Towards the end of the inspection, more than a dozen crisp gunshots rang out from the depths of the cave, and the gunshots spread far away, and when everyone was surprised, a guard soldier soon came to report.

Lieutenant Colonel Friedman-Kopf nodded calmly and looked back and explained to the crowd; "My lords, this is a punishment for the hard laborers, there are always some restless blacks who try to make trouble, there is no persuasion and education here, there is no warm probation, and there is no opportunity to admit mistakes and correct them, I want to ensure that the progress of the project is carried out according to the established plan."

Silence, a brief silence......

When you go to the peak to inspect, is it really good to make this scene?

Colonel Lei Xiaopeng coughed lightly twice, broke the silence and said; "Ahem...... Lieutenant Colonel Kopf has always been meticulous in carrying out military orders and making every effort to ensure that key projects are completed on time, and he has made great efforts in this regard, which is admirable.

As far as I know;

Among the prisoners of hard labor, there are many thugs who are traitors and criminals, and the leaders and backbone elements of some rebellious tribes are not good people, and they must be strictly controlled by high-pressure measures, otherwise it is easy to cause chaos.

The intensity of labor on the fortress is indeed very high, but fortunately, the food here is good, and the hard labor prisoners can basically eat enough, which is very rare, and it is very ...... from the management point of view Belch...... Humanized. ”

Hearing Colonel Lei Xiaopeng say "humanized management", Wu Mozhou couldn't help but twitch his eyelids twice, and felt that it was better not to say anything about it in this way.

So he spoke; "Grades are the main aspect, but of course, there can be more flexible ways to work.

Well, this is a very successful work inspection, and our next stop is to go to Xi'an, so we should not stay here for long, so as not to affect the military affairs on the fortress. ”

Hearing the words of the Governor-in-Chief, the military and political dignitaries of the African colonies present immediately became emotionally active and discussed one after another;

"Yes, yes, what the Lord said is very true."

"Huh...... In this way, I really miss the food in Xi'an. ”

"That's not it, if you want to say where the Chinese food is authentic in Africa, it must be Xi'an, even Seoul can't compare, it's leisurely and fascinating!"

"Seoul doesn't have that condition, you can take a look in a few years, and you will be able to take care of tofu, soy sauce, old vinegar and so on."

"Everything is good in Xi'an, but the weather is too hot."

"It's only a few months a year, but it's okay at other times, it's not so hard to get used to it, and you can go to the lake for a vacation when it's hot, and it feels pretty good."

Everyone talked about walking out, consciously or unconsciously avoiding embarrassing topics.

Years ago, the Earl issued the Slavery Prohibition Decree and was the first to grant freedom to slaves on the ranches and help them return to the African continent after a long absence......

Overall

In the Red Fort's sphere of influence, the "Slavery Ban" in mainland Australia, Shangri-La and Borneo is well enforced, even if some Malayan servants or Arab concubines will not be slaves, there are always alternative solutions.

The only poorly implemented ones were the African colonies, which were caused by the peculiarities of the local situation and were characteristic of the times.

In Africa, the use of black slaves was very common, such as the private pastures of several hundred square kilometers in German East Africa, which could not be taken care of by the exhaustion of white German immigrants.

It is no secret that the "Congo Free State", to which Belgium belongs, used a large number of black slaves, and used harsh punishments such as cutting off ears, cutting off arms, and cutting off legs, and did everything in their power to exploit them cruelly.

On the vast continent of Africa, black slaves were widely used by white colonists such as Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, and Portugal, and overseas Chinese immigrants who emigrated to Africa were no exception.

In Somalia Province, there are many mercenary groups, basically everyone has a large and small farm or ranch, and there are a different number of contract workers responsible for farming and grazing, so they are very fond of capturing black people and prisoners of war.

Here, many mercenaries merge the land into larger farms, hire villagers to manage the old ones centrally, and the economic conditions are generally relatively favorable.

Otherwise, the mercenaries can't afford to buy expensive Arabian war horses, you must know that a qualified Arabian war horse, even in Xi'an Town, the starting price is more than 30 pounds, in Australia at least 80 pounds, and there are not a few thoroughbred Arabian horses that can easily cost 3500 pounds.

