Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Iron Ore Discovery

The children of the manor also received new clothes, which were made of the same cotton.

The county lady said that this was called a school uniform. Although Qian Sui didn't understand what school uniform meant, he still honestly conveyed the word to the children.

Feng Ling was fishing by the river that morning, but he didn't catch a single fish after a long time. Those stupid carp finally learned their lesson from Feng Ling's perseverance.

Feng Ling was not angry about this, but was very relieved.

“It’s challenging to catch smart fish.”

After fishing, I went to the county lady’s residence to have the staff meal, and then I had to go to the manor to teach in the afternoon.

Feng Ling knows a lot. She can use swords, knives, and guns, and she is good at using each of them, but she is most used to using the sword.

But the children do not have such good conditions and cannot use real swords and guns to practice martial arts. In Dachen, iron is a controlled substance.

This sword of Feng Ling was passed down to her by her master. When it first came into her hands, it was covered in rust and looked older than Feng Ling.

The children learned about guns today.

Of course, it's not a real gun, but a wooden one. Not only the gun, but the knife and sword are also made of wood. Taking the height of children into consideration, a smaller version was specially made. If it were made according to the original version, the gun would be taller than a person, and it would be impossible to wield it.

Wooden guns are much lighter than real guns, and the children can dance with them quite realistically.

Feng Ling has been practicing swords and guns since he was a child, and he used real things. Wooden ones are too light. It seems easy for children now, but in fact, when they use real things in the future, it will take a long time to get used to them.

Feng Ling thought about it and decided to go find Lin Si.

Lin Si had thought about this problem, but due to Dachen's control over iron, the amount Liang Nian applied for was pitifully small and not enough to make weapons.

Feng Ling's tone was a little regretful. "The children are still young now, so using wooden spears is fine. But when they use real weapons, I'm afraid they won't be decisive enough to kill people. My disciples, of course, want to kill people without being seen."

Lin Si promised Feng Ling: "Don't worry, Madam Feng, the children will definitely be able to use the real things."

This is exactly the problem that Lin Si wants to solve next, but this can only be done secretly.

Feng Ling blinked his puppy eyes and walked away with an expectant look on his face.

The summer heat wave passed quickly during the cotton harvest, and autumn came in the blink of an eye.

It has been a year since Lin Si came to Li County, and a year since he entered the book.

Lin Si leaned back in her chair and stretched out her hand to count her fingers. She had been quite busy during this year and had done a lot of things.

But it is far from enough.

Although the present Dachen seems to be peaceful on the surface, the natural disaster five years later has torn the dynasty apart. Peasant uprisings and refugees have emerged in large numbers, fighting for territory. The remaining refugees or peasants on the losing side will be incorporated into the winning team, and the team will gradually grow stronger.

If Lin Si wants to protect herself, weapons are absolutely indispensable, but iron is needed to make weapons, and weapons cannot be bought and sold nowadays. Even though she read the original book in her mind again and again, the iron mine obtained by Zhuo Zhengchu is too far away from her. Moreover, there is no chaos in the world now. If she goes to mine like this, she will be waiting for death.

Lin Si thought about it and decided to use his money ability.

So what if iron is regulated? As long as the money is enough, there will always be people who take the risk. Selling contraband salt is illegal, but there are still people who do it secretly for money.

She is very rich now!

However, Dachen's iron-making technology is too backward, and the quality of the iron produced is average. It would be best if there were iron ore.

So Lin Si asked Liang Nian if he knew any channels for selling private iron.

Unexpectedly, Liang Nian looked at her quietly and said, "It is against the law to sell iron privately. The punishment is a fine at the very least and exile at the worst."

Lin Si: "But it's not as bad as the crime of deceiving the emperor, isn't it? What do you think, Magistrate Liang?"

Liang Nian:.........

When she didn't say it.

"What does the county lord need the iron for? Is the quantity needed large?" Liang Nian asked.

