Coaxed the four well-fed and tired children to sleep, Sun Yingtai turned around and discussed with his wife, "I will come back this time for a short time, tomorrow at about eleven o'clock in the evening, our family of six will all go to the entrance of Hutou Village to meet with other people, the time is very tight, let the children stay at home during the day tomorrow and don't run around, you and I will go to the fifth uncle in the morning, and entrust the thatched house at home to the fifth uncle to take care of, if you have the opportunity to go back to Yangshu Village in the future, you can also have a place to stay, if you don't come back, Our family's thatched house and one and a half acres of sloping fields in the back mountain were given to the fifth uncle. It should be regarded as a little bit of gratitude to the fifth uncle for his care for the children over the years. ”

"In such a hurry? Stay another five or six days, and wait until I've disposed of one of the sheep, two chickens, and some other bottles and cans in the house, and then I can't leave? ”

"I have time to wait for the affairs at home to be dealt with, but the transport fleet on Annan's side will not wait for us, before coming back, the company commander and platoon commander have reminded several times, saying that within a year and a half now, more than one million people and soldiers in Annan will move to South America, and the ocean-going transport ships in the local area will be tight, if it is delayed, not only the good land and pasture in the local area will be divided by others in advance, but also may encounter other accidents.

The situation in Annan is very unstable, the French foreigners are looking for trouble with the Annam government twice in three days, and no one knows whether the French will leave in 1883 to send troops to attack the Annan and Nansaka areas, so the sooner we arrive in Annam, the sooner we leave with the transport fleet, the better. ”

"Then I'll find a suitable buyer for the goats and two chickens in the house tomorrow and sell them, and then we'll leave, it's okay."

"Don't bother so much, give the goat to the fifth uncle, the two chickens will be killed tomorrow morning, and then go to the town to buy a few side dishes, call the fifth uncle's family to the house to get together, after eating, together with the thatched hut, slope field, bottles and cans of things, all give to the fifth uncle, anyway, these things can't be taken away, and it's not cheap to give to the fifth uncle, why buckle the rope."

Sun Yingtai urged.

"Hmph, you are quite generous, do you know, in order to feed a few children, how much I have suffered at home, how many sins I have suffered, just that goat, two chickens, or I finally spent a piece of silver, hard work to raise it, say don't want it, say give it away, have you ever thought about the suffering of me and a few dolls."

The wife said as tears fell, and vented, "You earned a little money outside, but that was in exchange for your life, our family is originally a poor family, there is no harm in saving more money and saving more silver, otherwise, in case the family encounters difficulties again, it is better to have more money than not to be strong, you say, what I said is not important?" ”

"Ajuan, it's me who is wrong, I don't understand the difficulties of your mother, don't cry, okay?"

Seeing his wife crying, Sun Yingtai felt uncomfortable, and while wiping away his tears for his wife with his sleeve, he explained, "What I originally thought was that South America gave our family a small pasture, which is said to have an area of 260 acres, and you and your four children have arrived in the mainland, after registering as retired military dependents, the government will also distribute 12 acres of cultivated land to adults regardless of gender, and 5 acres of cultivated land per minor child, or converted into pasture grassland, that is, five people, A total of 120 acres of pasture,

I thought at the time, our family has so much land, after arriving in the mainland, the government will also in the form of loans, agricultural tools and cattle and sheep and other livestock, with these family business, a sheep, two chickens to the fifth uncle's family is nothing, anyway, the price of cattle, sheep, chickens and other livestock in South America is very cheap, when the time comes, we will buy dozens of sheep first, and when it stabilizes, with our family's pasture area, it is not difficult to raise seven or eight hundred sheep............

"Are livestock prices really that cheap in South America?"

The wife, full of curiosity, interrupted her husband and asked.

"I didn't lie to you at all, when I was serving in Annan, there were more than 20 brothers in the company who had divided their fields and started families in the local area."

"Then you can't send the goats out, the family's house and fields have been given away, and there are a lot of this sheep, I think it's better to sell the goats and exchange them for a little silver, even if you go to South America, you can buy more furniture with a little more silver."

"You have the final say in family matters, and you are up to you." …………

The next morning, Sun Yingtai put on a fake braid, went to the town market early to buy some food, and then visited relatives with his wife.

Because of their cautious and low-key actions, the soldiers who went home with Sun Yingtai to pick up their relatives and left did not encounter obstacles, and that night, a group of nearly 100 people, including their families, rushed to the pre-agreed place and then left by boat. …………

Before making up their minds to go to sea, because they did not personally contact the real situation in Nanyang and South America, most of the young people were holding the idea of taking a risk, and failed.

