Chapter 265: Mine Inspection, Mining Industry in Classical Era
"Haha, Necali, my warrior who is good at fighting!"
Shulot laughed. He took two steps forward, held up the warrior captain's arm, and signaled him to stand up.
"You have been in charge of the main copper mine in Qingambat for four months. How is the situation at the mine?"
"Your Highness, the main copper mine is operating normally. There are five brigades of miners, more than a thousand people in total, and one brigade of warriors, 200 people!"
Necali stood up and answered loudly, as if he was being inspected by a marshal in the army. He continued to report respectfully and in detail.
"At the end of the Western Expedition, the Chinganbat copper mine fell into chaos. The Tarasco warriors who guarded the copper mine were transferred to the front line, and most of the old miners fled. The mining area began to recover after the victory of the Western Expedition. Under the leadership of the Holy Eagle Warrior,
With the help of the company, new miners were constantly recruited from all over the country... July and August are the peak periods of the rainy season. The rain was too heavy and the mine was suspended for more than two months. The mine was not officially mined until mid-September.
In the small furnace for ore smelting, a new batch of copper materials has been smelted and can be transported to the capital at any time..."
Shulot took a step forward and strode towards the mine while listening to the report of the samurai captain. The samurai captain gave a few instructions in a low voice, and the thousands of personal guards were divided into two teams. Half of them were stationed outside.
They occupied a high place for reconnaissance, focusing on the south. The other half held their weapons and followed the king with a cold expression.
Amidst the solemn footsteps of the guards, the deep and majestic Black Wolf King's flag was also erected on the high ground of the mining camp. The stationed warriors shouted harshly, and the more than a thousand miners were like a large group of worker ants, obeying at the same time
Kneeling down. They bowed their heads deeply and clung to the cold and muddy ground. They did not dare to make any sound or peek at the king's face. They just waited silently for the king's instructions.
"Well, my expression is numb, my eyes are fearful, and my obedience is very good..."
After observing the performance of the miners, Shulot waved his hand.
"Let them continue working without delaying production."
Upon hearing this, the warrior captain immediately became murderous and roared.
"The Supreme King has come to the mine! Come to work with all your strength! Anyone who cannot meet today's target will be hung on the railing by me!"
The miners spoke in low voices in fear, like worker bees receiving orders. Soon, they lowered their heads again and started busy in silence.
Shulot looked around and saw the so-called railing. It was a higher hill with a row of wooden poles several meters long, and dozens of heads were hanging on the wooden poles. Autumn on the plateau
It was still hot, and the head had long since rotted beyond recognition. Large groups of flies were lingering around the head, and the faint smell drifted in the wind, spreading a silent threat.
"Your Highness, these were the miners who were the first to cause trouble and were unwilling to go to the mines when work resumed! There were also some miners who were recruited and wanted to escape at night... I arrested them all that day and held them in front of the miners.
Behead them one by one!"
Neckarion raised his head and thanked His Highness for his decisiveness.
"This group of miners was disobedient and wanted to make a fuss, but I suppressed it easily! After grabbing the leader and cutting them off one by one, the other followers became much more docile. We Mexican warriors are all corpses.
Those who were killed in the mountains and seas of blood, how can these humble miners have any room for arrogance! No matter how dangerous it is to mine in the mine, you have to be honest and die in the mine!..."
Shulot looked at it for a moment and nodded expressionlessly.
Mining underground is considered a dangerous path in any era. But in this era of mythological ignorance, it is even more so. People generally believe that the underground is the kingdom of the dead. Going deep underground lurks irresistible dangers and offends the majesty of the gods.
Mining in mines is just like sailing. It is a profession that must be taken up as a last resort, and it has no long-term and reliable future. The status of miners in the entire society is very low, and it is difficult to get married and start a family.
After the Western Expedition, the nobles from all over the country were wiped out, and large areas of farmland were abandoned without owners. There were still many widowed young women in the villages. As long as the miners lied about being refugees and fled to the villages, they could work on public fields and happily marry and have children.
, live a long and peaceful life. Without violent coercion and restraint, few miners would be willing to stay in the mine.
The recruitment of this group of skilled miners relied on the strict military management of the lake area. Their origins were identified by the shrewd village elders, and they were reported to the priest in charge, and were then escorted here by the militia captains.
The king pondered for a moment and then slowly spoke.
"Necali, forced restraint is indeed essential, but it cannot be done blindly. Jaguars hunting wild deer will also leave the deer herd alive. The treatment of the miners can be appropriately improved."
"As you command, Your Highness."
The samurai captain immediately lowered his head and accepted the order. Then, he smiled and said.
"Your Highness, the veterans of the legion all know that you have always been merciful, and we all regard you as a mountain to look up to! After executing the miner leader, I specially distributed samurai drinks to appease the miners. They also had enough food.
