Chapter 825: Gold Rush

The voyage at sea was boring and tasteful, and the young people full of pride and ambition were hit hard. The 45-day voyage was the most outstanding of the new hybrid vessel. Run fast when it's windy, and don't delay when there's no wind. The excellent performance of the first long-distance voyage did not attract much attention, and this ship became an out-of-print ship in the history of Daming navigation because of Chen's attitude. Even because of this boat, Chen Xie fiercely criticized the technical research and development team of Huating Group in private, thinking that the hybrid version they engaged in was crooked. Spending money on this is a step backwards in the direction of technological development. With this money, it is better to spend it on the technical improvement of the steam turbine.

Chen Xie is absolutely true to his word on these issues, and no one dares to question what he has decided. Huating Shipyard immediately stopped investing in this version of the technology, and instead focused its capital and technical strength on steam engines and steam turbines.

Without further ado, the long journey finally came to an end, and when I saw the entrance to Golden Gate Bay in the distance, cheers and salutes rang out on the sea. The land batteries responded with a salute, and for a time the whole sea was lively.

Xia Wanchun was helped out of the cabin by the Japanese maid and struggled to come out to see the excitement. He suffered a lot of sins along the way, and when he arrived in Hawaii, he fell ill, and his companions asked him to stay and recuperate, but he refused. As a result, his condition worsened on the last leg of the voyage, but fortunately there were doctors on board and there was no shortage of medicines. Even so, he remained in bed for three days before it improved.

People are in good spirits on happy occasions, and after seeing the destination, Xia Wanchun's spirits are lifted, and the whole person feels refreshed, and most of his illness is better. When it was time to step on the land, although it was still hard to faint the land. His condition has basically improved.

The situation in San Francisco has changed dramatically, and in the early spring months, gold mining has been going smoothly, and a new market town has appeared near the river where the gold was found. The Navajo gradually integrated into the life circle of the Ming colonists, and became the main force in the construction of roads and towns. Gold mining. The main labor used was slaves.

After learning of the discovery of the gold mine, the enthusiasm of the new immigrants was ignited, and a group of leaders immediately changed from competitors to partners, and the purpose of uniting was naturally to get a piece of the gold mining problem. In the end, ten people were elected as representatives, and they asked to meet with the local supreme governors Li Heng and Dai Zhiyuan, and formally put forward their interests and demands.

When it comes to this gold mine, the team that arrived early is not willing to give up the benefits in hand, and this attitude is very clear. As the leaders, Li Heng and Dai Zhiyuan could not but consider the long-term development of the entire colony. What's more, Chen Xie sent messengers in the fleet. Chen Xie has a saying on how to develop the North American colonies.

According to Chen Xie's meaning, Li Heng is the supreme military and political chief, and there is no suspense. Li Heng is in charge of the military, and Dai Zhiyuan is in charge of internal affairs. Thousands of miles away in North America, the colonists had to unite to survive. It is necessary to face up to the interests of new immigrants, and not to cause internal divisions because of interests.

How to solve this problem, Chen Xie's messenger brought a plan. The two top governors are required to take into account the actual situation in the local area and solve the problem within the framework of this plan. Chen Xie's plan is actually very simple. It was to have the first colonists form a company and give priority to the selection of a piece of land. The people who came first understood the situation and naturally stood in the best location, which is their deserved benefit, otherwise it would not be fair to them. Once this matter is solved, the remaining problems are simple.

Free combination of newcomers. Set up a group of large and small companies, and then go to the way of drawing lots, deciding their respective territories on the map. Everything depends on luck, success or failure, don't complain. The work of the Doge's Office was on these colonies, large and small. Establish appropriate government agencies to resolve some civil disputes and public order issues.

Due to the peculiarities of North America, the civil affairs chiefs of each colony were elected democratically, and the local sheriffs were sent by the governor's office. This plan was approved by the newcomers, who were new after all, and who had to start from scratch after arriving without the efforts of the previous expeditions. So, after dividing the area, you should also build new colonies by yourself.

For Li Heng and Dai Zhiyuan, the happiest thing is that the military strength has been greatly replenished. The fleet sent by Chen Xie brought in an infantry regiment, and the previous Marine battalion was rotated back to China. Of course, there are also conditions to take care of these military pioneers. Except for officers at or above the platoon level, the rest are all retired on the spot and incorporated into the local public security police force. Of course, this order is not absolute, and if you really don't want to retire non-commissioned officers and soldiers, you can't force it.

The final result was the formal establishment of the Governor's Mansion of Jinshan in the North American colony, and the military force in the hands of Governor Li Heng was an infantry regiment of the regular army and 500 local security and tax police. No matter who you are, in this part of North America, you are not exempt from taxes. That's the raison d'être of the tax police, and they're armed to the teeth. The expenses of the Governor's Mansion of the Golden Mountain were paid from local taxes. Fifty percent of the annual tax is paid, and the rest is reserved for the local government. The local business tax limit is up to 15%.

