On July 14, 1730, a traditional three-masted sailing ship sailed slowly down the wide St. Lawrence River, passing no French farms and towns along the way, heading straight for its final destination, Quebec.

"The valleys on both sides of the river are the most populous of the New French Territory, estimated at 15,000 to 18,000 people, almost more than half of the population of the entire territory." An Acadian guide pointed to the farms and cottages on both sides of the river, with a bit of pride and yearning on his face, "These farms have been built little by little for more than 100 years in the Lunar Calendar. Indentured farmers become farmers after their three-year term, usually running a tenant farm, which is enough to feed the entire family. The farm plots, like the manor lands, are arranged vertically and narrowly with the surrounding rivers to facilitate farming and waterway transportation. ”

"The banks of the St. Lawrence River that Your Excellency Lord now see are almost idyllic in our native France. Throughout the New French Territory, bread was the main food of the peasants, and wheat was naturally the basic food crop in the territory. Since the early days of King Louis XIV of France (1650), the inhabitants of the New French Territory were no longer dependent on the food supply of mainland France. It is inconceivable that, in New France, apart from the occasional war and disturbances, the price of bread has been declining for more than seventy years, and the life of the peasants has been completely stabilized. ”

However, because the entire territory was far from the European market, it was dependent on food and clothing, and every farm and estate had a vegetable garden and raised livestock to sustain a small amount of meat, milk and eggs. From simple utensils, wool thread, linen to leather shoes, they are all homegrown. However, farmers in the New French territories generally eat better than those in most European countries. ”

"Knowing etiquette and etiquette, presumably the culture and education in the territory of New France are also extremely prosperous, right?" Qi Zehuai looked at the contiguous farms and manors on both sides of the strait with some envy, and then thought of Chenzhou, which was still in the difficult stage of development, and couldn't help but lose a little confidence.

At the behest of his father, he sent an envoy to Quebec to meet with the governor of the new French colony, and took the initiative to show goodwill to the French for Chenzhou to have a peaceful and stable development environment, and looked forward to communicating with them and communicating with them.

But looking at the prosperity of the people, with their own food surplus, their fur business prosperous, and the stability of their inhabitants, they rushed over by themselves, fearing that they would be despised and ignored by the French.

Not to mention, in Qingchuan and Changxing Island, there are still many French descendants, and in the process of handling the relationship between the two sides, I am afraid that there will be complications and a little more constraints.

"Your Excellency, when it comes to culture and education in the territory of New France, it is also a sigh." The Acadia guide hesitated for a moment, but felt that it was better to tell the truth, "In the territory, although the life of the peasants is fully guaranteed, the daily work is still very hard, the farm requires the whole family to work together, there is no clear division of labor in the family, the women generally take care of the farm with the men, and the children also work with their parents in the fields." In this way, it is impossible for them to receive more education. So, there is a very sad phenomenon that the descendants of these immigrants are often not more educated than their parents, that ...... There were very many illiterates in that village. Well, it could be ninety percent. Oh God, that's too much to accept. Even, some young immigrants could not spell the letters of the Kingdom of France accurately! ”

"Huh?!" Qi Zehuai couldn't help but be surprised when he heard the words relayed by the translator next to him.

So, a few months ago, we in Chenzhou announced that all children in the domain, regardless of race, gender or gender, would be enrolled in the primary and secondary schools under preparation.

A few months earlier, Chenzhou had relied on the deterrence of more than 200 heavily armed Irish troops to strike several agreements with the local Arcadia estate owners and merchants in favor of the colonial government.

Crucially, all local Acadians had to pay a tax of 10 percent for agriculture and 12 percent for commerce to meet the basic day-to-day operational and defense needs of the colonial government.

As for the stamp duty, business tax, income tax and many other taxes that are commonly used in the local area, they will not be levied for the time being, considering the withered and weak economic foundation of the entire Chenzhou area.

In addition, King Chen promised that as long as the local Acadians swore allegiance and undertook military service, he would establish an imperial court institution and recruit a large number of local prestige and fair moral personnel to serve as academicians to advise on the development of Chenzhou and participate in politics together.

In order to ensure Chenzhou's centripetal force and sense of belonging, King Chen also announced the implementation of a four-year free compulsory education in the domain, and all school-age children must be enrolled in school and receive Chinese language instruction. If there are children with excellent qualifications and spare time to learn, the colonial government of Chenzhou can recommend them to Xuanzhou or Qianzhou Senior Schools, or universities for further "further study".

Of course, in order to avoid ethnic conflicts, and to appease the local people, Chenzhou did not ban the use of French and English. However, official documents should be mainly written in Chinese, supplemented by English and French.

