Nanming Engineer

Chapter 104 Mining Area
There were five or six leaders who came back with him. They were all leaders of small tribes in the deep mountains of Shizhu. There were only five or six hundred villagers in the village under their control. It was rare for them to go out of the mountains at ordinary times. Looking at everything in Longevity Valley, his eyes are full of envy and longing.

For them, everything in Longevity Valley is so shocking, the flat paddy field that can't be seen at a glance, the rice transplanting farmers all over it, the towering and huge city, the flat bluestone streets, the patchwork of residential houses, the solemn The majestic government barracks and the tall soldiers with chests and stomachs made the leaders sigh and admire. Even the drainage ditches on both sides of the street made them watch for a long time, thinking it was a novelty, so they figured it out. Its use is greatly admired.They all marveled that the scale of Wanshou Valley was even more majestic and exquisite than Tusi City.

And all of this is actually managed by the young Lord Wang, the adoptive son of the comfort envoy, and he has long heard that he has the ability to turn stones into gold. The heads looked at him, apart from admiration, There is another layer of awe, which is very natural. Those who are capable are the objects of admiration everywhere.

When Xu Tiezhu got the news that Wang Huan was back, and Zhou Cheng hurried back from the fields to the official office of Wanshou City, Wang Huan was already sitting in the meeting hall, drinking a cup of tea.

Wang Huan was sitting in the large armchair in the middle. After taking a shower and changing clothes, he had changed into a well-fitting long gown with round neck and arrow sleeves, wearing a square scarf on his head, and wearing leather thick-soled boots. The leaders at the bottom were talking.

Xu Tiezhu went straight into the hall in surprise, ran to Wang Huan's seat in a few steps, and shouted at Wang Huan: "Huan... oh no, Mr. Wang, you are back!?"

In front of the bosses, it is too shameful to call him brother Huan, and he has to pay attention to the status of the occasion. Xu Tiezhu is very clear about this.

Wang Huan was also very happy. He stood up and punched Xu Tiezhu in the chest, and said with a smile, "Yeah, I haven't seen you in half a month. You seem to have grown taller and stronger."

Xu Tiezhu's face smiled like a flower. He looked at Wang Huan and giggled. Behind him, Zhou Cheng also smiled and stood firmly, holding the book that seemed to never leave his body, waiting for Wang Huan to ask questions. .

"Come, come, let me introduce you two leaders. They are all heroes who have worked hard with me this time. Without them, I would still be walking around in the valley at this time." Wang Huan was not busy. Instead of asking about things in the valley, he took Xu Tiezhu's hand and looked at the leaders sitting on the left and right sides.

The chiefs were all big girls on sedan chairs. It was the first time they were sitting in such a majestic official meeting hall. They didn't dare to move casually for fear of being rude. They kept talking to Wang Huan respectfully. Seeing Wang Huan like this at this time Treating Xu Tiezhu and Zhou Cheng affectionately, he immediately bounced his butt that was only half-sitting on the chair, and came forward to say hello with a charming smile.

"Everyone sit down, sit down, there is no need to be formal." After Wang Huan had introduced the two parties, he greeted boldly: "Drink tea, come, Tie Zhu, Zhou Cheng, let me show you the details of this trip around the mountain." reward."

Wang Huan happily pulled a few large backs from his side. It was when he led people into the mountain. The things carried by the guards were empty when they set off, but they were full of loads at this time.

Xu Tiezhu and Zhou Cheng leaned forward, and saw that the bamboo sash was filled with stones of different colors, some were white, some were yellow, some were brown, and each color of stone was packed separately. I picked up a back strap, one of which contained a big cloth bag, which was so bulging that I don't know what it was.

Xu Tiezhu looked at it, and couldn't help being stunned: "What kind of stone is this?"

Zhou Cheng picked up a piece, put it under his nose and smelled it. He raised his head and asked doubtfully, "Sir, this seems to be lime?"

Wang Huan gave Zhou Cheng an approving look, took the stone in his hand and said, "That's right, this piece is limestone. It's a vein found in a depression in Mount Qiyue. It's a huge piece. The people of Mapotou made a great contribution." pieces."