A letter across the ocean through the hands of fellow villagers, passed to the hands of the family, one by one real news, from the mouth of the returning Chinese, strengthened the family's belief in going to sea to pursue a new life, the influence of the South American Han in the mainland, through the simplest and most primitive way, gradually expanded to southern Fujian, the central part of Guangzhou, and the inland region, a closed and backward small mountain village, because of the influence of the returned youth, gradually set off a wave of leaving home to go to sea, the youth of the mountain village is becoming less and less, and in the end, There are even dozens of old and weak people who can't stand the bumps in the sea and are nostalgic for their homeland, sitting on the stone mill in front of the mountain village, quietly watching the villagers and neighbors who have left one after another.

The number of immigrants entering through legal channels such as official, local non-governmental, and third-party shipping companies has rapidly exceeded the 500,000 mark per year, and the number of Far Eastern Chinese who have spent money to smuggle in without the permission of the state is also increasing.

Along the two indigenous migrant transport routes, the southeast coast of South China and the East coast of Africa and the Far East and the South Pacific and South America, certain fleets of Westerners in order to make profits have also imitated the form of local migrant transport fleets and carried out illegal migration activities.

After all, the Han government was able to allocate limited funds for regular migrant transportation operations, and those Western transport fleets that could not get government orders for immigration operations were reluctant to benefit from migrant transportation and chose to carry out immigration activities by smuggling.

In order to increase the local population, the government can only choose to turn a blind eye to the Chinese people who are smuggled into the country, after all, the smuggling people have worked hard and risked their lives to reach the destination, and the local population is in urgent need of population to increase the country's development potential and war potential, whether these people are literate readers or poor farmers who do not know anything, anyway, they have arrived in the mainland, againIn the newly developed areas, farming and fishing, it can also provide a share of labor for the local area.

Based on the government's inaction, immigrants who have been smuggled to the mainland are reported and discovered, and they are subject to a two-year centralized labor punishment in accordance with the regulations, and then, like regular Chinese immigrants, basic literacy education should be carried out as usual, and after the two-year labor period, no less land should be distributed.

It is precisely because of this attitude of the local government that the number of illegal immigrants is increasing year by year and is about to exceed the size of 100,000 per year.

The South Pacific Ocean covers 25 percent of the world's surface, and there are more than 20,000 islands scattered on the vast sea, and the French Polynesian Islands in the South Pacific Ocean have beautiful scenery, but the direction goes further west, and the Samoa Islands, which are hot and sometimes hit by storms, are not a good place for the Chinese criminals who are assigned.

In March 1880, in order to build a shipping transit base in the South Pacific, more than 2,000 convicts were sent to the Samoan Islands, and a year and a half had passed, and in September 1881, more than 400 people died on the island due to disease and heat.

In September 1881, the fleet carrying Annan's evacuated soldiers and immigrants marched to a certain sea area in the South Pacific, and after more than a month of sailing, the passengers on board were not in good spirits, Mei Dongxing, Liang Xing, Wang Shizhen and others came out of the cabin and walked to the deck.

"After receiving His Majesty's order, after the main force of the Nanyang Army arrived in the Samoa Islands, it was mixed with the Marines on the spot to form the garrison of the Yizhou Islands, Captain Wang, I intend to recommend you to be the commander of the Apia Port Garrison in the Samoa Islands, what do you think?"

Mei Dongxing said to Wang Shizhen behind him seemingly inadvertently.

"Under the office, but by the arrangement of Governor May."

"The port of Apia plans to deploy 400 veterans of the Nanyang Legion and 400 affiliated militias, and when the official appointment is announced, your rank should be promoted to major."

Mei Dongxing smiled and glanced at the other party's young face, and asked, "After graduating from the fourth phase of the Army Military Academy, you should be the first among your classmates in the same period to be promoted to major, right?" ”

"I have been stained with the light of all my lords, and I have made very little merit in my position, and I am extremely ashamed to be promoted."

"When they are first in charge of military affairs, young people should indeed be more stable."

Mei Dongxing nodded with satisfaction, and said, "After taking over the position of commander of Apia Port, how do you plan to manage and handle local military affairs?" ”

"The Samoan Islands and the Polynesian Islands are far apart, and it is inconvenient to communicate with each other and replenish each other, so in order to cope with the enemy's attack on the sea, the defense of the islands should be mainly based on defense in large depths, supplemented by coastal port defense."

"Tell me what you think."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take a look."

