It's been a year, almost a year since the initial landing of the East Coasters. In the past 47 years, great progress has been made in various undertakings, and they have established a country with a population of more than 3 million in the Southern New World, producing a huge amount of materials every year, and hundreds of thousands of tons of ships galloping all over the world, spreading the glory of the East Coast Republic of China to the outside world all the time.

Forty-seven years later, agriculture is still the largest industry on the East Coast, but it has become more diverse, ranging from large-scale leases of state land to market gardeners and fruit growers. Of course, now that there are agricultural cooperatives and other forms of operation, the rural economy is becoming more and more dynamic, and although there is a certain gap between its overall income and that of the working class, it is still quite good.

Many people criticize the agricultural policy that has been gradually established since the time of Liu Weimin, which has caused a large number of people to be fixed on the land, but at a time when the population has reached 4 million (including non-national laborers) and when the torrent of life has become irrepressible, although there is still a shortage of labor in other industries, there is no such feeling that there is a huge gap. Many people have begun to predict that it may not take many years for the streets, mines, factories, shops, and farms to become denser, and the development of industry and commerce will reach a new level.

In this semi-industrialized country with a growing population, many of the goods produced each year are more than they need, depending on the type of product. In the year, the Republic of East Coast of China exported a total of 10,000 yuan of various materials (including those exported to the colonies), including a large number of weapons, ammunition, and hardware products, which is the third largest industry in the country, after agriculture and construction, that is, the processing and manufacturing of five traditional metals such as gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin, daily necessities, machinery and equipment, and unprocessed agricultural products.

The above-mentioned exports of goods from the East Coast corresponded to the re-export of foreign and colonial goods in the same quantities in those years. The scale of this trade is so large and varied that it is dazzling, and almost all the specialties that can be collected from the Far Eastern San Francisco, Australia, Tahiti, Rabaul, and New China Island are listed one by one, and sometimes even some strange things, such as narwhal teeth, are all displayed in the warehouses of Qingdao Port, and then sold at the opportunity of the fair. Of course, commodities such as narwhal teeth are rare after all, and the most common are still tea, porcelain, brocade, silk, coffee, cane sugar, tobacco, cocoa, pepper, sisal, vanilla, etc., and now there is a lot more rubber.

"The re-export trade is very large almost every year, especially in some special years when the economy is active, which is based on the rising overseas economic power of our country. Many years ago, we also exported coconuts to the Old World, but in recent years they have disappeared, and sisal has been quickly replenished. In other words, every time a commodity disappears from the re-export sub-list, a new commodity will be added, so this re-export trade is actually very stable. In one of the most luxurious offices of the Qingdao Port Expo Hall, Huang Chao, the county magistrate, was explaining to Qi Wangping.

Qi Wangping is over 70 years old this year, and he has served more than two terms as chairman of the executive committee, and it has basically been decided that he will retire at the end of this year and the end of next year. So before he retires, he plans to take the train to all major locations across the country to see what the country they've built all their lives looks like today.

Qi Wangping's La Plata Star train departed from the capital Dongfang County, and after arriving at the Qingdao County Railway Station, he went straight to the Qingdao Expo Hall. The county magistrate of Qingdao County, the director of the expo hall and other local officials also temporarily stopped the work at hand and all came to the scene to report various situations to Chairman Qi Da.

"Qingdao County is now the country's largest commodity export port, and it is also undoubtedly a shipping center and financial center, with the headquarters of the South China Sea Transportation Company, the South China Sea Liner Company, the Courier Liner Company, the East Coast Insurance Company, the Central Insurance Company, the New World Friendship and Mutual Bank, the Banco de la Plata, the Commercial Settlement Bank and other institutions all set up here, all of which are going to the unique conditions here." Huang Chao, the county magistrate, continued: "So we are not only creditors of goods, whether harvested in the ground, excavated in the ground, manufactured in factories, or transferred from others, but also hundreds of creditors of ships, banks, insurance companies, and all kinds of labor activities, especially of ship services, and our country now has more than 200,000 tons of merchant tonnage, which is very impressive, second only to the United Provinces and England. ”

