As one of the triggers of the Irish War seven years earlier, Virginia, a British North American colony, also embarked on a different historical path after the war.

The unbridled taxation and repressive policies of King Charles I of England led to the Jamestown Freedmen Rebellion and the flight of indentured slaves, as well as the constant attacks and destruction of the nearby hostile Baohatans, which caused irreparable damage to the entire Virginia colony.

The colony of Virginia, which expelled Governor Harvey, had been granted a self-governing status as a result of the Irish War, and had essentially been in opposition to England, with the exception of a symbolic royal tribute, and official ties with England were largely severed. Organized European immigration has plummeted, and even if it can hug the thigh of its dependable neighbor, the Dominion of Virginia is in an irrepressible decline.

The population loss of colonial settlements such as Newport News, Charles City, Yorktown, and Hampton, including the capital Jamestown, continued until 1640, and Huamei was clearly not willing to solve the problem for Virginia.

The butterfly wings brought by the beauty brought the total population of the Virginia colony to more than 7,000 in 1634, and by 1642, the number was only half-dead to 9,000. Most of the out-migration over the years has offset the number of new immigrants.

In particular, Newport News at the mouth of the James River, as well as Yorktown and Charles City, which were established for the shortest time, were the most severe, and even the local farmers and freedmen moved in large numbers to the northern Huamei territory, and the three colonies finally had to be abandoned, and Yorktown, which won the key battle of the American Revolutionary War in history, was quietly stillborn and returned to the wild nature.

Worse still, when a large number of freedmen or indentured slaves with rich experience in tobacco cultivation moved to China, the local tobacco growing economy in Virginia went into disaster. The defection of these rare tobacco planting talents, the Huamei Binzhou Jiangling Municipal Government naturally laughed at it. It then diverted to Binzhou, Haizhou and the Caribbean, all of which were traditionally produced in the New World for high-quality tobacco.

As the closest tobacco producer to Huamei, Virginia has benefited a lot from this industry chain. But this is no longer the case, and the Chinese tobacco plantation, which had always been too lazy to devote energy, opened dramatically after the Irish War, and began to reduce Virginia's tobacco exports.

The favorable climate and fertile soil quickly allowed the "green gold" to take root in the territory of Huamei, and even without the industrial support of the state, in just four or five years, more than a dozen private tobacco farms still appeared in Binzhou, Haizhou, and the Caribbean, and the output increased suddenly.

Huamei refined tobacco leaves, cigars and cigarettes account for more than 40% of the total tobacco market in Europe, and China-American state-owned tobacco companies still rank among the top three in the national corporate tax list. The private West Point Tobacco Company in West Point Town, Songzhou, has also jumped into the top 10 of the national enterprise tax list, and Mao Jian, the company's largest shareholder behind the scenes, has also entered the ranks of the top ten nouveau riche in Huamei.

By January 1642, at least one-third of the annual tobacco demand of the Chinese American tobacco industry came from Binzhou, Haizhou, and the Caribbean, and with the import of better tobacco from Spain and the Portuguese colonies in Central and South America, Virginia's exports to China had fallen to less than half of what it had been in previous years.

At the same time, the price of tobacco in London and several major European trading ports has also increased significantly due to the amount of tobacco arriving at the shore. Tobacco prices have dropped to less than four pence per pound. Historically, Bermuda's tobacco cultivation industry was crushed by Virginia, and now the feng shui is in turn. The squeeze of Huamei's "unkind" industry has also suppressed the tobacco cultivation industry, which was once proud of the Virginia Dominion, to a low point, and the life of local tobacco plantation owners is becoming more and more difficult.

Fortunately, in terms of Huamei, it will not make the ordinary people of the Dominion of Virginia feel that there is no hope for Huamei, and Virginia's other two important economic projects. Cotton cultivation and iron ore mining have been boosted by the greater demand of Huamei.

Although the tobacco profiteering of the year is gone, cotton is also a well-known "white gold" industry in this era. It literally became a lifesaver for ordinary freedmen in the Dominion of Virginia, and the economic income was clearly shifted. Cotton, which was more predatory to the fertility of the land, also slowed down the pace of land expansion in the Dominion of Virginia, and the frequency of wars with the surrounding Indians decreased year by year.

In the former colony of Virginia, the tobacco cultivation industry was exaggerated and distorted, and a few tobacco planters once monopolized the vast majority of the local land and labor. Now, under the guidance of Huamei, the cotton cultivation of ordinary freeman families has gradually surpassed that of tobacco, and there is hope for economic recovery as long as normal population growth is restored.

Under the special circumstances, Huameitong guò trade infiltration won the support of the local low-class freedmen and indentured slaves, separated Virginia from the colony of the English crown, and gradually pulled it into the arms of Huamei. The process was clearly carried out with the aim of "exchanging blood" to artificially alter the social composition of the Dominion of Virginia. But this change has seriously hurt the interests of the few tobacco plantation owners who monopolize the local council of the Dominion of Virginia, and the most important phenomenon is that a large number of laborers have been transferred from tobacco plantation estates, making life even worse for traditional tobacco plantation owners.

