1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1024 Advance Team ([-])
Morgan looked at the footprints on the ground around him. Although there were many and messy footprints, they all led to the river bank, obviously the footprints left by his team, while the direction leading to the inland was clean. Indeed, no one else had approached this area during these two days.The reason why he wants to study this kind of details is to use it to judge the areas with frequent local indigenous activities, and to make corresponding adjustments for the deployment of troops in the future strongholds in the Houlongxi River Basin.

According to Morgan's plan, he intends to set up strongholds at the coast of the estuary, two large river bends on the way to the channel, and the Chusulkeng Oilfield. The distance between these four strongholds is roughly the same, so that the three The responsibilities of guards along the ten-kilometer-long waterway are evenly shared to reduce the loopholes and pressure of guards on the way.If something happens to the fleet transporting materials on the way, as long as the ship sends out an alarm signal, the nearby strongholds can rush to help in a short time.

On the other hand, Morgan also considered that the fertile and irrigated plains along the Houlongxi River could be used to resettle immigrants for reclamation and farming, subsidize local food demand, and reduce dependence on external material supplies.After two or three years, when the local area has a permanent population of several thousand, there is probably no need to worry about threats from nearby indigenous tribes.

Haihan's territorial expansion has never been a single-line operation in the military field. Colonial resettlement and long-term management are the means that must be used to truly occupy a region.In the past few years after the crossing, Haihan has been able to take all kinds of lands that are owned and unowned. In addition to using force, one of the important conditions is to colonize skillfully and efficiently.The Houlongxi River Basin has about [-] square kilometers of plains, and it is not a problem to resettle [-] to [-] agricultural population. As long as the Ministry of Civil Affairs is willing to put people here, it is possible for this barren land to turn into a large agricultural county in a few years. possible.

Morgan and his party returned to the temporary camp on the coast that afternoon. Before disembarking from the boat, he saw Tian Yeyou standing on the pier by the shore, waving slowly to him.Tian Yeyou set off from Jilong Port in Taipei early yesterday, and arrived at the base in Miaoli when it was dark, and he had been waiting for him for a long time.Although the two hadn't seen each other for a long time, their relationship was as harmonious as ever. When they met, they gave each other a big hug.In the early years, Tian Yeyou traveled with the North American Gang to Annan Black Soil Port, during which time he had already adapted to the European and American etiquette of this gang, so there was no barrier between them.

"Unexpectedly, you will come out to lead the army one day!" Tian Yeyou joked: "I thought you had already started to retire in Sanya and would never leave Hainan Island again."

"I have to move around while I can still move. If I stay in Sanya all the time, people will really get moldy." Morgan made no secret of his true thoughts: "A few of my partners, except Johnson is still staying in Sanya because of family reasons, and everyone else is developing their own careers outside. I crossed half the world to participate in the crossing, and it was not for pleasure. I also wanted to do something to make my name famous. In the history books of later generations."

"So serious..." Tian Yeyou patted Morgan's shoulder vigorously and said, "Don't worry, you will have something to do when you arrive in Taiwan!"

Morgan frowned and said, "Why do you say that this island of Taiwan seems to be very peaceful?"

"There are no big things, but small things. There will always be some people who don't obey discipline and will jump out to challenge Haihan's authority." Tian Yeyou changed the subject on his own initiative: "What have you gained from going to the mountains these days? Are you a native?"

"I met a few, but they didn't make any contact." Morgan rubbed his stomach and said, "I'm so hungry after running all day, go to the headquarters to sit and chat while eating."

In March 1633, the Haihan army captured Jilong Port, which was originally controlled by the Spaniards, and immediately blocked the local area. Then they found gold veins in the nearby mountainous area for mining, and were appointed by the Ministry of Industry to be in charge of this area. The person responsible for the mining project is Tian Yeyou.He has been staying in Jilong Port for the past year, commanding and supervising the operation of the local gold mine, and he is responsible for the whole process of exploration, mining, and smelting.

