Chapter 18, Twenty-seven moments in the four years of Chongzhen (18)
The eighteenth moment: Unexpected and unscientific
December 7, 1630, northwest coast of Australia
An exploration ship "Chopper" from the emerging power of South America, the "East Coast Republic", is slowly heading north along the coastline of Western Australia, driven by ocean currents and steam engines. Due to the unfavorable wind direction, all the sails on the mast of the "Breaker" fell down. Only the huge paddle wheels on both sides of the ship continued to rotate, providing acceleration power for the expedition ship drifting along the ocean current.
Captain Li Yi stood on the stern of the expedition ship, casually looking through the telescope at the desolate coastline to the east.
Indeed, in this desolate land, there are countless high-quality mineral deposits that are easy to mine, but for the small East Coast Republic with a small population, it is of little significance. The main goal of Captain Li Yi's voyage was not to seize an Australian colony for the East Coast country.
——The most important purpose of his expedition to the sea was to try to bypass the blockade of the European powers and open up a route to the Ming Empire, so as to collect more Chinese for the East Coast Republic located in the Uruguay region of South America. migrant.
Since more than 500 Chinese travelers from the 21st century laid the foundation for the country of Uruguay in later South America on the east bank of the La Plate River, people of the same language and race were imported from the distant Ming Dynasty to ensure the number of the main ethnic group and maintain the country. Stability has become a national policy on the East Coast.
However, Uruguay, located in the south-central part of South America and adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, is really far away from its homeland in the Central Plains. If the East Coast Country wants to obtain a large number of Ming Dynasty immigrants, the only way is to use Portuguese channels and entrust them to recruit refugees in China. At this time, they are the only Westerners with strongholds and connections in China. Spain Neither the Chinese nor the Dutch have opened a path to direct communication with the Ming Dynasty.
Obviously, any monopoly business will lead to huge profits. What's even more terrible is that nine thousand kilometers away in the New York area of North America's original time and space, there is another group of Chinese time travellers, "Chinese America", who also have an urgent need to import Chinese immigrants from the East. Under the fierce bidding of the two buyers, the only "supplier" Putian took the opportunity to raise the price, causing the two Chinese traveler groups in North and South America to complain endlessly - this population business was finally completed, and transportation from the Ming Dynasty The price of an immigrant to America was actually as high as 400 taels of silver by the Portuguese! This is still the lowest base price! If it was a thin little girl who was transported, so much worth of money would probably be almost as much as her weight!
In the Ming Dynasty of the same era, the price of buying a little girl was only four taels of silver at most, and the cheaper ones often only cost one or two to two taels...
As a result, China, the United States and the East Coast countries have built many "advanced" industries such as textiles, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, and sun salt over the years, and used technological advantages to carry out the industrial revolution in advance. A considerable part of the development dividends have been obtained by Portugal, which monopolizes distribution channels. The person swallowed it all in one gulp. The money gained from the two groups of travelers in the Americas through the human trade amounted to one-fifth of the annual fiscal revenue of the Kingdom of Portugal! ! !
After gritting their teeth and persevering for a few years, China, the United States and the East Coast countries finally couldn't stand such expensive large expenditures, and began their own independent exploration of the Eastern Sea Route. Unfortunately, things didn't go well from the beginning - in order to obtain As a relay station leading to the Eastern world, China, the United States and the East Coast countries established colonial strongholds in South Africa almost at the same time, and then because Yishan could not The relationship between Rong Erhu and Rong Erhu soon broke out into a serious armed conflict... Starting in 1628 AD, the indigenous vassal armies of both sides launched armed confrontations and small-scale exchanges of fire in South Africa, flying the blue and white five-star flags (Chinese and American) and The warships with the goshawk flag and double swords on a red background (East Coast Country) opened their gun ports at each other and were at war with each other. A South African war seemed to be about to break out.
In the end, given that China and the United States in North America already had steam armored warships and had an advantage in firepower and military strength on the South African battlefield, the east coast countries of South America were forced to compromise and ended in peace talks - China and the United States obtained the territory of South Africa, but did not Out of friendship between compatriots, the port must also be open to the East Coast countries, and people from the East Coast countries were also included in the colonial government, which was somewhat similar to the public concession in Shanghai during the Republic of China. Then, the East Coast colonists who withdrew from South Africa in despair moved to the island of Madagascar, where they established a port "Tower City" as a base for advancing to the east.
