Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 202 Reclamation and Construction

Time flies and a week passed quickly.

The Guam Battalion settled down in the port of Agana, and assigned a young indigenous woman to each of the more than 400 soldiers. The surrounding cultivated land, totaling more than 1.3 acres, was also allocated to the officers and soldiers of the Guam Battalion.

On average, each officer and soldier received more than 30 mu of land.

According to the colonial preferential policies promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the regulations on military merit rewards issued by the Ministry of Military Affairs;
Officers and soldiers who carry out foreign development and reclamation tasks will be rewarded with a minimum of 10 mu of meritorious land.

That is to say, as long as you participate in the foreign development and reclamation mission, you will be rewarded with 10 mu of meritorious land at the beginning, and the tax on the meritorious land will be % and %.

Pay 30% of the harvest and keep 70% of the harvest.

Specifically for this expedition to Guam, if the mission is successfully completed, each officer and soldier can get an additional two acres of meritorious land.

Officers and soldiers who performed outstandingly in the battle against the Spanish defenders received various rewards.

Taken together
Ordinary soldiers could obtain 30 or mu of meritorious land, those with outstanding performance could obtain or mu, and the highest could obtain nearly mu.

The minimum land area for a grassroots second lieutenant officer is 300 mu, the minimum land area for a company commander is mu, and the minimum land area for a battalion commander is more than mu of meritorious land.

With so much land, it is impossible for a family of two or three people to cultivate it.

But don't worry, this is the benefit of foreign colonization. You can enslave local indigenous men and make them help cultivate the land. As long as they don't starve to death, it's fine.

The Guam Battalion is stationed in Agana, which has the best port conditions. The land is also scattered in several surrounding villages, making it relatively easy to manage, and it can gather quickly upon receiving the order.

The more than 500 Chinese militiamen who were arranged to settle down in Guam were assigned to villages that were relatively far away, most of which were relatively remote gathering places of the former indigenous tribes.

Each Chinese militiaman was also rewarded with an indigenous woman. The meritorious land also started at 10 mu, but the average was only 13 mu, much less than that of the soldiers.

But it is enough to support a family of five or six people, at least to have enough food and clothing.

If you participate in land reclamation and obtain land, you can be exempted from taxes for 3 to 5 years, which is used to encourage Chinese farmers' enthusiasm for land reclamation.

There is plenty of land on Guam anyway, so just go ahead and cultivate it.

Since this time
Brick kilns, sawmills, oil presses, blacksmith shops, and lime kilns were opened one after another on Guam. Some tofu shops and rice mills were also built, presenting a thriving scene.

In addition to farming, you can also earn extra income.

Port of Agana
Major General Pan Tianshou led more than 280 officers and soldiers of the Saipan Battalion (note: one company was missing), and more than 400 militiamen boarded the large sailing ship "Zhenhai" and prepared to go to Saipan Island 190 kilometers away to start a new journey of conquest.

Three sailing cargo ships led by the large sailing ship "Zhenjiang" formed another long-distance sailing formation, carrying more than 140 officers and soldiers, more than militiamen, about indigenous women and a large amount of supplies, and were about to set sail for Wake Island and Midway Island.

The entire expeditionary task force was divided into two, heading towards colonial targets in different directions.

The large fleet of sailboats gathered in Agana went their separate ways and soon disappeared at the end of the sea.

The port of Agana also became deserted. Under the supervision of more than 100 officers and soldiers with live ammunition, thousands of natives began to build the dock and started heavy labor.

They brought sand and gravel to level the original earthen dock, and brought large stones to build the embankment.

The shells are collected and burned, then crushed into powder and mixed with lime, glutinous rice paste and thatch to make a traditional cement mortar for filling the joints, thus forming a solid concrete stone dam.

The terminal pier will also be expanded, with new piers 2 and 3 built to enhance the cargo handling capacity of the Port of Agana.

After the port terminal project is completed, a number of indigenous convicts will be mobilized to build a small fortress on a hill about ten kilometers away from the port to enhance the defense capabilities of the garrison.

This small fortress is not a coastal defense fortress, but a fortress defending Guam. It poses a threat to any invading enemy, and it is not easy to take it down.

Other indigenous convicts, under the supervision of Chinese soldiers and militia, were expanding roads and rebuilding bridges on the island, concentrating their efforts on building irrigation ditches, turning over the soil and leveling the farmland in preparation for planting grain, oil crops and vegetables.

