The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 55 Landa Mountain Mine

Nanyang Company's aggressive move was not concealed at all, and spread to other forces in a short period of time.

This included the three major families and the Jianghu Gang in Surabaya, which caused shock to all parties.

The various Jianghu halls have sent more people to the streets, as if facing a formidable enemy. This has filled the city of Surabaya with a tense atmosphere, which seems to be undercurrent.

South of the city, Qiao Family Manor

Qiao Yunnan had the habit of getting up early every day, walking around in the garden of his house a few times, stretching his arms, kicking his legs, and feeding the parrots and birds. Then he would wash up and go to the front yard dining room for breakfast.

He had just finished washing today and had not had time to eat. When he heard that there was something urgent, he hurried to the meeting hall. The chief steward Qiao Fu and the white paper fan Heixinquan sent by An Xihui to report the news were already waiting here.

When Hei Xinquan saw the eldest son of the Qiao family, his expression was extremely respectful, and he told the matter in an acrimonious manner, his words being very disparaging to Nanyang Company.

It was almost said that the Nanyang Company was the source of the current troubles in Surabaya City, causing unrest in all directions.

Qiao Yunnan frowned after hearing this, but he didn't say much in front of Hei Xinquan. He just comforted him with some kind words and sent him away.

"Master, I estimate that the Nanyang Company has probably found out the roots of the Huang family. Otherwise, who will it be aimed at when leaving the city to the west?" Qiao Fu, the chief butler, is his right-hand man and knows many secret things. It was so profound that I could guess almost everything right away.

The vast majority of people in Surabaya City are still confused!

This shows that their location is different, and the information they obtain is far greater than ordinary people. Combined with the secrets of the Huang family they have mastered, it is not difficult to guess the reason.

This is the foundation of a big family. They usually remain quiet but hit the nail on the head at critical moments.

Qiao Yunnan sat on the Eight Immortals chair at the top, deep in thought, and murmured;

"Hurry out of the city and head northwest. There is nothing special except for indigenous tribes and some plantations.

Logically

These people didn't bring much food and baggage, so they probably weren't going to Semarang, which was too far.

This trip was thousands of miles round trip, and the road was rugged and difficult. It took less than a month to get back.

Hmm...you have a point.

Hurry up and send someone to check Huang Laoliu's secret house. I suspect the news may have been leaked from there. The mine in Landa Mountain has been abandoned for more than 20 years, and it is impossible for others to know. "

"I know, sir, I'll send someone to investigate right now." Qiao Fu didn't hesitate, replied and immediately turned around and left.

"The boy surnamed Feng personally led people to the northwest. A total of more than 50 cavalry and more than 130 infantry, traveling quickly in 15 mules and horses..." Qiao Yunnan took stock of the information he got, and became more and more sure of his own. guess.

With this little manpower, if you want to open a trade route to the northwest or go to Semarang to set up a flag and seize the position, it is just a joke. Isn't it enough to fill people's teeth?

Although Semarang's population is not that of Surabaya, with only more than 7 residents in the town, it is the capital of Central Java after all, and has Royal Netherlands Army and Navy soldiers stationed there.

There are 187 people stationed in a warehouse-like supply depot of the Royal Navy, and there is also an under-staffed Royal Netherlands Rifles Regiment, with about a thousand people.

However, this Royal Dutch Rifles Regiment is not stationed in Semarang City, but in Jepara Fortress, about 42 kilometers south of Semarang, which is also a coastal town.

These days, have you heard of any conflicts between the Nanyang Company and the indigenous tribes?

As long as the information about Huang Laoliu's secret house is verified, it will be confirmed.

Thought of here

Qiao Yunnan felt a little headache again. Although he was not ashamed of Huang Zonghan's behavior, the Huang family that had been passed down for generations was about to be uprooted, which made him feel sad.

The Huang family is the second largest family in Surabaya City after the Qiao family. It was originally a prosperous family with numerous houses and shops throughout the city.

There are large areas of fertile land, plantations and mines outside Surabaya, all of which are wealth that cannot be taken away!

If you really want to put it into perspective, the value is about six to seven hundred thousand silver coins. The estimated figure is not high, at least about 20% lower.

This is a huge fortune. Even with the wealth of the Qiao family, I feel jealous every time I think about it.

Thought of here

Qiao Yunnan felt that he had to write a letter to inform the chairman of the city council, Mr. Link von Biederings, to fully describe what happened here, and to check and balance the excessive development of Nanyang Company.

This time

Nanyang Company's unstoppable rapid development made Qiao Yunnan really worried. He was worried that it would shake the Qiao family's dominant position in Surabaya City. This was the biggest worry.

Mr. Link and his family are in Batavia now, but it wouldn't hurt to give them some notice.

Every year as Christmas approaches, the white Dutch expatriates in Java hold a series of banquets and celebrations in Batavia, attracting celebrities and upper-class people from all over the country.

