Living like a salted fish in the end times

Chapter 371 The Dilemma of the East Coast
A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the delegation circled along the Gulf of Mexico, then turned around and continued northward, starting the trip to the east coast.

Like the west coast, the population of the east coast is mainly concentrated in a dozen cities along the coast, and the population becomes sparser as you go north, as far as New York.

North of New York is absolutely no man's land.

On October 10, the delegation arrived in Miami.

Miami is now the veritable largest city on the east coast, with a population of about 55. It is also the largest grain-producing area in the Americas, comparable to the god of the sea.

Starting from Miami, heading north to Atlantic Beach, it is a villa resort area with a length of hundreds of kilometers, and it is also the base camp of scavengers on the east coast.

However, with the transfer of the scavenger center, the popularity of this area has plummeted, and it has once again become a ghost town.

What he saw and heard along the way, Zhang Hao couldn't help expressing emotion:

"It's a pity that such a good coastline is so deserted. If it is placed in the Eastern Region, it can sell a lot of money just by selling land."

Governor Philip shrugged: "Consul, no matter how good a place is, it's useless to have no industry. In the past two years, waste pickers have gradually moved to the west coast. They not only took away the population, but also took away the industry."

"Have you ever thought about changing?"

Scavengers are not a long-term solution.

"Yes." Governor Philip nodded. "At the beginning, we wanted to rely on the oil resources in the Gulf of Mexico to build a supporting petrochemical industry, but the final results were not very good, and we couldn't compete with Cuba at all."

"Why can't you compete?"

Zhang Hao asked along the way.

"Lack of money, the investment in the petrochemical industry is particularly large, and the rich have all gone to Cuba."

Governor Philip replied truthfully.

Zhang Hao frowned: "Besides the petrochemical industry, do you have other plans?"

"Of course there is. Later, we tried shipbuilding and weaving, but they all failed in the end. In the final analysis, the population is too small.

To be honest, if it wasn't for the success of the plantation factory, it would have retained a part of the population, otherwise the whole of Miami would not even be as good as a county in Cuba. "

"Next, what are your plans?"

Zhang Hao didn't have any good suggestions either.

As the other party said, population is the cornerstone of development. Without population, no matter how hard you work, it will be useless.

Philip was also straightforward: "Consul, we hope to recruit a group of immigrants from Europa to make up for the lack of population. I hope the central government can support it."

"Why Europa? South America or the Tianzhu Peninsula are places with relatively difficult economies. Isn't it a better choice?"

Zhang Hao was puzzled.

"Consul, what we need is a qualified workforce, not trying to bring in chaos."

Governor Philip spread his hands.

Zhang Hao's face suddenly became solemn: "Governor Philip, whether a person succeeds or not depends on education and social environment, no one is born a waste.

I hope you can correct your attitude and stop having such discriminatory psychology. The federation will soon be 100 years old. You are discrediting the federation. "

Sure enough, as the rumors say, these states in the south are generally conservative, and they are also the vanguard of anti-immigration.

After all, it's such a time now, and they still put on a high-ranking attitude. No wonder in the dream, the East Coast has not been able to develop.

Governor Philip quickly apologized.

However, Zhang Hao could tell that this guy was just talking, and he didn't take it seriously at all.

"Cough, Governor Philip, I'm not going to hide it from you. The catastrophe we are facing now cannot be ended in a short time. This is a protracted battle.

I sincerely hope that you can let go of your prejudices. Only when all of us are united can we tide over the difficulties together, otherwise all that awaits us is death. "

Governor Philip was taken aback for a moment, but soon showed a hint of sarcasm. He knew very well how the Africans disappeared.

Those who engage in politics are indeed double-standard dogs.

"Consul, you have been educated."

Zhang Hao couldn't help sighing: "OK, the frontier is the border of Georgia, let's part here, and you don't need to accompany us for the next trip."

Facing such reckless people, he had already lost his enthusiasm for inspection.

"Consul, why are you in such a hurry? The city of Jacksonville is right next to you, why don't you stay for one night before leaving?"

Governor Philip tried his best to persuade him to stay.

You can't just let go of the central thigh.

