Chapter 48: Silly (Part 1)
Fengshan Street has been quite restless these days. Even the slowest-thinking miners have realized that something is not right here.
Ruyifang has not sent a new manager.
Mine Supervisor Sun completely controlled Fengshan Street. He also removed miners who were loyal to the court and set up a mining protection team.
The foremen were all silent and just worked without saying a word about anything else.
Not only were the overdue wages paid in full, but even the food in the canteen with the big pot stove became much better, and the warehouse that used to be enjoyed by the foreman was opened.
The seven cooks from the stewards' families were arranged to work in the kitchen, under the command of Sun Kuangjian's old servant.
All kinds of pickled meats and vegetables, rice and grain pancakes were made, making the miners eat a lot of greasy food these days.
A few days ago, Sun Mining Supervisor also organized a "public trial".
Several Ruyifang lackeys who were disliked by the people on the street, had bad behavior, and had killed people were hanged in public, which made everyone feel relieved.
Supervisor Sun has been sending people to persuade the villagers not to worry as they have the support of the imperial court, but rumors are flying everywhere and Ruyifang will definitely not let this go after suffering such a huge loss.
Their inevitable revenge is a huge hidden danger.
Ordinary people who want to live a peaceful life fear this the most.
But the development of things was unexpected.
It was not until a few days ago, when they were working in the mine and were organized by people sent by Mine Supervisor Sun to go to the mountains to close the battlefield, that they learned that Ruyifang had already organized people to Laifeng Mountain to "suppress the bandits."
However, when these honest miners saw with their own eyes that two hundred Ruyifang thugs were defeated and fled in disarray, they finally realized it.
Things have changed at Fengshan Mine.
Mining Supervisor Sun won again.
It was just as mysterious as the last victory.
When this previously insignificant mine supervisor rode his horse proudly and inspected the battlefield with his mine protection team, the majesty of the imperial court he represented once again gained popularity among the people.
Ordinary miners accepted their fate.
Ruyifang couldn't fight back in a short time. Under the "new order" presided over by Sun the Mine Supervisor, wages were paid in full, food was good, and they no longer had to be bullied and exploited by Ruyifang's lackeys.
Even the girls in the brothels became much more enthusiastic.
The foremen also accepted their fate.
They know more.
The mysterious "assistant" behind Mining Supervisor Sun has been keeping an eye on them. His wife and children are controlled by him, and the fate of wanting to be a loyal subject of Ruyifang will definitely not be good.
The work in the mines was therefore recovering rapidly, and the output of various minerals soon returned to the usual level. After Mine Supervisor Sun deliberately won over the people's hearts, the daily increase in mineral output increased a lot.
But even in Fengshan Street where most people have accepted their fate, there are still some people who refuse to accept it.
They are the old miners who specialize in digging spiritual mines.
They are a very special group. When Ruyifang controlled Fengshan Street before, they were like the bosses, and their food, clothing and other expenses were much better than those of ordinary miners.
And it was a death contract signed with Ruyifang.
The monthly salary is several times more than that of the foreman. He is a true "working aristocrat" with an extraordinary status.
These old miners have skills that others cannot learn.
When they were young and strong, they were "trained" by Ruyifang with secret methods so that they could dig spiritual mines.
According to the foremen who have surrendered, these old miners are very secretive when working and do not allow others to watch. They do not bring any special tools and only use pickaxes.
There is no need to cut the spiritual ore clusters. Just swing the hoe like an ordinary miner. When the spiritual ore is dug out, it will automatically turn into spiritual stones the size of the palm.
It looks simple, but no one knows the principle.
The incident at Fengshan Mine happened so suddenly that these "senior technicians" from Ruyifang did not have time to evacuate before they were "captured" by Mine Supervisor Sun.
But one by one, they learned "non-violent non-cooperation" without any guidance.
He just stayed in the house, ate his meals and drank his wine as usual , but didn't say a word. No matter how the Fourth Brother threatened or tempted him, he just wouldn't open his mouth and refused to cooperate.
Even if he was whipped, he would bite to death.
It seems he has made up his mind.
Without them, these bandits would have no chance of digging out the spiritual stones.
"I'm here to ask you about the secrets of mining. You don't have to be nervous."
Jiang Xia sat in the house where several old miners were imprisoned. This used to be a steward's residence, and now it was used as a dormitory and warehouse by wasteland warriors. It was spacious and heavily guarded.
