novelSusiti Chapter 81 Silver Mine Clues
Chapter 81 Silver Mine Clues
Chapter 81 Silver Mine Clues
Nevada, Carson Valley.
The Jingde group had been here for more than half a month.
After dealing with the white people in the town, they looted the town's supplies and then began exploring upstream along the Carson River.
Over a period of ten to twenty days, they explored the mountains near this section of the river valley and did indeed pan for some placer gold, but there was no sign of silver.
Jingdezhen washed away most of the sand and gravel from the gold pan, revealing the tiny bit of dazzling gold at the bottom.
He poured the gold dust and sand into a plate behind him, compared them, and said, "The amount of gold dust is a little more than yesterday. There is indeed a rich gold mine further ahead."
"But our lord asked us to find a silver mine, didn't he?"
Not far away, Zhang Long planted his shovel straight into the ground, braced his hands on the end of the wooden handle, and sighed, "We've explored about ten kilometers these past few days, and the old miners we brought have dug thousands of holes in all directions, but there's not a trace of silver."
"I didn't see any Fool's Gold, I didn't see any Galena, I didn't see any Sphalerite. If there were a large silver mine, there should be some signs of these common silver-associated minerals."
Jingde shrugged and said, "That's probably still in a more upstream position."
Zhang Long rested his chin on his hands, supporting himself entirely on the shovel. "If we go further upstream, should the team split up?"
Jingde looked up at him: "Split up? Why?"
"We discovered this yesterday while scouting the area; further upstream, there's a tributary of the Carson River."
Zhang Long said, "If we split up, the detection speed will be faster."
"Of course, you're the captain, so it's your decision."
Jingde pondered for a few seconds and said, "You're right, we still need to score points—"
Before he could finish speaking, several gunshots rang out in the distance, interrupting him.
boom! boom! boom!
The gunshot startled the birds in the woods and also attracted the attention of the two men.
"Should we send someone to check it out?"
The two exchanged a glance, and Jingde nodded to Zhang Long.
Zhang Long drew his revolver and strode towards the horses not far away. At the same time, he said to the dozen or so men digging in the ground nearby, "Brothers, come with me to scout this out!"
Carson River.
It is formed by meltwater from the northern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and other mountain ranges, which also results in its numerous tributaries.
One of the tributaries, near the valley.
There is a makeshift gold mining camp here.
More than twenty dilapidated tents were scattered on the riverbank, and more than forty men were scattered on both sides of the river, searching through the mud and sand with the most primitive gold pans.
These people have skin colors ranging from white to yellow, brown to black.
The river water in early summer was icy cold, but the gold prospectors, driven by their dreams of wealth, paid no heed. They simply used their pans to wash the gold dust from the mud, then happily pocketed the little bits of gold.
Of course, with gold comes conflict.
Around noon, the gold prospectors gradually finished panning and returned to their tents to prepare for lunch and rest.
Just then, five large white men on horseback appeared in the camp.
The leader was a man with an eye patch over his left eye, wearing a dirty deerskin coat, and with two revolvers at his waist.
Holding up a crumpled piece of paper, he loudly proclaimed to the gold prospectors: "According to the California Office of Land registration, this area belongs to the Nevada Mining Corporation. I, Jack Jackson, am the authorized representative of this company."
Starting today, everyone who pans for gold in this area must hand over one-third of the gold they find each week as land use fees!
Otherwise, as the company representative, I have the right to expel those who have illegally entered this land!
Upon hearing this, an angry uproar erupted from the crowd.
"Why should we? There was nobody here when we arrived!"
"What kind of bullshit company is this? I've never even heard of it!"
"Just because you say it's yours doesn't mean it is. Who knows if that piece of paper is real or fake?"
Jackson sneered, rolled up the paper, and stuffed it back into his pocket. He patted the revolver at his waist and said slowly, "On what grounds? On this. Anyone who disagrees can step forward and try."
The crowd immediately quieted down considerably.
As gold prospectors, they naturally also carried guns.
Having a gun is one thing, but whether or not you're willing to fight to the death for it is another.
If he dies, all the gold he dug up will belong to someone else, and his corpse might even be spat on and mocked as an idiot.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a white gold prospector with a full beard stepped forward, pointed at Jackson's nose and cursed, "Don't believe him, he's a fraud!"
