Chapter 269: sensation

After a week-long exploration, Father Buckker gave the final answer: "Congratulations, Lord Baron. You are getting rich soon.
This is an alluvial river ore. The gold content on the surface of the river sand has reached 8 grams, and the gold content in the lower ore sampling test has actually reached 16 grams.
This gold mine has spread for two kilometers along the river, and preliminary estimates of gold mine reserves may be as high as 50 tons. As long as the report is completed by the colonial government, it belongs to you. "
Hearing this news, everyone was excited. Such rich mines are rare in Austria.
The ecstatic Baron Fickney forcibly suppressed his emotions and immediately stated: "It's not just that I want to get rich, we all have to get rich.
Please rest assured that the original agreement is still valid. This gold mine is shared by all of us, including the boys who sacrificed to find the gold mine.
I can assure you with the glory of the Stray family that as long as the registration is completed in the colony, half of the gold proceeds will belong to you.
Let's guard this gold mine together now! "
The discovery of a gold mine also means that the most dangerous time has come. In overseas colonization, because the interests are too large and the distribution of the spoils is uneven, the fighting caused by them should not be too much.
Don't say it's internal rage. Before the property rights are reported to the colonial government, even leakage of information is very dangerous.
In the face of huge interests, don't be too many incidents of black eating. On the African continent, the most dangerous is not the jungle, not the indigenous cannibal tribe, but millions of peers.
Baron Fickney's value is not thick. After equipping everyone with weapons and equipment, he spent almost the same. Naturally, it is impossible to have money to pay everyone.
Since there is no money, I can only draw big cakes. Sharing the benefits of the gold mine together is the core of his gathering this team.
Obviously, the credibility of the Stray family is still very important in this group of people's minds. If it is not the long-standing concept of humility, the atmosphere on the court will now be even warmer.
"Lord Baron, please rest assured that we will swear to guard the gold mine!"
"Dear Lord Baron, rest assured, as long as we are not dead, the gold mine will not be lost!"
...
Everyone assured them.
With the assurance of everyone, Baron Fickney smiled cheerfully. After appeasing his subordinates, he was able to go to the colony to register and report with confidence.
Even if the property right is determined, it does not mean that the gold mine is safe. This is the African continent. The most important thing is the desperate. Guarding the safety of gold mines is also a top priority.
Some of the weak colonial teams, even if they found gold mines, did not have the strength to mine them, they could only sell them to the colonial government for a one-time return.
Obviously, Baron Fickney is not so short-sighted. This gold mine was sold to the colonial government for a maximum of five or six hundred thousand Aegis. If you mine it yourself, the final profit may reach up to several million Aegis.
...
After Baron Fickney confirmed the property rights of the gold mine, the news of the discovery of the gold mine in Guinea returned to China in the shortest time.
Schönbrunn Palace
Franz, who is working hard to make people, was also attracted by the news. Gold mining means wealth, and it is conceivable that Guinea will soon set off a gold rush.
Franz still had some impressions on the gold coast of Guinea. There is no way to know where the specific gold mine is located.
Many place names in later generations do not exist in this era, and even remembering them is useless.
Just like the gold mine found in Guinea now, it is a big hello in Guinea, which is not in the future.
The African continent in this region is still without land. The colonial government did not have the so-called concept of sovereignty, anyway, if I took it, it would be mine.
The neat borders of subsequent African countries were actually determined at the Berlin Conference. Prior to that, there was no clear border in each region. Whoever occupied it was even who.
The cruel reality made Franz abandon his dream of getting rich by mining gold, but using the news of gold, it was a good way to attract immigrants.
Of the gold rushers, there are always very few who can make a fortune. Most people end up running out of money, and gold has not been found. In the end, they have to leave the colony to find a job and earn a living.
There is not much else on the African continent, that is, there is much land. With sufficient labor to develop local land, the benefits brought by it are far from comparable to those of one or two gold mines.
The maid's voice sounded, "Your Majesty, the cabinet ministers are here."
"Well, I'll be right there," Franz replied.
The charm of gold mines is huge, especially a large rich mine has attracted the attention of many people, even the cabinet of the Vienna government is no exception.
If gold is replaced with money, it is estimated that this temptation will be greatly reduced. One ton of gold is worth only 27.32 million Aegis, and fifty tons of gold is more than 13 million Aegis.
In fact, mining gold also requires costs. The final net profit may also be three or four million Aegis, and it will take time to mine gold mines. On average, the annual return is more than one hundred and twenty thousand Aegis.
For Franz, this can only be regarded as a small sum of money, and for the Vienna government, it is also a day of fiscal revenue.
Obviously, this is not the case. The biggest use of the government for gold is as a reserve currency. The potential profit contained in it is much greater.
...
The Minister of Finance Karl said in a spirited manner: "His Majesty, a large gold mine was found on the African continent. After analysis by geological experts, there may be other gold mines in the surrounding area. The colonial government has blocked the news.
If we now organize manpower to carry out comprehensive exploration, we will definitely gain a lot, and the African colonies will soon be able to turn a profit. "
Franz was puzzled. He had not heard of a large vein gathering in Guinea. It was not surprising to find a large gold mine, but it was impossible to find a large gold mine without causing a sensation.
However, Franz was not in a hurry to deny the Finance Minister's statement that colonies were free to develop and expand in this era. If a colonial team ran out of Guinea and found a gold mine, he would not be surprised at all.
Guinea is not big. Don't expect the colonial team to act in accordance with the borders of future generations. Where these people's activities reach is only known by themselves.
