Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Chapter 18, Short of Hands

Guinea

In the early stages, the discovered gold mines had begun operations, and the chaotic situation directly dispelled Baron Feckney’s thought of continuing to search for gold mines.

The competition was simply too fierce, with far too many examples of infighting and treachery for profit.

The situation in the Guinea region was still relatively good, as it was completely controlled by the Austrian Colonial Government, which had established basic order.

As long as a gold mine’s property rights were registered with the Colonial Government, even if the mine owner had an accident, the government would reclaim the rights and they absolutely would not fall into others’ hands.

The act of seizing gold mines was severely suppressed by the Colonial Government; those caught were sent to the gallows, which prevented large-scale brawls.

Being unable to take over a gold mine did not mean that all was peaceful. Extracting the gold and then being able to sell it – the transportation was when it was most dangerous.

To combat gold theft, the colonial troops had been deployed several times, even resorting to sting operations, but to little effect.

With no other choice, everyone had to enhance their security, increase their escort personnel, and even make several trips to reduce the amount of gold transported each time, which finally curbed the situation.

“Your Excellency, the Baron, our gold mine’s output has now reached 1,800 pounds per month, and with the current speed of transporting 100 pounds each time, it is really too slow.”

“The accumulation of a large amount of gold in the mine is not safe; if word gets out, we will be in danger,” Father Batig warned.

Being troubled by the high output of the gold mine would be a joke if told elsewhere, but right now, he really was worried about it.

His gold mine was more than two hundred kilometers from New Brook, with the journey entirely through forests, making it too easy for ambushes.

Each time they transported gold, they dared not set the route in advance for fear of leaking information.

Having no other option, his colonial team was not large, and they needed to guard the mine, limiting their available guards to no more than seventy people each time.

Baron Feckney said with a pained expression, “Let’s wait, I’ve already communicated with the New Brook Colonial Government. After this, they will send someone to collect the gold and deliver logistical supplies to us.”

For safety reasons, Baron Feckney had no choice but to sell the gold at a low price to the Colonial Government, which would then dispatch military forces to collect the gold.

He had considered using mercenaries, but their fees weren’t cheap, and their reliability wasn’t so assured.

Father Batig said with relief, “This is for the best. Money can’t be earned forever; safety comes first.

However, you still need to consider one issue, which is the shortage of mine workers. The workers we have hired do not stay long; as soon as they earn a sum of money, they leave.”

The lack of workers was a common problem faced by all gold mines. Feckney had thought of hiring local labor, but unfortunately, they were not cut out for the work.

They were lax and indifferent, disregarding the rules of the gold mine and not following procedures and regulations. Low efficiency was one thing, but the key issue was the frequent occurrences of accidents.

After enduring for a month, he had lost hope in these individuals. He resignedly paid a high price to hire prospectors in the colonial strongholds.

Baron Feckney said uncertainly, “As for this problem, I’ve already written to a friend back home, asking him to help hire a batch of workers to come here. Our wages here are three times those in our homeland; we should be able to recruit people.”

This was the African Continent, and even though the salary was higher than in the homeland, so was the mortality rate! Of those who had come with him originally to seek their fortunes, already one in ten had fallen, including those who died from sickness, in battle, or in various accidents.

Those daring to take risks wouldn’t need an invitation; they would come over on their own. As for ordinary people, unless they really couldn’t make it back home, who would be willing to come here and risk their lives?

And the workers that Baron Feckney needed were precisely such ordinary people, who were only properly obedient and ordinary and hence, could carry on with the job for a long time.

The prospectors only came to work when they didn’t have money; once they earned enough, they would go out searching for gold again. Looking for their own gold mines was far preferable to working for someone else.

These independent workers were different from his employees; upon finding a gold mine, they would simply sell it to the Colonial Government, take the money, and leave.

Father Batig nodded and said, “That would be ideal. If possible, I hope to have the church established by the end of the year.”

He served Baron Feckney mainly to obtain his own church, not to be subordinate to someone else.

