A group of people discussed for several days but could not come up with a solid escape plan because the actual situation outside was very different from what they had imagined.
When hiking, especially in winter, it is almost impossible to get out of this wilderness, which is completely different from what it was in America.
Even if they escape on horseback, they will go east or south to the Yellow-skinned Monkey Empire, and they may enter the control of Russia if they go north. Can the Russians help them continue their escape?
If you go west, you will encounter countless Tatar tribes, and they may become slaves by then, and they may not even be treated as well as here.
The conclusion is that they can only go north, but going north means continued low temperatures, and the entire escape may exceed 5,000 miles, and it may take five years or more to return to Spain.
Some people think that instead of doing that, it is better to mine here for ten years. If you work harder every day, you may be free in seven or eight years.
Unlike some mines in the Americas, miners here are provided with food, drinking water, and medical drugs, and no miner will die of illness easily.
At first, many Spaniards were puzzled by this and thought that the owner of the mine must be crazy.
Only later did I realize that as long as the miners are still able to work, they can create profits for the mine owners.
This method is undoubtedly more clever, and it also alleviates the miners' urge to escape to a certain extent.
If you want to leave this ghost place, the most convenient way is not to ride a horse, but to take a train, but the train goes to the capital of the Ming Empire.
Some brave people feel that as long as they can leave here, even going to the most dangerous place is worthwhile, not to mention that no one has visited the capital of the Ming Empire.
According to some Spanish-speaking German overseers, the city was the most advanced and prosperous in the world.
Not only does it have millions of people, high-tech gadgets, and delicious food, but it also has electric lighting at night.
After they make enough money in the mines, they will settle in that city for retirement in their later years.
In comparison, Madrid in Spain can only be regarded as a town with some buildings.
Many Spanish miners are very aggrieved about this, and they will never be convinced unless they see it with their own eyes.
But only after completing the mining task can we obtain the corresponding certificate and go to the capital of the Ming Empire to have a look.
Nowadays, most Spaniards do not intend to be squeezed by the yellow-skinned monkeys in the whole process, and will give it a try when they have the opportunity.
In contrast, those black people who were sent to the Ming Dynasty to mine by the Dutch or French were much more practical.
At first, many people were anxious and wanted to escape from the mine.
However, due to their skin color, any black man who escaped would be immediately caught and sent back.
All the Menggu people living around the mine already know about the black people, and they can catch them immediately if they find out.
One person can exchange three silver coins. Although it is not much, it is still a lot of money and can buy some souvenirs from the Ming Empire.
Perhaps in the past, the young and old men of the Sunit tribe would be excited, but after the gold mining is on track, everyone can really get the original promise of the Ming Empire emperor, which is to make money while lying down.
The Sunit tribe has a total of nearly 30,000 households and a total population of less than 200,000.
On a per capita basis, an average person can receive a dividend of two silver coins per year.
A household can get more than a dozen silver coins every year, even if they do nothing.
It doesn't look like much, but each household's living demands are not high.
Just use this money to buy some salt, sugar, iron pots, cloth, and oil lamps. Moreover, the Emperor of Ming Dynasty will underwrite their livestock, which is the greatest blessing.
In comparison, every household's life has improved a lot compared to before. No one wants to enter the border to rob, which is completely thankless.
The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not care about their pastures and sold livestock to them. He could get a dividend every year and could buy some supplies at a low price. There was nothing better than this.
People whose pastures are around the mine can graze while waiting to "pick up leaks", which invisibly adds a lot of guards to the mine.
People who can speak Mandarin can also find a job as a patrolman in the mine, which includes food, clothing, and clothes. They can also get a salary of five silver coins and one stone of rice every month.
In this case, any miners who run out and encounter people from the surrounding Sunit tribe will not end well.
There is no need to identify oneself at all. Only slave miners will escape. Free miners will always take the main entrance, and if they escape, they will take a long way around.
The mine has thousands of steam mine cars, but they all follow established transportation routes.
Once the guard discovers that a minecart has deviated from the route, he will immediately rush forward to inquire about the situation.
The drivers of the mine carts are all Ming people and will definitely not help the slave miners escape.
The only possibility is that there is a mechanical failure or the minecart has been hijacked. If the latter happens, the guards will immediately go up and stop it.
Being a driver in a mine is very profitable. The basic salary is five silver coins per month, and the rest is piece-rate commission for running laps. If you are diligent, you can pocket more than ten or twenty silver coins a month.