, Your Highness, you can rest assured!”
"Very good! I will allocate enough drinks for you. Necali, ever since you adapted to the situation and captured the gate of the royal capital, I have valued your ability and have high hopes for you! Mining copper mines is a major event for the feudal country.
, I’ll leave it to you, I’m relieved!”
Shulot smiled and nodded, patting the other person's shoulder affectionately.
The miners of this era were extremely overworked and arduous, and were always in danger of their lives. They were highly organized, could escape surveillance in underground mines, secretly communicate with each other, and had bronze mining pickaxes in their hands, so they were prone to riots. They were
The most dangerous category of civilians needs equally strong responsible people to manage them.
Necali is a senior scout with excellent martial arts skills. He can survive brutal battles in front of the battlefield and is also proficient in the Prepecha language. He is flexible and ruthless in his methods. He can not only suppress the warriors he leads, but also suppress them in time.
Rioting miners.
Shulot took a fancy to his past performance and appointed him as the person in charge of the mine. Now it seems that this candidate is very suitable!
Thinking of this, the king's smile became gentle.
"Necali, my warrior, are you used to staying in the mine? If you have any needs in daily life, you can tell me directly, or you can mention it to the logistics officer who transports grain and grass in the future!"
"Ah, Your Highness...A warrior must restrain his desires and polish his body. I don't have any requirements in life, I just have an idea in my heart..."
The warrior captain's expression changed. He hesitated for a moment, and when he saw His Highness's encouraging smile, he carefully changed his name to a more affectionate one.
"Marshal, I am a veteran who has followed you in the war for many years. I am a senior warrior who has been beheaded and promoted. I have never touched a copper pickaxe... I want to return to the legion, participate in the war of the feudal country, and continue to fight for you!
...This kind of boring job of guarding the mine is so boring that people get sores on their buttocks..."
"Ha ha!"
Hearing Nekali's request, Shulot laughed dumbly. He thought for a while, straightened his expression, and gave the order.
"Necali, the Western Expedition has just stopped, and the country needs to rest and recuperate. There has been no war recently. Even if troops are used on the border, they are just to capture prisoners and replenish the population of the country. The time is spent on marching and escorting prisoners.
There’s nothing interesting about it.”
"My warrior, the copper mine is the foundation of the feudal country. This mining area is very important! I came here this time to conduct an on-site inspection and expand the scale of the mine. Soon, the number of people and output in the mining area will far exceed that of the tower.
The heyday of the Kingdom of Lascaux!...Necali, you have a heavy burden on you!"
The king softened his tone and said with a smile.
"Of course, I see all your achievements and I am ready to put them to great use. As long as you do well, I will hand over this mining area and more than a dozen mines to you and make you the general person in charge!
"
"As you command, Marshal!"
Hearing the word "Dayong", Nekali perked up and answered loudly. Then, he whispered to himself in frustration.
"The general person in charge of the mining area? That's not the mining person..."
"Um?"
"I will never live up to your expectations, Marshal!"
Necali immediately shouted loudly, trying to cheer up.
The warrior commander next to him shook his head slightly. He knew the status of the copper mining area in His Highness's heart, and also knew how big the planned mining area could be. As the general person in charge, Necali has actually been promised to be equivalent to the commander of the army.
a promising future.
"What a lucky guy..."
Thinking of this, Bertard smiled, but did not speak for His Highness.
The king just stretched out his hand, solemnly shook Necali's hair, and spoke seriously again.
"Necali, please introduce the specific situation in the mine and let me see how much you know about the things here!"
"As you command, Marshal!"
Necali bowed his head in salute, straightened his back and spoke loudly in reply.
"The Chinganbat copper mining area is located 100 miles southwest of the royal capital, 60 miles south of the west of Patzcuaro City, and 40 miles southwest of Ivacchio City. This main mine is beside a mountain river. Around the entire mining area,
The terrain within fifty miles is mountainous, the march is slow, and the food roads are difficult. Bulk transportation can only rely on narrow rivers..."
Necali continued to describe based on the experience of scout investigation.
"The mining area mainly contains jaguar-spotted copper ore, both above ground and underground. The above ground ore at the main mine has been almost mined by the Prepecha people, and there are still some in several small mines nearby. According to
According to the mining information these days, the ore underground is of higher quality and more copper can be smelted!..."
Hearing this, Xiuluo nodded and thought far away.
The Chinganbat mining area is a large-scale porphyry copper mine that has been exploited until later generations. The copper-bearing zone reserves on the surface are in the tens of millions of tons, while the deep layers are difficult to estimate. There are huge extended mineral layers in the deeper layers, accompanied by a considerable amount of
of gold and silver. However, in Central America, where there is no shortage of gold and silver mines, the gold and silver associated with copper have no mining value for the time being. Because in the territory of the Alliance, there are many rich gold and silver ores that are easy to mine.
