The main business of the Upper Katanga Mining Complex is the same as that of the North Sea United Mining Company, but it is much worse than the North Sea United Mining Company in terms of scale, and the Upper Katanga Mining Complex only mines ore and does not have an ore refinery, so Roque really has little interest in the Upper Katanga Mining Complex.

Taking a step back, even if Roque is interested, there is no need to worry now, because of the rebellion in the Congo Free State, the Haut-Katanga Mining United Company has also been greatly affected, and whether or not the mine can be kept in the future is two different things, and Roque can wait a little longer.

"The Haut-Katanga Mining Complex has not been affected by the rebellion, our mine is still operating normally, production has not decreased, but due to the current rebellion, the ore cannot be shipped out of the Congo Free State, but the rebellion will always end and everything will return to normal." Isaiah Chamberlain's mood is still optimistic, but his words are not credible, and no one knows the specifics of the Haut-Katanga Mining Complex.

Mines are different from plantations in that they use a large number of miners, and generally the mines employ overseers and thugs, who are armed and similar in nature to the military, as was the case in the gold mines of Johannesburg in the past, and this gradually changed after the establishment of the umbrella company.

The Haut-Katanga Mining Complex was able to survive thanks to the company's well-equipped security teams, equipped not only with light and heavy machine guns, but also with armored vehicles, and the poorly equipped rebels would indeed be unable to breach the mines for a while.

"Do you think the Belgian government is capable of counterinsurgency?" You're welcome Henry, and Isaiah Chamberlain was also British.

"Who knows, maybe it can, maybe it can't, but it doesn't matter, even if the rebels win in the end, the mine will always continue to run." Isaiah Chamberlain didn't care, this was the sorrow of the colonies, even if they drove out the invaders, they would most likely not be able to govern the country well.

Governing the country is a technical job, it has always been easier to destroy than to build, the current Africa, only Ethiopia is still independent, but unfortunately two years ago, Menelik II, who unified the country, suffered a stroke and was paralyzed, so the future of Ethiopia is also uncertain.

The situation in the Congo Free State is worse than that of Ethiopia, and before Menelik II unified the country, Ethiopia remained independent and did not become a colony, and the foundation of its rule was still good.

The Congo Free State, on the other hand, was brutally ruled by Leopold II for decades, with a greatly reduced population and a homogeneous economic structure, heavily dependent on foreign trade, and without a strong government, the entire society would collapse completely in a very short period of time.

It has to be emphasized here that the companies and enterprises in this period were indeed more efficient than the government in many cases, and the large enterprises in the Congo Free State performed better than the Belgian government.

At least in the face of the rebellion, the big businesses in the Congo Free State are the first to try to save themselves, and regardless of the outcome, the response is really fast.

It is said that the parliament is discussing every day whether to send troops to quell the rebellion, and the focus of the controversy is who should be responsible for the cost of forming an army, the Belgian government believes that the cost of forming an army should be borne by the large enterprises in the Congo Free State, and the bosses of several large enterprises in the Congo Free State believe that the Belgian government should be responsible, and some people propose that Leopold II should be responsible, This was met with a majority response, but Leopold II rejected it on the grounds that the Congo Free State had no relationship with him.

Just kidding, it was the Belgian government that forced Leopold II to hand over the management of the Congo Free State, although Leopold II made some small moves, but handed over to the Belgian government a complete Congo Free State, and now the Congo Free State has broken out in rebellion under the management of the Belgian government, and the Belgian government actually wants Leopold II to pay for the formation of an army, which is simply ridiculous.

"Then what else do you want to invest, just wait in Pretoria for the rebellion to subside," Henry scoffed, the most valuable part of an enterprise like the Haut-Katanga Mining Complex is the mines, which are basically non-tech, all of them are made by squeezing miners, just like the gold mines in Johannesburg.

In the past, Favart Steel also relied on the crushing of miners to make a profit, but now with the development of Favart's laboratories and cooperation with British domestic steel companies, Favart's technical level is also thriving, and the gun steel used by the Nyasaland Military Industrial Group and the marine steel used by the Edward Shipyard are all produced by Favart Steel.

Speaking of cooperation with local British steel companies, this is also thanks to Neville's help, Neville was also engaged in the steel smelting industry before entering politics, and is very familiar with the British steel smelting industry.

