Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 588 New changes in Lake Malawi

  After a two-day stay in Mogadishu, the cruiser "Naniwa" set sail again and returned to Mozambique, passing by Ibo Island, the naval base of Mozambique Island, and finally back to Seoul City.

  Today

Mozambique has been fully developed since the middle of 1886 and has entered its third year. It is the main battlefield of African colonization and development, and it is also the key development overseas territory of the Red Fort. There is a wave of Chinese immigration boom in the rich land.

Over the past three years, more than a million Chinese immigrants have arrived in this hot land of Africa through various means. Under the leadership of experienced immigration development officials, 36 new towns have rapidly risen in the land of East Africa, like 36 dazzling stars. Light up the vast area of ​​Mozambique.

  Mr. Wu Mozhou, general manager of Africa, has always been in charge of development with a grand pattern and extraordinary handwriting. He is especially good at driving regional economies with leading projects. He has experienced practical verification and proved that the effect is very good.

  Follow the instructions of Lord Earl;

  Among the 36 cities and towns, 12 cities and towns in the northern Lake Malawi region are the focus. 66% of millions of Chinese immigrants are concentrated here. Therefore, the cities and towns here are larger and more developed.

The first phase of the Malawi Railway from Qiqu Town to the Lake District was successfully completed at the end of 1888 as planned. It completely opened up the traffic bottleneck between the Malawi Lake District and the central and southern regions of Mozambique. The livestock products and food produced here can be It was transported unimpeded to Qiqu Town for further processing, and then sold to various regions in Mozambique.

Machinery and equipment imported from the outside world, small ships, breeding cattle, stallions, and piglets can continue to arrive by rail, followed by trains and trains of immigrants, passing through the wilderness of Lake Malawi like a strong wind. , Scattered under the dots of private plantations and pastures.

  Over 80% of Chinese immigrants are engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. After obtaining their own private land, they have shown an amazing entrepreneurial passion. The scale of agriculture and animal husbandry in Mozambique has expanded at an alarming rate, showing a steep curve of straight upward growth.

By the end of 1888, the output of rice, wheat, and soybeans in agricultural products had soared 22 times, 7.7 times and 172 times, respectively, compared with the middle of 1886. Of course, this was due to the extremely low output base, but the huge development of agriculture can also be seen. energy.

The development of animal husbandry has also achieved gratifying results. The number of cattle has increased to 170,000, mules and horses are more than 3,000, the stock of fat pigs has increased to nearly 400,000, and poultry such as chickens, ducks and geese are raised by almost every household, providing a supply for the local market. Adequate supply of poultry and eggs to meet the needs of self-sufficiency.

  By the end of 1888, the food supply in the region fully met its own needs and could be exported to neighboring South Africa in small batches, realizing the magnificent turn of agricultural products from self-use to export.

After the initial three years of starting a business and ensuring the supply of food, vegetables and vegetables, Mozambique has a good capacity for its own development. After the financial blood transfusion of the Red Fort, it can still rely on local taxes and output to support its continued development. The future prospects are bright. .

  I can’t help but marvel at the hard-working Chinese immigrants who burst out of great entrepreneurial enthusiasm in the fertile soil of Mozambique, Africa.

When these Chinese immigrants came to the Malawi Lake District, they watched this fertile land full of weeds, the sky is high and the clouds are low, the vast lake water is out of sight, thousands of wildebeests, African gazelles, zebras, giraffes, African lions and wild dogs live leisurely under the blue sky and white clouds. This shock is truly unparalleled.

  Such a good land, such a pleasant climate, it is a pity not to grow food!

The development first started with large-scale hunting. African lions, wild dogs, and foxes were the first to suffer. With the deepening of immigration and cultivation, these carnivores on the Malawi savannah suffered an extinction. The gunshots turned into fur, lion bones, and delicious meat in the pot of Chinese immigrants.

The unlucky ones were the wildebeests and bisons of the army. These wild animals were hunted and killed by planned organizations. While providing plenty of meat for the early immigrants, they accumulated tens of thousands of furs. Wildebeest skins can be used to make tents. Better wild cowhide has a wide range of uses, such as leather belts, leather shoes, leather hats, saddles and leather rigging, and so on.

Whether it is to establish a plantation or a private pasture, these wild animals are the objects that must be removed, because they will eat the fat and tender pasture, destroy the crops, destroy the irrigation facilities, endanger the safety of human beings, and cause serious damage to the promotion of reclamation work. .

  People and wild animals can only choose one.

   Soon countless villages were established. The areas adjacent to the lake were reclaimed as arable land, and areas far away from the lake were developed into pastures. Everything was carried out in an orderly manner according to the plan.

All 12 towns are located on the lakefront. Among them, 9 towns are set up in the wider Huxi District, and 3 towns are set up in the long and narrow Hudong District, all of which are built along the planned Malawi Lake Railway. Animal husbandry and fishery are the main focus, and the grain processing industry should be appropriately developed.

  With the opening of trains, a large number of small iron-hulled ships entered the lake area, and water piers were opened in cities and towns along the lake. Water transportation became the main method of inter-regional transportation, and with it was the booming fishing industry.

  There are a lot of fish species in Lake Malawi, and the number is very large. Many immigrants who buy boats to fish have earned the first pot of gold.