Lin Si thought for a moment and said, "I think it should be a big one. I want to make real swords and spears for the children in the manor, and make some handy weapons. Oh, yes, I also want to make a new kitchen knife. It would be great if I had iron ore!"

Liang Nian's eyelids twitched when he heard this. Does this wise and almost evil county princess know that speaking like this is tantamount to rebellion?

But iron ore...

Liang Nian asked tentatively, "Even if there are iron mines, Li County can't smelt iron, right?"

Lin Si: "Of course I can. I have plenty of ways to do it, and I can even make better iron than Dachen's."

If it were a year ago, Liang Nian would definitely not believe it.

But now, she believes everything Lin Si says, because Lin Si really has a way.

Liang Nian paused, then said in a calm tone, "As for the iron mine, I do know of one."

Lin Si was originally sitting in a very bad posture, and when she heard Liang Nian say this, she almost jumped up from the chair.

"Where is it? Don't tell me there's an iron mine in Li County!"

“Of course it’s not in Li County, but it’s not too far from Li County.”

Lin Si immediately stood up and pulled Liang Nian's arm, "Where, where, take me there now."

After saying that, he turned around and glared at Liang Nian, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Liang Nian didn't dare to say anything, but only silently retorted in his heart: You didn't ask.

Liang Nian was dragged onto the ox cart by Lin Si. Nan Qiao, who was dozing off on the cart, woke up instantly.

"Will County Magistrate Liang also be returning to the County Lord's Mansion with us?"

Lin Si pointed at Liang Nian and said, "County Magistrate Liang, tell me the location."

The ox cart sped along, and under Lin Si's crazy bombardment, Liang Nian began to speak slowly.

"My father...has been interested in stones since he was young, especially various minerals. He used to have a collection of all kinds of minerals in his study in Liangzhe Road. He even wrote a book about it. It not only records the locations of the minerals he collected, but also provides techniques for distinguishing the different minerals."

"Later, I missed my father, so I studied the book and memorized its contents clearly. I once passed by the road between Jiaxian and Lixian and discovered iron ore. I got off the car to check and found that there must be a small iron mine there that had not been discovered."

Lin Si touched her chin. Li County was far away from other counties, and even farther from Jia County. As long as the iron mine was not too close to Jia County, no one would know if she secretly mined it.

Liang Nian knew what Lin Si was thinking, so he said, "Don't worry, County Lady, few people come here."

The ox cart followed the route Liang Nian pointed out, but it went further and further off the official road.

Nan Qiao asked, "Liang County Magistrate, are you sure this is the way?"

Lin Si was very satisfied. The more remote the better. No one would come there.

After arriving at the location, Lin Si and Liang Nian got out of the car to check.

This is a barren and desolate land. Even official roads have never been built here. Not to mention people, there is not even a trace of animals.

Lin Si couldn't help but wonder, "What are you doing here if you have nothing to do?"

Liang Nian touched his nose and said, "I had just taken office at that time. I wanted to find out why the land in Li County was so barren, so I walked around the area."

In front of the wasteland is a small hill with reddish-brown soil.

Liang Nian began to explain, "My father wrote in the book that there is He on the mountain and iron underneath."

Liang Nian dug up the reddish-brown soil again, revealing the red ore beneath the soil.

Lin Si's eyes widened. Fortunately, he asked Liang Nian, otherwise this taciturn guy would have kept this matter to himself for who knows how long.

If you can smelt iron yourself, you can make top-quality refined iron, which is completely different from the crude iron in Dachen now.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to buy expensive crude iron!

Lin Si's mind raced. She turned and looked at Liang Nian, blinking innocently. "County Magistrate Liang, why don't we pave the road with coal slag? That way it will be easier for the people to mine."

Liang Nian felt dizzy and said, "County Lady, the autumn harvest is coming soon and the people still need to pay taxes. Most of the girls are working in factories now. If my husband comes to mine again, who will farm the land?"

