Chapter 55: Nanhua Land, Thousands of Miles of Fertile Land
Land is always the most scarce resource in the world.
Not only is it limited, it won't grow.
However, in South America in the 1860s, land was the least valuable in this new world.
After leaving the South China Sea and passing those inconspicuous hills, the endless Pampas plain appeared in front of Zhu Xianhai.
The sky is blue and the earth is green.
This vast land lay naked before their eyes, blinding everyone's eyes.
"Oh my God, this, this..."
Qian Deshan jumped off the horse and was so shocked that he could hardly believe his eyes.
"This, this place is really, really..."
For a moment, Qian Deshan didn't know how to describe this land.
Not to mention him, even Zhu Xianhai was a little surprised.
All his knowledge of the "Pampas" came from books - it is connected to the Glenchaco Grassland in the north, the Patagonia Plateau in the south, the foothills of the Andes in the west, and the Atlantic coast in the east, with an area of about 760,000 square kilometers.
"Pampas" comes from the Indian Quechua language, meaning "treeless grassland", which is a relatively unique vegetation type in South America. In terms of zonal and climatic conditions, it is suitable for tree growth. In fact, except for the "corridor-style" forests along the banks of the river, it is basically a treeless grassland.
There are 760,000 square kilometers of grassland and black soil that is extremely suitable for agricultural cultivation. It is not even as cold as the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and there is plenty of rainfall.
But such land is actually used to raise cattle in the 21st century. This is simply a waste of resources!
"Chi Le Chuan, under the Yin Mountains. The sky is like a dome, covering the surrounding fields. The sky is vast, the fields are boundless. The wind blows the grass low and you can see..."
Fang Zhanbo suddenly stopped talking because there were no cattle or sheep here.
"My lord, there seems to be no one here!"
Zhu Xianhai laughed.
"Who said there's no one, isn't it you and me?"
Pointing at the fertile land, Zhu Xianhai said.
"In the past, this was a no-man's land, but now, this is our Nanhua territory. When we bring people from China in the future, we will settle them here."
After thinking about it, Zhu Xianhai said.
"In the future, they only need to pay 200 yuan, and each household can get 1,000 acres of land!"
"What! One thousand acres of land, only two hundred dollars!"
Fang Zhanbo said excitedly.
Sun Hu and others were even more excited.
"My Lord, this, this... do we have a share?"
One thousand acres of land, only two hundred dollars!
In China, that would be a fortune that one could not accumulate in several lifetimes!
How could they not be excited when they heard that they would be given so much land? As for Fang Zhanbo and Qian Deshan, they looked at Zhu Xianhai nervously. They felt that the land was too much. They simply couldn't imagine what the result would be if every household had a thousand acres of land.
"Of course, everyone does!"
We can't favor one over the other. Besides, land is the cheapest resource here. Land can not only win people's hearts, but also allow them to take root here and become "Southern Chinese".
"I think every family should have one. One person can't have one. It has to be a family that can reproduce!"
"My lord, this, this is too much!"
"A lot? How can it be a lot?"
While sighing, Zhu Xianhai pointed to the endless land in front of him and said.
"One thousand acres may sound like a lot, but look at it, is the land here enough?"
"This place is truly a vast fertile land!"
Qian Deshan, Fang Zhanbo and the hundreds of Chinese workers who accompanied them nodded.
How can it not be a lot? It’s a full 760,000 square kilometers!
Seventy-six million hectares!
1.14 billion acres!
Do the math yourself.
"I tell you, this is only a part. To the north, there is more land!"
Going north, there is the even more vast La Plata Plain!
The Great Plains of La Plata are composed of the Pampas and the Gran Chaco Plain in the north. Unlike the Pampas, which is mainly grassland with few trees, the Gran Chaco Plain has vast shrubs and tropical grasslands. The area there is... 730,000 square kilometers.
That is 73 million hectares of land.
As for how many acres it is, Zhu Xianhai was too lazy to calculate, but one thing is certain: the extremely important and fertile black soil of the La Plata Plain is a rare black soil in the world, and its area is almost equivalent to the total arable land in China.
If we don’t cultivate such fertile land into farmland, would we be worthy of the gift of the earth?
As for one thousand acres of land, is it a lot?
Not much, this is what Zhu Xianhai and Lincoln learned.
A few years later, in order to win the support of white people in the war with southern plantation owners, Lincoln would enact the so-called Homestead Act.
According to this law:
From January 1, 1863, any American citizen who was 21 years old or older, or a foreigner who applied for American citizenship in accordance with the naturalization requirements, could receive up to 160 acres of western state-owned land as a share for the purpose of residence and cultivation, either free of charge or by paying a registration fee of $10. After five years of cultivation, or if the person lived on the homestead for six months within five years and paid a fee of $1.25 per acre, the land he received would become his property.
What are those so-called "state lands"?
The Americans just drew a line on the map and it became national property. As for the Indians living on it, well, who are they?
Giving Indian land to white voters was pure generosity.
However, once this decree was promulgated, the United States immediately entered an unprecedented era of pioneering. The so-called Western pioneers, holding a rifle in one hand and driving a caravan in the other, went to the vast West, spent a few dollars, and became farmers.
As for the Indians who originally lived there?
They either died at gunpoint or were driven to desolate reservations.
And what about the United States?
Rise from now on!
The vast land in the West attracted millions of people, who reclaimed the land and planted crops. American agricultural products were sold all over the world through railways. The registration fees they paid enriched the finances of the US government, thus escaping the precarious situation of its finances, which had been hit hard by the Civil War .
How could Zhu Xianhai not use such a policy that benefits the country and the people?
160 acres, which is almost one thousand acres.
Is one thousand acres a lot?
A lot, but... Fortunately, the Great Plains of La Plata is large enough to give enough land to immigrants from China. Fortunately, this place is located at the southernmost tip of the world, and the location is remote enough, so there is enough land and time to develop...
However, considering the time, they should be here! This is the first test that Nanhua will face!