Xia Wanchun, as a representative of the team, corrected three days after the end of the lot, and the whole team of more than 1,000 people left the colony on the coast of Jinshan, found the new colony on the map, and began the construction of the new settlement. If you look at the map, it is not difficult to find that the distance between each settlement is about forty miles. And all of them are distributed along the rivers where the gold deposits were found.

When you first arrive, you naturally don't think about the matter of gold, and it is only right to fix the place where you live first. As the official of the Governor's Palace, Dai Zhiyuan was still very conscientious, arranging guides and armed police for the team to help them adapt to the new colony as soon as possible. Safety always comes first, first build an earthen fence, then erect wooden walls, towers and other facilities. It took two months to settle down.

As the elected mayor of Anhe, Xia Wanchun has a lot of work every day, and he needs to adjust the construction and planning of the town. There is also the issue of safety, Xia Wanchun takes it very seriously, requiring everyone to master military skills, no less than ten people when going out, and everyone must carry a gun. According to the information provided by the Governor's Palace, in recent times, traces of indigenous activities have been found nearby, and the Cheyenne people are not very good to the Ming colonists.

I can't help but say that someone has the aura of the protagonist, Xia Wanchun is such a person, he has just done a good job of the town's defense foundation, and in the early morning of early autumn, a jingling bell rang on the tower. Xia Wanchun, who had just been lying down after a tired day, was awakened, came out of the wooden house with his clothes on, and saw that his watch was half past four in the morning. The town was lit with torches, and a continuous burst of gunfire rang out from the towers, and several mines buried outside the walls exploded, making a roaring explosion.

There was an infantry platoon garrison in the town, and they reacted quickly, climbed the earthen wall and threw the torches out, and several haystacks outside the wall were lit, and it was clear that the dense crowd of people outside was rushing forward. If it weren't for a barbed wire fence that blocked the swarming natives, who knows what kind of human tragedy would have happened.

In the darkness, no one knew how many natives had come, and everyone had their rifles on the wall, and the sound of gunfire rang out for an hour. The Japanese maid beside Xia Wanchun also carried a rifle and fought side by side, and there was no one who fought for the first time. Not to mention firing with a whizzing bow and arrow, several times someone around him was hit by an arrow and fell, Xia Wanchun remembered his own responsibility. simply dropped the gun and was in charge of command and dispatch, and soon the chaos stabilized. At dawn, the natives retreated, and when they looked at the results of the battle outside the city, everyone took a breath of cool air.

The hill behind the barbed wire pile of corpses is so high that it is impossible to count how many indigenous people have been killed and injured. The garrison in the camp did not dare to move, and the security police, all of whom had horses, were all sent out, and after some inquiry, they came back to make sure that the natives had withdrawn, and the people in the town dared to come out and clean up the battlefield. It took a busy day to finish the work, and the final count was that 500 natives were killed and 800 were wounded. Considering the purpose of deterrence, all the injured natives were mended, and none were left.

In order to set an example for everyone, Xia Wanchun, who was strong, took people out and stabbed those wounded to death with bayonets. To be honest, he is not good at doing this thing, and even this decision was decided by the local police officer Li Longxiong. According to Xia Wanchun's meaning, "God has the virtue of a good life", but Li Longxiong said very facelessly, "If the natives rush in, will they be merciful to us?" To be merciful to one's enemies is to be cruel to oneself. As the mayor of the town, you have to think about the trust of everyone first. ”

This incident was still a big blow to Xia Wanchun, but he had a tough personality and quickly adjusted. And while spitting out, he stabbed to death more than twenty wounded with bayonets, playing a good leading role. This matter is not over, after the defensive battle of Anhe Town is over, the Governor's Office decides to take revenge for the six Ming colonists who died in the sneak attack on Anhe Town.

While the Governor's Palace was still preparing for reprisals, a convoy arrived in Nagasaki, and for safety reasons, the news spread that thirty tons of gold were loaded in three ships, and when the convoy arrived at the wharf in the new district of Huating, the news was confirmed, and in just a few days the newspapers were full of news of gold all over North America. Everywhere the news went, a gold rush was set off. Not to mention the coastal provinces of the Ming Dynasty, even in the inland provinces, many people rushed to Huating to find an opportunity to pan for gold, and Korea and Japan were also greatly affected.

In the 12th year of the founding of the new era, according to incomplete statistics, more than 88,000 Ming, Korean, and Japanese clans, with the dream of getting rich overnight, embarked on a journey of gold mining in North America, and in the next ten years, the approximate statistics were 3.6 million immigrants from the three countries who landed in North America. (To be continued......)