"So, in a country like ours, in a city like the port of Qingdao, any news about the supply of commodities or changes in prices is extremely sensitive, and we are used to dealing with all of this, and the sophisticated financial machines on the street of the fair will record it all. Sometimes the greater upheavals – such as those brought about by the contraction of the Franco-Dutch war, and the difficulties of shipping due to the harsh weather in the Atlantic – can cause difficulties in the major industrial areas of Meilin, Chengshan, Tieling, and Ping'an. Of course, wars do not always bring depressions, and the war between Poland and Turkey brought us great benefits, which slightly erased some of the wounds caused by the Dutch tearing up commercial agreements. At the end of the introduction, Huang Chao talked about the current international trade situation and some domestic countermeasures, only to hear him say: "Of course, it is always a series of government projects that the state has vigorously implemented to completely reverse the above problems, such as railways, highways, docks, municipal construction, flood control and other huge investments, which are decisive." ”

"Very good, and I'm glad to hear it." After the report ended, Qi Wangping nodded slightly and said, "We founded this country back then, but we didn't expect it to develop into what it is now in a few decades. Look, when we went out on horseback, now we have such a beautiful train to ride; At the beginning, a fish caught in the big fish lake was eaten by several people, but now the South China Sea Fishery Company and other enterprises transport back all kinds of fish every three months; The thousands of bison on the Pampa Plains are not needed, it is the best gift that the Heavenly Venerable gives to the believers, and it is inexhaustible. I am over 70 years old this year, and I will not be able to jump for a few years, and in the future, this country will still rely on you to take the helm, and promise me not to let it sink, but to make it great forever. ”

After meeting with a group of officials, Qi Wangping went down to a super-large conference room on the second floor of the exposition hall to hold a discussion with some businessmen with relatively large business scale and high social status. In fact, he is also very familiar with the businessmen here, such as the Ku family brothers Ku Youcai (investment in shipping and trade), Ku Youfu (investment in stocks and road goods), such as Liang Shoucheng, Liang Gang, Liang Qiangdong, the three Liang brothers, such as Qiang Man, who opened a pawn shop (in fact, he was a financial broker and a lender) and so on.

These people are basically wearing the second generation, and they did not choose to enter politics, but to break through the business world. After many years of operation, it has accumulated a lot of wealth, and is still a member of the new Qingdao County Political Consultative Conference, both wealth and social prestige are quite not low - and to this political Consultative Conference, there are currently more than 70 counties in the country have set up such institutions, members are strictly divided in proportion to ensure that all walks of life are represented in the entry, but the largest number is undoubtedly business owners, because they have great influence and insight far beyond those farmers, workers or sailors.

The CPPCC is also held on a regular basis, at which the committee speaks freely, discusses the state affairs, and offers suggestions and suggestions on matters related to the county's economic development, propaganda and education, and then reports it to the county leaders in writing, who will review and handle it as appropriate. This model is now being promoted more and more throughout the country, especially in some newly established counties, because the arduous land reclamation or construction work requires the joint efforts of the whole county, so the recommendations of the CPPCC have a very great effect on the county leaders.

Even if we hear that the central government is now preparing for the establishment of the National Political Consultative Conference, and intends to select representatives from various industries to enter the National People's Congress (NPC) (which is currently being renamed the "Founders' Conference") controlled by the travelers and their immediate descendants, this seems to indicate the germ of a change in the political model of the East Coast.