The reason why I am engaged in this business is that I love adventure from the bottom of my heart and is unwilling to live a life of digging in the soil.

The same is true in Mozambique, after the promulgation of the "Most Favored Land Law", a large number of Australian Chinese have moved here to set up plantations and farms, often requiring a large number of contractors to cultivate, after all, it is cheap!

Before the mechanization of agriculture was widespread, the use of a large amount of human labor was the only way to go.

Local officials turned a blind eye to this situation, and it seems that it is in the midst of a historical process in which the initial period of accumulation of capital, which was fraught with exploitation and oppression......

Xi'an-City

On the deep-water berth outside the port, there are more than a dozen ocean-going giant ships moored here and there, all of which are ships that replenish coal, oil, drinking water, food and vegetables and other supplies in Xi'an, by the way, let the crew go ashore to relax and relieve the monotonous and boring life at sea.

The ocean-going giants here are not only owned by Australia, but also ships from France, Britain, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands and other European countries, all of which use Xi'an as an important supply point for transoceanic transportation, and many materials that need to be transferred are diverted here.

On the busy Eurasian trade routes, from here to German Dar es Salaam, French Reunion, Australian Mozambique, or to Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula or the Two Rivers Basin can be a lot of supplies.

Xi'an's excellent port conditions, convenient service and warehousing facilities, desirable Chinese cuisine and abundant entertainment activities have deeply attracted ocean-going steamers on the Eurasian trade route, and have set up this place as a fixed supply point.

As a result, entrepot trade has become a new industry in Xi'an, and the shipping industry has become more and more prosperous.

It should be noted that;

Permitted trade and transportation is the shipping industry, and violating the trade ban is smuggling, especially the Persian Gulf's sea ban policy of the Ottoman Empire, which did not allow boats to go to sea, created a promising gray market.

And this ...... It is the world where Xi'an shows its strengths.

Today, Xi'an has developed into a new port city with a population of more than 178,000 people, and with the continuous arrival of migrant ships, the population is expected to reach nearly 200,000 by the end of the year, making it the coastal pearl of the Horn of Africa.

At night

The prosperity of Xi'an's 10,000 homes has become an iconic signboard on the coast of the Horn of Africa, with white sailors, Arab women, black chiefs, and Chinese immigrants everywhere on the bustling streets, brightly lit restaurants and restaurants, teahouses, the sound of silk and bamboo, and a variety of green buildings and Chu halls, bright and dark prostitution, casino gambling stalls, all the enjoyment you can think of can be found here.

Conspicuous Chinese signs mixed with English and French, a variety of European-style buildings can often be seen in the Chinese-style buildings, the city god temple is next to the church, the Taoist temple is next to the mosque, as if the product of the intersection of Chinese and Western cultures, in this land of Africa is full of strong exotic customs.

For the entire province of Somalia

Xi'an is the core of the core, in November 1888 statistics, the total population of the entire Somali province is about a little more than 390,000, of which more than 200,000 are black natives, about 190,000 Chinese immigrants, of which more than 160,000 live in Xi'an and the surrounding areas, and another important town, Mogadishu, has only more than 20,000 Chinese (including the town and surrounding plantations).

Now, Humen Town will become a new growth point for the regional economy.

A gravel road from Xi'an to Humen is under construction (currently suspended, and all black coolies have been deployed to build Humen Pass), which starts in Xi'an, passes through Assab to Ed, and finally reaches Humen Town, and is connected to Humen.

With a total length of about 410 kilometres, it is almost the most important road in Somali Province and the only intercity road of more than 30 kilometres, connecting four important towns in the northern part of Somali Province, and is built inland, essentially along the course of the Red Sea.

This gravel road will connect all Chinese ranches, plantations, and private farms along the way, and can pass through horse-drawn carriages and tractors, and will become a powerful transportation artery to promote the regional economy, and the social effect is very significant.

In the development plan of the Somali province;

In the future, it is also hoped to build a single-track railway connecting Xi'an, Assab Town, Ede Town and Humen Town, with a total length of 410 kilometers.

Before the development of Humen Town, there is no possibility of the plan being approved, and a more feasible way is to mobilize private forces to raise funds and mobilize social forces to build railways.

