Chapter 15 Goodwill
Rock successfully applied for a new partner, and just as Rock expected, the new partner was Li De.
"Master Luo, I have long wanted to be in the same class with you. The Indian who was in my class before was lazy, greedy, gluttonous and bad. He was never satisfied with anything he ate and was incompetent at anything he did. The superiors said that Indians speak good foreign language, but I see that foreigners can understand Indians' foreign language." Li De was very excited. The Indian's English level was just so-so , but he was very good at deceiving his superiors and was a first-class braggart.
Speaking of Indians' English, it is another weird one. Since accepting British colonization, India has begun to regard English as its mother tongue. However, after English arrived in India, it began to become a weird language. Even the British cannot understand the English spoken by Indians. This is no joke.
"Reed, you have a good name. Remember, your English name will be Reed from now on, r-e-d-d. Don't you want to bring me to Cape Town? I'll teach you a good way. Go to the Immigration Bureau to register and become a formal Cape Towner. Then your monthly salary will increase to 5 pounds, which is enough for you and my mother." Rock couldn't persuade Anton, but he could make the decision for Reed. Reed has always been Rock's younger brother, a loyal one. Even after Rock arrived in Cape Town, he was just an ordinary patrolman, but Reed was still loyal to Rock.
"If we register, we will become Cape Towners. Can we still go back to our hometown in the future ?" Li De did not object, but was a little nervous.
"Why can't we go back? If we register as Cape Townians, we will be foreigners when we return to Qing Dynasty. Think about the status of foreigners in Qing Dynasty. When the time comes, we can walk around in Qing Dynasty with our heads held high, and those county officials will have to bow to us when they see us." Rock's tongue was also very sharp. He kept repeating the same thing over and over again, but Rock was always right.
"It's true. The foreigners were so powerful in our Qing Dynasty. But now that we are foreigners, we are afraid that we won't be able to enter our ancestral tombs in the future." Li De was still hesitating. For the Chinese, forgetting their roots is a taboo. Rock has seen many examples of families immigrating in the 21st century, but they were rare in the 19th century.
"It's up to you. I plan to settle down in Cape Town. When we patrol the streets later, I will go look for a house and settle down in Cape Town in the future." Rock said all he wanted to say. No matter whether Li De was willing or not, Rock would not force him.
In fact, settling in Cape Town is not a long-term solution. Cape Town is not bad now, but once the Union of South Africa is established, the future of South Africa will be bleak. Of course, that is not Rock's problem. Before the blacks come to power in South Africa, Rock will leave this troubled place. What's more, with Rock around, it is still uncertain whether blacks will have the opportunity to come to power. South Africa in the mid-twentieth century was a quasi-developed country.
"Come on, Master Luo, I'll settle down. Isn't it okay for me to settle down?" Li De saw that Rock was about to give up, and immediately decided to follow Rock's steps: "It's not that we don't know the benefits of settling down, but in the past, no one had settled down, and no one wanted to settle down. Master Luo, you dare to settle down, so of course I, Li De, dare to do it too. After all, we can still be companions together."
Money is a tempting thing. It would be a lie to say that you are not tempted by a salary of five pounds a month. The key is that no one has taken the first step. As long as there is someone who is the first to take the risk, the local sentiment will not be so indestructible.
It's good that he is willing to settle down. Rock is also worried that he will become a lonely person after settling down. Then Rock's naturalization will have no demonstration effect. Now Li De is willing to settle down with Rock. It is a good start. I believe the officials of the police station will definitely see it.
At the same time, Sheriff Henry Matilda was reporting to Inspector Austin Pence.
"Are those Qing people finally willing to settle in Cape Town? Who will be the first person to settle down?" Austin Pence was very pleased that finally a sensible Chinese person appeared. Austin Pence had been waiting for this day for a long time.
To be honest, there was a time when Austin Pence thought that Chinese police officers were all fools. The benefits of becoming a Cape Town citizen were obvious to them, but no Chinese police officer was willing to become a Cape Town citizen. This was inconsistent with Austin Pence's understanding of human nature. Austin Pence used to be a British citizen, but now he has become a Cape Town citizen. Immigration is normal for the British.
"It's Luo. He named himself Locke. This Locke is amazing. He is different from other Qing people. He speaks fluent English and a little Italian. Just now, Locke helped me solve a big problem." Henry Matilda praised Rock. The lady just now was the wife of an official from the Colonial Affairs Bureau. If it weren't for Rock, Henry Matilda would be in trouble.
"Rocket, I seem to have heard of this name." Austin Pence had some impression of Rock, but not a deep impression. There were hundreds of police officers in the Cape Town Police Department, and it was impossible for Austin Pence to remember every one of them.
"It was Locke who was attacked by rioters and then hospitalized in a coma. Locke had served in the Chinese Battalion and his rank in the battalion was corporal. According to his rank, Locke could have served as sheriff when he came to Cape Town, but who could have made him a Qing citizen?" Henry Matilda felt a little regretful. Origin is always important.
"A very good resume. The Chinese Battalion is a beneficial attempt. If the loyalty of the Chinese Battalion can be guaranteed, the scale of the Chinese Battalion will be further expanded in the future. Unfortunately, it seems that the loyalty of the Chinese Battalion is not enough, so the higher-ups are still hesitating. Since Locke has already become a naturalized citizen, let him get enough benefits. We need more Lockes to appear." Austin Pence's level allows him to learn more information, and the British also understand the principle of paying a high price for a horse's bones.
The original intention of the British to establish the Chinese Battalion was to assist the British in managing the concessions in the Qing Dynasty. At any time, loyalty is what the British value most. Why can the lazy and inefficient Indians do so well under the British? It is because the Indians are loyal enough. Although they are not capable enough, compared with the black people in Africa, the Indians are already good, and the British have no better choice.
In terms of ability alone, there is a clear gap between Indians and Chinese. The British officers of the Chinese Battalion commented on the Chinese warriors as "everyone is a sharpshooter who never misses a shot" and "losing such outstanding soldiers would be a heavy loss for the British Empire". In terms of evaluation alone, the Chinese Battalion received better evaluations than the Hong Kong Corps which was established earlier.
If there is any shortcoming of the soldiers of the Chinese Battalion, it is perhaps that they are not good at expressing themselves. Although the Chinese Warriors have proved their loyalty with their actions, for the British, the soldiers of the Chinese Battalion have not shown real goodwill towards Britain, so the British have reservations about their trust in the Chinese Warriors.
Rock took the initiative to settle in Cape Town, which, in Austin Pence's view, was an expression of goodwill towards the British Empire.
