Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Gold Mine

When Sun Li, filled with boundless joy, had perfected the entire national political system and possessed the formidable intelligence agency known as the Embroidered Guard, he suddenly realized that despite the remarkable achievements so far, the expenses were enormous!

Tragically, Sun Li discovered that even after squeezing the beastmen for everything they had, he could only recruit two standard divisions of the army. Together with some previously enlisted reconnaissance cavalry and three thousand gunners, including logistical personnel, he barely managed to muster twenty thousand regular troops.

“Sigh, it seems I don’t need to worry about reaching the hundred-thousand troop limit anytime soon. The beastmen’s stronghold is their wealthiest place, concentrating all the treasures they’ve gathered over decades. To expect further riches from them is nothing but a fool’s dream.” Gazing at the impoverished surrounding beastmen tribes, Sun Li felt the road to conquest stretch endlessly before him.

Bang bang. “Come in.” Just as Sun Li was despairing over finances, the Song Kingdom’s Chief Minister of Internal Affairs, Zhuge Liang, entered his office.

“Oh, Chief Minister! How is the empire’s administrative progress?” Sun Li asked kindly.

“Your Majesty, under your wise hierarchical policies, all measures in Great Song advance steadily. Everything appears very stable (anything unstable has already been removed). I am here to report good news. Not long ago, someone discovered a gold mine outside the beastmen town. The beastmen didn’t understand the purpose of these shining yellow stones, but they often traded them with the Madrid people, so they opened this mine.

I personally went to inspect it. These beastmen are truly ignorant—they have no idea of gold’s value! They simply treat it as ordinary currency. From what I learned, the Madrid people have managed to suppress the value of gold here by dozens of times. The beastmen are so indifferent to gold only because the mine’s reserves are vast! If not for the difficulty of extraction, gold would have been considered mere stones by them.” Zhuge Liang paused to calm his excitement.

“Your Majesty, while organizing internal affairs, I found that the backward beastmen, aside from pelts, yield no valuable taxes. At this rate, Great Song won’t even be able to pay its officials. But with this gold mine, if we fully deploy beastmen slaves to mine it, the annual income would not only cover government expenses, but we could also truly establish towns and extend our influence to surrounding areas, accelerating the control of beastmen territory.” As Zhuge Liang eloquently described the bright prospects of investing this money in internal development, Sun Li excitedly rose and interrupted him.

“You’re saying a huge gold mine has been discovered in the beastmen’s stronghold?! Give me a report: after deducting essential government operating funds, how much can the mine yield annually, converted directly into gold coin resources?”

Zhuge Liang was momentarily stunned, but being clever, he immediately understood what his sovereign truly desired. Sighing, deeply familiar with the fledgling Great Song Empire, he knew that development would have to pause; war was now the main theme! Adjusting his mood, he gave Sun Li a detailed report.

“In other words, after subtracting necessary national operations and weapons production, the mine’s annual yield can barely recruit six thousand troops.” Sun Li frowned; the difference between this and dreams of overnight wealth was stark indeed.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Your army’s expenditures are particularly low; as long as weapons and ammunition are sufficiently supplied, combat effectiveness is guaranteed. If a large-scale battle occurs, after deducting battlefield losses and funds for disabled soldiers (failure to care for wounded soldiers affects morale; once withdrawn from combat, they no longer count towards troop numbers), I fear that after replenishing losses, little surplus will remain.

Your Majesty, our Great Song Empire is strong; we need not rely on a single gold mine to survive. We can take the initiative and sustain ourselves through war! I’ve heard that the former Madrid colonial areas still have many Madrid settlements. Conquering them should yield higher taxes than the beastmen, for humans are wealthier. Moreover, Caracas is inhabited by the English, who are notoriously affluent!” To expedite national growth, Zhuge Liang was compelled to point out the shining path of enrichment through conquest.

Sun Li, upon hearing this, broke into delighted laughter, thinking to himself: Zhuge Liang truly is my trusted minister. His words struck me to the core—excellent, indeed, recruiting him was worthwhile!

“As expected, like master, like servant; the ancients did not deceive me!” Little Bai’s timely disdain arrived once again, launching a new round of mockery between the two.

Let us set aside Sun Li’s explanations of moral, philosophical, and ethical values to Little Bai. Authorized by Sun Li, Chief Minister Zhuge Liang mobilized a vast number of beastmen slaves for maximum-scale gold mining. The steady flow of gleaming gold injected fresh lifeblood into the nearly depleted coffers of Great Song. In this remote corner of the southern continent, a sturdy little nation was burgeoning, even as the war on the European continent approached its decisive phase.

The English Empire dispatched massive forces to vie with the veteran Madrid Empire for the true wealth of the New World—the northern continent, also known among the Europeans as the Land of Destiny: Goldland!

The New World was first discovered by the Madrid people, who found abundant silver and gold mines in the northern continent—later named Goldland. The immense riches dazzled the Madrid people. Treasure ships sailed back and forth between Europe and Goldland, drawing endless envy and greed from other human nations. Yet the Madrid Empire, oblivious to latent threats, spent their imported gold and silver lavishly, living in wanton luxury. This behavior greatly stimulated industry and commerce in other countries. Except for the decadent Nation of Light, other human states, using Madrid’s scattered wealth, greatly boosted their own manufacturing. The Madrid people, lost in luxury, grew ever more corrupt and were gradually surpassed by emerging nations.

In the 550th year of the continental calendar, the rising English Empire allied with the Franconian Empire to strike first, targeting Madrid’s treasure ships. After losing vast wealth, Madrid dispatched their supposedly invincible fleet for a counterattack, only to have the combined fleets of the two nations send them all to the depths as fodder for the fish. From then on, the Madrid Empire, once dominant across Europe, began to decline rapidly. The destruction of the “Invincible Armada” exposed Madrid’s rot and backwardness, heralding a great crisis from the heavens!