Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 499 North Railway South Water
“After British diplomatic mediation, the two countries agreed to use Karbala, 166 kilometers northwest of the Great Bay City, as the demarcation line in the armed conflict between Chu and France.

This led to a latitude line running across the east and west. South of the latitude line was the Chu colonial area, and north of the latitude line was the French colonial area, and the two sides broke off contact.

We accepted the French apology, returned 61 injured people, and received 50 silver dollars in moral compensation from the French.

Both sides pledged to exercise restraint and do their utmost to avoid similar border conflicts and disputes from escalating to the level of using force, and to jointly maintain stability in the West African region..."

Li Jingxi clearly reported the results of diplomatic mediation on the conflict on the northern border of the Congo River. This was a bilateral agreement reached in London and had been approved by the royal government.

He had worked diligently in the Congo River colony for ten years and was very familiar with the situation in Africa.

Therefore, all matters related to the Congo River Company, the East African Company and the Madagascar colony in the Royal Secretariat were handled and reported by Li Jingxi, and then passed down to the Colonial Ministry and the Governor's Offices in accordance with the emperor's will.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu sat on the Nine Dragons Throne, occasionally picking up the teacup to take a sip, without interrupting the whole time.

Li Jingxi had a keen eye. When he was reporting from a nearby location, he noticed that there was not much water left in the teacup.

He quickly picked up the thermos and refilled it, then continued his report.

This attentiveness was noticed by King Zheng Guohui of Chu.

There was no expression on his face, but a slight glint of appreciation flashed in his eyes. He felt that the ten years of grassroots training had not been in vain, as the eldest son of the Marquis's family had learned this kind of insight.

The officials that King Zheng Guohui of Chu wanted were not the kind of noble people who were high and mighty, detached from the mundane world, and who would occasionally exclaim, "Why don't you eat meat porridge?"

The officials he wants must be rooted in the grassroots, have rich and detailed grassroots work experience, understand the customs and folkways of villages, towns and even county governments, and absorb enough rich nutrition to grow into towering trees.

If you want to reach a high position, you must broaden your international perspective, have a strategic vision that takes a global view, know how to advance and retreat, and balance the pros and cons, so that you can accomplish great things.

A lot can be seen from the details.

This Li Jingxi is quite good. He does not have the arrogance of a rich and powerful child at all. He has his own opinions on both domestic and foreign affairs, which is very rare.

Although he is a little immature, he is only 31 years old after all, so he can hone his skills.

"Well, Karbala is the dividing line..." King Zheng Guohui of Chu tapped the chair handle lightly with his slender fingers and said after pondering.

Li Jingxi was well prepared. He quickly took out a map of the Congo River and unfolded it. He stepped forward and pointed to the northwest of Great Bay City and explained:
"I have the audacity to inform Your Majesty that Karbala is an abandoned Portuguese settlement on the Atlantic coast, with two or three black indigenous tribes surrounding it.

French colonists once stayed here briefly, and some Chinese ranchers in the north of Dahaiwan City also drove cattle and sheep here to graze, and the grass and water were quite abundant and lush.

The original border treaty with Portugal
The description of the northern border is more vague, roughly about 20 kilometers north of Grand Bay City, but there is no clear statement.

It just says that the boundary is the Megiddo Mountains, which is a sloping mountain range along the Atlantic Ocean, extending from the city of the Great Bay (note: Douala) to the northwest and as far as Karbala.

It is based on this

We strongly demand that the northern border line be pushed northward by more than 100 kilometers using Karbala as the boundary. The parallel latitude drawn from this can expand the area of ​​the colony by 170,000 square kilometers, which is indeed extremely beneficial.

The French presence in the region is not strong. Only some military adventure teams have arrived and stayed for short periods of three to five months, which did not meet the requirements for effective occupation.

Based on the detailed information provided by us, London's diplomatic mediation tended to conclude that we had effective occupation rights in the region, and the French side eventually acquiesced.

This is a great victory in the field of diplomacy, and I congratulate Your Majesty."

Karbala is located at the mouth of the Central African Gulf, with dozens of rivers flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. It is indeed a place with abundant water and grass.

