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Hai Rufeng chuckled and said, "It would be different if we found a gold mine. When we get back to China and spread the word, Luzon is full of gold. Just imagine, wouldn't the people in China flock here?"
"This... is this the reason why His Majesty asked us to look for gold mines?" Lu Tian stared. He never expected that this time he came to look for gold mines in order to attract domestic people to immigrate to Luzon.
Qin Mu did have this idea. The idea originated from the gold rush in North America and Australia in the late 19th century, when a large number of Chinese people traveled across the ocean to pan for gold, and many of them became the first group of overseas Chinese living in North America and Australia.
Luzon is much closer now, and it has become the territory of Daqin. If we find the gold mountain and use it as a gimmick to promote it vigorously, it should not be difficult to quickly increase the number of Chinese in Luzon.
Hai Rufeng laughed and said, "This is just one of the reasons for attracting the people to Luzon. According to His Majesty, the Baguio gold mine has rich reserves, which are unmatched by any other gold mine in the country. If we really find it, it will definitely increase a lot of income for the national treasury, and we will also have a great achievement."
Speaking of a great achievement, Lu Tian immediately became more energetic, and then asked with some doubt: "Sir, how do you think His Majesty knew that there is a gold mine in Luzon?"
Hai Rufeng spread his hands and said, "If you ask me, who should I ask? Your Majesty is an extraordinary person, and there are many miraculous things about him."
"That's right. It is said that the Ma'anshan Iron Mine was revealed to Your Majesty by the First Emperor in his dream. It really exists now."
"So, just look for it with peace of mind. I believe His Majesty will not let us mess around for no reason."
It took Hai Rufeng and his crew three days to sail north with the wind, and they saw the coastline began to sink to the east, forming a huge "J" shape. The fleet began to turn east, and after sailing for most of the day, they found a place to land at the bend of the "J" shape.
This place was indeed still a deserted wilderness, with large coconut groves on the shore. After leaving behind 100 Qin soldiers and 100 natives to look after the boats, Hai Rufeng and his 200-plus men, plus 400 Pushong soldiers, 30 veterans in prospecting, 10 military doctors, and two "specialists" in charge of mapping and recording the products, began to advance inland.
Can we find the Baguio gold mine
If a huge gold mine is really found, will the people in the country believe that Luzon is full of gold and flock to it
With full of longing, Hai Rufeng and his companions traveled through the wild mountains and wilderness. Here, the mountains overlapped, and the surrounding area was undulating. The pines stood tall and majestic, and all kinds of exotic wild animals could be seen everywhere.
Walking along the stream and the edge of the foothills, looking down from a high place, the clear stream is like a winding green belt. Sometimes it seems that there is no road from a distance, but when you get closer, you will find a different scenery at the bend. The jungle is not dense, the mountains are shrouded in clouds and mist, the scenery is very beautiful, and the climate is cool. It is definitely a summer resort.
Lu Tian sighed: "Your Majesty calls this place Biyao, it really lives up to its name, it is really as beautiful as the fairyland of Yaochi."
Hai Rufeng was too lazy to answer him. Seeing some thatched houses hidden in the shade on the opposite foothills, he told the vassal army leader, Kana, "Go find some natives. I want to ask them something."
"Yes, sir." Kana was dark and thin. He wore a linen shirt, draped diagonally. He became the leader of the vassal army not because of his bravery, but because he could speak Chinese, although it was poor, but at least he could communicate.
Kana led dozens of his vassal soldiers and rushed to the opposite foothills. These people were used to moving in the mountains and forests, and they were able to cross streams and forests very quickly, and soon they were at the foot of the mountainside.
Hai Rufeng ordered several hundred men and horses to take a rest in the woods on the mountainside and eat some dry food.
Just as everyone sat down under the tree, there came bursts of tiger roars from the mountainside, carried by the mountain wind. Hundreds of natives were so frightened that they stood up, pointing and talking in their native dialect.
Hai Rufeng subconsciously pulled down the black eye mask on his head and said to Ying Caier beside him: "Don't be afraid, Caier, we have so many people, so many guns, Tiger..."
As soon as Hai Rufeng said this, he immediately felt something was wrong. There were slight tremors coming from the ground, and then he heard a dull and majestic sound coming from far away, like a mountain torrent.
Hundreds of natives began to scream and climb up the trees. There was a panic among the trees. Hai Rufeng shouted, "What's going on? What's going on?"
