Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 461: The Development of Seven Star City on the Atlantic Ocean
At the beginning of January 1884
The royal family of Chu gave birth to the 28th prince of King Chu, the eldest sister of the three Mei sisters in the palace in Bandar Seri Begawan, Mei Jianchun, and he was a healthy and fat baby.

The good news came that the royal family had another addition to its family. This was a sign of prosperity, needless to say.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was delighted and issued an edict to confer the title of Mei Fei on her, granting her the treatment of a high-ranking official of the governor-general level. In the northern court, this was a second-rank title, but the Chu Kingdom used a different name.

As we enter January, the 1884 Lunar New Year, a festival that is important to the Chinese people, is getting closer.

Thousands of miles away in the territory of the Congo River Company
Dongsang City (Kakamoeka)
Li Jingxi, deputy governor of the Congo River Company, led an inspection team back to the old place. Compared with nine years ago, Li Jingxi has transformed from a passionate young man to a well-mannered middle-aged man. He has grown two mustaches between his lips, making him look more calm and steady.

He was the earliest deputy colonial commissioner of Dongsang City (note: acting commissioner), leading the construction of this city on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. He worked hard here for more than four years and was full of affection for this emerging city.

Today, Dongsang City is one of the seven star towns along the Atlantic coast of West Africa and is known as the "Seven Star Cities of Congo".

Dongsang City ranks second in size, with a city population of 7.92 people. More than 20 Chinese immigrants have been resettled in the surrounding towns and villages.

The densely populated Chinese towns in the coastal areas stretch southward for more than 310 kilometers, reaching Cabinda, the largest city at the mouth of the Congo River.

There are many Chinese estates and ranches here, with thousands of rubber plantations and oil palm plantations of all sizes, as well as many Chinese ranches and farms, forming the most densely populated Chinese community on the Atlantic coast.

Rubber and oil palm are both perennial cash crops that are well adapted to the tropical geographical climate of the Congo River Basin in West Africa. They can be planted once and generate continuous returns for decades.

The older the rubber trees and oil palm trees are, the higher their yield and the better their quality. Annual harvest only requires tapping the rubber or picking the oil palm fruits, which does not require complicated field management or too much manpower.

Everyone knows about natural rubber trees, so I won’t go into details here.

The perennial oil palm tree mainly bears fruit, and the fruit it produces is called palm fruit. The palm fruits produced every year can be used to extract oil, and the palm fruits can be used to produce palm oil, and the kernels can be used to produce palm kernel oil, which is a higher-grade oil.

In Europe

In particular, residents of countries along the Mediterranean coast widely consume palm oil and are very dependent on this oil in their diet. They regard it as the first choice for making food and it is widely loved.

Soybean oil is completely incomparable and is a last resort.

As European powers entered the industrial age one after another, living standards improved rapidly, populations grew rapidly, and society's demand for palm oil and natural rubber also soared, and international market prices continued to rise.

This is the market logic behind Congo River Company's focus on developing natural rubber and oil palm. Coupled with the local geographical climate and precipitation, which are very suitable for the growth of these tropical perennial economic plants, related industries have flourished.

Today, Congo River Company's natural rubber and palm oil exports occupy an increasingly larger share of the European market and are in short supply.

This in turn has prompted the Congo River Company to comprehensively expand its planting area and increase production, creating a two-way beneficial promotion and showing a very good export momentum.

In addition to natural rubber and oil palm, the Congo River Company also grows large quantities of sugarcane, rice, soybeans, wheat and various fruits and vegetables, making full use of the Chinese people's advantage in farming.

The output of these crops is primarily used to supply local needs, and the surplus is exported to nearby southern Africa, where many high-quality agricultural products are very popular.

In addition to these, the Congo River Company's pastoral development has also been smooth, especially in the Grand Bay City and Yellowstone City, which are located in a semi-arid area with vast land and sparse population, and have good conditions for developing animal husbandry.

The oil and sugar pressing waste residues from Cabinda, Dongsang, Binhai and other cities are processed into the best livestock concentrates and are transported to Dahaiwan City and Huangshi City in whole ships.

Here they are transferred into inland rivers and transported to remote ranches by inland vessels. These high-quality and low-cost concentrated feeds are very popular and are the best feed for fattening livestock.

Today
The export of natural rubber and palm oil remains the top two bulk export products of the Congo River Company. With production and benefits growing rapidly year after year, they are the economic pillars supporting the entire colony.

Local rubber factories and oil mills have sprung up, with several or even dozens of them in each city. Most of them are the local economic pillars and support a large number of jobs.

