2 October 1724, Pingji Fort (present-day Harry Smith, South Africa).

The Ladder Mountains (present-day Drakens, South Africa), which runs through the southeastern part of South Africa, are descended in a stepped pattern. The eastern slope is steep, cut by numerous rivers, and the terrain is rugged and broken; Facing the humid air currents of the Indian Ocean, the terrain is rich in rain, the subtropical montane evergreen forests grow densely, and the alpine meadows are vigorous. The western slope is gentle, slightly inclined to the inland plateau, and the climate is arid due to the leeward position, with many grasslands and shrubs.

An army of several hundred men formed a column and meandered through a magnificent open grassland. The land here is a retreating expanse, covered with short, hard grass, scattered with huge rocks, and occasionally the silhouette of a thorn tree breaks the smooth skyline, with the shadow of a valley at all sides. Several uplifted peaks break the terrain of the river, and blue-yellow flowers are scattered like specks on the hills.

The air here is trembling, and the smell of dry dust wafts through it. During the day, the sky is thick with white cirrus clouds, and the sun is clear, and from here you can clearly see herders driving their cattle slowly for kilometers.

Geng Tingzhao, commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Indian Garrison in Kochi, and Lieutenant Ling Lu (Lieutenant Colonel), rode a majestic horse, climbed a hill, and looked ahead with a telescope.

"Sir, according to the markings on the map, there should be a settlement called Pingzhi Fort three or four kilometers ahead." An intelligence staff officer reported, "If we had picked up the speed, we should be able to get there before sunset." ”

Geng Tingzhao put down his binoculars and turned his head to look at the marching team below the hillock, where Indian servants with thin bodies and dark faces carried muskets, and under the leadership of officers at all levels, they took slightly heavy steps and kept surging forward. Although their foreheads were soaked with sweat, their breathing was a little short, and they all showed tiredness that could not be concealed, they still gritted their teeth and continued to march under the constraints of strict military orders.

"Order the troops to rest in place for ten minutes." Geng Tingzhao ordered: "No one is allowed to move around at will without a military order. ”

"Yes, sir."

"I think the Governorate of Qianzhou should build a railway from Changning (present-day Durban, South Africa) directly to Xingshan." Zhu Changbo, deputy head of the Third Regiment of Cochin and lieutenant (major) of Xuanjie, took off the kettle, handed it to Geng Tingzhao, and then stretched out his hand to point to the vast meadow and said: "Although this is a plateau and mountainous area, the terrain is flat, and a large number of black slave laborers can be requisitioned, so it should not cost much money to build a railway." With this railway, we will be able to better control the inland areas and also transport the gold ore there to Changning and finally ship it back home. ”

"How can the government have so much energy to invest in the construction of Qianzhou?" Geng Tingzhao took the kettle, poured a few sips hard, then wiped his mouth and said: "The Nanyang Islands, the Malay Peninsula, Annam, Luzon, as well as India and Burma are the core interests of our Qi country, and if we want to build railways, most of them will be close to these areas. ”

"It's not the same time it used to be." Zhu Changbo said with a smile: "The discovery of the Xingshan gold mine is enough for the ministers of the cabinet to set their eyes here. Think about it, the huge gold mining belt that stretches for hundreds of kilometers will have to contribute a lot of income to my Qi country! Even if the government does not pay for it, as long as a railway license is issued, there must be trading companies and consortia rushing to invest in the construction of this railway. ”

"Hmph, before the railway was built, there were thousands of people who were either on foot, or on horseback, or driving ox carts to Xingshan to pan for gold. If this is to build a railway, won't more people flock to Xingshan? ”

A month ago, the 3rd Regiment of the Indian garrison in Kochin arrived in Changning on several transport ships on orders from the local General Staff to strengthen the defense of the Qianzhou Governorate and to prepare for the possible outbreak of the Qi-British War.

However, in view of the chaotic situation in the Xingshan gold mining area, the governor of Qianzhou ordered the regiment to transfer some officers and soldiers first, and cooperate with the officers and men of the two mixed battalions of the 9th Regiment of the Army, which had been stationed in Xingshan, to stabilize local order and defend the core gold mining area.

Therefore, Geng Tingzhao led two battalions of officers and soldiers from Changning and traveled all the way north. On the way, from time to time, officers and men would see groups of gold diggers near the ranks. Even, when the troops were encamped, they would camp and rest not far from the barracks.

These gold diggers followed the procession, and certainly not to fight this economic army. They just wanted to get closer to the army and avoid being attacked by the natives.

