Chapter 273: Each is different (Second update, please subscribe)

On November 11, 1867, the giant ship "Great Eastern", which was sailing south from the Shandong coast, received nearly 40,000 immigrants from Henan, southern Shandong, Zhili, Anhui, northern Jiangsu, etc. off the coast of Haizhou. Most of these immigrants arrived in Haizhou via the Huaihe River and the Yellow River.

Si Dongli and his cousins ​​were among this group of immigrants. Like everyone else, after being amazed at the size of the ship, he was immediately crammed into a narrow cabin. Thousands of people were crowded in the coffin-sized space in the cabin. The small electric light on the ceiling prevented the cabin from falling into darkness.

Two days later in the morning, when it was Si Dongli's turn to go to the deck to get some fresh air, the giant ship slowly sailed away from the coast of northern Jiangsu and headed eastward to the Osumi Strait at the southern tip of Japan's Kyushu Island. Because there are few reefs in the strait and it does not hinder navigation, it has always been one of the preferred routes for South China immigration ships.

When passing through the Osumi Strait, the Great Eastern stopped for a while in the open sea, and then another small boat sent thousands of Japanese women on board. These Japanese "contract maids" will go to Nanhua with the ship. According to the regulations of the Immigration Bureau, all immigration ships must reserve 10% of the cabin space for "contract maids". Unlike the initial maids who mainly came from Japan, now with the development of the market, there are both Japanese maids and Korean maids, and even Annan maids appear in the market. It is certain that merchants have always been omnipresent in the face of profits.

In the following month, the Great Eastern sailed eastward in the Pacific Ocean, stopping only temporarily at ports rented by companies such as the future Southern New Guinea (northern Papua New Guinea and the Bismarck Islands) and the Marshall Islands to refuel and refill water. Then it sailed all the way to Linhai.

40 days later, the "Great Eastern" finally sailed into Linhai. Every time it arrived, it was a grand event for Linhai - in its huge cabin, more than 60,000 immigrants were crammed in like sardines in a can. It took two days just to disembark. After tens of thousands of immigrants landed in Linhai, as in the past, they first had to be quarantined and observed in an immigrant education camp for half a month before being sent to various places via the Pacific Railway.

Immigrants entering Nanhua must undergo training, but that doesn't mean there are no exceptions.

At least for the brothers Li Sidong and Li Siliang, they were not ordinary immigrants. On the Great Eastern, they did not have to squeeze into a large cabin converted from a coal bunker where hundreds of people could fit in, but instead lived in a "VIP cabin" that accommodated ten people.

“This place is really nice!”

Standing on the deck, looking at the city behind the Linhai Bay Pier, Li Sidong was so surprised that he was speechless.

"It looks really nice here."

"That's right, Uncle San can still deceive us?"

The third uncle they are talking about is Li Yunqi from the Discipline Department of the Immigration Bureau. As the director of the Discipline Department, he is definitely a big shot in the administrative system of Nanhua, and his rank is almost equivalent to that of a minister.

When they got off the boat and took a small steamer to the shore, a young man in white military uniform shouted at them on the shore.

"Cousin."

Li Sijie, a naval trainee officer, waved at them.

"You are finally here. I will come here to wait for you whenever I am free these two days. How are you? Are you used to the journey?"

"But it's okay!"

Li Sidong smiled.

"Except for seasickness, there's nothing wrong with me. By the way, Sijie, where is Third Uncle? My father asked us to come and live with him."

"Cousin, according to Nanhua's rules, you will also be quarantined for two weeks, and then you will have to train for a few months. My father will be in charge of this."

After saying that, Li Sijie pointed to the camp in the distance.

"But the doctor on board has given you a certificate proving that you have no infectious disease, so we'll let you off the ship. Otherwise, you'll have to work in the quarantine camp for two weeks."

"That's all because of Uncle San's face."

Li Sidong and his brother said.

"Sijie, what are we going to do next?"

Li Sijie replied.

"What else can I do? You are all over the age. Otherwise, I would send you to school. Well, I am in the Naval Academy now. After the apprenticeship period is over, it will be considered as graduation. According to Dad's wishes, you should go to the army first."

"To the troops?"

Open your eyes wide, said the Li Sidong brothers.

"What unit are you in? What does the unit do?"

"The army is the military, it's the soldiers,"

"What do you mean by soldiering? Uncle San asked us to come all this way just to serve in the army!"

Seeing his cousins ​​looking unhappy, Li Sijie said.

"This is what Dad meant. If you don't like it, over there is the immigration office."

Pointing to the Immigration Office in the distance,

"Look, go over there to register, then go to the farm or the factory and see if you have any luck. Cousin, don't think being a soldier is bad. Not only is the salary high, but there are also more opportunities for promotion in the future. Cousin, you can all read, so you will definitely have a chance to be promoted in the future..."

What is the difference between people?

Perhaps it was this difference that, although they came to Nanhua on the same ship, they still embarked on completely different paths in life.

However, for Si Dongli, he is full of expectations for the future. After all, in this chaotic world, it is extremely rare to have such a paradise.

At least the meat sold on the meat stalls here is not human flesh. In other words, the meat you eat here, although it is just fish, is definitely not human flesh.

After half a month of quarantine, Si Dongli and his party finally got on the train.

Amid the loud whistle, they squeezed into a sealed carriage covered with new wheat straw and headed east. The train, which was traveling from west to east, began to run at a slow speed after entering the Andes Mountains. Looking at the majestic snow-capped mountains outside the window through the gaps in the carriage's wooden boards, the people in the carriage were all stunned.

In fact, along the way, the train passes through mostly rich and fertile areas, and farms can be seen everywhere along the line. After passing the mountains, looking into the distance, there are endless fields, and the company's farms are increasing day by day.

With this railway, the transportation from Linhai to Nanhua has become much more convenient. This railway crossing the Andes Mountains is the only railway in South America that goes directly from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

It was through this Pacific Railway that the immigrants spread like seeds along the route. They entered the prairie through the railway, reclaimed the fertile prairie for cultivation, and then planted crops there.

The day after entering the prairie, the train turned to a branch line across the North River and headed north. The railway under construction there was still 150 kilometers away, and it would reach the trenches dug by the Argentines to block the Indians. On the west side of the trenches, the immigrants had established new farms.

(End of this chapter)