Just when Gao Liugeng and his team members were doing their best to deal with the Qing army, it was just midnight at the Kinmen Fortress thousands of miles away. Lu Qi, who was washing up and getting ready for a rest, heard Zhao Xin's sudden words and almost lost his temper.
The footbath was kicked over.
"What? Hold a conference and form an alliance? No...are you trying to form a united front with the Indians?!"
"Bingo! Your Excellency the Governor is really smart, and he knows everything right."
Zhao Xin smiled and finished his joke, and then explained his thoughts.
To put it simply, he wanted to use this meeting to sign a memorandum of agreement with the indigenous tribes in Northern California and even the Columbia River Basin to form an alliance. This was not only to win moral rights over the entire Spanish California.
Support and preparation for next year's expedition to the Rocky Mountains.
You must know that in these days, there were no existing roads from the west to the central part of North America. Nevada in the central part was a desert wasteland, so if you wanted to go to the Rocky Mountains, the shortest and fastest route was to take the "Oregon" opened by the Lewis and Clark Expedition of another time and space.
Trail".
That is, take a boat upstream along the Columbia River, turn into the Snake River and the Clearwater River (Clearwater River for short), and then take the land route upstream along the Blackfoot River to reach the Rocky Mountain Pass.
To put it bluntly, this expedition is to pave the way for future entry into the Missouri River Basin. The mission of the expedition team is not only to measure hydrology and determine the route, but also to determine the locations for building forts along the way. And with these military forts that have the nature of supply stations,
In the future, Beihai Town can continuously send immigrants to Louisiana.
The problem is that there are Indian tribes everywhere along this route, especially the Blackfoot River area, which is controlled by three tribes called the "Blackfoot Confederacy". Therefore, if you want to build a fort there, you must work well with each other.
relation.
Zhao Xin's idea was not a whimsical idea, but because the trading market outside the fortress had been operating for several months, and its reputation was growing. Even tribes from Nevada came to trade with bison hides and horses.
Of course, everything has a pros and cons, a yin and a yang. The purpose of this alliance is to cooperate with the Indians of various tribes and help each other for mutual benefit, but as long as they sign a contract and become allies, they must follow their own rules.
If anyone dares to be disobedient, let him deeply understand the saying in Chinese culture: "A filial son will emerge from a stick, and a good person will emerge from a yellow thorn stick."
"Boss Zhao, we don't bring this kind of thing. You even found something for me to do before leaving. Do you think I'm not busy enough?"
"You can't say that. Is it necessary for the development of the revolutionary situation?" Zhao Xin took out a cigarette as he spoke, pulled out one and threw it at Lu Qi.
The latter stretched out his hands to catch it, but did not click it immediately. Instead, he clamped it on his ears, rolled his eyes and said: "This is not asking Chief Dudu to row across the strait, but to call dozens of tribes to hold a meeting! You know
Don’t you know? They don’t speak the same language. If they speak the same language as a chicken, it will kill people!”
"Be calm and don't be impatient. Be calm and don't be impatient. Listen to what I have to say."
Zhao Xin waited for Lu Qi to finish wiping his feet, and the orderly helped carry the water away and poured it outside the door. Then he asked: "Do you think there will still be time in the spring next year? What kind of virtue do Spanish people have when they leave? In the market
All the Indians have seen it. You have to strike while the iron is hot, as it will lose its effectiveness after it is hot."
Well, although Golden Gate has reached an agreement with the province of New Spain on the return of prisoners of war, and the province has pinched its nose and recognized the Chinese occupation of Kinmen, both sides know full well that the armistice is only temporary.
The Spaniards would not accept the loss of Alta California, and Zhao Xin and Lu Qi were not satisfied with the current situation. Where did this go? What they wanted was the entire Central Valley.
Lu Qi and the officers of the Overseas Corps have already formulated a battle plan for next year and obtained Zhao Xin's approval. The launch time is set for early March next year.
The entire operation first captured Monterey, the capital of California, with lightning speed, and then went all the way south to seize the Royal Fortress of San Diego, Spain's largest military fortress in California. At the same time, the remaining 11 Franciscan missions in Alta California were captured.
All missionary sites were destroyed, leaving no one behind.
Of course, the prerequisite for realizing this military operation is the cooperation of the navy. Both Monterey and San Diego are seaport cities, and traveling by sea is much faster than by land.
"You don't have time in the first half of next year, and it's too late to postpone it to the second half of the year, so I thought about it and decided that this winter is the most suitable time. Intelligence investigation and political preparation cannot be done by ourselves. We must work with the indigenous people.
Alliance. As the saying goes, what is a united front..."
Lu Qi didn't wait for Zhao Xin to finish, and then answered quickly: "There are many friends, but few enemies."
"That's right!" Because he was too far away from Lu Qi, Zhao Xin rarely patted his thigh this time.
"One more thing. In another twenty years, the Tambora volcano on the island of Java will erupt. It will be the year without summer! There will be famine all over the world, and there will be no food harvests. My response is to the Sanjiang Plain, Xinjiang, and...
