Chapter 199: Outwardly Strong, Inwardly Brittle

That very night, the Yuan Dou dropped anchor at the mouth of the Xiuguluan River.

Early the next morning, the fully armed invaders once again rowed their skiff ashore. Unlike yesterday, the skiff made two trips today, ferrying both Transmigrators onto the riverbank.

This had already escalated into an armed search. Pan Mingzhong took command at the center, while beside him over twenty crewmen wielding Type 38 Rifles spread out into a scattered skirmish line. The entire party began advancing slowly upstream along the Xiuguluan River.

Trailing behind the main force were Lei Jian and a few team members carrying baskets as support hands.

No matter how ruthlessly they had killed yesterday, no one dared guarantee today that the Natives would not seek revenge. So everyone was on high alert as if facing a formidable enemy, maintaining extreme vigilance the entire way — the riverbank offered a safety margin of less than 200 meters; beyond that lay dense, impenetrable jungle, and no one knew how many dick-swinging Warriors were hidden within.

The dugout canoe that had overturned on the shore yesterday still lay there, along with the two Native wounded who were half-submerged in the water and had long since breathed their last.

The Exploration Team passed by them without pausing for a moment.

The party had not gone far upstream before they had a find: in the shallows by the river, Lei Jian discovered iron ore sand flecked with dark brown spots.

Two team members who rolled up their trousers and waded in did not take long to scoop up a basketful of iron sand right on the spot.

"Well? Is this the stuff or not?" Pan Mingzhong came running over, impatient and unable to wait.

"Mm, no mistake, this is the stuff." Lei Jian poked through the iron sand in his palm with a finger as he spoke, confirming, "Magnetite sand. Unlike pyrite, which is ferric oxide, this is magnetite."

"Aiyo, we finally found it — so let's wrap it up and head back, yeah?" Pan Mingzhong had absolutely no concept of how many oxides of iron there were; right now he did not want to spend a single extra minute in this godforsaken place.

Upon hearing this, Lei Jian let out a hearty laugh, then drew a circle in the air ahead with his arm: "At least another two li upriver. We measure five points and dig up ten baskets to bring back — only then does it count."

"Fuck me!" Pan Mingzhong's head immediately swelled at this.

The conditions for iron sand deposits to form along riverbanks are fairly demanding. The upstream current must pass directly through a mining zone, and then, combined with years of weathering and rock fracturing, the iron ore sand is gradually washed and carried downstream bit by bit.

Of course, coastal placer deposits of this type usually yield very little, because they spread flat across riverbeds, shallows, and river mouths, lacking sufficient thickness.

But coastal placer deposits also have many advantages.

First is their high grade. China boasts a vast territory and abundant resources, yet iron ore grade is its Achilles' heel: the average is only around 35%, and much of it has no industrial mining value. A rare exception like the Shilu Iron Mine in Hainan, averaging 51%, already ranks first domestically.

Compared to the high-grade ores of Australia or Brazil, which routinely exceed 60%, it is simply too embarrassing to present.

Iron sand deposits, however, are constantly scoured by flowing water, which amounts to a natural sorting process, so their grade is a bit higher than ordinary iron ore. The samples Lei Jian collected here at the river mouth, for instance, all appeared to the naked eye to have a grade above 40%.

Furthermore, iron ore sand does not require drilling into remote, deep mountains, does not require paving roads or digging tunnels, opening working faces, pumping water or gas, or preventing mine shaft collapses. Therefore, this is the mining method best suited to the Crossing Faction right now: no frequent deaths, nothing needed but shovels and baskets — anyone can do the job.

In the end, the Exploration Team spent an entire morning to complete the mission. The party pushed over two kilometers upstream from the river mouth before they gathered sufficient samples. Over ten baskets of iron sand ore, collected separately from underwater and from the riverbank, were all meticulously labeled by Lei Jian, waiting only to be shipped back to the Kiln Area Base for analysis and assay.

At the same time, Lei Jian also used a digital camera to capture the entire topography of the river-mouth plain. When the main force arrived next time, they would use these photographs to prepare supplies and manpower, and construct a fort and a dock in the shortest possible time.

After completing the iron sand prospecting mission, the Yuan Dou weighed anchor without pause and continued north. Sailing against the wind for two full days, they finally neared Hualian.

Considering that all the various mineral deposits Hualian contained would require inland mountain exploration, Pan Mingzhong thought it over and decided to let it go — the stone was not going anywhere; people who ventured into the Dense Forest, however, might never come out.

After passing Hualian without entering, the next stop was Yilan.

Reaching Yilan meant they were already approaching Taiwan's Northeast Cape.

The Yilan Delta Plain could be considered the largest alluvial plain along the Taidong stretch — though its area was only 300 square kilometers.

When the Yuan Dou passed by here, they deliberately shifted their course a little farther out to sea, to avoid trouble from the local Kavalan Natives suddenly bursting out.

..... If everything went smoothly, for a very long time to come, the Crossing Faction's reach would not extend to Yilan.

The iron sand deposit at the Xiuguluan River mouth was, in fact, at a latitude even slightly lower than Dayuan Island. That meant, sailing south from Dayuan, covering a sea route equal to one-quarter of Taiwan's length, then rounding Kending Cape and traveling the same distance northward along the outer island coast, one could arrive.

