Chapter 65 Black Gold Furnace (Part 3) Update
The main road up and down Dongwang Mountain in the secondary capital, besides transporting materials up and down the mountain, also provided a lot of materials for local use. The felled trees and excavated soil and rocks were sorted and those that could be used were sent back to various construction sites as needed.
The mountain roads, which had not been fully developed, were rugged and even steep in many places. If the laborers were not careful, they would fall from the top of the mountain.
In the secret forest paths of Xishan Mountain, one of the few developed hiking trails that can be used to enter and exit the mountain area is now heavily guarded.
Rows of sharp swords reflected dazzling light under the sunlight.
One of them, clearly the leading soldier, shouted with a stern face, "Seal off all the exits down the mountain! East, south, and west. Establish a three-pronged perimeter. Tighten the circle layer by layer. I don't believe we can't catch those rats!"
"yes!"
The soldiers formed groups and disappeared into the forest, where most of the leaves had already fallen off in the autumn.
This was a very unfavorable situation for those who wanted to hide their tracks. In the increasingly cold autumn weather, more than a dozen people, still shirtless and hunched over, ran hurriedly through the woods.
The sudden and blind escape in the deep mountains had already made them lose their direction.
The sound of increasingly heavy and rapid breathing echoed through the forest. Someone finally gave up and collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest. His face had already turned purple as he lay on the ground, struggling to catch his last few breaths.
The whole group had to stop and check on him: "Old Three, Old Three!"
They stopped and tried to help him up and help him breathe. However, the man was already covered in bloody wounds, which had been gurgling for half a day. Coupled with the desperate escape through the mountains, he was breathing heavily and had difficulty breathing in, and blood foamed from his mouth and nose. It was obvious that he was no longer able to recover.
After a moment, he finally opened his bulging eyes, losing the last bit of vitality.
The group lowered his body back to the ground and looked at each other in despair.
The sound of the mountain wind and the rustling of trees shook them to their core. They were like frightened birds, startled at the slightest movement, their bodies uncontrollably darting around.
After a moment, someone asked, "Can we still escape?"
"Does anyone know where we are now?"
The group fell silent. The man who had just lifted up the body of "Lao San" and tried to save him took a breath and looked at the almost indistinguishable mountains and forests around him, then looked up at the afternoon sunlight.
The scorching sun in the center seemed to have set a little to the west.
"It's impossible to go down the mountain. Let's go up the mountain." said the man.
"Stand up, don't stop here! Stopping here will only lead to death!" He tried to call his companions.
However, the death of the third brother had clearly shocked them once again. One of them said in despair, "Brother Qing, I, I really can't run any more. If I keep running, the third brother will be next. Besides, if we go up the mountain, there's no way to survive. What difference does it make if I die an hour earlier or later? I might as well just lie here comfortably and have a few moments of peace and quiet!"
"If that's the case, then why did you resist just now?!"
"What did we run away for? Even if we could live a moment longer, it would be fine for him!"
The man called Brother Qing said as he stepped forward and pulled up several people lying on the ground one by one: "Let's go! We can't surrender here!"
He is right.
Two hours ago, they were still building the "alien" cliff pavilion on the cliff of West Mountain.
However, in order to build such a pavilion for the emperor, which was a perfect blend of heaven and man, the masters had to bury countless lives. There was only a two-foot-wide stone path connecting the tops of the steep mountains.
In order to build a pavilion, the first thing to do is to carve a plank road on the steep wall that is large enough for adults to pass through.
This team of people are the stonemasons who built the plank road.
To build the fortifications, they all initially walked on a two-foot-wide stone path, facing the stone wall and holding stone-chiseling sticks. The first thing they did every day on the stone path was to wedge an iron nail high above their heads and then tie the rope around their waists firmly to the nail as a protection to prevent them from falling off the cliff.
Behind them was a bottomless abyss. Each person was three or four feet apart. From the first ray of sunlight in the early morning, they stood on a two-foot-wide stone path, swinging the chisel in their hands continuously, breaking the stone wall bit by bit and clearing the rubble out of the stone path until dark.
Due to the heavy workload, some people are really tired and exhausted, and sometimes they faint while standing on the stone road.
However, there was no space for people to rest on this stone path. The weak and drowsy people were like ripe and plump fruits about to fall in the autumn forest, hanging on the cliff with ropes tied around their waists.
It was just an iron nail as thick as a finger wedged into the stone wall. How could it withstand such a falling force?
Soon, this person really fell from the stone wall like a ripe fruit and fell silently into the valley.
Brother Qing and the third brother were acquaintances from the same hometown who had been conscripted here for military service. They had always been thinking of their wives and children at home, encouraging each other. If one of them was about to faint from exhaustion on the wall, the people nearby would always shout to wake him up to prevent him from falling off the cliff.
But after working like this for many days, they still felt heartbroken when they saw that one after another people would never come back.
