Chapter 45 Ron Roda
Ron Roda, a small stronghold of the current East African colony, is about 60 kilometers south in a straight line to the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, and 30 kilometers east is the sphere of influence of the Zanzibar Sultanate.
September 13, 1866.
The geographical survey team of the East African colony conducted an inspection here and determined that it was suitable for human habitation.
On October 7, the first batch of immigrants arrived in Ronroda. So far, the entire population of Ronroda is more than 600.
Ronroda is the capital of the Lower Marina area planned by Ernst. The entire Lower Marina area covers an area of nearly 80,000 square kilometers.
On the 80,000 square kilometers of land, there are only more than 600 Chinese immigrants in Ronroda and a small number of Germans.
Ronroda is nearly 400 kilometers away from the First Town, separated by the Central Coastal District. It is the farthest administrative district from the First Town, the Solon Lake District, and the distance from its capital Kigoma to the First Town is about 1,000 kilometers.
Therefore, even if the indigenous people are included, the entire East African colony appears to be vast and sparsely populated, and the development of the East African colonies still has a long way to go.
As the capital of the Lower Coastal District, Ronroda currently only has the name of a capital, and its size is only equivalent to a village in the Upper Coastal District.
The more remote Lake District of East Malawi is even more difficult to explain. The exploration work has only been completed currently, and the immigrants assigned by the first town are still on their way to Songea.
The situation in the Central Binhai District is relatively better because it is closer to the Upper Binhai District. At present, the number of immigrants has reached more than 1,000.
The top administrator of Ronroda is a German named Thomas, who was a member of the original mercenary group in the East African colonies.
His deputy was Li Wenhua, a graduate of the Heixingen Military Academy. Basically all the Germans in the East African colonies had joined the army. The second-tier Chinese peace officers were also selected from the students who graduated from the Heixingen Military Academy.
Therefore, it can be said that the entire East African colony is currently a military government, and all immigrants act, produce and live in accordance with military-style plans and instructions.
Fortunately, the governance method adopted in the colonies was collective management, and the immigrants were relatively honest and obeyed orders, unlike the people in Europe who had a sense of resistance.
If these immigrants are really given the right to live freely like other countries, then these colonial officials with military backgrounds will definitely be caught blind. After all, they are not the kind of professional bureaucrats with administrative experience.
Collectivized management is just like what they do in the army. They just complete the orders of the commander step by step. Before the East African colonies are fully developed, they only need to develop according to Ernst's instructions. That would be great.
As a student who graduated from Hechingen Military Academy, Li Wenhua's loyalty to Ernst cannot be overstated. Compared with his days in the Qing Dynasty, studying at Hechingen Military Academy reshaped the outlook of students like Li Wenhua.
In the brainwashing and spoon-feeding education, the trainees at the Hechingen Military Academy subconsciously understood that Ernst had pulled them out of dire straits, and the only way to repay the principal was to work hard.
Li Wenhua also came to the East African colonies with this mood. At the colonial meeting on the issue of developing new regional land, Li Wenhua was selected as the second-in-command of the Lower Binhai District.
At present, the East African colonies are basically managed by two groups: the Germans and the students of the Hechingen Military Academy.
Among them, students from the Hechingen Military Academy played a bridge role and were an important part of promulgating colonial policies to immigrants.
They are responsible for important tasks such as preaching policies, educating the people, and managing military affairs.
All official documents in the colonies had to be in German, so those colonial policies had to be translated by them to the immigrants.
At the same time, as the East African colonies carried out Germanization, these immigrants had to be re-educated. However, it was very difficult for these old farmers who were illiterate and had never read a book to learn.
Therefore, the colonies could only provide them with simple German education. They first learned 800 important German words and learned two or three every day.
If immigrants want to thoroughly learn German, they can only start from childhood, starting from the next generation. At that time, the East African colonies will move compulsory education into the colonies.
And all this requires preparation time. Ernst is training a group of future colonial teachers at the Hechingen Military Academy. After they graduate, they will start the century-old project of education in the colony.
The students this time are mainly composed of some orphans from the German area. They study in the classroom with the Chinese students. In the future, they will go to the East African colonies with these Chinese students to establish their own schools in the East African colonies.
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Ronroda's geographical location is relatively advantageous, so there are three indigenous tribes distributed within a few miles to the west.
These indigenous tribes are still relatively large, so the colonial security forces need to be dispatched to clean them up. Among the immigrants sent to Ronroda this time, there are 200 security forces.
After distributing guns and ammunition, Thomas and Li Wenhua began to lead the team. The name of the first tribe eliminated by the security forces of Ronroda Colony was Qigugu.
The security force, which consisted of only a few hundred people and equipped with horses, dispersed the natives with a single charge. After setting fire to the tribal houses made of thatch and branches, the colonial security force set off towards their next destination.
The second and third indigenous tribes are located to the north of the Chigugu tribe. Among them, the Muweina tribe has the largest number of people, while the Lindi tribe has the most dangerous terrain.
The method of solving the Muweina tribe is similar to that of Qigugu, which means it takes a little more time, but the Lindi tribe is really difficult to fight.
The cavalry was useless and could only use more ammunition to consume the enemy. Fortunately, the doors and fences of the Lindi tribe were made of wood.
Colonial vigilante rockets soaked in vegetable grease set the Lindi tribe's walls on fire, and finally, in the scorched earth, vigilante soldiers charged to defeat the last indigenous tribe near Ronroda.
The remnants of the three indigenous tribes could only flee westward, and there was a safer area near Ronroda.
After clearing away the wild animals near Ron Roda Colony, the colonial security forces met with the immigrants and began the vigilance work of Ron Roda.
The initially established Ronroda was a small village with civil structures. It was relatively close to the sphere of influence of the Portuguese and Arabs, so the construction had a defensive function.
Watchtowers, trenches, defensive fences and suspension bridges all give immigrants a sense of solidity and security.
Ronroda is also located in the African coastal plain, so rice is mainly grown here, but the cash crop of choice is tobacco.
Tobacco cultivation can provide raw materials for the Hessingen Tobacco Company. Previously, the Hessingen Tobacco Company mainly imported them from merchants from the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the Netherlands, and then processed and sold them.
Therefore, the cost is still relatively high, and East Africa is more suitable for tobacco growth and has a large land area. As long as it is developed, it will be enough to supply the needs of the entire Hessingen Tobacco Company.
Ron Roda is the first step in experimental tobacco cultivation. If this planting is successful, it will be promoted to the entire Lower Binhai District in the future.
The Central Binhai District, like the Upper Binhai District, still mainly grows sisal, because the sales volume of sisal is indeed good and the market demand is relatively high.
There are many competitors in tobacco cultivation, especially North and South America, which are important producing areas for tobacco cultivation. However, most of the tobacco in the East African colonies is used by Heishingen Tobacco Company itself. The main purpose is to reduce costs while also taking into account development. colony.
Therefore, the colony currently does not intend to blindly expand some crops that are theoretically suitable for East Africa. Before there is a stable market, it is still necessary to plant small-scale crops, such as coffee and rubber.