I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 99 Housing Vouchers and Land Options

Since the Prussian Academy of Sciences was so enthusiastic, Chen Wenbin naturally planned to go and take a look.

He still remembers his junior high school history teacher (an old man who liked to teach students without the textbook) saying that the so-called modern education system is actually only of two kinds.

One is the British and American education system, which emphasizes elitism and specialization; the other is the Prussian education system, which emphasizes compulsory practicality and standardization. They adopted the latter.

He had already experienced the British education system. North America was a little better, but the basic education in Britain was completely terrible. Church schools and charity schools didn't have any proper science teachers, so much so that after Robin School was established, he had to send people to hire science teachers from Oxford and Cambridge, and even from France across the strait.

He was very curious about how basic education was doing in Prussia these days.

In addition, he planned to attract immigrants from northern Germany to North America, especially women who had lost their husbands and fathers in the war... It's just unknown whether the King of Prussia would be willing to release them.

Leaving that aside for now, he then toured the USS Louisiana.

It was indeed an old ship, but Eric and Captain Robinson were right; it was well-maintained, and the decks and cabins were clean, as if they had just been washed.

However, after a cursory inspection, he still gave the two some instructions.

For example, they renovated food storage rooms to increase the stock of jarred biscuits and rum lemonade, abolished hammocks and installed three or even four layers of wooden beds directly in the cabins, maximizing the number of immigrants while ensuring their survival, and established a more comprehensive shipboard hygiene system, etc.

After touring the cabins, he gathered all 85 crew members and sailors on board and repeated in the most straightforward way what he had said to Captain Eric and Captain Robinson... When talking to these sailors, most of whom were semi-literate, you absolutely cannot beat around the bush; this was a valuable lesson he had learned on the Jenna.

Unsurprisingly, Sir Robin Chen's promise was met with enthusiastic cheers from the sailors, with some veteran sailors even shouting "Long live Sir Robin!"

The reason they were so excited was simple: Lord Chen wasn't going to play games with them.

Some of them have already sent their children and younger siblings to Robin School (a separate school for boys and girls) in South London, and have also obtained "property tickets" from Robin Property or "land options" from Southern Development Company.

As you can tell from their names, both of these are "real estate innovations" created by Boss Chen.

All long-term employees of his companies can choose one of them as a "company benefit".

If you choose the "house ticket," you can wait in line to purchase an apartment in South London from Robin Property, paying only a 30% down payment and having the right to live in the apartment for fifty years.

The better the floor and the better the location, the more expensive the house. But compared to entire houses in London, these four- or five-story apartments are much cheaper.

An apartment costs approximately £150 to £300, and with a 30% down payment, you can move into a new apartment for as little as £45.

Apart from the London textile company, which Chen Wenbin has lost controlling stake in, most of the employees in the other companies only need to work hard for two or three years to be able to buy their own house... This is definitely a blessing for Boss Chen!

The "land options" were prepared for employees who planned to follow Lord Chen to North America to establish plantations and build territories.

He painted a rosy picture for these employees, promising that they only needed to pay 5 shillings to receive an acre of wasteland from him upon arrival in North America. The minimum size for a farm was 15 acres, with all amounts rounded up to 5 acres. Moreover, the land would be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

With just this one trick, he attracted more than two hundred skilled craftsmen and technicians from London and the surrounding area!

These craftsmen included blacksmiths, carpenters, clockmakers, tinsmiths, glassmakers, gunpowder workers, shipbuilders, gun makers, shoemakers, leather craftsmen, master dyers, papermakers, skilled tailors, expert pig farmers, and farmers skilled in raising horses, cattle, and sheep. Chen Wenbin recruited all those needed to build the western territory.

In addition, through Edward Scott's connections, he hired a 75-man Hessian mercenary force, including 50 infantrymen and 25 cavalrymen, all veterans who had survived the European battlefields.

Putting everything else aside, these Hessian mercenaries were far more capable in combat than the Native Americans and Spanish soldiers of North America, and also more capable than the militia of the North American colonies.

They, along with the militia of Robin, Providence, will be the military force and capital that Boss Chen will use to expand into the west and south in the future.

Of course, these Black Forest mercenaries are now nominally security guards for Robin Metal Company and the Robin City construction site.

Before leaving the Louisiana, Chen Wenbin left Chris behind to learn how to handle miscellaneous tasks on board and manage the sailors, along with Eric and Captain Robinson.

As Boss Chen's most trusted representative, he would also be heading to the East in a few months, so it was necessary for him to get to know the two of them beforehand.

After disembarking, Boss Chen and John Adams boarded the carriage. After a moment's thought, he instructed Christian Logue, who was acting as the coachman:

"...Christian, let's go to Robin's school! I want to see Bod and Matt!"

"Yes, sir!"

Roger agreed, loosened the reins, and cracked his whip. Soon, the iconic spring-loaded carriage bearing the red dragon emblem of the Robin Chen family, along with two other carriages carrying Anthony and eight armed guards, departed from the dock.

Lying back in the carriage, Chen Wenbin looked at John Adams, who seemed lost in thought, and asked:

"...John, I'm going to Paris next month, and then to Prussia. Are you planning to stay and help David and Maurice manage the company, or would you like to come with me on a tour of the European continent?"

John Adams thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "...Let Samuel go with you! He's more suited to be your advisor. I'll stay and help you manage the company."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wenbin didn't press the matter, nodding and smiling, "...Alright, I thought you'd prefer to travel to different countries, especially Paris!"

"Paris and London are not much different."

Adams glanced at the dockworkers outside the car window and said calmly, "Paris was ruled by Louis XV, and London by kings, nobles, and wealthy members of parliament. In essence, there is no difference... The people have no way or right to restrain the rulers."

The British boasting about their checks and balances on the monarchy is like that old Chinese joke you told me before, where a soldier who fled fifty paces mocks a soldier who fled a hundred.

If humanity continues to govern itself in this way, I think humanity's future will certainly be bleak!