I've seen people like you in the mines of California, going around extorting money with fake land deeds that have absolutely no legal effect!
Jackson's face fell.
"What did you say?"
The bearded white gold prospector, with his neck stiff, retorted, "I said you're a liar!"
boom!
The German stared wide-eyed as a bloody hole appeared in his head, and the body fell onto the riverbank.
"Who else?" Jackson, brandishing his still-smoking revolver, grinned maliciously as he surveyed the crowd. "Anyone else want to try?"
People stared at him warily, without answering.
Jackson didn't take it seriously. The deterrent effect had been achieved, so naturally, he would offer some incentives next.
He forced a smile and said, "Of course, the company doesn't just take money for nothing. We offer a service to exchange gold dust for US dollars, and every week we'll bring drinks, fresh food, and even a few prostitutes so you can let loose."
"in addition!"
Jackson's voice rose another ten decibels: "The first ten people to agree to cooperate with us will have their weekly gold consumption reduced to one-fifth, and they'll also receive free drinks and food every week."
Upon hearing this, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.
Some people scoffed at this idea, while others were somewhat tempted by it.
Although the Carson Valley is not far from here, the two-kilometer journey makes it a bit of a hassle to travel back and forth every few days to buy things.
If that's the case, then paying some gold dust would be worthwhile.
"Those who agree, please stand on our side!"
Finally, someone moved and stood next to Jackson and the others.
When one person takes the lead, others will naturally choose to follow.
One, two, three —
When the tenth person came over, he was stopped.
"Wait, Qingchong, you're not allowed to come any closer!"
Jackson's men stopped a Chinese man who was walking over, and Revolver pointed at his head without any politeness.
"Go back!"
Why?
The Chinese man stared wide-eyed at Jackson, looking somewhat bewildered. "Mr. Jackson, I'm willing to cooperate. I'm willing to pay one-fifth of the gold dust every week."
Jackson scoffed, "You think you're worthy? This is a treatment only white people who are willing to cooperate receive!"
He pointed his revolver at the Mexicans, Chinese, and Black people in the crowd and said, "Apart from the whites, all of you must hand over three-quarters of your gold dust every week!"
Upon hearing this, the white people standing nearby all wore expressions of anticipation, as if they were watching a good show.
The men from the ethnic groups who were named had grim faces. One of the Mexicans, unwilling to be humiliated, could no longer restrain himself and quickly drew his revolver, pointing it at Jackson.
Fuck you!
boom!
Another shot rang out, and the Mexican fell to the ground.
"Trying to outshoot me? I'm a renowned sharpshooter!" Jackson put down his revolver and said disdainfully.
But the gunfire hadn't stopped when several of Jackson's men opened fire at the same time, killing two black men and two Chinese men.
"From today onwards, this rule will be officially implemented. Anyone who dares to conceal their knowledge or run away will face this fate!"
He looked down at everyone, "Did you hear me?"
A few scattered responses rang out.
Just as Jackson was about to say something more, a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from afar.
Everyone turned to look.
Five Chinese men on horseback were galloping toward them. The leader was a lean man with a stern face and sharp eyes.
Jackson squinted, the hammer of his revolver already cocked. His four men tensed up, raising their guns.
The sound of hooves grew closer and closer, and soon the group of men rushed into the camp.
Zhang Long reined in his horse and glanced at the corpses.
His gaze lingered on the two Chinese corpses for a few seconds before slowly rising and landing on Jackson's face opposite him.
"The person you killed?"
Jackson sized him up, a disdainful smile creeping onto his lips.
"So what if it is? For eliminating insects?"
boom!
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Long raised his hand and fired a shot.
The moment Zhang Long raised his hand, Jackson attempted to retaliate.
But he was devastated to discover that his speed, which he was so proud of, was no match for his opponent's, and he could only watch helplessly as death descended upon him.
His head exploded with a bloody hole, and his body immediately fell off the horse. The remaining four white henchmen tried to fight back.
But they were too slow.
boom!boom!boom!boom!
Four gunshots rang out almost simultaneously, and the four white men fell to the ground before they could even pull the trigger.
