Chapter 402 New Immigrants
April 11, 1629, Immigration isolation camp in Luhuitou Peninsula, Sanya.
Four queues more than ten feet long lined up outside the gate of the camp. At the end of the queue was a food distribution point under the awning. Everyone must wait in line according to the straight lines drawn with lime powder on the ground. If someone tries to jump in the queue or intentionally disrupts the order of the queue, camp security guards carrying short black wooden sticks will soon come over to maintain order. If there is any disobedience, He would be beaten up in the face. If you are still not convinced, you will be dragged out of the queue and thrown into another camp a hundred feet away - the hard labor camp. If you enter that place, you will have to serve 30 days of hard labor at the earliest before you have a chance to come out.
These security guards who maintain order in the immigration isolation camp are different from the officially established Haihan police. They are only personnel selected from the reserve militia and serve as security guards here at different times to alleviate the shortage of police personnel in the judicial department. These people basically have their own jobs. They just work part-time here during non-working hours to earn an extra income. Although they cannot be said to have any combat effectiveness, the wooden batons and copper whistles they are issued are enough to deal with these unarmed immigrants. .
Ruan Jinggui was holding a large bowl of rough porcelain with a diameter of eight inches in his hand, and he was standing in the queue waiting for his turn. This kind of large bowl, which is worth only a few copper plates at most, does not even have the usual decorative patterns on it. On the wall of the bowl, there are eight Chinese characters for "Save food, waste is shameful", and on the bottom of the bowl there is "Shengli Port Ceramics Factory" The seals and chopsticks issued are just ordinary bamboo chopsticks. The bowls and chopsticks were laid down by people's hair when they entered the immigration isolation camp. If it were in the past, Ruan Jinggui would probably not even take a second look at this kind of commodity. But here, everything must be done by oneself. If not If you don’t have bowls and chopsticks, you may not even be able to eat.
Although Ruan Jinggui did not enter the officialdom when he was in Annan, he was still a nobleman. Every day when he opened his eyes, he was served by someone for food, clothing, housing and transportation. After decades of living, he had never had to wait in line for food with a bowl in hand. experience. When he came here as an envoy for peace talks last year, Ruan Chinggui also received the diplomatic treatment that an envoy should have. The Haihan people even sent someone to take care of his affairs. However, when he came to the area under the rule of the Haihan people this time, the situation was no longer what it used to be. There was indeed a certain psychological gap for him.
Before leaving Annan, Ruan Jinggui had direct communication with Yan Chujie, Wang Tom and other senior Haihan personnel. At that time, Yan Chujie also made some similar promises to him in terms of treatment, ensuring that he could still engage in business activities in the future. You can choose whether to work in the business department under the Haihan Executive Committee. Ruan Jinggui knew that this was actually a disguised form of recruitment. For someone like him who was a slave and a leader of the subjugated country, getting such a way out was actually a pretty good ending, so he agreed without hesitation and took the sea voyage with his family. Han's big ship came here.
However, after arriving here, the promises made by the Haihan people were not immediately fulfilled. He and his family were sent to the men's camp, women's camp and children's camp respectively. When Ruan Jinggui came here last year, he learned that the Haihan people had this rule for new immigrants, but he did not expect that one day he would also enjoy such treatment. According to the explanation given by immigration officials, all newly arrived immigrants must undergo a seven to fourteen day quarantine period in this camp to ensure that they have no hidden diseases before they are allowed to enter the city to live. Although the immigrants from South Vietnam who belong to Ruan Jinggui have a special status, they must also go through the check-in procedures according to this rule. And for the sake of safety, during their stay in the isolation camp, all their luggage, except for a small change of clothes, must be handed over to the Immigration Administration under the Ministry of Civil Affairs for inspection and safekeeping.
Most of these South Vietnamese immigrants came from powerful families, and they brought some belongings with them when they arrived. Naturally, they would not trust it to be handed over to the Haihan people. For this reason, they even got into trouble with the management of the camp and almost got dragged out. Sent to a hard labor camp. In the end, Ruan Xinggui, who was more familiar with the people of Hai Han, came out to calm the dispute. The reason he persuaded his companions was also very simple - if the Hai Han people really wanted to rob your property, they would have already robbed it when they were in Hue, and there was no need to wait until Take action now. Besides, after being squeezed repeatedly by the Haihan people, there weren't many valuables around. Could that little money be as valuable as one's own life?
The accommodation conditions in the immigration isolation camps are not ideal. Regardless of their wealth or background, they all live in boat-shaped houses with uniform regulations. The men's camp is for ten people per room. Ruan Jinggui and his group came together with more people, so the people living together are all members of the Ruan clan. Because of his status, Ruan Jinggui was also appointed as the temporary camp leader, responsible for counting the number of people every night and organizing Fellow dormitories listened to policy presentations and other matters in the afternoon.