In the past year of operation, the Jinguashi Gold Mine has produced nearly [-] kilograms of gold. In addition to offsetting the military expenditures of the Haihan Army's attack on the Taipei area, there is still a large amount of surplus that will be divided into Among the advance military expenses of the Haihan treasury and the military.The decision to take the initiative to launch a war to seize the Taipei area is also regarded as one of the most wise decisions of the Haihan Executive Committee in the past two years.

Two hundred kilograms of gold sounds like a lot, but the real thing is not much. After being cast into gold bricks, there are only seven or eight bricks, which can be packed in a small box.But what the executive committee and the military are looking at is not just the production in the first year, but the prospect of mining here.According to the known information, the highest annual output of the Jinguashi mining area in the original time and space has reached more than two tons, which is ten times the current output, and its value is even much higher than the current tax that Hainan Island can collect in a year , No one can ignore this huge income from Jilonggang.

To be able to mine the veins more smoothly, the number one hero is naturally Tian Yeyou who is fully in charge of this project. However, apart from sending his family to the local area to visit relatives, the executive committee can create as good living conditions as possible. He couldn't be treated better.Tian Yeyou has no way to leave the mining area for the time being, because most of the local gold mines exist in small rich ore bodies, and experienced professionals are required to identify the clues of where these mines are located, so the exploration work must continue for a long time go down.

In addition to gold mines, there are many kinds of associated minerals in the local area, such as pyrite, quartz, calcite, pyrite, sphalerite, galena, barite, alunite and so on.Some of these associated minerals also have the value of mining, and useful substances can be extracted from them. Although some of them have little economic value, they are important indicators for gold exploration, and they should not be ignored.

Most of the time, Tian Yeyou can only identify these minerals and formulate mining plans. Although he has a group of apprentices with him, there is still a big gap between his technical level and professional experience.Before this group of apprentices complete their studies and become teachers, Tian Yeyou will probably have to stay in Taiwan Island all the time.This time, it happened that the nature of the project in Miaoli was special, and it was also close to Taipei, so he was transferred from Jilong Port to provide technical support for oil exploration.

"Last year, the Ministry of Construction worked overtime to build me a two-story villa by the seaside near the mine. Opening the bedroom window, you can see the Pacific Ocean and the large flower garden downstairs. It really faces the sea, and the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming. Do the laborious work of feeding horses and chopping firewood. If you have any requirements, you can tell the servants. It’s just to open your mouth with your clothes. Go to the mining area the next day, walk around and look around, and it’s over in half a day. The days are very leisurely, but to be honest, I don't know if this kind of life is considered happiness." When Tian Yeyou said these words, there was no smile on his face, and there was even a little confusion in his eyes.

Morgan said: "Then you participated in the time-traveling, didn't you just want to live this kind of noble life? It only took seven years to achieve the goal, and there are still decades to enjoy slowly."

"It's true, but it's a little different from what I expected." Tian Yeyou sighed and said, "I'm the only one there most of the time in Jinguashi, and the rest are naturalized people. Sometimes I want to talk to someone. Chatting, but after a few words, you will feel that the bull's head is wrong. They can't understand what I said, and I'm too lazy to explain slowly, Morgan, can you understand that feeling?"

Morgan shook his head and said, "The executive committee values ​​you very much and is willing to provide you with the best living conditions and support you as an expert in this field. I think many people would like to live the life you have now."

Tian Yeyou said: "Yes, since the time I was in Annan, the executive committee has given me very good treatment. At that time, I lived in Halong Bay and only had to go to the mine for two days a week. I was more free than now. But then Sometimes there are Qian Tiandun, Xie Chun, Zhou Hengxing and others, and they can get together to chat at night when they have nothing to do, which is better than not being able to find anyone to talk to now."

Morgan said: "I understand. You probably have no friends to communicate with you for too long, and your life is too leisurely. You can only think wildly when you have nothing to do all day, and you have psychological problems."

Tian Yeyou said: "Maybe it is! If this is the reason, then I should be able to get a little relief recently. After the work here starts, I may have to go back and forth between the chicken coop and Miaoli. I probably won't be able to do it when I get busy. I'm going to think about it. I never thought before that people can make troubles when they are idle!"