In Dongsang City, the Congo River Company's first cotton textile factory, first weaving factory, first linen spinning factory and first garment factory were developed, forming an industrial cluster of light industry.

Today, it has grown to a considerable scale.

The light textile industry alone has employed more than 7000 people, which has established Dongsang City's position as a standout among the "Seven Star Cities".

And all this

These were all important industries developed by Li Jingxi when he was in charge of the colonial affairs of Dongsang City. He was also promoted to Colonial Commissioner, Deputy Senior Colonial Commissioner, Senior Colonial Commissioner, and finally to the current position of Deputy Governor.

When Li Jingxi was working in the Colonial Office, he was a section-level clerk. After signing up to work for the Congo River Company, he was promoted one level on the spot, equivalent to a deputy section-level clerk (Note: Deputy Colonial Commissioner).

This was an incentive measure taken by the Chu State officialdom to provide officials with posts in remote frontier areas. No matter who signed up to go, they would be promoted one level on the spot and their salary would increase accordingly.

During his tenure in Dongsang City
Li Jingxi, with the rank of Deputy Colonial Commissioner (Note: Deputy Section Chief), acted as the Colonial Commissioner (Note: Full Section Chief). This was only possible in a newly opened colony, where such a good development opportunity could be found.

After achieving outstanding results, Li Jingyi was successively promoted to Deputy Senior Colonial Commissioner (Note: Deputy Division Level), Senior Colonial Commissioner (Note: Division Level), and finally to the high position of Deputy Governor (Note: Deputy Department Level).

He has been promoted rapidly and has a bright future.

The main street of Dongsang City is called Manila Road. It is a wide gravel road with lush green belts and various flowers blooming in the middle of the road.

Tall trees along the roadside provide continuous green shade, and on both sides of the road are typical Chinese-style Han and Tang Dynasty buildings ranging from two to three or five stories, with numerous halls and pavilions, and flying eaves and brackets.

Most of the shops along the street are two-story, with the lower floor open for business and the upper floor used for accommodation or warehouses. There is also a yard at the back with varying numbers of auxiliary buildings.

Occasionally, there are some tall buildings ranging from 3 to 5 stories, mostly businesses, factories, enterprises or municipal buildings. A wide variety of Chinese plaques are hung along the street, making you feel as if you are in a town near Metro Manila.

This city embodies Li Jingxi's deep longing for his hometown.

The longer time goes by, the stronger this longing becomes, just like a strong old wine that never dissipates and becomes more fresh with time.

"Congratulations, sir. You will soon be leaving the Congo River Company and heading to Europe to take up your post. Serving His Majesty, your future is limitless!"

"We sincerely wish you a bright future, and that you will rise above the crowd and soar into the heavens."

Walking on the street, the accompanying officials kept giving him warm congratulations. Li Jingxi's face showed no emotion and he replied calmly, "Thank you very much" and "Thank you for your kind words." There was no trace of annoyance on his face.

These nine years of grassroots experience have become a valuable asset for him, making him increasingly mature and wise. Li Jingxi has indeed received a transfer order from his home country and will depart for Europe in February to attend Cambridge University in the UK for short-term further studies, majoring in European history and politics.

When His Majesty visited Europe in June, I joined the accompanying delegation as deputy envoy in charge of itinerary and translation affairs, accompanying His Majesty the King of Chu on visits to European countries, further broadening my horizons.

This is an extremely rare opportunity. If he were not the son of three former prime ministers, how could he have the honor of being named by His Majesty the King of Chu?

There were many senior colonial commissioners working diligently in the Congo River Company, so why was it Li Jingxi?
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as fairness in this world. Li Jingxi was born in the prestigious Marquis of Cavite Mansion and has been known to His Majesty the King of Chu since he was a child. This is an advantage that others can never achieve.

Li Jingxi knew that few of these congratulations were sincere, and most of them were probably out of jealousy.

So I don’t show my dislike on my face and treat it with a calm and normal attitude.

All the way

Dongsang City is obviously much more prosperous than it was a few years ago. There are many shops along the streets, and many industrial products from Europe can be found here. The wide variety of products has formed an increasingly prosperous market.

Not everyone can buy the things in these stores.

Only people with Chinese faces had the right to buy goods freely. Anyone with dark skin who entered the store would be repeatedly questioned whether they were free black people and whether they had their ID with them.

These free blacks were vassal troops of the Congo River Company. They were the only ones allowed to marry and have children, and to purchase non-sensitive goods. Guns, ammunition and machines were definitely not allowed, even if they had money.

These free blacks were considered residents with limited rights, but were not counted in the urban population and had no right to purchase farmland, plantations, and ranches. They could only survive by relying on the Chinese colonists.

