People Who Traveled from Afar

East African Colony, Second Town.

This is the location of what was once a small town in Tanzania, and what was once called the Luvugo River is now the Little Rhine River.

The Little Rhine River flows southwest to northeast through the East African region, originating in the Uluguru Mountains, turning northeast in Kisaki, and emptying into the Indian Ocean's Zanzibar Channel north of Bagamoyo.

Second Town is situated on the eastern bank of the Little Rhine River. Over five hundred newly assigned Chinese immigrants have been settled here, along with more than fifty immigrants who had been living in First Town for some time, brought in to guide the new arrivals in their production and daily lives. Additionally, three Germans are responsible for local security management.

Ernst isn't worried about these Chinese immigrants harboring ill intentions. They are all carefully selected, illiterate old farmers with no inherent rebellious spirit.

As is widely known, the patience of Chinese people before being pushed to the brink of desperation is the second highest in the world. The highest belongs to Indians, who are adept at non-resistance.

As for the French, they might surrender on the battlefield, but if you lower their living standards, the rascals in Paris will dare to surround government buildings the next day. (A cold joke)

This is Ernst's opinion, but it is absolutely true for this era. After all, the Chinese at the very bottom deeply understand the golden rule: "The common people do not fight against officials."

Looking back at ancient times, even those who led rebellions in Chinese history, if they weren't educated, they had at least read a few books. A typical example is the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was just suppressed. Its leader, Hong Xiuquan, had participated in the imperial examinations and would be considered a highly educated person in this era.

Going further back, Chen Sheng, the earliest peasant uprising leader in Chinese history, could utter phrases like "How can sparrows understand the ambition of swans and magpies?" Even if he truly hadn't read books, he must have heard some grand principles and possessed insight. It's highly probable that as a village head, he would have had contact with lower-level Qin Dynasty officials and local powers.

Therefore, when Ernst selected immigrants, his top priority was farmers, or even drifters. They essentially wouldn't have any culture or insight, at most having only been exposed to some opera or storytelling.

As a Chinese person in his past life, Ernst understood these people's thoughts best.

It's no wonder the British liked using Indians in their colonies. Obedience was one aspect, but they were also naturally adept at "the fox borrowing the tiger's might," perfectly assisting the British in suppressing various colonies.

The East African Colony wouldn't face any issues. The real concern would be the indigenous people who were temporarily captured. They are few in number now and can't cause trouble, but they will need to be watched in the future.

As for the Chinese, their status in the East African Colony is not low, at least theoretically. After all, in East Africa, both the Germans and the Chinese are hired workers of the Hohenzollern Conglomerate and have signed contracts, so they are nominally equal.

It's like the "everyone is equal" saying in later generations, but would you dare say that to your superior at a company? So, in reality, the Germans in the East African Colony belong to the management, while the Chinese are the managed, similar to a company structure.

The indigenous people, from the very beginning, were not considered part of the East African Colony's population. They are currently classified as assets, specifically assets for sale.

Influenced by the development of the East African Colony, the Sultanate of Zanzibar even adopted a strategy of low profit and high sales, reducing the price of indigenous slaves sold to the Arab regions.

With these indigenous people as a comparison, the newly arrived Chinese immigrants are even more well-behaved and work diligently. After all, the indigenous people have already proven that the Germans are not to be trifled with, and one must always keep their priorities straight.

Under these circumstances, Second Town was quickly developed. With the experience from First Town, Second Town appeared on the land of East Africa by following the established procedures.

This time, there was also a new breakthrough: rice cultivation. This is Indica rice introduced from the Indian region. Tanzania and India are both tropical, so the East African Colony did not directly attempt subtropical rice cultivation. Furthermore, transporting it from India is convenient and the distance is shorter. All they needed to do was negotiate prices with British merchants who passed through the port of Dar es Salaam and have them carry some on their return journey.

Second Town is located close to the Little Rhine River, ensuring a more reliable water source than First Town. Therefore, rice is extensively cultivated in Second Town. In the future, the wetlands in the East African Colony will likely follow suit with Second Town and select rice varieties.

After all, rice yields are higher than wheat. In the East African Colony, where human labor is still required for development, it is understandable to invest more labor costs upfront for better yields.

Not only that, but Ernst also plans to cultivate higher-yielding corn in the East African Colony in the future. In his past life, Africa was a continent where corn was widely grown.

In Second Town, new immigrants are cultivating newly developed paddy fields. Waterwheels are used to draw water from the Little Rhine River into irrigation channels, which then lead to the paddy fields with their established embankments.

Li Tiezhu and his fellow farm laborers are diligently digging a new irrigation ditch. Their lean, dark bodies swing their shovels with apparent ease. Stepping on a shovel made in Prussia, the soft red soil is scooped out. With a lift of the hand, the shovel is flipped, and the soil is neatly piled onto the embankment beside them.

"Uncle Jiaxiang, you've been here for a few months now. Tell us, what are these Germans really like? Do they keep their word?" Li Tiezhu asked while digging the ditch.

Li Tiezhu is a newcomer to the East African Colony, having just arrived from North China, and he doesn't know much about the Germans in the East African Colony yet.

Zhang Jiaxiang, digging ahead, replied, "Why do you ask so many questions? Aren't we just trying to make a living wherever we go? Back in Qing China, weren't we tenant farmers for the landlords? Coming to Africa... aren't we just tenant farmers for the German landlords? What's there to be afraid of?"

Li Tiezhu said, "Back in Qing China, we farmed for the landlords for generations, and we knew them inside out. We don't know these German landlords, and without knowing them, aren't we scared?"

"What are you afraid of, young man? At your age, can the Germans be scarier than Old Master Zhou from your village? If you had any other way out, would you have come to Africa to farm for the German landlords? Stop thinking nonsense all day. Just be grateful if the German landlords give you something to eat." Zhang Jiaxiang said to Li Tiezhu.

"That's true. This year, my land was hit by drought, and there was no water in the river. Old Master Zhou even ran off to the city to live, but he still demanded his full rent. We had no grain at home and were starving. The German landlords came recruiting, so I signed up and eventually got on a ship at sea," Li Tiezhu recalled.

He continued, "That ship was the biggest I'd ever seen in my life, bigger than Old Master Zhou's house. But life on the ship wasn't easy. For the first few days, I was sick and throwing up, and all the rations we got at the dock were fed to the sea fish."

"Things are better now that we're in Africa. I went through the same thing at first, but now I can eat my fill every day, three meals a day. Where could you find such a good life in Qing China! When the month ends, if you work well, you might even get two taels of meat. This life is better than New Year!" Zhang Jiaxiang exclaimed.

"If you work well, you can really eat meat? Uncle Jiaxiang, don't lie to me," Li Tiezhu asked with sparkling eyes.

"Why would I lie to you? I've gotten it three times already. As long as you're not the last one in your team, everyone gets a share."

Upon hearing this, Li Tiezhu said, "Then we really need to work hard. I haven't tasted meat in years!"

He then worked even harder, and the others nearby listened to their conversation, their hearts filled with anticipation. The progress on digging the irrigation canal greatly accelerated.

Second Town, under the hands of the new immigrants, began to look more and more like a proper settlement. Even the Germans in charge were slightly surprised by the diligence of these Chinese. In terms of endurance and hard work, the Chinese are indeed admirable.