Holy Roman Empire

Before Fickney could give an order, gunshots rang out.

"what happened?"

"Baron, the enemy has found us and is attacking us." A soldier hurriedly said

After learning that the enemy had launched an attack, Fickney immediately ordered without hesitation: "Pooh, take someone up and kill them, just use guns to deal with them, don't be foolish enough to fight them hand-to-hand!"

"Yes!"

……

150 meters away, gunfire rang out.

"Bang bang bang..."

Without any suspense, the battle is over.It doesn't need to cost too much to deal with the natives in the cold weapon era.

After defeating the enemy, Baron Fickney did not order to continue the hunt. He was not a slave trader and had no interest in capturing prisoners.

A soldier who stepped forward to check suddenly shouted in surprise: "Gold!"

"Baron, there is a piece of gold in these natives, we are going to find the gold mine!"

If there is gold, it means that there is a gold mine nearby.In this era, the range of activities of the indigenous tribes was limited, usually within a radius of [-] kilometers.

Once the scope is determined, it is not difficult to find gold mines.Everyone was pleasantly surprised. After working on the African continent for a few months, they hadn't gained anything at all. It's only a problem if everyone is not desperate.

For the sake of gold, Baron Fickney said in a good mood: "Father, please help them!"

The priest said in disgust: "Sorry, Your Excellency, they are not believers in God. Besides, I don't think the evil cannibal tribe is qualified to go to heaven. Their only destination is to go to hell!"

A savage cannibal tribe, which is beyond the acceptable range of normal people.Except for the brain-dead Madonna, it is estimated that normal people cannot agree that "cannibalism is a kind of culture".

Baron Fickney just showed kindness in a good mood and ignored the identity of the enemy, but it didn't mean that he had a good impression of the barbaric cannibal tribe.

"Okay, let's keep looking for gold."

……

As if God made a joke with him, the gold mine that was close at hand did not appear for a long time, but was attacked by jungle killers several times, and he paid the price of three deaths and five injuries.

Facing these kings of the jungle, Ficney's colonial team was really a little tired, and everyone's morale inevitably became low.

"We are running out of supplies. After searching this area, if we haven't found any gold mines, we will go back to the base to replenish supplies.

Now start living and cooking. After dinner, except for the people who have arranged for the night watch, the rest of the people have a good rest.If there is no result tomorrow, we will come back next time.

Don't worry, the gold mines are all underground, and we can't run away. This is an opportunity God gave us, and now it's just a test! " Baron Fickney reassured

After being appeased, everyone's emotions stabilized a lot.Finding gold is never easy, and a few setbacks are nothing at all.

They never encountered the legendary piranhas, piranhas, or devil wizards. They just encountered some poisonous insects and beasts. They were lucky, Fickney comforted himself.

He was running out of money, and if he could no longer find gold mines, then he could only be a mercenary, working for the colonial government to get paid, or working for slave traders, earning commissions to maintain the team's operations.

After hesitating for a long time, the honor of the family finally prevailed, and he couldn't afford to lose that person who worked for a slave trader.

Serving the colonial government was, at any rate, serving the empire.Although the income may be less, the status is different!

As an aristocrat, if you make contributions, if you can't become a high-level colony, then there is a problem.

At this time, a familiar voice sounded: "Baron, this is the river sand we found in the river ahead. It seems that there is gold in it."

After speaking, the man handed the golden river sand to Baron Fickney.

After looking at it, Fickney hurriedly said, "Please ask Father Batig to come here, we may have found a gold mine."

Priests in Europe in this era also worked part-time as teachers, scientists, engineers and other side jobs.Without the burden of family, they have a lot of time to learn knowledge every day, and their knowledge level is usually good.

Father Battigue was fooled by Baron Ficney, who promised that once he found a gold mine, he would fund Father Battigue's Catholic church and help him spread the gospel of the Lord in the colonies.

The camp was not very big, and Father Batig, who was praying, was invited over to identify whether the shiny substance in the river sand was gold.

Holding a magnifying glass and observing carefully for a while, Father Batig said, "God bless, Your Excellency the Baron, you have finally found the gold mine.

However, I still need to go to the river to explore in person to be able to determine the gold content in the river sand.If it exceeds 3 grams, it has development value.

Judging from this handful of river sand alone, the gold content in this area should be very high, judging from my experience, it should not be less than 5 grams. "

Fickney couldn't wait to say: "No problem, Father. It's getting late now, let's rest for a night first, and we can go to the field survey tomorrow."

It is not a secret that there is gold in river sand, but the amount is very impressive.After more than a hundred tests, the gold content per ton of river sand does not exceed 3 grams.

This value may be regarded as a bonanza in later generations. In this era, it is not even worth mining.Even if it is forcibly mined and refined, it cannot be profitable.

