Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 243 The Rhythm of Immigration

"Well, although there are some imperfections, the Batangas Immigration Center has done a solid job. The construction progress and the spirit are very good. This should be maintained. It is worthy of praise."

After an inspection, King Zheng Guohui of Chu gave a very high evaluation, but the details needed to be improved.

The entire Batangas Port is divided into two areas, one is the port area and the other is the immigration center area.

The inspection of this immigration center area took several hours and ended at around 4 pm.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu got on a carriage, and under the escort of the palace guards, the convoy headed towards the city of Batangas.

The city of Batangas is about 29 kilometers away from the port. In the middle of the large area of ​​planned industrial land, many factories and warehouses have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and the construction boom is in full swing.

But there is not enough time, so we can only inspect them one by one in the next few days.

Before dusk

The king drove the convoy into the Batangas Palace. Tired after a day of work, the King of Chu and his entourage went to bed early after dinner.

Batangas, as an industrial center that was built by the Chu State, like Davao Province, built a quiet palace for the royal family, complete with pavilions, towers and pavilions.

The investment in the corresponding palaces was funded by the royal household department, and the construction was arranged by the local prefectures themselves. After the construction was completed, the household department took over the daily maintenance.

Until now
There are only six royal palaces in Zamboanga, Davao, Cebu, Batangas, Quezon and Cavite. Their standards are much higher than those of the royal headquarters, and they are of course more comfortable to live in.

Early the next morning

Deputy Prime Minister Zheng Shouxin of the Chu State from Manila, Minister of Ports and Transportation Father Wehorst, Minister of Industry Zheng Guotai, Minister of Agriculture Zhongqiu and other high-ranking government officials, along with Batangas Prefect Wang Jingzhi, had been waiting in the outer hall of the palace early, as well as accompanying staff He Xian, Zheng Shouxu, Guan Qiren, Dong Baoshan and other officials.

The accompanying staff all belong to the royal attendant room, and the deputy chief of staff is at least a prefectural-level official when he is sent out.

This is the case with Angeles Prefect Wu Qingfeng. He used to be the deputy chief of staff of the Secretariat. After serving with the King of Chu for more than a year, he was sent to take up the actual position of prefect of another place.

If an ordinary staff member is sent out, he will at least be given the role of a county magistrate-in-waiting, and should not be underestimated.

This was the case with the "Eight Vajras" of the King of Chu during his time in Mindanao. This was a mocking name for eight capable officials, most of whom are now county magistrates, and two of them have been promoted to prefects.

"Everyone, attention! His Majesty the King of Chu has arrived. Salute!" The muezzin, who was an officer of the Royal Guard on duty, said loudly.

The officials in the front hall stopped talking, quickly straightened their appearance and clothes, and naturally formed two rows of welcoming teams.

In the State of Chu, civil officials of all ranks, even those as high as the Prime Minister, did not wear official uniforms but casual clothes.

Many officials tacitly wore dark Tang suits. The characteristic of Tang suits is the horizontal rows of buttons, which make them look solemn and have Chinese characteristics, and are therefore widely welcomed by officials.

Only the sound of footsteps was heard, and King Zheng Guohui of Chu strode out from the inner court. His steps were strong and powerful, full of youthful vitality, and he really walked like the wind.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you. Long live our king! Long live our king! Long live our king!"

"No courtesy, stay on your own."

King Zheng Guohui of Chu continued walking, reaching out his hand to support himself, and said with a hearty smile, "Thank you all for the hard work, my ministers. This is my fault, please forgive me."

After he finished speaking, all the ministers and dignitaries bowed respectfully and said "I don't deserve it".

Deputy Prime Minister Zheng Shouxin answered on behalf of the ministers;
"Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler, the likes of which our Divine Land has not seen in a hundred years. You are diligent in government affairs, visiting the people of your hometown and their fields, inquiring about their sufferings and hardships. You should be a role model for rulers. I, your humble servant, sincerely admire you and have no complaints."

"Hehe...you're family, so your say doesn't count." King Zheng Guohui of Chu waved his hand and took the throne at the head. He waved his hand and said, "My ministers have worked hard. Please sit down and talk. Someone, bring some tea."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat and the tea!"

After expressing their gratitude, all the ministers took their seats in order of their positions. Batangas prefect Wang Jingzhi was at the end, almost sitting at the door of the front hall.

The row opposite was filled with the attendant staff, more than twenty people in total.

The newly promoted chief of staff, He Xian, ranked first, indicating that his official rank had surpassed that of a prefect and that he could compete with ministers of various ministries without being inferior in the slightest.

The Secretariat is a miniature version of the cabinet. Each department of the government cabinet has its own dedicated staff to coordinate with it. The staff can also be called royal secretaries and are the people close to the King of Chu.

Therefore, the internal departments were divided into civil affairs secretaries, industrial secretaries, foreign affairs secretaries, agricultural secretaries, commerce and culture secretaries, interior secretaries, etc., each of whom specialized in a certain area of ​​work.

Only by reaching the level of Deputy Chief of Staff can one integrate comprehensive affairs without specializing in any one area.

The words "Thank you all for your hard work, my ministers" said by King Zheng Guohui of Chu came from the day before when he suddenly changed his mind in Dagupan and sailed south to Batangas for an inspection.

This was two days earlier than the original inspection schedule, which resulted in a number of government officials in Manila not having enough time to arrive at the Badayan Wharf to greet him.

After receiving the urgent telegram from Dagupan, the officials hurriedly set out from Manila yesterday morning and rushed to Batangas by carriage overnight, arriving late yesterday night.

