Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 246 New Xi'an

September 8th, 2025

New Xi'an Prefecture (Note: formerly Jayapura area)

Coming here, one will have the illusion that he or she has come to a coastal city in the Chinese mainland, especially the corridor-style urban buildings, which are very similar to Xiamen.

The flying brackets of Ming and Qing dynasty-style houses can be seen in every street and alley, and the mixed accents of the north and south are very similar to those in Chaoshan or Jiangnan cities.

The entire Shangri-La Archipelago (Note: formerly the New Guinea Archipelago) is vast in area. On this second largest island in the world, there are only two immigrant cities, one in the east and one in the west.

The immigrant city in the northeast of the island is located in Port Moresby, now called "East Port".

The immigrant city in the southwest of the island is located in the Jayapura area and is now called "New Xi'an".

The straight-line distance between "Xinxi Prefecture" and "Donggang Prefecture" is about 2070 kilometers. If the coastal route is used, the flight distance between the two places will reach more than 2700 kilometers.

It is closer from Manila to Xinxi'an than from Xinxi'an to Donggang.

The entire Shangri-La Archipelago is like a flat and irregular lady's hat worn on the head of the Australian continent to the south. The two sides face each other across the Torres Strait, which is 150 kilometers at its narrowest point.

It is very convenient to travel to Australia from Donggang in the eastern part of the Shangri-La Islands, especially to cities around Cape York in the northeast of the Australian mainland, such as Darwin, which is only a few hundred kilometers away and can be reached in one day.

Even Sydney in central Australia only takes three to four days of sea voyage.

After King Zheng Guohui of Chu led a entourage of dignitaries to arrive in Xinxi'an, he first went into the headquarters to rest and relieve the fatigue of the long sea journey, and was not in a hurry to start the inspection activities.

In just over a year
New Xi'an has developed from a gathering place of indigenous tribes with nothing and a fishing port village with only dozens of white people to a large town with a population of over 1.3. The changes are earth-shaking.

Around New Xi'an

More than a hundred Chinese villages and towns emerged, many of which were new fields opened up by burning wasteland and planted with large areas of rice, a food crop that had never been seen in the local area.

Originally on Shangri-La Island, this area was a relatively mature area where the indigenous population gathered, but the local indigenous people had no farming customs. They only planted sweet potatoes and other bulbous plants, and ate fruits such as bananas on a daily basis.

There are no so-called farmland irrigation projects. All the planting is done randomly, and the harvest depends on the weather.

Since January

After the arrival of a large number of Chinese immigrants, they implemented restrictive management on tens of thousands of local indigenous people, reclaiming wasteland, expanding fields and roads, building bridges and docks, digging urban drainage ditches, paving urban roads, and so on.

It is only after a lot of hard work that we have achieved the relatively good situation today.

The Chinese immigrants who landed on the island have already harvested one season of rice and are now planting autumn rice, which is expected to be harvested at the end of October, more than two months away.

There were about 6.9 Chinese immigrants settled in Xinxi'an Prefecture, slightly more than those settled in Donggang, where there were about 5.4 Chinese immigrants.

According to the immigration policy of the Chu government

Including Shangri-La Island, Solomon Island, Guam, Saipan and other remote Pacific islands, none of them develop industry and are mainly based on agriculture and planting.

The purpose of doing this comes from the "strong trunk and weak branches" policy set by King Zheng Guohui of Chu.

The policy clearly defines the Hainan Islands as the main body, that is, most light and heavy industries are distributed in the Hainan Islands, and strives to make the economic prosperity and urban and industrial and agricultural development levels higher than those of the border islands within the kingdom's territory with the Hainan Islands as the main body.

Only in this way can the centrifugal force that gets out of control be avoided.

This policy is also implemented in the Shangri-La Islands region.

In the vicinity of the new Xi'an city, there are no other industrial elements except for the necessary enterprises such as rice mills, oil presses, sawmills, brick kilns, and wood drying kilns.

All needles and thread, daily necessities, farm tools, canned fruits, cloth, clothing, etc. are all transported from the Hainan Islands and sold in local daily necessities stores.

Even a box of matches has to be imported from outside.

Walking on the streets of New Xi'an, you will find it is a quiet, peaceful and beautiful coastal city with large green belts and parks. The houses are mainly 1-2 storey wooden buildings, and most of the villages are wooden bungalows.

Standing on a city street

On the distant horizon, you can see the endless rolling mountains, stretching into the distance. It's a vast and magnificent scene like an independent continent.

The mountains are so high, the plains are so vast, and the rushing rivers are so broad and majestic. Everything gives people a sense of novelty.

Shangri-La Island is known as the "Water Tower of Oceania". Unlike the arid and vast Australian continent to the south, Shangri-La Island is located within the equator and 12 degrees longitude and latitude, and has a typical tropical monsoon climate.