But compared to the tens of millions of black slaves enslaved on Chinese plantations, ranches and estates, these free blacks were definitely of a higher status, and a sense of happiness naturally arose.

The Congo River Company colonized the country for nine years, and the indigenous black population in its 230 square kilometers of territory is now around million, half the number nine years ago.

Among them, about 240 million were trafficked to North Africa, Brazil, Cuba and the southern United States, which brought huge profits to the Congo River Company and helped it overcome the difficult period of initial colonial construction.

Today, the slave trade has been greatly reduced. Only in the tropical jungle deep in the Congo River basin are there a few indigenous black tribes who have not been enslaved and live a relatively primitive life in the forest.

Millions of local indigenous blacks died from tribal conflicts, starvation and natural causes. Due to sanitary conditions and environmental limitations, the average life expectancy of indigenous blacks in this era was 33 years.

For the black slaves on those plantations and farms, the local Chinese plantation owners basically did not allow male and female slaves to live together, or to get married and have children. Instead, they were managed separately, which was a mandatory rule.

Once a black child or newborn is found, these Chinese plantation owners or farmers will be fined heavily, and may even lose their entire fortunes. No one dares to touch this high-voltage line.

In recent years

Nearly one million black slaves die of natural causes every year. If this trend continues, in a dozen years at most, it will be almost impossible to find indigenous blacks to supplement the labor force in the entire Congo River basin.

But that's not a big problem.

Agricultural machinery and cars are now increasingly common in Congo and in the company's cities and villages, and are spreading rapidly.

In particular, hand tractors that can be used for both transportation and field work have been widely welcomed by Chinese plantation owners and farms, and people are increasingly enthusiastic about purchasing them with loans.

There is no way around it. There are fewer and fewer black slaves, but work on the plantation still needs to be done, and agricultural machinery is a good alternative.

These Chinese plantation owners and farmers also have their own way of dealing with the problem, which is to marry more wives, have more children, and then hire more people when there is a shortage of manpower.

The mercenaries of the East African Company and the Arab human traffickers trafficked a large number of Armenian women, Caucasian women and Arab tribal women. They were all in high demand in the Congo River Company and were worth thousands of silver dollars.

The price of Chinese women who could marry here was even higher, because the Chu State had a strict order that Chinese women were not allowed to be trafficked. Trafficking was a serious crime, and not only would the fine lead to bankruptcy, but the offender would also be beheaded or forced to do hard labor.

Therefore, most of the Chinese women who arrived at the Congo River Company became housewives in Chinese plantations in the name of dowry and enjoyed a very high status.

By the end of 1883
The total number of Chinese immigrant families in the Congo River Company is less than one million, approximately between 93 and 94 households. It has already reached a certain scale and entered a rapid development track.

Nowadays, which Chinese immigrant family doesn’t have several children?

Some have two or three children, some have four or five, and some have six or seven. They are just younger. They have to turn seven years old and start school and get registered before they can be included in the statistics.

The achievement of these little achievements is inseparable from the nine years of hard work and colonization by the Congo River Company, which has made considerable contributions.

Li Jingxi was one of the thousands of colonial officials of the Congo River Company. He devoted nine years of his youth and used his loyalty and infinite love to create a new situation in this vast colony.

As he left, he felt a strong sense of accomplishment in his heart.

When I first came

There is almost nothing in Dongsang City except one or two hundred dilapidated earthen houses and an earthen wall.

Today, in addition to the resource industry, Dongsang City has formed a light textile industry of a certain scale. In addition, there are rice mills, cement factories, farm tool factories, wire mesh factories, match factories, sawmills, furniture and door and window factories and other small and medium-sized industrial enterprises to supplement the local industry.

The entire city is at the initial stage of rapid development, and the future will surely be brighter.

Cabinda, the largest city on the Atlantic coast, is the first major city with a population exceeding 12.17. The total population reaches . In addition to basic industries such as rubber factories, oil mills, rice mills, flour mills, cement factories, and agricultural tool factories, it also has three shipyards that can build some small and medium-sized cargo ships, passenger ships and fishing boats.

All the steel and equipment used were imported from the UK.

According to the principles of Chu's foreign trade imports, any industrial products such as machinery, equipment and steel that can be imported from the UK will never be imported from other countries. This is also to balance the trade surplus in crude oil.

At least the British appreciated this foreign trade principle and gave it high praise, believing that it was the most authentic portrayal of the close relationship between Britain and Chu, reflecting the high level of state exchanges between the two sides and a model of successful free trade.

For a country like Britain that focuses on practical interests, talking is useless and real money is more effective than anything else.

(End of this chapter)