The rebellion of the Ndebele people disturbed Constantine's good mood to continue his visit to the city of Dodoma, and if it was a rebellion by the natives of other regions, then Konstantin himself would take it for granted, after all, the natives were only low-cultured, not fools, and knew how to resist.

However, East Africa has given enough face to the Ndebele people in Zimbabwe, and belongs to the Matabele plateau under the co-rule of the Ndebele people, because both East Africa and the Ndebele people are invaders to the local Shona people, who account for more than eighty percent of the population of the Matabele plateau.

Just as the British would use Indians in Africa, the East African government's intention was to use the Ndebele as Indians to support them in suppressing the local Shona tribe, and the result seems to have been to steal chickens and rice.

However, although the scale of the Ndebele rebellion was huge, it was not to be feared by the East African Kingdom, which started the military and the East African kingdom, and the total number of Ndebele was not much larger than the East African army in Zimbabwe.

It has only been forty or fifty years since its development from the Zulu Kingdom to the Matabele Plateau, and after decades of intermarriage and development with the local Shona ethnic group, the entire ethnic group plus mixed blood is at most more than 100,000 people.

For the Shona people, the Ndebele army is invincible, but the Ndebele people can't even beat the Boers, so East Africa doesn't pay much attention to the Ndebele people.

But in order to punish the Ndebele people for their ignorance, Constantine had already decided to let the Ndebele people go to eastern East Africa to dig a canal for ten years.

……

April 3, 1871.

Zhuhai Trade Zone is located in the coastal area east of Tangjia Town, Xiangshan County, Guangzhou Prefecture, on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary, across the sea from Qi'ao Island, is a treaty port set up in Xiangshan County after the establishment of diplomatic relations between East Africa and the Far East, according to the "Treaty between the East and the East".

At that time, there was no city of Zhuhai, and East Africa came here earlier than Jiaozhou, but the development was much later than Jiaozhou.

There is no special reason, in Jiaozhou, East Africa only needs to settle the local bureaucracy, and then you can act recklessly, but in Xiangshan alone it is a little difficult to level the officials, after all, the local people are well-informed, and the south is the Portuguese colony stolen by the Portuguese, and there are also British activities in the local area.

When East Africa finally frightened the Qing government into fooling the local privileges, it ran into the local powerful family, the Tang family.

Tang is a local surname, and the Tang family in Tangjiawan, Zhuhai can be traced back to 1205, when Tang Jujun and his family moved from Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong (in present-day Shaoguan) to Puchong, Xiangshan (today's Tangjiawan, Zhuhai City). And Tang Jujun, known as Shaoyao, is the ninth grandson of Tang Jie, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, and the ancestor of the Tang family in Tangjiawan.

Not to mention that the surname Tang is calling for wind and rain in the local area, it can be regarded as a true word, so that the East African government wants to work here not only to greet the officials of Xiangshan, but also to discuss with the head of the Tang family.

The Tang family is more afraid of the East African kingdom setting up a treaty port here, after all, there are lessons from the Portuguese past, and no one dares to guarantee that the East Africans will not occupy the magpie's nest.

The Tang family itself has huge energy within the Qing government, and the development of Tang compradors such as Tang Tingshu, Tang Tingzhi, Tang Tinggeng, Tang Jichang, and Tang Qiaoqing has improved the economic strength of the Tang family again, and the family property and temple property have increased sharply.

Take Tang Tingshu as an example, he is one of the representatives of the Far Eastern Western-style people, and has a very good relationship with Li Hongzhang, and his achievements include the establishment of China's first civilian enterprise, the steamship China Merchants Bureau, the establishment of the first coal mine Kaiping Mining Bureau, the establishment of the first large-scale insurance company Renji and Insurance Company, the construction of the first railway, the Tangxu Railway (Tangshan Xugezhuang), the drilling of the first oil well, and the laying of China's first telegraph line, including the famous "Report" in the modern Far East, which was also founded by him, and was the "four major compradors" of the late Qing Dynasty in the Far East"One of them.

Now Tang Tingshu is still working under the British, serving as the chief comprador of Jardine Matheson & Co., with huge assets and many investments, and he is only one of the more representative figures of the Tang family in the business world, so it is very inconvenient for the East African Consulate Xiangshan to work here.

