Wild North America 1846

Chapter 592 Duke Surel’s visit

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 592 Duke Surel’s visit

two months later

June 29, 1872

Cloud City (Alamas)

After the inspection, His Highness Tang Li Xin, who was about to leave, unexpectedly received the special envoy of the Ethiopian Dynasty, Duke Surel, and his party here.

They came all the way from the ancient city of Aksum and experienced many hardships along the way.

In order to pass through the territory of the rebel kingdom, they even pretended to be black servants in European caravans and endured harsh treatment that was not commensurate with their noble status. Finally, they arrived at Cloud City (Alamas) after a month and a half of trekking.

Also traveling with them were two British businessmen, Ryan Jacks and James Tomkins. Without the cover of these two white men, Duke Surel and his entourage would have been in bad luck and would have been separatist.

The kingdom was thrown into prison, or simply surrendered to the public.

The construction of Yunzhong City is lagging behind. At present, only more than a hundred buildings have been built. A commercial street of just over 200 meters has just been opened. In addition, some municipal housing facilities are being built in the surrounding area. It seems to be small in scale.

actually

As the capital city of Yunzhong Province, Yunzhong City is designed according to secondary urban planning standards, so the streets are wider and more empty, and it will take time to develop.

This is a city whose main industry is plateau agriculture and animal husbandry. It is surrounded by large tracts of undeveloped virgin forest. The year-round climate is around 18 to 25 degrees. The climate is cool and mild, and wildflowers are in full bloom everywhere.

In the newly completed city hall, His Highness Tang Lixin met the Ethiopian envoys who were visiting in the form of a caravan, and they had an interesting conversation.

Duke Surel first presented a letter and gifts written by Emperor Johannes IV. As a Christian country in East Africa, the gift was a 700-year-old gilded cross from the ancient church of Aksum and some Abyssinian dynasty jewelry and gold ornaments, including Ame

Queen Ni's Crown of Thorns.

The messenger's attitude was very humble and the gifts were generous.

His Highness Tang-Li Xin read the letter carefully, and it can be seen from the lines that Emperor Johannes IV was full of sincerity in praying for peace and intended to conclude a bilateral delimitation treaty, with a very low profile.

And hope to get some help, such as hiring a team of musketeers.

Although His Highness Tang Li Xin did not receive authorization from the empire, as the only prince and highness in the Tang Empire, he had the authority to make decisions on all military and political matters of the expeditionary force and the issue of demarcation of the empire's territory. It could only be reported and confirmed afterwards.

Think back to the beginning

The Governor-General of the Andes in South America also acted in accordance with this principle, instead of the imperial capital Chang'an directly intervening in boundary demarcation negotiations.

The same is true for Yunzhong Province. Its geographical scope is not clearly demarcated. The northwest is connected with the Kingdom of Sudan, the southwest and south are connected with Ethiopia, and the east crosses Djibouti and enters the Somali region. There is also no clear boundary with the black nomadic tribes in the desert.

Boundary demarcation.

But since the Ethiopian Dynasty raised this matter first, His Highness Tang Li Xin saw that there was a big advantage to be taken. After pondering for a moment, he raised the issue of the ownership of the upper reaches of Lalemache, Tataikuraro and other areas?

These two areas are controlled by two powerful black tribes, which belong to the dividing forces on the edge of the Ethiopian Plateau. The tribes have a population ranging from hundreds of thousands to more than 200,000. They occupy more than 85,000 square kilometers of fertile land to raise livestock and nomadic animals.

To make a living.

These two regions do not belong to the traditional Eritrean region. If they can be merged into the Yunzhong Province, the area can be expanded from 124,000 square kilometers (the scope of Eritrea) to 210,000 square kilometers.

Said it was a big advantage.

Never thought of it

His Highness Tang Li Xin had just raised the issue of these two areas, and Duke Surel agreed wholeheartedly, saying only that these two areas were controlled by rebel forces, and the Tang Empire needed to personally suppress the rebellion.

Such a straightforward response made His Highness Tang Li Xin almost dodge. Is there any less depressing speculation?

But the words have been spoken, and with the dignity of a prince, it is difficult to go back on them.

Before Duke Surel went on his mission, he had been given instructions by Emperor Johannes IV. These Easterners could do whatever they wanted that did not involve the core areas of Ethiopian Plateau rule. Anyway, it was a generosity to others.

The most important thing is to get help from the Orientals, whether it is buying arms and firearms or hiring a musketry team, as long as the goal can be achieved, it is worth the effort.

There are only two areas in Lalemache and Tataikuraro. They are all rebellious officials and traitors who do not listen to the central government's orders.

When passing through the above areas

The noble Duke Surel still has to pretend to be a lowly black slave. Even the scarecrow is angry. This kind of wretched place will be given to him.

