There are 50,000 to 60,000 tons of gold buried underground in South Africa, but with the current mining capabilities, it is completely impossible to dig it out. It would be lucky to dig out half of it.
However, there are other natural resources waiting to be exploited. Platinum, which is more valuable than gold, has more than 50,000 tons, accounting for more than 80% of the world's total reserves.
The reserves are as high as 4 billion tons, accounting for a quarter of the world!
Chromium reserves exceed 5 billion tons, accounting for one-third of the world!
Fluorite reserves are nearly 100 million tons, ranking first in the world!
In addition, there are mica, coal, iron, lead, zinc, copper, vanadium and other minerals. At a discount, including gold, they are worth 20 to 30 billion taels of silver.
A certain new king has already invested heavily in Australia and does not have sufficient liquidity. He no longer plans to mine in South Africa.
Moreover, southern Africa is further away from the mainland than Australia, so transporting ore from thousands of miles away is really not worth the gain.
But we had to transport it, so we adopted a compromise plan, which was to transport semi-finished products or finished products!
For example, gold coins and copper ingots are all things that a certain new emperor needs.
Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, only Zheng, who has strong financial resources, has the ability to invest in South Africa.
Zheng Zhilong's land reclamation and mining there will not only benefit the immigrants, but also help bring Africa's resources back to the mainland.
A certain new emperor wanted Zheng Zhilong to move all the people in a corner of Fujian there, including his family's ancestral graves!
It is best to transform southern Africa into Fujian. This is the most satisfactory result to a certain new emperor.
If Zheng Chenggong became the "King of Dinghai" after Zheng Chenggong, his fiefdom would be called either "Dingguo", "Chengguo", or "Minguo", because "Zheng Guo" had already been one of the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty.
If the number of immigrants is relatively small, the area of the vassal state would be South Africa plus Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and half of Mozambique.
If there are enough manpower, they can also conquer Angola, southern Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and the entire Mozambique, and then truly dominate southern Africa.
Advancing further north, it can be defeated with advanced weapons. I am afraid that Zheng Jun's own strength will be difficult to control for a long time. It is okay to collect resources and leave.
Central Africa, West Africa, and North Africa are all left to France, the Netherlands and other countries to deal with at will. In the future, Ming Dynasty will only occupy East Africa, which is a piece of land adjacent to the Gulf of Aden, as a strategic fulcrum.
After cooperating with the Ottoman Empire, Ming Dynasty will not be short of oil in the future, which means there is no need to compete for Nigeria's oil.
The cost of sending troops to occupy and hold Nigeria is too high, mainly because there will be no equivalent benefits, and it is completely worth the loss.
This piece of fat in West Africa is left to the European powers to bite each other, preferably to bleed each other...
A certain new emperor regretted that when he negotiated with the Dutch, he asked them to package and sell South Africa and the East Indies together.
Now we have to negotiate again. The price will naturally not be cheap, but it seems that is the only way.
"Your Majesty's kindness to my family will never be forgotten. In comparison with my family, I will devote myself to the imperial court and the Ming Dynasty until my death!"
Zheng Zhilong now realizes that this is a great good thing. Even if there is only gold worth ten billion taels of silver there, and he can only get half of it, it is definitely worth moving there.
Because the land is free, there are many animals on it, which can be cultivated, hunted, and fished. In addition, there are no strong enemies in the area. Isn't this a God-given land?
"This can be regarded as the largest project that I have cooperated with Aiqing so far. It is truly worthy of the four words 'wealthy as a country'. Other local aristocratic families combined do not have the ability to operate this project. Only Aiqing can You can shoulder such a heavy responsibility. What's more, southern Africa looks barren, but in fact every inch of land is precious. Once large-scale mining begins, some people will be jealous and slander Aiqing's family. When Aiqing's family and Fujian people move to South Africa, they can Stay away from rumors and concentrate on getting rich. I know that Aiqing is very rich, but the money seems not enough to implement this plan. I hope that every household in Fujian can get hundreds of acres of fertile land, and they will be able to live and clothe themselves in the future. . I also hope that my beloved can benefit from it and stick to this place for me."
Zheng Zhilong had contributed a lot before, so the new emperor would not treat him badly, and he did not want anyone else to occupy this place.
If it were under the direct control of the imperial court, those moths might have devoured much of the gold mined.
Rather than that, it would be better to give it to Zheng to run and manage.
South Africa is only responsible for mining, and local products can be sold to them.
This is equivalent to using industrial products that can be mass-produced to continuously cash out the precious metals dug out.