Morgan said: "Beks and Liu Shanxia will come over in two days. They will probably stay here for a few months. By then, you don't have to worry that no one will be able to talk to you. By the way, as you mentioned earlier, In this place, there are no big things, but small things keep going, so what's the trouble?"

"What kind of trouble can it be, isn't it the natives in the mountains?" Tian Yeyou said helplessly: "You also know that a safe zone must be demarcated around the gold mine. For this reason, we forcibly drove away an indigenous tribe, and then followed The natives have formed a knot. They seize the opportunity to come to the mine to make trouble. If they see a single Han Chinese, they will find a way to hunt and kill them. Last year, more than a dozen died at the hands of the natives. Fortunately, they are all prisoners of hard labor camps, and they die as soon as they die, so there is no follow-up trouble."

Morgan asked, "So you didn't order the garrison to fight back?"

"Of course I ordered it. I'm not the Holy Mother. How could I just watch them make trouble." Tian Yeyou explained: "When the natives come to the mine to make trouble, most of the time it is difficult to get out unscathed. The most time we intercepted them More than 30 people. I didn’t shoot them, I put them directly into the mine as a labor force. We also organized two raids into the mountains, but these indigenous tribes have retreated to the deep mountains, and they can’t be wiped out. One operation can only control After a month or two, the natives boldly came out again. But their strength is limited, and they can't make any big troubles, so they just keep coming and going. It's impossible for us to withdraw Let's go, let's see how long the natives can last!"

After listening to Morgan, he basically understood the environment of the Jilong Gold Mine. Haihan's local garrison was limited in scale. It was necessary to ensure the normal production order of the mine where a lot of hard labor was used, and to defend the outside soil. People are making trouble, and it is impossible to send many troops into the mountains to encircle and suppress them. Most of them are just a symbolic drive away, and the effect can be controlled for a period of time.This method can only temporarily treat the symptoms, but it certainly cannot cure the root cause. It is only limited by the conditions. Currently, Haihan really has no good way to completely solve the problem.The inland area of ​​Taiwan Island is full of endless mountains. Even if thousands of troops are mobilized, it is difficult to form an effective large net if they are scattered into the mountains.

The situation Tian Yeyou encountered in Taipei is very likely to become a model for Miaoli.During the three-day investigation, Morgan has confirmed that at least two indigenous tribes are located in the area that Haihan wants to control. In the future, conflicts with Haihan will inevitably occur. If the handling is not clean and decisive, then the Miaoli area may Like the chicken coop mining area, it will also become a stage for the two sides to fight for security.

Morgan also served in the overseas garrison of the U.S. Army before crossing. He is well aware of the troubles of security warfare. With the various black technologies mastered by the U.S. military at that time, it was still unable to completely prevent his own losses in security warfare. He has a unique combat effectiveness, but he is always disgraced in public security battles.Of course, Morgan is sure that the Haihan army under his command will never fall into the situation of the US military, and the confrontation with the local indigenous tribes will not reach the level of security warfare. Now that he has learned from the past in Taipei, Morgan feels that he is dealing with In similar situations, you should be more decisive and resolute.

After the two of them finished chatting, they turned to the main topic.Morgan briefly explained to Tian Yeyou what he had seen and heard in the oil production area. Although his main task on this mission was to ascertain the condition of the air route, in the next period of time, the military's actions would have to be To cooperate with the exploration team, it is very necessary for the two parties to communicate well before starting the construction, so that they can direct their subordinates to coordinate actions.

In addition to Tian Yeyou who has successfully arrived in Miaoli, the second batch of laborers sent from Penghu also arrived here yesterday, and under the command of the foreman of the Ministry of Construction, they quickly invested in the construction of the camp.

Since the next large force coming from Penghu will have a scale of thousands of people, they must gather here before entering the mountainous area, so some infrastructure in the camp must be built first.If the fleet from Penghu goes well all the way, it should be able to arrive in Miaoli tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)