Xinxi'an and Donggang are located in the east and west of the island, respectively. Both are situated on the fertile alluvial plains of the river, with ample sunshine and annual precipitation between 1000 and 1200 mm.

This rainfall level is equivalent to that in the Jiangnan region.

The temperature difference between the two areas is very small, with the lowest temperature being 3 or 4 degrees and the highest being or degrees. The average annual temperature difference is only to degrees, which is very suitable for crop growth.

Since Shangri-La Island is the second largest island in the world and is as vast as a continent, it has different geographical climates.

The snow-capped mountains that run across the entire island like a giant dragon have an average altitude of more than 3200 meters. Above the snow line of meters, ice and snow accumulate all year round, forming a continuous snow-capped mountain range of more than kilometers long, which is magnificent.

In the plateau area with an altitude of about 2 meters, the temperature is around zero degrees Celsius all year round. It is home to large areas of boreal deciduous forests and has been uninhabited since ancient times.

The continuous and tall snow-capped mountains are like a huge screen more than 2000 kilometers long, blocking the warm monsoon cyclones from the South Pacific, thus forming a large-scale geographical landscape of concentrated rainfall on the southern slope of the mountains.

The annual rainfall on the southern slope of this mountain range is between 2000 and 6000 mm, and in extreme areas it can exceed 7000 mm. It can be said that the mountain is shrouded in rain, large or small, all year round.

This area
This has formed several world-class rivers with vast water volumes, whose waters flow into the Pacific Ocean all year round. The largest, the Fly River, is 1290 kilometers long and has a drainage area of ​​7.6 square kilometers.

The Fly River is the longest island river in the world, with an annual runoff of more than 6000 billion cubic meters, which is two-thirds of the annual runoff of the Yangtze River.

On the southern slope of the Snow Mountain Range, there are at least four world-class rivers whose annual water flow into the sea reaches hundreds of billions of cubic meters.

Together, these great rivers have created vast alluvial plains on the southern slopes of the Snow Mountains, home to dense tropical jungles, abundant rainfall, and abundant sunlight.

Such geography and climate make it truly worthy of being called the "Water Tower of Oceania." Some kind-hearted Australians once envisioned building an underwater tunnel through the narrowest part of the strait, crossing the 150-kilometer-long channel and bringing the abundant fresh water from the island to the arid Australian mainland.

Not to mention the trillions of cubic meters of fresh water that flow into the South Pacific every year, even if one or two percent were diverted, that would be 200 billion cubic meters of fresh water, enough to solve Australia's thirst one by one. That's just nonsense.

Donggang City is located on the alluvial plain on the southern slope of the Central Mountain Range, in the bay headland at the northeast end of the island.

Such geographical conditions are most suitable for developing sugarcane plantations and the sugar industry. White sugar is a world-class bulk trade and has bright development prospects.

On the northern slope of the Snow Mountain Range, due to the blocking of the warm South Pacific clouds, the rainfall on the northern slope is significantly less than that on the southern slope, mostly between 1000 and 2500 mm per year, which is suitable for the development of agricultural production.

New Xi'an is located on the northern slope, at its northwestern end.

The morning after arrival
Xi'an prefect Hou Jiayu presided over a simple yet solemn welcoming ceremony. In front of King Zheng Guohui of Chu, prefect Hou Jiayu clasped his hands together with his knuckles facing upwards, and led a group of officials in bowing deeply to the ground with solemn expressions. This was the highest etiquette for meeting the king.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu accepted the greeting. He looked at the dark-faced prefect Hou Jiayu, and then at the new Xi'an Prefecture, which was now prosperous and sizable, and he knew how much hard work and sleepless nights he had put in.

"My dear Lord Hou, please don't be so polite. You have worked hard over the past year, and I have seen it all." Zheng Guohui said gently.

This sentence
This instantly touched the soft spot in the hearts of the prefect Hou Jiayu and the officials behind him. Their eyes immediately turned red and big tears silently rolled down their faces.

The prefect, Hou Jiayu, said with a choked voice, "Your Majesty, I couldn't help myself and lost my composure in front of you. Please forgive me."

"My dear ministers, what crime have you committed? You are all heroes who helped our Chu expand its territory and establish its empire. From now on, the city of New Xi'an will forever remember the hardships you have endured in pioneering this city. This is an indelible historical monument, worthy of being remembered by future generations."

This evaluation by King Zheng Guohui of Chu was too high. The important ministers behind him were horrified and looked at each other, revealing their complicated mentality.

Your Majesty is right. As long as the city of New Xi'an exists, future generations will never forget the original founders, nor can they erase their outstanding historical achievements.

If there is a chance in the future

It would be a good idea to recommend yourself and settle down somewhere to develop the land and build a city from scratch. Wouldn't that leave your name in history?
Life is only a few decades long, and to have this achievement is enough to comfort my life.

