Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 265: Chapter 14: Gold Mine
Guinea

This era hadn’t seen development yet, and most areas were tropical rainforests. It was now the rainy season, making the jungle even more perilous.

However, this didn’t deter people’s enthusiasm for making a fortune. Austrian colonists had begun to reach inland, and it wasn’t necessary for the government to organize this; civilian armed groups eager for wealth were already taking action on their own.

Europeans of this era who voluntarily went to the colonies were all daring adventurers, far braver than those whom the Vienna Government forced to migrate.

This was also related to the proportion of young adults among the refugees. As a result of the Balkan Wars, a large number of young men had died, resulting in a higher number of women than men among the refugees heading to the African continent.

For the Vienna Government developing the African continent, this was a good thing. Colonial activities at this time were mostly carried out by men, and all the countries were troubled by the imbalance of men and women in their colonies. Because of this issue, a large number of mixed-race children appeared in later generations of the colonies.

Now, there was no need for concern, as the large number of female immigrants resolved this problem. Once they formed families, they generally settled down.

Franz had already laid out the promotion plan; it just lacked the discovery of gold.

There was no helping it; Europeans of that age were fixated on gold mines. For most people, mining for gold was seen as the fastest way to become overnight millionaires.

To attract immigrants, Franz had begrudgingly given up on monopolizing the gold mines. Of course, not knowing the exact location of the mines was also a major reason.

 

After the rain, Baron Feckney set out with his colonial team. As part of the traditional Teutonic military aristocracy, his father’s generation hadn’t been able to keep pace with the times, and the family wealth gradually declined.

Already not producing much from their lands, his income decreased even further after the abolition of serfdom. Relying solely on his estate’s earnings was no longer enough to sustain his luxurious aristocratic lifestyle.

Not wanting to become just another bankrupt noble, Feckney mortgaged his estate to the bank and organized a private army of two hundred men, after the Vienna Government opened up African colonies.

Unlike other colonial armies, his was composed entirely of people he knew well—hired farmers from his estate.

These people were the result of years of cultivation by the Feckney family. Even with the abolition of serfdom, the local populace remained loyal to him.

Though only medium in size compared to other colonial teams headed to the African continent, his force was one of the few with a formidable combat ability.

This was the heritage of an aristocratic family; even a faded legacy that remained was incomparable to that of the newly rich.

 

“Baron, sentries up ahead have discovered a native tribe hunting, with around one hundred and fifty people. Their weapons are mainly bows and arrows and bone spikes,” a middle-aged man reported gravely.

Feckney’s brow furrowed. He particularly disliked dealing with these pure native tribes; there was simply no way to communicate with them.

He wasn’t a slave trader and had no interest in capturing slaves, although American slave traders, who had already appeared at colonial outposts to buy slaves, were offering no small amount.

Aristocratically born Feckney couldn’t bring himself to stoop to be a slave trafficker; he believed it was an affront to his family’s honor.

He always looked down upon those teams that had degenerated to profit from slave trading.

The Vienna Government also prohibited the slave trade; shortly after Franz ascended, the “Abolition Act” was enacted, which served as the legal basis for the Vienna Government to abolish serfdom.

Of course, this law did not yet extend to the African continent. As long as slaves were not brought to Austria proper, no one would question it.

Americans, Portuguese working as slave traffickers – the colonial government never interfered, nor could they. This was the African continent, where order was maintained by force.

Relying solely on the Austrian soldiers in the enclave, it was doubtful they could handle slave traders.

The reality was cruel. Overseas colonization also had to consider costs. Austria had opened over twenty colonial outposts on the African continent, dispersing the equivalent of an infantry division’s worth of troops.

Besides government forces, colonial teams from within the country were also an important part of the military organization of the colonies. A single armed team might be unimpressive, but once organized, they amounted to two infantry divisions.

From the moment they set foot in the colonies, they became part of the Austrian Army reserves. In an emergency, the Colonial Government had the right to conscript all armed teams.

Feckney inquired, “Can we avoid them?”

He was here to find gold and make a fortune, not to clash with native tribes. It wouldn’t bring him the slightest bit of glory and would waste precious ammunition.

The middle-aged man considered and said, “I’m afraid not. They’re blocking our path ahead. Unless we stop advancing,

Even if we manage to bypass them, it’s very possible we could be ambushed on our way back. Several teams from the outpost have already been attacked by native tribes.

And the skull trophies they wear around their waists suggest they are likely cannibals—not exactly pleasant company. We have no reason to be courteous to them.”

“Bang, bang, bang…”

Before Feckney could give an order, gunfire had already broken out.

“What happened?”

“Baron, the enemy has spotted us and is initiating an attack,” exclaimed a soldier who arrived in haste.

