. I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve the combat readiness planning goals you proposed by just using local criminals."
"After the immigration fleet set off from Annan, it passed through the sea area where Southeast Asia and the South Pacific meet. There are many black primitive tribes on many islands there. If the progress of the war preparations in the Samoa Islands is lower than expected, I plan to use immigration to
The fleet captured young and strong laborers from primitive islands such as New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vaatuanu to supplement the shortage of island construction labor force."
"The United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and France have begun to enter New Guinea and the Vatuanu Islands, and openly capture the black indigenous people of Southeast Asia to work as laborers. It is inevitable that they will be deported."
Mei Dongxing did not agree with Wang Shizhen's plan, explaining that "there is no rush to implement the South Pacific Islands combat readiness plan. After taking office, we can carefully plan the construction materials such as cement, steel, wood, sand and gravel, and the local government will try to ensure adequate supply of labor."
If so, in addition to arresting black people from Southeast Asia as laborers, we can also think of other solutions.”……
After seeing the blue water and the vast sky, even the most magnificent scenery can make people feel boring. A few people casually discussed the recent events in the mainland, looking at the sea from time to time, surrounding the fleet.
Circled seabirds.
"Sir, an island has been discovered in the sea ahead!"
Standing at the top of the watchtower on the bow of the ship, a sailor loudly reported exciting news.
"Approximately how big is the island?"
"I can't see very clearly. I roughly estimate it's less than one square kilometer."
“It’s less than one square kilometer, so the area is a bit small!”
The happy expression on Mei Dongxing's face diminished slightly, and he immediately ordered: "Send a reconnaissance ship to dock to see if there are any indigenous residents on the island."
"Yes, sir."
A small gunboat with a displacement of more than 200 tons was lowered from the large transport ship. Seventeen or eighteen sailors controlled the small gunboat and quickly sailed towards the island.
An hour later, the immigration fleet approached the outer edge of the island. At this time, the sailors who landed on the island to investigate also brought what they had discovered.
The island covers an area of about 0.7 kilometers. There is a group of yellow-skinned indigenous people living on the island. Based on the facial features described by the soldiers, several naval officers in charge of the immigrant transport fleet believed that the indigenous people on the island belong to the Polynesian race and New Guinea.
The black natives of the Vaatuanu Islands are not of the same race.
"It's 0.7 square kilometers and there are hundreds of indigenous residents. Based on this, it can be inferred that the natural conditions on the island should be good."
Although the area of the island is only 0.7 kilometers, it has living material resources that supply hundreds of indigenous residents. At least it proves that declaring island sovereignty is not a loss-making thing.
"Send a hundred soldiers to the island to carry some food and declare to the natives that the Han Empire has undisputed sovereignty over the island. From today on, they are overseas subjects of the Han Empire."
Most of the islands in the South Pacific are small in size and far away from the mainland. Many small islands with an area of a few tenths of a square kilometer to dozens of square kilometers are unclaimed land. Therefore, while the British, French, German and American countries have not taken a fancy to these small islands,
Taking the opportunity to declare sovereignty in advance became a very meaningful event during the long voyage of the immigration transport fleet.
More than a year after the South Pacific route was launched, the navy and sailors on the ship often did similar things. Therefore, when Mei Dongxing gave the order, the sailors not only quickly arranged the candidates to land on the island, but also took out a stone tablet prepared in advance.
.
"Sir, every time we take a boat out to sea, the fleet will carry ten stone tablets with carved names. This time we only found a small island floating out of the sea along the way from the South American mainland. We still have nine stone tablets prepared. Sir
You can pick out a stone tablet at random and give the island in front of it a name."
A junior naval officer in charge of the immigrant transport fleet said with a smile.
"On Jianye Island, this is the stone monument."
"Your Excellency is really good at choosing an island named after His Majesty's reign, so this is the best choice."
The naval officer looked at the name on the stone tablet and waved the sailors to carry the stone tablet to the ship.
