Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1114 1109 [Gold Diggers and Gold Bullion]

Huang Lun was burdened with a lot of debt.

His ancestors can be traced back to Huang Yuanfang, the first ancestor to enter Fujian. Huang Yuanfang's twelfth-generation grandson Huang Dian migrated to Guangdong, and then spread out in Guangdong.

Huang Lun was born into the Huang family of Nanhai, but his branch had fallen into decline.

In the past few years, Guangzhou's maritime trade has become increasingly prosperous, and there have been constant rumors of certain people making fortunes by going out to sea.

Huang Lun was so tempted that he could not wait any longer. When his father died and his brothers divided up the family property, he could no longer hold back. He mortgaged all his property to a silver shop to get a loan, and borrowed money from his father's friends. He finally managed to collect more than 300 strings of cash.

This guy entrusted his wife and children to his brother's care, purchased goods, rented space, and went out to sea to trade without knowing anything.

Huang Lun came to Jambi by boat. At that time, the Governor's Office had just moved to Jambi and the Jambi Exchange had not yet been set up, so the purchase and sale of goods depended entirely on personal contacts.

Huang Lun was unfamiliar with the place, so he did not find a buyer right away. By the time he found a buyer, the price of the goods had dropped, and the selling price was only slightly higher than the purchase price in Guangzhou.

What kind of profit is this?

It cost money to rent a cabin, eat, drink, and go to the bathroom, and he also rented a warehouse in Jambi for a month. When he sold the goods, he could only buy a very small amount of spices to take back, because he also had to rent a cabin and eat on the way back.

After returning to Guangzhou, he sold the spices at a high price, but ended up losing more than 40 strings of cash, not including the interest on his loan.

But Huang Lun did not give up, as he thought he had experience. He also learned a lot of relevant information from the small merchants on the same ship, and heard that Jambi was also going to set up an exchange.

So, he bought goods and went out to sea again the following year.

But when the news of the establishment of the Jambi Exchange reached Guangzhou, the number of merchants who rushed there doubled, and many Fujian merchants who did not sail on the Nanyang route also joined. Moreover, at that time, Nanyang merchants still went to Guangzhou and were not forced to switch to the Indian route.

The result is predictable, there are more sellers than buyers in the Jambi Exchange. It is no longer a matter of selling at a lower price, but it is difficult to find buyers even at a low price.

Huang Lun lost all his money and was unable to pay the warehouse rent. The day before the warehouse was to be cleared out, he sold all the goods at a discount price.

He recovered some funds, but could not buy goods in Jambi to return, because there were too many merchants who did the same thing as him, and they had bought up all the spices and other scarce goods, and the prices of those Southeast Asian goods were extremely high.

He managed to return to Guangzhou with some money. When the silver shop learned that he had lost money again, they sent people to collect the debt every day, and finally sued him and took away all his mortgaged property.

Huang Lun also borrowed money from his deceased father's old friend and had no ability to repay it.

He could only apply to be a crew member and rely on his ability to read and do math to pay off his debts while working.

He always felt that he could still turn things around, so he didn't settle down in Zhanbi, Jiaozhi or Nanyu. Because if he went to those places, although he could directly divide the land and get a resettlement fee, he still couldn't pay off his debts in a short period of time, and he would be tied to the land.

His wife and children were being watched by creditors. If the debts were not paid off, his family would not be able to go anywhere.

Are there gold mines in Australia?
I'm going to pan for gold!

……

The smell in the crowded cabin was particularly bad.

Fortunately, the ship owners were afraid of widespread illness and did not stuff the gold diggers into the ship like sardines in a can.

Although it's uncomfortable, it's still bearable.

"Huang Sanlang, would you like to join the hometown association?" asked Chen Youfang, who was in the same cabin.

Huang Lun asked, "Do I need to pay the membership fee?"

Chen Youfang said: "You definitely have to pay membership fees. It's not much, just a few dozen coins per person. If a member gets sick, the money will be withdrawn from the membership fees. When we get to the gold mining area, those who have joined the hometown association will live together, help each other and not be bullied."

Huang Lun thought about it, nodded and said, "Then I'll join."

Not only did the gold rush have hometown associations, but immigrants from all over the country also formed their own hometown associations. There were hometown associations of all sizes, from east to west, from south to north, and even in Kashgar there were similar organizations.

