Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 174-173 The Native American Civilization of a Thousand Years Ago: Excavating the Kahokia Mound
The Las Vegas industry is thriving, and everything else that needed to be done has been done.

At this point, there were 25 days left in the planned 70-day stay in the United States.

Fang Wen held a short meeting.

Lin Shuiwang, Zhao Jiu, John Harvey, and Indiana participated.

The Chinese side provided an explanation of the situation during the meeting.

"I'm going to St. Louis to see that strange mountain. Zhao Jiu, if you need to keep your business running, then don't participate."

Zhao Jiu said with difficulty, "General Manager, if it's just the casino, I can handle it. But you've expanded too much. I'm afraid that once you return to China, the situation here will change. Officials want shares, gangsters want money directly, and other casinos will also be envious."

There's something Zhao Jiu didn't say: the status of Chinese people in the United States isn't high, and they're easily targeted.

Fang Wen had his own thoughts on this.

He explained, "The Taishan Company in the United States will be a publicly traded company. Graham, Fisher, and John Harvey will be in charge of the listing process. You just need to focus on running your casino."

His words were translated into English by Lin Shuiwang so that Indiana and John Harvey could hear them.

John Harvey added, "As requested by the general manager, I am looking for professional managers. Once Taishan Corporation in Las Vegas meets the listing requirements, it will go public immediately. After the listing, the original shares will be significantly diluted, by about 20%, but management control will be retained."

John Harvey was referring to Fang Wen's protection plan.

In the United States, becoming a publicly traded company is the most effective way to operate in the long term, and this is true for all future multinational corporations.

The current arrangement is as follows:
Zhao Jiu stayed in Las Vegas.

Before a professional management team was established, John Harvey was the business manager of the company. He held 5% of the shares, and his interests were already tied to the company. The sooner the company went public, the sooner he could cash out.

According to Fang Wen's plan, given the company's current growth momentum, it will be able to go public next year and become a public company.

Lin Shuiwang and Indiana will join him on an exploration of the strange mountains north of St. Louis.

As soon as the meeting ended, Fang Wen immediately began to take action.

He first went to find Mr. Zhao, the owner of the antique shop.

Over a period of forty days, this man actually hired five Mexican men and diligently taught them how to be qualified tomb raiders.

They then went to the USC History Department to find Joni Dane, who specializes in the study of ancient Native American cultures.

The group then boarded D.332 and flew to St. Louis.

After several hours of flight, the plane arrived in the central United States and landed in Missouri, the heart of the North American continent.

There, Fang Wen did not land immediately, but deliberately circled on the strange mountain to communicate with Joni Dane.

"Look, that's the mountain."

“It’s definitely not naturally formed; it’s a very obvious geometric shape, man-made,” Jonny Dane asserted.

After observing carefully for a while, he overturned his original judgment.

“It is very old and not found in existing Native American historical records. The Native American information we currently have was obtained after Columbus discovered America, which means that the history here is before the 15th century, or even earlier.”

Fang Wen nodded: "Land first, purchase supplies and hire manpower in St. Louis. Our time is precious."

The plane landed at St. Louis Airport and immediately began recruitment.

This is an additional condition for the collaboration between Fang Wen and Global Airlines.

He funded Jonny Dane's archaeological activities in the area near St. Louis, and TWA helped obtain the relevant government permits for the activities.

Permits were easy to obtain. In pre-World War II America, there was little interest in Native American culture, and few local governments were willing to protect historical sites. Private archaeology, on the other hand, was happy to see this happen.

There was a little incident.

The senior management of TWA were very interested in the archaeological excavation.

They wanted to sponsor archaeological work like Fang Wen did, and have their names included in the reports of the findings.

That's alright, Fang Wen accepted it.

As a result, the preparation of supplies and the hiring of personnel were expedited with their help.

Ready? The archaeological team is setting off.

More than 30 local workers loaded the supplies onto trucks and then boarded boats at the St. Louis River port to cross the Mississippi River.

After crossing the river, we went from Missouri to Illinois, and the jurisdiction changed from St. Louis to Collinsville.

Fang Wen, Lin Shuiwang, Indiana, Joni Dane, Boss Zhao and five Mexican porters, plus more than thirty local workers.