Due to the smooth progress of immigration and reclamation in the Lake Malawi region, nearly 700,000 Chinese immigrants have taken root in this fertile land. The second phase of the Malawi Railway Plan has also been approved by the Red Fort. The preliminary survey plan has already been completed, and the relevant preparatory work for the railway construction plan has been rushed. In progress.

  The Malawi railway plan is divided into three phases;

The first phase is expected to invest about 115,000 pounds. It will take more than a year to build a single-track railway from Qiqu Town to Lake Malawi, with a total length of 92.6 kilometers, and realize the opening of railway transportation between Lake Malawi and the lower reaches of Shire River. It is of great significance to promote the economic development of Lake Malawi.

  The qualified railroad tracks produced by the Qiqu Town Iron and Steel Plant were used in the project. The first-phase construction plan of the Malawi Railway was launched in October 1887 and was completed by the end of 1888.

  The second phase of the plan is that after the completion of the first phase of the railway project, the plain along the west bank of the lake area will extend northward, and finally reach the Weiyuan Fort at the northernmost junction.

  The total length of the single-track railway under the plan is 682.2 kilometers. The total investment is estimated to be £725,000. 17 platforms will be built along the way to connect all the nearby emerging agricultural and pastoral towns.

As the railway construction is promoted in the plains, the construction is relatively difficult. The construction of the railway foundations along the line, bridges and culverts and other facilities is time-consuming and laborious. The supporting facilities require the construction of two cement plants. The railway basically follows the direction of the Malawi highway. Extension to the north, the construction period is expected to be three and a half years, and with more black coolies, it may be completed ahead of schedule.

  The third phase of the railway plan in the future is to build a complete railway network around Lake Malawi. The plan has already been worked out, but it is too early to talk about it.

The 12 new agricultural and pastoral towns built along the Lake Malawi area have a population that is generally much larger than that of other regions in Mozambique due to policy priorities, ranging from 80,000 to 90,000 people and as few as 350,000 (non-urban population, But the total population of the jurisdiction).

  In other emerging cities and towns in Mozambique, a total population of 30,000 is considered a big town. Many small towns have only two to three thousand people, and there is a long way to go for colonization and development.

  The entire Mozambique colony

The largest city is Seoul. The total population has quietly reached more than 170,000 people. With gold mining and cashew nuts as its characteristic industries, it brings together various functions of commerce, culture, education and administration. Mozambique’s largest military horse farm is also located in Here, it quickly developed into the central city of the region.

The second largest town is the emerging industrial town Qiqu Town, which relies on the abundant iron ore, coal, aluminum ore and other resources in the mountainous area. As the only industrial town in the entire Mozambique region, it occupies the transportation and transit between the Malawi Lake District and the lower reaches of the Shire River. With its hub location, Qiqu Town is developing rapidly, and its total population has exceeded the 150,000 mark.

Qiqu Town has initially established a complete industrial system. Under the intentional guidance of the chief executive’s policy, a series of factories such as iron and steel plants, cement plants, thermal power plants, flour mills, leather factories, food factories, daily necessities factories, inland river shipyards, etc. It has sprung up like bamboo shoots after a rain, and it has also become a hot spot for local Australian businessmen to invest, and it has become more and more popular.

  According to the current rapid development momentum, within two years, Qiqu Town will surpass Seoul as the largest town.

  The third largest town is the town of Malawi, which is the first town located at the southern end of the Malawi Lake District. This town has the potential to develop into the true largest city in Mozambique.

  This is because, with the general promotion of cotton planting from this year, the Malawi Lake Region has a large area of ​​arable land that has been planted with cotton, and a bumper harvest will be ushered in a few months.

  On the outskirts of Malawi town

  Large areas of factory buildings are erected, and there are more factories under construction. This is the cotton textile center invested by the Australian Wool Spinning Plant. A large number of imported cotton spinning equipment is transported in by train and successively entered the factory for commissioning.

For this reason, the supporting thermal power plant has begun to generate electricity, lighting up this new town by the lake. This is the first town in the entire Malawi Lake District to use electricity. Chinese businessmen with sensitive smells flocked in and opened shops here. , Factories, engaged in commercial trade, making the market more prosperous.

Everyone is not stupid. For example, all the textile center towns invested by the Australian Wool Spinning Factory are more dazzling. Zhuque City, Songjiang City, Beilun City, Qingdao-City, these cities are famous for their names, all of them are native to Australia. An important town.

  Malawi is building a cotton spinning factory instead of a wool spinning factory. The information revealed is more clear...that is, the number of workers required is even greater, and one factory is enough to support a city.

  Since the cotton spinning mill has been built, should we build a weaving mill? ? Should a printing and dyeing factory be built? Should the garment industry develop?

  It’s exciting to think about it. In all Mozambican towns, smart Chinese businessmen are keenly aware that Malawi is the most promising town.

Among the 12 towns in the Lake Malawi area that are mainly developed by immigrants and colonization, Malawi Town ranks first with a population of 97,000 people, and this number is constantly refreshing. It is very promising to become the economic leader in the region. The light industry town, which exudes dazzling light, will have an infinitely bright future.

  (End of this chapter)