When you are away from home, you must stick together to keep each other warm!
After a few more days, the fleet arrived at Coconut City (Jakarta).

There are three states in Java today.

West Java is a Sunda kingdom that split from Srivijaya. It believes in Theravada Buddhism and Brahmanism.

Central Java was called Mataram and East Java was called Kediri. Both believed in Brahmanism and Buddhism.

The port of Coconut City (Jakarta) was just a small port before Srivijaya was destroyed, but now it has developed rapidly. By collecting port taxes, Sunda Kingdom has become rich, and has madly developed its own army and invaded Mataram from time to time.

When the fleet entered the port for supplies, Huang Lun and other gold diggers were allowed to disembark to get some fresh air.

Most of them are poor people who definitely have no money to spend, so they can only sit near the dock and feel the stability of the land.

The foreign people here have a lot of influence from India in their daily dressing, but in recent years they have also been influenced by Fujian and Guangdong culture. Combined with the local traditions of Java, the combination of various elements makes it look very strange.

Huang Lun was used to sailing after years of sailing, but many gold diggers who went out to sea for the first time sat there and watched with inexplicable excitement.

Especially those fellow townsmen from Shanxi and Huainan who were recruited by Wang Chongdu, Li Zuqia and others, where had they ever seen such a scene?

The humidity and heat of the Coconut City also make it extremely difficult for people coming from inland to adapt.

It is the rainy season now, the temperature is below 30 degrees, but the humidity is frighteningly high.

After a day of replenishment at Coconut City, dozens of people fell ill in the days after setting sail again. This was mainly due to the inability to adapt to the climate. The doctors and apprentices on each ship were very busy, and one person had died of illness when they arrived at the northern coast of Australia.

For fear of affecting morale, Wang Chongdu did not abandon the bodies, but went ashore to cremate them.

Before lighting the fire, Wang Chongdu said to everyone: "When you go out to sea to make a living, you may encounter anything. Acclimating yourself to the local climate is also common. If you want to stay alive, you should listen to the doctor's advice. Don't drink raw water if you can drink hot water, don't eat raw food if you can eat cooked food. When you arrive at the mining area, wash your hands and take a bath frequently. Don't think that washing hands and taking a bath will delay your gold panning..."

In addition, each person can receive mosquito repellent every day. These are sold on credit to gold diggers and are recorded in the account and must be repaid together with the boat tickets and food in the future.

From the north coast of Australia to Jinshan (Melbourne), except for stopping at the shore to replenish fresh water, the fleet did not make any other stops and sailed at full speed with smooth winds.

"This is the Golden Mountain, named by His Majesty himself!"

Huang Lun and some of his fellow townsmen from Guangzhou got off the boat and lined up one after another.

But Li Bin was heard shouting: "Who can shoot arrows? Stand out and get the crossbow first!"

Some people from Shanxi ran to get crossbows.

Then, a pile of swords and spears were moved from the ship and placed there.

Li Bin said, "I'll give you these weapons on credit. You can pay me back when you find gold. Carry your weapons with you at all times. Who knows when the natives will attack. After you settle down, take turns to practice. Everyone must practice at least two days a month. Those who have read books, step out!"

Huang Lun quickly stood out.

Li Bin shouted again: "Those who have served in the military, including militiamen, all step out." More than 20 people stood up again.

Soon, the more than a thousand people were divided into ten large teams, and each team was divided into ten small teams.

Those who have received education serve as clerks in the army.

Those who have served in the military will serve as temporary officers, and if there are not enough people, they will be nominated again.

Instead of going to the mining area immediately, they camped on the shore to rest and started basic military training the next day.

After five days of training, when things were getting a little better, Wang Chongdu finally led everyone out.

During the training, some natives had discovered them and were frightened by the military training, becoming even more vigilant and not even sending anyone over to trade.

They headed northwest along the river. The nearest native tribe sent people to observe them from afar. They were not relieved until they left their own territory.

Because they were carrying a large amount of production and daily necessities, they moved more slowly this time, and finally arrived at the mining area after six days.

It's all flat land, no mines.

You can pan for gold directly in the river or dig the nearby soil for panning. Anyway, the surrounding land is full of gold. At the current mining efficiency, 15 people can continue to mine gold for ten years.

More than a thousand people chose to camp by the river.

