Chapter 3045
As the commander-in-chief of the North American Expeditionary Force, Wang Tom knew very well that the income provided by the industries in which he participated in the country were far from enough to support the expeditionary force's colonial pioneering operations in North America.
Whether it is maintaining the operation of the military or building various infrastructures, a large amount of money is required. Most of the materials needed in the early stages of colonization had to be purchased domestically and transported across the ocean to Jinshan, and the transportation costs were astonishingly high.
The Jinshan Colonial Zone is still in the development and construction period. There are no high-value commodities that can be stably produced, and it is difficult to obtain income from the outside world through trade.
Moreover, the local population is limited, and the government cannot count on tax revenue from the private sector.
Under such circumstances, mining gold nearby became one of the most important sources of financial revenue for the colonial authorities.
Fortunately, the old gold mine in the San Francisco area was not a secret in the original time and space. Even if Sanya's large database did not provide detailed information, it would not be difficult for Wang Tom, who had visited the mine site on the spot.
In fact, after landing at Jinshan Bay, Wang Tom personally experienced the entire process of prospecting for gold deposits in the inland areas on the east side of the bay, guiding the engineers to find two large gold deposits near the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Being able to discover a gold mine hundreds of miles away from the base in one fell swoop was nothing short of a miracle for the die-hards who followed Tom Wang across the ocean to North America.
The expeditionary force experienced almost no setbacks and successfully found a natural bay, a fertile plain, and a gold mine with considerable reserves. It is not the gods and Buddhas who guide them, but Wang Tom, the commander-in-chief who seems to be able to see everything in the world.
Everyone is extremely convinced that as long as Wang Tom is here, the colonial expeditionary force will definitely succeed in North America and incorporate this continent into the new territory of the Haihan Empire.
Of course, the same is true for the recruiting officer on horseback, and he may believe in Wang Tom more than most people, because he has another special identity, that is, Wang Anbang, Wang Tom's son. .
Wang Anbang is six years younger than his brother Wang Anguo, who is an errand in the navy, and is only eighteen years old now. But the two brothers were not born from the same mother. Wang Anbang's mother was not Han, but the daughter of a Korean noble.
In 1637, Wang Tom and others led their troops into North Korea and launched a series of fierce battles with the Qing army. At that time, North Korea was in danger. In order to find a way out, many upper-level people tried to establish relationships with senior officials from Haihan who entered North Korea to fight.
It was at that time that Wang Anbang's mother was given to Wang Tom as a concubine by the family in exchange for Haihan's protection.
When Wang Anbang was born the following year, Wang Tom was leading his troops to fight in Hirado, Japan. When Wang Tom returned to North Korea to visit relatives and saw his son for the first time, Wang Anbang was already a hundred days old.
However, blood did not cause problems for Wang Anbang's growth, and the love and care he received from his father was no less than that of his other brothers and sisters.
Like his elder brother Wang Anguo, Wang Anbang spent his childhood moving between various military bases. Jinzhou in Liaodong, Dengzhou in Shandong, and Datongjiang Base in North Korea were the places where he spent the longest time in his childhood.
Wang Anbang, who grew up in such an environment, naturally received military training at an early age. He joined the Boy Scouts at the age of eight and began going to sea with his father and brother on missions at the age of ten. Haihan left his footprints in most ports in the northern region.
When Wang Tom led the expedition to North America in 1652, Wang Anbang, who was only fourteen years old, was already able to take charge of the ship and direct the daily operations on the deck. The year before last, Wang Anguo returned to China to purchase supplies and recruit immigrants. Wang Anbang originally wanted to follow him, but he was unable to get his father's permission - he had to wait until he became an adult before he could participate in such a high-risk transoceanic mission again.
Wang Anbang has been in the army for a long time, and he understands that this is both care and encouragement. In fact, the fact that he cannot participate in such a mission is not entirely because he is too young, but because he is not strong enough and cannot reassure his father.
If you want to gain your father's trust, you must first prove your ability.
On the occasion of his eighteenth birthday, Wang Anbang received a difficult task as he wished, that is, to serve as a recruiting officer, responsible for recruiting indigenous soldiers. The task lasted for one month and was evaluated based on the number of soldiers successfully recruited.
At first, Wang Anbang thought of this matter quite simply. With the reputation and treatment of the Haihan Army, he could not attract young men from all over the country.
I remember that when Haihan was in the Ming Dynasty, Annan, Korea and other countries, he recruited many soldiers from other ethnic groups. I heard that the Luzon region even had troops composed entirely of indigenous soldiers.
Not many indigenous soldiers have been recruited in the past few years. It must be because the people below do not pay enough attention and have no intention. My father arranged for him to come out to supervise the formation, just so he could set an example for his colleagues in the recruiting office.
But after actually getting started, Wang Anbang realized what is easier said than done.
Wang Anbang stood guard under the recruitment poster at the fishing port pier for several days, but only a few indigenous fishermen took the initiative to ask. He realized that the matter might not be as simple as he thought before.
So Wang Anbang went to a painter to redraw the recruitment poster that he thought was more attractive. He also mobilized two native soldiers from the army who were smart and could speak a little Chinese to communicate with the natives who stopped to watch. They also promised the indigenous soldiers that they would be given financial rewards for every successful recruitment of a compatriot.
Wang Anbang basically tried every method he could think of, but the results were not ideal. After a month, the number of indigenous soldiers he recruited was even lower than before. This result could not be compared to his father, Wang Tom.
Today is the one-month period agreed with his father, but the last day was a blank slate as usual. Although Wang Anbang was not willing to let it end, he still followed the agreement and reported the results to his father face to face.
After passing through the city and heading west, you can see two hills about a hundred feet high standing on the plain near the sea. These two steep hills are called Jinshan Twin Peaks. From their tops, you can overlook the entire Jinshan Peninsula and the Kinmen Strait.
Because of its high terrain, there are military observation towers and radio transmission towers built on the top of the mountain. The entire Twin Peaks area has become a military restricted area, and no one is allowed to enter within a radius of several miles.
At the foot of the Twin Peaks is a large grassland pasture, where the local military horses are basically raised, bred and trained. In addition, there are considerable sheep and cattle herds here.
And Tom Wang's mansion is located next to this pasture.
(End of chapter)