Chapter 198, The Gate of the World

In the wilderness of Western Australia, on the outskirts of Chinatown, the capital of the Chinese League

In a huge square as wide as a modern airport, twelve solid stone gates like triumphal arches stand majestically in a circle. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

On the plaques of each stone gate, the name of a city in this time and space is engraved with dazzling gold characters.

- This is built using the 22nd century black technology of the Doraemon plane, and there are sixteen fixed permanent [random doors].

And this square is also named "The Gate of the World", a veritable name.

There is no doubt that with its absolute accessibility, the capital of Huameng will become a true center of the world.

Of the sixteen Random Gates, nine have been opened, five of which lead to China's East Asian mainland, and the other end of the gate connects Vladivostok, Weihai, Shenyang, Kaohsiung and Sanya, all of which are the core bases that the traverser has firmly mastered.

As for the remaining four gates that have been opened, they lead to Manchester City (Manhattan Island, New York), the capital of the Chinese Republic in North America, Port Orient (north of the mouth of the Río de la Plata), the capital of the Republic of South Africa, Cape Town, the capital of the Republic of South Africa, and finally Sydney on the other side of the Australian continent - which has just been developed for less than half a year, and is still a small village with only a few hundred people, but will become the capital of the Australian Republic in the future.

In this way, the square became the most important transit point between the republics and the link that connected them.

Today is not only the day when the central government of Huameng was officially established, but also the time when the "Gate of the World" square officially began to be opened.

Therefore, President Moon Duc-hee, who had just finished his inaugural speech, quietly left the celebratory open-air banquet hall and came to the "Gate of the World" square in the suburbs to inspect the opening and operation of the fixed permanent [random doors].

Luckily, everything seemed to be going well: the nine permanent Random Doors were activated at the scheduled time, and the first travelers from the various republics arrived one after another, greeting each other and chatting casually as they gazed curiously at the endless plaza below their feet and the blue sky overhead. The first shipments to the capital were also loaded onto electric trucks and transported to warehouses set up on the edge of the square.

-- In order to ensure cleanliness and environmental protection, the capital of the Chinese League has theoretically banned the use of all fuel vehicles, and only electric vehicles can be used for daily transportation.

Only by building this gateway to the rest of the world can the travelers truly establish a global capital in barren Australia.

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In fact, Australia's land seems to be vast, but it can't support too many people. Ostensibly because of the lack of water and the desert. But in fact, even in the water-rich south-eastern region of Australia, there is only a limit to the crops that can be grown because of the extremely poor soil

What is hard for many to imagine is that Australia is the continent with the lowest agricultural productivity in the world. Its soil infertility, plant growth rate and productivity are among the lowest in the world. Because Australia's land is so old, it has been washed away by billions of years of rain, and the nutrients have been lost.

In nature, there are three main ways to regain fertility in poor soils. The first is volcanic ash from volcanic eruptions, which is rich in nutrients and fertilizes the soil, benefiting places like Java, Japan and Hawaii. However, in Australia, only a small number of eastern parts of the country had volcanic activity more than 100 million years ago. The second is glacial movement, which is capable of producing detritus that contributes to the fertility of the soil. Nearly half of North America has been affected by glaciation in the past million years, while less than one percent of Australia's land area has been affected by glaciation. Third, the slow rise of the earth's crust also brings new soils, which increase fertility for the land. The most typical example of this is the fertile Ganges in the Indian subcontinent. But over the past 100 million years, Australia's rising crustal area has been so small that it's almost negligible.

However, in the absence of scientific research, it is difficult for a layman to see at a glance the barren nature of the land. Historically, the European colonizers who first arrived in Australia did not notice this problem at all. Instead, they look at the endless forests and lush grasslands, and are deceived by these illusions, believing that Australia is as rich as North America. It wasn't until the first trees were cut down and the grass was eaten up by the sheep that people realized that the trees and grasses in this place grew very slowly, and those more delicate crops could hardly be grown in many places!

――To put it simply, if it takes 20 years for a sapling to grow from that size in Europe or North America, it would take 50 or even 100 years to grow in Australia!

If it's a natural animal, it may not matter, but for a human farmer who needs a regular harvest, it's a wax ride.

