South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of the African Plateau, with coastal lowlands on the south, east and west sides, and heavy mountains in the north. The northern part is desert, mostly shrubland meadows or arid deserts.

Where is Africa, Gao Xi doesn't know, he just knows that starting from Jinling, with the sea ships of the Great Song Dynasty sailors all the way south, through Liuqiu, Champong, Longmen, Ceylon and other transit stations, he lost a whole circle, at least 20 catties of meat, before arriving in Africa.

All the way to the south, he first passed through Liuqiu, where it was already the Liuqiu Mansion of the Great Song Dynasty, the wind blew the rice waves, the population was prosperous, the population was more than 300,000, the newly cultivated area was more than 3 million mu, and every four or five days there was a ship of sulfur transported to eastern Zhejiang, not to mention self-sufficiency, it was already feeding back to Fujian and eastern Zhejiang.

When we arrived at Longmen, a harbor fort was being built, a castle was being built, and the streets were orderly, almost the same as Jinling City, but only the officers and soldiers of the Navy Division and their families were there, and it was a natural military port. According to the sailor generals on the ship, the Three Buddhas on the other side of the Longmen Strait were dissatisfied with the occupation of Longmen by the Great Song Dynasty sailors, but they were also dissatisfied and there was no follow-up.

When they arrived at Ceylon and Mumbai in the Indian Ocean, where they were already under the control of the Great Song Dynasty, there were still traces of war between the two places. Obviously, the Great Song Sailor had just taken over there, and the war didn't seem to be too intense.

Come to think of it, with the ships of the Great Song Dynasty Navy Division today, with many people and ships, fierce firearms, and brave and good soldiers, who can be their opponent?

Later, the two places that passed through the Arabian Peninsula and the African country of Pasharo did not need war at all, and the kings and tribal leaders of the two places readily agreed to the Song army's request to lease the land. As long as money is paid for benefits, these poor and backward small countries seem to be able to agree to anything.

It won't be long before these two places will become under the rule of the Great Song Dynasty Navy and become qualified coastal supply stations on the Maritime Silk Road.

After passing through the country of Paldala and sailing down the river for a day, they reached South Africa, where they were to go.

What South Africa was, he didn't want to know. He just knew that when he came, there were already Great Song immigrants and soldiers here. Except that it was hot at first, then the climate became suitable, warm as spring, and even snow in the mountains in winter. He was even glad that he was not sent to Boni. Although it is close to the Great Song Dynasty, and the grain is ripe three times a year, it is stuffy and hot, and he, the fat man who is most afraid of heat, can't stand it.

Since he arrived in Africa, since he landed, he has not been idle, every day except work is work, it seems that there is no end, his body is much slimmer, and he no longer seems to be so afraid of heat.

As for the things that are planted, in addition to wheat, rice, beans, turnips, and herbs brought from the Great Song Dynasty, there are also local wheat plants. South Africa's coastal plain has a humid climate, warm and rainy climate, and wheat and rice should not be well adapted, with rice growing twice to three times a year, and the prospect is worth looking forward to.

On the hillside to the north, there was a terrible cry as the Song soldiers hunted a pig-like animal with stubby limbs and long spines on its back. Because this animal eats wild fruits and has delicious meat juice, it is very popular among Song soldiers and immigrants.

As for the fruits grown, they are diverse, apples, pears, peaches and apricots are mainly in the southwest of South Africa, and the northeast is plain, rich in citrus and vegetables. The hot and rainy coastal areas are planted with sugar cane and citrus.

Immigrating to South Africa, planting "experts" also grow grains and fruits and vegetables according to experience, and no one dares to guarantee how much they can survive. However, even South Africa's native planting and hunting were enough food for soldiers and immigrants.

Not to mention, in addition to the Great Song Dynasty sailors going south to transport grain supplies, they can also buy grain from nearby countries such as Dashi and Egypt.

On the endless grassland, beside an unknown east-west river, piled with wood, row by row, column, full of corpses of young Song Dynasty sailors, with the sound of "salute", all the Great Song Dynasty soldiers saluted together, the raging fire burned, and rose to the sky.

All the prisoners and immigrants working on the plains straightened up, many with solemn faces, and some involuntarily learned to salute in the direction of the fire in silence.

Gao Xi also raised his hand and saluted gently.

The bodies of these burned soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty were killed in an accident when the warship passed through the Cape of the Storm. It was heard that out of ten ships, only six passed, and the other four were sunk. Most of the bodies of the victims could not be found, and the generals of the Great Song Navy had to order the temporary suspension of the crossing.

"Let's all get to work!"

After a moment of silence, Bai Jiarong and Wu Hongwen in the crowd shouted one after another.

As a highly respected representative of the immigrants, Bai Jiarong was appointed as the village chief of the "23rd" Zhutun Village, overseeing the village affairs of the "23rd" village.

