"Hey yo, hey yo..."
Accompanied by bursts of labor trumpets, a galley with its sails furled, driven by a long oar, meandered northward, stirring up white waves on the Mississippi River waterway, symbolizing the iris flag of the Bourbon dynasty. , just hunting and fluttering in the autumn wind.
The green fields on both sides of the Mississippi River are picturesque.
Francois II de Créqui, Marquis of Marina, left New Mexico City, the capital of the Kingdom of New Spain, a month ago and embarked on a journey to New Rome. This is really a long journey! Marquis Marina first left Mexico City for the Caribbean coastal city of Veraquez, where he boarded a galley and then slowly walked along the coastline to the mouth of the Mississippi River. It took him nearly half a month to complete the journey. After 1,000 nautical miles, we reached the mouth of the Mississippi River, the longest river in North America.
From the mouth of the Mississippi River to New Rome, it is another seventy or eighty nautical miles of waterway, and you have to go upstream along the winding Mississippi River.
The mouth of the Mississippi River is a forming flood plain...not yet a plain, but a wetland. If the Mississippi River brought more sediment, this area might soon turn from a sea into fertile land.
However, the Mississippi River is not the Yellow River. The water and soil on both sides are extremely well maintained, so it is impossible to transport a large amount of sediment downstream. This is of course a good thing for the middle and upper reaches of the Mississippi River. The water and soil are rich, and agriculture and animal husbandry are easy to operate. Whatever you plant can produce a good yield. But for the mouth of the Mississippi River, it's a bit of a trap.
It is obviously an excellent place to establish a commercial city, but because the terrain is too low-lying, there has been no time to establish a stronghold. It was not until Pope Clement X spent a huge sum of 2.5 million gold louis to build a new Roman city at the mouth of the Mississippi River that could demonstrate the honor of God that the situation changed.
He participated in the Thirty Years' War, the Franco-Spanish War, the Franco-Dutch War, and also defended Crete for the Venetians. Count Frontenac, the famous French general, was recommended to the Pope by Louis XIV in 1672, and was entrusted with the important task of governor of New Rome. After he led a joint expedition composed of French, Italians, Germans and Spanish to the mouth of the Mississippi River, he was finally found on the Mississippi River with the help of local Indians. A piece of high ground that is neither too big nor too small and not too high - this is the city of New Rome!
This city occupies an extremely important position in Louis XIV's American plan.
In Louis' vision, French colonists should start exploring the New World from both the north and south directions at the same time. The northern line was developed from east to west along the St. Lawrence River, with Quebec as the center, and relied on the fur trade to gradually promote France's colonial movement.
On the southern line, the French colonial movement will start along the Mississippi River and advance step by step from south to north, with New Rome as the center. It will rely on plantations established in the lower reaches of the Mississippi River and the Caribbean Sea to continue to promote the colonial cause. .
Quebec City appeared more than 60 years ago, but after more than 60 years of development, it still only has two to three thousand residents, which is very unsatisfactory.
Therefore, Louis XIV's hope of opening up and developing New France turned to the mouth of the Mississippi River in the south.
"Count, I heard that you have found a piece of highland where New Rome can be built?" Marquis Marina was sitting in the cabin, knocking on the milk tea cup, and quietly looking at Count Frontenac, who was already over fifty years old.
"Yes," Count Frontenac breathed out, "although it's not ideal...but I really can't find anything better."
"What's wrong?" Marquis Marriner asked.
"It's still too low and too wet, and it's easy to get flooded." Count Frontenac paused, "And there are no mountains around to protect you from the wind and rain, so it's very cold in winter, and the wind in summer is probably very strong... ..But we couldn’t find a better place.”
This chosen country also has everything going for it. Because there are no large mountains running east-west to block the cold currents, the Great Plains and eastern regions of North America are often swept by cold currents in winter, and the temperature can plummet to dozens of degrees below zero, which is very scary. !
In the summer, hurricanes from the sea will also wreak havoc in the central and eastern parts of the North American continent without any obstruction!
On the contrary, the Gulf of America, the Po Valley, the Great River Basin and the Flood River Valley, the fundamental areas of the United States of America, are just wrapped by the high and raised Rocky Mountains, so the climate is very comfortable. It is not cold in winter, not hot in summer, and there are no annoying cold currents. hurricane. It is very suitable for immigrants who come from afar to rest and recuperate there... The fact that the population of the United States of New Zealand can grow so fast is also related to the mild and comfortable climate there.
But the climate at the mouth of the Mississippi is still a very nice place!
The galley sailed by the Marquis of Marriner and the Count of Frontenac who met him at the mouth of the Mississippi River had already arrived below the high ground where the new Roman castle was under construction.
The Count of Frontenac and the Marquis of Marina came to the deck together. The Count pointed to a wooden castle under construction and said: "Marquis, there is the new Rome! Although it is simple... but the old Rome is not a day old. It was built! So I believe that as long as we believe in God and keep working hard, we will be able to build a Roman city at the mouth of the Mississippi River."
Marquis Marina nodded, then raised his telescope and began to observe the wooden castle under construction. The people responsible for the construction were all European colonists, and there were many of them. The Marquis of Marina saw hundreds of people through the telescope alone.
In addition, there were some French soldiers patrolling near the construction site. Although they were carrying flintlock rifles, they still seemed a bit slack.
Suddenly, Marquis Marina also saw several Indians with feathers (actually hats) on their heads through the telescope.
"Where did those natives come from?" Marquis Marriner asked, "Are they the Indians nearby?"
"No, they are the Apaches of the Plains!" Count Frontenac introduced. "They are all very good warriors. They have fought against the Spanish for more than a hundred years... They are much better than the trash in the Valley of Mexico. , and the Mayans and Incas are much stronger!"
The Indians in the Americas generally fall into broad categories, one of which is farming, such as the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas, and some races in the southeastern part of the North American continent. They basically have no fighting ability... ..Even the powerful Aztec Empire and Inca Empire were vulnerable to a small number of Spanish colonists.
There is also a large category of safari Indians, whose representatives are the Great Soviet Union and the Apache Alliance!
Compared with those Indians who have a large population, relatively high productivity, and have established civilizations, cities, and empires, the combat effectiveness of these buffalo hunting Indians is much stronger!
"Count," Marquis Marina put down his telescope and looked back at Count Frontenac, "How do you plan to use them? Hire... or form an alliance?"
"Alliances and hiring." Count Frontenac said, "These plains Apaches were invited by me to contact the Apaches in the mountains... I hope that all Apaches can realize their main purpose. The threat is not New Spain, but the United States of New Zealand, so we can make an alliance with them."
Marquis Marina nodded: "This is what I suggested to the king... We should unite all forces that can be united, including the Apaches... Is it possible for this to succeed?"
"Of course they can succeed!" Frontenac smiled. "They also came to the threat of the United States of New Zealand early, and it was even more urgent, because the central part of the Rocky Mountains has become the territory of the United States of New Zealand. The Indians who originally lived there There is no good end for the people! Some of them even ran to the territory of the Apache and the Soviets and were annexed by these two tribal alliances..."
