August 9, 1730, Qingchuan, Wanqiu Fort (now Halifax, capital of the province of Nova Skustia, Canada).

Chen State, is the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period of a concubine surname vassal state, is the descendant of Emperor Shun, one of the three Ke and the Spring and Autumn Twelve princes, built in Wanqiu, the largest jurisdiction of the time up to 14 yi, from 1046 BC to the end of 478 BC Chen Yu Gong was killed by King Chu Hui, Chen Guo has a total of 25 generations, Guozuo 568 years.

It is rumored that the capital city of Chen is Wanqiu, the city wall is tall, guarded by a moat, and the terrain is low in the center and high in all directions. There is a poem "Chen Feng Wanqiu" in "The Book of Songs: National Style" that describes his topography:

"The soup of the son is like a hill. Xun is affectionate, but hopeless.

Kanqi beats the drum, under Wanqiu. There is no winter and no summer, and it is worth its heron feathers.

Kanqi strikes, the way of Wanqiu. There is no winter and no summer, and it is worth its heron. ”

However, the newly built Wanqiu Fort in Chenzhou is completely different from the Wanqiu City of the ancient Chen Kingdom that has been submerged in the dust of thousands of years, and it is a significant seaside port city.

It is located on the southeast coast of the central part of the Qingchuan Peninsula (Nova Scotia Peninsula), the gateway south of the Qingchuan Peninsula, and the key to controlling the northeast route of North America.

The port where Wanqiu Fort is located is a drowning valley type bay, the entrance is more than 20 meters deep, the shallowest part of the harbor road is also 15 meters, it is not frozen in winter, the tidal range is larger, the average reaches more than 8 meters, the outer harbor is nearly 10 kilometers long, and the width is more than 1 kilometer. Wanqiu Bay, the inner harbor, is six kilometers long and four kilometers wide, making it a rare and excellent haven, and it is also a natural deep-water port.

Since June last year, after Chen Wangfu sent people to inspect the entire Qingchuan, after many comparisons and discussions, the place was finally selected as the place where Chen Zhou will govern in the future.

Although the Huayang River Valley (i.e., the Annapolis Valley) with Huayang (now Annapolis Royal) as the core is relatively mature, contiguous and has relatively complete water conservancy facilities, the Acadians of French descent in the area are too strong, with more than four or five thousand people.

On the other hand, a large area of fertile land in the Huayang River Valley has long been occupied by the Acadians, and if it were forcibly dispossessed and allocated to the newly arrived Han Chinese immigrants, it would inevitably create ethnic tensions and be detrimental to the unity and stability of Chenzhou.

Therefore, after obtaining two successive groups of more than 400 immigrants, King Chen immediately settled most of them in Wanqiu Fort, building settlements and clearing woodlands to open up more land.

In order to boost the morale of the people, in addition to rewarding a large amount of land to the officials and servants of the royal palace who came with him, King Chen was also extremely generous to the new immigrants.

Each immigrant receives one hundred and fifty acres of land, and if he has a family, an additional thirty acres of land are added.

Although the vast majority of the land granted is woodland, meadows, or rugged mountain slopes, it takes years or even decades to clear a field suitable for cultivation. But everyone is extremely satisfied with this, and full of endless hope.

This is because His Royal Highness King Chen personally promised that the land allocated to all immigrants would be "Yongye Fields" and would be passed on to future generations.

For immigrants who have almost no place to stand in their hometown, they are all overjoyed to be able to obtain so much land at once, and everyone is also grateful to King Chen.

Not to mention, during the period when the land was not productive, King Chen also purchased a large amount of wheat and corn from the French, and transported boatloads of dried cod from Changxing Island to maintain the daily consumption of all immigrants.

Of course, these materials allocated to them are to be registered by the local government and need to be repaid to Chen Wangfu year by year, but deep down in the hearts of each immigrant is still full of confidence in the future for a better life.

After three or five years of hard work, as long as you work hard to reclaim the land, life will get better day by day.

"How much money do we have on our accounts?"

Chen Wang Qi walked on a freshly cultivated land, taking care to avoid the huge tree roots that had been cut out by the immigrants. But he didn't care about this at all, and waved to the peasants with a warm face, while talking to the official Wenxun of the Wangfu Duzhi Dian.

"Back to Your Highness, as of the end of August, there are still 320,000 yuan in the royal account." Dai Wenxun replied respectfully.

