Chapter 34: Something Good That You Can't Even Dream Of
Of course, it is necessary to retain it. In the plan of Police Commissioner August Russell, the commando team should not only be retained but also further expanded.
As a violent agency, August Russell also hopes to have a capable and combat-ready force under his command. It is unreliable to rely on those Indian patrolmen. August Russell also knows that those Indian patrolmen are just for show. They can be used to scare people, but they are of no use at critical moments.
After the commando was established, Rock only led the commando once and captured several gold smugglers. It was this action that made August Russell see the potential of the commando . This idea was correct. Therefore, although the rioters had been brought to justice, the commando would definitely not be disbanded, because no one could be sure whether similar incidents would occur in Cape Town in the future.
"Rock, the director is very satisfied with your work. The commando will take on more important tasks next, and you must be ready at all times." Austin Pence treated Rock well. Although Rock was still not qualified to sit down, because of the gold, it was obvious that Rock had already made a mark in Austin Pence's heart and was classified as one of his own.
"The size of the commando needs to be further expanded. Personnel can be recruited from outside or selected internally. What do you think about this?" Austin Pence asked Rock for his opinion. After all, Rock was the actual person in charge of the commando, although Henry was nominally the captain of the commando.
"I have no objection, Inspector." Rock gave up his right to make requests. Although Rock could take the opportunity to ask for more police officers to be recruited from the Chinese Battalion, Rock did not want to make this suggestion himself, as it would leave a bad impression on Austin Pence.
"Very good, get back to work." Austin Pence did not embarrass Rock. He picked up an envelope from the table and handed it to Rock: "This is the bonus for closing the case. It's from Titus Mining Company. Let's have a drink after get off work."
Sure enough, Titus Mining Company was able to bypass the police department to handle this matter. The police department must have gained a lot of benefits, and Austin Pence did not treat Rock unfairly. This is the correct way to be an official.
Back in his office, Rock opened the envelope, which contained a hundred pounds worth of banknotes.
Rock thought for a moment, put the envelope in the drawer of his desk, and got up to find Henry.
"I've only used less than 20 out of 100 pounds of funding. Who should I give the rest to?" Rock always does things in an orderly manner. Rewards are rewards, funds are funds, and any unused funds must be turned in.
"You can keep it for your subordinates. Uh, what about your informants?" Henry didn't care about that little bit of funding. Rock got the benefits, so Henry must have gotten even more.
"One of them is already disabled. I hired him to mow the lawn. There's no news from the other three yet. I suspect they ran away with the money I gave them. Don't let me catch them." Rock was unhappy. Except for Zack, there's been no news from the other three yet. It's really a shame.
"Hahahaha, I told you a long time ago that those Boers can't be trusted." Henry would definitely not miss this opportunity . This is a good thing. Rock cannot behave too perfectly. He should give people some opportunities to laugh at himself, otherwise Rock will have no friends.
"I also know that the Boers cannot be trusted, but if we don't trust the Boers now, who else can we trust?" Rock had no choice. In Cape Town, if he wanted to get things done, he could only trust the Boers, even if the probability of them being trustworthy was only one in four.
"The bureau is going to expand the commando team. What do you think?" Henry finally asked this question. Even if Henry didn't ask, Rock would find a way to lead the topic in this direction.
"From my point of view, I would definitely hope to hire more police officers from the Chinese Battalion. The performance of the Chinese police is obvious to all. They are loyal, hardworking, skilled in their work, and have no vested interests with the local Boers. It's a pity that I have no say. Now that we are expanding the size of the commando team, we can only choose Indians and Boers. Even if all the Chinese police officers are added to the commando team, there are only thirty people. What can we do with this size?" Rock had something to say without showing it. It would be best if Henry brought up the matter. Rock couldn't say it, or he would be suspected.
"Hiring from the Chinese Battalion - it's too far away." Henry didn't hate Chinese policemen, he just found it troublesome. The Chinese Battalion was stationed in Weihai, Qing Dynasty, which was too far away from the Cape.
"Distance is not a problem. All the Huayong soldiers in the Huayong Battalion have already undergone preliminary training. There is no problem with their personal technical and tactical movements. The only problem is the cost. From Qing Dynasty to Cape, the boat ticket is the main issue." Rock is not worried about anything else but the cost. Anton and his friends are reluctant to even have a beer now. They just want to bring their families to Cape Town as soon as possible.
"Cost? What's the problem with cost? Rock, you may not know yet, but as long as you are an outsider immigrating to the Cape, the Governor's Office will bear all the expenses." Henry provided a piece of news that stunned Rock.
"The Governor's Office will bear all expenses?" Rock couldn't believe that there was such a good thing in this day and age!
"Hahaha, yes, you didn't expect it, right? The Governor's Office will bear all the expenses. As long as someone is willing to immigrate to the Cape, the Governor's Office will reimburse all immigration expenses. This regulation has been implemented ten years ago." Henry seemed to be happy to laugh at Rock, although Rock did not find it funny.
This is information asymmetry. The Cape Colony did have this regulation. It was not just the Cape Colony. About thirty years ago, in Australia, New Zealand, and even Canada, the local colonial governments had such regulations in order to attract immigrants. As long as someone was willing to immigrate, no matter where he came from, the colonial government would reimburse the immigration expenses.
The key to the problem is that many people are unaware of this regulation, especially for the Chinese in the Qing Dynasty. They could never imagine that white people would spend so much money to attract immigrants.
This news was very important. As long as the boat ticket fee was paid, there would be no obstacles for Anton and his family to immigrate to Cape Town. Unlike Rock who settled down in Mill Street, Anton and his family did not want to spend money on buying a house, but instead planned to purchase a farm in the suburbs of Cape Town.
Compared with buying a house, purchasing a farm is too easy. Due to the outbreak of war, the British army was at a disadvantage on the front line and farms were now the least valuable. A farm with 1,500 acres would cost less than 200 pounds.
Of course, for Anton and his friends, 200 pounds is not a small sum. It would take several years to save it up bit by bit from their salary.
Fortunately, there is Rock!
