My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 185 It's a waste not to become a bandit

Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang strolled leisurely upstream along the riverbank.

Wu Yang seemed very excited: "Brother Zhou, you just asked for a kilogram of gold, that startled me. According to the current market price, it should sell for at least 40,000 yuan."

I was thinking that if we asked for too much, these people would definitely not agree. They might immediately pack their bags, give up the mining site, and go find another place, or simply leave this valley altogether.

Surprisingly, they actually agreed.

One kilogram of gold… that’s easier to earn than robbing a bank.

Zhou Jingming chuckled: "This is nothing! These people aren't stupid, especially the leader. He's very patient and shrewd. The more fiercely they resist, the more it shows how much they care about that mining site."

A good gold-producing mining site is crucial to the harvest of a gold rush season, so fights often break out in the Gold Rush Valley over the control of mining sites.

Since they chose to dig dug pits at that mining site, they must have tested the sand. In fact, I don't need to say more; they already know the gold yield of the mining site.

They could pan for that kilogram of gold in about twenty days. Compared to the gold they could pan for in the following months, it was nothing, not even a serious loss. Why give up?

As for choosing another place… to give a simple example, if the valleys and ravines across the Haiertes River are like a woman who has been plowed and ploughed by men for many years, then the Haxiong Valley is like virgin land. If you were in that situation, which would you choose?

Wu Yang joked, "Brother Zhou, you're getting more and more rude these days. It's uncivilized and ruins the image I have of you. You're so different from when I first met you. Back then, you were so refined and cultured!"

Zhou Jingming smiled and said, "I was poor back then, but now, you can just think of me as a nouveau riche."

He was telling the truth.

When he came to seek his fortune last year, he didn't even have enough capital to cover his expenses, so he had no choice but to join Peng Yuanchao's team and rely on his own abilities.

At that time, all I wanted was to earn enough to cover my initial investment. Only with that initial investment could I pursue greater wealth. In addition, my team was not very strong, so I could only seek stability and look for opportunities to make some extra money.

Wealth and risk often go hand in hand. Fortunately, last year went relatively smoothly, and the extra money I earned even exceeded the gold I found.

As the saying goes, one speaks only for a moment.

Zhou Jingming is different now. He has enough capital to support a sizable team, so he no longer needs to be so cautious in his actions.

He now has the strength to compete.

In the Gold Rush Valley, it's a game of big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. If you have the strength, you should be a little domineering. If you're not domineering, you'll often be seen as weak and easy to bully.

Gold panning is like rolling a snowball on flat ground; only with increasing force can the snowball grow bigger and bigger.

In fact, Zhou Jingming's act of taking over the river valley mining site and then transferring it was not unprecedented. As far as he knew, many others had already done it, and there were far more unscrupulous people like Boss Jin than him.

Right now it's just panning for gold in the valley. But next year, in his memory, some gold prospectors will be affiliated with state-owned enterprises, obtain gold panning permits, and directly pay to lease a section of the valley or a whole area of ​​rock gold mines.

At that point, things got even more direct. They would contract out the mining sites along the gold-mining river to the gold-mining teams, and transfer the gold mine shafts to them for mining. They would then set a price, not just for a small kilogram of gold, but by taking a cut every month.

Many gold mine owners don't make money by honestly organizing people to pan for gold in the Gold Rush Valley or mining in gold mines. For them, that's only part of their income; a large part comes from the gold miners at the bottom.

Otherwise, given that gold panning seems like a sure-fire way to make money, with so many prospectors flocking to the valleys thinking they could make a fortune, why do so many prospectors end up empty-handed, losing money, or even their lives in the gold-panning valleys?

In his previous life, Zhou Jingming had read a report that said hundreds of thousands of gold prospectors flocked to the West Sea, the snowy region, and Altay, but among so many people, only a handful could be called the "Gold Kings" and the big gold bosses.

If you're not ruthless, don't have a dark side, and don't have some tricks up your sleeve, you'll just end up fading into obscurity.

Since Zhou Jingming had chosen this path, he naturally wanted to climb to the top; he was not satisfied with the little gold he had obtained from the Gold Rush Valley.

Making several hundred thousand a year sounds like a lot, but in reality, there are many more places to spend money in the future, and there are too many aspects that need to be taken care of. Otherwise, no matter how capable you are, for those in power, a single word can often bankrupt you or even cost you your life.

Those who come to pan for gold are all after getting rich; none of them are without greed.

If you're not greedy, you can still make a fortune by mining for gold. Just stay home and farm honestly; you won't starve anyway.

Locating a mining site and making a quick buck was just a small, unorthodox path, a shortcut for him to catch up with others.

Of course, there are always two sides to everything. Making money may feel good for a while, but after the initial excitement, you should also think carefully about the consequences.

This requires a proper trade-off.

At that mining site, Zhou Jingming wanted one kilogram of gold, which was already calculated. They could get it without much effort, and there would be considerable profit to be made in the future, so they wouldn't have much of a resistance.

There are two or three better and larger mining sites upstream. Zhou Jingming is thinking of getting three or four kilograms of gold, but that would require a team with more people. Don't even think about having a team of eight or ten people.