At the beginning, Baron Fickney was still keen to test the river sand, but gradually he became desperate.It wasn't until he saw the golden light glowing in the handful of river sand just now that he paid attention to it.

It is already visible to the naked eye, so the gold content cannot be lowered.However, this handful of river sand is not representative, and the gold content can only be determined after on-site exploration.

Father Batig replied, "Your Excellency the Baron, I don't have any questions. You can arrange these matters."

……

Chapter 15 Sensation

After a week of prospecting, Father Bakerg gave the final answer: "Congratulations, Your Excellency the Baron. You are about to get rich.

This is a river alluvial mine, the river sand on the surface contains 8 grams of gold, and the ore in the lower layer has a gold content of 16 grams.

This gold mine spreads along the river for two kilometers. It is initially estimated that the gold reserves may be as high as 50 tons. As long as you complete the report with the colonial government, this place belongs to you. "

Everyone was excited when they heard the news. Such a bonanza is rare in Austria.

The ecstatic Baron Fickney forcibly suppressed his emotions, and immediately stated: "Not only I want to get rich, but all of us are going to get rich.

Please rest assured, the original agreement is still valid, this gold mine is shared by all of us, including the young men who died in search of the gold mine, also have a share.

I can use the honor of the Stray family to assure everyone that as long as the registration is completed in the colony, half of the gold mine revenue will belong to you.

Now let us guard this gold mine of our own together! "

The discovery of a gold mine also means that the most dangerous moment has arrived.In overseas colonization, because of too much profit and uneven distribution of spoils, there should not be too many fights.

Not to mention an internal fight, it would be very dangerous to even leak information before reporting the property rights to the colonial government.

In the face of huge interests, there should not be too many incidents of gangsters eating gangsters.In the openness of the African continent, the most dangerous thing is not the jungle, not the indigenous cannibal tribes, but the thousands of them.

Baron Fickney's net worth is not high. After equipping everyone with weapons and equipment, they will spend almost the same amount. Naturally, it is impossible to have money to pay everyone's salaries.

Since I have no money, I can only draw big cakes.Sharing the interests of the gold mine together is the core of his gathering of this team.

Obviously, the reputation of the Stray family is still very important in the hearts of these people. If it were not for the long-standing concept of superiority and inferiority, the atmosphere on the field would be even more enthusiastic now.

"Your Excellency the generous baron, please rest assured, we will definitely defend the gold mine to the death!"

"Respect Your Excellency the Baron, don't worry, as long as we are not dead, the gold mine will not be lost!"

……

Everyone promised in a hurry.

With everyone's assurance, Baron Fickney showed a delighted smile.After reassuring his subordinates, he was able to go to the colony to register and report with confidence.

Even if the property rights are determined, it does not mean that the gold mine is safe.This is the African continent, the most indispensable thing is desperadoes, and the safety of guarding the gold mine is also the top priority.

Some weak colonial teams, even if they discovered gold mines, did not have the strength to mine them, so they could only sell them to the colonial government in exchange for a one-time return.

Apparently, Baron Fickney was not so short-sighted.This gold mine was sold to the colonial government for a maximum of 60 million Aegis. If it is mined by itself, the final profit may be as high as several million Aegis.

……

After Baron Fickney confirmed the property rights of the gold mine, the news of the discovery of the gold mine in Guinea was sent back to China in the shortest possible time.

Schönbrunn Palace

Franz, who was trying to create a human being, was also attracted by the news.Gold mines mean wealth, and it is conceivable that it will not be long before Guinea will set off a gold rush.

Franz still has some impressions of the Gold Coast in the Gulf of Guinea. There is no way to know where the specific gold mines are.

Many place names in later generations do not exist in this era, and even remembering them is useless.

Just like the gold mine discovered in Guinea now, it is a big greeting in Guinea, whether it is in later generations.

The African continent in this area is still a land of no man.The colonial government also didn't have the so-called concept of sovereignty. Anyway, if I occupied it, it would be mine.

The neat borders of African countries in later generations were actually determined at the Berlin Conference. Before that, there were no clear borders in various regions, and whoever occupied them was theirs.

The cruel reality made Franz give up his dream of mining gold to make a fortune, but it is a good way to attract immigrants with the news of gold.

Among the gold diggers, there are always very few who can make a fortune. Most of them end up with running out of money, yet to find gold, and finally have to stay in the colony to find a job to make ends meet.

The African continent has nothing else but land.There is sufficient labor force to develop the local land, and the benefits brought by it are far beyond what one or two gold mines can match.

The maid's voice sounded: "Your Majesty, the cabinet ministers are here."

"Well, I'll be there right away," Franz replied

The charm of gold mines is huge, especially a large-scale rich mine has attracted the attention of many people, even the cabinet of the Vienna government is no exception.