When King Zheng Guohui of Chu said this, the prefect Hou Jiayu and others were also shocked. The sourness just now instantly turned into sweetness, and they were simply overwhelmed by great happiness.

Your Majesty's words are like a stamp of official approval, and no one can overturn them unless Your Majesty changes his words.

Excited

New Xi'an Prefect Hou Jiayu led the crowd in another deep bow, expressing immense gratitude. "Your Majesty, your highness is such a humble honor that we are truly humbled. We are willing to stay on the sea for another ten years, transforming this barren land into a maritime Jiangnan, a land where rice grows abundantly, and contribute our humble part to expanding the world for our Chinese people."

"Okay, with such a solid intention, why worry about not accomplishing great things? Hahaha...Okay, let's do it this way." King Zheng Guohui of Chu laughed.

He habitually gave his officials some chicken soup, but he didn't expect the gains would be equally huge.

Hou Jiayu, the new prefect of Xi'an, was originally an aide to the King of Chu. He was a man of few words but diligent and hardworking, and was chosen to be sent here to develop and colonize.

He was promoted to the position of prefect not long ago.

According to the government's rotation regulations, I have to serve here for at least one more term, which is five years, before being transferred to another position.

If they are given important positions, they will be transferred to more important cities, such as Cebu and Davao, or to various government departments to accumulate experience for working in central agencies, which is called "Mokan".

After the simple and solemn ceremony, a group of government officials boarded their carriages and began their inspection of the new Xi'an Prefecture, which was also a review of the local officials' phased reclamation work.

New Xi'an Prefecture is located in a huge bay. There is a vast river on the outskirts of the city that flows into the bay. It is called the Qingshui River. When passing through New Xi'an Prefecture, the river is more than 300 meters wide where it flows into the bay.

New Xi'an Prefecture is located on the west side of Yudai River. The terrain here is high, with an average altitude of about 68 meters. It has large tracts of flat and fertile land, making it relatively easy to cultivate.

After leaving the city, a group of more than 30 carriages headed straight south along the Qingshui River. Along the way, they could see many tall windmills, which pumped river water up under the push of the water flow and into the irrigation canals.

There are vast stretches of flat rice fields, as well as man-made irrigation ditches, villages nestled in the fields, herds of buffaloes bathing and leisurely grazing by the river, and Chinese farmers working with hoes, all of which come together to form a tranquil rural poem.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu looked outside the carriage. He had no intention of entering the village for the time being. He wanted to go deep into the most remote villages first.

Years of inspecting the customs of various places have given King Zheng Guohui of Chu a pair of discerning eyes, allowing him to discover many things from the ordinary.

For example, do the clothes of local Chinese immigrants have few patches, do they have rosy and strong complexions, do they walk with their heads down and cowering, or do they hold their heads high and hold their chests out, showing confidence and strength?

What are the village buildings like and what are the roads like?
Do the villagers have many chickens at home? Do they have large livestock such as pigs, sheep, donkeys and cows?
When you see important people inspecting, is there a glimmer of hope for the future in their eyes?

Only these ordinary details can convey accurate information and reflect the real living standards of local people.

The carriage galloped southward, passing through one forest after another from time to time. The vast alluvial plains around Xinxi'an are the most suitable areas for agricultural development.

The rainfall here is equivalent to that in the south of the Yangtze River, with sufficient sunshine. The average annual temperature fluctuates only between three and four degrees, with a minimum of 23 degrees and a maximum of 27 degrees. This temperature remains the same all year round.

The only difference is the rainy season and the dry season.

The plain near Xinxi'an covers an area of ​​more than 3.3 square kilometers. It belongs to the western northern slope plain of the Central Mountain Range (note: the Snow Mountain Range). It has many gentle hills, large areas of tropical swamp mangroves, and dozens of rivers of various sizes.

This vast area alone is enough to accommodate millions of Chinese immigrants.

What has been developed now is only a tiny bit, but it already shows the abundance of a land of fish and rice. It is indeed a good place.

In comparison

The rainfall on the southern slope of the Snow Mountain Range is concentrated in the tropical rainforest area, which is not suitable for humans to set foot in. The annual rainfall is over 4,000 mm, and in extreme areas it exceeds 7,000 mm, which is equivalent to raining every day.

The areas suitable for Chinese development and cultivation are alluvial plains with annual rainfall of less than 3,000 mm. They require open terrain and flat topography, and they need to choose the best of the best.

Local prefectures have established meteorological observatories that collect rainfall, strong winds and other meteorological information on a daily basis to assess the natural conditions of areas to be developed.

With such a large area, we can pick and choose areas that are easy to develop.

Even with vigorous colonization and reclamation, through decades of effort and the immigration of millions of people, it would be good if 5-6% of this vast island could be developed.

(End of this chapter)