The New Brook area had a Catholic church already; it was established with funds from the Colonial Government, a tradition of European culture where the church had become an inseparable part of people’s lives.

Baron Feckney promised, “Rest assured, Father. You know my reputation. As soon as the gold mine becomes regularized, I will fund the construction of your church. But have you decided on a site for the church?”

After pondering for a while, Father Batig spoke, “Originally, I planned to build it in New Brook, but there is already a church there. As a newcomer, it won’t be easy to develop a congregation.

I am now at a loss, unsure where it would be best to establish the church. Your Excellency, do you have any suggestions?”

Baron Feckney analyzed, “Father, your primary goal in building a church is to preach, so you must locate it in a densely populated area.

The ideal choice would naturally be New Brook, followed by the new colonial strongholds, but these areas already have churches.

As everyone is there to spread the Lord’s gospel, there’s no need to be right next to one another. You might as well build the church near the gold mine; if all the workers are in place here, the number won’t fall below five thousand.

The surrounding terrain is flat, the soil fertile, and there is plenty of water—ideal conditions for agriculture. I’ve already applied to the Colonial Government to establish a small town, and once the gold mine becomes regularized, I will develop a farm here.

Also, I’ve spoken with my men; many are interested in establishing farms here and then bringing over their families. Do not worry about future development potential.”

They have no choice but to relocate here; the gold mine cannot be moved, and they can’t leave until all the gold is excavated. Who would willingly abandon their own gold mine and leave?

Baron Feckney was a traditional noble, uninterested in investing in industries other than agriculture, which he had a particular fondness for.

Not just him, many Germans have a special affection for farms; the fact that many future American farmers were of German descent says a lot.

Since they have to stay here for a considerable time in the future, creating a farm to achieve self-sufficiency in food is also a good choice.

It is extremely difficult to acquire land domestically, but it is a different story on the African Continent, where colonial governments are now encouraging everyone to develop farms and plantations. Whoever develops the land gets to keep it—an opportunity that is rarely seen.

Baron Feckney was acutely aware of the determination to develop the region of Guinea at home, and he knew that the current chaos could not go on forever. Once the situation stabilized, investing in agriculture would also be a good choice.

Even if it was just to solve the food problem of the gold mine workers, instead of purchasing from a base over two hundred kilometers away, this investment would be worth it.

After hesitating for a while, Father Batig said with some disbelief, “Your Excellency Baron, you are not intending to exchange your estates at home for lands here, are you?”

Baron Feckney replied in the negative: “No, I will not give up the family estate! It’s just that I have quite a few children, and if I don’t leave behind more properties, there won’t be enough to go around.”

According to the custom in the German Region, the eldest son inherits the family estate, and the second son only gets a small portion of the property, and that’s under the circumstance of having substantial wealth.

If the financial situation is not good, then after the eldest son inherits the family business, the second son can only go out on his own.

Setting out on one’s own is not easy unless one has earned military honors on the battlefield and can rise to prominence overnight. Engaging in other industries would only mean a slow climb, gradually fading into obscurity.

It was the Austrians’ opening up of colonies that provided an opportunity; otherwise, even Baron Feckney himself would have to worry about economic problems, not to mention his next generation. Given the capability, he naturally wanted to lay a better foundation for the next generation.

To solve the international political crisis triggered by the Gulf of Guinea, Metternich sent diplomatic notes to six countries: England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United States.

London

To be frank, Prime Minister Granville was not at all eager to deal with an international political crisis at this time. The London government had been very busy, and indeed extremely busy.

The Near East war did not manage to defeat the Russians, and now the Tsarist Government was unsettled and had recently been supporting the Persian Government in causing trouble.

In the Far Eastern region, the British had just turned Burma into a colony and were still suppressing rebellion; Australia and New Zealand were also unstable, with the locals resisting their rule; even the situation in the Indian region was beginning to destabilize.