Colonial Minister Josip Jelacic suggested: "Her Majesty, the Gulf of Guinea has always said that there is a Gulf of Gold. Now that Guinea has discovered gold again, it means that the gold in this area has not been mined.
Now that we haven't leaked the news, we will send troops to occupy the entire area first, and then slowly search for gold mines! "
Franz shook his head, opened the map and drew a few lines to ask: "Expansion in the Gulf of Guinea is possible, but the British, Portuguese, Dutch, and French all have strongholds in the coastal areas.
We cannot conflict with so many countries at the same time, so the best way is to avoid these strongholds and expand from the inland. Can this be done? "
The name of the Golden Bay is too loud. Although few new gold mines have been found locally in recent decades, it has now become a gathering place for slave trade in Africa, and slave merchants from all countries have gathered here.
Don't look at their individual strengths. Once united, they are not so easy to deal with. And the whole body is still triggered, in case the countries behind are involved, Austria also wants to swallow the Gold Coast alone, it is just a dream!
Josip Jelacic replied with confidence: "Your Majesty, the colonial strongholds of these countries are mostly private, not government-organized.
We have also sent civilian armed groups to compete with them, and not to drive them out, it is still feasible to establish some strongholds in coastal areas.
As long as we have a sufficient number of local immigrants, we will occupy the initiative of colonization. Before the large-scale discovery of gold mines, the intervention of governments will be limited.
As long as we have established sufficient advantages before then, we can resolve them later through negotiations. It is nothing more than sharing the interests of everyone, and the basic strength is to divide the site locally. "
Civilian armed forces are the main force of governments in overseas colonial activities. Even if these organizations fight, there is still room for manoeuvre, and governments will not be dragged directly into the water.
After hesitating for a moment, Franz drew a few circles on the map of Africa, and then said, "Let's target these areas, these are all areas where there may be a lot of gold.
However, our goal is not gold. The most precious wealth on the African continent is fertile land that has not yet been developed, followed by some natural minerals, and finally gold.
What if gold could be richer? The annual mining volume is limited, and it is simply not worth investing a lot of resources to fight against each other.
So once things are impossible, it is time to give up. Gold may exist in coastal areas, but more inland areas.
We don't have the ability to develop inland, but we have empowered civil society to let them develop freely.
If all countries concentrate their efforts to compete for Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, then we will go to the hard bones of Nigeria and Nigeria, just to take the opportunity to clarify the interests of West Africa. "
After listening to Franz's explanation, everyone was shocked, that is, a land-powered country like Austria. If the sea-powered country is changed, this kind of speech is apostasy.
It cannot be said that everyone is short-sighted. It is really mining gold. It only takes one or two years for the colony to make a profit. If it is to open plantations and grow cash crops, it will be difficult to see results in five or six years.
This is based on the fact that there are enough immigrants. Unfortunately, the major colonial empires are short of people, and the local population is not enough. Where can they develop colonies?
The small countries with a native population of less than 5 million, such as the Netherlands and Portugal, will not talk about it. Even Britain and France have a population of more than 30 million. The growth rate is similar to that of snails.
On the contrary, the situation in Austria is better, the number of colonies is not large, the number of people in the country is quite large, and the population growth rate is much higher than in Western Europe. Only then can there be sufficient human resources for further development.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl reminded: "Your Majesty, if the government abandons the monopoly on gold mines, I am afraid that our colonies will still be in a loss for a long time."
"This loss is within our tolerance. It has abandoned the benefits of monopolizing gold mines, but can get a large influx of immigrants.
Let ’s control it artificially. The gold rush can last at least five or six years. As long as one third of these gold rushers can stay, our foundation on the African continent is stable. Franz replied calmly.
People who rush for gold may not be able to make money, but those who provide logistical supplies to gold rushers will definitely make money.
What the government needs is a long-term sustainable colony, not a colony that has prospered because of gold mining and has been depressed because gold mining has been completed.
Did the colony lose money? This account will depend on how it is calculated.
If the tax, administrative and military expenditures are simply calculated, then there may be losses on the books, but the gold rush will also form a local market, which can expand the sales of Austrian industrial and commercial goods.
For example: tents, kettles, shovel, hardware, ships ...
With so many related industries receiving orders, a large amount of tax will inevitably be generated and fed back into fiscal revenue.
Can't fill the loss yet, then the government buys gold locally to use it as a reserve currency for currency, and the currency tax collected will always be profitable, right?
The loss-making colonies of various countries are not one or two, but everyone still knows the hidden benefits behind this scene without giving up.
...
The Vienna government lifted the blockade, and the news of the discovery of a large gold mine in Guinea quickly spread across the New Holy Roman Empire and spread throughout the German region.
This is just the beginning. After the discovery of gold mines by Baron Fickney, others have discovered them one after another, but these gold mines are not so large.
It doesn't matter, as long as there is a gold mine. Even some gold mines with too low gold content and no value for mining have been promoted by the unscrupulous colonial ministry.
Anyway, they are all gold mines, the official just announced the reserves, and gave an ambiguous figure about the gold content of the ore.
For example: 0.8 to 45 grams, the gold content of 0.8 grams per ton is not necessarily the lowest figure, but the gold content of 45 grams per ton must be the highest, or even far exceeds the highest gold content.
These data are enough to fool ordinary people. The gold content of each ore is not the same. It is normal to have such a large gap. There is occasionally a high-quality ore in the gold mine of garbage!
The media also cooperated with the propaganda. So and so on, he became rich overnight in the gold rush. For example, Baron Fickney became a household name, so everyone knows that he became a millionaire overnight.
As for the fact that wealth is still buried underground and the cost of mining gold mines is also costly, it has been decisively ignored by the media.
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