Although the bamboo beds in the dormitories are not comfortable to sleep on, in the eyes of these immigrants from South Vietnam, they are still better than living in Hue City where gunfire rumbles every day. From the end of February when the Hai Han militia began to attack Hue City to the end of March when the city was defeated and captured, these people hardly slept a sound sleep. After arriving in Sanya, I felt completely relieved. Not far from the camp was the army garrison of the Haihan Militia. Every day I could hear the soldiers in the camp going out for drills and shouting, and I could see Haihan's soldiers every morning and night. The sight of warships cruising on the nearby sea, protected by the powerful force of the militia, simply made these new immigrants who had just left the battlefield feel a sense of security.
Although the immigrants have not been assigned jobs for the time being, their daily schedule is still very full. At seven o'clock in the morning, the wake-up call will be heard, and everyone must gather outside the dormitory for roll call. Anyone who fails to show up for no reason will receive varying degrees of corporal punishment.
Breakfast starts at eight o'clock and ends at nine o'clock. If you want to take a nap and miss this meal, you will have to stay hungry until the afternoon. Because there is no manual labor arranged for the immigrants, the camp only provides two meals, one morning and one night. The content is basically rice porridge with seasonal vegetables. There will be an additional dish the next day - salted fish that is abundant in the local area. This kind of food is enough for the poor people who come here to survive, but it is a bit unpalatable for nobles like Ruan Jinggui. Especially when he recalled the various Haihan delicacies he had tasted when he was on mission here last year, he felt that the contrast between the treatment now was really great.
After breakfast time, the management staff will gather the immigrants in each dormitory and go to the square at the entrance of the camp for a large class on learning Haihan Mandarin. Immigrants from different regions with different accents followed the sounds from the loudspeakers and practiced their daily expressions over and over again.
"Hello, Chief!" "Report to the Chief!" "Serve the Executive Committee!" "Please wait in line!"
Although they may not fully understand the meaning of these words, most people will learn and remember these daily expressions honestly. From now on, they will have to make a living under the rule of the Haihan Executive Committee. This is one of the survival skills that they must master. Immigrants from the Ming Dynasty and North Vietnam have a better foundation in this area and can learn faster. However, the accent in South Vietnam is more Malay, so it will be more difficult to change language habits. Fortunately, people with aristocratic backgrounds like Ruan Jinggui have generally studied Chinese culture systematically, and many of them can speak a little Mandarin with Guangdong and Guangxi accents. Now it is not particularly difficult to learn Haihan Mandarin.
This language class lasts until noon, and then there is a two-hour break. At two o'clock in the afternoon, everyone had to gather in class again to listen to the civil affairs cadres explain the local immigration policy. For immigrants who plan to settle here for a long time, this course is also very important, because the civil affairs cadres have made it very clear when the course started that the laws and regulations here are different from those in Daming, Annan or other places. If you abide by the law, you can live happily here, but if you don't understand or don't abide by the rules set by the executive committee, what awaits the violator will be a long sentence in a hard labor camp.
Of course, this course is not just about immigration and naturalization policies, but also involves all aspects of immigrants’ future lives here. In particular, immigrants can gain a deeper understanding of personal property, land systems, housing, education, etc. from this course. Ruan Jinggui didn't understand many things when he came last time, but he heard very detailed explanations and explanations here.
General immigrants will be assigned jobs and places of residence immediately after the quarantine period. After at least one month of internship, they can apply to the civil affairs department for naturalized citizenship with better benefits. The native place of naturalized citizens cannot be obtained after application. There is also a certain degree of competition. Only those who perform well at work or have special abilities are more likely to be approved as soon as possible. Of course, special personnel like Ruan Jinggui do not need to worry about this, because Haihan people have already explained this at the beginning. As long as he chooses to join the business department under the executive committee, he will immediately obtain the place of birth of a naturalized citizen. And as long as those who have been assigned to a work unit in advance and obey the assignment after the quarantine period is over, they will receive such treatment. For example, the unit his brother Ruan Wenwen was assigned to is the Police Department under the Ministry of Justice. It is said that this assignment is also related to Ruan Wenwen once held the position of Hue city defense commander and general, which has a certain relationship.
Only after obtaining naturalized citizenship can you obtain some corresponding treatment in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Executive Committee. For example, free schooling for children, purchase of affordable housing, medical insurance, etc. These are all opportunities that non-naturalized residents must spend a lot of money to enjoy. Of course, the most important thing is that if you want to get promoted in Haihan's social system, the first condition must be a naturalized citizen. Otherwise, no matter how powerful you are, no matter how rich you are, it will be in vain. Those who wanted to live their lives as apartment dwellers all chose to go to Guangzhou, and those Ruan clan members who settled in the areas under Haihan naturally had the intention of making a name for themselves, so obtaining naturalized citizenship was also a necessary step for them. .
However, the provisions related to Haihan's civil affairs policy are too complicated. Ruan Jinggui has attended the class for three consecutive days, but it is said that he has not even covered half of it. People with poor memories may have forgotten what was taught in the previous few days. .
