Chapter 577 Immigration? Where to Run!

Christmas had just ended, and the Austrian Imperial Navy intercepted two smuggling ships that were about to go to the United States.

That's right! At this time, the Austrian Empire had enacted legislation to prohibit any organization or individual who did not obtain official permission from going to the New World. Violators would be fined heavily and exiled to the colonies.

The reason was simple, that is, the Austrian Empire was deeply suspicious of the United States, a country with slavery, especially the case of a slave trader kidnapping the royal archduke, which made it hate human smuggling.

In order to avoid the persecution of the citizens of the Austrian Empire, the benevolent imperial government decided to severely punish human smuggling.

Of course, the empire would not restrict personal freedom. All routes to the New World were contracted by the imperial government. As for the price, because there were necessary security measures such as escort fleets, the cost would be slightly higher.

In addition, the Austrian Empire also proposed a motion to combat human smuggling at the German Confederation Congress. The German states had long been dissatisfied with the loss of population.

So the German states tacitly passed the German Confederation Security Law unanimously to crack down on smuggling and human trafficking.

In fact, the German region was the main force of population immigration in this era. Britain, France and Portugal had long realized the importance of immigration, but the population of these three countries was not enough to colonize the territories they occupied.

So an alternative plan was proposed, which was to use cheap Germans and Italians. However, compared with the Italians who loved their families and clung to each other, the Germans were obviously easier to control and more hardworking.

They mainly used the social circles of this era to attract some Germans who had a good impression of Britain, France and Portugal.

However, as time went on, the colonies' demand for population and craftsmen became more and more urgent. The French even crossed the Rhine and Saar rivers to promote their colonial policies to the locals.

Germans who immigrated to North Africa could get land and women in Algeria, and they did not need to join the French army, as long as they paid taxes like the French.

The British South Australian Company even offered free transportation, food and accommodation. You know, it takes half a world to get from the German region to South Australia.

Due to the favorable conditions, the South Australian Company attracted a large number of immigrants, and the value created by the new immigrants in the local area far exceeded the cost.

So the New Zealand company also began to follow suit and offered more favorable conditions. In the end, the two British companies even did not hesitate to smear each other in order to compete for German immigrants.

Australia said that the island of New Zealand was full of cannibals, and the latter said that the former was a place of exile for prisoners.

In addition to these big companies of the great powers, Brazil, La Plata (Argentina), the Central American Federation, South Africa, and even Muhammad Ali of Egypt participated in this feast of dividing the population.

(At first, Muhammad Ali's request for Germans to convert to religion was strongly resisted. After the defeat, he relaxed religious restrictions after learning from the pain, but another defeat caused Egypt to decline completely.)

The Americans signed agreements with some small states to corrupt the upper officials and force those skilled craftsmen and scholars to migrate to the New World, so they could get rich rewards.

They even established the Mainz Nobles Association to find some liberal scholars and craftsmen to send to the New World, so as to eliminate domestic risks and get a good agency fee.

The same organization also appeared in Hamburg, Augsburg, Hesse, Bremen and other places, but at this time these people were all accused of persecuting their compatriots and trafficking in human beings by the Austrian Empire. Coupled with the nationalist wave in the German region, their death was miserable.

Historically, Belgium and Guatemala signed an immigration agreement, and they would introduce 10,000 immigrants to the latter within three years.

The Belgians chose the Germans. In three years, more than 8,000 German families took the Belgian ships to this legendary promised land.

However, when the three-year period was up, only more than 300 people survived. They lived in shabby wooden houses and straw huts. They had to worry about not being able to fill their stomachs and being whipped by supervisors, and they were afraid of threats from the indigenous people. These people had degenerated into a group of livestock driven by others.

But now Franz has destroyed the Belgian coastline and the Guatemalan government, so this tragedy no longer exists.

The two small cargo ships intercepted by the Austrian Navy carried 1,400 Germans and Italians. In fact, this kind of small boat can only carry 200 people at most, but three times the number was stuffed in.

It is conceivable how dark the hearts of these snakeheads are. At the same time, in order to avoid being tracked down by the German Confederation countries, they will hide the stowaways under the deck.

Although Franz has developed air conditioners and refrigerators, they are not affordable for ordinary people, let alone these stowaways.

Hundreds of people are crowded in a small space, and the heavy breathing condenses a layer of water mist on the lower deck, and the cabin is like a steamer.

Their lives are worse than those of the former black slaves. At the same time, with the advancement of science, the people under the snakeheads know the importance of cleanliness. In order to prevent the "cargo" from getting sick, they will sprinkle quicklime on them from time to time.

The food and sanitary conditions were beyond description. Fortunately, due to technological advances, the sailing time for the same voyage has been greatly shortened, but it is still a difficult journey.

"Sir, they are all willing! We have the contract as proof!" The leading snakehead shouted as he saw the hatch of the deck being opened.

Friedrich watched the stowaways being pulled out of the small and cramped space one by one. Although those people had just been out to sea for a few days, it was not pleasant to be packed in a can like sardines. Some of them began to vomit.

Friedrich retracted his gaze and kicked the snakehead in the face.

"Isn't it easy to force these half-dead people to sign a contract? You damn traffickers!"

At this time, a woman shouted, "We are all willing! We just want to pursue a better life!"

The woman had a decent figure, but she was unkempt and smelly.

"Is this what you call a good life? But no matter what, you should be punished for breaking the law."

The navy sailors did not hesitate to stuff the unkempt woman back into the cabin, along with the snakehead and traffickers.

Then the remaining people were also classified into voluntary immigrants and forced immigrants.

Those who were forced and had the ability to survive would be repatriated to their hometowns. Those who wanted to stay in Austria or were unable to survive on their own would also be dealt with by special officials.

As for those volunteers, they would not be taken back to the port but directly sent to the Austrian colony, which could be regarded as fulfilling their wishes.

The snakehead and his accomplices would be publicly tried, but before that they would be taken to a small dark room by the secret police for high-intensity interrogation.

Although the evidence obtained from the interrogation was outrageous, the imperial government had the right to speak and could not argue, and people were often more willing to believe what they wanted to believe.