Next, the East Coast State sent two warships to attempt a voyage to the East in 1629. As a result, they were beaten to pieces by the Dutch fleet in the Strait of Malacca and fled - the British maritime power in this era had not yet developed, and the Dutch He is the world's most powerful maritime overlord, with at least 6,000 warships and armed merchant ships around the world. His name as a sea coachman is not for nothing!
As the key to controlling the spice trade, Batavia's Dutch fleet is also quite powerful, second only to the Netherlands itself. With such a powerful fleet, the Dutch almost monopolized the Eastern route in this century, especially the crucial Strait of Malacca, which was regarded as forbidden by the Dutch. Except for a few British, French or Danish ships with which they had exchanged interests, which might be able to pass through in peacetime, other forces would be attacked by the Dutch fleet as soon as they appeared near the Bay of Bengal and the Strait of Malacca.
Even the Portuguese and Spanish, who came to the East earlier, were blocked by the Dutch fleet in this century. The contact between the mainland and the Far Eastern colonies was always intermittent, and often there was no Portuguese ship for many years in a row. Arriving in Macau... Fortunately, around 1630, the relationship between the Portuguese and the Dutch was relatively good, so they were able to do business with the two American traveler groups in trafficking Ming Dynasty people.
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There are only two ways to break through the Dutch blockade. One is to assemble an unprecedented large fleet to go to the Far East, so that the Dutch Far East fleet will not dare to say anything; the other is to try a lucky smuggling. If the ship is fast enough, If we were quick, we might be able to break through the Dutch blockade in the Strait of Malacca... But the cost of the former was too terrible, and the latter was too unreliable, so the East Coast country chose the third method: not to go through the Strait of Malacca, but to take a detour!
——Specifically, it uses the westerly drifting belt of the southern hemisphere ocean as the natural power source, sails from Uruguay to South Africa or Madagascar, and then continues from the southern tip of Africa to cross the Indian Ocean by relying on the ocean currents, and reaches Perth on the west coast of Australia - this sea area Far away from the land, desolate and empty, there is basically no danger of encountering pirates and enemy navies. Then turn north from here and follow the cold current of Western Australia all the way north into Southeast Asia - this area is dotted with thousands of islands. No matter how strong the Dutch are, they can only control Batavia and Malacca. Waiting for a few key points, it is impossible to monitor every route. Stowaways can easily cross this sea area and reach Japan, Taiwan, North Korea and even mainland China in the north. When it's time to return, you can go south along the East Australian Warm Current on the east coast of Australia, enter the westerly belt of the southern hemisphere again, and then ride the wind across the Pacific, through the Strait of Magellan or the Drake Strait, and finally return to the Republic of the East Coast. .
Of course, this immigration transportation route around the earth was just drawn by a few naval officials from a chart. It seems feasible in theory. As for the troubles it will encounter in practice, no one knows at all... ...For this reason, there is Captain Li Yi's voyage.
More than a month ago, Captain Li Yi was ordered to take command of the two newly developed steam paddle wheel-sail hybrid exploration ships on the east coast - the "Broiling" and "Chopping" with a displacement of more than 730 tons. We lifted anchor from the Tacheng stronghold in Madagascar and set sail. It took about half a month to successfully cross the Indian Ocean and reach the desolate and dry west coast of Australia. After landing to survey the landform, burying a monument of sovereignty, and replacing the smelly water filled with suspicious green suspended matter in the water tank with fresh water, Li Yi left the "Breaking Waves" to build a colony in the Perth area of the original time and space. Based on the stronghold, he took the "Chopper" replenished with fresh water and continued northward to survey the shipping routes in Western Australia.
Looking towards the shore from the "Chopper", you can see a desolate stretch of yellow sand. There are no plants and no rivers. Barrenness and drought are the main colors here. However, there are some green embellishments at the foot of the bulging mountains in the distance. Perhaps only in the mountains can there be a few small streams that can provide a source of life to this arid land. As the expedition ship moved slowly, the desert scenery on the shore gradually turned into a flat prairie, but it was still quite arid, and even trees were rarely seen - this is the case in Western Australia due to the influence of the Western Australian cold current. A desolate scene of intertwined tropical grasslands and tropical deserts. In terms of living environment, it is probably similar to the Western Regions of China. It is even more isolated and lonely. There are no traces of human civilization. Even the animals are lagging far behind those of Eurasia. An era...
