roccoschili Chapter 50 Courage or Foolishness
Chapter 50 Courage or Foolishness
With current technology, the population of the Han Dynasty is already approaching the limit of the land's carrying capacity.
At this time, the Han Dynasty's foreign colonial activities were colonization in the most primitive sense: to find land for people to live and multiply.
The primary objective is the open and fertile land itself.
At this time, the populations of most European countries were far from reaching the carrying capacity of their land.
Their voyages at this time were daring, with their primary goal being wealth.
Early immigrants were mainly fur traders, and it was difficult for them to form a large enough group.
Although Langleyburg only had about thirty merchants and hunters in total, it was actually a relatively large trading post.
It later became the West Coast headquarters of Hudson Bay Company.
It's not unusual for a small trading post to have only a few people stationed there regularly.
It is usually only when gold mines and gold dust are discovered in a certain place that a large number of gold prospectors are quickly attracted.
Larger development zones were formed around the gold prospectors to meet their needs.
Getting the Kingdom of Britain to organize a large number of immigrants to clear land and cultivate crops on the northwest coast of America would be an almost impossible task.
Compared to mainland Europe, India and Australia are much closer.
Therefore, once the Han Dynasty set its sights on this wild and untamed land, no other country could seize it, nor would they have any incentive to compete for it.
Macmillan and others, though unaware of the logical differences, knew that the Han emperor wielded immense power and that the Han population was enormous.
Knowing that the Spanish had been operating the galleon shipping route for over two hundred years, it was very mature and stable, and now the Hawaiian Islands served as a transit point.
The Han Dynasty had a population of 400 to 500 million, and it sent 10,000 people across the Pacific Ocean every year, roughly equivalent to Britain sending 500 people to South America every year.
This is clearly without any pressure, and could even be considered very conservative; multiplying it several times over would be very easy.
Other countries can't even come close to this speed.
If the Han people really do this, this place will soon become the domain of the Han people, and the local natives will disappear quickly.
Other foreign forces either have to submit to the Han's rule or leave this place.
People are the most important thing; only with enough people can you truly control the land.
McMillan returned to his residence that evening and discussed his future and that of the land with Yale.
McMillan seemed a bit down and asked Yale for his opinion:
"How should we respond to the request from that Han Chinese commander?"
Should we continue to persist, or should we actively cooperate with them?
"They have thousands of militia families who have migrated, and they will definitely be surveying and exploring the area."
"They will definitely explore along the river and coast first, and it's only a matter of time before they find our other trading posts."
"We can indeed help both sides avoid conflict and thus gain special status, but we might also become the first to surrender..."
Yale's expression was grave:
"What they are talking about is not a secret, but a natural fact."
"This is the very edge of the power of all European countries. The Han Dynasty could reach this place more conveniently and quickly than any other European country by using the large sailing ships."
"If the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty were determined to seize this place, even the United States would have no chance of winning."
"It was far more convenient for a large sailing ship to cross the Pacific Ocean than to cross the Rocky Mountains and traverse the American continent."
"They are able to use large transport ships to bring thousands or tens of thousands of people over every year."
"We only have a few dozen people coming here each year."
McMillan said with great difficulty:
"So...should we now choose to obey them?"
"Every year, thousands upon thousands of Han Chinese come here. Is there still room for us to live?"
Yale had already thought about these things:
"They will definitely take control of this land, but this wilderness will no longer be dangerous."
"If each trading post had a hundred Han militia couples living and stationed there, then the wilderness trading post would directly become a village, and there would be no need to fear the small groups of savages around.
"As for the large groups of savages, they will definitely be actively eliminated by the Han immigrants."
"From now on, this place will no longer be a pure wilderness, but a land with powerful masters and guardians."
"They provide such security guarantees, so they are certainly entitled to collect taxes from us."
McMillan sighed and said:
"Do you mean that the commander of a thousand households in the Han Dynasty will become our lord?"
"The Han Chinese are lords, officials, and farmers; we are foreign merchants. They provide us with protection, and we provide them with services."
"This structure seems fine, it's just a pity they're all heretics..."
Yale looked up, reflecting on what he had observed over the past two days:
"These Han Chinese...including officers and all the ordinary soldiers, all have a natural contempt for us."
Even if we are gentlemen and the other side is just an ordinary soldier.
"However, these people were not as ruthless as the British nobles and merchants."
"I've thought about it several times: these people are really naive and stupid, which could also be called...kindness."
"This trait, which is very rare among European immigrants, is ubiquitous among these Han Chinese immigrants."
"Perhaps it's because they are just ordinary, rural residents, not desperate vagrants, exiles, or speculators from Europe..."
"They come here intending to establish a home and live here permanently, not to make enough money and then return home."
"They are very powerful and have an insatiable greed for land, and they will not allow us to blur the boundaries of governance."
"They are high and mighty, but they still have a last shred of pity for the weak."
"These are very good qualities of a ruler."
"When we are powerless to resist, enduring this mental anguish is also a test and trial from God."
After hearing this, McMillan made a praying gesture:
May God have mercy on us...
McMillan and Yale made their decision and then gathered the other businessmen together to explain their decision.
The next morning, McMillan and Yale went to find Zhang Zongyu and Yu Yang.
McMillan, as Langleyburg's chief agent, proactively explained his purpose to Zhang Zongyu and Yu Yang:
"We are willing to cooperate with you and try to persuade other trading posts to temporarily accept the management of the Great Han in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts."
"This includes the Hudson Bay Company's trading center here."
"But we obviously cannot guarantee whether the people at other trading posts will accept our suggestions."
"At the same time, we hope you can promise that if the people at other trading posts are truly unable to accept the rule of the Great Han, you will allow them to withdraw on their own."