Karbala is close to the British colonial zone of Nigeria. France originally had a narrow coastline here, but now it is cut off by the Chu colony, which means that French Central Africa has no access to the sea.

It is not surprising that the French side would make concessions. This conflict itself was an armed conflict deliberately provoked by the French side to vent their anger, but they ended up hitting a wall.

The State of Chu did not tolerate the French's bad habits and gradually gathered thousands of cavalry on the northern border.

The situation seemed to be that fighting would start at the slightest disagreement. France's colonial power in the region was extremely weak and it was completely unable to withstand a war of confrontation between the great powers.

The core areas of French Algeria are all in the northern region along the Mediterranean coast, where there is a large population, dense towns, and a large number of French immigrants who live and multiply.

Karbala, where France and the State of Chu had a fierce dispute, is located on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, the world's largest desert. It is separated from the key areas of France's West African colonies by a vast desert, which is really out of reach.

The total area of ​​the entire French Northwest Africa colony is about 3 million square kilometers. It is the largest colony of France and covers almost 5/ of the area of ​​the Sahara Desert.

Although the area is large, there is not much usable space.

The most important area is the continuous oasis belt along the northern edge of the Sahara Desert, that is, the Mediterranean coast, which is the core area of ​​the French West African colonies.

The Paris government had never taken Karbala seriously, and since it was in the wrong, it finally chose to give in under the tough attitude of the Chu diplomatic representatives.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu nodded slightly in appreciation and said, "This new Foreign Minister is a good choice. He is indeed very capable and has secured a great deal of benefits for the kingdom at the negotiation table. This is truly rare."

The new Foreign Minister he mentioned was Pan Yuchen, formerly Director of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also a member of the Chu King's entourage on his visits to Europe. He had served as ambassador to Spain and the United Kingdom, spoke four languages, and was particularly skilled in European affairs.

There have been significant changes in Wu Qingfeng's new cabinet. Former Foreign Minister Zheng Xin has been transferred to become the Governor-General of Malaya. He is quite old and it is time for him to retire after serving one term.

Zheng Yulan, the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, was promoted to the first Attorney General of the Kingdom, which can be regarded as reaching the level of a ministerial official, but it was a bit unconventional.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu originally wanted to appoint the former Secretary-General Li Jinghui as Minister of Foreign Affairs, but during the trip to Europe, Pan Yuchen performed extremely well on the international diplomatic stage and caught his eye.

Therefore, the positions of cabinet ministers were slightly adjusted, and Li Jinghui was transferred to the position of Minister of Colonies, which was an important position of no less weight and could be ranked among the top three in the Chu cabinet.

Now it seems that the decision to make the best use of people is extremely appropriate.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was also quite pleased with himself, and the atmosphere in the hall became cheerful.

Li Jingxi made a timely suggestion, bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise and wise. It is a blessing for our Great Chu Kingdom. I congratulate you!"

"Hahaha... You all work diligently, and I will spare no effort in cultivating you. Only when we, the ruler and our subjects, work together, can we achieve prosperity and prosperity."

"I have learned your lesson and will repay your kindness with all my heart and soul."

"Well, is there anything else?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, I have two or three things to report." Li Jingxi bowed again and said.

Seeing His Majesty take two more sips of water, and figuring the teacup was almost empty, Li Jingxi beckoned to the attendant standing at the door, "Come here! Please make fresh tea for His Majesty and bring some delicious snacks."

"Yes, my lord."

The palace attendant waiting at the door responded immediately, and soon two palace maids came in with freshly brewed teacups, replaced the used ones, and brought four exquisite snacks.

This is the thoughtfulness. If you drink too much tea, it would be best to wash it down with some delicious snacks.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu flipped through the memorial on the imperial desk as if he was undecided, but in fact, in his heart, his evaluation of him had slightly increased.

Li Jingxi continued his report on two or three matters concerning the African colonies, the last of which was a report from Governor Zheng Shouxu, who had just taken office the previous year. He proposed a three-year plan to build a high-standard east-west highway from Grand Bay City, traversing the entire Congo River colony. This highway would be called the "Northern Highway."

This highway runs from west to east to the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, and its terminus is the border of German East Africa (note: Tanzania). In the future, it will be connected with the trunk road built in German East Africa to form an east-west trunk road across the entire African continent.