A thin man with a white beard who was sitting on the side hurriedly stood up when he heard the sound, and said repeatedly with a smile on his face: "Where is it, this is a local product of the little old man, it is my honor to be able to enter Lord Wang's eyes. "

Wang Huan smiled and nodded, "Mabotou is worthy, please sit down."

The white-bearded man named Ma Bo sat down proudly. Being praised by Wang Huan seemed to be a great thing in his opinion. His beard was raised, and he looked around at the other leaders on the left and right like a show off.

Wang Huan picked up another piece of ore from another belt and explained: "This one is even more powerful. It is pyrite, with high-quality minerals and few impurities, and it is produced in the territory of Ma Yongtou. "

"This piece is saltpeter. It belongs to fire salt. It is inseparable from making gunpowder. It is produced in the territory of the head of Madi."

"This is asbestos ore. Well, let's put it this way, Huohuanbu is made from it. It is a specialty of the Mayutou people's territory."

"This one is pure iron ore. When it is extracted, it becomes pig iron. To make weapons and farm implements, and to smelt steel, you must rely on this iron ore, which is produced in the territory of the leader Ma Huairen."

He introduced a kind of ore, and even praised a leader. All the leaders in the seat were flushed, and they all stood up to respond, with a look of radiance on their faces that they were valued by the superiors, and they were very happy.

They all knew about the discovery of silver mines on Ma Chongming's land. Although they were not so lucky and there were no silver mines in their territory, the God of Wealth, who turned stones into gold, valued these other minerals that were usually ignored by no one. It is also a blessing, not to mention earning money like Ma Chongming in the future, at least it is very possible to improve the current plight of being poor.

So when Wang Huan arrived at his village, they were more attentive than welcoming the consolation envoys. They waited on the saddles and horses, accompanied them personally up and down the ditch, and ran around all over the mountain, lest if they were not careful, Mr. Wang would look down on the minerals they could provide. , it will be bad once you leave.

Today, the headmen are very happy to be able to return to Longevity City with Wang Huan, but Xu Tiezhu and Zhou Cheng standing in the hall are confused, they pick up this stone and look at that stone , thinking the same thought in his mind: "What's wrong with Mr. Wang? It's okay to say that iron ore can be used to smelt weapons and agricultural tools. What are those lime ore, pyrite, and saltpeter mines used for? Could this be the time when he left? As you said, are you going to open a mine on a large scale?"

Wang Huan looked at the forced expressions of the two, and asked enthusiastically, "What? What don't you understand?"

Xu Tiezhu and Zhou Cheng looked at each other and exchanged confused looks in each other's eyes. Then Xu Tiezhu lowered his voice speculatively and asked: "Sir, what are these minerals used for? We thought you were going into the mountains to find new materials. I went to the silver mine, but I didn't expect to find these useless stones."

Wang Huan frowned, staring and said: "Silver mine? Do you think it is a stone slab all over the street? Where are there so many silver mines, and this stone pillar is as wide as a mountain. If we can find a silver mine in Tubaozhai, we will burn it It's so fragrant, what are you thinking!"

"However, if there are no silver mines, we can't open mines casually." Xu Tiezhu persuaded: "These mines can't be sold for money, and we are useless. Instead, it is a waste of food for the miners."

He thought that in order to solve the job problem of the refugees, Wang Huan wanted to open mines regardless of his will. As a brother and an assistant, he must make suggestions.

Wang Huan smiled instead of anger, and grinned without any anger, patted Xu Tiezhu's shoulder and said, "What are you selling for? These are treasures. We don't have enough for ourselves. How can we sell them to others?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll start building a smelting plant as soon as the mine opens, and then you'll understand the magic of these stones." Wang Huan said, "However, there is one thing here that you two will definitely like."

He pulled the back strap containing the big cloth bag, opened it mysteriously, and grabbed a handful of sand from it. The sand was fine river sand, and the white particles were as clean as snow particles. Wang Huan raised his hand high, letting the sand Sliding from between the fingers, there are bright golden flashes, looming among the sand grains flowing down like a waterfall.

"This is Jinsha." Wang Huan said briefly.

(End of this chapter)