The crowd was deathly silent.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene. The few Chinese people squatting at the very edge were speechless with shock, their mouths agape.
Zhang Long's gaze swept over the group, and the muzzle of his gun began to move: "Leave no one alive except our compatriots!"
Half an hour later, Zhang Long led three Chinese people back to the camp where Jingde and his group were located.
"Alright, this is our campsite."
Zhang Long smiled and pointed ahead, his tone completely different from the cold-faced judge who had just killed without blinking an eye: "You guys eat something and rest for a bit. Our captain might have some questions for you later."
The three Chinese men nodded repeatedly, standing there somewhat bewildered. They looked at the Chinese men chatting and laughing around the camp, still somewhat incredulous.
They thought they were about to live a precarious and exploitative life, but suddenly a group of Han Chinese armed men rushed out and rescued them, and they were even friendly.
It's like a dream.
Soon, someone brought food.
It's a steaming hot bun.
White flour buns, with thin skin and generous filling, burst with oil with every bite, so fragrant you could swallow your tongue.
Tears streamed down the faces of several people as they ate.
Soon after, Zhang Long brought Jingde over and, without further ado, got straight to the point: "Gentlemen, how long have you been here? Are you familiar with this area?"
One of the men quickly replied, "It's been half a year, my benefactor. Before, I was working for a white ranch owner in California. The wages were low, and the work was hard and tiring. I worked more than ten hours a day and didn't even have enough to eat."
Later, I heard that there was gold in Nevada, so I decided to come here and try my luck.
Jingde nodded and asked, "Have you seen anything unusual these past few days? Like red, gray, or brown metallic stones or something?"
In nature, silver never exists as a single substance.
They are often found mixed with lead, zinc, brass, and even gold, which is why they can appear in a variety of colors.
Upon hearing this, the three recalled for a moment and then said somewhat uncertainly, "Our benefactors, we haven't seen many of the colors of stones you mentioned. We've only seen large areas of yellowish-brown stones mixed with green and blue."
Jingde's eyes lit up: "Could you take us to see it?"
"No problem, my benefactor, please come with me."
A few hours later.
The group rode horses upstream along the valley for ten kilometers and finally arrived at the place the three men had mentioned.
The sight before them stunned everyone.
The mountain's color was indeed strange; it was a dark yellowish-brown, interspersed with some green patches and blue-gray stripes.
At the foot of the mountain, where the river flows, lies a large expanse of dark blue mudflats.
"This is it."
The man said, "We were just passing by when we thought the color was too strange, so we thought it might be gold. We stayed and washed it a few times, but we found nothing and left."
Jingde dismounted and strode over to the pile of mud. He squatted down, picked up a little with his fingers, and brought it to his nose to smell.
It has a faint sulfur smell.
"Zhang Long, bring the blowpipe analyzer."
Zhang Long was stunned for a moment, then quickly took a wooden box off his horse and handed it over.
Jingde opened the box, inside which was a pile of testing tools.
There was an alcohol lamp, a blowpipe, a small hammer and anvil, a balance scale, and a dozen small bottles containing various powders.
The old miner following behind stepped forward and began the experiment.
He first used a knife to pick out a small piece from the pile of mud, weighed it on a balance scale, and recorded the weight.
He then took out borax from the small bottle and put the mud and borax together into a piece of charcoal with a groove cut into it.
The alcohol lamp was lit, and the flame flickered.
The old miner picked up a blowpipe, put one end in his mouth, pointed the other end at the flame, and gently blew.
The flames scorched the rotten mud in the charcoal, which slowly melted under the high temperature, and yellow smoke rose up, emitting a pungent smell of rotten eggs.
The onlookers immediately stepped back, as the smell was truly unpleasant.
The old miner remained motionless, continuing to control the flames with his blowpipe, his eyes fixed on the molten mud.
After a period of time, the clump of mud solidified into a rough bead the size of a soybean.
He picked up the bead, put it into a test tube, and poured in a little borax.
Reheat.
This time the temperature was higher, and the smell of sulfur was stronger.
Soon, the bead became smaller, from the size of a soybean to the size of a grain of rice.
After the rice-grain-sized piece of metal cooled, everyone saw a soft silver light.