No matter how you calculate it, a certain new emperor will be able to take advantage, and at the same time, the Zheng family will benefit from it.
Isn’t it true that Fujian has always had a large population but little land?
Easy to handle!
The total area of South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana alone is as high as three million square kilometers.
Less than one-fifth of the area is desert, and the rest is plain, with extremely high reclamation value.
In comparison, Fujian's area is less than 130,000 square kilometers.
Even if the former only has 500,000 square kilometers of cultivable land, its area is nearly four times that of the latter!
If five million people are moved there, each person can be allocated ten hectares of land, and every family will be a pure landowner with 24K.
After removing the desert, more than one million square kilometers of land are left for tribes and wild animals willing to join the Zheng family.
For the barbarians who are unwilling to surrender, let them die with the local carnivores...
After the Zheng family moved there, a certain new emperor felt that on his fiftieth birthday, there would definitely be a bunch of ivory, rhinoceros horns, crocodile skins and the like among the tributes.
Apart from anything else, crocodile skin is indeed a very good material for leather shoes and women’s bags. It is not only beautiful in appearance, but also durable. Apart from being more expensive, it has almost no shortcomings.
If there is not enough land, it means that there are enough Yimin to support continued expansion to the north.
Wouldn't the problem be solved if we occupy more land?
With airships, tanks, new artillery and rifles, Uncle Black's tribe is still unstoppable.
No doubt, this is the lovely Italian army!
The firepower gap between the two sides in this time and space will only be greater. Although Zheng Jun is not as good as the French and German mercenaries, he is still well-trained after all.
Zheng Zhilong sent 50,000 troops, which could definitely wipe out about one million indigenous armed forces!
Unlike the reconquest of Northeast China or Myanmar, there are many animals that can be sacrificed.
After wiping out the stubborn enemies, the soldiers gathered together to eat game barbecue. What a joy it was!
A certain new emperor believed that if any Ming army entered Africa, it would be equivalent to entering a cafeteria...
Besides, due to the backward shipbuilding industry in various parts of Africa, fishing technology is naturally not very high.
The coasts around Africa are basically fishing grounds, especially the waters of South Africa where the two oceans meet.
Ocean currents bring abundant microorganisms, causing all kinds of seafood to gather here, including great white sharks.
It doesn't matter if you see a great white shark, the battleship can be blasted with a Folan machine!
In order for Zhenhaigong to eat shark fins, it doesn't matter if he wastes some shells.
You can fill your stomach without eating staple food. This happened before in Chongguo, Kamchatka, and it is expected to happen in South Africa in the future.
There are a lot of animals on the ground, a lot of minerals underground, and a lot of seafood in the water.
99.99% of resources are untapped. For a certain new emperor, this is like putting an ATM in the cafeteria!
After sending troops there, they would be well fed and drunk, and they could also withdraw money!
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will work conscientiously and live up to the divine grace!"
Now, Zheng Zhilong, who had retired, had to come back again, and he had to move his family and fellow villagers there.
According to the emperor's wishes, it seems to be a good place full of gold.
In this case, Zheng Zhilong will seek benefits for his family and fellow villagers.
A hundred years later, the Zheng family will not be convicted or even wiped out because of their great achievements.
As his son's military achievements increased and his title became higher and higher, Zheng Zhilong had to consider the future for his family.
There is no doubt that South Africa, where the sky is high and the emperor is far away, is the best place to stay.
Before the end of the year, a certain new emperor summoned Holt, the Dutch ambassador to the Ming Dynasty, and conveyed his intentions to him.
The early stage was contact, expressing Ming's willingness to purchase southern Africa that was already occupied by the Netherlands.
Moreover, relevant requirements were put forward. If it was sold to the Ming Dynasty, the Netherlands would not be allowed to get involved in the area south of the parallel latitude of Ascension Island.
Ascension Island, which runs almost parallel to the Congo River, is a good reference point.
A certain new emperor did not mention the mouth of the Congo River. He would use this river to draw the line when negotiations enter the practical stage.
Although the Netherlands has no ability to occupy such a large area, it must accept this result as long as it negotiates with Ming Dynasty.
In exchange, except for the exchange goods that the Netherlands received and a small piece of land in East Africa, Ming Dynasty would not set foot in other parts of Africa.
The guaranteed price of a certain new emperor is four Yoshinos, which are the large ironclad ships that Tromp and Ruyter have always wanted to get, if the Dingyuan that is about to be launched is not included.
Although Yoshino only has 4,000 tons, he is an invincible existence. One ship can sink ten wooden warships of the opponent, and it will fly away in a swaggering manner...