As a result, while seemingly as vast as North America and Ukraine, the average crop yield in modern Australia is low. For example, the famous wheat belt in modern Australia, in fact, those wheat are planted on sandy soil, which is simply a huge flower pot, the sand is useless, and the nutrients needed for crop growth are completely dependent on chemical fertilizers, resulting in Australia's agricultural costs are very high, sometimes almost comparable to countries like Japan with many people, so even if Australia is vast and sparsely populated, it cannot become a large agricultural country. In the local Australian market, domestically produced agricultural products are often less competitive than those imported from overseas, even if the latter have to bear the cost of international transportation. For example, the 21st Century International Fruit Company, which grows oranges in Brazil and then ships the concentrated orange juice to Australia, half a world away, is cheaper than the orange juice produced by Australians themselves. Then, pork imported from Canada is also cheaper than that produced in Australia.

What's worse is that the development of agriculture in Australia will also encounter the problem of unstable precipitation. In most of the world's places where ancient civilizations were born, there is a regular rainy season every year that can help agriculture develop. Whether it is Europe, India or East Asia, whether it is rainy or hot at the same time, farmers can at least follow the seasonal rules to plow the land and sow seeds every year, so that the crops can grow and mature under the irrigation of rain.

However, in most parts of Australia, rainfall depends on El Niño. Rainfall varies from year to year, and even more so from decade to decade, and most importantly, there is no pattern at all. It is often a 10-year drought followed by a two-year torrential rainstorm!

The first farmers and herders to come to Australia were mostly blinded by the illusion that there was a blessed land under their feet when they chose the location of their colonial towns and towns, so they were blinded by the illusion that there was a blessed land under their feet, so they settled down and diligently cultivated and sowed seeds. Who knows that in Australia, a sad place, good years are so rare, often more than half of the years, the crops are not harvested! To add insult to injury, after the crops are harvested, the bare soil is exposed after some preparation and weeding, and if the crops planted by farmers cannot grow due to climate change, the soil will remain exposed, or even covered by weeds, and eventually eroded into saline or desert!

No way, compared to the power of nature, we humans are still too small.

In general, there is only a small area in the southwest of Australia, centered on Perth, where precipitation is relatively stable. Although the soil is still very poor, it is still possible to develop food farming under the condition of sufficient chemical fertilizers. And that's why the travelers chose to build the capital of the Chinese League in Perth on the Swan River - at least they can be self-sufficient in food and vegetables. As for the rest of the world...... If the disaster of the Xiaoice River at the end of the explanation brought unprecedented catastrophe to the Chinese. Then most of Australia is in the Xiaoice period almost every year!

But even the best Perth region is in fact similar to the two river basins that gave birth to ancient Middle Eastern civilizations. Although initially suitable for cereals, the land becomes salinized over time and with the expansion of irrigated agriculture, a process that is almost irreversible...... The only effective countermeasure is to control the population and the area of reclamation, and never overwhelm the land.

In fact, most of Australia's land is not only unsuitable for agriculture, but even for animal husbandry. For example, Australia has always been known for its abundance of wool, but in fact, Australia's grasslands look rich and lush, but in fact they are much more barren than the Mongolian Plateau. In order to avoid desertification, even pastures in Australia have to be irrigated and fertilized!

As a result, in the 21st century, Australia's sheep industry is already in a state of loss, relying on government subsidies to barely survive. However, the average income of herders is still far below the national minimum wage, and most of them are even heavily indebted, relying on odd jobs to maintain the most basic living expenses.

So, despite being similar in size to China and the United States, modern Australia is already overwhelmed by a population of only 24 million, and is on the verge of going from being an exporter to an importer of food alone. The government relies entirely on the high profits of exporting minerals to maintain its fiscal balance, which is essentially a large Saudi Arabia - except that Saudi Arabia exports oil, while Australia exports coal and iron ore.

According to the calculations of relevant experts, the land of Australia can only hold a maximum of 8 million people to ensure that the ecology will not be further destroyed, and it is already seriously overpopulated - this number is even much smaller than the population of the United Kingdom itself!

Obviously, with such a small population, it is impossible to build a great power with global influence.

In short, although Australia, a land isolated in the southern hemisphere, does have the advantages of security and peace, Australia's own resources alone are far from enough to support any ambition and hegemony. If the travelers want to dominate the world in Australia, they will have to find a way to increase the value of the land......