This was something that the big tobacco growers, who were key members of the local council of the Dominion Territory of Virginia, never expected, but the result was basically unchangeable.

……

After entering 1642, the Hampton Anchorage, which was the natural anchorage of Jamestown, appeared on the north bank of the estuary.

In August, the cotton farms around the Hamptons entered the critical stage of the cotton setting period, and a large number of manpower entered the cotton fields to care for the crops. Straw hat farmers carefully and cautiously weave through the cotton fields, draining water to replenish fertilizer or pluck some of the cotton bolls that are clearly stunted.

As one of Virginia's first colonial towns, the Hampton has also suffered from population loss. But after Virginia gained self-government, from 1638 onwards, the Hamptons, the least of the threat posed by the surrounding Indians, began to become the new port of Virginia's economic ties with China and the United States, and the only town that could maintain a slow population growth.

Huamei's leadership in the Atlantic military and trade pattern made Chinese American merchants more brazen to flock to the Hamptons. Intentionally or unintentionally, some Virginia businessmen cooperated with various trading companies in China and the United States. A handful of immigrants from Huamei began to enter the Hamptons as labor expatriates. Of the nearly 3,000 people in the Hamptons, one-third of the Chinese immigrants use the excuse of "industrial investment and labor dispatch", and more than half of the local handicrafts and farms are in the hands of the Chinese American chambers of commerce. After 1641, the Hamptons became the largest hub for Virginia's imports and exports.

This potential behavior of occupying the magpie's nest does not seem to be enough to upend the entire economic and political pattern of Virginia, but those who are interested can already see that as the Hamptons become more and more like a gorgeous town from the outside in, Huamei's changes to Virginia have reached a stage that is almost irreversible.

In the Hamptons, there are no tobacco plantations common to other Virginia colonies. With the exception of small cereal cultivation and livestock rearing, as well as forestry workshops, cotton farming is the most important economic activity in the region. In 1641, more than 3,000 tons of cotton or cotton yarn and more than 1,000 tons of coarse pressed cottonseed oil were exported to Huamei, and more than 95% of the local imports came from Huamei, and the domestic trade of England on the other side of the Atlantic was almost excluded.

In response to the strong demand for cotton in China and Europe, the new local cotton planters who worked with the China American Chamber of Commerce even extended their cotton fields to the south bank of the estuary. The goodwill of the Chinese merchants, the Mateburne village on the south bank of the estuary joined the ranks of the cotton industry's hired laborers, and the once irreconcilable conflict between the English colonists and the local Indians took a very optimistic turn.

The Hampton Cotton Mill and Cottonseed Mill, which have been built for less than a year, are the largest industrial projects invested by the state-owned Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery and Animal Husbandry Group in Virginia. On the surface, however, the two wealthy factories were the property of a gentleman named Ferner.

Fellner is the descendant of a run-down aristocrat who sold his property from Wales to Virginia more than a decade ago to pan for gold. He was the most active person in resisting the Governor of the Virginia colony sent by the King of England to the colony, and he was also the person most closely related to several chambers of commerce in China and the United States, and he was the leader of the economic transformation of tobacco cultivation. After years of hard work, the Fellner family is now a well-known new wealthy gentleman in Virginia.

The Hampton Cotton Mill and Cottonseed Mill were established from the very beginning. was "secretly instructed" by the Chinese side. In order to compete for Virginia's already small labor force, Fellner unexpectedly distributed the original shares to ordinary freemen in the form of a "rights issue", and even went to Scotland and Ireland to organize an immigration with the help of several Chinese and American chambers of commerce.

This gesture of blessed sharing quickly boosted Ferner's popularity in Virginia. It also triggered a wave of old immigrants from Jamestown to the Hamptons, and from this point of view, Fellner offended many people. But in the Hamptons. Fellner became a veritable local celebrity, with strong support from cotton plantation owners and merchants throughout Virginia.

……

Sunday, August 7, 1642.

The "North American and Atlantic Economic Development Forum" held in Yacheng, the capital of China's American state, has been going on for a week, and a lively European war has long since drawn most people's attention, and there are not many core topics other than a simple "consensus".

In order to raise the value of the economic forums that have been held for three consecutive years, the U.S. Department of Commerce has signed a symbolic agreement with Spain and Portugal on the import of tobacco and jaberseed from South America to reduce the original tariffs a little, and the Dominion of Virginia has obtained an agreement to declare the quality of cotton and cotton yarn exports according to the quality of the goods.

The pace of the economic forum is very relaxed, and the representatives of various countries and regions participating in the forum have a lot of time to relax in Yacheng. With the exception of Manchester City, there has never been a city that has been built as consistently as the city.

Although most of the future urban areas are still on the drawing board, at least half of the national families who have moved into Yacheng have come from the capital Manchester City and Jersey City, so with a population of more than 27,000 people, the current Yacheng still shows the extraordinary style of a gorgeous core city.