The Central Valley relies on these three places to accumulate enough food, so the time left for us is not ample."
Lu Qi took the calculator from the table next to him and typed as he spoke: "Assume the population is 300 million... The daily ration for each person is one and a half kilograms... Well, it will take a year.
164.25 billion catties...it’s fatal!”
"More than that, you have to count it as 400 million people. I remember the information said that the disaster was the most severe in Yunnan, with no food harvest for two years. Also counting Java, the Malay Peninsula, the Lee Dynasty, the island countries, and the Indians here, there is still a future
France is our ally, so the grain needs to be increased by 100 billion jins. 260 billion jins of grain will take 20 years. Governor Lu, do you understand how heavy the burden is on your shoulders?"
"We occupy nearly half of the world's fertile land, and by then we may be the enemy of the entire world!" Lu Qi covered his forehead and let out a long sigh. He suddenly had a premonition.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Although many of the science and technologies brought by the time-travelers have not been leaked yet, who can guarantee that they will not be leaked in twenty years?
The war of civilization sounds very heroic, but when you actually do it, you realize how difficult it is.
This is no longer a problem of preparing a table of food and two people coming to the table, but of having to monopolize a table of food while everyone else is waiting for leftovers.
Thinking of this, he frowned, took a cigarette from his ear, lit it, took two puffs, and said: "I understand. But there are more than forty tribes who want them to come to Kinmen for a meeting in a month. If they don't take out
I’m afraid it’s difficult to find earth-shattering benefits.”
"Is it earth-shattering to give each family a ton of stick noodles? If not, add one and open up the musket trade. There are still hundreds of flintlock muskets in the warehouse. Each family will give away ten for free."
Lu Qi said in surprise: "One ton?! This is too much."
Zhao Xin chuckled: "How much? Do you know how much the corn from Laomei sells over there?"
"How many?"
"It's 4.88 US dollars per bushel, 18 cents per kilogram, and only 180 US dollars per ton. The total of the forty tribes is less than 10,000 US dollars."
Lu Qi was stunned by the price, and then asked: "It's so cheap, isn't it genetically modified?"
"It's not a big problem. Americans eat it themselves. If it's non-GMO, buy it from Mexico. It's not expensive. One ton only costs more than two hundred dollars."
"Then it's better to buy Mexican food. If something happens to these natives, it will be a good intention but a bad thing."
"No problem. My Lord Governor."
Speaking of which, Lu Qi, who had originally planned to go to bed, no longer felt sleepy. He asked the orderly next door to make a pot of tea and planned to discuss the preparations for the meeting with Zhao Xin one by one.
Zhao Xin had no choice. He dug the hole he dug and buried it himself. Who asked him to raise this topic in the middle of the night? Besides, he didn't have much time to stay in Kinmen. He still had to go to Ryukyu in another time and space to "touch the warships".
That's a big deal!
Ruch first listed the indigenous tribes he planned to invite on his notepad, including Coast Miwok, Plains Miwok, Ohlon, Tongva, Wintu, Pomo, Wapo, and Toro.
Wa, Yurok, Shastan, Karuk, Chilula, Wilkut, Chimarico, Viyot, Western Shoshone, Costano, Winton, Maidu, Yokuts, Chinsi, etc.
More than forty tribes.
The reason why he was able to write so much was because these tribes had fixed stalls in the market outside the fortress. As the governor of the Golden Gate Fortress, if he didn't even know which guests were coming to his door, then he would really be a loser.
It’s time to eat dry food.
With so many tribes, 50,000 tons of corn were needed, and 500 muskets had to be sent out, as well as matching lead bullets and gunpowder. After this wave of free gift packages were distributed, the arms previously seized from the Spaniards, except for cannons and horses,
, which is basically cleared.
Lu Qi is now determined to set up a gunpowder factory. Selling black powder to the Indians will definitely be a big business in the future. As he writes, his heart suddenly moves, and then he stops writing and twists his body to look at Zhao Xin.
"What's wrong?"
"How about... you make a guest appearance as a god?"
"ah?"
"Ask Taoist Master Ma to set up an altar, and then you go up and recite a spell. Amidst the smoke, a mountain of food will be created out of thin air. The effect will be great!"
"Damn! It's not enough for you to be the captain of the transportation team, but you also want me to be the magician? What good things are you thinking of!"
"Don't worry! Don't the natives believe this? That Dudu drinks with us, doesn't he always talk about the wolf god and the eagle god? And more, don't think we have a good relationship with the Miwok people, but he treats us
The medical team is very repulsive. I read in the information that they always consult shamans for medical treatment. I think it’s better to take this opportunity..."
Seeing Zhao Xin silent, Lu Qi decided to add fuel to the fire.
"Now I not only have to compete with the Spanish for territory, but I also have to drive out the group of priests. If the church is demolished, there must be a new faith to follow in time, right? As long as you come in front of those Indians, you will definitely be better than the Spanish missionary
The scholar has said it a hundred times and it works! If you agree, I will call Taoist Master Ma over early tomorrow morning and ask him to make preparations in advance. By then, there will definitely be many Indians who believe in Taoism. Our words will definitely work in the future."