"Heh, in less than two years, more than half of the royal treasury has been spent." When King Chen heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile, "Then at this rate of spending, wouldn't it be that in three years, our Chen Wangfu will be hollowed out." ”

"Your Highness......" Dai Wenxun hesitated for a moment, and then said stubbornly: "Your Highness, the money in the palace account is afraid that it will take less than two years, and at most it will be lost in more than a year." ”

"Huh?" When King Chen heard this, he suddenly became a little anxious, "How can this be?" When we first arrived in Chenzhou, there were still more than 700,000 yuan in the royal account, which was much higher than the annual income of the New French Territory. Chenzhou, only two places in Qingchuan and Changxing, and the people are only a few hundred, even if it is consumed a lot, it will not be spent in three years! …… Didn't you miscalculate? ”

"Your Highness, your subordinates have not miscalculated." Dai Wenxun said with a bitter face: "Your Highness needs to know that since we settled in Chenzhou, in the past two years, we have hardly had any income, but we have consumed a lot every day. Several batches of materials were purchased from Hanzhou in a row, and the cost plus the transportation needs on the way was 100,000 yuan. …… In August of last year, His Royal Highness rewarded the officials and servants of the royal palace, and went to 100,000 yuan. …… From last year to June this year, more than 400 immigrants were recruited in three groups from the mainland, the Qin State, Korea, and Japan, and the expenses required and the expenses on the way exceeded 30,000 yuan, and they still needed to be resettled and supported in Chenzhou, which amounted to about 1,500 yuan a month, or nearly 20,000 yuan a year. Oh, and that's not even counting the cost of the two more batches of hundreds of immigrants who will arrive in the second half of the year. ”

In addition, the delegation went to New France to buy food, farm tools and other daily necessities, which cost more than 20,000 yuan, as well as ordered five fishing boats and auxiliary fishing gear, and recruited fishermen, which was close to 10,000 yuan. …… Oh, and two months ago, two 800-ton armed sailing ships were ordered on the mainland, and with the recruitment of technicians and sailors, this is more than 25,000 yuan. …… The construction of Fort Wanqiu, the equipment of the harbor fort, the development of the coal mine in Anlu (present-day Amherst, Nova Scotia), the construction of the cod processing plant on Changxing Island, the transportation and resettlement costs of two batches of immigrants arrived in the second half of the year, the monthly salaries of officials and subordinates, and the purchase of cattle, horses, and livestock from New England......"

"Alright, alright!" Chen Wang's head suddenly felt like a fight, and his face fell, ignoring the immigrants around him who came to bow and greet him, and asked with a hideous face: "In other words, if Chen Wangfu does not have more income in the next year and a half, then our Chenzhou will face a situation of financial exhaustion?" ”

Shouldn't you want to touch the king's "little treasury"?!

“…… Indeed, Your Highness. Dai Wenxun swallowed a mouthful of saliva and nodded with difficulty, "Unless we in Chenzhou stop the official immigration activities from the mainland, Qin, Korea, Japan and other places, and reduce the resettlement treatment a little, there is also ......, that is, to stop free and compulsory education, in order to save limited financial funds, plus levy enough taxes on the Acadians as much as possible, and increase the fishing income of Changxing Island, maybe it can barely be maintained, so that the finances will not be exhausted." ”

"No, immigration can't stop!" King Chen said resolutely: "You must know that there are nearly 6,000 Acadians in the entire Qingchuan, and there are more than 2,000 immigrants from England, Scotland, and France on Changxing Island. In the long run, how can we be stable in Chenzhou and how can we ensure safety? ”

"However, Your Highness needs to know that whether the immigrants are recruited from the mainland, or collected from the Qin State, Korea, and Japan, it is extremely costly, and almost one immigrant is transported to Chenzhou, which is as high as thirty or forty yuan, plus the resettlement expenses and material subsidies after that, almost fifty yuan. Even if these migrants are properly resettled, they will not be able to contribute any tax contributions to Chenzhou for at least three years, and will need to be supported by the local government. This month, I am afraid that it will eat up more than half of our Chenzhou's finances. In the past, at the beginning of our Qi Dynasty, the annual cost of immigration accounted for more than three or four percent of the finance, and if it were not for the discovery of several rich gold and silver mines in Hanzhou one after another, I am afraid that it would not be able to maintain such a huge cost for decades. ”

At that time, the immigrants from Hanzhou were not only closer to the mainland, but also had mines at home, coupled with Emperor Taizu's means of turning stones into gold, so that they were able to maintain long-term official immigration activities, so that there was a base of tens of millions of people in our Qi country.

But what do we have in Chenzhou?

Wood?

Whiting?

Or did he promise to allocate one hundred and fifty acres of land for free?

"No matter how high the cost of immigration is, we in Chenzhou must struggle to maintain it." King Chen looked at the immigrants scattered in the wilderness, and said in a deep voice: "In this remote North American land, surrounded by people, if I don't have enough Juche ethnic groups in Chenzhou, let alone the future development, maybe when local disputes suddenly arise, we won't even be able to keep the land under our feet." Looking at the 100-year history of the war between Britain and France on the North American continent, we can appreciate the advantages of a large population. The French were repeatedly defeated at the hands of the English, and in addition to their lack of maritime prowess, the small size of immigration to their colonial territories was definitely one of the most critical factors. If I want to gain a foothold in Chenzhou and want to have some self-preservation, I must have tens of thousands of people! ”

In the more than 100 years of competition between Britain and France on the North American continent, although the French nominally occupied a large area of the St. Lawrence and Mississippi River basins, their population size has always been stubborn and has always remained at a very low level, which is the result of their long-term colonial mistakes.