The Link family also has their own luxurious mansion in Batavia, where they stay for three or four months every year.

Sometimes it’s longer, staying for six or seven months or even longer.

Sometimes it's shorter, and I come back in three or four months. It all depends on my mood and the schedule of the white upper class.

Who could have imagined that in less than two months, the situation in Surabaya City would undergo such a dramatic change?

Landa Mountain is about 17 kilometers away from Surabaya City. Feng Guohui led his men and hurried along in a leisurely manner and arrived in just over two hours.

This dirt road is also in a state of disrepair. The guys riding the mules, horses and carts were jolted so much that they almost vomited out their overnight meal.

These dirt roads are hundreds of years old and have very solid foundations over time.

But there is a lot of rain in the tropics. It rains every three days, and puddles of various sizes are connected one after another, just like a washboard road.

The cavalry was a little better, but the infantry suffered a lot, like monkeys splashed with mud.

Therefore, after leading the team to Landa Mountain, Feng Guohui did not immediately order an attack. Instead, he stopped by a stream near the forest and asked the soldiers to wash themselves, drink some water, and check their weapons and equipment.

After everything is ready

He briefly explained the objectives of the operation. The core was the manor built by the Huang family in the mine. Anyone who resisted would be killed without mercy, and the rest would be captured.

After saying that, he waved his hand and ordered the entire army to attack, rushing towards the Landa Mountain Mine like a tiger.

Landa Mountain Square is located in a valley surrounded by more than a dozen surrounding hills, which are owned by the Huang family. The tallest hills are seven to eight hundred meters long, while the short ones are three to four hundred meters high.

The mouth of the valley is about 300 meters wide, and a river with a large volume of water meanders through it. The river surface is more than 40 meters wide. The rushing clear river water hits the rocks along the coast, making a loud "swishing" sound.

The dirt road goes deep into the valley along the side of the valley. Several stone houses were built at the entrance of the valley, blocking the road into the valley.

The color of these stone houses has darkened. They were built by the Huang family decades ago when they were exploiting the iron ore in the valley. They were used as sentries in and out of the valley and were also the only way into the mountains.

There were actually a few strong men guarding the door of the stone house with knives and sticks. When they discovered the Nanyang Company soldiers who were coming in a menacing manner, they shouted loudly and horrified.

While shouting, he dropped the knife and stick in his hand and ran away into the valley.

The cavalry led by Chen Yong had begun to accelerate a hundred, seventy and eighty yards away. Although the big mules were not running fast, they were running with unstoppable momentum under the whip.

heard shouting

More than a dozen people ran out of the stone house one after another. They were all young and strong men with guns and sticks in their hands. They must have been the servants sent by the Huang family to guard the valley entrance.

Seeing the mass killing of cavalry, all but one or two people fell to the ground with horrified expressions.

The others all shouted and immediately turned around and fled, unable to think of any resistance.

But how could two legs outrun the big mule that had already picked up speed?

Captain Chen Yong led more than 50 cavalrymen to charge all the way, slashing left and right without mercy, leaving mangled corpses all the way into the valley.

The infantrymen from the rear also swarmed in on mules, horses and carts, and the shouts of killing immediately rang through the valley.

After entering the valley mouth and walking a few hundred meters, your eyes suddenly became brighter.

On the gentle slopes of the valley

Large expanses of green crops were planted, and some of the farmhands, both male and female, who were busy in the fields looked at the soldiers who suddenly came out in shock. After reacting, they screamed and fled in all directions.

According to pre-deployment

Two small teams were left at the entrance of the valley to guard them. Other mules, horses and carts followed closely behind the cavalry team and fought their way into the valley.

These ordinary farmhands were completely ignored.

Not long ahead

Then I saw a village and the tall Huang family manor on the hillside, as well as the exposed rock mining area on the other side after being mined. Large and small ore piles were abandoned on the slope.

thirty years ago

The Huang family once made great efforts to mine the iron ore here. During its most prosperous period, seven to eight hundred people gathered here, thus forming this small mountain village.

Most of the houses in mountain villages are mud houses or thatched houses. Many of them have collapsed due to years of wind and rain, showing a dilapidated and desolate picture.

This is closely related to the ups and downs of the Huang family's development of this valley. After the failure to develop the Landoshan Iron Mine, most of the miners left one after another.

At the very least, there were less than a hundred people.

Later, the Huang family wanted to develop tea mountains here, planting oil palm, kapok and other cash crops, and sent many Chinese piglet laborers to the mountains, and it became lively again.

It's a pity that the good times did not last long

The hills near here are obviously red in color, and the soil and rocks contain high iron content. The tea grown here has a strange smell of rust, which is very unpopular.

You can’t sell it, you can’t drink it yourself.

I want to send people to cut down the tea trees and plant other crops. Look at the tea trees all over the mountains and plains, but I don’t know how much labor it will cost?

The successive heads of the Huang family gave it a headache, so it gradually fell into disuse.

(End of this chapter)