Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 523 Mining Area ([-])

The Northwest Hills are cold in mid-winter.Even in the prairie on the east coast where warm currents pass and the temperature is relatively high, the lowest temperature in mid-winter is still as low as minus five or six degrees Celsius. A trace of worry.

The Ministry of Geological Resources is a newly established unit in charge of the exploration and exploitation of various mineral resources in the country.With the development of the country's economy and the gradual completion of industrial categories, the desire for non-ferrous metals is also getting deeper and deeper.Wang Dali, as the only good prospector in the Ministry of Geology, took on the task of leading a comprehensive exploration expedition to the final point of the Northwest Railway—the later Corrales mining area.

This time is their No. 12 exploration of the mining area.Wang Dali and Meng Hu, who were born as donkey friends, led an expedition team of about 50 people who almost ran over hundreds of square kilometers of land around the core area of ​​the mining area and collected a considerable number of ore samples.

According to the data of later generations, the Corrales mining area is rich in resources, including iron ore, coal mine, manganese ore, gold mine and other mineral resources.Among them, the scale of iron mines is not large, and the scale of coal mines is not bad, but the quality is poor, and they cannot be used as coal for steam engines. They can only be used to make briquettes or fire for brick kilns and cement factories.However, the manganese and gold mines here are very famous. The gold mines have been mined for 60 years before being exhausted. However, in the 21st century, new veins were discovered near the original mining area, with an annual output of several tons of gold. Reserves are still abundant.

As for manganese ore, its reserves are even more massive.The later Republic of Uruguay owned a lot of manganese ore in the Corrales mining area, and exported a large amount of it after mining. Chinese steel companies bought a lot of it.

The Ministry of Geological Resources frequently sends people to the Corrales mining area to conduct exploration and investigation, and what they are interested in is nothing more than the manganese ore resources there.As for the local iron ore and coal mines, they are only incidental developments, and the real focus of development is manganese ore.For this reason, with the approval of the State Council, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce will choose a site to build a steel plant there, mainly to produce various special steels to meet the increasingly high requirements of various domestic industrial sectors for materials.

In the previous eleven exploration operations, the expedition team led by Wang Dali has preliminarily determined several large and medium-sized manganese ore accumulation zones, two small gold mining areas, a coal storage zone and an iron ore zone.After the collected specimens were tested and analyzed, it was found that at least from the point of view of taste, they were fully valuable for mining.Of course, the mining mentioned here is only for manganese ore and iron ore. Coal mines have low reserves on the one hand and poor quality on the other.As for the gold mine there, the Executive Committee has unanimously decided not to mine it for the time being, and to strictly block the news so as not to be known by outsiders.

The first phase of the Northwest Railway has been laid and successfully opened to traffic from Xiayihe Township (which has been officially dismantled and established as a township) to Canyon Fort.In order to support the country's strategy of opening up the Northwest, the Southern Locomotive Factory in Port Meilin specially sent the third and fourth steam locomotives produced by the factory here.Now, the use of horse-drawn rail freight cars has been officially abolished within the approximately [-]-kilometer railway mileage between Xiayihe Township and Canyon Fort, and steam locomotives have been used to transport personnel and materials, greatly improving efficiency.

Compared with the frequency of one train every two days on the Luomei Line Railway, the first phase of the Northwest Railway without laying double tracks has no clear departure plan.They always send all materials and personnel from Xiayihe Township to Canyon Fort more than 30 kilometers away at one time when necessary, and then return.

The expedition team led by Wang Dali and others arrived at Canyon Fort Station by train this time.There, all kinds of prospecting tools, weapons, supplies, pack animals (llamas), riding horses, etc. have been waiting for many days.Escorted by a small cavalry unit, they crossed the low hilly area and walked northwest along the roadbed of the second phase of the Northwest Railway (Canyon Fort-Baichiya Fort) under construction until they reached Baichi cliff fort.

At present, more than half of the 48-50-kilometer-long railway line has been leveled, but due to the shortage of manpower, the construction of the entire railway's roadbed will not be completed until the first half of next year.After this is the laying and inspection of the railway tracks. If the second phase of the railway is officially opened to traffic, it is estimated that it will not be until the end of next year or the beginning of the next year ([-] years).As for the third phase of the Northwest Railway from Baichiyabao to Merlot and the fourth phase of the farther to the mining area, if there is no increase in construction manpower, it may take [-] years. I am afraid this is not the executive committee. You guys can wait patiently.

