"Can more prisoners be exiled from the local area?" This question was asked by the warden when he left the inspection of the Slat House Prison. Unfortunately, Xu Xiangdong could not give a clear answer to this. This was not because of confidentiality or other factors. He really didn't know. After all, this matter involved benefits from all aspects.????

That's right, it's all kinds of interests, because to a certain extent, exile prisoners are also a resource! Although the total population of the East Coast Republic of China has reached a historical high of 2.8963 million, according to statistics and estimates, the current proportion of Ming people is about 41%; the proportion of locally born population continues to rise to 44%; the proportion of white men is still at 7%, and the number of white women has dropped to 8% due to the decrease in the source of female slaves; the number of non-nationals has further decreased, and it is only about 288,000. White non-nationals are still the largest number of new prisoners in a group every year, and the number of exiled people is not a small number, but the problem is that all overseas colonies need population, and all exiled prisoners need to fill the gap. Why should the superiors treat you alone in Chile?

The Far East needs to be exiled prisoners, Australia needs to be exiled prisoners, Rabaul and Tahiti need to be exiled prisoners, South Africa needs to be exiled prisoners, the Caribbean needs to be exiled prisoners, New China and Djibouti need to be exiled prisoners, you see, exiled prisoners are needed everywhere, there are institutions or suggestions for managing prisoners everywhere, and in the Chile area, it is better to line up according to the rules. Therefore, Xu Xiangdong really couldn't agree to the warden of the Slat House, and in the end he could only respond vaguely, and the other party obviously understood what he meant and was obviously a little disappointed.

Fortunately, the warden was actually a little confused about this, so he just smiled helplessly and sent Xu Xiangdong and others away. When they walked to the gate, there was also an execution in the yard within the wall, to be precise, a whip.

The reason why the prisoner was whipped was that he could not bear the hard work during the reclamation period and chose to escape again. Therefore, in order to warn the rest of the people, the Slat House Prison sent cavalry to arrest him and sentenced him to 90 whip. For those who know, this was not a very light punishment, which was enough to make the escapee unforgettable.

Xu Xiangdong glanced over there and saw a sloping stool in the yard. There were several holes on it to tie the prisoners' hands and feet, which looked a bit like a long bench for killing pigs. The fugitive was now tied up by two guards. He did not struggle. It seemed that he planned to bear all this silently.

A man who was executing the execution (it also looked like an exile) walked over with his upper body naked. He first took the prisoner's pants to his knees, then turned his head to look at a prison guard. After obtaining his permission, he thrust down the whip in his hand. The prisoner immediately screamed, no longer a scream, but his whole body was spasming due to pain.

"Sometimes." The guard said with his hands behind his back, expressionless.

The executioner did not stop and continued to whip the prisoner hard until he finished the five strokes, then moved to the other side and gave the inmate half a minute to rest. Of course, all this was done under the attention of the guard and was the rule.

The execution continued. As the number of whippings increased, many of the whipping marks on the front of the tortured person were covered, so that every time he beat him later, the tortured person was in a mess.

"Sir, I was wrong. I shouldn't have escaped. Please spare me and spare me." The prisoner started crying because of the pain. His nose and tears mixed together, and it looked miserable. He continued to beg for mercy and said, "I was obsessed with it for a while and I really didn't dare to escape again. Really, please spare me and stop hitting me."

The prisoner's crying and begging had no effect at all. The executioner continued to wave his whip because he did not receive the order to stop. After hitting for thirty strokes, the tortured person stopped crying and begging because he vomited, and looked like he was drunk. When he was over forty strokes, he was already a little confused and could only moan, not knowing what he was muttering; when he was over fifty strokes, he even moaned less, and the pain on his body was relieved by numbness, but it seemed that he was completely useless...

During the execution, all the other active prisoners in the prison were also raised by the guards, and the whole team stood by and watched. These fierce men who were unruly on weekdays were silent and did not dare to show off. It has not been long since the first minute of the execution, but everyone felt that a century had passed.

After the complete ninety strokes, the guards stepped forward and let go of the prisoner and helped him up. The man's skin was blooming and bloody, his teeth were trembling, his face was sallow, his nose was snot, his eyes were covered in tears, his eyes were not focal, and he was in a completely free state.

After pouring his head with a bucket of cold water, the man was thrown into the cell by the guards like a dead dog. They planned to interrogate him in a few days because he obviously had other crimes, such as stealing a public horse before running away, and now he has no idea where to go. This is also a serious crime in southern Chile, where supplies are scarce!

Xu Xiangdong finished the entire process of the punishment with relish, and then smiled and said to the warden: "Duanti-divide should be used in troubled times. Although you are not in troubled times, it is not much different in terms of the complexity of the situation. Let's do this. Although your prison is jointly supervised by the Ministry of Justice and the State Development Administration, and has no business guidance relationship with our system, after I go back, I can help you add some equipment within my authority and get over it. Well, there will be not too many, so

There are more than 50 reserve soldiers, and it is impossible to stay here. There are still some indigenous remnants in the mountains and forests inside the island of Chiloe. The above means to strengthen the clearing and purify the entire island. After all, there is now the largest grain production area and main processing area for seafood in southern Chile. It cannot be ignored. In addition, some small fishing villages, sulfur mines, and logging camps on the western foot of the Andes are often attacked by some inexplicable attacks, so I cannot arrange too many people for you, and I hope you can understand."