Until yesterday, one of them became exhausted and fell ill, yet they were still required to climb the cliff. After a full day, his hands and feet were weak and he couldn't even break any more gravel. Everyone encouraged him, and finally, when it was time to call it a day and get down the cliff, he made it.
But the soldier supervising the work pointed at the man and said that he was lazy and slacking off. As punishment, he was not allowed to go down the cliff tonight and had to make up for the work he missed during the day.
After all, the group of people were from the same hometown. Some of them asked the soldiers for mercy, but in return they got the third brother covered in whip marks.
Early this morning, the few people were not surprised to see the bare stone wall with the fruits fallen off.
The soldiers came again, holding the whips they were very familiar with.
At that moment, a feeling of despair welled up from deep within me. Why were they trapped here, toiling to death?
Yu Qing stood up and shouted, "I'm going to die anyway, I'm done with this!"
ยท
After staying in Yi Town for seven days, Liu Ziye, Jin Jie and others, with almost the entire town's young and old, set out on their journey back east.
Du Hui had brought the latest news, saying that another key figure in Yucheng needed her to personally arrange an interview in her capacity as the Young Marquis of Xiguan. Since the fiefdom was first acquired, and she had led her men out to search for and develop the first iron ore, Liu Ziye hadn't returned to Yucheng in over six months.
The roads in Xiguan County had not yet begun to be renovated according to Liu Ziye's plan. It was seven or eight days later that Jin Jie and his companions returned to Yucheng from this small town on the border.
As soon as they entered the Dubei Gate of Yucheng, Du Hui, who had received the news in advance, was already waiting at the city gate.
Not only did he grow more than half a head taller in just a few months, but due to the daily exposure to wind and sun, as well as the constant running around and exercise, he could tell even in the early winter weather with his cotton clothes that his young marquis's body had undergone a complete transformation.
It used to be dazzling, but everyone could see that it was just a shiny shell.
Now it is like a sharp blade that has been polished, but its edge is hidden.
When he saw Du Hui, Liu Ziye stopped his horse for a moment, then jumped off the horse's back and landed on the ground.
Liu Ziye said, "Mr. Du."
Du Hui, who was always steady and self-possessed in front of others, looked at his young master with such a feeling of joy that he couldn't stop smiling, as if his son had grown up.
"Hey, Du meets the young marquis!"
He first respectfully and solemnly brought a team of new officials recruited by the mansion to pay tribute to Liu Ziye in the street.
"Gentlemen, please stand up."
Liu Ziye knew the reasons why these people were recruited to the Xiguan Marquis Mansion, so he was not surprised at all when he saw his small team of more than ten people for the first time today.
Du Hui stood up and spoke to Liu Ziye with deep emotion and a touch of familiarity, "After such a long absence, I am delighted to see you again, Young Marquis! You are making progress every day and will be impressive in three days. I am worried that you will soon be left behind by the Young Marquis!"
Liu Ziye said with a smile, "Mr. Du is already very talented. He has never stopped learning for many years. How could he not catch up?"
As the group was talking, they finally returned to the Xiguan Marquis Mansion.
Between summer and autumn this year, the Marquis' Mansion, under the auspices of Liu Biao, underwent a round of rest and renovation both inside and outside.
Starting from the courtyard where Liu Ziye lived, to the study where he often spent a lot of time, and the several mechanical laboratories in the back garden, after asking Liu Ziye for his design and renovation opinions one by one, they also renovated the facade of the marquis' mansion and the living room where the gentlemen lived.
Starting from the gate of the mansion, the bricks and stones on the corridor were replaced with new ones.
The first guest room inside the second gate, used for meeting guests and holding meetings, also underwent significant renovations. These areas were mainly based on Du Hui's suggestions.
In Du Hui's opinion, the lord of a mansion will inevitably have to frequently face the situation of opening the door to welcome talents from all over the world. A decent guest hall is necessary to show the respect and sincerity of the mansion.
At this time, Liu Ziye, led by Liu Biao, sat down in the main seat in the main hall of the guest hall.
Jin Jie and another private guard stood on either side.
Du Hui stood in front of the hall with the others. He lifted his sleeves and bowed first, saying, "Welcome back to the mansion, Young Marquis of Xiguan."
The dozen or so people had clearly reached a consensus long beforehand. Following Du Hui, they bowed in the court, their voices unanimous: "Welcome back, Young Marquis of Xiguan."
Liu Ziye, who had just sat down in the main seat, suddenly saw this scene and knocked his teacup onto the table with a "bang".
If Jin Jie hadn't been quick-eyed and quick-handed, he would have helped in time.
This porcelain cup is likely to fall directly to the ground and break into pieces!
Liu Ziye was extremely shocked.
No, Mr. Du, with your attitude, do you think she is the leader of the Sun Moon Sect?!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