The king listened to the report, but looked at the busy miners not far away. He saw hundreds of people making fires and burning the copper-containing rock walls. There were hundreds more people who were about to enter the mine, each with a gloomy and fearful expression.
It's like going to the terrible abyss.
"what are they doing?"
Hulot asked, pointing to the miners setting fire.
"Marshal, they are using the inherited method to break the rock wall. First, they use fire to burn the rock wall red, and then pour cold water from the small pool of the mountain spring. This triggers the conflict between the fire god and the water god, and it breaks into pieces in the battle of divine power.
Hard rock formations, and then take out the copper-containing stones!”
"Burn it with fire and pour it with water. Well, this uses thermal expansion and contraction to crack the stone layer."
Shulot thought for a moment, then pointed to the mine not far away.
"How deep is the underground excavation? How long is it?"
"The deepest part of the mine is about twenty meters, but the main area is about ten meters. It is difficult to calculate the length. I estimate it is more than a mile? According to myths and legends, the depths of the earth are very dangerous, and there are monsters and monsters hidden there. These evil things
When attacked, the torches and oil lamps will be extinguished for no reason, plunging everything into darkness. The miners will also be sucked out of life in the darkness, their faces will be cherry red, and they will fall to the ground and die inexplicably without a single wound on their bodies. Even if they are
Even if you are lucky enough to be rescued, you will become crazy and stupid as if you are dementia due to the loss of life."
"And if you dig any further, you will easily offend the Mother Goddess of the Earth and cause shaking and landslides. Therefore, miners never dare to dig too deep for fear of disturbing the demons suppressing the underground or offending the majesty of the Mother Goddess...
"
Having said this, Necali's face showed deep awe. This veteran warrior, who was not afraid of life and death on the battlefield and killed people like mowing grass, had to tremble, bow his head and retreat when faced with the unknown mythical power.
Shulot remained calm and shook his head slightly. He carefully thought about the details of the warrior captain's story.
"The flames extinguished for no reason, his face turned red, and he fell to the ground dead... This was due to lack of oxygen and carbon monoxide poisoning. Ventilation problems, vibrations and landslides need to be solved... The passage at such a deep level also needs wooden supports to be fixed."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! While Shulot was thinking, he saw another group of miners coming out of the underground. They had numb expressions and said nothing, carrying clay pots behind them, and walked quietly until
At the edge of the small pool, water was poured from the clay pot with a "crash" sound.
"Huh? The clay pot is full of water?"
"Yes, Marshal. This is mine drainage. There is too much water in the rainy season. Drainage is done every day and requires the most manpower. Sometimes, drainage is even the only job in the rainy season. You see, the mountain spring's
There is a shallow channel in the small pond, and the overflowing water is led from the shallow channel to the small river, and finally flows into the lowest-lying Lake Qilahoon..."
Hearing this, Shulot was a little surprised.
"It is indeed dangerous for water to enter mines. But does dewatering require so many manpower?"
"Yes, Marshal. Today, 30% of the people are draining water, and even more when it rains. Drainage is the most important thing in mining. Only when the water is almost completely drained can the miners dig!"
Shulot thought for a while and asked patiently.
"How do the miners arrange it? What is the daily copper output?"
The samurai captain thought for a while and made an estimate with his fingers.
"One team of two hundred warriors, five teams of one thousand miners. Among the five teams, one team of 200 people is responsible for logistical affairs, including logging, burning charcoal, making fires, cooking and other chores."
"A team of 200 people is responsible for the screening and smelting of copper ore. They must first be busy in the river, washing the ore with a wooden chute, and screening out qualified ore blocks. Then they crush the ore blocks, usually the more broken the better.
.Finally, put the clay into a small furnace, leave the air holes, put in the charcoal and simmer to burn it. Finally, after extinguishing the fire, pass the charcoal ash with water, and you will get the ocher yellow copper material... This is also the copper material transported to the capital.
The finished product can be directly forged into copperware."
"Not bad! You are very attentive!"
Shulot affirmed with a smile, expressing satisfaction with Nekali. The warrior captain racked his brains and continued to think about it.
"Then a team of 300 and a half people, carrying clay pots on their backs, kept going in and out of the mine to drain water. When they were almost busy, there was a final team of 300 and a half people. They had to enter the mine carrying bamboo baskets and use bronze pickaxes to dig out the hard rock.
On the stone wall, greenish-yellow copper ore was excavated. This work is very hard and dangerous, and the miners all take turns..."
The king nodded and listened patiently to the end. Necali clenched his fists, beat his chest vigorously, and declared with great pride.
"Marshal, on average, if 300 people dig, each person is required to mine 20 kilograms per day, and 12 kilograms of copper can be obtained after smelting. 1,000 miners in the mining area can produce 3,600 kilograms of copper per day!"