For example, land, without the Tang family's mouth, East Africa could not buy it at all, and then the Xiangshan consulate protested to the Xiangshan County government, but they were a gang, and they kept delaying and not replying, and at the same time privately forced the local people not to have business dealings and normal exchanges with East African businessmen and officials.

So on March 7 this year, a company of the East African Kingdom was sent to Tangjiawan to land, which was the first time that the East African Kingdom sent troops to an overseas country.

Although Jiaozhou has East African armed personnel, at least nominally it is not the East African army, and East Africa also respects local officials, after all, people cooperate well, and they must always give some respect.

The dispatch of troops from East Africa to Xiangshan alarmed Mei Qizhao, the prefect of Guangzhou at the time, who came from Guangzhou to mediate the matter.

Xiangshan County Ya.

Mei Qizhao reprimanded Xiangshan Zhixian: "Look at the good things you have done? If you have to make trouble with foreigners, aren't you afraid of diplomatic accidents? ”

The magistrate of Xiangshan said: "The land is bought and sold freely, and we can't interfere, plus the people's morale, we don't have to deal with foreigners, and we don't ......want to ask too much."

Mei Qizhao: "Okay, don't quibble, I still understand the virtue of the township forces, how much benefit did you take from the Tang family?" ”

Xiangshan Zhixian: "This, the lower official is a ......"

Mei Qizhao: "Hmph! If you don't know, you can't do it unless you do. At the time of the Spring and Autumn Revolution of the current dynasty, the imperial court deliberately innovated and learned Western techniques to control the Zhuyi, and it was in need of time for peaceful development. ”

Xiangshan Zhixian: "Then according to the opinion of adults? ”

Mei Qizhao: "You will prepare a generous gift and go with me to apologize to Consul Humus, as for the Tang family, warn them not to provoke the Yi people, if there is a real conflict and cause a diplomatic incident, be careful that your black yarn hat is not protected." ”

The magistrate of Xiangshan said shamefully: "The lower official will do it." ”

……

Tangjiawan Town.

Mei Qizhao: "Consul Humus, this matter is all a misunderstanding, the local people have been deceived by the Portuguese, so there is some mistreatment of your country, I apologize to your country on behalf of the local people." ”

Humus: "Okay, this matter originally didn't want to make a big deal in our East African Kingdom, but the Tang family, as a local speaker, blocked our normal transactions everywhere, intimidated the local people, and forbade them from interacting with our merchants. ”

Mei Qizhao: "Ahem, cough, cough!" ”

The patriarch of the Tang family: "Consul Humus, this matter is completely misunderstood, all because I was no longer in the clan some time ago, and it is related to going out on business, the matter has come to this point, and the old man is also deeply ashamed, for your country's lease of land to build a port, trade and commerce, our Tang family is absolutely supportive!" ”

Humus was about to speak.

The patriarch of the Tang family suddenly threw out a check from HSBC and handed it over: "This is a little bit of our Tang family's heart, and I hope that your envoy will accept it with a smile to end the misunderstanding between the two countries." ”

Humus quietly took the check, and then said: "It doesn't matter if you misunderstand, but the matter of this land ......"

Tang Family Patriarch: "Rent, rent!" ”

After that, let someone bring a map and point to the southeast of Tangjiawan: "This is the place with the best port conditions in Tangjiawan, and we fully support your country in developing this place." ”

Humus: "Very good, Your Excellency Mei Qizhao, we also hope that the Guangzhou government can make more convenient travel in East Africa, and after the commercial shore here is built, it will absolutely guarantee the fairness of trade." ”

Mei Qizhao: "This is natural, Consul Humus, I will try to promote it to business people in Guangzhou." But Consul Humes, the misunderstanding is cleared, and your army ......"

Humus: "Don't worry, we are just acting in accordance with the treaty with your country, and naturally we will not do anything out of line, this is the spirit of the contract, and you must abide by it, otherwise it will not be good to make trouble like this time." ”

Mei Qizhao: "Definitely, definitely." ”

Under the threat of force from East Africa, the Zhuhai Trade Zone was finally securely established, mainly responsible for exporting East African industrial products and grain in the Pearl River Valley, and at the same time importing products needed by East Africa.

(End of chapter)