Chapter 563 Warm-hearted
In the 19th century, it was extremely inconvenient to transmit information, so the citizens of the Far Eastern Empire had a very rudimentary understanding of the world structure. Many people could not tell the difference between England, France, Germany, etc.
Most of the powerful countries in the world are hearsay. Many countries are uniformly classified as Westerners. The West is naturally a Westerner, and the East is actually Japan, so it is naturally called an Oriental. Of course, due to historical reasons, Japan has its own territory in the Far Eastern Empire. Another name, some Japanese country, Fusang or something like that.
Naturally, these Far Eastern workers employed in East Africa could not distinguish between so many countries, so they followed the East African garrison and called Japan little devils and the like.
Naturally, the derogatory name "Japanese" is not unique to Japan. Those who have invaded the Far Eastern Empire have a share in it, including Western, English, and French devils. Only Japan deserves the title of "little" devil.
In this era, translation was actually a mess. Influenced by Ernst, East Africa had a unified translation table for diplomats to use.
It is rare for workers in the Southern Ryukyu Islands to discuss "national affairs" during their break, and today's lunch is also ready.
Because of the shortage of manpower, East Africa treated these Far East workers fairly well and allowed them to share the canteen with the East African defenders.
Running canteens is a major feature of East Africa and plays an important role in the East African country system. Immigration canteens, government canteens, school canteens, military canteens...
After the East African army took over the Southern Ryukyu Islands, they naturally continued to carry forward this fine tradition, but the facilities on the Southern Ryukyu Islands were not perfect enough.
The canteen is also very simple. After requisitioning several civilian houses, they broke ground, demolished and rebuilt it, and built it with bricks, stones, earth and wood. The military canteen on Miyako Island can accommodate 500 people at a time. The dining tables are all made of wooden boards. Built.
The buildings in the Southern Ryukyu Islands are mainly made of wooden structures, which have good earthquake resistance and the materials are easy to obtain. However, for military considerations in East Africa, they were mainly transformed into masonry structures, which have better fire protection and solid properties. , the price is to sacrifice earthquake resistance.
There should be many chances of earthquakes in the Southern Ryukyu Islands, but at this time, East African officials believe that the Southern Ryukyu Islands are more likely to encounter war.
"You are blessed today, because you have performed well on the project. Governor Lukar specially ordered to reward you with a batch of military cans in stock for you to open meat. They are all high-quality beef stewed with potatoes and braised pork. Usually only the troops receive this treatment. "
Before the meal started, Brother Wang, who was now the platoon leader of the East African Army, broke the news to everyone.
It’s not surprising that Andre is called Brother Wang. His original name is Wang Sanjin. He served in the East African Army for seven years and is considered a veteran. Now he has been transferred back to serve in the Far East.
When I came back, I almost forgot how to speak Chinese. It was only after I got to know Da Zhuang and other Far Eastern workers that I remembered my parents' language.
Da Zhuang said: "Brother Wang, these military cans must be very precious, right? It seems that you were reluctant to use them before, so you only took them out when there was a shortage of supplies."
Andre: "Hey, military canned food! It's a kind of combat food. It's actually no different from ordinary food. It's just durable. There are a lot of these things in the East African army. It's not surprising. You'll get bored easily if you eat too much. , If the Japanese hadn’t caused mischief and caused the current shortage of supplies, it would have been better to make rice just like before.”
Andre casually said that in the eyes of the workers, it is quite Versailles. Canned food is actually not cheap, and the cost is still relatively high. That is to say, the Southern Ryukyu Islands have a special location, so East Africa has stocked up a large amount of canned food in advance. emergency.
"Hey, dear, this can tastes good. It's meaty and oily, and you're willing to add salt. You'll be full after eating it. Brother Wang, you guys are living a good life as soldiers."
"Hey, that's natural. If you don't look at my military uniform, my life will be the same. The honor of the army in East Africa is very high, and the food is also very first-class. In the days you lived before, you could only get involved in a meal. That’s right, we have real food and meat here, and the rice we eat is factory-processed rice and noodles, and we can also eat fruits, so our life is pretty good.”
Although Andre had said these showy words before, they still made everyone envious. This is the fairy life they pursue!
"Brother Wang, if nothing else, you are just a general in East Africa, so you have nothing to show for your skills!" Da Zhuang complimented.
Andre quickly stopped and said: "General, don't talk nonsense. I am just a small platoon leader, an officer the size of a sesame seed. I only manage dozens of people under my command. Just remember to call me Commander Andre." General, the governor of the entire Southern Ryukyu Islands is a major general, so please don’t harm me.”
"Brother Wang, how did you become a Western official? We see that you have many foreigners under your command?"
Andre chuckled and said: "This is not easy. I was promoted naturally because of my good performance in the army. If you call me Brother Wang, I will naturally take care of you. The foreigner you are talking about will not be around anymore." When mentioned in front of other people, this word is not a good word in the Far East. Don’t think that our East African army does not know that many people in East Africa used to be from the Far East, so it is taboo to speak.”
"Brother Wang, those of you who went to East Africa, don't you also become ordinary people in East Africa?"
"You're right. This is about nationality. Nationality is the same as genealogy. Genealogy identifies which family you are from, and nationality is what country you are from. Just like me, I have an East African nationality. Naturally, They are East Africans, and you are called Far Easterners. If we divide them according to ethnicity, I am now German, and you are Han Chinese."
"Brother Wang, tell the truth, can you become German if you go to East Africa? Can they trust you to work under them?"
"This is nonsense. If I am not one of my own, how can I be a platoon leader? In East Africa, everyone is equal, except black people, of course."
"Brother Wang, what is a black person? A very black person?"
"Haha, you have never seen the world, but what you said is right. Black people are very black people. That's it. Their teeth are white from top to bottom. If you don't show your teeth after dark, you can't see them. Charcoal, you guys Have you seen it? Just like that thing, the whole body is black." Andre shared his knowledge with them very proudly.
"Uh, Brother Wang, is there really such a dark person?"
"What's weird about this? Haven't you seen white people too? Some of them are blond and blue-eyed! There are so many weird people in the world. For example, on the coast of East Africa, you can see people wrapped in white robes. Arabs, brown people in South Asia are just as unwashed..."
Like telling a story, Andre shared his experiences, insights and overseas anecdotes with these workers. At the same time, the East Africa he described became a paradise-like existence that made people yearn for it.
"If you had gone to East Africa at sea, how could you have managed to make a name for yourself after so many years, and you would not have suffered here, but it is not too late now. Although the threshold for becoming an East African citizen has been raised, as long as you behave well, I will give you a If you write letters of recommendation, you can go to East Africa and enjoy the blessings when the time comes.”
Andre is a warm-hearted person, but he cannot just randomly send people to East Africa, so he reminds these fellow villagers to perform well in the project so that he can have a chance to operate.