Kekana had been ordered to find people. None of the remaining hundreds of natives could speak Chinese. They were screaming and shouting, and climbing up the trees in panic.
"Prepare for battle, three-stage shooting formation, quick!" Hai Rufeng saw the thunder-like sound getting closer and closer, and after confirming that it was not a mountain torrent, he shouted hurriedly.
Soon, countless buffaloes were seen running wildly over the grassland outside the woods. Their numbers were like a mountain torrent, covering the whole ground. The half-man-high weeds were flattened wave by wave. The momentum was so frightening that it was like tens of thousands of cavalry charging into battle.
The ground beneath his feet was shaking violently, and even the trees were trembling. The natives on the trees held on to the trunks tightly, each of them looking terrified.
It was obvious that the buffalo herd was frightened by the tiger, so they were running so wildly for their lives. If these tens of thousands of buffaloes had rushed into the woods, I'm afraid everyone would have been trampled into meat patties.
"Shoot! Shoot! Use thunder bombs to stop the herd of buffaloes from rushing in. Quick!"
Amid Hai Rufeng's anxious shouts, more than 300 Qin soldiers pulled the triggers one after another, pressing the fuse into the charge nest. Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang! Bursts of gunfire rang out, and the 200 Qin soldiers were more nervous than facing the attack of tens of thousands of enemies;
Bullets were fired in rows, and gun smoke immediately filled the forest. Strings of grenades were thrown out and exploded outside the woods.
The bison in the front were shot, some fell to the ground with a thud, and some were injured and rushed forward with a sad roar, but the entire herd of bison was frightened by the gunshots and explosions and turned around, running down the slope.
Hai Rufeng secretly wiped his sweat and just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly heard Ying Caier beside him screaming.
"ah!"
Ying Caier screamed at a high pitch and hid behind Hai Rufeng, her body trembling. Hai Rufeng looked in the direction she pointed, and his head tingled;
Then I saw a giant python with a colorful body, as thick as a bucket, rushing quickly from the grass to the woods. Its huge body was more than ten feet long. Wherever it passed, the grass opened up on both sides.
It was probably hiding in the grass just now, but was frightened by the galloping herd of cattle and rushed over.
The Qin army present had never seen such a huge python before. Some of them thought it was a monster. They were even more frightened than when they saw the herd of bison rushing towards them. They couldn't even hold their guns steadily.
"Shoot! Shoot!" Hai Rufeng yelled hysterically again, and at the same time grabbed a thunder bomb and blew up the fire stick to light it. His hands were shaking for some reason, and it took him several tries to light the fuse of the thunder bomb.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of muskets and thunderous bombs rang out again. Although the giant python was shot and wounded, it was not dead for the time being and continued to fly towards them. The Qin soldiers were so scared that they ran away. Even Hai Rufeng picked up Ying Caier and turned to escape into the forest.
The python was badly injured and was extremely ferocious. Its huge body was tumbling in the forest. Trees as thick as arms could not withstand its sweep and broke off with a series of crackling sounds. Several natives who were climbing on the trees were also swept down.
The giant python opened its bloody mouth and swallowed half of one of them in one gulp. It then quickly rolled up its tumbling body. A native who was caught in the roll screamed a few times, and his bones began to crackle, and he vomited blood.
The natives in the trees screamed and climbed towards the treetops like a group of frightened monkeys.
"Thunderbolt, use the thunderbolt to kill it! Kill it!" Hai Rufeng kept shouting while holding Ying Caier.
Lu Tian and the others lit a dozen more thunder bombs and threw them at the giant python. Boom! Boom! A series of explosions made the giant python spurt blood and its body tumble even more violently. The leaves, smoke and gravel in the forest were swept away, and the momentum was extremely scary.
It was not until a cup of tea had passed that the giant python stopped moving and the forest became calm.
Hai Rufeng didn't dare to relax. He first looked around like a long-necked deer. After making sure there was no new danger, he ordered several shots to be fired at the giant python. After being shot, the giant python still stopped moving. Only then did he feel relieved.
The two hundred Qin soldiers fought a fierce battle, and the result was: a python in the forest and a hundred cows outside the forest.
Hai Ru was a little bit amused and helpless. The gold was not found, but the cow and the python came together. I wonder what else they will encounter on the way to find the gold mine
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.(To be continued..)
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