Wild North America 1846

The prosperity of the guano trade is inseparable from the current background of the times.

early 19th century

The first industrial revolution developed in Britain swept Europe in full swing. By the middle of the 19th century, Britain had become the world's first industrialized country. The industrial revolution represented by steam power had a profound impact on European and American countries. Large industrial production replaced traditional

The handicraft industry has greatly improved social productivity and promoted the prosperity of international trade.

There are many factories in Europe and the United States, and there is a strong demand for labor. This has led to a large number of landless farmers working in factories. The urban population has increased rapidly, which has correspondingly increased the demand for agricultural products.

compare with

The development of the agricultural field seems to lag behind. In the era before chemical fertilizers appeared, land yields were very low. The only way was to promote crop production through organic fertilizers, so human and animal excrement was a very sought-after resource.

In order to increase the fertility of the land, Europeans even went to Napoleonic battlefields to dig up bones, imported animal bones from Australia and New Zealand, and buried them in the ground to increase fertility.

All the above measures have no obvious effect.

However, the emergence of guano has solved the biggest problem in agricultural production in European and American countries and doubled crop yields. This is a precious agricultural resource that is in the ascendant in international trade and its popularity is unprecedentedly high.

The guano deposits on the islands of Peru are rare and valuable resources. They are being robbed by European and American countries, and the price is rising.

It was against this background that Peru became a major South American country that imported Chinese laborers. They could pay large sums of money and continue to import Chinese laborers from mainland China.

Another major importer of Chinese workers is the white sugar plantations of Cuba. At this stage, the total number of Chinese workers is expected to be no less than 150,000, mainly distributed in the areas around Havana.

After the Opium War

The tightly closed gates of the Qing Dynasty had actually been breached. The great powers, led by the British Straits Settlements and the French Indochina Colony, were in urgent need of labor and exported an astonishing number of Chinese workers from the coastal areas of mainland China every year. The average annual number was in the hundreds of thousands.

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The British Straits Settlements alone imported more than 3 million Chinese workers in the past decade. In Batavia (Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies alone, there were more than 130,000 Chinese.

throughout the 19th century

It was an era when the great migration of the Chinese labor population was surging. The Chinese labor population spread all over Southeast Asia, Australia, South America and North America, with a total number of no less than ten million people.

At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, in order to carry out colonial expansion in Malaya, the British used preferential conditions such as land grant for reclamation and loan subsidies as bait to encourage and attract a large number of Chinese workers to develop.

In the early days, most of the Chinese laborers were bankrupt farmers and jobless poor people on the southeast coast. They were forced to live in a foreign country due to indenture or abduction, and were prepared to endure blood and tears.

During the Tongzhi period, "Revealing Key Points in Time of Rescue" records:

"Thousands of people are deceived into going overseas and die in disaster every year. Some die of illness on the way, some die of praying for their own scriptures, and some burn the boats. They all die together. Even when they reach the shore, they have to do extremely hard labor and food.

If it is not enough, it will be more than enough whipping; or it will be killed by innocent people, without anyone to protect them, and their lives will be like nothing. The Chinese people are innocent and have been scattered for tens of thousands of miles, but they are being treated so harshly!"

This is part of the history of blood and tears of labor. By the middle of the 19th century, it had intensified and became the second largest wave of human trafficking after the black slave trade, affecting almost all parts of the world.

1820s

Tens of thousands of Chinese workers were employed in the tin mines near Malacca and in the princely states in the western part of the peninsula. The virgin forests in Penang and Singapore were soon opened up by Chinese workers, and then turned to the peninsula's inland princely states such as Johor, Selangor and Perak.

Chinese workers built their own villages and towns in the local area, and they lived in clusters like Grape Valley. There are thousands of Chinese villages in Johor. The banks of the 29 rivers in Johor are almost all plantations cultivated by Chinese workers.

The Port of Singapore in the Straits Settlements became a stronghold for Chinese workers to continuously advance into the interior of the peninsula.

Just take North America as an example;

American Pacific Cruise Lines is a shipping company that specializes in transporting Chinese workers across the ocean. The cost of transporting a "piggy" is about US$6 to US$7. The ticket to the destination in North America or Central America is worth US$50, and the shipping company can use it.

Get huge profits.

An indentured Chinese laborer only costs about US$350 to US$400 in the Cuban market (for a strong male over 18 years old).

early 19th century

A black slave was worth US$250. As the cotton trade in the southern United States generated huge profits, the demand for labor became more urgent. By the middle of the 19th century, a black slave required US$800 to US$1,000 (ibid.), and the highest price even required US$2,000.

The total number of black slaves in the United States alone has reached more than 3.9 million.

This is an obvious gap, which greatly stimulates the urgent demand for Chinese workers by plantation owners and mine owners in Central and South America. It is the fundamental factor that triggers a wave of population migration.

The tide of history is majestic and moving along its original trajectory...

In Richard's mind, he not only had the idea of ​​expanding the Chinese power and the basic consolidation, but also the consideration of finding a bright future for these Chinese workers who had been exiled to foreign lands. Wouldn't it be good to have the best of both worlds?

Compared with the white mine owners and plantation owners who exploited Chinese workers harshly, following Richard to open up a business in North America, the prospects for these overseas Chinese are brighter.

Richard felt deeply obliged to do his part for his compatriots.

His target is not the more than 3,000 Chinese workers in San Francisco, but the 100,000 or more Chinese workers in Central and South America, but this must be done step by step and there is no rush.

Think about it for a moment

Richard sighed softly and stood up. The heavy pressure on his shoulders made him feel that he still had a long way to go.

At this stage

It is still necessary to lay a solid foundation in San Francisco and develop corresponding industries. It will take time to train soldiers, it will take time to consolidate power, and it will take time to clear every obstacle on the way forward.

The plan in mind has been decided

Richard opened the reputation system interface and lit up the reputation title task "King of the Bay Area";

Prestige Title Mission; "King of the Bay Area"

Current task progress; 31722 people/3331 people, progress exceeds 10%.

10%?

Richard thought for a moment and understood the definition of the reputation system. The number 3331 includes 2955 Chinese in San Francisco and some Chinese in Sacramento.

After clearing the influence of the Agreement Hall, he has been recognized as a Chinese leader and the "King of the Bay Area" in the eyes of the Chinese. He has a high reputation in the region and is recognized by the reputation system.

It is obviously not an easy task for the entire San Francisco area, including white people, Mexicans and indigenous Indians, to recognize the title of "King of the Bay Area".

At the very least, a huge force that John Sutter has been running for 10 years has not been universally recognized. You can imagine how difficult it is to complete the task of completing this prestigious title?

In this hellish place, white people and Mexicans have a lot of brains. If you want to get their recognition, you must have crushing strength.

Richard silently encouraged himself;

Well, my future is the stars and the sea, this is just a small challenge on my way forward, I have enough confidence to complete it.