Just as Captain Li Yi, who had just had breakfast, was holding a teacup and thinking randomly, the lookout at the top of the mast suddenly blew the copper whistle... indicating something that he had never thought of before. , has happened quietly...
Then, in disbelief, they saw through their telescopes the ruins of man-made buildings scattered along the coast, the boats and rafts wandering on the seashore, and a beacon tower on the cliff, which was emitting billowing smoke into the sky. I seemed to have vaguely heard gunshots before...
For a moment, Captain Li Yi and the several time traveler officers around him were all dumbfounded:
Hey, according to historical records, the British should not start colonizing Australia until 150 years later! And these buildings and houses on the shore are not built by the Stone Age Aboriginal people in Australia... This is not scientific!
Next, another even more unscientific thing happened:
They found a man who could fly!
Facing this "flying man" appearing in the sky, many sailors were so frightened that they knelt down and crawled on the deck, expressing their awe and fear in the most humble manner. Even the travelers from the East Coast Country headed by Captain Li Yi had weak legs and confused thinking.
And this "flying man" still circled slowly over the "Chopper" and shouted to them in English, French, Italian and Mandarin Chinese, "...You have entered the jurisdiction of this city, please." Identify yourself, gentlemen! And welcome to Australia!”
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More than half a month later, the last day of the year on the Gregorian calendar was December 31, 1631
Captain Li Yi stood on the dusty streets of Zhongnan City, which had just begun to be rebuilt, watching forklifts, forklifts, and trolleys coming and going on the sandy road. The Polish big nose, the African black uncle, and the strong Indian man (East Coast Country Expedition Team) Members) shouted slogans to erect pillars and wooden beams, and then with a roar from far to near, a steel monster like a hill roared over the road. Well, for people of this era, the heavy-duty trucks produced in Shaanxi, China, nearly four hundred years later, can definitely be called steel monsters.
——After being in contact with each other for so many days, the travelers from the countries on the east coast of South America have basically regained their composure towards these "travel Australians" who suddenly appeared. After all, he had experienced such horror and shock a few years ago when he learned about the existence of another traveler group in North America - since a bullish "Chinese American" could pop up in Manhattan, New York, North America. "So why can't a group of "modern Australians" from the 21st century appear in Derby Port in northwest Australia?
Of course, calm down, but you should still be excited - although the planned trip to China to recruit refugees is expected to be abandoned halfway, their discovery in Australia this time is enough to make up for any losses: let alone If we could abduct that modern large sailing ship with a fully loaded displacement of more than 10,000 tons, it would make the navy's heads go crazy. If these more than 140 compatriots who traveled through time could be lured back to the East Coast Republic, they would definitely contribute far more to national construction than a thousand Ming Dynasty immigrants.
In fact, even this Zhongnan City (later known as Derby Port), which is regarded as a miserable place by the "travelling Australians", is also a very good navigation relay station, coaling station and advance base in the eyes of the Republic Navy on the east coast: There are woods that can provide timber, there are grasslands that can herd horses and sheep, there are valleys and streams that can be cultivated - although It is estimated that water resources can only support the production and life of tens of thousands of people at most, but it is enough for this era of vast land and sparse population. More importantly, there are already developed coal mines, copper mines, silver mines, Iron ore... The "Breaking Waves" and "Chopper" currently arriving at Jinwan are filled with high-quality coal previously mined by the "Australians".
According to the most perfect idea of Captain Li Yi, the leader of this Eastern expedition, it is best to lure all these more than 140 "modern compatriots" back to the east coast. Get back the large sailing ship "COSCO Star" - in the world at this moment, the tonnage of the "COSCO Star" is probably the largest in the world! If it were to be hung with the goshawk flag on a red background and transformed into a naval flagship, it would be absolutely magnificent! In addition, the thousands of tons of various modern metal products carried on this ship are also coveted by everyone on the east coast - many alloys are impossible to buy in today's world, no matter how much money they have. !
As for this central-south city, it was taken over by the black militias and European immigrants he brought from Madagascar. Of course, the indigenous slaves captured by the "Australians" continued to work here until they died. And those Polish big noses who have an equal relationship with "Australians" can let them choose freely: those who want to go to the east coast can go to the east coast, and those who want to stay here can stay... Anyway, there has always been a shortage on the east coast. labor force.
