Dominate the Country

It's the Lantern Festival.

The dignitaries who went to Nanyang Children's Camp to exercise began to return to Nanjing, but Chen Ding did not leave. He still had a mission - he wanted to walk around Singapore.

Chen Ming felt that it was necessary for his eldest son to broaden his horizons and let him truly feel the difference between Nanyang Chinese society and immigrant villages and the local rural grassroots.

Small Singapore is only one county in size. But over the years, in addition to a large naval base and surrounding military facilities such as garrisons and children's camps, as many as 155 immigrant villages have taken root, sprouted and grown here little by little. They eventually formed 11 towns, and a municipal government. This is the origin of the city of Singapore.

This warm and humid place is not suitable for Mongolian horses to survive. After being eliminated over time, the horses here are now shorter southwestern horses.

Chen Ding was riding in a carriage pulled by two horses. The carriage was carried by southwest horses. There was a guard on the left and right carriages, followed by two carriages and four policemen on horseback. There were sixteen people in the group. people. The six guards and four policemen all wore rattan hats, carried long guns on their backs, and wore pistols at their waists. The appearance of the three carriages looks exactly the same, and there is no difference at all from the appearance. However, the other two carriages are carrying the deputy mayor and police chief of Singapore. Six identical rattan boxes are neatly tied together. The top of the three carriages.

"Your Highness, this area was the famous 'Dead Sea' back then. The Malays in the past used canoes to land on this beach to cause trouble for us. The garrison often set up ambushes on this beach." The deputy mayor pointed with his finger. As soon as the sea is drawn, in fact, the entire northeastern coastline of Singapore Island is covered. "At that time, the idea of ​​killing was to eradicate the roots. No one was a prisoner, and there was no mercy at all. Anyone who dared to cause trouble would not only die, but their tribe would also be retaliated against. Many indigenous tribes on the other side of the river were attacked. There were corpses all over the ground and rivers of blood..." At that time, the garrison conducted a retaliatory raid and really killed a lot of Malay natives. The territory is not limited to Johor, but covers most of Malaysia, including Pahang, Selangor, Samiya, and Perak.

"It was because I was so angry at the time that the Malays became obedient..." When Chen Han really pulled the Malay paddle into his bowl, no one in Malay resisted. It was not because the Malay people felt the pain at the beginning and accepted it. Lessons learned.

"At that time, after killing someone, the body was thrown into the sea. At that time, fishing boats did not come to this area to fish. There were often rumors in the port area that when so-and-so killed the fish, they found a finger in the belly of the fish... "The deputy mayor's eyes flashed with memories, and he seemed to be immersed in the memories of the past.

He came here in the first year of pioneering in Singapore, and it has been ten years now.

Singapore was built under his eyes and is a reflection of his countless efforts.

Of course, the deputy mayor knew Chen Ding's identity, and he felt a lot of bitterness in his stomach towards Chen Ding. Normally, he would not have a chance.

"Immigration is also difficult to manage. They have mixed accents and are stubborn."

"Immigrants from different places often fight fiercely, and there is a strong tension between the north and the south."

"The imperial court plans many things in detail, and the people have their opinions and say they should be lenient."

"It's still the old tradition. When something goes wrong, you don't report it to the official first. You first ask the elders for comment. Only when it doesn't make sense do you report it to the official."

"The quality is low because the immigrants were resettled in a disorderly manner, and their relationships are shallow. Conflicts often break out between neighbors over trivial matters."

"I have no ambitions and have very low requirements for life. Once the basic survival requirements are met, there is no motivation to make progress."

"Old-fashioned, poor ability to accept new things. Many things have to be promoted through coercion. As for immigrants who cheated and took advantage of the public in the early days of their arrival, there are many..."

Chen Ding listened silently. When Singapore was developed, Chen Han had already established a firm foothold in the country. All kinds of materials needed by the immigrants were not only fully supplied, but also supplied in a timely manner. The most important thing is that many officials who came with the immigrants, whether at the top or at the grassroots level, have rich administrative experience. It can be said that they were far beyond the average quality of Chen Han officials at that time, and they were selected. Batch officials.

Unlike Chen Han's officials in the mainland at that time, when officials were sent to the countryside and the township official system was implemented, the entire Chen Han civil servant class was growing exponentially, because the grassroots officials needed were the rural officials needed. The number of officials is too large, causing the overall quality level of "township officials" to be stretched again and again. Many township officials themselves do not know many words. Just like Ge Er at the beginning, they are just trying to make ends meet. . There are also a large number of soldiers filling it!

At that time, the work at the grassroots level was simple and rough. Township officials would wield the "iron fist of government" at every turn, threatening labor reform. People were tied up and beaten indiscriminately.

