webnovelfull Chapter 119 The Origin of the Mine
Chapter 119 The Origin of the Mine
Xu Xing was still wealthy and took out a night pearl for lighting.
The two walked along the markings on the map. The branches and bushes on the road showed signs of being newly broken, and it seemed that miners had recently transported them to the mine.
Since I wasn't out looking for anything this time, I felt a lot more relaxed. Being bored on the road, Jiang Hao casually asked about the two mines.
Before Xu Xing came here, he had already made an in-depth understanding of the mines. Seeing Jiang Hao asking about it, he did not hide it and talked about the origins of the two mines, which could also help to kill time along the way.
It was still a long way to the mine, and the number of miners being sent to the mine was large, making a lot of noise and being a big target. Even if these people were right in front of them and chatting in a low voice, they didn't have to worry about being overheard.
There is a difference in the timing of development of the two mines.
Nineteen years ago, two hunters went to the Shudao Mountain to hunt. They stayed there for a few days and got a lot of rewards. On the way back, they encountered a blind bear in the distance.
Although the two were skilled and brave, they had been in the mountains for several days, running and hunting in the forest, and were already very tired. When they encountered the deadly black bear, they decided to run back and hide for a while.
The blind bear heard them running away and followed them all the way. The two were so frightened that they ran away in panic and finally fled to the vicinity of the silver mine.
It was late at night, and there might be other ferocious beasts further in. Just as the two were thinking about what to do, they happened to see a tree house on a big tree by the moonlight. So, without thinking, they climbed up the tree house to take refuge.
Not long after, the blind bear appeared.
However, it did not approach the tree house and turned away.
The two did not dare to be careless and hid in the tree house for a night, and did not come down from the tree house until dawn the next day. The two, tired and hungry, prepared to roast a pheasant to fill their stomachs before finding their way back.
Unexpectedly, one of the hunters accidentally stepped on the thick dead leaves and fell into a long-abandoned trap.
The trap was soaked by rain water, and the soil around it showed signs of swelling and collapse. Because of this, the hunter saw a dark gray ore embedded in the soil.
The hunter thought the stone was very strange, so when his companions rescued him, they took the ore with them.
After escaping from the mountains, the two went to the county town to sell their prey. When they were settling the money with the innkeeper, a merchant saw the ore in their hands.
Silver mines...were discovered.
The government officials quickly led the hunters back into Shudao Mountain. After a long search and several casualties, they finally found the place.
Later, a series of pre-mining preparations and mining work were slowly carried out.
It was at this time that Lu Zhan was appointed as the head of the silver mine from the distant Kyoto. He stayed away from the hustle and bustle and took root in the deep mountains.
The next year, a gold mine was discovered about ten miles away from the silver mine.
These two mines delivered hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver to the national treasury every year, but in recent years, the amount has been decreasing year by year.
Although it seems normal, the expenditures in the account books, the increase in the personnel roster, the compensation for the miners who died, etc. have increased year by year.
The Ministry of Revenue is under the charge of the Third Prince, but there are the Crown Prince's people in it, and the two mines are fat sheep. Once the amount of gold and silver decreases, they will naturally be targeted.
After listening to this, Jiang Hao was not interested in the factional struggles in the court.
But she was sighing. Generally, the silver mine is buried at least tens or hundreds of meters deep. The hunter fell into a trap two or three meters deep and picked up the silver-gray ore. Isn't this luck too good?