A banquet to entertain the delegations of the Economic Forum was held in the most luxurious "Yipinscoop" chain hotel in the eastern district of Yacheng. The host was the Huamei Binzhou Local Council, and the special guest was Foreign Minister Yan Xiaosong, who spoke on behalf of the Huamei Cabinet at the Economic Forum.

Relaxed music and delicacies delighted most of the people at the banquet. Of course. There are also a very small number of people with a melancholy face in the corner of the sofa circle.

"Your Excellency Minister Yan, if you have time, maybe you should listen to more people's opinions......" A middle-aged European dressed in typical English clothes walked up to Yan Xiaosong with a wine glass, and after politely waiting for the other party to chat with a few Huamei Binzhou local councilors, he quietly appeared in front of Yan Xiaosong.

"Mr. Fellner, are you still unjust that this Economic Forum didn't cover much of Virginia?" Yan Xiaosong secretly glanced at the dejected Virginia representative in a corner, and his heart was bright, but he still had a polite smile on his face.

"It's not my own wishes, you should know better than anyone else......" Fellner coughed lightly. He lowered his voice and deliberately glanced in the direction of his delegation, "Both Spain and Portugal have received preferential treatment from your government, but why don't you pay attention to Virginia's tobacco exports?" It even deprives us of pricing power over your country's tobacco exports. ”

"Out of fairness, we can't always give most of our imports to Virginia, and we also have to maintain commercial relations with Spain and Portugal." Yan Xiaosong touched the other party's glass, smiled and welcomed the other party into an independent private room.

There were only Yan Xiaosong and himself in the room, and Fellner felt that the other party seemed to be deliberately choosing a separate secret meeting mode, so his attitude was more respectful.

"Mr. Ferner. If the Virginia Autonomous Council does not accept our future political and industrial restructuring, then I can only regret to say that this is not a progressive idea and attitude. "There was no one around. Yan Xiaosong smiled at this time, and his tone was very stern, "A fully prosperous Virginia is our common direction, but our economic aid and trade preferential policies are not unprincipled. Nor is it used to continue to expand the unbridled desires of some people. ”

"As the most progressive gentleman of Virginia, you should know what the advanced production and civilization that Huamei advocated meant to Virginia. Whether it's political power or economic gain, we oppose backward thinkers continuing to occupy Virginia's superior resources. If you can't change your opinion, you can only punish it by other means. ”

"But they were all members of the Autonomous Assembly of Virginia, and it was their support that allowed your country to gain its status in Virginia...... It may not be an exaggeration to think that the Autonomous Assembly wishes to retain the right to customs and independent elections in the future. Fellner thought about it, but still struggled to defend his companion.

"Rights and duties should be reciprocal, and when their eyes are only focused on power and their own purse, then they are not much different from the original Governor Harvey. They incited the populace to expel Harvey and were destined to one day be spurned by others. ”

The Virginia Dominion Legislature's bargaining for a future entry into the United States has been unbroken almost six years ago. Although the best time has not yet come, for now, in addition to economic cooperation, some people in Virginia are increasingly inclined to choose a more transcendent independent and autonomous status, which has begun to deviate from the original peaceful evolution plan of Huamei.

North America only needs one American Republic of China, not another Virginia Republic. This is the almost non-negotiable political limit of Huamei.

Directly use force to bring some people to their senses? At least in the eyes of the Huamei Cabinet, things have not yet come to the point where they have broken their own rules. This is why Huamei has continued to suppress tobacco plantation owners who monopolize the power of the Virginia Autonomous Council through economic means over the years. These people occupy too much land, labor, and wealth in Virginia, and for Huamei, a group of people who are not in the same direction as Huamei's institutional civilization definitely need to be squeezed out.

"Isn't there any other way? None of the contents of this economic forum are to win their favor, and they will be even more dissatisfied. ”

Fellner was also fully aware of the real purpose of Huamei's economic support for these new factory owners and cotton planters in recent years. It is not so much about the introduction of various economic industries to transform the distorted tobacco cultivation industry in the region, but rather about those who seek to occupy power for a long time. But as a member of the Virginia Autonomous Assembly, he didn't want to see internal divisions.

"I appreciate Mr. Fellner's proactive reform stance, and as long as Mr. Fellner insists on identifying with the advanced nature of the Chinese system and civilization, the support of all the people of Virginia is irreversible. Virginia's economic prosperity needed someone like Mr. Fellner to guide it; In politics, Mr. Fellner is even more needed to set an example for the local people. I firmly believe that the future of Virginia must be the best! Yan Xiaosong saw that the other party's position was a little unfirm, so he suddenly showed a mysterious smile, "There is another piece of news that I can reveal to Mr. Fellner in advance: King Charles of England has already left London for Yorkshire, and the House of Lords of the Nobles who are still in London has almost run away, and now there are less than 30 people left......"

Does His Majesty really intend to go to war with the National Assembly? Fellner was stunned for a moment, and gradually showed a stunned expression. (To be continued......)