Wang Dali's expedition team rested for two days in Baichiyabao, a simple city with only 50 to 300 residents, and the city wall had just begun to be built, and then arrived at the Melo area along the old road.There are currently more than 7 cavalry stationed in the Melo area, in addition to more than 20 new Hebei farmers serving them.They did not stay long in this "city" that was even simpler than the hundred-foot cliff fortress, and soon left with their pack team, and began to head to Coralai, which is located in the tributary of the Black River (Negro River). He set out for the Si mine area and finally arrived here on July [-].

There is a small military depot with a mixed civil-engineering structure, which has only been established for a few months.There are more than [-] militiamen conscripted from Xiayihe Township stationed inside. They are responsible for guarding some inconvenient materials and tools here, and there is nothing else to do.Sometimes there will be some cavalry patrolling here for a short stay overnight, but most of the time they are alone, accompanied by only some three-toed ostriches and foxes, and of course there are many vicious Charuyas.

The area where the military depot is located is already the core area of ​​the later Corrales mining area.Looking at the dense forests and clear streams that still existed in the local area at this time, Meng Hu couldn't help sighing deeply, and said, "Another good place is about to be ruined. There are wetlands, forests, otters, There are also many animals such as foxes and water birds. It is really a scenic spot. When I think that this place will be occupied by chimneys emitting smoke of various colors and roaring machines in the future, I feel very uncomfortable. Oh, what a pity What a pity!"

"Okay, don't be sore there, no one will pay attention to your sigh." Wang Dali, who was wearing a warm leather jacket, grabbed a llama and tried to untie the cargo tied to its back, while turning his head and shouting at Menghu: " What are you still doing? Come and help me!"

Animals like llamas are obviously a bit unfamiliar, and their temper is not very docile. Therefore, the llama held by Wang Dali immediately turned around in circles, resisting his approach all the time, and at the same time yelled loudly to make Wang Dali Vigorously made his face look ashamed, so embarrassing.

"What a beast!" Wang Dali could not help cursing angrily after seeing a bowed Livonia servant comforting the llama with a flattering smile on his face.At this time, the militiamen in the military depot also began to come to help. There are a lot of supplies here, such as shredded tobacco, spirits, bacon and other things.Stationed somewhere alone for a long time, these boredom-relief supplies are indispensable.

It is said that since the Navy acquired a batch of llamas from the aborigines of Tierra del Fuego more than ten years ago, the people on the east coast began to graze and breed them in Baleen Whale Harbor and the local area. The population of this animal has expanded rapidly.At present, a small number of llamas and imported alpacas are breeding in colonies such as South Africa and Australia.

The llama is slightly smaller than its close relative the alpaca, but it is also full of wildness. It is one of the main animals that the indigenous people of Tierra del Fuego usually hunt (the other is seals). Of course, they also domesticate a large number of llamas. as a beast of burden.

This kind of animal can endure hunger and cold, and can still live freely in the environment of lack of water and oxygen. It is resistant to rough feeding, has strong vitality, and can climb mountains and mountains very fast.In the past, the east coast imported a large number of alpacas from Spain through the Colonia free trade market every year. At the same time, they also obtained a large number of vicuñas through trade with the indigenous people of Fuego and the Araucan guerrillas in southern Chile. It is bred in many places in the country for use as a mountain pack animal.

Today, there are more than ten llamas in the expedition team led by Wang Dali. Even with a large amount of supplies strapped to their backs, they can still easily cross the hills and mountains near the Canyon Castle, which is better than the other horses in the team that came from the Ottoman Empire The imported Bulgarian Raschek horses (good at walking in mountains and rocky environments) are not far behind, or even better, which is amazing.

The goods were unloaded soon, and the militiamen carefully stored these materials in the cellar with the help of their husbands. At the same time, they gathered the pack horses, llamas and riding horses in the team and drove them into the yard of the military station.There is a well in the yard, and there is a chicken coop next to the well. There is also a grape trellis on the chicken coop, which makes people feel a little bit of life here.

After the militiamen finished these things, three or four people led the horses out of the courtyard gate and walked outside. They were going to conduct routine patrols.As for the rest of the people, they took out their rifles and went to their posts to guard. Everything seemed to be in order.

Although this military depot has not been attacked by any hostile forces since its establishment half a year ago, this is not a reason for everyone to relax their vigilance.From time to time there will be some Charuya barbarians in the nearby area, and there will often be some Gaucho horse bandits or Jesuit mercenary cavalry in the wilderness, which makes the people on the east coast always have a string in their heads and dare not have any anything to relax.This is a key national planning area, the future base of special steel and machinery manufacturing, and the Spaniards should not be allowed to cause any minor damage.

(End of this chapter)