Manila is 133 kilometers away from Batangas. If it weren't for the wide and flat trunk road, it would be impossible to reach the destination in one day.

Batangas, the southernmost island, is more than 540 kilometers away from Dagupan in the central Hainan Islands. It can be reached by boat in one day and one night, or by horse carriage for at least four days.

Therefore, the King of Chu's carriage arrived first.

After chatting for a while in the front hall, Lieutenant Colonel Zheng Shan, the deputy commander of the imperial guard, came to the King of Chu and whispered a few words to him. King Zheng Guohui of Chu then laughed heartily and said to everyone;

“As the saying goes; the emperor has no shortage of hungry soldiers.

You are all my ministers, so naturally you need to get along well with each other. I cannot let you accompany me on an inspection tour with an empty stomach.

The restaurant has prepared the imperial meal. There may not be many varieties due to the rush, but the portion is definitely enough.

Let's go, let's have dinner with this king. We can talk about things after we have a full stomach."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the meal. Your Majesty is so considerate. I am deeply grateful."

"Let's go, let's go, let's discuss this after dinner."

After a short delay, it was almost 8 o'clock in the morning. The sun rose high in the sky, casting its bright and sunny rays down.

The palace is filled with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, which is carried by the wind.

Everyone followed the King of Chu to the side hall, where more than a dozen tables of sumptuous imperial meals had been set out. The aroma filled the air, causing the hungry ministers to swallow their saliva.

I arrived very late yesterday. I ate something quickly, washed my feet and face, and went to bed to rest.

They got up early in the morning before dawn and took a carriage to the front hall of the palace to wait. Those who were quick stuffed a few cakes and pastries into their mouths, while those who were slow did not even have the rice or flour stuck to their teeth.

How can you resist this fragrant aroma?

The housekeeper of the Batangas Palace is Zheng Laogui, a servant of Mr. Zheng. He entered the palace when he was in his teens. His original name was Zheng Gui. Later, with the birth of a new generation of Zheng Fu, Zheng Gui and other servants, he was called Zheng Laogui.

The children born in the mansion are all named like "Fugui Ping'an". If there is a duplicate name, the word "Lao" is added to distinguish them.

Having served the master and mistress in the Zheng family for more than thirty years, Zheng Laogu has some good eyesight.

Seeing that the court officials had come early to meet His Majesty, Zheng Laoguai arranged for the chefs to get busy, and as expected, he received a satisfied look from His Majesty the King of Chu.

The King of Chu sat alone at a table in the middle, and the other tables were divided into two rows on the left and right, arranged in a goose shape. In addition to these officials and staff, there were 5 tables filled with guards officers above the rank of squad leader.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu has always been kind to his staff and guards, treating them generously and winning their hearts whenever he has the chance. This has been a powerful arm in helping him control military and political power.

After taking their seats, the ministers and officers expressed their gratitude for the reward. Zheng Guohui did not say much nonsense and waved his hand to let the party begin.

The breakfast has a wide variety of options, including thick rice porridge made from special Northeast rice, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, steamed dumplings, tea eggs, milk, juice, salted shrimps, braised meat, several stir-fried meat and vegetable dishes, seasonal fruits and palace cakes, filling the table.

During the meal, a few hot dishes were served from time to time. They were a combination of meat and vegetables and were considered quite rich.

It can be seen that these ministers and dignitaries were quite hungry, and they ate this meal to their heart's content.

Zheng Shouxin drank four bowls of rice porridge by himself and ate quite a few dishes. He put down his chopsticks, patted his belly, and said with satisfaction, "The imperial meal rewarded by Your Majesty is still delicious. I have finally made back my money today with interest. My stomach is so full."

Zheng Guohui wiped his mouth with a hot towel. After putting the hot towel down, he took a sip of the freshly brewed hot tea and replied with a smile;

"Since Lord Zheng says so, then you can come to my palace for a few days to eat. It's a good opportunity to have someone to talk to, and I won't be lonely."

"This humble official was just joking. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"No need for that. It's settled." King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not bother to exchange pleasantries with him. After making the final decision, he stood up and walked out of the hall.

Most of the other ministers had finished eating, wiped their mouths, and hurried to the front hall to discuss matters.

The gathering of so many ministers and dignitaries this time is certainly not just to inspect the Batangas Heavy Industrial Zone. These important officials will then follow His Majesty to the Shangri-La Islands (Note: New Guinea Island) for inspection and to discuss the next immigration plan.

Prime Minister Li Hezhang needs to stay in Manila and cannot leave for a month or two, so he will have to miss this important inspection activity.

What we need to discuss is this inspection matter.

As early as January and February at the beginning of the year, nearly 1 people, specifically more than 2 people, migrated to Shangri-La and remote coastal islands.

Among them, about 118000 people were resettled in the Shangri-La Islands. More than six months have passed since this happened, and the effectiveness of the early immigration resettlement needs to be tested.

The Shangri-La Islands will be the key immigration area in the next stage.

It, the Hainan Islands and the Cebu Islands are the three major immigration focus areas, and will take turns to import Chinese immigrants.

For example, the Hainan Islands and the Cebu Islands have been experiencing immigration for five consecutive months since March, with the monthly immigration volume exceeding 3, and they need a certain breathing space.

The Shangri-La Islands have assumed such a role and will accept a concentrated arrival of Chinese immigrants in two months this year, perhaps September and October, or November and December, with an estimated number of 9.

The two-month break will allow the Hainan Islands and Cebu Islands to catch their breath, digest the results of the early hundreds of thousands of immigrants, further consolidate the foundation and build new villages and towns, and stabilize the situation.

Such alternating immigration is more ideal in terms of rhythm.

(End of this chapter)