Chapter 76 Iron Ore
After five days of traveling day and night, a group of several thousand people arrived at their destination, a long-developed iron mine at the junction of Yunnan Province and Lingnan Province.
Looking from a high place, the entire valley was densely covered with thatched huts and piles of minerals. The miners were hunched over, skinny and dirty.
I heard that this place is relatively close to Lingnan, so the miners are basically convicts. Using them this way not only does not cost money, but there is also no need to worry about deaths or trouble from the people below. They are the most ideal miners. Every time, they will be used until they are skin and bones before being sent back to recuperate, and then their flesh and blood will be exhausted again next year.
Such an approach was extremely vicious, treating the fugitives as recycled livestock. As a result, the population of Lingnan has always been sparse and it has not become a prosperous city.
Lin Daxuan stood in the team and looked around curiously. The reddish-brown minerals piled up into small hills, and the simple thatched huts with wind blowing in from all sides seemed to tell him that the next two months would not be easy.
It was not until he saw the miners who were so thin that their bones were visible that his heart sank to the bottom. Although he had tried his best to imagine the hardships of mining, when he saw the old miners who were numb and desperately waiting for the handover, he realized at that moment that he was still naive.
"Hurry up, bring your tools, and move quickly!"
"Follow the people in front and don't fall behind."
"What are you looking for? This mine has been open for years and has many tunnels. The terrain inside is complex. Don't run around without a guide. If you get lost, you might starve to death and no one will know."
The people in charge of the mines were all government officials who were not valued and were squeezed out. They have been in this place for more than ten years. They have seen too many convicts being treated like animals, and they don't want them to rush around and lose their lives.
The further you go inside, the lower the terrain becomes. Some places even require you to climb down a ladder. After turning countless corners and walking for an unknown amount of time, you can finally vaguely see thick rocks.
"This is where you'll be working for the next two months. There are hundreds of mines here, and you'll divide them among yourselves. Do you see the baskets on the ground?"
Huge baskets were crowded together in the corner, stacked layer upon layer, as if there were hundreds of them.
"Your dinner today is related to this. It is now the end of the Wei hour, and the meal will be served promptly at the Xu hour. The basket in front of you can be exchanged for two steamed buns, two baskets can be exchanged for four, and so on. If you dig a hundred baskets, you will get extra meat.
How much you can eat depends on your own ability!"
Although the officers have some conscience, they are not good people. The food they eat is related to the minerals they dig, so they can't play tricks at all.
I still remember when I first came here. At that time, the mining output was not ideal, and I was scolded by my superiors several times. After a long investigation, I found out that the convicts had secretly dug a mine and bought their gear in it.
Taking turns to rest seriously slowed down the progress of mining.
Furious, he formulated this rule. Although it was harsh, it was very practical. Since then, production has gradually increased, and his boss who had originally criticized him has also become silent.
Even if the dumbest person guessed something, the supervisor in front must have accepted the gifts from the convicts, otherwise how could the convicts, who were guilty, dare to just eat and wait for death.
The officer didn't even look at the expressions of the crowd. He walked out with his hands behind his back. His attitude was arrogant in the eyes of everyone.
"what to do?"
Lin Yixu watched as the originally crowded crowd left one after another as the officials left, leaving only the people of Baixiang Village standing there alone.
His face showed helplessness and embarrassment.
"First, we need to find a secluded mine. Second, there must be four to six people guarding the entrance at all times. Finally, when we turn in the goods, it's best not to exceed one hundred baskets. Alternatively, we can split into two groups and turn them in so we can get more steamed buns."
Feng Shiyun, who had many mining experiences, stood up. Now he was the only one who knew this place.
"Why can't we exchange the meat? The officer promised us this himself. Is he going to cheat?"
Cheng Hui has a bad temper, is a bit straightforward, and sometimes has very simple ideas.
"First, the officer said there was meat, but he didn't say how much, how to exchange it, or what kind of meat it was. Compared to the steamed buns that can fill your stomach, it's not worth it. Mining is a physical job. Before we came in, we saw what the miners looked like. They didn't look like human beings at all.
If we don’t eat enough, we might end up worse off than them!”
Lin Dachui, who was standing aside, didn't know what he was thinking about. His body trembled unconsciously and his face looked very ugly.
Lin Daxuan immediately noticed Li Dachui's condition and asked, "Uncle Li, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing this, Feng Shiyun pursed his lips and continued.
"He did the work of two people alone and gave most of the steamed buns to his wife. I remember that time Li Dachui almost died in the mine, but luckily the child was born safely.
Second, there are thousands of people mining in this mine, all of them are fugitives and prisoners in the prison. Some of them are extremely vicious. Sometimes they will rob other teams directly. The people who stay outside the mine are a warning.
If we trade meat for meat, we will definitely be targeted, and eventually the minerals we have mined will be lost."
Feng Shiyun looked around obscurely, his expression unchanged, but several older people had already understood what he meant. Someone was eavesdropping nearby and accidentally touched Cheng Xiao.
"What are you afraid of? Those people in the prison are nothing but hooligans. They are not worthy of standing up to me. Don't worry, they can just come. If they don't know how to behave, I will teach them. This general has a kind heart!"
Although Cheng Xiao's arm, which had half of its flesh cut off, was saved and the flesh grew back, her hand was not as smooth and strong as before, and looked very hideous.
Therefore, this statement is just a deterrent. I just hope that the other party is really a guy who bullies the weak and fears the strong, otherwise there might really be a fight.
"Third, there's no time to eat meat. The most important thing is to take care of our bodies. If we don't have a strong body, no matter how much we do, it will all be a waste of money for others."
The double meaning of this word is not only pointing to this point, but also to their secret plan.
"Let's first find a rich mineral deposit. We'll be working here for two months, so it would be inappropriate to change locations midway."
Because these people had occupied all the nearby mines before, Baixiang Village and others could only settle down in an inconspicuous place in the corner.
After the initial chaos, the mine is now full of clanging sounds, but the iron ore is still very hard and difficult to get out. What's more, the rock layer contains not only soil and iron ore, but also some hard quartz, chlorite, pyroxene, calcite, etc., which have seriously slowed down the mining of iron ore.
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