Thirty li northwest of the fertile plain.
The Yellow River and the Wujia River run parallel in the middle.
Liu Wei, standing beside Wuliangsuhai Lake, issued an order from the temporary Marquis's residence, commanding Xue Rengui to lead a thousand cavalrymen to Manhan Mountain in Yunzhong to welcome the delegation from Luoyang.
Shen Lian dispatched elite troops to gather intelligence on the Juyan Sea side.
Yao Guangxiao, along with his officials, began to arrange various important tasks for the 150,000 people, including building cities, repairing roads, cultivating land, and raising livestock.
Liu Wei, along with Guo Luo and ten other guards, as well as ten thousand laborers, arrived at the fertile fields to prepare for coal mining.
We must mine the coal as soon as possible to prepare for the harsh winter.
Before me lay countless ravines and desolation, like the wrinkles on an old woman's face.
"My lord, is this the place? Are those dark stones you mentioned that can be burned for warmth?"
Guo Luo was filled with doubt when he saw this desolate, godforsaken place.
Liu Wei was able to make a preliminary determination of where he was based on his memories of traveling in his previous life and by repeatedly comparing maps.
But it doesn't matter, this area is a shallow coal mine, only about ten meters below the surface, and it covers a wide area.
Once you find the general location, you should be able to dig down and reach the coal seam.
"What you guys need to do is direct these 10,000 people to dig tunnels in this area, dig as deep as possible!"
"Pass down the order: whoever is the first to dig up coal will be rewarded with 100 strings of cash! The second will be 50 strings, and the third will be 30 strings!"
Liu Wei immediately gave Guo Luo some instructions.
These able-bodied young people, who were drawn from the system, obeyed Liu Wei's orders without question.
But they are also human beings, and their enthusiasm needs to be stimulated with money and resources.
Liu Wei directly displayed the coins that had been brought by the horses.
boom!
As soon as Guo Luo made the announcement, the 10,000 laborers immediately erupted in excitement.
He then divided the 10,000 people into 100 teams, each with a leader, and scattered them over an area of more than 20 miles, and they started working at the same time.
These 10,000 people practically emptied the farm tools from the towns along the way.
Meanwhile, the county magistrate called on the people of various towns to reclaim wasteland, and tools were in extremely short supply for a time.
Fortunately, Liu Wei also brought out the 100 blacksmiths and 100 carpenters.
They set up blacksmith shops and carpentry workshops near the fertile fields, scavenged for charcoal, and began crafting digging tools with clanging and banging.
Zhang Xun had already retrieved the 50,000 jin of coarse salt and 50,000 jin of pig iron from the dry well in the abandoned city.
Pig iron was also delivered to Liu Wei in Woye overnight, along with a large number of iron weapons and armor seized from several major battles.
These are melted together into molten iron to forge tools.
Although the temperature of the charcoal was not high enough, it was still sufficient for the basic refining tools.
Once the coal is mined, it can be used to smelt iron on the spot.
The first time is always so difficult, but it will get better once you get the hang of it!
For a time, the sounds of hammering, logging, and digging filled the wasteland.
What a magnificent scene of tens of thousands of people working together.
Guo Luo was deeply moved.
He never expected that a casual effort would result in such a large-scale event.
My admiration for Liu Wei has reached an all-encompassing level.
"Guo Luo, if a coal mine is discovered here, you will be the mine manager!"
Liu Wei watched the thousands of people working calmly, then turned to Guo Luo beside him and said, "These ten brothers of yours, and these ten thousand men, are now in your hands!"
"My lord, ten thousand men at once, I feel so much pressure!" Guo Luo said.
"Hehe, of course there is pressure. General Xue only commands ten or twenty thousand men."
"However, I believe in you and you won't let me down!" Liu Wei said with a smile.
"Rest assured, my lord. As an old man who followed you from Luoyang, how could I possibly disgrace you?"
Guo Luo clenched his fists. "That bastard Yang Yi used to compete with me to be the leader of a bunch of kids."
"If they heard that I could manage 10,000 people, they would be so envious they'd be practically drooling!"
"Keep it up!"
Liu Wei encouraged him, "From now on, as the mine manager, you will not only mine coal here, but also go to other places to mine coal and iron ore!"
"Your achievements are in no way inferior to those of the soldiers who fought on the battlefield!"
Seeing Liu Wei's serious expression, Guo Luo believed him without a doubt.
Dust flew everywhere, and the atmosphere was bustling with activity.
The tools were rudimentary, and a large amount of earth and stone had to be excavated, transported, and dumped.
From initial chaos to gradually becoming more proficient.
And so, the once barren virgin land was transformed into a series of holes, growing deeper and larger.
From sunrise to sunset, a day has passed!
After Guo Luo and ten guards inspected the area, they returned to report that the deepest part had been dug to a depth of ten meters.
"Hopefully we'll find coal tomorrow!"
A bonfire blazes, makeshift sheds, and the aroma of mutton and wine fills the air.
More than 10,000 people worked hard all day, and after eating, they went straight to sleep.
Nothing was said that night.
The next morning was still monotonous, with the sounds of digging and hammering echoing everywhere.
Bored out of his mind, Liu Wei hid in his tent and practiced meditation and breathing exercises according to Yao Guangxiao's book that had no cover.
It was nearly noon.
Liu Wei exhaled a long breath, feeling refreshed and invigorated, as if the power within him had reached a new level.
He was overjoyed and prepared to find a suitable weapon to practice with.
Suddenly, Guo Luo stumbled in, gesticulating wildly and rambling incoherently:
"Lord...Lord, come with me quickly and see if this is what you want."
Have they struck a coal seam?
Liu Wei felt a surge of excitement and suddenly stood up: "Let's go!"
The two went out, mounted their horses, and galloped away!
We arrived at a construction site five miles away.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