Accommodation is provided at the mine, and mutton is served for lunch and dinner, which is very attractive to drivers. You may not find such a well-paid job in the northern capital.
The drivers were basically retired armored soldiers or craftsmen who had been responsible for assembling and driving steam vehicles. Both groups of people were recommended and hired by a certain new emperor.
Basically every year, the peak period is for job openings after the end of the year, and the peak period for resignations before the new year. But as long as there are high salaries, the convenience of the railway, and the help of a certain new emperor, the mine will have no worries about recruiting people. .
Today, the Monan Gold Mine has developed into a giant mine with approximately 350,000 registered free miners and over 770,000 slave miners.
There are also more than 400,000 family members living in the surrounding area, as well as about 50,000 Sunit tribe members.
Counting guards, managers, merchants here, etc., the total population is nearly 1.6 million.
The Spanish called it a town because the settlements near the mines had fewer buildings and lower floors.
But there is no need to build high-rise buildings here. Small buildings with two or three floors are enough.
Even the official residence of Brother Tengjisi is only a three-story building.
Because the living conditions in Beidu were so good, a certain new emperor rewarded the two brothers who took refuge with him first with two mansions.
The Tengjisi brothers who received a large dividend usually did not live in their own territory, let alone work as long-term supervisors near the mine. They spent most of their time in Beidu.
I only come to the mine in one or two months in the summer to have a look around, which is a way to escape the summer heat and inspect the territory. The rest of the time I spend in Beidu, living a luxurious life...
Not only these brothers, but most of the chiefs of the Monan Menggu tribe who have escaped from the control of the Qing Dynasty have purchased properties in Beidu.
Any chief who has lived in a mansion in Beidu for a few months has no intention of moving back to the grassland to settle down.
There are movies to watch, foreign horse riding, and delicious food to enjoy in Beidu City. You can have fun every day until eleven or twelve o'clock in the evening.
In comparison, the scene on the grassland is completely different. It is a completely bitter and cold place.
The most important thing is that living in Beidu does not cost much.
As long as the goods from Beidu are sold to the people of the tribe on the grassland, it is easy to make a profit.
By staying in Beidu, you can learn about the latest prices of various commodities and avoid being ripped off. This is the best of both worlds.
As for the miners mining in the mine, it has nothing to do with them. These are two groups of people living in two worlds!
Due to the heavy pressure of repayment, France and the Netherlands still want to use black people to pay part of the payment, and a certain new emperor also agrees with this.
Therefore, the two countries continued to transport black miners to the Ming Empire through fleets, with no less than 100,000 people every year.
A certain new emperor estimated that the labor gap for digging his own pits was about two million, which should be met within twenty years.
The Ming Dynasty also had a lot of labor, but hiring these laborers required at least two taels of silver per person per month, excluding food.
To use black miners, you only need to pay for food and a small amount of medicine, plus some clothes at most.
Using one million black miners to mine is equivalent to saving at least 24 million taels of silver every year!
A certain new emperor is not just squeezing. At least after the miners complete the set mining volume, they will pay a traveling fee of ten silver coins.
It would be even better if you are willing to stay and work as a free miner, with the same treatment as other peers.
Considering that black people have good endurance and strength, they may be more suitable for this industry.
In addition to the Monan Gold Mine, the Nanyang Gold Mine, the Shandong Peninsula Mining Area and the Liaodong Peninsula Mining Area are currently being mined on a large scale.
There is no doubt that mining is the largest initial capital for the rise of an empire, and there is no need to worry about market sales.
Although the profits of ironclad ships are high, the affordability of customers and the saturation of the market must be taken into consideration.
Once all the money is taken out of the customers' pockets, making money from the ironclad ship project will come to an end.
Mining is long-term and reliable cash flow. As long as it is dug out of the ground, it is money.
Even if it is not easy to mine gold, you can also mine copper ore, which can be used as currency after smelting.
The French and Dutch were envious of this and wanted to dig it, but unfortunately their exploration technology was backward and they had no way of starting.
The Spanish are the best at prospecting, but now, their largest mining area in America will soon be hit again.
Because at the end of March, the second expedition fleet led by Jiexuan set sail from Dengzhou Naval Base.
The entire fleet was filled with various supplies, some used in combat, and some sold to Jin, Chongguo, and Zhang Xianzhong.
"Brother, our family is sending the most troops this time, why should we obey that guy's order?"