It is a pity that the above-mentioned deception plan to attract people cannot be implemented for the time being, because the "Cosco Star" was washed into the lagoon by the floods in the rainy season. Unless a canal is dug to the outer sea, it will have to wait until the water level rises in the next rainy season. It is possible to sail - according to the amount of work calculated by the traversers on both sides, it is simply an impossible task for them to dig such a canal on the soft and muddy tidal flats.
Therefore, no matter how much he covets the "Cosco Star" with a full load displacement of 11,000 tons, Captain Li Yi can only rest for the time being and reach a cooperation agreement with the more than 140 "Australians" on the ship. Using the grain seeds and vegetable seeds carried by the expedition team, the fields in Zhongnan City were sown with potatoes, sweet potatoes, wheat, rice, gourds, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, water spinach and other crops. In addition, the expedition team also generously allocated more than 20 tons of flour directly to the "Australians", making these poor people who were tired of eating kangaroo meat smile with joy.
But despite this, there has been no further progress for the time being on the matter of recruiting Australian travelers to join the East Coast country. The most critical problem is that Captain Li Yi's level is really not high enough to make any reliable guarantee on the post-acquisition treatment of Australian travellers-both parties are treacherous modern people, and they all know the casual deception of the kid below. The boss may not recognize it... so Captain Li Yi alone can't talk much.
——The attitude of those "Australians" towards the incorporation of East Coast countries is: It can be considered, but please find someone who can talk effectively!
This reply made Captain Li Yi, the expedition leader, feel very frustrated, but he had no choice but to do it: if he let someone else in the country negotiate, his credit would be greatly reduced - if he was not directly wiped out... But if he used force directly, The consequences would be even more unimaginable.
——For modern Chinese time travelers who work together to survive in this strange world, fighting between time travellers is a very taboo thing. No one wants to set this precedent unless absolutely necessary. Even in the military conflict between the East Coast countries and China and the United States for the South African colony, only a handful of European and Indian officers and a small group of black soldiers were killed, and no one broke out between the warships of both sides. There was an artillery battle, and no one on both sides died under the other's guns and swords... Captain Li Yi didn't want to set a precedent in this regard!
While Li Yi was thinking so wildly, Li Wei, one of the leaders of the "Australians", hurried over and said hello to him.
In the eyes of Captain Li Yi, it is a miracle to discover the "Cosco Star" and the Australian traverser during this expedition. Then meeting Li Wei, a veteran traveler who was once pulled into infinite space by the "Lord God" and lived in medieval Europe for several years, is even more of a miracle among miracles - infinite space, Lord God's light ball, reincarnation, British and French centuries. War, the Black Death...and Doraemon? This is unscientific! ! !
In fact, if he hadn't seen with his own eyes the magical props [Bamboo Dragonfly] and [Shrinking Lamp] in Li Wei's hands, Captain Li Yi would never have believed that this yellow-haired Chinese-Russian mixed-race man had ever had such an incredible experience, let alone He once reincarnated in infinity Super soldiers in space - but unfortunately, after personally trying these two things that clearly surpass the technological level of the 21st century, all the time travelers in the East Coast Country have to believe what Levi said. Outrageous story, most likely true.
What's even more pity is that the [Shrinking Lamp] in the hands of this strange man Levi is a mini version of the product the size of a finger. It is probably not a problem to deal with opponents of the size of tanks, dinosaurs and whales, but for " Such a huge man-made object as the 10,000-ton modern sailing ship "Cosco Star" is somewhat beyond his capabilities - otherwise he would have shrunk the "Cosco Star" into a mini model aircraft, picked it up, and then taken it to the open sea to "release" it.
However, this time Li Wei came here not to show off some magical props to him, nor to discuss how to get the 10,000-ton modern sailing ship "Cosco Star" out of the shoal. "...Captain Li Yi, Baron Andrew's funeral will be held soon." It’s about to start, won’t you join?”
Baron Andrew? Captain Li Yi blinked, and after thinking for a few seconds, he remembered that this was the name of the little Polish nobleman.
"...Uh, is that the Pole who sought death yesterday? Is he going to be buried now? Then let me go and see it too!" Captain Li Yi replied casually while bending down to pick something from the grass on the side of the road. He picked up a white flower and stuck it on his chest, "...But...haha, this guy actually died like Franklin...Should I say that he really deserves to be a Pole with a talent for committing suicide?"