Zhao Xin knew what Lu Qi said made sense. Yesterday evening, he went for a walk outside the castle and entered the Taoist temple while walking. He happened to meet Ma Benzhu. In the subsequent chat, he learned such a thing
.
In fact, Taoist Ma also heard that thing from the Costano Indians. Well, even though Ma Benchu is quite old, this old man is very talented in language. In just a few months, he can already speak with the Indians.
People even chatted with words and gestures.
Seventeen years ago, a plague brought great disaster to the Indian tribes living in the Santa Clara Valley. Hundreds of children contracted the disease and died one after another. The shaman in the tribe used all the herbs and prayed for all the blessings.
The gods are helpless.
At that time, many parents who had lost their children converted to Catholicism under the instigation of missionaries. As a result, they were taken to missionary sites and became arbitrarily exploited laborers.
Taoist priest Ma told Zhao Xin that based on the analysis of the symptoms mentioned by the narrator, he believed that the plague was likely to be the "wind-heat disease" mentioned by Ye Tianshi in "The Treatise on Warm Heat".
Zhao Xin understood as soon as he heard that "wind temperature" was the infectious pneumonia of later generations. This must be a large-scale infectious disease caused by the influenza virus brought by Spanish missionaries.
In fact, the truth is the same. Before the missionary team came, there had never been an influenza outbreak in the entire California, let alone the Santa Clara Valley.
It is said that the Spanish colonization of Alta California was the last large-scale expansion of the declining empire in the North American continent.
To put it simply, its colonial method was to use armed soldiers to militarily intimidate the local Indians, and then the Franciscan missionaries would take action to establish missions one after another. The essence of these missions in the name of God was coercion.
Sexual religious labor camps, which exercised comprehensive mental and physical control over the indigenous people.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Regardless of whether the indigenous people were deceived or voluntarily baptized and converted, they have lost their freedom from then on and must participate in labor and worship at the missionary site. If you do not report for a few days
, the village will be searched; if the baptized person is found to have left the mission area without permission, he will be regarded as a fugitive, and the priests will organize manpower to round them up.
In Zhao Xin's view, the impact of this approach on coastal indigenous tribes is devastating.
Missionaries required tribes to abandon their native territories and live in filthy, disease-ridden and overcrowded labor camps. The introduction of large quantities of livestock and new seed crops soon crowded out the native game and native plants, most notably
An example is the wild boar.
There were no wild boars in the American continent in the early days. After the Spanish arrived, they brought domestic pigs from the mainland and Southeast Asia and brought them to various missions. Since Europeans usually raised pigs in free range, those domestic pigs that escaped control could not leave the country.
Within a year, it degenerated into a wild boar with ferocious tusks.
The reproductive capacity of this thing is amazing. It produces two litters a year, with each litter containing 5 to 10 cubs. In addition, there are not many large carnivores in the North American continent, causing the population to grow rapidly.
The wild boar's favorite food is acorns, but acorns are the staple food of the aborigines. Adult wild boars do not even dare to provoke grizzly bears and gray wolves in North America. How can the aborigines who only have wooden sticks and flint spears deal with them?
We can watch helplessly as the staple food we rely on for survival dwindles.
Then there is the deadly epidemic. The viral pneumonia in the Santa Clara Valley is just the beginning. In the future, waves of viruses will come one after another until every ten of the 200,000 Indians in California are wiped out.
In another history, in 1806, a measles outbreak struck all Indian tribes from San Francisco to the central coast of Santa Barbara, killing thousands. In a few decades, American fur traders who crossed the Rocky Mountains would
Malaria and smallpox were brought to the west. The entire California Valley was deserted for hundreds of miles, and bones were piled under every tree near the water.
Although Mexico would be independent in another thirty years, the missions still controlled this land. Large missions similar to plantations occupied one-sixth of the California territory, and the Indians were still slaves.
Generally speaking, the collision and exchange of different civilizations will allow inferior civilizations to develop through absorption. Such examples can be said to abound in world history.
The ancient Mediterranean countries accepted the influence of Greek civilization and entered the "Hellenistic" era; the contact between the Gauls and Saxons and Roman culture promoted the formation of European feudalism; after absorbing a large amount of Chinese culture, the Jurchens rose rapidly and even took over.
Central Plains.
However, after the Indian civilization came into contact with the white Christian civilization, what happened was a historical tragedy. The civilization died and was eventually assimilated by the "Anglo civilization". Until the 1970s, with the rise of cultural pluralism, the Indians
The cultural conquest has finally come to an end.
"Well, instead of letting you believe in those beasts and being exploited and slaughtered by them, who will break your bones and suck out their marrow, it is better to believe in us. At least we are human beings and will pay you reasonable remuneration, provide you with medical treatment and food, and will not let you have your flesh and blood.
Separation."
Thinking of this, Zhao Xin was relieved, but he still said with a straight face: "It's just this time, it won't be the same next time."