As for future trips to Taipei, those would certainly sail directly north from Dayuan. So a remote, uncivilized place like Yilan, situated at Taiwan's Northeast Cape, would only be passed by this once today. Beyond snapping a few distant photographs, the Yuan Dou took no further action.

After passing Yilan, late that same night, the Yuan Dou silently rounded Sandiao Cape. In later generations, a bright lighthouse would stand here; in the 17th century, of course, no such thing existed.

After rounding Sandiao Cape, the Yuan Dou's heading gradually shifted from due north to northwest. Continuing to sail another 20 kilometers would bring them to Bitou Cape, the iconic headland of Taiwan's Northeast Cape.

Bitou Cape likewise had no lighthouse. After rounding it, the Yuan Dou's heading from that moment on formally became a horizontal line running east to west.

Although the wind direction was still unfavorable at this point, it was already much better than the previous few days, so the Yuan Dou could now increase speed to around 4 knots and head straight for Peace Island, where the Spanish were entrenched.

The distance from Bitou Cape to Peace Island was very short, only 15 kilometers. In the 17th century, the place later generations called Peace Island was originally named Sheliao Island. After the Spanish occupied it, they built San Salvador City and, incidentally, renamed the island San Salvador Island.

When the Yuan Dou arrived at Jilong Bay (called Keelung in later generations), it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The hour when sunlight should theoretically be at its strongest, yet in Taipei it was raining; amid the misty, smoky rain, Peace Island, with its Western-style fortress towering upon it, was faintly visible at the mouth of the Keelung River.

The fortress was located at the southwest corner of Peace Island, a spot that in later generations would become a dockyard. At this moment, the Yuan Dou did not rashly enter the shallow strait between Peace Island and the Keelung shore. Although the Spanish First Mate repeatedly insisted that the strait was navigable, the Yuan Dou still took the northern outer-sea route, rounding Zhongshanzai Island and Tongpan Islet through the rain and mist, and docked at San Salvador Outer Port a little past 4 in the afternoon.

Not long after the Yuan Dou lowered its sails, a liaison skiff rowed out from the simple pier outside the fortress. At that same moment, Pan Mingzhong, standing on the deck, pulled the jointly signed letter from his pocket and handed it to the First Mate: "Off you go, old Sampel. Make sure you explain everything clearly, so there are no misunderstandings."

Sampel soon boarded the skiff and returned to the fortress.

"In fact, San Salvador City is already in a state of blockade right now, if I am not mistaken?" Antonio Valdes, the Spanish Jilong Governor, looked up and asked after carefully reading the letter in his office.

Because Spain had been ruled by Arabs for several centuries in its history, people with black hair and brown eyes were not uncommon.

The heavily bearded, bushy-browed Mr. Valdes was one of them.

Governor Valdes of Jilong was, historically, the very man who had led the expeditionary force that occupied Peace Island two years prior and constructed San Salvador City.

In a punitive expedition not long before, Valdes had personally led one hundred Soldiers to burn the village of Guirou Village near the Danshui River Estuary to the ground. After this, the Natives surrendered and were forcibly relocated, and the Spanish began building Santo Domingo City on the original site.

The Valdes now reading the letter in his office had originally returned to transport the sick for rest and reorganization — the area near the Tamsui River was simply too hot and damp; mosquitoes and fleas were everywhere, and many soldiers had fallen ill with fever.

Yet history had taken a turn here: First Mate Sampel had appeared, and he had disembarked from a Junk.

Upon hearing Valdes's question, Sampel bowed slightly in deference, then said, "Yes, Governor, we are already under blockade, but it is temporary."

"Mm, I have noted the contents of the letter. Sampel, tell me, are the silks and Porcelain real?"

"Governor, they are all real — every man aboard the Alicante can attest to it. And this letter, please examine the signatures carefully."

"If His Excellency Tabola agrees to the trade agreement, then we will need to relinquish San Salvador City." Valdes's speech slowed considerably as he said this: "If the agreement cannot be reached, then we must defend San Salvador City......"

The black-haired Governor now stood, picked up the Brass Telescope from the table, and walked out: "Regarding these Heretics' weapons, what should I know?"

"Governor, this is the part I must emphasize to you." The First Mate hurried after the Governor toward the door, his tone urgent: "On my journey here, the Heretics suffered a Native surprise attack at a river mouth — yes, you know the kind, precisely that kind of surprise attack......"

After the Yuan Dou had waited a full two hours outside the port, the Spanish skiff finally approached the ship once more.

First Mate Sampel this time brought the Governor's reply: until a formal retreat order arrived from Manila, San Salvador City would neither accept the Transmigrators' occupation nor provide the Yuan Dou with food or other supplies.

Additionally, the Spanish side would not interfere with the Yuan Dou's activities in other areas of Jilong.

"Heh heh heh." Pan Mingzhong could not help but laugh aloud upon hearing this line.

He was absolutely certain that the Spanish inside the fortress had already lost their nerve — one could tell just from this outwardly strong but inwardly brittle reply.

Fortunately, the Transmigrators did not need the Spanish to support them with any supplies anyway...... Those flat-faced bastards could not even feed themselves; those words were nothing but putting on a brave front to keep up appearances.

Getting the Spanish to agree to a temporary mutual non-aggression was already enough. After sending Sampel back, the Yuan Dou quickly raised full sail and headed straight west through the rain and mist.