A group of more than 40 people drove cars and trucks northeast, a distance of only 10 kilometers, and arrived at the Kahokia ruins.

The locals call it Kahokia Mound.

There is not only one, but also another smaller one.

While the workers unloaded various supplies and set up tents, Fang Wen and his group climbed the strange mountain.

As Indiana said, when he was young, he went camping halfway up a mountain with some friends, and there was a path leading up the mountain, which was built by later generations.

After climbing along the road to the mountainside, the land was flat.

Joni Dane looked at the mountainside and said, "There are traces of artificial burial with soil here. There should be living space or sacrificial space inside."

"Then we'll start digging from here tomorrow." Fang Wen made the decision, looked up, and led the team to climb to a higher place.

There is another platform at the top of the mountain.

The faint traces remaining on the platform indicate that various buildings once stood here, but they were destroyed over time for unknown reasons.

After visiting the strange mountain in person, Fang Wen spoke with Joni Dane.

"For the next twenty days or so, your main task is to study this earthen hill. After I leave, you are free to study any other nearby ruins if you are interested."

Joni Dane nodded: "My initial assessment is that this is an ancient Native American civilization from before the 14th century. Given the construction efficiency of ancient people, such a massive earthen mound would have taken many generations to complete. Therefore, this ancient Native American city may have existed for a very long time, perhaps even a thousand years."

Fang Wen asked curiously, "Shouldn't an ancient Indian city with a history of a thousand years be very famous? Even without written records, it could have been passed down to the present day through oral tradition. Why don't you have these materials?"

Joni Dane looked embarrassed: "Because, because..."

He knew the reason, but as a historian, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Indiana eased this awkward situation by saying, "Because when the Americas were colonized, the indigenous people living here had already been largely wiped out due to epidemics and massacres."

He dared to say that, judging from the name, Indiana might have a little bit of Native American blood.

Fang Wen actually knew, but he said it on purpose and didn't continue on the matter. Instead, he talked to Boss Zhao, who was using a compass to probe.

"Old Zhao, what did you find?"

"This place has no mountains or terrain, but it is surrounded by a large river to the west and water on the other three sides. The terrain is flat, making it a suitable place to live."

At this point, Boss Zhao paused for a moment...

"However, a place without power or natural defenses cannot reflect the disparity in status. This is the fundamental meaning behind the establishment of this mountain."

Mr. Zhao made his judgment from an Eastern perspective.

He believed that the ancient Native American kings needed a high-altitude building to demonstrate their authority.

That's a good direction to consider, but it's not what Fang Wen wants to hear.

"I'm asking you, what do you see in this mountain?"

Zhao Jiu smiled knowingly and lowered his voice: "I can see that. The mountain was first filled in solidly, and then people dug it out later, creating a chamber inside. As for whether there are any good things inside, I don't know." "Alright, tomorrow have your five apprentices go with those workers to start work. Let me know if they find anything."

After giving his instructions, Fang Wen continued to walk alone on the strange mountain.

Others may not know where the treasure is, but he does.

It's right below the strange mountain, but very deep.

Furthermore, the area below may have collapsed due to years of disrepair.

Therefore, the earthen hill appears to be higher in the north and lower in the south.

Now, Fang Wen needs the workers to clear an underground passage leading to the earthen hill.

Excavation and archaeological work at the Kahokia mound began immediately.

Dozens of workers dug out the soil from the rock face on the mountainside, trying to find a way to enter the interior.

But soon, they discovered the problem.

The internal structure of the mound has been severely damaged.

If the filling soil is removed rashly, it can easily cause new collapses due to uneven stress.

This is not what archaeological work wants to see.

Joni Dane immediately reported the situation to Fang Wen.

After discussions with the construction workers, the excavation schedule was slowed down, and the work was changed to involve excavation while simultaneously reinforcing the structure with cement and steel.

This would significantly extend the construction period, making it difficult to complete the project within the stipulated time.

Fang Wen and Boss Zhao discussed this matter.

"Let me be frank with you, the material isn't inside the hill, it's at the foot of the hill. Right now, the construction is stalled. Do you have any ideas on how to fix it?"

Boss Zhao replied smugly, "That depends on whether the tomb raiders I train have learned my skills."

The skill he was referring to was the skill of digging tunnels.

