Chapter 45 Ron Roda
Ron Roda is a small stronghold of the current East African colony. About 60 kilometers in a straight line to the south is the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. 30 kilometers to the east is the Sultan of Zanzibar. country’s sphere of influence.
September 13, 1866.
The geographical survey team of the East African colonies inspected this place and determined that it was suitable for human habitation.
On October 7, the first batch of immigrants arrived in Ronroda. So far, the entire population of Ronroda is more than 600.
Ronroda is the capital of the Lower Marina area planned by Ernst. The entire Lower Marina area covers an area of nearly 80,000 square kilometers.
On the 80,000 square kilometers of land, there are only more than 600 Chinese immigrants in Ronroda and a small number of Germans.
Ronroda is nearly 400 kilometers away from the First Town, separated by the Central Coastal District, and the Solon Lake District, the farthest administrative district from the First Town. The distance from its capital Kigoma to the First Town is about is 1000 kilometers.
So even if the indigenous people are included, the entire East African colony seems vast and sparsely populated. There is still a long way to go to develop the East African colonies.
Ron Roda, as the capital of the Lower Binhai District, currently only has the name of the capital, and its size is only equivalent to a village in the Upper Binhai District.
The more remote Lake District of East Malawi is even more difficult to explain. The exploration work has only been completed currently, and the immigrants assigned by the first town are still on their way to Songea.
The situation in the Central Binhai District is relatively better because it is closer to the Upper Binhai District. At present, the number of immigrants has reached more than 1,000 people.
The top administrator of Ronroda is a German named Thomas, who was a member of the original mercenary group in the East African colonies.
His deputy is Li Wenhua, a student who graduated from the Heixingen Military Academy. Basically, the Germans in the East African colonies have joined the army. The second-tier Chinese constables also graduated from the Heixingen Military Academy. selected among students.
So it can be said that the entire East African colony is currently a military government, and all immigrants act and produce and live in accordance with military-style plans and instructions.
Fortunately, the governance method adopted in the colonies was collective management, and the immigrants were relatively honest and obeyed orders, unlike the people in Europe who had a sense of resistance.
If these immigrants are really given the right to live freely like other countries, then these colonial officials with military backgrounds must be caught blind. After all, they are not the kind of professional bureaucrats with administrative experience.
Collective management is just like what they do in the army. They just complete the orders of the commander step by step. Before the East African colonies are fully developed, they only need to develop according to Ernst's instructions. That would be great. .
As a graduate of the Hechingen Military Academy, Li Wenhua’s loyalty to Ernst cannot be overemphasized. Compared with his days in the Qing Dynasty, studying at the Hechingen Military Academy reshaped Li Wenhua. Students’ perspectives.
In the brainwashing and spoon-feeding education, the students at the Hechingen Military Academy subconsciously understood that Ernst had pulled them out of dire straits, and the only way to repay the principal was to work hard.
Li Wenhua also came to the East African colonies with this mood. At the colonial meeting on the issue of developing new regional land, Li Wenhua was selected as the second-in-command of the Lower Binhai District.
At present, the East African colonies are basically managed by two groups: the Germans and the students of the Hechingen Military Academy.
Among them, the students of the Hechingen Military Academy played a bridge role and were an important part of promulgating colonial policies to immigrants.
They are responsible for important tasks such as preaching policies, educating the people, and managing military affairs.
All official documents in the colonies had to be in German, so those colonial policies had to be translated to the immigrants by them.
At the same time, as the East African colonies carried out Germanization, these immigrants had to be re-educated. However, it was very difficult for these old farmers who were illiterate and had never read a book to learn.
So the colonies could only provide them with simple German education. They first learned 800 important German words and learned two or three every day. If immigrants want to thoroughly learn German, they can only start from childhood, starting from the next generation. At that time, the East African colonies will move compulsory education into the colonies.
And all this requires preparation time. Ernst is training a group of future colonial teachers at the Hechingen Military Academy. After they complete their studies, they will start education in the colony. This is a century-old plan.
The students this time are mainly composed of orphans from the German area. They study in the classroom with the Chinese students. In the future, they will go to the East African colonies with these Chinese students to establish their own schools in the East African colonies.
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The geographical location of Ronroda is relatively advantageous, so there are three indigenous tribes distributed within a few miles to the west.
These indigenous tribes are still relatively large, so they need colonial security forces to be dispatched to clean them up. Among the immigrants sent to Ronroda this time, there are 200 security forces.
After distributing guns and ammunition, Thomas and Li Wenhua began to lead the team. The name of the first tribe eliminated by the security forces of Ronroda Colony was Qigugu.
The security force, which consisted of only a few hundred people and equipped with horses, dispersed the natives with a single charge. After burning the tribal houses made of thatch and branches, the colonial security force set off for the next destination. .
The second and third indigenous tribes are located to the north of the Chigugu tribe. Among them, the Muweina tribe has the largest number of people, while the Lindi tribe has the most dangerous terrain.
The method of solving the Muweina tribe is similar to that of Qigugu, which means it takes a little more time, but the Lindi tribe is really difficult to fight.
The cavalry has no effect and can only use more ammunition to consume the enemy. Fortunately, the doors and fences of the Lindi tribe are made of wood.
Colonial vigilantes used rockets soaked in vegetable grease to set fire to the Lindi tribe's wall, and finally, in the scorched earth, vigilante soldiers charged and defeated the last indigenous tribe near Ronroda.
The remnants of the three indigenous tribes could only flee westward, and there was a safer area near Ronroda.
After clearing away the wild animals near Ron Roda Colony, the colonial security forces met with the immigrants and began the vigilance work of Ron Roda.
The initially established Ron Roda is a small village with civil structures. It is relatively close to the sphere of influence of the Portuguese and Arabs, so the construction has added defense functions.
Watch towers, trenches, defensive fences and suspension bridges all give immigrants here a sense of solidity and security.
Ron Roda is also located in the coastal plain of Africa, so rice is mainly grown here, but the choice of cash crop is tobacco.
Tobacco cultivation can provide raw materials for the Hechingen Tobacco Company. In the past, the Hechingen Tobacco Company mainly imported them from merchants from the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the Netherlands, and then processed and sold them.
Therefore, the cost is still relatively high, and East Africa is more suitable for tobacco growth and has a large land area. As long as it is developed, it will be enough to supply the needs of the entire Hessingen Tobacco Company.
Ron Roda is the first step in experimental tobacco cultivation. If this planting is successful, it will be promoted to the entire Lower Binhai District in the future.
The Central Binhai District, like the Upper Binhai District, still mainly grows sisal, because the sales volume of sisal is indeed good and the market demand is relatively large.
There are many competitors in tobacco cultivation, especially North and South America, which are important producing areas for tobacco cultivation. Most of the tobacco in the East African colonies is used by the Heichingen Tobacco Company itself, with the main purpose of reducing costs. At the same time, we can also take into account the development of colonies.
So the colony currently does not plan to blindly expand some crops that are theoretically suitable for East Africa. Before there is a stable market, it is still necessary to plant small-scale crops, such as coffee and rubber.
(End of this chapter)