The colonial economy that was born out of colonialism was the most efficient national economic situation in the 19th century. Although it was cruel, it was very effective.
It certainly feels great to occupy other people's chicken farms, eat other people's eggs, and even kill other people's chickens. Moreover, the colonists only need enough military expenditure as a cost, and then they can reap the dividends of a hundred years of invasion.
This is completely different from the feudal system, monarchy, theocracy, and other systems in the Chinese world.
For example, the Qing Dynasty launched a border war and annexed a piece of territory. The first thing the Qing Dynasty had to do was not to plunder, but to quickly establish an official government and establish an effective governance system.
Household registration inventory, land inventory, resource inventory and even culture must be carefully checked. These statistical data will eventually become the basic data for government administration.
Do you think you can collect the dividends from the newly occupied territory at this time? Big mistake! If you want long-term peace and stability, you have to invest a lot of resources in economic reconstruction and cultural export after military operations.
You have to build the Confucius Temple and the Academy, right? We must educate the people!
Buddhist temples and Taoist temples also need to be prepared, right? Religion must also be developed in conjunction with culture and education!
Want to collect taxes? Are you kidding me? To restore the economy, it will take ten years of tax exemption to give the people a rest! Even when natural and man-made disasters occur, the central government must mobilize resources for disaster relief and support the survival of people in newly occupied territories.
This is not just a routine of the Qing Dynasty. In the Middle Ages, the wars between countries were like this. The annexation of territory and complete integration was the first goal. What the rulers pursued was not temporary huge profits, but the future ten or even twenty years later. What is needed for long-term peace and stability is the steady flow of governance dividends without resistance.
It is conceivable that such efficiency can be better? This was not the case in the colonial economy. The sovereign state knew very well from the beginning that it was not a builder, but only a plunderer.
The European powers have no responsibility or obligation to popularize education or improve infrastructure construction, let alone carry out any tax-free protection policy. They have only one purpose in mind, and that is plunder.
The mineral deposits under the land, the precious specialties on the land, and the cash crops in the farmland. Whatever is valuable is transported to Europe. Even the population is a resource in their eyes. The black slave trade has continued for more than 400 years. It can be seen that Europe The cruelty of colonial rule.
It would be wrong to say that the colonists did not build anything at all. They were still very interested in building churches. Every colonial city had large and small churches. On the one hand, they provided religious services to Europeans, and on the other hand, they also A kind of suppression of the weak culture of the colonies.
In addition, for cities where Europeans gather, infrastructure construction is still in place. After all, that is where European gentlemen live. If the city is not built in a beautiful way, you will not be comfortable living there. As for the vast land outside the city, no one paid any attention to it.
It can be seen that the colonial economy was a bit of a waste of water, while the assimilation rule of the Chinese era was an ecological circular economy. One wants to make short-term and quick money, while the other hopes to pursue long-term interests that last for hundreds or even thousands of years.
If we look at human civilization from a high point in history, this governance model that pursues centuries and millennia is undoubtedly successful, because all the large territorial countries in the world have benefited from this governance model.
But if you look at the explosive power in a short period of time, colonialism is undoubtedly a stimulant for the rapid rise of disadvantaged nations. Using the flesh and blood of other countries to feed back the economy of your own country, and stepping on the bones of hundreds of millions of aliens as your own stepping stones, is better than yours. It is much more enjoyable to save a fortune with copper coins.
Qiu Wei's sigh was precisely because he had thoroughly seen through the cruelty of colonialism. No matter how many documents you read before or how many small lessons you listened to from the prime minister, you could never understand it as thoroughly as you saw it with your own eyes today.
Just a region of Senegal can amass so much wealth in one year, but what about the entire black Africa? What about the Americas and the Indian subcontinent? There is also France's colonial income in Asia. The total amount of these wealth is simply unimaginable.
The name of the world's second most powerful country is really not just a boast. Although Russia has always considered itself to be the world's second most powerful country behind the United Kingdom, it was only after seeing the wealth of the Dakar area today that Qiu Wei deeply realized that Russia wanted to We are still far from catching up with France.
"Quick, hurry up, don't pull down a single gold coin. I'll give you ten more minutes. In ten minutes, the whole city will be set on fire. I don't believe that we can't force out those guys hiding in the mouse holes."
Qiu Wei looked at his pocket watch. It was now a quarter to four o'clock. It would take at least an hour for the sun to show up early in summer, and then all the advantages of a night attack would no longer exist.
The French army was stunned now. It was not that they did not have the strength to fight back. Even if the marines wiped out half of the enemy, the remaining half of the French army still had an absolute advantage.
When the sun returns to the earth, the French will surely wake up. At that time, they will reorganize their organization and launch a counterattack with superior numbers. No matter how powerful the Marines are in combat, the weakness of insufficient troops will not be made up for.
More importantly, when daylight comes, the Zhiyuan will be exposed to the world. There will be no need to save any witnesses or physical evidence. Thirty thousand Dakar soldiers and civilians will testify in unison. No matter how stupid the bureaucrats in Paris are, they must believe in this legendary warship. It exists.
By then Xiao Letian's deception strategy will be completely ruined. Even if the Zhiyuan can return to Ryukyu, the global naval arms race that worries the prime minister most will definitely break out in advance.
"There is no time to waste. Send a signal to Liu Anchen and Steven. If Molière is not found within twenty minutes, then the whole city will be set on fire to force them out."
The last bundle of ivory and gold coins in the vault were also taken out by the black slaves. Soon the underground vault began to smoke, and the Governor's Mansion quickly fell into a sea of flames.
After receiving the order from the messenger, Liu Anchen and the others knew that time was running out, so they quickly ordered the whole city to be set on fire. It was the west wind now, and the strong wind blowing from the Atlantic Ocean was enough to cover the entire Dakar with flames.
"Let's burn this city down. Even if our brothers can't be saved, we can't let them go to Paris and be humiliated! Set fire to it."
Almost at the same time, flames shot up from every corner of the city. Man-made arson is very efficient. Soldiers can accurately find the upwind, find various combustion-supporting materials, and then quickly connect the fire dragons in a line.
The bombardment of the Zhiyuan has not stopped. The surrendered Uncle Hei seems to have fallen in love with this game of positioning the artillery. There are more and more gold coins in the arms of his wife and children. Every time he successfully launches a flare, You can get a lot of gold coins as a reward.
Uncle Hei has never run so fast in his life. He now even regards himself as a member of the Marine Corps. He even organized a group of relatives and friends to provide services to these terrifying water ghosts.
"Dear sir, are you looking for something? We are too familiar with this city. As long as you have gold coins, we can dig out all the secrets for you."