If gold is exchanged for money, it is estimated that the temptation will be greatly reduced.One ton of gold is only worth 27.32 Aegis, and fifty tons of gold is worth more than 300 million Aegis.

In fact, mining gold mines also requires costs, and the final net profit may only be 400 million Aegis, and it will take time to mine gold mines, and the average return is only a dozen or 20 Aegis per year.

For Franz, this can only be regarded as a small amount of money, and for the Vienna government, it is only one day's fiscal revenue.

Obviously, this is not how the account is calculated. The biggest use of gold by the government is to issue currency as a reserve fund, and the potential profits contained in it are much greater.

……

Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl said in high spirits: "Your Majesty, a large gold mine has been discovered on the African continent. According to the analysis of geological experts, there may be other gold mines nearby. The colonial government has blocked the news.

If we organize our manpower now and carry out comprehensive exploration, we will definitely gain a lot, and the African colonies will be able to turn losses into profits immediately. "

Franz was puzzled. He had never heard of large mineral veins gathering in Guinea. It is not surprising to find a large gold mine, but it is impossible to find a large gold mine without causing a sensation.

However, Franz was not in a hurry to deny the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement. In this era, the colonies were free to develop and expand. If a colonial team ran out of Guinea and discovered a gold mine, he would not be surprised at all.

Guinea is not big, so don't expect the colonial team to act according to the national boundaries of later generations. Only they themselves know where the activities of these people are.

Colonial Secretary Josip Jeracic suggested: "Your Majesty, the Gulf of Guinea has always been said to be a golden bay. Now that gold has been discovered in Guinea, it means that the gold in this area has not been mined.

Now we take advantage of the fact that the news does not leak out, first send troops to occupy this area, and then slowly look for gold mines! "

Franz shook his head, opened the map and drew a few lines and asked: "It is possible to expand in the Gulf of Guinea, but the British, Portuguese, Dutch, and French all have strongholds in the coastal areas.

It is impossible for us to have conflicts with so many countries at the same time, so the best way is to avoid these strongholds and expand from the interior. Can this be done? "

The name of the Golden Bay is too famous. Although few new gold mines have been discovered locally in recent decades, it has now become a gathering place for the African slave trade, and slave traders from all over the world gather here.

Regardless of their individual strength, once they are united, they are not so easy to deal with.And it still affects the whole body, if the countries behind it are involved, Austria still wants to monopolize the Gold Coast, it is simply a dream!

Josip Jeracic replied confidently: "Your Majesty, most of these countries' local colonial strongholds are private activities and are not organized by the government.

We also sent civilian armed groups to compete with them, not to mention driving them out, it is still feasible to establish some strongholds in coastal areas.

As long as we have a sufficient number of local immigrants, we will occupy the initiative of colonization. Before large-scale discovery of gold mines, the intervention of governments will be very limited.

As long as we have established enough advantages before this, then we can rely on negotiation to solve the problem later. It is nothing more than dividing the territory according to the strength of the local people. "

Civilian armed forces are the main force of governments in overseas colonial activities. Even if these organizations fight, there is room for maneuver, and governments of various countries will not be directly dragged into the water.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz drew a few circles on the map of Africa, and then said: "Let's take these areas as the targets, these are areas where there may be a lot of gold.

But our goal is not gold. The most precious wealth on the African continent is the undeveloped fertile land, followed by some natural minerals, and finally gold.

So what if gold is abundant?The annual mining amount is limited, and it is simply not worth investing a lot of resources to fight against countries.

So once nothing can be done, just give up what should be given up. Gold may exist in coastal areas, but there are more inland areas.

We don't have the ability to deeply develop the interior, but we have authorized non-governmental organizations and let them develop freely.

If all countries concentrate their efforts to compete for Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, then we will go to Kenya, the hard bone, to take this opportunity to clarify the interests of West Africa. "

After hearing Franz's explanation, everyone was shocked. If a country with land power like Austria was replaced with a country with sea power, such remarks would be deviant.

It cannot be said that everyone is short-sighted. It is really digging for gold mines. It only takes one or two years for the colony to make a profit;

This is still based on the fact that there are enough immigrants. Unfortunately, the major colonial empires are short of people, and the local population is not enough. How can they have the ability to develop colonies?

Not to mention small countries like the Netherlands and Portugal with a population of less than 500 million, even Britain and France have a population of more than 3000 million, with a growth rate similar to that of a snail, and a large number of colonies, which cannot be developed at all.

On the contrary, the situation in Austria is better. There are not many colonies, the domestic population is large, and the population growth rate is much higher than that of Western Europe. Only then can there be enough human resources for in-depth development.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl reminded: "Your Majesty, if the government gives up its monopoly on gold mines, I am afraid that our colony will still be in a state of loss for a long time."

"This kind of loss is within our tolerance range, abandoning the interests of monopolizing gold mines, but can obtain a large influx of immigrants.