In the international market, this class of warships has become a hot commodity. You can't buy even one with 20 million taels of silver and a one-time payment!
If the Dutch refuse, not only will they lose Yoshino, but South Africa will also lose it!
This situation is exactly the same as when a new emperor used Zhiyuan to exchange for the East Indies!
It seems overbearing, but it is actually much better than the UK. They announced a regulation in their own country, and then started fighting...
After the battle, you are asked to cede territory, which is no different from pirates. It can be said that Britain is a country that has risen by imitating the pirate model.
But now it can no longer rise. It has been put out by the Three Kingdoms Allied Forces.
As long as a certain new emperor is still alive, this bastard country cannot make a comeback!
While laying out the conditions, a certain new emperor gave the Dutch side two options.
If you want to get the spot, let Jiexuan hand over the four Yoshinos directly to William II. Anyway, these Yoshinos have only been in service for a few years and are considered 90% new warships.
If you choose futures, the latest batch of Yoshino ships will only have to wait for up to three years before they can be launched. For the Netherlands, it will only take a little longer, but they are definitely new ships that have just been painted.
If it is not enough, the two sides can negotiate again. Anyway, the new emperor does not think that the talks will collapse.
At this time, Ming was offended. Unless William II joined forces with Louis XIV to hack Jiexuan's fleet, Zheng Chenggong would not be able to know about it.
Otherwise, Zheng Chenggong could either choose to directly avenge Jiexuan, or retreat first, wait for Ming reinforcements to arrive, and then push forward.
Fang Yizhi, who stayed in France, has not returned yet, and Louis XIV is not that stupid. He will not let William II eat alone, let alone offend the Ming Dynasty rashly.
France was able to harvest the biggest fruit of victory on the European battlefield, all by uniting its two allies, the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands.
Especially in terms of military technology, if we do not maintain friendly relations with Ming Dynasty, the follow-up will be broken.
It can only stay at the level of building Zhiyuan, and eventually it will be left further and further away by the Ming Dynasty.
The upper limit of a certain new emperor's endurance is six Yoshinos. If the Dutch want to eat more, they will definitely not be able to do so.
At most, goods worth 10 to 20 million silver coins can be used as toppers, and the total price will exceed 100 million silver coins, which is more valuable than the East Indies.
But taking out four Yoshinos at once is already a big deal. If the other party doesn't cherish it, after passing this village, these four Yoshinos may be used to attack the Cape of Good Hope...
Before talking to Zheng Zhilong and summoning the Dutch ambassador, a certain new emperor had already sent people to inform Jiexuan and Zheng Chenggong of his plan, so that they could make corresponding preparations.
It cannot be said that there is a big move in the rear. The generals who are in contact with the seller at the front do not know anything about it in advance. That would be too embarrassing and could easily cause a gap between the emperor and his ministers.
Apart from the island of Ceylon south of the Indian subcontinent, South Africa is probably the only land a new emperor wants to buy.
Elsewhere, a certain new emperor has not taken a fancy to it for the time being.
Once you catch your eye, it's basically "slapping".
Even if they do not directly send troops, they will send agents to participate in the war, such as the North American battlefield where large quantities of troops cannot be sent for the time being.
The gang there mainly relied on Zhang Xianzhong. Although it was not large in scale, it actually fought vigorously.
With about 50,000 troops and an equal number of Indians, the army of the Viceroyalty of New Spain can be resisted.
If Zhang's gang has the upper hand, it means that a certain new emperor's regular army can kill fewer people and spend less money at the same time.
On the contrary, it gave a certain new emperor an excuse to directly join the war.
A certain new emperor neither wanted to see the resurgence of Spanish power in North America, nor wanted to see the French army taking advantage of the situation.
It is best if the four parties of Ming, France, Holland and Spain can form a balance of power and not easily break the balance.
Only in this way can we continue to consume each other's strength and make a certain new emperor thousands of miles away become the biggest winner of this game.
Considering that France will get southern Britain and the entire Spanish mainland after the war, plus a large area of New France.
The momentum of continued expansion will be automatically curbed in the near future, because Louis XIV will be busy digesting the newly acquired territory.
These places will drain France's financial resources and make it difficult for its troops to launch large-scale military operations in North America.
Not to mention the Netherlands, Britain has land, New Netherland in North America, Ceylon and southern India in Asia, and the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.
Even if the latter is sold, William II will still have enough to worry about how to manage the first three pieces of land.
A certain new emperor doesn't have to work so hard. He just mines when he has no money, and he still has people on hand.
If captive breeding is not possible, then free range breeding. In short, get the land first!
