"Did you hear that? Half a month ago, the Qi people discovered a coal mine near the Chyneketto Isthmus. ”

On May 28, 1730, a group of Arcadian (of French descent) farmers and merchants were holding a grand banquet at a manor house outside the city of Royal (present-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia).

There are wines and champagnes from mainland France, mead from Saint-Domingue (rum), and sorghum and rice wine from the Qishan Islands (present-day Canary Islands). The food is also extraordinarily rich, with local cod from the Gulf of Newfoundland, steaks from the New England region, canned whales brought in by the Qi people, and even oysters from Europe.

Most of the guests at the banquet were dressed in the luxurious costumes that were popular in France, and both men and women tried their best to dress themselves up as noble and elegant, humble and polite to each other, like real French aristocrats.

The hall is richly decorated with frescoes depicting relief images from the Greek and Roman periods, decorating the entire hall. Through the milky white curtains of the windows, the flavors and colors of the dishes and dishes are displayed to the outside showing a very exciting visual feast.

Bruno Le Maire took a sip of champagne with a glass of wine, shook his head with a sneering look on his face and said: "Since the Qi people came here two years ago, they have been wandering around the whole Nova Scotia region, hoping to find precious deposits such as gold or silver. However, for so long, almost nothing. Now that they have finally found a coal mine, it can be regarded as a source of consolation, and most of them will be very excited about this black and dirty deposit! ”

"Although the value of coal mines is far less than that of gold and silver mines, it still has a high investment value for the time being." Sebastien Lecorny, a fisherman from Newfoundland, has a different view: "With the diffusion of steamship technology in Qi, European countries will definitely compete to develop and imitate similar steamships for maritime transportation." After all, this kind of steamship can completely get rid of the constraints of monsoons and ocean currents, and there is no need to wait for the most suitable weather to go to sea, and over the course of a year, the transportation efficiency is definitely much higher than that of a traditional sailboat. And, I think the large-scale use of steamships is great news for us to ship cod caught from Newfoundland's fisheries to Europe in a timely manner. Yes, we can sell more cod all year round, regardless of the season, and thus increase our profits. ”

"Le Corny has a point." Olivier Dissoput nodded and said, "It is said that in winter, burning coal is much more durable than burning wood, and there is no need to add firewood at night, so you can sleep soundly all night." Oh, by the way, how did the people of Qi be so lucky to be able to find a coal mine near the Isthmus of China. ”

"Since August last year, His Royal Highness the newly arrived Prince of Qi has wanted to draw a clear boundary line with our Acadia region in northern France, and the two sides have been exploring and surveying near the Isthmus of Chinan for several months. It may have been at that time that the people of Qi accidentally took the shit luck and discovered the coal mine. As you know, after the Qi people came, they sent many prospecting craftsmen and surveyors to explore and survey the entire Scotia area. Oh, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi probably wants to find out how many families there are in his territory. ”

"Speaking of that Prince of Qi, I have a strong feeling that he seems to lack obvious trust in our locals." Bruno Le Maire placed his wine glass on the table and said with a serious expression: "In the past two years, he has rarely been in contact with us for the past two years, except when he has just arrived in Royal, met with us and held a welcome feast together. It was heard that he also wanted to move the administrative center to the southeast coast of the peninsula, where he was going to build a new city and port. ”

"The people of Qi are at an absolute numerical disadvantage, both on Newfoundland and in Nova Scotia." Sebastien Lecorny said with a smile: "It may be for this reason that His Royal Highness the Prince has a strong sense of insecurity. Oh, how many people are there in the Qi country? Four hundred? Or five hundred? You know, in the city of Royal alone, there are more than 1,000 of us French, and if you count the whole of Arcadia, and New France, it is estimated that there are 20,000 or 30,000 people. In this situation, if I were from Qi country, I would also feel scared. ”

"That's right, on the entire east coast of North America, in addition to us French, there are also English and Spaniards. The Qi people are here, belonging to an absolute minority, and even more so in Nova Scotia. In the future, His Royal Highness the Prince must consult us if he wants to issue the necessary decrees. Therefore, I strongly urge that the interests of our French people be fully protected by the establishment of a parliament in the Scotia region. ”

During the reign of Louis XIV, the population size of New France, a North American territory of France, had a period of rapid growth, especially in 1663-1673, when the French government encouraged immigration, it also recruited a large number of "daughters of kings" in mainland France, and all eligible single women who accepted the royal conditions to come to New France to marry a single man in the colony would receive a dowry of 30 livres (equivalent to 2/3 of the annual salary of an indentured laborer) given by the royal family.

Although the recruitment of the "daughters of kings" was halted in 1673 due to the financial constraints of the war, nearly 800 women came to the French North American territory and made an indelible contribution to the development of the region.

By 1725, the entire New French Territory had about 32,000 French settlers, and although it was not as powerful as the thriving British North American Territory in the vast and sparsely populated North American continent, it was definitely a very powerful force in front of the newcomers.

More than 20 years ago, in the Treaty of Utrecht, the French were forced to cede Newfoundland and Arcadia to England, and the exclusive rights to the Hudson Bay coast, including access from Lake Superior to the northern waters, were ceded to the Hudson's Bay Company of England, and the French were evacuated from all posts along the coast.

With the loss of Arcadia, France suffered the most, because the English navy was stronger than the French, and if England turned Arcadia into a forward base for attack, the whole of New France would face the threat of the English navy. Therefore, after the war, the French devoted themselves to the management of the island of Royal (now Cape Breton), building Fort Louisville at the easternmost point of the island to replace the original port of Royal in Arcadia, in an attempt to defend against the attack of the English navy from Nova Scotia.