It is true that when the Qi people expanded their colonies to the inland areas, they would wipe out and drive out the local indigenous tribes, and almost swept away the natives near the colonies. However, there are only more than 200,000 Qi people in the entire South African region, and they are mainly concentrated in the coastal areas. Then, in the vast hinterland, especially in the mountainous highlands, the land of the indigenous people is still the domain of the indigenous people.

Confined to the looting and killing of the Qi people, the local natives of South Africa naturally have a strong hostility towards any outsider. If they saw three or five lone gold prospectors, the natives would not mind launching a raid, killing or capturing them, and then holding a grand "living sacrifice" celebration in the tribal camp to improve the barren life by the way.

In the evening, more than 800 Qi and Indian officers and soldiers arrived at the settlement, which was named Pingzhi Fort.

However, the fort, which was surrounded by wooden rafts and rammed earth, was less than 300 meters in circumference, and could not accommodate too many officers and soldiers. Therefore, after Geng Tingzhao arranged for some officers to stay in the camp, he took more than 30 officers and guards with the enthusiastic villagers into Pingzhi Fort.

The fort was established 15 years ago and has a population of more than 150 people, mainly living by grazing cattle and sheep and growing wheat and sorghum. Ostriches, antelopes, and buffaloes are all valuable targets in their eyes, and if they are lucky, they can also hunt precious rhinoceros, their feathers and leather, and rhinoceros horns, which are sold to merchants who come to buy them for a large amount of silver, and their meat is a rich ration for people.

"There don't seem to be many people in the stockade!"

There were only a few brick and stone houses in the fort, most of them were mud houses made of rammed earth, and some women and children stood under the eaves, looking curiously at the group of officers and soldiers. But in the whole fortress, as far as the eye can see, there are few men in the prime of life, most of them are women and children.

"Don't hide it from the chief, most of the men in the village have gone to Xingshan to pan for gold." Niu Yifu, the commander of Pingzhi Fort, said: "As early as last year, the people in the village heard that a gold mine had been discovered in Xingshan, and then five or six villagers went with them. After a few months, the villagers actually brought back a lot of gold nuggets. Tempted by this, the men in the stockade almost ran to Xingshan. ”

"And all the crops and grazing animals in the fields have been left behind?"

"Not all the crops in the field have been lost, and the women in the village can plant a little, but the sown area and the yield after autumn are certainly far from what they used to be. Looking at this situation, most of this grain is not enough to eat, and I am afraid that it will have to be purchased from Nanchuan (now Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) or Changning. As for the free-range animals, the half-grown children can replace them, and they will not be wasted. ”

"If this comes to the indigenous clan, how will you deal with it?" When Geng Tingzhao heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head again and again.

It's really a golden eye!

"Hehe...... sir, you don't have to worry about that." Niu Yifu grinned, "Just with those primitive and ignorant natives, who don't even have a piece of iron, how dare they come to attack our idea of Pingzhi Fort?" Even if they dare to come, we can shoot them all outside the fortress. The whole fortress, the thirteen or fourteen-year-old half-grown baby, the woman who works at home, which one can't shoot! ”

"Listening to Ling's tone, are you happy to see the men in the village go out to pan for gold?"

"Ahem...... sir, you don't know anything." Niu Yifu said with a bitter face: "It has been more than ten years since we established Pingzhi Fort, although we don't have to worry about eating and drinking, and we don't have to worry about food and clothing, but our pockets are so poor that they are tinkling. As far as the cattle and sheep we raise here, as well as the fur rhino horns we hunt, they are pitted by the black-hearted traders who come to buy them. Even if you exchange it for a few silver coins, if you want to buy some daily household goods in Nanchuan or Changning, the price is still expensive. You see, if you dig up gold in Xingshan, won't you get rich in one fell swoop! Whether it's building a new house, buying furniture, buying some household items, or buying clothes and jewelry for the mother-in-law and children at home, isn't it a lot of money all at once! ”

When Geng Tingzhao heard this, he also smiled bitterly.

Indeed, in South Africa, where there is no industry, almost all daily necessities are more expensive than those in South Africa, except for grain and beef and mutton, which are relatively cheap. And there is really not much money to make in the remote inland areas, and life is hard.

Nowadays, the Xingshan gold mine has attracted countless people from Qianzhou and even all over the world to pan for gold, and it is conceivable that in this case, the prices of the entire Qianzhou Governorate will inevitably soar sharply, and the local agricultural and animal husbandry production will be seriously affected by this, and there will be a large-scale shortage of grain, which is also a high probability event.

——

(End of chapter)