As the pearl of the Horn of Africa and an emerging port and trade city, Xi'an has a large number of wealthy people with a net worth of more than 10,000 pounds.

To put it mildly, among all overseas territories, Xi'an's wealth is also one of the best, and it is completely a strange flower that grows barbarically.

In the Jibuti region, with the exception of a few oases, the rest of the country is bare plateau mountains and the Gobi Desert, which have no resources other than salt, and are all dependent on the importance of the geographical location.

Xi'an, 137 kilometers from Dahanish Island, the front line of Haiphong in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, was originally a town built as a logistics support base, the climate is hot, there is nothing to want, everything except salt has to be imported, including grain and vegetables.

When the industrious Chinese immigrants arrived here, they immediately discovered the most precious resource, which was water.

Xi'an is close to the Asab River, a seasonal river with a total length of about 48 kilometers, which overflows during the rainy season and flows into the Red Sea through the city of Xi'an, before drying up completely during the dry season and bare the riverbed for up to eight months a year.

You must know that 90% of Djibouti is a desert Gobi, and having precious fresh water means that there is agriculture, life and greenery, and then there will be a bumper harvest of grain and vegetables.

Therefore, Lei Xiaopeng immediately ordered the construction of dikes and the cutting off of the river, leaving the precious fresh water in the river and not flowing into the Red Sea in vain.

In the cool season of the second year, due to the blockage of the riverbed dikes, the violent torrential rain could not flow smoothly into the Red Sea, causing the river to backflow, overflowing the riverbed and flowing into the Gobi Desert in the upper and middle reaches of the Assab River, forming a vast water basin covering an area of more than 30 square kilometers.

The arid Gobi Desert receives the full moisture of rain, grows a large area of wild grass after the evaporation of the water pool, year after year, an area of more than 30 square kilometers has been formed here, growing dense shrubs, and the artificially planted forests are also thriving, effectively reducing the humidity of Xi'an-City, and the average temperature is reduced by 3~4 degrees.

According to calculations;

After the trees are planted, this forest vegetation will be more effective in reducing the temperature in Xi'an, from an average of 35 degrees Celsius in the hot season to 29 degrees, and an average of 25 degrees in the cool season to 21 degrees, increasing the humidity in the air and making residents feel more comfortable.

Because of the construction of a dam in the river, which prevented the precious water from leaking into the Red Sea, greatly increased the river's water stock, and the water season of the Asab River increased from four months to nine and a half months, which not only solved the main drinking water problem of Xi'an, but also improved the regional climate.

Today, Xi'an is lush with trees, street trees are planted in the streets and alleys, and it is like a garden city on hot days, which is a miracle in the hot and arid East Africa.

Whether it is urban greening, street parks, tree-lined street trees or a clean environment, Colonel Lei Xiaopeng has led the construction, and his dream is to replicate the successful experience of Australia's big cities and build it into a real garden city.

In Xi'an, where a fine of £2 is imposed for cutting down a tree and 100 trees are replanted, city dwellers use honeycomb coal instead of firewood for fire, and pastures and plantations have to buy coal to make their own briquettes or make pots with straw.

It is this attitude of attaching great importance to greenery that makes Xi'an more and more beautiful, and the area of the oasis has been further expanded, improving the climate while expanding the arable land and pasture, and providing the city with enough grain, vegetables and beef and mutton products.

The success of the Assab River has greatly boosted the confidence of Somali provincial officials, and now that the flood is now in its sixth year, rain-fed trees and shrubs are growing luxuriantly, and the first plantations are already more than two meters tall and showing great vitality.

Somali provincial officials are ready to continue to build stable dikes, sluices, irrigation canals and drainage culverts along the Assab River, effectively control the overflow of flood water into the spill area, and gradually build it into a rice granary and vegetable and fruit base in Xi'an, providing the region's main and sideline food needs, and ending the history of grain imports from outside.

Next;

The plan is to divert excess flood water into the Gobi Desert farther through artificial ditches, make full use of the precious concentrated rainfall to continue to expand the area of the oasis, improve the environment, and build more fully enclosed water cellars to make full use of the water of the Assab River for the benefit of the people.