Upon learning that the enemy had begun their attack, Feckney gave an immediate command, “Vinnie, take your men and wipe them out. Just use your guns to finish this, no fooling around with hand-to-hand combat!”

“Yes!”

 

One hundred and fifty meters away, gunfire erupted.

“Bang bang bang…”

Without any suspense, the battle ended. Against natives from the age of cold weapons, there was no need to pay a hefty price.

After defeating the enemy, Baron Feckney did not order a continued pursuit, for he was not a slave trader and had no interest in capturing prisoners.

A soldier who stepped forward to examine the scene suddenly cried out with joy, “Gold!”

“Baron, the natives have a piece of gold on them, we might have found the gold mine!”

The appearance of gold meant that there was a gold mine nearby. In this era, the range of native tribes was limited, usually only within a hundred and eighty kilometers.

Once the range was determined, finding the gold mine was not difficult. Everyone became excited. After bustling around the African Continent for months with nothing to show for it, it would be strange if they weren’t feeling desperate.

Looking at the gold, Baron Feckney said in a great mood, “Father, say a prayer for them!”

The priest said with great disgust, “Sorry, Your Excellency Baron, they are not followers of God. Moreover, I don’t think the evil cannibal tribe deserves to go to heaven. Their only destination is hell!”

Savage cannibals, this was beyond the acceptance of normal people. Apart from the brainless do-gooders, it was estimated that a normal person could not accept “cannibalism as a culture”.

Baron Feckney merely felt charitable because he was in a good mood—ignoring the identity of the enemy did not mean he had any fondness for the savage cannibal tribe.

“Alright, let’s continue looking for the gold mine.”

 

It was as if God played a joke on them, for the nearby gold mine they sought did not appear, and instead, they suffered several attacks from jungle predators, paying the price of three dead and five wounded.

Facing these kings of the jungle, Baron Feckney’s colonial team was quite weary, and morale inevitably went down.

“Our provisions are running low. If we finish searching this area and still have not found the gold mine, we’ll return to base to resupply.

Start preparing dinner now, after supper, apart from those assigned to keep watch, everyone else should rest up. If there’s still no result tomorrow, we’ll come back next time.

Don’t worry, the gold mines are underground; they can’t run away. This is an opportunity granted by God; it’s just a test for now!” Baron Feckney comforted.

After his reassurance, everyone’s mood stabilized a lot. Searching for gold mines was never smooth sailing; facing a bit of setback was not even worth mentioning.

They had not encountered the legendary man-eating plants, demonic tree spirits, or devilish witches, just some venomous insects and fierce beasts, which Feckney consoled himself was lucky enough.

His funds were running low, and if he couldn’t find the gold mine soon, then he would have to become a mercenary, working for the colonial government for pay or working for slave traders, earning commission to maintain team operations.

After a long hesitation, family honor ultimately prevailed; he could not afford to lose face by working for slave traders.

Working for the colonial government at least meant serving the Empire. Although the income might be less, there was a difference in status!

As a member of the nobility, if he made a contribution, it would be a problem if he couldn’t become a high-ranking official in the colony.

At that moment, a familiar voice called out, “Baron, this is the river sand we found in the river ahead; it seems to contain gold.”

Having said that, the man handed the gold-specked river sand to Baron Feckney.

After looking it over, Feckney quickly said, “Quickly call Father Batig over; we might have found the gold mine.”

In this era, European priests also held multiple side jobs like teachers, scientists, and engineers. With no families to burden them, they had plenty of time to study, and their level of knowledge was usually quite good.

Father Batig was someone Baron Feckney had cheated into coming over, promising that once a gold mine was found, he would sponsor a Catholic Church for Father Batig and help him spread the gospel in the colony.

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

Examining closely with a magnifying glass for a while, Father Batig said, “God bless you, Your Excellency Baron, you finally found the gold mine.

However, I need to personally survey the riverside to determine the amount of gold in the river sand. If it’s more than 3 grams, then it’s worth developing.

Just from this handful of river sand, the gold content in this area seems very high. Based on my experience, it should not be less than 5 grams.”

Feckney, unable to wait, said, “No problem, Father. The sky is already dark; we’ll rest for tonight and head to the site for a survey tomorrow.”

Gold’s presence in river sand was no secret, but the amount was quite touching. After hundreds of tests, the gold content per ton of river sand had never exceeded 3 grams.

In later times, this might be considered a rich mine, but in that era, it wasn’t even worth mining. Even if the gold was forcibly extracted, it was impossible to make a profit.

At first, Baron Feckney was keen on testing river sand, but gradually he despaired. It was only when he saw the gold gleam in the recent handful of sand that he paid attention.

It was visible to the naked eye; naturally, the gold content could not be low. However, this handful of sand did not represent the whole; only after an on-site survey could the gold content be accurately determined.

Father Batig replied, “Your Excellency Baron, I have no issues. Just arrange these matters.”