Qi Wangping still has an impression of many business representatives present, especially Liang Qiangdong, the CEO of Qiangdong Trading Company, and Liang Xiangjian, the current member of the Central Executive Committee, who have just returned to Qingdao from the North American Free State. Therefore, as soon as he sat down, he named Liang Qiangdong and said, "Liang Qiangdong, I still remember you!" At the beginning, in order to get the approval for the export of arms to the Free State, I ran around in various departments for three days, and my temper was dry, and I quarreled with people at the slightest disappointment, and even I listened to your name. How, after so many years, Qiangdong Trading Company should have grown into a large enterprise, right? ”

"Chairman Qi is really flattered that he still remembers my name." Liang Qiangdong stood up suddenly when he heard this, and said with sincere fear: "Thanks to the strong blessing of the motherland, the Qiangdong Trading Company has now taken root in Xinjing, Rehe, Mukden and other places in the Free State, opened branches, and now specializes in pouring local products from there to sell them locally, and then selling some daily necessities, iron tools and munitions from the locality. Oh, sometimes it will also help the Ministry of Immigration and the South African side, transport some Black Eight Banner officers and soldiers and their dependents to the north to settle in the Free State, over the years the company has indeed grown a lot, now the company has gotten rid of the image of a pure trading company, began to get involved in the shipping industry, its capacity has reached tons, there are four flute-type transport ships and two retired gunboats converted into armed merchant ships. Air Canada has seen that we have done a good job and has now listed us as a first-class agent, which gives the company an excellent opportunity to develop. Hehe, everything is the blessing of the country, the country is strong, and our business is easy to do. ”

"Air Canada's first-class agent, it's not easy. As far as I know, Air Canada's issuance of this agent's license is still very strict, and it is really not easy for you to be a first-class agent and prove that you also meet their prescribed qualifications. Qi Wangping was a little surprised when he heard this, and then asked with a smile: "You have just returned from North America for less than a week, and all you know is first-hand news, right, how is it over there now?" ”

"The Free State has been relatively stable and developed rapidly in recent years." Liang Qiangdong replied: "The war with the Indians that has lasted for many years is gradually showing some signs of stopping, and some tribes have verbally agreed to a truce with the Free State, which has greatly reduced the pressure of their war, and they have begun to develop their economy, of course, under the guidance of our people (at present, the leaders of many departments in the Free State are still Xhosa blacks, but the deputy positions are all East Coasters, and many times they are still deputy positions). There was never a rigorous census in the country, but on the eve of my departure, some officials of their country of Ming origin told me that there were still about 10,000 people in the country after war, plague, and famine. And if you add some Indian efforts captured in the war, the population of the country should be more than 30,000, maybe 10,000. ”

"The religion of this country has basically been unified by our Taoism, and the belief of Tianzun has been able to spread to every corner. Buddhism, which came from the East, also had a place, but it was a minority, and it spread only within the bounds. The children of the high-level aristocracy have basically studied on the east coast and can read and write Chinese proficiently, but the literacy rate of the lower class citizens is very low, most of them cannot understand Chinese (or can only understand simple daily conversation), let alone write, and their daily communication is Xhosa Turk, which needs to be improved urgently. Liang Qiangdong continued to reply: "This country mainly grows rice and corn, and its export commodities are mainly high-quality oak, medicinal herbs, leather, flax, tobacco, and vegetable dyes (the main exporter is the East Coast, because the East Coast policy favors them and stipulates that a certain amount of Free State specialty goods are imported every year). It is hoped that they will be able to obtain a longer period of recuperation after the armistice with the Indians this time, and at the same time, speed up the transportation of black laborers who have completed their service and the South African Black Eight Banner to enrich their strength. Otherwise, I am afraid that their future prospects will be in jeopardy, because the Carolina colony of the British is also growing very rapidly, and the Kingdom of Spain is also increasing its immigration to Florida, which is a very real threat. ”

"Your concerns are valid, but please rest assured. As long as our East Coast Republic of China still retains the Free State for one day, they will not be able to do anything serious, and I am still confident in this. Qi Wangping smiled after hearing this, and then gave a vigorous sentence to everyone present, only to hear him continue: "When our old men retreat - in fact, there are few people now - I believe that the country will definitely get better and better with the efforts of your young people, and the Free State, as our only vassal country and a nail wedged into the North American continent, will definitely get better and better." ”