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“…… It seems that everything is going well. In the future, it will become a truly global transportation hub, and the status of the capital will never be shaken again. ”

Standing in the middle of the square, on the concrete floor exposed to the scorching sun, Chairman Wendeji wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and said with a relieved smile.

“…… That's right, when it's done here, our military will become a real world policeman, and it will be able to maneuver globally. ”

Marshal Huang Shi, who had just officially assumed the post of defense minister of the Huameng, also nodded and agreed, "...... The request for help from the small court of the Southern Ming Dynasty in Shanghai really doesn't plan to help them for the sake of the compatriots? Is it just to watch them being slowly swallowed by the Manchu Tartars? ”

“…… I care if they die?! A bunch of waste that can't be stuck on the wall, even a buffer zone is not good, and so many arms were sold at a low price before! It's all in vain! What is the use of such pig teammates? It's better to die early and come clean! ”

As soon as he mentioned the request for help from the small court of Emperor Yonghe in Shanghai, Chairman Wen Desi's heart was angry, "...... Comrade Huang Shi, I don't know if you have seen the faces of those people, they have clearly fallen to us to beg, and they are still so arrogant! What kind of righteousness is to open your mouth, as soon as you open your mouth, you will charge us a bunch of crimes, and then you will ask us to 'serve the court and do the righteousness of the vassals', as if it is a matter of course to give money, food, and troops to help the war, otherwise it will become self-isolation from the people - where is this to ask for help? It's going to ride on our heads and be a father! ”

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but sigh wistfully, "...... No matter who it is, it can't save a group of people who are intent on dying, but it is possible that they will be dragged into the water! Han Feizi, the ancestor of the Legalists, has such a sentence in his "Death Campaign": The country is small but not humble, the strength is small but not afraid of the strong, the rude and insults the neighbors, and the greedy and clumsy friends can also die. It's really appropriate to apply it to the granite-headed guys in the small court of Shanghai! ”

In this regard, although Huangshi is still a little unhappy, he also has to admit that the Jiangnan gentry in the late Ming Dynasty are indeed basically incurable, even today's beacon war, it has not yet made them sober up, let alone let them reach the level of "opening their eyes to see the world".

In fact, not only these remnants of Donglin in the small court of Shanghai, but also the entire Jiangnan Shilin in the late Ming Dynasty, the traversers did not have a high evaluation.

In the past two years, in the Zhejiang occupation area of the Huameng, the traversers have also made many attempts, trying to carry out capitalist transformation of the Jiangnan gentry under their rule, guiding them to set up labor-intensive factories, and changing from landlords who sit and eat rents to capitalists who can make money. The results, however, were limited - only a small fraction of the "enlightened gentlemen" were willing to follow arrangements and suggestions. Most of the remaining gentry were granite-headed, and were not willing to bother to run a factory, but only to sit quietly at home to collect land rent and eat ready-made benefits.

The only thing they were concerned about was when the "Australian and Song courts" would hold the imperial examinations, so that these "Confucian scholars" would become great officials in one step, and then use the power in their hands to reap the benefits of wanton corruption -- only to be angered by the behavior of the Australians in refusing to open the imperial examinations and not giving preferential treatment to the gentry......

In the same way, the traverser side was also angry and angry by the stubbornness of these guys: don't say anything to open their eyes to see the world, this group of people is not only pretending to be an ostrich with their eyes closed, but also desperate with anyone who wants to help them open their eyes!

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“…… Comrade Huangshi, I know that you are not used to seeing the turbulent division of China today, and you want to unify China as soon as possible, put an end to this dark and painful turbulent era, and let yourself leave a name for eternity! There is nothing wrong with this thinking, but you also have to do what you can and understand that if you want to hurry, you can't get there! ”

Chairman Wen Deji took a puff of his cigar and persuaded him earnestly, "...... At present, we have liberated six to seven provinces in China (Liaoning, Taiwan, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang), and tens of millions of people need our enlightenment and guidance, or organize them to emigrate overseas. The vast rural areas still need to be transformed. The decadent and backward feudal relations of production are still entrenched in our occupied areas, and countless old landlords are still secretly supporting bandits and hooligans in a vain attempt to overthrow our rule!