As the saying goes, of the three thousand rivers, I only take a sip.

Greed should be kept within limits and must be matched with one's ability to control oneself.

"Brother Zhou, do you think they'll really hand over the gold within a month?" Wu Yang was still worried: "What if they run away by then? We can't keep watch over them every day, can we?"

Zhou Jingming shook his head: "Don't worry, they won't give up such a good mining site so easily. If there are no special circumstances and they dare to make up other excuses to fob me off, wouldn't that just give us another reason to ask them for more?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yang's eyes widened, and he looked at Zhou Jingming with a strange expression.

Zhou Jingming was taken aback: "What's wrong?"

Wu Yang laughed: "Brother Zhou, to be honest, it's a waste that you're not going to be a bandit."

Zhou Jingming laughed and said, "There used to be many bandits in western Hunan, but you didn't become one."

Wu Yang became serious: "I'm telling the truth. Look how fast this makes money! Why don't we switch careers and stop panning for gold? Let's organize a group of people to go around looking for mining sites. In two or three months, we could probably get dozens or even hundreds of kilograms of gold."

Zhou Jingming shook his head: "We're already playing with fire. You can't really pour gasoline over yourself and set yourself on fire, can you? I want to stay in Gold Rush Valley for a couple more years. I don't want to cause too much trouble. There are so many gold prospectors. They'll probably tear me apart... That's enough."

As he said this, he had other thoughts in mind. He needed to be more careful about his safety in the future. If the gold prospector he had offended turned out to be a ruthless person and attacked him from behind, things could get very dangerous.

“Brother, soon there will be a lot of gold-digging teams coming to Haxionggou. It will be quite lively then. I’ll probably need you to help out a lot with the sale of the mines… Also, I’m entrusting my life and fortune to you.”

"Don't worry, if anyone tries to take advantage of you, they'll have to get past me first."

Wu Yang patted his chest and assured him.

Zhou Jingming smiled slightly.

To everyone's surprise, Wu Yang immediately became displeased upon seeing his reaction: "Brother Zhou, do you not trust me?"

Zhou Jingming nodded emphatically, giving a firm and affirmative answer: "I believe you!"

Wu Yang then raised another question: "Brother Zhou, you said that if all seventeen mining sites are sold, the people at those sites must be somewhat unhappy. Is it possible that they will unite and come after us? If that happens, we'll have to deal with a lot of manpower. No matter what, everyone will definitely have grievances. Can we handle that?"

Despite all the talk and joking, Wu Yang wasn't just a reckless, mindless person. His talk of becoming a bandit or buying up mineral deposits to sell was ultimately just a joke.

Zhou Jingming sighed: "That's why I said I have to entrust my life and fortune to you."

It's not that they can't unite; the trend in the Gold Rush Valley is towards forming cliques. Small teams are too weak to withstand risks. Only by uniting can they gain a foothold in the valley.

However, we don't need to worry too much.

The teams that come to Haxionggou are definitely from different places. Even if they are united, they are still a motley crew, each with their own ulterior motives and schemes. Breaking this alliance is not difficult.

Besides, we have thirteen hunting rifles on hand. If we take them all out, many teams will have to think twice.

Also, when you get into a group fight, you probably know that not everyone in a large group dares to charge forward relentlessly. They're all afraid of getting hurt. The ones who can really go all out and fight without hesitation are usually just the leaders. The rest are mostly timid and opportunistic.

Just like at our mine, even if the gold is divided equally among everyone, when something really happens, how many people dare to risk their lives? It's all thanks to a few key personnel.

That's why I chose to pay salaries instead of distributing gold. The gold we earned together is better given to those who genuinely shared the risks with me.

If this were a factory, most of the workers would just be considered gold panners. We are providing them with a safe place to pan for gold, and the wages I pay are already at most compared to the labor they put in and the risks they face.

Wu Yang, I don't know the details about the people you and Shunzi brought, but you should know them to some extent. Keep a close eye on them in your daily lives. Those who are brave and loyal, and who make contributions, will be given extra rewards.

"When we can expand the operation further, we'll need to form a dedicated mine protection team... but that's a matter for later."

"I understand!"

Wu Yang nodded slightly and took a deep breath: "We still have too few people at our mine. I don't know if Peng Yuanchao, Li Guozhu and the others will come to this mine, or who else will come, or how many will return."

Zhou Jingming took a deep breath: "The number of people is indeed too small. I'm not sure if Peng Yuanchao and Li Guozhu will come. They might come thinking of starting their own business. We can't force these things. After all, I already made my point last year. It all depends on what they think."

Peng Yuanchao and Li Guozhu are quite good, and I hope they will come back.

It's alright. In another half month or so, more people will come to pan for gold. If no one comes back, I can recruit some more from Timbuk or Altan. It's not a difficult task.

We can't put all our hopes on that group from last year, including the two I brought. They're still not doing well even if nothing happens to them. The only people I can count on are you and Shunzai.

"Brother Zhou, I won't say any more. Just watch what I do in the future."

Wu Yang's simple words were filled with deep sincerity.

Zhou Jingming simply patted him on the shoulder.

Bringing villagers to pan for gold is less reliable than finding a few like-minded people.

(End of this chapter)