Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 362 Evacuation Preparation
While the French were preparing for revenge, the Nanyang Army was also seizing the opportunity to prepare for evacuation. Silver coins and goods seized from coastal areas such as Thai Binh Province and Haiphong City were continuously transported back to the headquarters in Quang Ninh Province.

Chinese and Annamitish women from inland provinces such as Lang Son, Bac Ninh and Bac Giang slowly moved towards Quang Ninh Province under the escort of soldiers from the Nanyang Army.

The evacuation operation was carried out in an orderly manner. In the provinces of Hanoi and Bac Giang controlled by the Nanyang Corps, as well as other areas of Beiban temporarily controlled by the Annan government, intelligence personnel who were ordered to hide among ordinary Annan people spread the news that the French were about to launch a full-scale attack and that the situation in Beiban was critical. Once the French occupied their homes, those black indigenous soldiers who exuded a foul smell and carried the virus would open the doors of the people in the occupied areas one by one, abuse the wives and daughters of ordinary people, and infect them with the virus.

If there were no female relatives in the family, the black natives who had escaped from the primeval forest would vent their anger and resentment on the men because their physical needs were not met. They would stab them with knives and guns for fun, or beat them up and rob them of all their property and livestock.

The rumor spread more and more widely in the Beiban area, gradually evolving into various versions. Under the propaganda fanned by the Nanyang Corps and the confirmation of the past atrocities committed by the French colonial army, many Vietnamese people believed the authenticity of the rumor and took action to find ways to avoid the harm of the French colonial army. Those with good conditions or daughters of school age hurriedly reported to the Nanyang Corps' garrison points set up in various places, expressing their willingness to send their daughters to South America to live in exchange for the Nanyang Corps' guarantee of their safety, or in exchange for a ship ticket to Lan Fang, Songkhla and other Nanyang areas.

South America has extremely strict immigration requirements for non-Chinese people. In addition to women of appropriate age who can directly obtain immigration status, ordinary non-Chinese men, only a small number of people who have a deep degree of Chineseization, can communicate proficiently in Chinese in daily life, and are helpful to local construction, can get the opportunity to enter South America. As for ordinary Annan people, if they want to escape the brutal rule of the Annan government and the French, they can only accept the temporary protection of the Nanyang Corps and take a boat to Nanyang.

Chinese immigrants from the mainland and Southeast Asia give priority to supplying local labor needs. Therefore, although Southeast Asia has the advantages of being close to the mainland and having a shorter immigration distance, the number of Chinese population in Southeast Asia has not increased rapidly in recent years.

The Han Dynasty had been operating in Songkhla and the Natuna Islands for a long time, and the local Chinese population was sufficient to maintain local ruling needs, so there was no need to import Annan immigrants to fill the labor gap. However, the Lan Fang Company was incorporated into the Han Dynasty's sphere of influence the latest, and the local Chinese population was relatively insufficient. At the same time, it faced the threat of Dutch colonization. As the local natural environment and living conditions had limited appeal to Chinese immigrants, importing some Annan immigrants to fill the labor gap allowed the Lan Fang side to have enough energy to concentrate young and strong Chinese to deal with the threat from the Dutch. This was the most appropriate option for the current situation in the Nanyang region.

Furthermore, from the perspective of shaping the image of the Han Kingdom in the Beiban region and stabilizing the Nanyang Corps' recent control over the Beiban provinces, there are 500,000 to 600,000 Annan women who have married into South America, and they have left behind millions of relatives in the Annan region. If the Nanyang Corps ignores them when the French are approaching in large numbers, it will not be conducive to the last wave of immigration targeting Annan women on the one hand, and it will not be conducive to the smooth integration of Annan women who have already married into the local area into the Chinese community on the other hand.

For the above two reasons, while considering the evacuation arrangements, the Nanyang Corps was also planning a way out for the Annan gentry and officials who had served the Nanyang Corps for more than ten years, as well as the Annan people who had been involved with the Han Dynasty because of their daughters' marriages.

Lan Fang, Songkhla, and some Nanyang regions that the Flower Pot forces control more deeply can accommodate the influx of about 200,000 to 300,000 Annan immigrants. If the number is larger, it will weaken the control of the Chinese forces over the Nanyang region. In the northern part of Annan, although there are more than a million Annan people who have deep or shallow connections with the Nanyang Corps, only about 10% are willing to leave their homes and abandon their ancestral property to leave Annan. Therefore, the Han Kingdom does not have to worry about the problem of too many Annan immigrants and being unable to properly settle them.

In the provincial capital of Hanoi, Chen Youdu, who was temporarily appointed as Hanoi’s magistrate by Mei Dongxing, was urging his servants to pack up their things as soon as possible.

"Master, do you want to move the mahogany chairs in the hall? Also, the plaque on the gate, and the sedan chair given by Prince Consort Huang..."

The housekeeper asked in a nagging manner.

"No, leave all the unimportant things at home. The French reconnaissance troops have advanced along the Red River to the suburbs of Tokyo (Hanoi) several times. Seeing that the Nanyang Army is about to fight the French, there is no time to take care of those miscellaneous items. Instruct the servants in the mansion to leave all the things at home for the time being, except for the gold and silver jewelry and the two pack horses rewarded by Lord Mei. Leave seven or eight servants at home to watch over them. The housekeeper will select a few smart and loyal servants to follow the migration team from Hanoi City to Quang Ninh Province." "Well, according to the master's orders, I will go down and make arrangements right away."

The butler bowed and was about to get up and leave, but he seemed to remember something important, so he stopped, smiled, and asked flatteringly, "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"If you have something to say, please tell me now. I am in a hurry to meet with Master Mei and I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."

"Yes, yes, I'll make it short."

The butler nodded and said, "Ningping Province was hit by war. My younger brother's house was destroyed when he was fleeing in the countryside. Now he has nowhere to go. He had no choice but to ask me for help. I want you to ask the master if there are any quotas for immigration to South America."

"Haha, the number of immigrants to South America is limited. I, the master, relied on my loyal service to the Nanyang Army for more than ten years to finally get permission to bring my family to immigrate to South America. What? Your brother is an ordinary citizen. How can his achievements catch up with mine?"

"I dare not. My little brother may have been deceived by the rumors outside. He does not understand the truth, so he is imagining some ridiculous things."

"Hehe, there is chaos and war outside. If you want to immigrate to South America, you should also check your own identity. Don't lose sight of the directions just because of some nonsense from other people."

Chen Youdu snorted coldly and said, "Master, I will not bother you because of your loyalty, but in the future, you must not bother me with these trivial matters, otherwise, if you make me unhappy, let alone your brother, it will be hard to say whether your family can leave Annan."

"Yes, yes, I understand."

"Okay, stop standing here. Tell the servants to get to work. I'll talk to the leaders of the Nanyang Army about your brother's matter. I'll allocate a few more tickets for your brother and his family to settle down in Lan Fang. It's not much worse than going to South America."

"Thank you for your grace, sir. I would like to thank you on behalf of my brother and my family for your great kindness."…………

(End of this chapter)