In the vast expanses of South America, North America, the South Seas, and Australia, our colonization has only just begun. There is also an infinite expanse of virgin land waiting for us to cultivate. All kinds of abundant resources still sleep in the forest, and all they occupy is a group of uncivilized monkeys. We can exterminate them at a small cost, seize those rich lands, and create a foundation for our nation for eternity. That's what we're working on right now!

If we get too involved in the quagmire of the Central Plains melee when our foundation is not solid enough, the result will only gradually consume our actually limited strength -- let's not forget the lesson of the United States and the Soviet Union being slowly drained of blood in Iraq and Afghanistan! ”

“…… Why, then, was the proposal to send troops to Japan to aid the Mori family also rejected? Huang Shi hesitated for a moment and asked again.

“…… What good can we do by sending a large army to attack Japan? Is it for the medal of your soldiers? Wen Deji asked rhetorically, "...... Today's Japan is, to put it bluntly, just a few small islands with barren land full of earthquakes and typhoons! There is indeed gold and silver there, but we can trade the gold and silver on the island for it! If you want to recruit Japanese ronins as cannon fodder, you can do the same now!

Besides, the current Maori Christian regime, in order to defeat the Tokugawa family, opened its own government, although it has a good relationship with us, and behaves quite deferentially. But when they unify the whole country and restore peace, it is likely that something will happen! ”

Speaking of this, Wen Deji paused again, reached out to pick up the cigar, and took a long puff before speaking again and changing the subject, "...... By the way, tomorrow I will take someone to visit the ruins of Song City in the desert, and give a stick of incense to the 'ancestors of the Australian Song Empire', are you interested in coming together? ”

“…… No need, the kind of fake monuments that have been artificially forged are really nothing to look at. At the beginning of the establishment of the Ministry of Defense, there was a lot of work in all aspects, and I had to prepare for the reorganization and awarding of titles to the armed forces of the various union republics! ”

Minister of Defense Huangshi shook his head coldly, then put on his military cap, turned around and rode on a battery car, and walked away.

――What Huang Shi didn't know at this time was that because of this categorical refusal, he would miss out on a far-reaching event......

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PS: After careful consideration for a long time, it is difficult to grasp the emotional line due to the fact that there are too many outstanding characters in "Sword Art Online". What's more, there are so many people who have written "Sword Art Online", so in order to ensure freshness, the next volume is still the story of "Overlord Undead King". The focus of the work!

If we get too involved in the quagmire of the Central Plains melee when our foundation is not solid enough, the result will only gradually consume our actually limited strength -- let's not forget the lesson of the United States and the Soviet Union being slowly drained of blood in Iraq and Afghanistan! ”

“…… Why, then, was the proposal to send troops to Japan to aid the Mori family also rejected? Huang Shi hesitated for a moment and asked again.

“…… What good can we do by sending a large army to attack Japan? Is it for the medal of your soldiers? Wen Deji asked rhetorically, "...... Today's Japan is, to put it bluntly, just a few small islands with barren land full of earthquakes and typhoons! There is indeed gold and silver there, but we can trade the gold and silver on the island for it! If you want to recruit Japanese ronins as cannon fodder, you can do the same now!

Besides, the current Maori Christian regime, in order to defeat the Tokugawa family, opened its own government, although it has a good relationship with us, and behaves quite deferentially. But when they unify the whole country and restore peace, it is likely that something will happen! ”

Speaking of this, Wen Deji paused again, reached out to pick up the cigar, and took a long puff before speaking again and changing the subject, "...... By the way, tomorrow I will take someone to visit the ruins of Song City in the desert, and give a stick of incense to the 'ancestors of the Australian Song Empire', are you interested in coming together? ”

“…… No need, the kind of fake monuments that have been artificially forged are really nothing to look at. At the beginning of the establishment of the Ministry of Defense, there was a lot of work in all aspects, and I had to prepare for the reorganization and awarding of titles to the armed forces of the various union republics! ”

Minister of Defense Huangshi shook his head coldly, then put on his military cap, turned around and rode on a battery car, and walked away.

――What Huang Shi didn't know at this time was that because of this categorical refusal, he would miss out on a far-reaching event......

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

PS: After careful consideration for a long time, it is difficult to grasp the emotional line due to the fact that there are too many outstanding characters in "Sword Art Online". What's more, there are so many people who have written "Sword Art Online", so in order to ensure freshness, the next volume is still the story of "Overlord Undead King".