It was too common for Ge Er to scare people not to cut down trees.

Fortunately, the common people of this era were "well-informed" and had been influenced by the "arrogant and unreasonable" government officials in the Manchu and Qing Dynasties for a long time. They did not think that the "rudeness" of the township officials was real "rudeness", which made Chen Han passed that stage safely and is obviously much better now.

Even if part of the land of a county in Singapore is allocated for military use, the entire "city" has only 155 villages, which is obviously not yet developed to saturation. Even if the people in the port area are included, the population has just exceeded the 100,000 mark. This is because there are many Chinese from Luzon and East India in the port area, and they never go back after coming. And if the military and the serfs and labor reform prisoners attached to each village are counted, the total population is only about 200,000.

Compared with Singapore, which has a population of 5 to 6 million in the 21st century, Singapore, with a total population of only 200,000, obviously still has great development prospects.

The food produced here can at least meet the needs of the local area, and it can also provide some meat, pepper and fish. After so many years of development, the most basic life can still be maintained. But Singapore is a military base, not a military restricted area, and its maritime trade is always moving forward. Every year, it consumes a lot of beef, and at the same time, immigrant villages in Singapore have begun to try to develop pig farming.

Before Chen Han took the initiative to light up the re-export attribute, Singapore's biggest role was actually rubber cultivation.

After simple chemical treatment, natural rubber can be made into the best raincoat of this era, and even natural rubber without chemical treatment can be made into raincoat. Add another layer of cloth to the natural rubber applied on the cloth. Although this raincoat has the same defects as natural rubber, such as sticky hands when the weather is hot and hardening when it is cold, its significance is absolutely significant.

Moreover, Chen Ming also knows vulcanization.

Just keep making raincoats, which is enough to make the value of rubber trees show a hundred years earlier than the last time and space plane.

Don't underestimate a thin raincoat, it is a necessity of life. When raincoats made of natural rubber began to be widely spread in the folk market, it was hard to imagine that there were still people in the Jiangnan region of China who insisted on using heavy raincoats or oilcloth clothes.

This small raincoat has great business opportunities.

…

After walking more than a mile from the beach, Chen Ding saw a village. The road into the village was a very flat dirt road, about 14 or 15 feet wide, which could accommodate two carriages in parallel.

There were no potholes on the road, and there were some small trees planted on both sides. It seemed that they were only a few years old, and the trunks were no thicker than an arm, but they were also lush and green.

Chen Ding got off the carriage and walked into the village with an inner guard. The others lagged far behind.

Chen Ding had good eyesight and saw from a distance that a man with a tall pointed hat on his head was carrying water to water the small trees on the roadside. Chen Ding walked over slowly and saw that the man with the pointed hat turned out to be a gray-haired old man. After watering the bucket of water, he sat down on the ground, wiped his sweat, and drank the last bucket of water in the bucket.

An old man was carrying water to water the trees alone, and he was wearing a pointed hat that looked wrong at first glance? Was it a punishment?

When Chen Ding walked up to him, the old man had already taken out his pipe and was ready to take a puff of cigarette and rest.

"Old man, why are you carrying water to water the trees alone?" There were labor reform prisoners and serfs in every immigrant village in Singapore, and there were quite a few of them. This kind of labor work that has nothing to do with farming should be done by prisoners. The old man in front of him had a rosy face, not a trace of paleness, and was dressed like an ordinary person. He was obviously not a prisoner, let alone a serf. But he was wearing a pointed hat and was carrying water to water the trees alone.

A layer of sweat appeared on the old man's forehead, but he did not take off his pointed hat.

While Chen Ding was asking questions, he handed the old man a cigarette, which was a high-end cigarette.

The old man immediately recognized Bufan. He took it and put it to his nose and sniffed it again and again, and laughed: "You are a government official, and you are here to investigate, right?"

The expression on his face that said you can't fool me made Chen Ding very curious, "How did you tell this?"

"Hehe, there have been more than one or two officials in our village who have conducted investigations over the years. Most of them can be seen to have a high status, just like you, full of style, and you are not ordinary people at first glance. It's just that you look too light." The old man was unexpectedly from the Central Plains. His voice was different, and Chen Ding felt like a fellow villager. But the tone of the old man's speech, the common intonation, has changed a bit, a bit Shandong, Northwest, and a hodgepodge. "I'm not talking nonsense, you really have a noble air, different from people like me who dig for food in the soil, and different from the young people in the city. You can tell at a glance that you are a scholar and a noble person." The city mentioned by the old man refers to the port area of ​​Singapore. That's where all the civil affairs agencies in Singapore are located.

"Hehe." Chen Ding laughed twice, and did not deny it. Instead, he spoke in the Central Plains dialect: "Uncle is from the Central Plains? I am also from the Central Plains."

