Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 552 Australia, primarily an agricultural and pastoral society

Minister of Colonial Affairs Lee King-hoi accompanied His Majesty on a southern inspection tour, with Australia as the main destination. This was his first time setting foot on the South Pacific continent, and he felt it was essential to gain a deeper understanding of it.

Australia, Java, and Sumatra are the three regions that the Colonial Department will focus on in the future.

Australia was also built to imperial standards, but there were bound to be trade-offs in the selection of construction projects, regional positioning, and regional development goals, and the differences between them were enormous.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty defined Australia as "an agricultural and pastoral base supporting the seven islands of the mainland, one of the maritime transportation hubs, and the strategic rear area of ​​the empire."

Such a strategic positioning

There was no requirement to develop industry and commerce, and it was considered a relatively low-level region in the local development plans.

In contrast, the strategic positioning of the Hainan Islands is to "build a core area of ​​the empire surrounding the Greater Manila region, the political, financial, cultural and industrial center of the Great Chu Empire, and a world-class metropolitan area."

The difference in quality is immediately apparent when comparing the two.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire's southern tour fleet arrived in Darwin on September 3, 1902, officially commencing his first inspection tour of Australia.

More than 30 years later
Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu once again set foot on this vast Australian continent. The last time, he led the Australian expeditionary force in a large-scale invasion. This time, he fulfilled his long-cherished wish to inspect the territory belonging to the empire.

The emotions within are completely different.

After inspecting coastal cities such as Darwin and Cairns, the Emperor and his entourage arrived at the Port of Brisbane on September 13.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire was deeply impressed by this city.

Thirty-six years ago, he was stationed here for more than two months, leading his cavalry deep into the interior of Australia on several occasions to plunder and wipe out white Australian towns and ranches one by one, launching a bloody and frenzied revenge.

This scene remains a haunting nightmare for white Australians, decades later.

Even within the white community in Australia, people privately referred to Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire as a "terrifying tyrant from hell."

In their eyes, it was an unprecedented catastrophe, powerful enough to stop a child from crying at night.

The perception within the Australian Chinese community is quite different.

This was considered a historic campaign by the wise and mighty King of Chu, leading a large army against the traditional white world, and an undeniable and great victory.

This is also a victory of Eastern civilization over Western civilization, shattering the invincible filter deliberately created by Westerners. It is an important milestone in rebuilding the self-confidence of the Chinese nation, and its significance is extraordinary.

Different perspectives arise from different viewpoints.

At the Brisbane State Palace
His Majesty the Emperor of Great Chu and his entourage of high-ranking officials received Queensland Premier John C. Wynn and other dignitaries, as well as white community leader Sir Murtock and other political figures, in a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.

Sir Murtock, representing the white community, presented a meticulously crafted saddle and leather goods as a sign of respect for His Majesty's presence.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu nodded with a warm expression and said, "Very good."

He doesn't care what the gift is; the thought itself is enough. The key is the integration of the white and Chinese communities, their peaceful and equal coexistence, and the comprehensive promotion of Chinese language education.

As part of the Great Chu Empire, Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Australia and the language of instruction in all primary, secondary, and tertiary schools. This fact remains unchanged.

Fortunately, after more than 30 years of gradual change, people in Queensland, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia, where Chinese people make up the majority of society, have become accustomed to using Mandarin in their daily lives.

Even blond-haired, blue-eyed white people can speak fluent Jianghuai Mandarin. They are accustomed to drinking milk and eating fried dough sticks or steamed buns in the morning, and spreading cheese on sesame flatbread.

Attending morning mass at church and then spending leisure time drinking tea and listening to opera has long been a widely accepted lifestyle in white Australian society, and people enjoy it immensely.

Originating from Chinese civilization and customs, these traditions have subtly permeated the Australian landscape, transforming the original lifestyle of white Australians beyond recognition.

European whites found it strange, and the Chinese of the Great Chu also disagreed.

After formally submitting to the Great Chu Empire, in accordance with the "Australia Transitional Treaty," the British administrative system continued to be implemented during the transition period, but the laws and regulations of the Great Chu Empire were enforced.

What excited white Australians the most was that they could have multiple wives in the Great Chu Empire, with no upper limit.

The prerequisite is that one must renounce their Christian faith.

Under the strong influence of Eastern culture, many white people did indeed abandon their Christian faith and convert to Taoism, Buddhism, or other religions, and took concubines or mistresses.

This is in the former Five States Alliance region where the Chinese population is dominant. Intermarriage between whites and Chinese is common, and the process of ethnic integration is very encouraging.

In the southern state of Victoria, the situation is much more dire.

At the symposium where he met with democratic figures from all walks of life, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty did not say anything substantive. Instead, he spoke with a friendly expression and listened to the wishes and demands of the representatives.

In such a noisy setting, it's not appropriate to discuss serious topics.

After being incorporated into the territory of the Great Chu Empire

The government dispatched a large number of officials to Australia, who took over important duties in each state, and the expeditionary force stationed there was responsible for maintaining order.

Overall, the transition has been relatively smooth.