As for the prisoners of these "labor camps", they fell within the scope of the overall arrangement of the military officer Wu Hongwen. Building houses, cultivating wasteland, digging wells and ditches are all within his purview.

30,000 prisoners, 20,000 immigrants, and 50,000 colonies who arrived in Africa began life in the New World.

"Brother Gao, how long are we going to stay here?"

Cao Chun, who was on the side, asked in a low voice while working.

As a criminal official who was about to be killed, he was finally sentenced to life and sentenced to serve a prison sentence, no one knows how he will spend the rest of his life?

"I don't know, look at the grace of the court."

Gao Xi didn't raise his head, and replied softly while working.

From being beheaded to being exiled to Africa, when the dust finally settled, he was relieved.

Isn't it just work, where is it not work, not to mention that this place has a good climate.

"When will we be able to plant such a big place? If you are tired and tired every day, it is better to die! ”

Cao Chun complained angrily.

"You're going to die yourself, don't pull me."

Gao Xi's face was flat, and his face was full of seriousness.

"I still have my wife and children, I do this well, I will be released from prison early, or I can go back to see my family in the middle. I have to live for them. ”

"Brother Gao, you are good, and you have a family. I had already run away with someone else. I have a brother, and I don't know what happened now. ”

Cao Chun recalled the past and sighed with emotion.

"Brother, you are still young, it is better to die than to live. It's not bad now, although I am tired from working every day, but I am steady, and I can sleep well. This place is good, with mountains and rivers, and the climate is good. Think of it as a move, a little farther away. ”

The two get along well, and they persuade Cao Chun with high preferences.

"Brother, that's all I have to do now. I can't escape, I accept my fate! ”

Cao Chun sighed and continued to work.

Now, when he is in a foreign country and is not familiar with life, does he still have a choice?

"You don't have to sigh. I've heard that the Imperial Court will continue to emigrate here. Our tens of thousands of people are just taking the lead, and more immigrants will come later. It won't take three or five years, and there will be more people at that time, and there will be restaurants and teahouses, which is not the same as in the Great Song Dynasty. Anyway, you don't have anything to worry about in the Great Song Dynasty, and when the time comes, you may be able to find a girl, start a family, and live the rest of your life well. ”

Gao Xi laughed as he spoke.

"Is that really the case?"

Cao Chun was also excited.

"Brother Gao, you mean that the imperial court will continue to emigrate here?"

"Didn't you read the newspaper, it all said that the imperial court will continue to immigrate, and it will continue to last."

"The emperor is ambitious, wise and martial, what does he do, how can he be anticlimactic? I heard from those officers that the imperial court might have to move millions, or even tens of millions, out of the country, and send officials to take charge of it. Think about it, will it be a lot more lively then? ”

Although he was dismissed from his post by the Anti-Corruption Department and sent to Africa, Gao Xi is still in awe of the current emperor of the Great Song Dynasty.

Although it is said that people's hearts are selfish, it is rare to punish corrupt emperors who love the people like children in this way, after all, after all, many big tigers have been beaten down.

For example, among the prisoners exiled to Africa, there were many officials.

"But we are prisoners, how can we be the same as ordinary people?"

Cao Chun was already a little moved, but he was still unconvinced.

"Prisoners? Is it locked up or locked up now? Behave well, and perhaps soon you will be pardoned. After all, we didn't kill people and set fires, and we are not heinous. Besides, I think it's nice to live on the farm, it's no different from the outside. ”

Gao Xi looked at the officer who was supervising the work in the distance, and when he was tired, he drank saliva and rested, and no one cared about them.

There is one day off in seven days, cooking by yourself, eating and drinking. If this is in the Great Song Dynasty, how can there be such a good day?

"Brother Gao, you're right, I listen to you! Still, I wanted to get out early. ”

Cao Chun nodded, finally accepting the reality in front of him.

"Dad, this is too much work, how long will it take?"

On a field, Bai Shaogang was complaining while turning over the ground.

"Come out to earn money, are you still afraid of being tired? If you don't go to school well, you can't even get into a water master school. Who is to blame for this? ”

Bai Hongwen smiled, and the work at hand did not stop.

"Dad, don't be sarcastic about me, I'm not the material for school!"

Bai Shaogang was weak-hearted, and his mouth was still quibbling.

He just didn't like to go to school, and now that he thinks about it, he really regrets it. Whether it is Jinling Lecture Hall, Jinling Normal School, or Great Song Water Master School, if you can get one, you don't need to come to Africa, which is thousands of miles away.

"So, you're going to have to suffer. Our Bai family has no power or power, and if we don't come out to make a splash, we can only nest on those few acres of dry land, and we can't eat enough and dress warmly. Do you still want to live that kind of life? ”

"Dad, how much can our family earn a year if we work so hard?"

Bai Shaogang couldn't help but ask.

"Counting it, after eating, wearing, and excluding, there are probably one or two hundred times."