His fifth brother Zheng Shengying was still a little puzzled by Zheng Guangying's instructions. Logically speaking, everyone should just do their own thing, and there was no need to listen to Jiexuan's orders.
The Zheng family dispatched 15,000 troops this time, while Jiexuan only had 5,000 marines, and his own force was three times that of his opponent.
"Do you know what Xingying is capable of?"
"Brother Sheng Ying is His Majesty's disciple, so he is naturally very capable!"
"Well! Province Ying once said that I am not as good as Jiexuan's talents!"
"Huh? Is this...serious?"
"You are my biological brother. As a brother, I don't need to lie to you. Chenggong once told me that among the eight brothers in the same sect, Zhang Huangyan is the most capable. However, the talent of Jiexuan is still higher than Zhang Huangyan."
"No way?"
"The ability to be a provincial hero is all taught by His Majesty. The ability to be a hero is self-taught!"
"ah?"
"According to His Majesty, Jiexuan is a genius. His starting point is higher than the rest of us. His Majesty was sent directly to Denglai Navy Commander Mao Yuanyi. Mao Yuanyi then taught Jiexuan everything he had learned throughout his life. Then he was sent to Jiexuan. , Jiexuan received your Majesty's advice again, and now he can lead an army on an expedition to the Americas thousands of miles away, which is a testament to his ability. His Majesty has a keen eye for pearls, and naturally he will not misjudge the person. Facts have proved that Jiexuan does have his own abilities. For a man who leads an army, his previous expeditions were not all smooth sailing. However, Jiexuan was able to assess the situation every time and obtain the maximum benefit for himself. The reason why our family was able to obtain so many plywood boats was also the reason why Jiexuan originally proposed to attack the Viceroyalty of Peru. As a result.”
"Then brother, you..."
"According to your majesty, brother, I just follow the soy sauce! Jiexuan tells you how to act, I just nod, and then eat the meat. You must know that when fighting overseas, a wrong thought will cause some of the soldiers under your command to eventually die in a foreign country. If you don't have the ability to make decisions, just listen to the orders of the experts. You also said before that our family will send the most troops this time. Please note that if a big mistake is made, our family will also lose the most soldiers, and this is the most important thing. It’s so serious! If something like this really happens, how will you face your uncle when you go back, and how will you face the family members of the soldiers who died in the war? If a person dies, he cannot come back to life even if he kneels down and kowtows!"
"...My brother has learned a lesson!"
After Zheng Guangying's earnest instruction, the high-spirited Zheng Shengying succumbed to his words.
If it were his own fault that caused thousands of casualties, I'm afraid neither his uncle nor his father would let him go after he returned.
My father once said that when fighting overseas, you will succeed if you make no mistakes. Now it seems that there is some truth in it.
When the fleet left Jin and arrived in Chong, King Chong Zhu Youfan had been waiting for him for a long time.
Because Jiexuan had already sent a ship to set off in advance and informed King Chong so that the other party could prepare in advance.
The main thing is to have supplies in place, especially fresh water and vegetables. No matter what kind of vegetables, even potatoes are better than canned food.
Zheng Shengying once said that he could eat compressed biscuits, instant noodles, and various cans for a month without getting tired of them.
As a result, after a week of eating at sea, I started to feel nauseated when I saw these things again...
The sailors are not like this, so Jiexuan made such arrangements. This is all based on experience.
The last time they saw Tudou in Chongguo, the soldiers were as happy as if they were seeing their own father.
It would be better if there are cabbage, carrots or other vegetables, even canned ones will do.
The topography of Chongguo is very special, so you can still eat vegetables here in late spring when other places are stagnant.
Because the land near the active volcano is always in a warm state, you can grow vegetables, but it just smells a little sulfur...
Regarding Jiexuan's supply requirements, Chongwang Zhu Youfan has already made arrangements and will satisfy them 100%.
The people of Chongguo even rushed to the port to warmly welcome the arrival of the fleet, which meant that they could get a large amount of supplies.
Zhu Youfan wished that the fleet would come once a year. Such a large fleet, carrying tens of thousands of sailors, was enough to make Chongguo make a lot of money.
Zheng Shengying and others were dumbfounded. The dishes served by Chongguo's waiter, especially the size of the seafood, were simply too exaggerated.
They didn't believe it before when the eldest brother said that a crab was as big as a basin, but now they were completely convinced.
After measuring it with my own hands, I felt that it was bigger than a washbasin. One person could be full just by eating one crab!