The most interesting part of the day is the art promotion session after the course. In this link, there are some local folk arts with Guangdong and Guangxi characteristics arranged by the propaganda department. Of course, the content is still to promote the local civil affairs and people's sentiments, to shape the high image of the executive committee and the happy life of the people under its rule. For ordinary people, these folk art performances are naturally more interesting than dull courses. After singing for a while, some early senior naturalized citizens will come on stage to give speeches. These specially selected naturalized citizens are all very articulate and have mastered certain skills after being trained by the propaganda department. Their speaking skills, coupled with their personal experiences and arranged speech content, have quite a good effect on arousing the emotions of new immigrants.
After being brainwashed throughout the quarantine period, even if the vast majority of immigrants cannot be said to be very loyal or supportive of the Executive Committee, at least they are full of hope and energy for the new living environment and jobs, and they clearly understand What kind of treatment and rewards can you get after working hard?
Of course, special personnel like Ruan Jinggui are different. Personnel who have been assigned positions in advance basically mean that they have entered Haihan's bureaucracy, and the various rules and benefits within this system will not apply here. In this case, explanations are given to new immigrants who have not yet obtained naturalized citizenship. After the isolation period, there will be a seven-day work adaptation period of on-the-job training and internship. That is when he will truly get in touch with his future life direction.
After the literary presentation, the sky began to gradually darken, and it was now dinner time. Everyone returned to the dormitory to get bowls and chopsticks. After gathering, they lined up at the distribution point at the entrance of the camp to get meals.
After Ruan Jinggui lived in the camp for a few days, he discovered that the Haihan people attached great importance to cultivating people's organization and obedience. Like the ten-person dormitory established in this camp, the daily activities of these ten people must be carried out together. Whether it is listening to classes or eating, they must act in units of ten people, and they will be subject to random inspections by civil affairs cadres at any time, and the management is strict. It is comparable to a military camp. Another characteristic is that you must line up in order for various occasions, whether it is to eat, shower, receive daily necessities, or even use the toilet. People who do not want to line up often remember this after being hit with a stick a few times. rule.
Ruan Jinggui’s residence was very front in line, and it didn’t take a long time to get to his turn. This was also because their residence was occupied by Ruan Wenwen, a former South Vietnamese officer. Every time they gathered there, they moved in faster than during the same period. The other dormitories are a little faster. However, there is really nothing to look forward to in today's dinner. It is still the same rice porridge with stir-fried vegetables, and today's special dish - a three-inch-long salted fish per person.
Since the area under the rule of Haihan is rich in salt, and the local shipbuilding industry is becoming increasingly developed, the local value of salted fish is not even as good as the same weight of rice. Therefore, this kind of add-on dish cannot be said to be very good in any case, but it can only make people feel better. Immigrants just get a little bit of meat at the right time. The queue next to it was where the camp staff received meals. Seeing that their meals also included shrimps, crabs, pickled vegetables, and even the salted fish was half as long as the one in his bowl, Ruan Jinggui couldn't help but silently swallowed a mouthful. saliva.
"What are you looking at! Keep an eye on the food in your own bowl!" As if he felt the gaze from the side, a security guard who was preparing the meal turned around and scolded: "Don't be picky when you eat free food. Picked it up!”
"I have money, and I also want to eat well!" As if stimulated by these words, a guy from behind immediately shouted: "How much is a portion of this kind of food? Give me a portion too!"< br>
"Are you new here? You can't use money here, you have to use circulation coupons!" An immigrant behind who was already familiar with the local rules immediately pointed out: "Even if you have money, you have to wait until you get out of here to win the victory." You have to go to the exchange center in Hong Kong to exchange them for circulation coupons so that you can buy food in the cafeteria. No place will charge you for using the silver coins.”
When Ruan Jinggui came to Port Victory last year, he had already seen the local special currency. He has been doing business for many years, so he naturally understands what it means for the Haihan people to control the circulation of money in the areas under their rule. In his opinion, this move of the Haihan people was quite clever. They used compulsory methods to concentrate all the precious metals in the hands of the executive committee for unified arrangement and use. The ease of use and credit guarantee of the circulation coupons also made the local people I won’t be too repelled by this kind of enforced financial system. The Haihan Executive Committee has so much wealth that can be used flexibly. Whether it is to engage in development or expand the army, the level of funding is undoubtedly much greater than that of ordinary local governments.
Nguyen Thanh Kui then thought back to his own country. If the Hue regime had a financial system and operating methods similar to Hai Han, how could it be unable to support a long-term and large-scale war due to insufficient financial resources. According to his estimate, the private wealth that the Hai Han people took away after the destruction of Hue City was at least one million taels of silver. If such a large amount of money could be pooled together and used for military construction, I am afraid that Thang Long Palace would have been lost long ago. Flattened.
Of course, this kind of thing can only be thought about. If the citizens are asked to take out all the real money and silver at home and hand it over to the government, the first people to jump up will definitely not be ordinary people, but precisely their tribesmen surnamed Ruan. . As the most powerful and wealthy group of people in South Vietnam, the Nguyen clan almost treats the areas and people under this regime as their own private property, but if they are to spit out their private property and turn it into It is impossible to do this if the entire political power is public property. If the ruling Nguyen Phuc Yuen dared to come up with such an idea, the Nguyen clan members in Hue City would kill him first before the North Vietnamese Army could attack.
(End of chapter)