Bai Hongwen glanced at his son. This kid, why did you ask about this, it couldn't be that you want to go back again, right?

"It's only one or two hundred! So little? How long will that last? ”

Sure enough, the son complained stupidly.

"Are you too little? If it is in the Great Song Dynasty, our family of six can eat half full without arrears! ”

Bai Hongwen pointed to the bank of the river on the slope in the distance, where several small boats were docking, and the local natives, who were naked and dark, were carrying baskets of fish of all sizes ashore in exchange for rice and salt in the hands of the Song army.

"See, the boat is full of fish, and when the time comes, I can always eat meat several times a month. Sometimes I stay in Fujian, don't even think about it! ”

"Those people don't wear clothes and aren't ashamed? They don't wear clothes, aren't they cold? ”

Seeing that the indigenous woman only covered her lower body with tree bark, the white wife blushed and quickly turned her head.

Naked in broad daylight, no shame or irritability. After all, his own son is right next to him.

"That's the local custom. Besides, they don't know how to weave clothes, so what do they wear? ”

Bai Hongwen shook his head. Sometimes, he would also take two rooms and exchange some of the prey they had brought with these local pigs, such as antelope and bison.

The climate here is now suitable, warm as spring. And his homeland, the Great Song Dynasty, is probably the cold spring.

"Dad, what if I want to go back? I'm nineteen, can't I even have a daughter-in-law? ”

Bai Shaogang muttered.

A young man of his age is difficult to endure loneliness after all.

"If you want to go back, you have to work for five years. You'll have to earn enough money to pay for the boat back! You'll only be 24 in 5 years, and it's not too late to go back and get married. ”

Although a 15-year-old man in the Song Dynasty can get married, it is a matter for rich and noble families, and it is not uncommon for poor families to get married at 244. It was not too late for the son to get married at that time.

"Five years? How long will that have to wait? ”

Father's words made Bai Shaogang dumbfounded.

"Gang'er, you don't have to worry. I heard that the government will continue to immigrate, asking for millions. Maybe by next year, there will be more good-looking women here. When the time comes, you can't pick one! ”

The white wife persuaded her son on the side.

"Really?"

Bai Shaogang was stunned, and then there was a smile in his eyes.

"Mother can still lie to you? You have to work hard and earn some possessions first. Otherwise, those women won't take a fancy to you. ”

She looked into the distance and suddenly screamed.

"Gang'er, his father, you see, another batch of immigrants has arrived!"

The Bai father and son looked into the distance together, and sure enough, on the hillside in the distance, many people came into view, including the Great Song soldiers with guns and knives, and the ordinary people dressed up by the Song people and dragged their families.

As bags of grain were unloaded from the ship, the migrants began to transport the grain, with great joy.

A group of Great Song Dynasty officials and soldiers fought horses to meet them, and the two sides quickly merged together, and the Great Song cavalry on those horses raised their swords and guns, cheering, and everyone was excited.

"What are they yelling about?"

When they got closer, Bai Hongwen grabbed a fellow villager who came over to greet him and asked.

"Ah Huang, what are those people shouting?"

"Uncle Bai, it's a great event. The official army of the Great Song Dynasty repelled the Tatar army in the northwest and had already occupied the entire Hexi! ”

Ah Huang's face glowed red, and he jumped away.

"My Great Song!"

Bai Hongwen looked at the cheering crowd by the river, his eyes were moist, and he muttered in his mouth.

"General Hu, the second batch of 30,000 immigrants has arrived!"

The sergeant came over on horseback and reported to Hu Xian on the high slope.

Hu Xian nodded, as a graduate of the first phase of the Sailors Department of Jinling Jiangwutang, he was less than 25 years old, but he was already the person in charge of African reclamation, responsible for protecting the entire African Song people's reclamation land.

"The house has already been arranged, right? There's no problem with food, right? ”

"Back to the general, the house is ready, and there is no problem with food!"

With a huge South Africa, so much land, such a long coastline, wheat, rice, fish and animals, it should not be a problem to supply the diet of tens of thousands of people in a short period of time.

"General, about 100 miles to the northwest, the locals all wear gold jewelry. The general asked someone about it, and said that it was the local mountain gold, and there was a lot of it. However, the locals are not very good at metallurgy, and the mining equipment is not good, so the amount of mining is very small. ”

"General, our craftsmen have discovered iron ore about 200 miles to the west, and the whole mountain is there! The craftsman said that it should be enough for us to mine for more than a few decades. ”

"Let's go, let's go check it out first!"

Hu Xian's spirits lifted and he beat his horse down the hill.

The geography book says that South Africa is rich in gold and rich in coal and iron, and it is true. I heard that five or six hundred miles to the west are full of volcanoes, and there are many sulfur mines. Perhaps in less than a year and a half, South Africa will be another firearms manufacturing base of the Great Song Dynasty.

The New World is indeed full of hope!