Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 525 Equipment Relocation
"General, our soldiers are demolishing the Rio de Janeiro gun factory, ammunition factory, steel mill, water supply station, flour mill, canning factory and other factories. We are encountering resistance from workers. Please give us instructions."

An officer hurried over and reported.

"A month ago, the Imperial Army entered various factory areas to carry out dismantling work, and the process went smoothly. Why did a group of workers suddenly appear to cause trouble now?"

Qiu Mingzhang said with dissatisfaction on his face.

"Has an investigation been conducted? Who took the lead in organizing the workers to cause unrest?"

Chen Shen asked.

"In the past two weeks, dozens of Brazilian whites and several American businessmen have come from Rio de Janeiro. Through investigation, we found that they have had close contact with the heads and workers of various industrial and mining enterprises in the occupied area."

"It's the Brazilian government and the Americans who are causing trouble."

Qiu Mingzhang said, "The Empire was tolerant and generous. They didn't destroy the Republic of Brazil in one war. Instead, they became more aggressive and thought that everything would be fine after signing the armistice agreement. After a few days of peace, they forgot the lesson of being beaten by the Empire. Now they are bold and dare to join forces with the Americans to make trouble in secret! Go, order the troops. Anyone who dares to stop the demolition workers, no matter who it is, will be immediately punished by battlefield discipline after warning shots!"

"Yes, General!"

"Wait a minute, General Qiu. The armistice agreement has been signed and there are only three months left to evacuate. The Brazilian government and the Americans are inciting the workers to cause unrest in order to delay the demolition work. A blanket crackdown on the unrest will easily lead to attacks from outside public opinion and will also intensify the conflict between the Empire and the workers in the occupied areas. It is better to be cautious."

Chen Shen, the Minister of Industry, stopped the officer who was delivering the message and suggested.

"What are you afraid of? Under the instigation and collusion of the Americans, public opinion in South American countries is boiling, and they wish the empire would disappear from the map. If they cared about public opinion, the empire would probably still be hiding in the two southern states of Brazil, and there would be no achievement today with a border area of ​​nearly 500 million square kilometers and a population of nearly 2000 million."

"General Qiu, the Empire is not afraid of the pressure from Western public opinion, but if the conflict is intensified and the demolition plan is affected, it will be difficult for you, me and others to explain to His Majesty."

Chen Shen persuaded.

"The war is over, the armistice agreement has been signed, and now is the time to digest the fruits of victory. We cannot lose sight of the big picture because of the instigation of the Americans. That would only go against the Americans' wishes."

Niu Shangzhou also advised.

"The Republic of Brazil has suffered a great loss of national strength after this war. Even if it annexed the Brazilian Empire with the support of the Americans, the loss would not be small. The Empire can wait for the next opportunity to resolve the Brazilian issue in one war. To deal with a big country like Brazil, it would be too influential to win the war in one battle, and it would be easy to digest it, gradually weakening its war potential. When the situation in South America changes drastically and Britain is unable to intervene or fully cedes its dominance in South America, there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with the Republic of Brazil."

The victories in previous wars had led to a fanatical militancy in the army. After the end of the Paraguayan War, more than half of the main forces of the Brazilian Army were lost, and the navy was completely wiped out. Many generals believed that this was a good opportunity to destroy the Brazilian Republic. Unfortunately, the intervention of Britain and the United States allowed the Brazilian Republic to survive. Therefore, many officers were very angry, thinking that the Americans had stolen part of the results of the Paraguayan War, and they were very unwilling to accept this.

Qiu Mingzhang's behavior may have been an opportunity to vent his anger, but as government officials who often deal with Western countries and technical officials with overseas study experience, Chen Shen and Niu Shangzhou look at the problem more rationally.

The sudden rise of the Han Dynasty aroused the vigilance of interested countries such as Britain, the United States, France, and the Netherlands. They believed that being cautious in sensitive areas was the wise and prudent move to maintain the country's long-term development.

"According to the suggestions of Director Chen and Director Niu, what is the appropriate way to deal with this?" Qiu Mingzhang threw the question to the two of them.

"First, arrest the rioting workers, then interrogate them one by one to find out who is behind the incident."

Chen Shen suggested: "The principle is to limit the impact of the disturbance to a controllable range while ensuring that the demolition and relocation work is completed on schedule."

"Captain Zhou, inform Commander Zheng to follow Chief Chen's advice. All those causing trouble will be detained and interrogated separately."

Qiu Mingzhang ordered.