According to his plan, he would dig a sloping tunnel near the mound, passing directly through the strata beneath the mound to enter a possible underground chamber.

That's a good idea.

The construction work on the mountain can also serve as cover.

The two then began searching for a location to dig a hole.

The northwest corner of the mound is a blind spot, with another small mound blocking the view from behind. In front of it is another mound, and on the left and right are trees.

Having determined the location, Fang Wen adjusted the arrangement of the construction team's living tents, placing the tents of the five Mexican workers there.

They started the day the tents were set up there.

Boss Zhao first dug a small hole at the location he had chosen inside the tent and indicated the direction of the digging.

This is so that it can be expanded later. During the excavation, they will take special care to keep the entrance of the hole hidden to avoid being discovered by others.

As the excavation progresses, Mr. Zhao adjusts the digging force and angle based on the soil's hardness and moisture content. He uses a Luoyang shovel to drill holes in the soil and take samples, observing the soil's color, texture, and inclusions (such as gravel and humus) to determine if he has encountered man-made structures or rammed earth tombs below.

Of course, reinforcement is also necessary; after each section of excavation, the tunnel is reinforced.

And so, everyone started working together, and ten days passed.

Within ten days, the construction workers on the mountainside dug out the first room, where Joni Dane found some feathers, animal hides, and some stone tools.

He deduced that this was a room used for preparing for a sacrificial ceremony, and he was overjoyed by this discovery.

Underground, a 30-degree inclined burrow was also dug down to the bottom of the mound.

When the five Mexican diggers dug up the stacked stone wall, it meant they were about to enter the true secret area of ​​this thousand-year-old building.

But at this time, we must be even more careful.

After all, the mound has already collapsed, and if reinforcement isn't carried out underneath, rashly removing the stacked stone walls could potentially lead to an even larger collapse.

Therefore, in this section, it took three days to build a steel beam support on top, then lay wooden planks underneath, and finally inserted three thick steel bars on each side for load-bearing.

Only after arranging things this way did they carefully remove the stones in front.

A section of the stone wall was demolished, revealing an underground space.

No one has been there for many years, and we don't know if there are any toxic substances in the polluted air, so we have to ventilate it for a day.

A day later, a Mexican caravan driver entered, carrying a birdcage and a candle.

A few minutes later, he reported the situation inside.

"There are many rats and snakes down there."

The area along the Mississippi River is rich in aquatic plants and produces a type of rat called the plains scavenger.

It has a fat body, short limbs and tail, and pouches on its cheeks.

The skin sacs of the cheeks can store and transport soil when drilling holes, and are also organs for transporting and storing food in daily life.

These plains squirrels have become a plague, appearing everywhere, while their natural predators, various wild animals, are decreasing in number.

The only remaining threat to them is the local black rat snake.

As its name suggests, the black rat snake feeds mainly on rodents and actively seeks out plains rats to hunt.

The above information was obtained by Mexican workers after they caught rats and snakes and brought them back to the surface, and then questioned local workers.

In other words, the secret chamber beneath the Kahokia mound was discovered by the plains sac rats and became their gathering place.

But later, the black rat snake also found its way here through the rat hole, and from then on, this place became a battlefield between the two groups of creatures.

To find out the truth, Fang Wen also entered the tomb and witnessed the scene.

In the first room of the underground space, swarms of plains rats and black rat snakes were intertwined.

The black rat snake is hunting, taking one bite at a time.

Among the plains squirrels, some were fleeing, while others were fighting back.

The black rat snake, surrounded by these rats, was also in a terrible state.

It seems that without eliminating these two types of creatures, it's impossible to enter the underground space.

Mr. Zhao has his own unique methods for repelling snakes and rats.

He prepared sulfur powder, crushed garlic, and lime.

When these three substances were sprinkled on the ground, the black rat snakes all retreated.

To deal with rats, use mothballs.

The mice scattered as soon as they smelled the odor.

In order to drive away the large number of snakes and rats in the underground space, a large amount of such substances were purchased. With the large-scale release of these substances into the underground space, it was no longer a paradise for snakes and rats. They fled the underground space and appeared in various places around it.

After driving away the snakes and rats, Fang Wen then entered the underground space to explore.

(End of this chapter)