The talks were held in a harmonious atmosphere and the general framework was quickly finalized.

Since the envoy of the Ethiopian Dynasty was generous, His Highness Tang Li Xin was not stingy. With a wave of his hand, he first presented 300 old-fashioned smoothbore rifles, which were part of the old-fashioned smoothbore rifles captured from the Arab tribes in Yemen.

These shabby weapons that the officers and soldiers of the Tang Dynasty looked down upon were very useful to Brother Black, which made Duke Surel so happy that he could not close his mouth.

As for the musketeers that Emperor Johannes IV of Ethiopia had longed for, they really existed. Naturally they were the North American cowboys who followed them smelling the fishy smell.

Whether in the bloodbath of Sana'a or the bloodbath of Suez, there were active figures of North American cowboys who came all the way with the expeditionary force.

They are like a group of bloodthirsty African vultures that burrow wherever there is the smell of war smoke. They seem to be incompatible with a peaceful environment.

Nowadays, in Yunzhong City and Fubo City, you can often see these North American cowboys wandering around. Either they are following the cavalry team to raid the countryside, or they are drinking and causing trouble, or they are fighting for women. Anyway, they are a

Serious instability factors.

Of course, His Royal Highness the Prince, who has a distinguished status, cannot help the Ethiopian envoy to find mercenaries. Duke Surel will have to negotiate with him himself. The province will not stop it but will be happy to see it happen.

It would be better for these unrest factors to go to the Ethiopians than to stay in the province.

Many North American cowboys would not be content with farming the land as a manor owner. What they seek is a life full of adventure, killing and excitement, and enjoy the joy of conquest. They are war vultures wandering around war-torn areas.

It would be a good thing if he could be hired to form a musketeer team of more than 1,000 to 2,000 people to help Johannes IV fight against the warlords on one side.

Don't think that these North American cowboys are good people. Sometimes their prices are ridiculously high. They not only want money, but also women and territory.

If you are talking about cooperation with the empire, you will definitely be on the weaker side.

If we discuss cooperation with the Ethiopian dynasty, these North American cowboys who have always bullied the weak will not be so easy to deal with, and they will definitely bite off a piece of fat.

His Highness Tang Li Xin will not ask about these trivial matters.

Negotiations on the demarcation of the border between the two countries are proceeding smoothly. The final area of ​​Yunzhong Province is about 210,000 square kilometers, including the two areas of Laremeche and Tataikuraro in the upper reaches. The above two areas total 85,000 square kilometers.

All are included in Yunzhong Province.

The land in Lalemache and Tataikuraro is relatively fertile and flat and has a history of development for thousands of years. However, due to the backward development of farming technology, the local black tribes still make a living by nomadic herding.

Rough statistics;

There are approximately 10 black indigenous tribes in these two newly incorporated areas, with a population of approximately 420,000 to 460,000 people. They are one of the separatist forces under the jurisdiction of the Frontier Duke.

This was a hard nut to crack for the wandering Ethiopian Emperor Johannes IV, but for the virtuous Imperial Expeditionary Force, they were black slaves waiting to be conquered.

Whenever there is a shortage of labor force, just go and arrest them, it's that simple.

These local black indigenous tribes who still use bone arrows and bone guns for hunting are extremely short of iron weapons such as spears and swords. They have almost no resistance against the expeditionary soldiers who are armed to the teeth.

During the days of negotiations between the two parties, North American cowboys from Fubo City (Masawa) swarmed in and arrived in Yunzhong City (Alamas) one after another. In a short period of time, a crowd of 1,780 people gathered.

This small town suddenly became crowded.

Thanks to the more than 160 kilometers of telegraph lines erected between Fubo City (Masawa) and Yunzhong City (Alamas), the news of the arrival of Duke Surel, a large employer, spread like wildfire.

The pained North American cowboys all knew the news;

Kaizi is stupid and fat, come and kill him quickly!

So many North American cowboys followed the expeditionary force to plunder all the way. They were basically equipped with one person and two horses, or even three horses per person. In addition to the long and short rifles on their bodies, they also had spare guns. Their ability to run long distances was amazing, even for a distance of 150 or 60 kilometers.

It arrived in just one day.

In order to serve these North American cowboys, the Imperial Colonial Bank of the Tang Dynasty even set up a branch in Fubo City (Massawa). All the gold, silver, jewelry and money stolen from the robbery were converted into Tang Yuan and deposited directly into the bank account.

This was also a measure to facilitate expeditionary officers, soldiers and merchants, and was greatly welcomed.

The Imperial Colonial Bank did a very good job in business. A large amount of property it accumulated was resold and lent to Chinese immigrants to help them purchase Arab women, farm tools, cattle, horses, livestock, and other means of production and living, so that they could settle down as soon as possible.