Guam has a total area of ​​549 square kilometers, which is larger than the Zhoushan Islands. If millions of people live there in the future, there will be no pressure at all.

On overseas islands like Guam, a complete military control system is implemented. The local garrison commander is the highest commander and is responsible for handling all military and political matters.

Tan Wen was a section chief under the Colonial Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was mainly responsible for civil affairs on the island and promoting the reclamation process.

His experience working on the island and the evaluations he received will serve as a resume for other important positions in the future, enriching his work experience.

In terms of authority, they still have to obey the commander of the island.

The difference from the Hainan Islands can be seen in the issue of using indigenous convicts.

In the various prefectures of the Hainan Islands, the indigenous convicts were uniformly under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom's General Department of Corrections, which dispatched relevant officials to be responsible for the supervision and punishment of the indigenous convicts in mines, roads, and urban construction in various places.

On a remote island like Guam, the Correctional Service is out of reach, and the military control structure is relatively simple, with the island commander being responsible for its mobilization and use.

During the busy farming season, convicts could be mobilized to participate in the rush to harvest and plant crops, and to plow and harrow the land in various towns.

During the slack season, the army would focus on promoting large projects such as the construction of colonial public facilities, ports, towns and fortress defenses, which were much more flexible to use.

Guam originally had more than 37 local indigenous people, half of whom were men and half were women, mostly young and middle-aged. The average life expectancy of the local indigenous people was years.

After the expeditionary force of the Great Chu Kingdom arrived, they eliminated the original Spanish white colonists, but their methods of using the indigenous people of the Pacific islands became even more brutal.

More than a thousand indigenous women from Guam followed another expeditionary task force to Wake Island and Midway Island, and would never return in their lifetime.

Another 1,300 to 1,400 young women of childbearing age were divided up by the soldiers and militia stationed on the island.

Many soldiers could get an extra native woman by paying a certain price, such as transferring meritorious land and money.

The rest of the people will not suffer any loss either, as the benefits will be shared equally.

All local indigenous men were drafted into hard labor camps, totaling about 10 people, divided into camps, with more than people in each camp.

It is guarded and used by the militia of each village, and according to the instructions of the commander stationed on the island, roads, irrigation ditches, bridges, roads, docks and small forts are built.

The dock was being built by four indigenous labor camps, with more than 4 laborers working together, and the construction progress was quite fast.

In less than a week, a stone slope protection dam over 240 meters long was built, a No. 50 wooden pier over 3700 meters long extending into the sea was built, and a dock area of ​​over square meters was leveled with sand and gravel and repeatedly compacted for use.

And elsewhere
A highway along the coastal plains and low-lying areas gradually took shape. A large number of forest trees were cut down and bridges were built along the river banks.

On Guam, the main material used for bridge construction is logs. A dozen or so logs of similar thickness are selected, branches are removed, and the logs are cut to the required length. They are then arranged in parallel and placed on both sides of the river bank.

The width of the bridge is uniformly 3.8 meters, and it can only be more, not less. The bottom of the bridge is supported by several square timbers for some reinforcement.

The bridge deck is covered with traditional cement mixed with a large amount of thatch and smoothed with crushed stones. The method is simple and easy.

Even if it is damaged, it won't take much effort to rebuild it.

Many convicts were assigned to cut wood in the forest, transport the logs to the sawmill, and use steam sawing machines to gather them into boards and squares of various specifications, which were then placed in a cool place for future use.

The housing construction on the island is very backward, and most of them are thatched earth houses of the indigenous people. All villages and towns need to rebuild their houses, and the demand for wood is very high.

It won't take long

The entire Guam will present a new look, new scenes and new changes, which is also a microcosm of the earth-shaking changes taking place in the Hainan Islands.

Next morning
The large sailing ship "Zhenhai" was parked in the bay of Saipan, using small sampans to transport people ashore one by one. The place was so simple that there was not even a dock.

from beginning to end
Major General Pan Tianshou didn't even see a white person, and the local natives all hid themselves. This self-deception made him feel both amused and helpless.

Each small sampan can carry more than 20 officers and soldiers in one trip. Several small sampans work together to transport personnel and supplies. It takes less than half a day to basically transport them ashore.

Major General Pan Tianshou found a shady place, and the orderly set up a small table and stools, made a pot of tea, and let the general rest here.

Captain Wu Zuoxian, commander of the Saipan Battalion, assigned tasks and arranged two infantry companies, each leading more than a hundred militiamen, to search in two directions.

If you encounter any indigenous people or white colonists, escort them back immediately.