Wang Shizhen took out a marching map, found out the location of the Samoan Islands, and analyzed: "The Samoan Islands cover an area of more than 3,000 square kilometers, of which Savai Island covers an area of 1,820 square kilometers; Ubudlu covers an area of 1,113 square kilometres, and the two main islands occupy 90 percent of the archipelago, so we should focus our defense on Savai'i and Ubudu.

According to the characteristics of the geographical environment of Savai'i Island, the post believes that the main mountain structure on the island should be investigated, the active volcano that may erupt should be avoided, and the appropriate mountain range should be selected to use the newly developed bitter acid high explosive as the initiating charge, blow up the departmental mountain, dig a bunker inside the mountain, and build a permanent fortification.

Secondly, the northwestern plains should be developed to encourage immigrants on the island to grow food crops and graze livestock, so as to ensure the food self-sufficiency of the people on the island.

Finally, a certain amount of food, weapons and other war materials should be stored every year to deal with the sudden outbreak of war, and the garrison troops can rely on mountain fortifications, underground bunkers and other defensive measures to carry out long-term defensive operations when local reinforcements cannot arrive. ”

"It's a good idea, but digging mountain bunkers is a big project, and it will be difficult to complete the combat readiness planning goals you put forward by using the local criminals who are dispatched."

"After the migrant fleet departed from Annam, it passed through the sea area where Southeast Asia and the South Pacific Ocean meet, and many black primitive tribes were distributed on many islands there.

"Britain, the United States, Germany, and France have begun to enter New Guinea and the Watuanu Islands, openly capturing black indigenous laborers in Southeast Asia, and it is inevitable that they will be punished."

Mei Dongxing disagreed with Wang Shizhen's plan, explaining: "There is no rush to implement the war readiness plan for the South Pacific islands, and after taking office, you can plan carefully, and the local government will try to ensure an abundant supply of cement, steel, timber, sand and gravel and other construction materials. ”…………

After looking at the blue waters and the distant sky, even the most magnificent scenery can make people feel bored and bored, and several people casually discussed the recent events in the local area, and from time to time their eyes looked at the seabirds circling around the fleet on the sea.

"Your Excellency, there's an island in the sea ahead!"

Standing at the top of the bow watchtower, a sailor loudly reported an exciting news.

"How big is the island?"

"It's not very clear, a rough estimate is less than one square kilometer."

"It's less than one square kilometer, and the area is a bit small!"

The happy expression on Mei Dongxing's face decreased slightly, and then he ordered: "Send a reconnaissance ship to come up and see if there are any indigenous people on the island." ”

"Yes, sir."

A small gunboat with a displacement of more than 200 tons was lowered from the large transport ship, and seventeen or eighteen sailors steered the small gunboat and quickly sailed towards the small island.

An hour later, the convoy of migrants approached the outer edge of the island, and the sailors who landed on the island brought their findings with them.

The island is about 0.7 kilometers in size, and there is a group of yellow-skinned aborigines living on the island, and according to the facial characteristics described by the soldiers, several naval officers in charge of the migrant transport fleet believe that the aborigines on the island belong to the Polynesian race, and are not of the same race as the black natives of New Guinea and the Watuanu Islands.

"0.7 square kilometers, hundreds of indigenous people, based on this speculation, the natural conditions on the island should be good."

Although the area of the island is only 0.7 kilometers, it has the necessary resources to supply hundreds of indigenous people, at least it proves that the oath of sovereignty of the island is not a loss-making thing.

"Send a hundred soldiers to the island and carry some grain to the island, and claim to those natives that the Han Empire has indisputable sovereignty over the island, and from today on, they will be overseas subjects belonging to the Han Empire."

Most of the islands in the South Pacific are small in size, far away from the mainland, and many small islands with an area of a few tenths of square kilometers or dozens of square kilometers are terra nullius.

The South Pacific route has been open for more than a year, and the navy and sailors on the ship have done similar things, so when Mei Dongxing gave the order, the sailors not only quickly arranged the candidates for landing on the island, but also took out a stone tablet prepared in advance.

"My lord, every time I go to sea by boat, the fleet will carry ten stone tablets with carved names, this time I set off from the mainland of South America and found only one small island that surfaced from the sea, and there are still nine stone tablets left in the stone tablets we prepared, my lord, you can pick out a stone tablet at random and give the island in front of you a name."

A junior naval officer in charge of the migrant transport fleet said with a smile.

"Jianye Island, that's it."

"Your Excellency really knows how to choose, the island named after His Majesty's year name, so I will choose this."

The naval officer glanced at the name of the stele and waved for the sailors to carry it to the ship.