Cattle and Horses

A month ago, on April 22, 1866, Dar es Salaam port.

Today, the immigrants from First Town and the colonial officials came to Dar es Salaam port to receive the goods. Unlike usual, more people were mobilized today.

"Old Qian, why did the German masters call us too today? Usually, their own people come to this place," one immigrant asked.

"How should I know? Just do what the officials tell us to do, don't ask so many questions," Old Qian said.

"I'm just scared. I finally get enough to eat in First Town. What if they send us back to Qing China!"

"Stop imagining things. The German masters also need us to grow crops for them. The land here is so barren, and those natives are so clumsy, they don't even know how to farm. The German masters can't farm themselves, right? So what are you afraid of?"

As the two were chatting, several large ships appeared on the distant horizon.

"Looking at the way they're set up, could they be new immigrants? That's how we were brought here last time."

Old Qian shook his head, "Who knows? We'll know when the ship docks."

Before long, the Dutch merchant ship docked at the pier of Dar es Salaam port. The Dutch opened the railings on the side of the ship and laid down wooden planks, creating a loading channel several meters wide.

The German officials began to direct the immigrants to board the ship and unload the cargo. Led by the officials, the immigrants boarded the familiar ships again, and on board, they finally saw the goods this time.

"These are horses, these are cattle!" the person who was talking to Old Qian exclaimed.

"I knew it! Such good land should be used to raise some livestock. The grass near First Town grows so well, and these natives don't know how to farm or raise livestock."

Old Qian disdainfully said, "You're getting carried away, why are you cursing now! Those are livestock."

"It's all the same, it's all the same. We can't speak properly, we're uncultured, right? Haha..." he said with an awkward laugh.

"Stop laughing and lend a hand, we need to drive the livestock!"

After a lot of work, they finally managed to drive the cattle and horses off the ship. The immigrants from First Town began to drive these cattle and horses towards First Town.

The German officials seemed to have been prepared. They took out saddles and bridles from somewhere and fitted them onto a horse.

As an old European cavalryman, Dehr finally felt the sensation of galloping on the battlefield again.

He rode this horse imported from Russia and tested his skills in the open field. The horse was quite docile and carried Dehr around the flat ground twice.

Recently, due to Prussia's preparations for war, Prussian mules and horses were restricted, and exports were even less likely.

Therefore, Ernst specially imported several hundred horses from Russia. Horse plowing was popular in Europe, so many countries had horses. The Eastern European part of Russia was originally a horse-producing region, and they also had vast grasslands in Central Asia and the Far East suitable for raising horses.

Ernst sent people to Russia to purchase horses, then set sail from the Baltic Sea, transported by Dutch merchant ships to the East African colony. While passing through the Netherlands, they also picked up a batch of cattle.

The Netherlands is a major livestock country, with livestock being its primary industry, followed by flower cultivation.

Ernst currently had no way to mechanize the East African colony. Europe was still using animal power. Steam agricultural machinery was somewhat marketable, but it was expensive, bulky, and not very efficient.

So Ernst planned to develop some animal husbandry in the colony to provide animal power for the future. Africa had no domesticated large livestock, and African animals were wild. The natives lived by hunting, and with animals everywhere, they were a source of food for the natives. Although dangerous, the abundant resources made these tribes lack the motivation to improve their productivity.

The immigrants drove the cattle and horses back to First Town. So many livestock successfully attracted the attention of the townspeople.

The chief of security began to order the immigrants to build corrals for the horses and cattle, and at the same time, find some experienced immigrants to be in charge of animal husbandry.

The ranch was located five or six li away from the town, between First Town and Third Town.

There was a grassland here, where the immigrants set up camp and drove the cattle and horses into a wooden fence.

"These are good cattle! Back home, only the landlords could raise cattle this strong."

"These horses are also good. In my life, I've only seen horses ridden by high officials, with fat and big-eared officials sitting on them, and their subordinates running behind."

"Are you talking about the imperial army fighting the Taiping Rebels?"