Lin Si naturally knew what Liang Nian said, but she had already thought of a countermeasure.

She smiled at Liang Nian and said, "I have thought of a solution. I hope Magistrate Liang will be flexible when the time comes."

*

Although this year's winter has passed, the temperature, which is colder than before, still swept across the grassland.

The grasslands on which the Hu people depend for survival are so fragile. The Hu people do not know how to farm, and once they are unable to graze, food shortages and tribal conflicts will arise.

In order to survive, some Hu people were forced to migrate south.

The stronger Hu people would plunder food and cloth, but they were quickly eliminated by the army sent by Dachen.

Most of the skinny Hu people were sold as slaves at very low prices.

Xubu Chuo's family was one of the Hu people who were sold as slaves.

The people on the grassland are also divided into nobles and commoners. The cattle and sheep raised by commoners belong to the nobles. Commoners have almost no meat to eat and are usually very thin.

Strong Hu people are often nobles.

This winter is particularly cold. Rain and snow cover the grassland. The animals cannot dig snow to eat and die of the cold. More people die than animals. There are no houses, no cloth, and no means to keep warm on the grassland.

The nobles' cattle and sheep died, and Xubu Chuo's family was driven out of the territory by the nobles and suddenly became homeless.

Many homeless civilians headed south in search of new pastures, but were quickly captured by Dachen's soldiers.

Only then did they learn that some nobles had gone south earlier to plunder Dachen's food and had been eliminated by Dachen, and they would also be sold as slaves.

Xubu Chuo touched his sister Xubu Yan's head, and then looked at his sleeping father and mother.

During the months of being locked up and sold everywhere, Xubu Chuo was able to understand some simple Chinese.

The captured civilians would be taken to various places and sold. Those who were lucky would survive, while those who were unlucky would die.

Xubu Chuo had seen a lot, and he gradually became numb.

He hugged his sister's small body, hoping that she could be bought this time, and it would be best if the four of them would not be separated.

His family was too weak, and the Han people looked down on them for not being able to do any work. Xubu Chuo wanted to tell them that he could do anything, but he didn't speak Chinese.

Suddenly, a shadow covered Xubu Chuo.

He looked up and saw a girl about sixteen or seventeen years old looking at him.

"So thin! It seems that the Hu people are not as tall as the rumors say." Feng Ling said to Mo Jinglian.

Thin...small.

Xubu Chuo accurately captured the key words, which were these two words again. Every time the Han people said these two words, their family would not be bought.

He is already fourteen years old, he is not small at all.

But he couldn't speak Chinese, so he could only remain silent.

Mo Jinglian stretched out his hand and pointed at Xubu Chuo's family, and then at several other Hu people.

"Just these, I'll buy them." Mo Jinglian's clear voice reached Xubu Chuo's ears.

purchase.

Did he hear the word "buy" just now? Could it be that their family was bought?

Xubu Chuo's family and several Hu people were roughly brought in front of Mo Jinglian. Mo Jinglian nodded, handed over the money with one hand and the goods with the other.

The hands of the sold Hu people were tied with ropes, and the other end of the ropes was handed to Feng Ling.

Feng Ling walked out with Mo Jinglian while holding her hand. "I should have known not to come here. The county lady said this is a matter of great importance, concerning whether the children in the manor can use real things. I thought it was something else, but I didn't expect it to be asking you to buy some honest Hu people in addition to doing business."

Mo Jinglian smiled and said, "The county lady has her own reasons for doing things. But you insisted on coming here. I'll just think of you accompanying me on a business trip. I'll give you the travel allowance when I get back."

Xubu Chuo's eyes revealed confusion. He didn't understand a word the two girls said. Where would he be sold?

Hopefully, it's a place where you can get something to eat.

He and his parents would work very hard as long as they could have something to eat.

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The author has something to say: There is He on the mountain, and there is iron underneath. This is from Guanzi·Dishu