A century and a half of French expansion in North America shows that they were heavily focused on commercial plunder, and primarily pursued the interests of the fur trade.

That is, it has always remained in the stage of commercial colonial companies in England, the Netherlands and even Spain and Portugal in the early 16th-17th centuries.

England's colonization activities in North America, long before the French rivalry with Canada, began to shift to agricultural colonial development (with the exception of the Hudson Company). In 1641, there were only a measly 300 immigrants to New France, while the southern colonies of England, with 50,000 in New England alone, far exceeded New France.

Of course, after Louis XIV came to power, he actively made progress, changed the previous tradition of valuing the fur trade and despised agriculture, reformed the colonial development model, and changed from a corporate colony to a provincial system consistent with the mainland, trying to promote the local agricultural colonial development. However, with the great success of the Sun King, in order to dominate the European continent, he opened several consecutive games of "3P" or "4P" and "5P", resulting in financial failure and failure to last.

By 1663, the number of immigrants in New France had increased to only 2,600, while in New England alone had risen to 80,000.

Colbert, the French finance director, wrote to Talon, then a senior official in New France, saying that he should not expect too much from immigrants from the country, but to educate the local natives to expand and consolidate the colony.

It is precisely because of this weakening immigration policy that the size of the immigrant population in New France so far is only 35,000 to 36,000, and it has grown organically by its own weak population base. At this time, the New England region had a population of more than a million people, and it was crushing the territory of New France.

The size of the population means the strength of the colony's economy, as well as the amount of military force that can be mobilized and assembled.

Chenzhou has two places, Qingchuan and Changxing Island, with a combined area of more than 150,000 square kilometers, which is considered to be a vast area. But if you don't have enough people to fill it, you won't be able to completely control the land.

"However, the financial resources we have do not allow us to carry out such a costly official immigration activity." Dai Wenxun said helplessly: "Otherwise, it won't be long before we will drag down our entire Chenzhou." ”

At that time, there will be no money, even if you get people here, will they all go to drink the northwest wind?

Even though Changxing Island is abundantly rich in cod resources, it is impossible for all immigrants to live by eating dried fish!

"If you can't throttle, then we'll open source."

Standing on a ridge, King Chen watched as several peasants in front of him tied ropes to the stumps, and then waved their whips and drove the horses with all their might, trying to drag the stumps buried deep in the ground out, but tried several times without success. Immediately, the peasant scolded and picked up the iron pickaxe on the side, and continued to dig down vigorously.

"Open source? His Highness means ......"

"Set up a trading company and do some business to supplement your financial needs." Chen Wang said: "As for the initial funds for the start-up, in addition to the Chenzhou government to bear half of it, we can call on people from all walks of life to raise funds and buy shares, raise hundreds of thousands of yuan, and go all out to operate lucrative overseas trade." By the way, next year, when the two armed sailboats we ordered in Chenzhou arrive, they can sail to the waters of Changxing Island to carry out armed patrols, and we will package and auction the fishery resources there one by one, and whoever gives more money will occupy the best fishing ground position. If you don't give money, you will take it away. In this way, I should be able to collect some more money and come back. ”

"Your Highness, aren't we already collecting a fishing tax?" Dai Wenxun carefully reminded: "If the fishing grounds are auctioned again, forcing fishermen from European countries to pay another fee to fish for cod, I am afraid it will be ...... will annoy them and have a dispute with me Chen Zhou. ”

"It doesn't matter." King Chen waved his hand and said, "Before the fishing flood comes next year, we in Chenzhou will try our best to persuade the navy to send two warships to come and take control. In this way, it should be possible to silence the opposition of those fishermen. ”

"......" Dai Wenxun still had something to say, but after thinking about the dwindling financial funds, he sighed and kept silent.

"There's no need to worry too much." Chen Wang said with a smile: "Back then, when the English controlled the fishing grounds, they also sold the cod fishing concessions to the fishing companies, and also dispatched naval warships and armed merchant ships to maintain the order of the fishing grounds. However, during the Qi-British War, the English no longer had time to take care of the management of the fishing grounds, which not only allowed those fishing boats to take advantage of them for a few years, but also made those fishing boats think that the fishing grounds were still ownerless. ”

Well, when we shake a few naval warships, we will naturally re-establish who the owner of this fishing ground is!

——

(End of chapter)