Zhang Hao shook his head, and said perfunctorily, "Don't bother me, I wasted a lot of time before, when I return, if I have enough time, it's not too late to go again!"

"Then let's go after dinner?"

"No need, we'll board the ship right away."

……

Next, the delegation visited Savannah, Charleston, Mert Birch, Wilmington, Morehead City, Nags Head, Rover, Ocean City, Atlantic City, and finally arrived in New York .

As the former largest city in North America, although New York has a relatively high latitude, many people still choose to stay because of its developed infrastructure.

At the same time, New York is also the first real underground city, which has very important reference significance, which is also the main purpose of the delegation.

"Clap clap clap..."

"Consul, we are finally looking forward to you."

New York Mayor Chu Dehan was full of enthusiasm.

Zhang Hao walked off the ice bus slowly and waved to the crowd.

Due to the cut off of land transportation, the delegation came through the coastal ice, which is also the main mode of transportation between coastal cities.

Immediately afterwards, he stepped forward and held Chu Dehan's hand: "Mayor Chu, the seaside is too cold, don't let the big guys suffer, let's go quickly!"

New York in December is the coldest time of the year, with an average temperature of -48 degrees below zero. It is simply not a place for people to stay.

"Okay, listen to you."

Chu Dehan gestured to his deputy, and the other party immediately notified the others to go.

Zhang Hao followed the other party into the welcome car.

In less than 10 minutes, the convoy drove into a huge underground entrance, and then walked along the long underground passage to a wide square.

"Consul, the city hall is in front of you."

Chu Dehan quickly introduced.

Yang Haoxuan looked surprised: "Mayor Chu, I heard that all of you here live in the underground space, just like the plot in the movie "The Wandering Earth"?"

"That's right. Although the level of technology here is not as advanced as in the movie, the basic life style is indeed not much different."

Chu Dehan nodded with a smile.

"How many people are left in New York City?"

Yang Haoxuan asked again.

"About 18 people. This is the data we just counted last year. There may be a few thousand fewer people this year..." Chu Dehan replied.

Zhang Hao interrupted directly: "Thousands of people a year? How could it be so much less?"

"Well, it may be due to the climate. The population loss has been rapid in the past two years. New York is too cold, and many people have moved to the south." Chu Dehan sighed.

"Is it bad to live underground?"

Zhang Hao tried to ask.

"The underground life is really not very satisfactory. The key is that life is too depressing. The longer I stay, the more I feel like a soil mouse."

Chu Dehan sighed.

"So the experiment failed?"

Zhang Hao sighed incessantly.

In the dream, the urban underground is an inevitable trend. For many people, they can’t see the sun anyway, and there is actually little difference between living above and below ground.

Chu Dehan hurriedly shook his head: "It's too early to draw conclusions. The main reason is the underground space in New York. Most of them are rebuilt from parking lots and other places. The space is very limited and lacks unified planning, so it gives people a kind of Very depressing feeling."

New York City has dense buildings, and almost every building has its own basement. As long as the basement is opened, a real underground city can be built at the lowest cost.

"You mean...to do a major renovation before moving in?" Zhang Hao was thoughtful.

If only this is the case, the situation is still optimistic.

Chu Dehan nodded: "Yes, this is necessary. After summarizing the experience of these years, we already have a complete set of ideas for transformation."

"Oh? How to transform?"

Zhang Hao became interested instantly.

"It's very simple. It's the most efficient way to use the subway line as the main trunk, and then spread to the surrounding area through the trunk line. Otherwise, it will only become more and more chaotic."

Chu Dehan confessed everything on the spot.

"Subway lines? Will it be too spread out?"

Zhang Hao hesitated.

Distributed living not only means a large investment in infrastructure, but also increases management costs.

Chu Dehan said with a wry smile: "Sometimes, gathering people together is not necessarily a good thing. For example, if there is a fire, the situation will become very difficult."

"Fire is really an unavoidable problem."

Everyone walked and chatted, and soon arrived at the gate of the city hall.

Here is a brief introduction. The New York City Hall is located inside an underground shopping mall. If it weren't for the plaque hanging at the door, it would be thought to be an ordinary small company.

"Mayor Chu, isn't your place too big?"

