Chapter 41 Returning Home in Glory
July 13, 1866, Far East.
Wang Dazhi is an old member of the Chinese immigrants in the East African colonies and is now a member of the Chinese immigrant army in the coastal area.
Just a month ago, senior officials of the Chinese Immigration Department of the East African Colony found Wang Dazhi and discussed with him how to use his Chinese identity to return to the Qing Dynasty to recruit people.
The Qing government had just put down the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom not long ago. The South had suffered from war for a long time, which greatly eased the contradiction between population and land in the South. Since the Song Dynasty, the economic center of gravity moved south, and the South became a densely populated area. Although the mutual conquests between the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Qing government caused a large amount of vacant land, after the end of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the population in the surrounding areas could quickly fill these vacancies.
In the north, the rise of Tsarist Russia and its colonial expansion directly threatened the Qing Dynasty's birthplace. Previously, they were afraid that the Chinese would destroy the Qing Dynasty's ancestral land. Now that the Russians were about to attack, they could no longer consider the difference between the Qing Dynasty and China. In order to immigrate to the border, the Qing government relaxed restrictions on immigration from the Northeast, and a large number of Chinese poured into the Northeast. This was called "Crossing the Guandong".
In the relatively northwestern Shanxi and Shaanxi regions, they also had an immigration route which was to go to Inner Mongolia to cultivate land for the princes and nobles, which was also known as going west.
The main option for immigrants from the East African colonies is currently to go north, and then take ships back to East Africa through the northern seaports.
The people in the north currently have two choices: one is to go to the Northeast, and the other is to go to East Africa. Compared with foreign countries, their own land is of course the first choice, so when making a choice, most immigrants choose to go to the Northeast with their families.
This is also the reason why the East African colony wants to bring over the old immigrants who are already living in East Africa. Otherwise, when these Chinese see the tangible benefits, who will believe what you Western devils say?
As for the south, it is not so easy to recruit people. Apart from the new living space created after the Taiping Rebellion, the locals have two other options. One is to go from the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta to America. The current advantage of Americans is unmatched by Germany. Even the British and French will recruit some Chinese to the colonies to serve as thugs.
The second is the south, especially the southeast coast and southwestern border. They can start their own businesses in the Nanyang region. Because of the convenience of sea transportation or the proximity to the border, many people have gone to Nanyang or Southeast Asia since ancient times.
The south is full of clans, and the spontaneously formed local factions would also recruit people in the south. Therefore, it was most difficult for the East African colonies to recruit people in the south. Not to mention the large number of competitors, the conditions they offered were not very attractive.
How would these Chinese go to East African colonies on their own initiative? Unless they were given land, they would definitely go to East African colonies with their families to explore.
But Ernst would not give the land away for nothing. The land in East Africa was Ernst's private property and would be of great use in the future. If he simply gave the land away, he might not receive gratitude from others and might even produce ungrateful people.
Only when it was time to divide the land did Ernst give these Chinese immigrants land ownership.
That is war. Only those who fight for their lives and pledge their allegiance will be distributed land by Ernst in the form of military merit.
Now that the land in East Africa has been divided, when Britain, France and other countries start to set their sights on African land in the future, what will Ernst use to win over the people? Still land.
Moreover, in Ernst's vision, the future of agriculture in East Africa will be intensive, rather than self-sufficient in the form of small farmers. If you work for the Hohenzollern family, I will give you land. The harder you work, the more land you will get. In this way, countless large-scale farms will be born in East Africa.
If everyone can get two or three acres of land, then the Chinese will dare to have children. It's okay if there is a shortage of people in the early colonies, but what will happen if there is no shortage of people in the future? By then, no matter how fast East Africa develops, it is estimated that it will not be able to keep up with the rapid growth of the population.
Therefore, Ernst carefully considered the issues of immigration and survival after immigrating to East Africa. After all, he couldn't be too radical because East Africa was there and he couldn't escape.
Even if Britain, France and other countries began to divide Africa, Ernst estimated that there would still be 5 million people in East Africa at that time. Not to mention 5 million, even if there were 300,000 plus the help of the German Empire, Ernst would dare to fight a war in Africa with the British.
…
Mopan Village is an ordinary little village in North China.
The village is very lively today, not because of any festival, but because Wang Dazhi, who left a year ago, has returned.
There was nothing surprising about Wang Dazhi's return. What really surprised the villagers was that Wang Dazhi came back with foreigners, and there were several soldiers behind him, all holding real weapons in their hands.
At first, when the villagers saw a group of people with Western guns coming to the village entrance, they didn't dare to show their heads. In those days of war and chaos, who would dare to join in the fun? Would they feel itchy around the neck?
Fortunately, everyone knew Wang Dazhi, and he used a loud speaker to spread the news everywhere in the village.
"Fellow villagers, don't be afraid. I am Wang Dazhi! Don't you remember me? Now I am rich, and I am here today to lead you to live a good life."
Wang Dazhi was wearing a military uniform, looking like a decent man. He walked around the village with his chest puffed out and his head held high. When he walked deep into the village, several acquaintances pulled Wang Dazhi into their houses.
"Dazhi, it's really you! Oh my God, you were so fat that I almost didn't recognize you."
Wang Dazhi looked at the black and thin hemp straw in front of him and almost didn't recognize it.
"Aren't you Old Xu from the end of the village? How are you doing? Now that my brothers are rich, I will take you to live a good life."
Old Xu walked around Wang Dazhi twice and said in amazement, "You've really grown up. The clothes you wear now are all decorated with patterns! Looking at the way you're dressed, are you going to join the army?"
Although Old Xu did not recognize the Prussian military uniform, the soldiers behind Wang Dazhi when he entered the village could not deceive anyone, because they were carrying real weapons.