The remaining soldiers occupied the small indigenous village where they landed. Only some indigenous children and old people were left in the village; the others had all run away.

Fortunately, they found some cassava, dozens of chickens and two goats, which were just enough to change the taste of the landing soldiers.

The chickens cannot be killed and must be kept for breeding, so they are placed together with the poultry and livestock brought.

After the two goats were captured, they were killed directly with the permission of Major General Pan Tianshou to provide nutrition for the officers and soldiers. Soon the camp was filled with the lingering aroma of rich meat.

In the late afternoon
Five or six hundred natives, both men and women, and a few white people were escorted back one after another, which was considered today's harvest.

The task force commander, Major General Robert, did not go ashore directly. His captain's room was much more comfortable than the house on the island, so there was no need to go back and forth.

It took two days to move all the supplies on the cargo ship ashore.

When Major General Pan Tianshou left, he gave Captain Wu Zuoxian a death order;

I'll give you four months to build a decent port, one that at least a thousand-ton sailing ship can dock at and load and unload cargo.

After giving the order, Major General Pan Tianshou boarded the ship and left.

This small island with simple conditions is much worse than Guam, and he can't stay here for a moment longer.

Although Saipan is smaller, it still covers an area of ​​more than 160 square kilometers. Lush tropical forests are everywhere, and the island has clear rivers and gurgling streams.

If it were developed casually, it wouldn't be so primitive.

After two days of hard work, Captain Wu Zuoxian and his men had recruited more than 1470 indigenous people, including more than 500 young indigenous women, which was enough for them to share the profits.

The remaining 900-odd indigenous men were organized into three labor camps and began to build a dock in this harbor with the best conditions.

The first thing was to cut down the forest, set up the steam engine equipment that had been transported, and make clay molds to prepare for brick firing. Everything was commanded and dispatched personally by Captain Wu Zuoxian.

The Chinese simply looked down upon the farm work done by these indigenous people, and many militiamen began to do it themselves, leveling the land in preparation for farming.

These Pacific islands have plenty of sunshine and rainfall.

After the seeds were sown, tender sprouts popped up within three days, which made people happy.

These Chinese militiamen all came from peasant backgrounds and were all good at farming.

Seeing the scorching sun on the island, they took the cut branches and built low shrub sheds in the fields to block the sun.

After proper watering, the growth becomes more and more gratifying.

After Captain Wu Zuoxian saw it, he had a rough idea in his mind.

It would only take four or five months for the first crops planted by the soldiers to be harvested, and Saipan would be self-sufficient in food and fuel.

The grain crops grown are wheat, soybeans and rice, the oil crops grown are rapeseed, and some peanut and sweet potato seeds are brought from the Hainan Islands.

Rapeseed flowers are good things. Their seeds contain about 40% oil, which is edible, and their tender stems, leaves and peduncles are used as vegetables.

If the seeds are used medicinally, they can promote blood circulation, disperse stagnation and reduce swelling. The leaves can be mashed and applied externally, which is very effective for carbuncles.

The roots of rapeseed flowers can be used for medicinal purposes. Boiling them in water and drinking it has the effects of cooling blood, dispersing blood, detoxifying and reducing swelling. It can also be used to treat bloody dysentery, erysipelas, heat-toxic sores, mastitis, rubella, vomiting blood and other symptoms. This is recorded in "Newly Revised Materia Medica" and "Rihuazi".

For Chinese officers and soldiers stationed in overseas archipelagos, it is a must to bring rapeseed seeds, which are very useful.

When the fleet left, the small sampans used to transport supplies were also left behind.

This small sampan has a sail that can be used to go out to sea and fish with the help of wind.

Critical moment
You can also use a small sampan to go to Guam to report the news, but this is only a risky method that must be taken as a last resort, and try not to use it if possible.

In this vast Pacific Ocean, if you cannot accurately find the location of Guam and rashly sail into the depths of the vast ocean, you will definitely die.

When fishing normally, one only goes within the sight of the island and never dares to go far.

On Saipan
The officers and soldiers stationed on the island and the indigenous convicts they forced to work on it launched a construction boom. After sowing the seeds, they concentrated all their efforts on building the port pier.

These two islands have good natural conditions and are large enough. After the arrival of Chinese immigrants, the work of reclaiming land and building guideposts proceeded in an orderly manner.

The primary goal is to achieve self-sufficiency.

on the basis of

Producing more food and vegetables to supply transoceanic fleets on long voyages is a good idea.

(End of this chapter)