Compulsory education in Qi has been implemented for more than 90 years, and the unified country, unified nation, and unified writing have long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

In society, if you can study hard and study hard, although you can't guarantee great wealth, it is definitely the best way to change your own class.

Therefore, both the cabinet government and the common people still attach great importance to education. Every family gives birth to a bunch of children, and parents always have to do everything they can to provide for one or more children who can read in order to achieve a leap in class.

Whether it is passing a government exam, becoming a scribe, and then progressing to a higher level of office, or entering a large company or factory, and getting good treatment, can greatly change the situation of oneself and the whole family.

In order to strengthen the local centripetal force and sense of belonging, many overseas colonial territories naturally want to conduct large-scale education, learn Chinese, learn Chinese customs, and cultivate Chinese civilization.

Needless to say, there are not only complete free and compulsory education, but also universities jointly built by the government and local governments to cultivate high-level talents for the local area, even remote colonial territories such as India, Bangladesh, Qianzhou, Yinzhou, and Haizhou, which are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Overseas Colonial Affairs, will also implement Sinicization education in the control areas as much as possible, and implant the Qi civilization in them to reduce the resistance of colonial rule.

The South American Qingguo, the domestic ethnic composition is so complex, there are European Zhuyi, there are South Pacific natives, and there are many wild and untamable Indian aborigines, their government is also sparing no effort to promote Sinicization education, trying to use the powerful Chinese civilization to mix the various ethnic groups together as much as possible to form a national centripetal force.

Chen Wang, who wanted to make a difference in Chenzhou, naturally could not ignore the power of local education, and among the three batches of local recruits, in addition to a large number of managers, craftsmen and farmers, there were also more than 30 valuable subject teachers.

These teachers will be the founders of Chenzhou's future development, and they will also be the key force to spread the civilization of Qi and unite the hearts of the Han family.

——

July 22, Quebec.

As the capital of the colony of New France, Quebec was the most spectacular and oldest city in the entire colony, and its population more than doubled from about 2,000 in 1700 to more than 4,000 in 1730.

In 1710, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the New Englanders attacked Quebec on two fronts after conquering Arcadia, but its natural barrier once again caused the English to suffer a humiliating defeat. In August 1711, seven ships led by Admiral Hovedon Walker of England were sunk by the French on the northern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

During that war, a series of fortresses were built across the land border, which had submerged the landmarks erected by Champlain, the founder of Quebec City, and even his burial ground.

The natural ramparts on top of the cliffs at Cape Diamond remain the main barrier of the city. The monumental buildings that stand in St. Louisburg are the official residences of the colonial governors and dignitaries, as well as churches, seminaries, convents or the main palace hospital, where officers, royalty, priests and nuns travel, on foot, on horseback or in carriages.

In the lower part of the city there were docks, where merchant ships docked, barges docked, and docks, warehouses, and commercial areas, where merchants, bookkeepers, and sailors gathered to unload and store goods in and out of the colony.

Two or three storeys of sturdy stone buildings line the narrow streets. There were four-wheeled carriages on the streets, and ladies and ladies with servants and slaves went in and out of the shops.

There is no running water, no paved streets, and no public lighting in Quebec, but the city still has a strong commercial atmosphere.

The French crown discouraged the development of manufacturing in the colonies, making it almost impossible for the towns of the new French colonies to provide workers with opportunities for subsistence and employment, while the townspeople studied and engaged in trade, medicine, and trade.

Quebec and Montreal, on the upper reaches of the St. Lawrence River, were home to the territory's major colonial governments and trading institutions, as well as royal officials, military officers, and church figures. The upper classes of the colonies were ubiquitous in both cities, and together with their families, the population of the cities accounted for about 40 percent.

There was another lower class in Quebec City, the soldiers who were recruited from mainland France to guard the town. They were stationed among the townspeople or in close proximity to the rural peasants, and were often used as wage labour in peacetime.

If you are lucky enough to visit their barracks, you will find that these hundreds of so-called professional soldiers have unusually loose military discipline and often have a bad habit of stealing and drinking. Some of their soldiers would settle down after being discharged from the army by marrying a local maid and thus integrating into the colony.

Despite the social disparities, aristocrats, merchants, and artisans lived together in overpopulated towns. All three types of families use servants, with more female than male servants, most of whom were born in the colonies of New France, and some male servants were recruited from mainland France.

In the residence of the governor of New France, a strong atmosphere of sorrow permeated all the rooms, and dozens of servants inhaled intently, not daring to make any great noise, lest they disturb their master, who was in grief and pain.

The fifth son of Charles de La Beauische, Marquis de Boische, was called by God last night to ascend to heaven and bid farewell to his parents for good.