This move was of great significance, as it aimed to strengthen the resettlement process of residents along the northern border, consolidate border defense, deepen colonization, extend Chu's colonial development into the inland hinterland, and eliminate remote and outlying tribes that had not yet been conquered.

On the basis of completing the "Northern Highway", a northern railway with stronger transportation capacity will be built in the future to solve the biggest problem of inland transportation difficulties in the colony and improve the colonial structure of the northern region.

After all, the Congo River Basin is a super-large colonial area with an area of ​​350 million square kilometers, almost the same size as British India, and has superior geographical and natural conditions, making it worthy of in-depth colonial development.

Governor Zheng Shouxu was a typical administrative official. His appointment to this important position represented a change in the Chu State's colonial policy towards the Congo River Basin.

As the original military suppression, encirclement, conquest and extensive colonial development shifted to the main road of colonial construction and development, it was no longer appropriate for military officials to continue to serve as the highest governors of the colonies.

Professional matters should be done by professionals. It is such a simple truth.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu took the thick feasibility report and began to read it while listening to the report.

In order to deepen the colonization process in the Congo River Basin, the Governor-General's Office, based on local natural conditions, proposed to build the main transportation channel with "railway in the north and water in the south".

The so-called "North Railway and South Water" refers to the final northern railway built in the northern part of the colony, which runs eastward from the city of Grand Bay to the town of Moonlight Lake (Note: Kalemie) on the side of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. This is a Chinese settlement on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Lake Tanganyika is the sixth largest lake in the world and the second largest deep-water lake in the world, with a total area of ​​about 3.2 square kilometers and a winding coastline of more than 1900 kilometers.

This is the boundary lake between the Chu-controlled Congo River Colony and the German-controlled Tanzania Colony, with each owning half. Similar to Lake Malawi in the south, both are boundary lakes located in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa.

Lake Tanganyika is a typical freshwater lake with amazing freshwater reserves. More than a dozen rivers flow into the lakeshore. The lake is lush with vegetation and has a beautiful environment. It is a rare good place to develop agriculture and fisheries.

The Congo River Governor's Office took a fancy to this place. Coincidentally, the current immigration boom was booming and more land was needed to accommodate the continuous influx of Chinese immigrants. The construction of the northern highway was timely.

The Governor-General's Office planned to invest 1400 million silver dollars to build more than 30 quarries, 4 cement plants, more than ten wood processing plants and numerous rice mills, oil presses, agricultural tool factories, etc. along the way, with basic light industrial capabilities.

based on this
No fewer than 40 towns and thousands of villages will be established along the Northern Highway, creating a capacity to accommodate approximately 60 to 70 Chinese immigrants.

The Northern Highway is about 2480 kilometers long and has ample room for maneuver. Its geographical scope covers large forests, mountains, Gobi, semi-arid grasslands and river plains suitable for farming. The terrain along the route is quite complex.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu could not help but stand up and walked to the large world map in the side hall. He stared at the northern area from the Great Bay City to the Moonlight Lake Town (Note: Kalemie) and began to calculate seriously.

Li Jingxi followed His Majesty. He saw that the newly established Moonlight Lake Town (Note: Kalemie) was not marked on the large map, so he stepped forward, pointed to the location with his hand and said softly:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my intrusion.
The Moonlight Lake Town is located about 6.5 kilometers north of Lake Tanganyika. It is one of a series of lakes in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. The lake covers an area of ​​about 1355 square kilometers, all of which are within our territory.

I will work with the artist to mark the direction of the northern highway tonight. Your Majesty, please forgive me."

"Well, this planned construction is very necessary." King Zheng Guohui of Chu looked at the geographical location marked on the map, pointed with satisfaction, and said:
“The Northern Highway was built with good intentions. It is located north of the Congo River and runs across the entire colonial zone from west to east.

According to the planned route
The entire Congo River basin is shaped like the Chinese character "几". This northern highway adds a horizontal line to the top of the "几" character, turning it into the shape of the character "康".

The only shortcoming is that it lacks the above point, which makes it a bit incomplete."

King Zheng Guohui of Chu thought for a moment and then pointed his finger at the middle of the proposed northern highway, which was exactly where Bangui was located in later generations.