"Yes, that's what the soldiers said. Before they left, they also snatched a few cows from the landlord Wang's manor, saying they were requisitioned by the imperial court. They were even more ruthless than bandits. The guards of landlord Wang's manor could usually defend the manor, but there was a bandit called King Er Mazi nearby who usually didn't dare to go to Lord Wang's manor. But when the imperial soldiers came, his guards didn't dare to make a sound. They usually only bullied us common people."

"Pah, none of them are good. Dogs biting dogs, all with dirty mouths. Why doesn't heaven take these beasts away? Heaven truly has no eyes!"

"Alas, fortunately, the foreign masters came to recruit workers the year before last. We had no work then, so we thought of finding a way to make a living and got on the ship. I really couldn't have imagined the current life back then!"

"Who would have thought! My family also suffered a disaster. My two brothers starved to death. I was lucky to have waited for the German masters, and only then did I survive. Without those corrupt officials and landlord bastards, life is much better now. The German masters always keep their word, they really give us food!"

"If you ask me, the Qing Dynasty deserves to fall. I heard from the scholar in the village long ago that the imperial court couldn't defeat the foreigners, and they ceded land and paid indemnities every year. These bastards don't treat us as humans, so someone will deal with them."

"Alas, it's hard to say. When those foreigners, like Britain and France, came to our land, the officials still lived luxuriously, didn't they? The indemnities were still imposed on us! I heard that when the South suffered a defeat, taxes were increased several times, called war reparations. Like dogs, these scoundrels are harmful!"

"It's just that we can't make a living in Qing China anymore, and we don't have those black-hearted officials above us anymore. Everyone says foreigners are scary, but the German masters are a bit fierce usually, but their intentions are cleaner than those black-hearted Qing officials."

"Alas, speaking of Africa, everything is good here. The food is good, the clothes are good, but there are too few women. Those natives are so dark, they're unbearable to look at. With so many single men, I don't know if we'll ever find wives in this life."

"You're always thinking nonsense. In Qing China, you couldn't even get enough to eat. Which woman would fancy you and live a hard life with you?"

"I'm just thinking about important life events! What's wrong with thinking? If we become successful in a few years and return to Qing China, won't we be able to find wives? Then we'll come back and have a bunch of kids here as a family."

"That's impossible! Would the German masters let us go back?"

"You don't understand this! Do you know there's an official in town from Germany, he's also Chinese, and he has a foreign name, Pierce Lee. He can talk to people."

"He said he's a graduate of the Hechingen Military Academy, and the land here belongs to Principal Hechingen. This Principal is extraordinary, equivalent to a relative of the Emperor in Qing China."

"I've also heard that Officer Pierce Lee was noticed by the German masters at a young age and went to Germany to study, so he could come here to be an official."

"It's this Officer Pierce Lee who said that we are all employees of the Hechingen Company, contract laborers. After working for twenty years, we can choose to live. When the time comes, we can choose to stay in Africa or return to Qing China. And Officer Pierce Lee also said that the few pieces of paper we get every month should not be lost, as they are German silver dollars issued to us, which can be exchanged for money at banks in Qing China."

"Those few pieces of paper can be exchanged for money?"

"You don't understand! This is the money the foreign masters use. In Qing China, it can be exchanged for silver. If Qing China doesn't recognize it, the foreign masters will beat those officials. A few years ago, I heard the soldiers from Britain and France even entered the Forbidden City and sat on the dragon throne. They also burned the Emperor's garden, called the Old Summer Palace. In the end, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor even had to pay a sum of money to the foreign masters."

"If that's the case, I must keep those pieces of paper safe. A German master gave them to me before, and there was a portrait of a foreigner printed on them. I thought it was something important and didn't dare to throw it away. I didn't expect it to be money. I need to keep it safe; I'll use it to get married in the future."

"Old Man Wang, you're forty and still thinking about getting married? What will you look like in twenty years?"

"What's wrong with getting married? I've never tasted it in my life! I'll find an old wife when I'm old. As long as I have money, I can find anything."

"That's right..."

The immigrants chatted about the past, present, and future, their eyes filled with hope for a happy life.