The next day, we went to cut down trees together and built our own house first. It didn't have to be a formal one, but at least we had to have a shack to live in.

Just as they were cutting down trees, the tribes here finally couldn't sit still anymore.

The chief personally brought people to negotiate, and talked a lot, roughly meaning that he wanted Wang Chongdu to take his people away.

Wang Chongdu took out a lot of cloth, salt, and even a few iron pots, and then pointed to the nearby land, trying to buy the land with the goods.

The chief was furious and yelled at Wang Chongdu.

The two sides broke up unhappy.

Three days later, Huang Lun had built his own shack and was learning how to make gold panning tools.

Suddenly a military call sounded, and several sentries ran back from the north.

Wang Chongdu, Li Bin, Gao Wenbao and others hurriedly picked up their weapons and shouted: "Form a formation to resist the enemy, form a formation to resist the enemy..."

Huang Lun hurried back to his shack. He had bought a sword on credit and had left it in the shack unused.

More than a thousand gold diggers were all running around in a mess, having long forgotten what they had learned from the previous days' training.

Fortunately, the treasure-hunting trio had private armed forces, many of whom were retired from the regular army. They quickly formed a battle formation, leaving some to protect the gold diggers, and the rest all attacked the natives.

Those natives seemed to have found allies to help them. There were more than a thousand young and strong people, and they were not from just one tribe.

The main weapons of the natives are spears, bows and arrows, and slings, and a few carry V-shaped darts that can fly back. Their bows and arrows are the most deadly because they are soaked in poison.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Forty flintlock rifles fired freely, and several native warriors fell down instantly.

As they rushed closer, the Han armed forces had already reloaded their ammunition. This time they were closer and shot more accurately, killing and wounding more than 20 people.

The natives were so horrified that most of them stopped to watch.

There were also a few stubborn natives who continued to rush forward and threw out their spears - using them as javelins.

As for the poisoned bows and arrows of the natives, they had not found a chance to shoot because their range was too short.

The muskets on the battlefield had already fired three rounds, and the gold diggers on Huang Lun's side finally managed to gather. Even though they had formed a military formation, the gold diggers still did not dare to move forward, and stood there timidly watching.

"They are just a bunch of savages. What are you afraid of? Listen to my orders and step forward!"

The instructors who were responsible for training them forced the gold diggers to join the battle.

Huang Lun held his sword and moved forward. He found that the formation was messed up before he went far. The instructor didn't bother to care about it and continued to lead his men forward. Anyway, he didn't expect the gold diggers to kill the enemy.

"Bang bang bang!"

There was another round of gunfire, and the natives finally retreated.

"Kill with me!"

When Huang Lun heard the instructor's shout and saw the natives being defeated, he became so angry that he rushed forward with his sword in hand.

As he charged, his mind went blank.

When he regained consciousness, he was already sitting somewhere. He didn't know when the knife in his hand had seen blood. He just felt sore all over and his hands and feet were weak.

"Wealth and honor are sought amidst dangers, wealth and honor are sought amidst dangers..." Huang Lun muttered this over and over again to comfort himself.

Wang Chongdu pursued them relentlessly and destroyed the nearest tribe, burning down all the houses, stealing all the food, and even capturing hundreds of natives to pan for gold.

For a long time afterwards, no more natives came to kill us.

Huang Lun did not stay with his fellow villagers, but divided them into groups according to the teams they had trained in. They were divided into ten small groups, with more than a hundred people, and gathered in a large area to mine for gold.

At the beginning, everything was collected in the river because it was the most efficient way.

However, the river channel upstream of the residential area has been designated as a no-mining zone to avoid contamination of drinking water.

After half a month of continuous panning, Huang Lun had become numb and no longer thought about anything. He just mechanically performed various actions. It was boring and tedious, and his waist and back ached.

Especially the waist. After working all day, I can’t even straighten my waist.

At this moment, he stepped on the river water with his feet, scooped up the mud and sand with a gold panning sieve, and stretched out his right hand to wipe it in the sieve.

Huang Lun touched a small stone, which could not be sifted out, and subconsciously wanted to throw it away.

Before throwing it away, I took a quick look at it.

Yellow stone?
yellow!

Huang Lun, whose mind had been numb, suddenly came to life, and his breathing became rapid. After a long pause, he finally yelled, "Negative gold!"

(End of this chapter)