This was the capital of the Central African Republic in later generations. It was located on the west bank of the Ubangi River and is now just a wasteland.

Li Jingxi took a step forward solemnly, used the ink pen in his hand to make a small mark at the place where the King of Chu had tapped, and then quietly retreated to a place closer to the side.

In the future, we will follow your instructions and focus on the construction here.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu ordered:
"This word 'Kang' has a very good meaning. It symbolizes the Congo River Governor's Office's 'vigorous progress' and its goal of creating another glorious colonial cause. Good, very good...

Such a long northern border highway must have a core town, and with this in mind, the plan will be more complete."

"I, your humble servant, would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me a name." Li Jingxi spoke without losing the opportunity.

Those in power all like to write a word or give a name. The most famous one is Emperor Qianlong. This is an elegant act and it is in line with the king's wishes, killing two birds with one stone.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu nodded slightly and blurted out, "Since it implies prosperity and development, let's call it 'Daxing'."

"I obey your order and name this city "Daxing". On behalf of the thousands of subjects of the Congo River Company, I respectfully thank Your Majesty for the name." Li Jingxi bowed with both hands.

"Daxingfu" got its name from this, and more than ten years later it developed into an important railway hub in the north, but that is another story.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was so happy that he waved his hand and announced that the capital construction investment of 1400 million silver dollars for the construction of the Northern Highway would be funded by % each from the Royal Government Finance and the Royal Household Department, and the remaining % would be raised by the Congo River Company.

The kingdom's finances basically did not require the Congo River Company to pay taxes, which were generally left in the form of refunds for colonial construction rather than excessive exploitation.

The same was true for the royal family of Chu. All land transaction transfer fees within the territory of Chu, except for the government's deduction of taxes and fees, should belong to the Royal Household Department.

This was a significant source of income, reaching hundreds of millions of silver dollars annually. The Congo River Company alone brought in an average of 20 to 30 million silver dollars annually.

In order to vigorously support the Congo River Company, the funds submitted to the Royal Household Department were transferred to a special bank account for the royal family's reinvestment in the colonies.

This large amount of silver dollars remained in the colony and was the main source of funds to support the Congo River Company's infrastructure construction, especially roads, bridges, docks, reservoirs and urban construction, which played a huge role in promoting it.

The so-called "railway in the north and water in the south" means that the north is mainly semi-arid and plateau areas, which are suitable for the construction of large road and rail transportation channels, and there are fewer rivers passing through.

Even so, the Northern Highway requires the construction of as many as 251 bridges. Bridges need to be built along the seasonal rivers and large riverbanks along the route, so the investment is so large.

In the south of the Congo River basin, there is an extremely developed water system and more than a dozen major tributaries of the Congo River. There are hundreds of rivers of various sizes, which are spread across the south like the blood vessels of a lush tree.

In view of this
Governor Zheng Shouxu proposed a plan to vigorously build inland ports and develop inland shipping. He planned to build dozens of inland ports and develop more inland shipyards.

Transporting resources and food from the southern inland hinterland by water transport is the true meaning of "North Railway and South Water".

I have to say that this development plan is quite interesting and indeed meets the current needs of large-scale development in the Congo River Basin.

Resettling more than 40 Chinese immigrants every year is an extremely arduous task. The issues involved are numerous and complex, and it is difficult to accomplish overnight.

Through the large-scale construction of highway trunk lines in the north and the orderly layout of inland river terminals in the south, the huge task of colonial resettlement was simplified and cut into small pieces to be taken one bite at a time. This was indeed a comprehensive plan.

Every time an inland river port is built, a new riverside town will develop. Following the new riverside town, further development and expansion can be carried out to develop a rural area.

Such a town can accommodate 20,000 to 30,000 or even more immigrants.

With the addition of dozens of inland ports, the capacity to accommodate immigrants will continue to rise, which is a good way to colonize and develop deep into the inland hinterland.

The same was true in the north. With the advancement of highway construction, towns and villages along the route were built one after another, which could absorb a large number of Chinese immigrants and promote the in-depth construction of the colony.

With persistent development, the future of the Congo River Basin will be full of hope.

(End of this chapter)