Wang Dazhi said with a smile: "No, no, I am now the deputy captain of the 25th squad of the Coastal District Detachment of the Chinese Immigration Army in the East African Colony." He said with a smug look on his face.
Old Xu asked curiously, "You really became an official! Great, it's the East African colony, and what is Binhai? How high is your official rank?"
When Wang Dazhi heard Old Xu asking about him, he immediately smiled and said, "I am a completely different person now. I am not a high-ranking official, and I only manage five or six people. Don't underestimate me because I am a low-ranking official. I have a lot of experience in this position. I am not an ordinary official, but an official for the Germans. You don't know that I have walked hundreds of miles from Jiaozhou to here. The high-ranking officials I met on the way would send me out of the country with courtesy when they saw me."
Wang Dazhi then pretended, "Do you know Mayor Li in our town? He was even nodding and bowing to me before I returned to the village!"
Old Xu was surprised and said, "Is it such a big deal to serve as a soldier for those Germans? The officials are all inferior to you!"
"Old Xu! You are very ignorant. Did you know that the foreigners broke into the Forbidden City a few years ago?"
"Of course I have heard of this."
"That's right. Now even the emperor is afraid of foreigners, let alone foreign soldiers. Look at me. I was originally an old farmer who couldn't afford to eat. After my land was taken back by the rich man Wang, didn't I go to Jiaozhou to beg for food? I heard that I could make some money by carrying bags at the Jiaozhou wharf, so I went there. As a result, I met a big boss from Germany who was recruiting people to farm for them. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. After all, I couldn't even afford to eat and couldn't find a job. I was so hungry that I was skin and bones. When I got to the wharf, the manager saw that I was dying and didn't accept me. Coincidentally, the Germans were recruiting people and gave them food if they signed up, so I signed up, and then I ate for a few days and got on the ship."
Wang Dazhi recalled the past days and couldn't help but sigh: "On the boat, I was vomiting and having diarrhea, but fortunately we reached land soon. Later I heard that it was East Africa, and the German boss wanted to reclaim land and was short of manpower, so I was recruited. At first I just farmed, there was a lot of land there, but no crops were planted. The local natives made a living by hunting lions and wild animals, and the land was barren, so the German boss asked us Chinese to develop the land."
"Later, as the number of people increased, the German commander in East Africa began to look for men from our group to serve as soldiers, and I was chosen."
Old Xu asked curiously, "Isn't this the same as the Qing Dynasty? If you can't afford to eat, you have to join the army!"
"It's not the same, Old Xu." Wang Dazhi hurriedly said to Old Xu, "Can being a soldier of the Qing Dynasty be the same as being a soldier of Germany? Let me tell you, do you know how many meals I eat a day?" Wang Dazhi said with a look of superiority.
"Two meals? That's good."
Wang Dazhi said to Lao Xu with a look of disdain: "You really think that the Germans are not that stingy. I eat three meals a day, and I can have meat every week. I wear Western fabrics and I can get a small salary every month."
Then he handed the cuffs to Lao Xu and the others and said, "Feel this dress, it's made of great material and so smooth."
When Old Xu and a few others felt around, they found that Wang Dazhi was indeed living a very good life. When he was in the village before, you could see his ribs through his clothes. Now, he has not only gained weight, but also has a ruddy face, and you can tell at a glance that he is well-fed, and he is dressed in an appropriate manner.
However, Old Xu still asked cautiously: "This foreign master is so good to you? He doesn't ask you to risk your life for him."
Wang Dazhi said disdainfully, "It's your turn to risk your life! And you don't know, in East Africa we only surrounded the natives, those natives had clubs and sticks in their hands, the better ones had stone spears, I could knock one down with one shot from a distance, they were very weak."
Hearing this, Old Xu and the others began to think, what Wang Dazhi said really made people feel itchy, who wouldn't want to live such a good life? But who knows if you, Wang Dazhi, are only saying good things.
"Brother Dazhi, East Africa is so good, doesn't it have any shortcomings?"
Wang Dazhi understood, but the gang was still worried, so he tried to comfort them, "It's a good life. If I say there are no flaws, you won't believe me. There is indeed one flaw."
"Brother Dazhi, what is it?" several people asked curiously.
"The disadvantage is that there are too many men and too few women there. But don't worry, you won't have to worry about finding a wife in the future when you go there."
"Isn't this contradictory, Brother Dazhi?"
"You are confused! Think about it, is it easy to find a wife in Qing Dynasty? Aren't there a lot of bachelors there? Why? Because they think you are poor. If you go to East Africa for a few years, you can at least save some money and get better. When you come back, you will be healthy and have money. Which girl will not like you?"
Wang Dazhi then quietly said to a few people: "To be honest, I came back this time to solve the problem of a wife. The commander told me that when I return, I will buy one for me in Nanyang. There are connections there, but of course the premise is that I work hard!"
"Look, I have money, a livelihood, and even a wife. How can I lie to you if I'm not rich? Go to the village and help me spread the word, especially to those old bachelors. If you don't take action now, you'll be single for the rest of your life!"
After hearing this, several people became anxious and said to Wang Dazhi: "Brother Dazhi, how many people are you going to recruit? If there are too many people, will you not be allowed to work? Don't forget about us when something good happens!"
Wang Dazhi looked at the anxious people and waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry, don't worry. You don't have to worry about being robbed. There's plenty of land over there, but we're short of people. We'll take as many as you can. So, if you can get a few more people from the village, I can say a few good words for you in front of the superiors and find a good place for you."
When several people heard this, they quickly assured Wang Dazhi that they would definitely live up to his expectations. Soon, this propaganda team went door to door in the village to publicize the news. They exaggerated even more than Wang Dazhi, almost saying that East Africa was a paradise and that if they were late, they would not be able to eat hot food.
(End of this chapter)
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