"Sir Xu is already very interesting. 50 reserve soldiers can do a lot." The warden laughed and showed his front teeth with some leakage. He pointed to the forest, plains and mountains behind the prison with his fingers, and said in a very heroic tone: "With these brave men who were old and old, and together with our original personnel, we can threaten mines, farms, and fisheries (the people on the east coast have raised a lot of trout in the lakes in southern Chile and the rivers, which has gradually become an industry). The Araucan people on the ranch carried out a clearance, which made them scared. In the future, we can reduce many unnecessary troubles when we continue to explore."

Xu Xiangdong nodded when he heard this, and then said goodbye to the Slat House Prison. He took more than ten followers and guides to a small road in the northwest. He wanted to continue to look north, and it would be best to see the situation of the Spaniards so that after returning, he could promote various policies in a targeted manner.

Therefore, from January 1, 1673, they began a inspection in the southern section of the fertile Central Valley of Chile or a staff tour within other countries. During this inspection, they saw the huge agricultural potential and mineral potential of the Central Valley (mainly sulfur mines), and further enhanced the idea of ​​occupying it.

Along the way, they also saw many Spanish farms. Among them were large-scale manors, and there were self-cultivated farmers (mostly immigrants who originally worked in the manor and later obtained their own land), mainly planting potatoes, wheat, and grapes, and grazing some goats.

These people don't seem to be too resistant to the East Coast people and are numb. Of course, this may be related to their relatively weak power. The relationship between these white Spanish colonists and the East Coast exiled prisoners is very delicate. The arrival of the East Coast people objectively activated the local economy and reduced the harm of the indigenous Araucan people, but they also occupied the Spanish land, forest farms, ranches and fishing grounds, so the relationship between the two sides is so subtle.

Xu Xiangdong and others did not have much contact with them. They just took a quick look and then arrived in Maolin County in the south in mid-to-late January. At the same time, it was also the location of the Southern Chile Regional Security Command, echoing the Third Navy Fleet Command located in Liucheng County.

Maolin County has a considerable population now. The total population of the county has exceeded 20,000. If the county population is included in a large number of merchants and helpers, it will be stable at 5,000 or 6,000 people. This shows that local commerce is also very prosperous. What's more, it is also the last supply port for ships on the east coast along the Peru Cold Stream north. Therefore, both agriculture and industry and commerce are doing very well.

In addition to retaining a warehouse in Port Araucan, most of the company's daily operations have been transferred to the area of ​​Maolin City. Today, several merchant ships planning to go to the east coast docked at Port Maolin. As the largest shareholder of these ships, Yu Xingguo came to the dock to see them off. It was at this time that he met Xu Xiangdong, who was planning to take a boat from the dock to Fenggu Island (i.e., Chiloe Island) to inspect militia training, so the two started chatting.

As a famous local entrepreneur and a member of the Maolin County Political Consultative Conference, Yu Xingguo and Xu Xiangdong are also very familiar with each other, so there is nothing to hide from the chat between them.

"This time the lineup is quite large. I actually sent four ships to the Far East. Did your family sink two ships last year? Why did it recover so quickly? I borrowed a loan from the bank?" Xu Xiangdong asked in a quiet teahouse on the dock.

"Yes, I asked United Industrial Credit Bank for help. Fortunately, I asked Qiang Xiaoman for your relationship, and the loan was quickly dropped, and the interest rate was very favorable. I really want to thank you this time." Yu Xingguo gently stroked the teacup lid in his hand and said sincerely: "Last year was so miserable. The two ships were loaded with raw silk, tea, bristles, silk, and several big families in the East. Their relatives together had dozens of people sinking in the Pacific Ocean. Now I think about it, it's still a pity. It's a loss of nearly 100,000 yuan. Although the insurance company also paid part of it, and it was not all my goods alone, the losses were really huge, so that even the money to order ships, purchase goods, and hire sailors this year was quite insufficient."

"You are pretty good. There are quite a few people who go bankrupt and even lose their lives. Look at how many ocean-going trading companies in our country are registered every year, but what is the average life span of these companies? Haha, it is often the beginning of the year, and the end of the year is blocked by creditors because of the sinking of the ship. This business is not easy to do. It is already amazing that your Yu family's trading company can be opened safely. Of course, your mother's family is rich enough, and it is also an important reason for you to squander, haha." Xu Xiangdong said with a smile: "Otherwise, you will have gone bankrupt like those people. You don't know how many times you have gone bankrupt. You must know that the ocean-going trade industry has always been a beautiful fairy tale. Now the captain, the chief mate, the sailor, the sailor, etc. are working on various ships. Don't have too many people owed a lot of debts."

"Is there a lot of goods from the public in addition to their own goods?" Xu Xiangdong asked again.

"Many, almost half to half." Yu Xingguo and Xu Xiangdong were familiar with each other, and there was nothing to hide, so they said: "Chocolate, canned food, spirits, bandages, medicines, tents, cowhide water bags, ammunition bags, military boots, spearheads, sabers, muskets (including spare barrels), artillery (including spare cannons) and other military supplies are too much. Old steam engines, old machine tools, new parts, hardware tools, measuring tools and other production materials are also quite large, and they are of great value. Compared with these things, I own my own home.

Some of the wool textiles, wine, metal farm tools, clocks and other commodities I have been unable to make any move. When I arrived in the Far East, I might have withdrawn from the branch office of the Northwest Reclamation Bank or the Taiwan Bank, otherwise I would not have enough funds to trade with the Chinese. Those people are simply silver black holes, and every time we go, we have to subsidize half of the cash. It is really annoying. Those Chinese are willing to live a poor life and are not willing to buy any goods produced overseas, so they have no choice but to..."
Chapter completed!