The Marquise de Boanouis fainted in grief for a time, causing the Governor and many of the officials and ladies present to be nervous. Fortunately, Father Rivado's emergency rescue allowed the Marquise to slowly wake up, but the whole person appeared weak and deeply indulged in the pain of losing her son.

Yes, in the territory of New France, the infant mortality rate is very high, it may be because of crowded living conditions, or it may be disease, whether it is an ordinary commoner, or an official or a noble family, all babies are extremely fair in the face of death, and less than half of the newborn babies live to the age of four or five in good health.

Therefore, compared with the grief-stricken Marquise, the Marquis de Beauanoy only felt a slight regret for the early death of the child, but he was not too sad and sad.

This is probably God's will.

"What's the movement of that little prince of Qi from Arcadia?" The Marquis de Boanuanoy, the Governor, waved his hand and let the two servants out of the room, then turned to look at his councillor.

"Qi people?" François Vigolot, the councillor of the governor's palace, was stunned for a moment, and then replied with a smile: "In addition to visiting the city, those Qi people also rode around the estates and farms near Quebec in horse-drawn carriages, and even attended several banquets invited by the local lord of the estate. Well, they seem to have taken the visit as a tour, and they enjoyed the leisure and pleasure very much. ”

"Oh......" The Marquis of Boanouis glanced at the other party deeply, shook his head imperceptibly, and continued to ask: "What do you think of the proposal put forward by the Qi people to make friends between the two sides and exchange trade?" ”

"Your Excellency the Governor, I think you should agree to the request of the Qi people." "In North America, our greatest enemy will always be the English," said Vigollo. In the more than 100 years since we colonized the Americas, there have been constant conflicts and wars between us and the English, and even Quebec has been attacked by the English several times. In the Great Lakes, in Ohio, in the Appalachian Mountains, in Hudson's Bay, we all have irreconcilable contradictions and feuds with the English. So, no matter what, we all need Qi people to be on our side. ”

"A month ago, the Qi people built a military stronghold in Amherst, near the Isthmus of Chinakto." The Marquis de Boanouis whispered, "What is their intention? ”

Four months earlier, the French had clearly demarcated the border with the Qi people in the Arcadia region, and the two sides continued to use the Chiplet Isthmus of the former Anglo-French period as the boundary, pledging each other that they would not cross the border to settle land.

Who knows, as soon as the border line was demarcated, the Qi people built a military base in Amherst near the border, stationed dozens of soldiers, and recruited many immigrants to settle there.

What does this mean?

"Oh, that's right." Hearing this, Bigolo smiled and said, "The Qi people have discovered a coal mine with relatively rich reserves in Amherst, so they will send dozens of soldiers and immigrants to settle here and cultivate crops. A few days ago, the Qi people also tactfully asked us if we could recruit some indigenous coolies to go to Amherst to dig coal mines. They also tried their best to sell us coal in the hope that they could sell this ore fuel to us in Quebec. ”

"Do you have any reasonable explanation for the fact that the Qi people collect fishing taxes from us French fishermen on the island of Newfoundland?" The Marquis de Boananoy nodded, and asked another question.

The Qi people explained that they had no money to sustain Newfoundland's colonial activities and defense requirements. That's why they collect a fishing tax from all fishermen who go to Newfoundland. Well, yes, they don't just tax us French fishermen, they also tax the English and fishermen from other European countries. ”

"Then do you think that the colonization activities of the Qi people in Arcadia and Newfoundland will endanger the security of our New French territory?" The Marquis of Boanouis asked with some concern: "In the past ten years, the Qi people have been sending people from the west to explore the Louisiana region, and they have even set up several trading posts at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, just a step away from the Missouri River. Also, if the Qi people are allowed to gain a foothold in Arcadia, will they unite with England to challenge us? ”

"Your Excellency the Governor, the homeland of the Qi people is tens of thousands of miles away from Arcadia, and it is not easy to gain a foothold." Bigolo thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "I always thought that the only people who could pose a threat to our New French territory were the English. As for the Qi people, although they sent expeditions to the West from time to time and into Louisiana and the Great Lakes, I think they probably had the same purpose as we did, which was the lucrative fur trade. It is reported that the current colonization scope of the Qi people in the west is limited to the Pacific coast. The towering and rugged Rocky Mountains will be a natural barrier for both of us, preventing the Qi people from expanding eastward. ”

"So, at the moment, for us, the Qi people should be a powerful arm that can help us contain and deal with the threat of the English. Your Excellency the Governor, we may sit down with the Qi people and have a good talk, and if not if we cannot establish some kind of alliance of mutual military assistance, we must form a delicate posture of cooperation, so that we can stand by our side at the right time in the event of a conflict with the English. ”

(End of chapter)