The entire first floor has an area of ​​more than 5000 square meters, and as far as the eye can see, it is all the city government office area.

"Consul, New York is vast and sparsely populated. There are only 18 people in the entire urban area. The most important thing is housing. Moreover, the city hall is also home to public places such as fire stations, hospitals, and schools. The area is too small and not enough. "Chu Dehan explained in detail.

"All the children and teenagers study here? Are there no other schools?"

Zhang Hao asked casually.

"There are no other schools. Although there are 18 people here, there are relatively few children. Many people will try to send their children back to the mainland for safety reasons."

"It's not going to work without the next generation."

"Consul, you are right. The biggest difficulty on the entire east coast is the lack of population. Take New York as an example. If there is no federal support, it will decline rapidly within a year."

Chu Dehan spoke earnestly.

Zhang Hao stopped when he heard the words: "This is really strange. The local people think that the population is too large, and the restrictions on immigration are relatively rigid. Your side is just the opposite."

"Consul, it's not that we haven't thought about absorbing immigrants from the mainland, but these people would rather stay in the mainland and guard a house as big as a palm, rather than come out and venture out."

"You are not using the right method."

Zhang Hao wrote lightly,
Chu Dehan was refreshed, and quickly asked: "Consul, what method should be used?"

"Now is not the time to talk about this, let's talk later." Zhang Hao waved his hand.

"How's it going tonight?"

Chu Dehan seemed a little impatient.

"Okay!" Zhang Hao nodded with a smile.

After visiting the city hall, the group went to the garrison base next door.

The scale of the garrison base is small, and all the soldiers together only have more than people. The main reason is that guns are strictly prohibited in the dungeon, and so many soldiers are enough.

After the condolences were over, Zhang Hao asked the person in charge of the garrison base a relatively direct question:

"Wang Battalion Commander, how is the law and order in the dungeon?"

"Reporting to the consul, the past few years were chaotic, but the past two years have improved a lot." Battalion Commander Wang reported truthfully.

"What is the biggest crisis you have encountered?"

Battalion Commander Wang thought for a while and replied: "It should be the time five years ago. There was a serious fire that year, and then many people took advantage of the fire to loot it. It took us a lot of effort to calm the situation down."

"How many people died that time?"

Zhang Hao asked.

Battalion Commander Wang didn't answer immediately, but stretched out three fingers.

Zhang Hao guessed, "Four digits?"

"Yes." Battalion Commander Wang nodded, "More than half of them are fire victims."

"So many?" Everyone was surprised.

In recent years, although natural disasters and man-made disasters have occurred frequently in various places, the casualties of thousands of people at one time are definitely big news that caused a sensation in the Federation.

However, some chose to keep a low profile.

Chu Dehan rushed to answer: "The most feared thing in the underground city is fire. Once the smoke fills the air, it is easy for people to lose their way. This is the most deadly."

Zhang Hao nodded: "Then, how did you solve this problem?"

"On the one hand, smoke exhaust equipment has been added; on the other hand, firefighting training has been strengthened. At the same time, fire bans have been strictly enforced in the entire underground city. If caught, a direct fine of 1 yuan will be imposed."

"Fire ban?"

This one is very similar to the refuge in Cuba, they cut off the fire at the source.

"That's right, there is a fire ban. There are many public canteens in the underground city, and residents don't have to cook by themselves. In addition, in terms of electricity consumption, the use of batteries is strictly prohibited, and even many places are not powered on."

Chu Dehan explained patiently.

Zhang Hao pondered: "It seems that fire is indeed the biggest safety hazard, and it is also a big problem that needs to be solved urgently. We must pay attention to it no matter what."

"Indeed, the reason why I recommend living apart is to reduce safety risks and provide sufficient warning time for evacuation."

Chu Dehan hurriedly agreed.

"Aside from the fire, are there any other issues that need attention?" Zhang Hao asked immediately.

"There are many, such as toxic gas leaks, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, such as infectious disease outbreaks, these are the areas that need attention.

But in general, fire is the most threatening place and the place that needs the most attention. It is really unimaginable what the consequences will be if a fire breaks out in a dungeon with a population of one million. "

ps: Please recommend tickets and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)