Zhang Zongyu was quite satisfied after listening to the translation:
"Good, you finally made the right choice and avoided unnecessary casualties."
"I can allow them to choose whether to stay here and be under our jurisdiction, or to withdraw from this area altogether."
"So now let me tell you roughly where the nearby trading posts are located."
"And where is your so-called trade center?"
After Zhang Zongyu finished speaking, he looked at McMillan.
McMillan hesitated for a moment after listening, but finally took the initiative to emphasize:
"We would appreciate it if you could provide official documentation so that we can gain the trust of our colleagues."
Zhang Zongyu suddenly realized that these British people needed written agreements for everything they did.
He then instructed Yu Yang and Yale to draft documents promising to guarantee the safety of these individuals and allowing them to stay and operate the business or leave safely.
Zhang Zongyu stamped the document on the spot and handed it to the other party. McMillan put the document away and took out a simple hand-drawn map.
The map depicts the general outline of the Gulf of America, highlighting the approximate locations of several surrounding trading posts and the transportation routes between them.
Zhang Zongyu took the map and examined it carefully, while Macmillan explained the situation of each trading post.
Besides Langley Fort, which is right next to the Third Village, there is also a small trading post called Nisquarry, located a few dozen kilometers south of the Second Village in the southern part of the bay.
Nisquarry was originally a transit warehouse, usually manned by fewer than ten people.
(A map of the disputed territory between Britain and the United States, including the distribution of trading posts, the two main rivers, and the traditional routes across the Americas.)
Then there's Fort Vancouver, the most important trading center, located further south on the Columbia River.
The location of Fort Vancouver is not the later city of Vancouver, Canada, but rather the old Vancouver, across from Portland, Oregon, USA.
Because after 1846, the Oregon region where Vancouver is located was ceded to the United States.
Hudson Bay Corporation had to abandon the old Fort Vancouver and temporarily move its management center to Fort Langley, and then build the new Vancouver on the west side of Fort Langley.
The Vancouver that modern people refer to is usually the later "new Vancouver".
Old Vancouver Fort, a center of the West Coast fur trade, was the largest settlement in the area, with a total population of over 250.
This included Hudson Bay Company managers and businessmen, as well as soldiers and fur hunters, and naturalized natives.
Fort Vancouver has a basic governing body and also has businessmen who also serve as judges.
On the south side of the mouth of the Columbia River, where Fort Vancouver is located, there is another trading post called Fort George.
Fort George was the first trading post established in the region. It was originally built by Americans and was originally named Fort Astoria.
In 1812, Britain seized the trading post and renamed it Fort George.
The Hudson Bay Company initially used Fort George as its trading center on the west coast, but later moved inland to Fort Vancouver.
Fort George was abandoned for a period of time and then put back into service as a coastal outpost, usually manned by only four to six people.
After listening to McMillan's detailed explanation, Zhang Zongyu couldn't help but sigh with emotion:
"Are you Britons brave or greedy?"
"You have only a handful of people, yet you dare to do business in this wilderness."
"A savage tribe of even moderate size could destroy the trading post of a few of you."
"You people could die in the wilderness at any moment..."
McMillan smiled dismissively and said:
"You can call us brave, or you can call us greedy, it doesn't matter to me."
"We could die at any moment, whether in the wilderness or in a bustling city."
"More than half of the workers in British cities do not live to be twenty years old."
"Explorers in the wilderness have a much longer lifespan than workers, so for us, the wilderness is not as dangerous as the factory."
"As long as you can guarantee our safety, we are naturally willing to provide you with services."
Zhang Zongyu and Yu Yang both felt that McMillan was talking nonsense to gain sympathy.
It's absurd that half of city workers don't live past twenty, far less than adventurers in the wilderness.
Zhang Zongyu was too lazy to argue with him, so he made a stern promise and offered reassurance:
"Don't worry, we Han people value benevolence and righteousness. As long as you are honest and obedient, we will not treat you unfairly."
"With us here, you are not in danger."
In fact, 1835 was the lowest point in the working class's condition in Britain.
The average life expectancy for workers in Britain has dropped to 21 years, and in the most extreme cities it has dropped to 15 years.
Rural residents could theoretically live to be thirty or forty years old, but after the Enclosure Movement, there were almost no ordinary people left in the countryside.
Modern Britons can live longer no matter what they do, as long as they can leave the city and the terrifying factories.
Most of the militia families in Dahan lived in rural areas and each had their own small plot of land.
Most of them were not married when they were seventeen or eighteen, while the workers in British cities were probably already dead.
They could not even imagine what kind of living conditions British workers were in at that time.
McMillan readily agreed to Zhang Zongyu's words.
"We understand, and thank you for your kindness."
Zhang Zongyu placed a simple map on the table and began to carefully plan the next battle.
Zhang Zongyu now finally understood just how desolate this place was.
The Emperor and the intelligence agencies' statement that "ordinary trading posts may only have dozens or hundreds of people" was likely an exaggeration on their own initiative.
They certainly couldn't believe it; a few dozen people was considered quite a lot, and the trade center only had a little over two hundred people.
A small trading post where goods are stored may only have a few people inside.
In the eyes of the Han people, living in the wilderness with a few people is simply a death wish.
But those Britons were just that brave.
Since these places are so desolate, the two thousand militiamen sent by the Han Dynasty, who have been trained, are now able to sweep across the entire area.
There's no need to wait until next year. We can take everything we can find this year, and we might not even need to actually start fighting.
Expanding outwards from these trading posts was much easier and faster than starting from scratch.
At least they have cut down the trees, revealing open space available for construction.