In the early days, the English who ruled the Acadians thought they would accept the rule and did not take drastic action or expel them from Novoskesh, so both the ruler and the ruled were careful to keep the peace. After more than ten years of peaceful and stable development, the former French settlements prospered rapidly under the wing of foreign races, and the population increased from 2,000 in 1700 to more than 6,000 in 1726.

Although these Acadians of French descent became colonies of England, they were able to adapt quickly to foreign rule, and even to the point of having a good deal with both the English colonies and the New French territories.

Without the exploitation and military service of the former French colonial governors and lords, and without the interference of the English, these French descendants did not even have to pay taxes, and with the comfort of Catholicism, the Arcadians relied on embankments to defend against the tides of the Bay of Fundy, and lived a leisurely and comfortable life in the rich land.

However, the world is unpredictable, four years ago, the English and Qi broke out in a war, but they were defeated by a 10,000-mile expedition, the navy suffered heavy losses, the mainland was blocked, and finally had to be aggrieved and sued for peace.

The English did not hesitate to throw Novoskische and Newfoundland to Qi in exchange for an early end to the war.

The sudden change of the king's banner at the head of the city made the Acadians of Nova Scotia a a little confused, and they didn't know what kind of mentality and actions to use to deal with this situation for a while.

In just over a decade, the land they live in has changed hands three times, and the ruler is an Oriental who has a very different religion and culture from the European continent.

When His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi came to Royal, he announced to them that Novoskhe and Newfoundland were his fiefdoms, and that, by the Emperor's edict, they had been renamed Chenzhou, and that all the Arcadians would be his subjects.

The Arcadians did not object to this, and since the Qi people were able to defeat the powerful English, they rightfully enjoyed the right to rule the land.

However, the Arcadians tactfully asked the prince of Qi to come and not change everything here, and to allow all the inhabitants to continue to maintain the right to self-government, not to pay taxes, not to submit to labor, and not to bear the obligation of military service in war.

You know, when the English ruled the area, they never asked the local Acadians to take on the duties and responsibilities of the state.

The prince of Qi was noncommittal to this request, saying that he needed to be familiar with the specific situation in the local area before he could give a formal answer.

As a result, two years had passed, and the Qi people seemed to have forgotten about them as Arcadians, and had neither asked them to pay tribute, nor had they been requisitioned to build new palaces and castles. Even the land and properties they own have not been re-registered.

In addition to the more than 60 people who followed His Royal Highness the Prince here, the Qi people later arrived in two groups of immigrants one after another, including scholars, craftsmen, soldiers, and farmers, and no one paid attention to the specific number.

Because, most of the lands granted to these people by the prince of Qi were borderless lands located in the southwest and southeast regions, and they did not encroach on the lands of the local Acadians.

In this regard, the Arcadians were not only pleased, but also a little cautious.

In the Novosqueja region, we Acadians are in an absolute advantage in numbers, so can we be given more power to manage local affairs?

Otherwise, the increasing number of immigrants from Qi will inevitably suppress their locals and even encroach on their legitimate interests.

When the English ruled the region, they repeatedly asked the Acadians to swear allegiance to the British king, but they refused to do so, saying that they would maintain a strict position of neutrality in the event of a conflict between England and France.

The English could rely on their strength in North America to somewhat deprive them of the Acadians of their attempts to intervene in the center of power.

However, if you weak Qi people want to rule this place firmly, shouldn't you rely on us?

"Gentlemen, I just received a message from the docks." Just as the group was discussing whether to put pressure on His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi to force him to establish a local council, and the Arcadians and Qi people would jointly decide the major policies of the affairs of the region, a merchant hurriedly came to the banquet hall and informed everyone of a very unexpected news, "A Qi merchant ship has come to the port, and a small army has been transported, numbering about two hundred and sixty people. ”

"Huh?" Everyone was in an uproar, and they all showed shocked expressions, "Is it the army from the Qi country?" ”

"No, it doesn't seem to be the Qi army." The merchant shook his head and said, "It's the Irish!" A group of heavily armed Irish troops. ”

"Irish? …… How did Ireland's army come here? ”

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid you've forgotten one thing." Bruno Le Maire's face was gloomy, "The Qi people helped the Irish to build an independent state, and also gave a lot of assistance and support from political, military, economic and other aspects. The Irish have become the most loyal followers of the Qi people. I suspect that this Irish army must have been sent at the request of His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi. ”

"Why did he ask for an army to be sent to Royal?"

"Because, the people of Qi want to rely on force to completely subdue all our locals. …… Oh God, he wants to take full control of Royal, and then all of Neosqueshe. ”

"Will he ask us to pay taxes?"

"Will he confiscate our land?"

“…… Will he expel all of us from Neoskesha and turn it into a world for their Qi people? ”

"Oh God, how do we need to respond? Do you want to send a message to Quebec, asking His Excellency the Governor of New France to put a little pressure on the Qi people? ”

“……”

"All right, gentlemen, we don't need to be too nervous." Bruno Le Maire exclaimed: "The mobilization of troops from Ireland to Royale does not necessarily mean harsh actions against all of us. I believe that the purpose of the Qi people should be to show our submission to their rule through a show of force. …… Oh, of course, we may suffer a little loss of financial gain. But I don't think they dare to push us to the end of the road. Not to mention that we have thousands of local inhabitants in the entire Neuesco, far outnumbering the Qi people, even the entire New French territory, and even our French kingdom, will not watch us be humiliated or mistreated under the rule of the Qi people. ”

"Therefore, we still have room to bargain with the Qi people. The premise, of course, is that we all must join forces and speak our common voice. ”

(End of chapter)