The government strengthened local police forces and established mounted police units in various states to focus on combating roving bandits, robbing fugitives and cowboys with blood on their hands, regulating urban gangs and criminal organizations, and improving local security.

Significant results have been achieved in this period of time, which is why it has been widely praised.

Since the Great Chu royal family has spent a huge sum to compensate Britain, then the vast lands of Australia belong to the imperial family; therefore, land transactions are temporarily frozen. At this current stage...

All farm and ranch owners and urban property holders are undergoing a re-examination and registration process, and standardized land ownership certificates for the Great Chu Empire are being issued. The entire transition period will last for three years.

Within three years

All land and property titles must be re-established; this is a concrete measure to protect the property interests of Australian residents.

Whether white or Chinese, they are treated equally.

During the three-year transition period, the land can be rented but not sold.

In major Australian cities
The city management authorities will periodically release a batch of land for market auction, and the relevant companies that win the bid must develop it within one year.

Once the main building reaches the topping-out stage and a pre-sale permit is obtained, the residential and commercial properties can be sold to consumers, and business tax and consumption tax can be paid in accordance with regulations.

This portion of urban land auctions are not subject to restrictions.

Compared to the bustling scenes of Chinese capital flocking to Java and Sumatra, the coastal cities of Australia pale in comparison.

There's a reason why Europeans call Australia "the end of the world."

Even for the seven core islands of the Great Chu Empire in the South Seas, Australia's geographical location is too remote, making it very difficult to visit even once in a while.

The sea voyage from Manila to Brisbane is over 6300 kilometers long, and if you go further south to Melbourne, the distance exceeds 7700 kilometers, which is really too far.

The journey from Manila to Jakarta (Note: formerly Batavia, which is now Jakarta) is only 1520 kilometers, and the distance to Surabaya is only about 1260 kilometers, which is a two-day and two-night voyage.

The distances from Manila to Bandar Seri Begawan, to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, and to Pontianak, the capital of Lanfang, are all less than 1,000 kilometers, mostly between 550 and 900 kilometers, making travel between the two sides very convenient.

The vast distance and the desolate landscape deter many Chinese immigrants, and investors are also much more cautious.

Australia in this era

Not only were they considered remote country folk by Europeans, but they were also considered remote country folk by the Great Chu Empire, with almost no special products other than gold and wool.

The arrival of a large number of Chinese immigrants in Australia has brought new changes to this vast continent.

On Chinese farms, vast fields of corn, wheat, alfalfa, sugar beets, and potatoes are the main local crops, meeting Australia's food supply needs.

it's here

Corn is mainly used for making alcohol and animal feed, while alfalfa, sugar beets, and potatoes are also mainly used for animal feed.

The beet pulp left after oil extraction, when mixed with alfalfa and corn, makes excellent livestock feed that cattle and sheep love to eat.

Ultimately, the economic pillar here is still animal husbandry; it's a place that produces a lot of wool and high-quality milk powder.

Today, the Great Chu Empire is widely promoting breastfeeding and formula feeding, which has greatly reduced the infant mortality rate and provided children with sufficient nutrition during their early years.

Families with insufficient breast milk know they need to buy several cans of formula for their babies.

Instead of the traditional approach of cooking thin porridge for the child, which is certainly not nutritious enough, a child with a weak constitution is more prone to illness, and the mortality rate is naturally much higher.

Of the wealthy Chinese businessmen who come to Australia to start businesses, 7 out of 10 start ranches, 2 invest in milk powder factories, and 1 invest in gold mines. That's roughly the ratio.

Of these three
Investing in gold mines has the highest barrier to entry; without millions in capital, you can forget about it.

The Great Chu Empire was rich in copper, iron, coal, zinc, and lead mineral resources. Even though they knew that Australia had abundant coal and iron resources, no one was interested, let alone went there to invest in mining them.

The main reason is that it's too remote, and the sea freight alone is much higher, making it too low in cost-effectiveness.

Compared with more than 30 years ago
Brisbane has expanded considerably, with its population growing from over 200,000 to nearly 400,000, which appears to be a good development on the surface.

In essence, it has reached the limit of agricultural and pastoral urban development.

To achieve further growth would be extremely difficult.

Melbourne, Australia's largest city in the south, had a population of over 400,000 36 years ago, but today the city's population is only a little over 570,000, and urban growth has long since hit a bottleneck.

Melbourne is a city that developed rapidly because of gold mining, and its population size is about reaching its limit.

Without the support of emerging industries and other favorable sectors, there will not be much improvement even in another twenty or thirty years.

Fortunately, the pace of life here is slow, the scenery is magnificent and beautiful, and the income of urban and rural residents is relatively high, making it a livable place.

After investigating the local economy

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty realized that although Australia was vast, it was not suitable for too many people to migrate and settle there. It was enough to maintain the existing pace of development.

This place is far from the economic centers of Europe and Asia, and its inherent geographical disadvantages make it unsuitable for developing light and heavy industries and commerce, which would significantly increase costs.

In addition, the local market is small, how can a big dragon be nurtured in a shallow pond?

(End of this chapter)