Compared with simple mining and selling money, it is indeed more difficult to improve technology, but after the technology reaches a certain level, the profits of the enterprise will be higher, and Henry has now tasted the sweetness.

The reason why Henry attaches great importance to technology is also inseparable from Roque's strict requirements, the importance of steel to industry is self-evident, and southern Africa wants to develop industry, and steel has not only production but also quality.

Here is also thanks to the rich mineral deposits in southern Africa, when Roque used to go to school, he often read the word "vast land" in textbooks, and only when he arrived in southern Africa did he know what it means to be rich in land, in addition to oil, there are almost any raw materials needed for the development of industry, and they are all about how many reserves, key mining is not only easy, but also the ore grade is particularly high.

To put it mildly, if southern Africa does not have a good industry, it will be sorry for the underground mineral deposits in southern Africa.

"When the rebellion is quelled, it is uncertain whether the Haut-Katanga Mining Complex will exist—" said Isaiah Chamberlain, a professional manager, not a boss, who could not decide the fate of the business.

Because of the rebellion, the stocks of several large enterprises in the Congo Free State plummeted, and the British stocks did not have a fall limit, and they could fall within a day, and after the rebellion, the face value of the shares of the Haut-Katanga Mining Complex was less than 10% of the peak, and the shareholders of several companies wanted to find someone to take over, but everyone was not stupid, and the current Congo Free State was a fire pit, unless they were tired of jumping in.

"Wasn't you still very confident just now?" Henry has no mercy, the general managers and bosses of these mining companies in Africa, one counts as one, and they are all in blood debt, even if they go bankrupt, they will suffer by themselves.

"I'm sure I'm confident, but the investors don't have it, and I don't want to lose my job." Isaiah Chamberlain still has an advantage, but it is a pity that "honesty" is the most meaningless for businessmen.

The quality of "honesty" is only useful when educating children, and honest people are often not popular in the adult world, not that honesty is bad, but many times, we have to face this absurd world in a more intelligent way.

Don't get me wrong, "smarter" here doesn't mean lying.

"Aha, you're right, Locke and I are both unconfident investors." Henry did not let go, the copper mines in the Congo Free State did not mean much to Southern Africa, and there were more reserves in Nyasaland and Rhodesia than in the Congo Free State, so Henry was very relaxed.

"Mr. Chamberlain, I'll give you two minutes to convince me that if you can show your worth, then even if I don't invest in the Katanga Mining Complex, I'll give you a job with a similar status and income." Roque is still willing to give Isaiah Chamberlain a chance, no matter what era it is, there must be something extraordinary to be able to mix in high society, either with resources or ability.

"I'm happy to serve you, Lord Nyasaland, but I need a quiet place." Isaiah Chamberlain's eyes flickered, obviously disgusted by the crowds here.

This problem is very easy to solve, there is nothing else in the Rhodesia Hotel, there are many rooms, Roque has a long-term private room in the Rhodesia Hotel, any Rhodesia hotel in the world, Roque can book a room at any time.

Henry did not leave with Roque and Isaiah Chamberlain, and Henry was not interested in Roque's intrigues, and it was about half an hour before Roque returned to the banquet hall, but Isaiah Chamberlain did not come back with him.

"What about Isaiah Chamberlain?" Henry asked casually.

"Back in the Congo Free State." Roque replied casually.

"Did you give him a job?" Henry was curious.

"Going back to the Congo Free State is the job I gave him." Roque holds a grudge, fortresses are often breached from within, and Isaiah Chamberlain knows more about the situation in the Congo Free State than Roque.

The point is that people like Isaiah Chamberlain have no bottom line, just like Christian, who is willing to do any dirty work and no moral cleanliness, and this kind of person is still very useful if used correctly.

A week later, miners at the Haut-Katanga Mining Complex rioted, angry miners broke through the lines set up by the overseers and thugs, stormed the mine's arsenal and seized a large number of weapons, and another week later, the rebels in the Congo Free State increased from 200,000 to 500,000.

Those who can be miners are all strong young men, because most of the people who work physically all year round are strong, and these people are the main force of the rebels when they are armed, and the previous rebellions can only be said to be petty fights.