Whether these North American cowboys or expeditionary officers and soldiers, they charge at least 12% to 20% in handling fees for cross-ocean remittances. There are mainly different discounts for expeditionary officers and soldiers.

The discount for officers is strong, but the discount for soldiers is small. North American cowboys can only obediently pay the maximum handling fee of 20%, otherwise they will keep the money with them.

Loans to Chinese immigrants charge interest rates ranging from 6% to 8%, which are mainly determined based on their identity and immigration years. The longer they have obtained imperial citizenship and have a wife and children, the greater the discounts they can enjoy and the higher the loan amount.

This is because senior immigrants with wives and children are better customers and naturally receive preferential treatment.

The development of the banking industry in the Datang Empire started early, and it developed rapidly with the growth of the empire. More than 10 world-class multinational consortiums have emerged, with strong strength and a high reputation in the international financial community.

For example, wealthy businessmen and politicians from various countries in East Asia, North America, and South America deposited large amounts of property in major bank branches under the Tang Empire. This trend even spread to Europe, especially the aristocrats and wealthy businessmen of Germany, France, Austria, and Italy were the most enthusiastic.

South American war period

The war loan given to the Brazilian Empire by French loan sharks was paid through the branches of banks under the Tang Empire in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The process was completed smoothly and it won a high international reputation.

Many French loan sharks are willing to deposit funds in overseas banks of the Tang Empire, such as the famous Royal Red Oak Bank, Bank of America, Royal Chang'an Bank, etc., which can be very conveniently exchanged for German marks, French francs, Tang yuan, and US dollars.

It has an outstanding reputation and can provide many conveniences such as cross-ocean exchange, cross-border exchange, and inter-bank exchange, and its services have reached the top international level.

Of course, such superior services are not cheap.

During the turbulence of the German-French War, a large number of French nobles and wealthy people deposited huge sums of money in the French branches of the Royal Red Oak Bank, the Bank of America or the Royal Bank of Chang'an. The safety of their property was properly protected and they established excellent reputation.

The weaker consortiums such as the Bank of Los Angeles, Bank of Communications, and National Industrial and Commercial Bank of China focus on North America, Central America, or South America, each with its own focus and staggered development.

For example, the Bank of Los Angeles is the leader in commercial exchange in the Empire. Through its branches in the North American continent, it can conveniently carry out banking business in the north and south of the United States of America, Canada and the Empire. It is a powerful bank that North American merchants like very much.

Bank of Communications mainly focuses on public transportation facility loans, urban construction loans, and various infrastructure loans. It has a good relationship with the imperial government and has a large number of excellent customers, mainly government departments, provinces, and cities.

Colonial Bank of North America, Royal West Coast Bank, etc. are rising stars, and their strength is not as strong as the six major consortiums mentioned above. Their method is to follow the footsteps of imperial colonization and take the lead in opening up the markets of the Andean Governor's Palace, Beihai Province, Paradise Island, and Central American provinces in South America, forming a

A misplaced competitive advantage.

When the Imperial Expeditionary Force was on an expedition to Egypt, the North American Colonial Bank organized a capable team of 27 people with the purpose of following the footsteps of the Imperial Expeditionary Force to expand the market. They successively established operations in Sana'a City, Suez City, and Fubo City (Malaysia).

Savoie) established banking institutions and initially built a modern banking network.

This positive and pioneering spirit has been highly praised by His Highness Tang Li Xin, and business is booming.

No... Duke Surel, who was short of money in his pocket, heard about the great reputation of the Colonial Bank of North America and actually came to ask for cooperation.

The purpose is self-evident... that is to borrow money.

After hearing the news, Wu Youcai, the head of the North American Bank in Yunzhong Province, was so surprised and happy that he danced with joy;

This big fat sheep delivered to your door is so good that it will not be slaughtered until it is slaughtered.

What a pity it is

Since the Colonial Bank of North America is a rising star, almost all international large loan projects such as the war loans of the United States of America, large-scale construction loans, treasury bonds issued by the Confederate States of America, huge war loans of the Kingdom of Prussia, French treasury bonds and post-war construction loans have been taken over by the powerful.

The imperial conglomerate robbed them all, not even the soup was left.

The lucrative North American commercial loans and cross-border exchange pie are also being robbed by powerful institutions such as Bank of America, Royal Bank of America, Royal Bank of Los Angeles, Bank of Communications, National Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and Royal West Coast Bank. Those that can fall into the mouth of the North American Development Bank

Just leftovers.

There's nothing I can do about it, it's too involuted.

Now that he can get a bite of Ethiopia's large loan, wouldn't it be nice for him?

(End of chapter)