When fellow villagers meet, the relationship is good. Chen Ding did not want to be tearful, as long as he could ask two truthful questions.

"My family is from Luoyang, where are you from?"

Chen Ding sat down next to him. The old man showed a happy look on his face, "Then you and I are half fellow villagers. I am from Chendi." Unconsciously, the Central Plains flavor in his accent became stronger.

Chen Ding knew where this 'Chendi' referred to, Chenzhou Prefecture, not far from Lushan.

"What do you want to ask, kid? Since you are a fellow villager, I will tell you everything." The old man spoke with a slickness like rich experience.

"Uncle, I just want to ask you why you are watering here alone? And you are wearing such a tall hat?"

The strangest thing about Chen Ding is this. The pointed hat was an insult, and he had prepared his ears to listen to the old man's complaints and curses. This hat and errand must have been punished by the township officials in their village. And this violation did not violate the law?

Because he was a fellow villager, the old man had already let down his guard against Chen Ding, and Chen Ding felt that he might be full of resentment.

"Are you being punished? The government asked me to dig ditches, and I told me that I was going to the city to see my son. Our two sons were both in the city. But I went to the town to watch a big show, and I happened to be sent to the town. Zhang Chaoquan, who bought the eggs, saw it. Zhang Chaoquan is the militia captain in my village."

"I was punished by watering the tree."

"They also criticized me in the village playground. I was so beaten that I couldn't say a word. I have to wear this hat for five days before it can be wiped off."

The old man was indeed punished, but instead of complaining to Chen Ding, a fellow who seemed to have an unusual identity, as Chen Ding expected, he admitted his mistake cleanly.

This was beyond Chen Ding's expectation, and Chen Ding wanted to ask more questions. He was also planning to take a walk to this village today.

"Then uncle, why are you skipping work? Is it because digging ditches is too tiring and hard, and you are not given money or food, or is it for some other reason?"

"Boy, the government didn't say that we don't provide food or wages. But, digging ditches is really tiring and painful." The bitter look on the old man's face was not fake. "It's hot and humid here, so digging underground is too much." Water seeps out when the water is deep, and digging ditches is much more difficult than the current work. It’s too painful.”

"Both of us work in the city, and farming makes more money every month. Old man, I don't even have the heart to cultivate my own land, so I just outsource it. Why should I dig ditches?"

"I have not lived a good life for more than 40 years, and it is rare to have a good meal of pancakes. It took a lot of effort for the whole family to come to this good place. The court allotted land, so I didn't have to worry about eating. Yes, we don’t have to worry about drinking. We both have good carpentry skills and can earn a lot of money every month. Why don’t I enjoy my life while I still have a few years to live?”

Looking at the nagging old man, Chen Ding was suddenly speechless. The happy light blooming in the eyes of the old man in front of him was not fake, but the spirit was wrong.

But Chen Ding thought about it again and said nothing.

The man in front of him was an old man who had endured hardship for most of his life. Finally, in his old age, all the hardships came to an end. The old man was already in his fifties. In this era, for ordinary people, this is an age when the loess is buried up to the neck. Chen Ding What reason requires him to continue to maintain the "hard work and simplicity" of the past?

This is why the deputy mayor said before that immigrants have no ambitions and have very low requirements for life. There are no concrete examples of motivation to move forward once basic survival requirements are met. But it's no wonder that they are so rich: none of the people who were brought here from the mainland were rich at first, but now that they have food and clothing, they are already living in paradise.

Chen Ding also asked about the situation in the village, how the land was being cultivated, and whether there was enough food to eat.

"There's nothing to say about farming. The weather here is warm and we've never seen winter. Crops can be grown all year round. The food is definitely enough to eat. People with many children and weak labor are still poorer, but it's better than in the past. There are many. Not only in our village, but also in several surrounding villages, the old man has never heard of anyone who is too poor to take the blame. Even those flag boys are stronger than in previous years.

Old man, what I suffer the most now is that the court has too much control, too much labor, and no rest.

Just like this time, old man, I don’t want to make that money. But I am not the only old man in the village who doesn’t want to earn that kind of money, so if the men in the village queue up, it will be my turn. The village chief asked me to cook and stand in front of him so that I wouldn’t be too tired. He said it very lightly.

The labor force in the village alone requires dozens of people, and everyone has to put in a lot of effort, with each meal equivalent to a pound of rice. Zhang Chao all went to town to buy eggs. How could this be an easy life? Old man, I'm not joking when I cook for dozens of people. Besides, there are also reform-through-labor prisoners.

Add a piece of everything, I can’t serve you old man! "

The old man in front of Chen Ding waved his hands repeatedly.