Compared with these colonies, the interests in the Gulf of Guinea were not worth mentioning at all, even though gold mines had been discovered there. However, the gold didn’t belong to them, did it?

The interests of seven countries converged, and pulling on one thread affected the whole body; the London government could not possibly snatch away any one country’s interests at this point.

Prime Minister Granville asked, “Has the situation in the West Africa region become uncontrollable?”

Colonial Minister Wilhelm answered seriously, “Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister.

The Gulf of Guinea is a traditional gold-producing area. We thought that after so many years of mining, the local gold had been exhausted, but now we have discovered so many gold mines again.

The New Holy Roman Empire has taken advantage of this opportunity, and now more than eighty percent of the gold mines there have fallen into their hands. We have no way to compete with them.”

Prime Minister Granville queried with perplexity, “Why have the Austrians, who are just beginning to colonize, so quickly established a dominant position there?”

As the world’s foremost naval power, they usually held the upper hand in most overseas colonial competitions. Now suddenly they were at a disadvantage, and Prime Minister Granville was very puzzled.

Wilhelm explained, “They have too many immigrants, not only from the New Holy Roman Empire but also from the German Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and even some from the Italian Area and Russia.

Now the New Holy Roman Empire has over two hundred thousand immigrants in the Gulf of Guinea, while our immigrants are less than ten thousand. Even with our naval advantage, once on land, we still cannot compete with them.”

Finance Minister John Russell asked, “How come there are so many immigrants?”

Wilhelm explained, “Nearly half of them come from refugees on the Balkan Peninsula, who were dumped onto the African Continent by the Vienna Government.

The rest were attracted by the gold mines. We have many colonies, and there are too many places that our domestic migrants can go to.

However, the Austrians only have so many colonies, so the people do not have many choices. Naturally, with the lure of gold, more people opted to go there.”

John Russell clarified, “No, Earl Wilhelm. I wasn’t asking why the Austrians have many immigrants, but why are Italians, Russians, and Germans all flocking to the Austrian colonies?”

Colonial Minister Wilhelm explained, “Your Excellency Russell, I think you misunderstood. Italians are going to Austrian colonies because they are still in control of Lombardy and Venice, and many of these migrants come from their jurisdiction.

It’s even simpler for the Russian migrants; we just fought a war with them not long ago, and considering national sentiment, their choice is not surprising.

People from the German Region hold the Habsburg dynasty in high regard, and they consider Austrians to be one of their own.

Of course, the fact that the Austrians have the most colonial outposts in the Gulf of Guinea is also a significant factor. Many people arrive there and enter their territory immediately.

These gold prospectors have already been enlisted into the reserves by the Austrian colonial government. In the event of war breaking out in the Gulf of Guinea, they can mobilize an army of a hundred thousand.”

The figure “a hundred thousand army” surprised everyone, and Prime Minister Granville said gravely, “It seems we must restrict the Austrians somewhat; otherwise, with the advantage of immigrants, no one can compete with them in overseas colonization.”

Colonial Minister Wilhelm thought for a moment and said, “The solution to this problem is actually quite simple, just divide these immigrants. For instance, if the German Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Italian Regional States also participate in overseas colonization activities, that would be sufficient.

Of course, we could be more blunt and directly deploy the navy to block their colonial activities.”

Prime Minister Granville glared at him and said, “Earl Wilhelm, all your suggestions are bad ideas without a shred of feasibility.

The world is not infinite, and every new competitor means less profit for us. You actually want to create a bunch of competitors.

To use warships to block the Austrian colonial activities for no reason? Such a foolish idea, you may dare to think it, but I would never dare to do it.

There are many ways to limit competitors, and war is the worst choice. Please use your brain, will you?”

Clearly, Prime Minister Granville was venting his frustration, and his dissatisfaction with Colonial Minister Wilhelm had not been a matter of just a day or two.

The reason is very simple: the colonies have been quite troubled recently, and it’s not just one or two colonies that are restless. In his view, this is a sign of the Colonial Minister’s incompetence.