Chapter 877 A Tragic Shipwreck
'Mistletoe' is a plant that parasitizes other plants, such as poplars, pine trees, and aspen trees. It is a parasitic plant that is harmful to the host plant.
But in Celtic culture, the mistletoe that parasitizes on oak trees is a panacea that can cure all diseases. In Celtic culture, there is a kind of people called "forest goddesses" or "people familiar with oak", and now they are called "druids".
However, the culture of the Druids has long been lost, and there is no Druid tradition today. Although there are still Druids today, they are completely different from the ancient Druids.
No one can tell whether the Druids are "harvesters of nature" or an evil religion that uses "human sacrifice". The Druids have experienced a cultural fault and are a mysterious primitive religion.
The ancient Celts believed in Druidism, so it is not surprising to use "Mistletoe" as a ship name. It is likely that this name was given to pray for a safe voyage.
It was a steam-powered sailing ship with a wooden hull, what would be called a "hybrid" today. At the time, it was a cutting-edge vessel, capable of carrying a large load and high speed, capable of crossing the Atlantic in just fifteen days. However, the name "Mistletoe" proved unlucky. It sank in the Atlantic Ocean during a storm, taking with it over nine hundred Irish people. The storm itself wasn't particularly severe; the primary cause of the sinking was overloading. Carrying over nine hundred people on board was tantamount to suicide.
"Mr. Xiao knows about the 'Mistletoe'? Then you must know about that tragic history." Alena Foster said.
Xiao Peng smiled bitterly and said, "This matter is too famous, how could I not know it?" As he spoke, he picked up a potato from the Irish lamb stew in front of him with a fork and shook it.
Ireland experienced one of the most tragic tragedies in human history, the 'Great Irish Famine', commonly known as the 'Potato Famine'.
There was a time when England completely annexed Ireland. At that time, Britain was called the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". Later, after Ireland became independent, it was renamed the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
Although Ireland was part of the United Kingdom at the time, the Irish were treated as "second-class citizens." Although they were British citizens in name, they were in reality no different from slaves.
And what's most important to the Irish? Potatoes.
Although Ireland has vast land and developed agriculture, the agricultural technology was not advanced at that time. Due to the humid climate and loose soil, it was not suitable for growing crops. People basically could not get enough to eat. This problem was not solved until potatoes were introduced to Ireland.
There is an Irish proverb that has been passed down to this day: There are only two things in the world that people should not take lightly: one is marriage and the other is potatoes.
This shows how important potatoes are to the Irish!
Just like the meal Xiao Peng was having now, all three dishes had potatoes. In addition to the smoked salmon with potatoes and the Turkish lamb stew, even the oyster platter had potato slices...
However, because the Irish relied too much on potatoes, the Irish famine eventually occurred.
In 1845, the climate of Ireland changed, and the temperature dropped rapidly in summer. This huge temperature difference caused the growth of potatoes to be destroyed. In September, a potato disease swept across the entire island of Ireland. That year, the potato harvest in the whole of Ireland was almost completely lost.
However, nothing happened that year. After all, potatoes have a high yield, so many Irish people have reserves. Relying on the food reserves, most Irish people survived the year. As a result, the same situation happened again the following year. There were countless potatoes on the island of Ireland again, and Ireland could no longer bear it.
At that time, the island of Ireland had a total population of 8.5 million, of which over one million starved to death and over two million fled. To this day, Ireland's population has not yet recovered to the level of 150 years ago!
What was the British government's response? Due to the different religious beliefs of the Irish and the English, the English's response can only be described as cold-blooded and cruel. They viewed the disaster as a warning from God to the Irish, leaving them to fend for themselves while also imposing increased taxes. The limited grain left in Ireland was seized by British merchants and shipped to England to feed the English.
Well, in fact, they did have a rescue operation. In 1945, they bought 100,000 pounds of corn from America and sent it to Ireland. This corn was probably enough for the Irish to eat for a week, and they had to go through extremely complicated application procedures before they could eat it. When it was distributed to the Irish, it was hairy, moldy, rotten, and mixed with mud...
Faced with such a situation, how could the Irish not demand independence?
This was the largest famine in human history, yet few in China know about it. This is because Chinese public intellectuals only tirelessly promote the "Ukrainian famine," using it to criticize the inferiority of their own system and the superiority of Western systems. As for the Irish famine, which was caused by the British, they simply ignore it—it's a matter that can't be washed away!
Of course, Britain now has to pay the price for what it did back then.
The Irish still bear a grudge about this to this day.
At that time, two million Irish people left their homeland and went to various countries around the world. Among them, the number of Irish immigrants who went to the United States alone exceeded one million!
When these Irish immigrants first arrived, they faced discrimination, causing considerable disruption in American society. The vast majority of foreigners on welfare were Irish. But what about now? There are approximately 40 million descendants of Irish immigrants in the United States, making them the second-largest ethnic group in the country after Germans. Historically, the United States has had five presidents of Irish descent, including the famous Kennedy family, and Owen Shaw, who also has Irish ancestry.
These people have not forgotten their past hatred. When the British were clamoring for Brexit, the US government immediately took a stand, demanding that Britain abide by the Belfast Agreement. Their reason was that it was a country's credibility. In fact, it created an opportunity for Northern Ireland to return to Ireland.
However, the Irish people's escape journey was not smooth sailing. Many people died on the way. For example, the "Mistletoe", which was full of refugees, sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
At this time, Xiao Peng is asked to help find such a ship?
Xiao Peng frowned - things are not that simple!
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