Chapter 2711
However, there is no trace of the Japanese in Amakusa Shiro today. After all, he has lived in Haihan for more than 20 years, and has long been reborn from the inside out. He behaves like a high-ranking official in Haihan. If they had not already known his identity, the young officials would have thought that he was a pure-blooded senior Haihan.
It was not the first time for Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo to come here, and they were familiar with Amakusa Shiro, so they immediately introduced the members of the mission to each other. And Amakusa Shiro had already learned about the identities and backgrounds of the members of this mission from other sources, so naturally he would not neglect this group of distinguished second-generation children.
The main local civil and military officials also came to the dock with Amakusa Shiro, and he introduced them to the mission one by one. Compared with Amakusa Shiro, the other officials are much younger, and almost all of them are second-generation Kaihan citizens.
Civil Affairs Chief Yuan Wendong, whose father Yuan Tao once served as the person in charge of the Zhoushan branch of Jindun escort, is now the person in charge of Jindun in the East China Sea region. In 1638, Yuan Tao secretly led a team to Yangzhou and secretly helped Hui salt merchants train musketeers to attack their rival Shanxi salt merchants. Dai Yingda, the leader of the Huizhou salt merchants, was grateful for Yuan Tao's actions and even became his brother. The two families have always maintained a good relationship. It is said that the long-term employment of the Golden Shield troops in Busan by Zhang Fengchu, Dai Yingda's son-in-law, was arranged through Yuan Tao's connections.
Yang Tianlei, who is in charge of shipping and trade affairs, is the father of Yang Yun, the current administrator of Zhoushan Island. A considerable part of his work at the Sasebo base is connected with Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the main focus is Zhoushan Dinghai Port. The arrangement of this position can be regarded as the ultimate work connection.
Amakusa Shiro's two sons, Amakusa Masaru and Amakusa Hayabusa, are currently in charge of the military logistics and political propaganda work of the Sasebo base.
In addition to these officials, more than 20 people in total were also present, including the heads of the local offices of Haihan's major chambers of commerce, as well as local gentry representatives. Although Sasebo Bay is mainly a military base, as the number of immigrants moving into the local area increases year by year, various commercial institutions from Haihan have also settled in Sasebo Bay. Now, although it is still far from the size of a port city, there are With a permanent population of nearly 10,000, the social structure is constantly improving.
Later, in the conference room of the base headquarters, Shiro Amakusa introduced to the delegation the resettlement situation of the immigrant fleet that had arrived in Sasebo, as well as some relevant local information.
The immigration fleet under the command of Wang Anguo was first temporarily settled in Seogwipo Port on Jeju Island during the mission's visit to North Korea. Later, due to changes in the mission's schedule, it left Jeju Island and came to Sasebo Bay.
Amakusa Shiro was very aware of the importance of these immigrants to the North American colonial zone, so he personally arranged various temporary resettlement tasks. Not only did he provide basic living security such as housing, food, and security, but he also set up clinics and civil affairs agencies in the camp. Address the various needs of immigrants. They even arranged for immigrant children to temporarily enroll in local schools to ensure that their studies would not be delayed too much by this transoceanic journey.
Of course, these generous benefits provided by the Sasebo authorities are not completely free. About 20% of the various souvenirs previously transported back from North America by Wang Anguo's fleet were left in Sasebo Bay for sales in Japan. . While the immigration fleet is stationed in Sasebo Bay, it will also purchase a large amount of various daily necessities and necessities from the local area. These expenses will have to be settled in the end.
However, the Sasebo authorities obviously did an excellent job in collecting money to perform services and provided many additional thoughtful services, making it difficult for Wang Anguo to find any faults. These immigrants can live more comfortably during their rest period in Sasebo, which will also help them survive the long transoceanic voyage, so for the North American colonial zone, this expenditure is still worth it. Then the officials in charge of various affairs spoke in turn and introduced the basic situation of the Sasebo base to the delegation.
The main force stationed at the Sasebo base is the Navy. The main force is the second detachment under the East China Sea Fleet. It has a total of more than 40 large and small combat ships and more than 2,200 sailors. Of course, not all of these ships are gunboats, but also include high-speed reconnaissance ships, troop carriers, comprehensive supply ships, and other ships. In addition, there is also a battalion of the Army stationed locally, which is mainly responsible for port and coastal defense, base security, communications, medical care, logistics and other tasks.
Coupled with military agencies such as headquarters, civilian agencies, and intelligence agencies, the local garrison maintains a level of nearly 3,000 troops all year round. The other permanent population is about 6,000, mainly composed of military family members and immigrants who have moved in in recent years, and the population growth rate is accelerating year by year.
"In terms of population growth rate alone, Sasebo is one of the best on the west coast of Japan." Yuan Wendong, who is in charge of civil affairs, proudly introduced: "So far this year alone, the registered population in the local area has increased compared with last year. More than 2,000 people have been added, and this number is expected to double next year.”
Tao Hongfang asked: "Is the main source of local immigrants still domestic?"
Yuan Wendong responded: "In the initial period of the base, immigrants mainly came from China, but in recent years, there have been more and more immigrants from all over Japan... This should have a lot to do with the exemplary effect played by General Amakusa!"
According to the information Yuan Wendong knows, the Japanese immigrants who actively come to Sasebo to make a living are no longer limited to the neighboring Kyushu Island. There are even people who have traveled thousands of miles to defect from Edo. The reason many of them gave when registering their identities was that they heard that the chief here was originally from Kyushu Island. After joining Haihan, he was promoted from an unknown person to a general in charge of Haihan's troops. , naturally began to imitate.
Amakusa Shiro's luck was that he coincided with the special period when Kaihan started his career. In addition, he was a samurai himself and had a certain professional foundation. Only then could he have the opportunity to serve in the Kaihan Army and slowly climb up the ranks with his military exploits. It is not easy for ordinary people to imitate such an experience.
However, since such an achievement is understood by the outside world as a matter of luck, "If others can do it, I can do it," Haihan officials will naturally not specifically clarify it. Instead, they will use private communication channels to exaggerate it and promote Sasebo as a civilian turnaround. a blessed land, in order to attract the Japanese people to take the initiative to serve.
Although the composition of the Japanese immigrants attracted by this is complex, and there are even spies sent by various forces, the cost is still much lower than that of immigrants from Haihan, so it is gradually becoming a factor in the growth of the local population. an important source.
(End of chapter)