"General Qiu, can we suspend the demolition of low-tech and low-value-added factory equipment such as water supply plants and flour mills? The workload is huge. There are water and sea routes from the mainland to the Republic of Brazil, as well as railways, which puts a lot of pressure on transportation. If we put the precious transportation capacity into the military industry, shipbuilding, machinery, mining and other industries, the demolition efficiency should be higher."

"Director Niu, the economic added value of primary processing plants such as water supply plants and flour mills is not high, but every little bit counts. The order I received is to demolish all factories and equipment in the occupied areas that are beneficial to the development and construction of the empire. Water supply plants, flour mills, and canning factories are naturally included."

Qiu Mingzhang sneered, "Don't even mention the water supply plant and the flour mill. Even the match factory and every match in it must be moved away. We can't leave a single Chinese Yuan worth of assets to the Brazilians!"

"The problem of insufficient transportation capacity is being coordinated and resolved. Local and some Southeast Asian merchants heard that the Empire was carrying out comprehensive demolition work in the occupied areas of the Republic of Brazil, and they all came over like cats smelling blood. In addition to the core industries or high economic value-added industries such as banks, securities, military factories, shipyards, and mining equipment that the Imperial Government and major state-owned industrial and mining enterprises are interested in, many merchants are willing to invest in flour mills, canning factories, match factories, water supply equipment, and newly launched ships and some unfinished ships."

Chen Shen, who was in charge of the demolition work, had more detailed information, so he explained to Niu Shangzhou: "Your Majesty advocates that all citizens and people of all classes can share the dividends brought by the war. Meritorious soldiers, militiamen, and new immigrants who participated in the war can be rewarded with land, livestock, medals, real estate, honors, etc. Merchants from all over the country and in Songkhla, Lan Fang and other places in Southeast Asia who have obtained national identity certificates can also enjoy the benefits of purchasing various demolition equipment and captured assets at preferential prices.

As for the problem of insufficient transport capacity, the damaged railways on the first line of the Republic of Brazil are being repaired as soon as possible. As for the sea routes, in the next month, more than 30 ocean-going transport ships with a displacement ranging from 2000 to 5000 tons will arrive in the mainland. After placing the immigrants on board on shore, these ships will all be transferred to the first line of the Republic of Brazil.

In addition, local private shipping companies such as South Pacific Yuanyang Shipping Company, Shengchang Shipping Company, and Qinghua Shipping Company, as well as
Shipping companies established by Southeast Asian merchants such as Fachang, Dachang and Shunchang are all cooperating with the needs of the imperial government and drawing ships from Southeast Asia, Congo, the Far East and other regions. It is expected that the tight shipping capacity situation will be significantly improved in late April.

"

"This"

Niu Shangzhou opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by Qiu Mingzhang.

"Director Niu, I understand what you are thinking. Yesterday, several teachers from the Brazilian Republican University brought sixty or seventy students to protest the Empire's forced demolition. You listened to their words and felt sympathy, didn't you?"

Qiu Mingzhang observed Niu Shangzhou's expression and said nonchalantly, "The Baiyi are all of the same character. When they can't beat the empire on the battlefield, they put on a victim's face and try to win sympathy with their poor acting skills. However, isn't natural selection, survival of the fittest, and the law of the jungle their principle of doing things? When they treated the Indians, and when Director Niu was studying in the United States, the discriminatory treatment he suffered was based on this principle. Why, when it comes to themselves, they can't stand it and don't want to pay the price of losing the war? Where in the world can there be such a good thing?
Director Niu, without water plants, flour mills and other basic industrial factories and equipment, the people of the Republic of Brazil will only be uncomfortable for a while, but they will not starve to death. They can learn from the spirit of the early days of the empire and manually process wheat, corn and other foods. Besides, don’t the Americans support the Republic of Brazil? They are rich and powerful, so they can directly ask the Americans for money and equipment. In a few years, they may build a batch of industrial and mining enterprises. "

After hearing what Qiu Mingzhang said, Niu Shangzhou, who was not yet 30 years old, could not find any reason to refute. He smiled bitterly and said, "General Qiu misunderstood. I am not speaking for the Brazilians. I am just considering whether the teachers and students of the Brazilian Republican University will be instigated by the Americans and the Brazilian government to incite the Brazilian people to anti-imperial sentiment. You should know that the organized incitement and destructive power of scholars is much greater than that of ordinary workers. We still need to be cautious."

"Don't worry, Director Niu. I have arranged for people to surround the Brazilian Republican University. It will not affect the progress of the relocation work."

(End of this chapter)