The fourth brother was guarding the door, and there were only Jiang Xia and four old miners in the room.
These miners are different from ordinary miners just by looking at their spirit.
Although they are all over 30 or 40 years old, they are strong and have bright eyes, just like the weightlifting guys in their previous lives, each with muscular bodies.
Like four passionate old men.
When they saw Jiang Xia come in, they didn't say much, and didn't even look at him. Some were lying on the bed, some were sitting on the chair, and some were leaning against the wall, each doing their own thing.
Jiang Xia was not angry, and he didn't waste any more words.
He pulled out a large-caliber revolver from his waist, covered one of his ears with his hand, and fired a shot at the table in the corner of the room.
"boom"
The large-caliber bullet, which was enough to knock down a cow with one shot, exploded the surface of the sturdy solid wood table, sending wood chips flying and leaving a hole the size of a human head.
The sudden shooting startled the four old miners.
There was a hint of fear in their eyes.
Perhaps he felt that the bandit leader had lost his patience and was here to execute them today.
but not.
"I have no intention of hurting you. I just want to know your skills. I know you won't cooperate so much, so I plan to use a special way of asking questions."
With a click, Jiang Xia opened the magazine and ejected the remaining five bullets in front of the miners. He then turned the empty magazine over and showed it to them.
Under the watchful eyes of four miners, he took out a pointed bullet, put it into the cylinder, and with a flick of his hand, the cylinder started to move rapidly, and as Jiang Xia turned his wrist, it was stuck back into the gun body.
Jiang Xia raised the beautifully shaped revolver and waved it at the four miners.
He said:
"I want to choose a lucky friend to ask, who is so lucky... it's you! You look younger, not as stubborn as the old men, and not as fearless of life and death."
Jiang Xia took a few steps forward and put the muzzle of the gun against the chest of the younger-looking miner. He said:
"I only have one bullet and can shoot six times. I don't know which one will hit you and make your heart explode. It's all about luck.
You know, right?
Bet on your luck. If you are unlucky, the first shot will make your intestines burst.
I ask you.
Will you help us dig for spiritual stones?"
The miner's body was shaking. He looked at the table that had been pierced. The horrible hole made his heart chill.
Even though he had been tempered with secret methods in Ruyifang, he did not feel that his flesh and blood was stronger than a solid wooden table.
Fear spread in his heart and was felt by Jiang Xia.
But even though he was so scared, he still gritted his teeth and shook his head.
"Click"
His finger pulled the trigger and moved it back, causing the pointer on the gun body to shift one notch to the left, causing a clear reverberating sound. The miner in front of him suddenly widened his eyes and let out a long breath.
Amidst the fear in their hearts, a feeling of joy suddenly arose, and the other three people also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment.
“What good luck.”
Jiang Xia retracted the pistol, smiled and patted the miner on the shoulder.
The latter's pale face also showed a smile of surviving a disaster, but before the smile disappeared, the cold muzzle of a gun was pressed against his forehead.
Jiang Xia remained calm and said in a low voice:
"Round two, are you ready?"
The miner's smile froze on his face, and the joy of escaping death in his eyes suddenly turned into panic of the coming doomsday.
Before he could say anything, Jiang Xia pulled the trigger again.
"Click"
Another empty bullet sounded, like a piercing buzzing sound, echoing over the miner's head.
This time the reaction was more intense than the last time.
He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, and his body was shaking visibly.
Escaping death for the second time was much more exciting than the first time.
"Third round, let's see how lucky you are."
Jiang Xia's expression turned cold, and he said:
"Are you willing to help?"
"Have mercy on me! Please."
The miner looked at the black muzzle of the gun and completely collapsed. He hugged Jiang Xia's legs and wailed loudly, but the muzzle of the gun was still pointing coldly at his forehead and his finger was still on the trigger.
Begging for mercy was not the answer he wanted.
The other three people in the room were also stunned. They were not afraid of death, but the process of death had now been extended to six times. This was absolute torture.
"Oh, my king, please spare us."
In the dead silence of the room, the oldest of the four miners finally couldn't bear it anymore. He stood up from the bed, clasped his fists and bowed to Jiang Xia, saying in a sad tone:
"We are not the kind of people who will not bow their heads until we die. We are just ordinary people. Who wouldn't be afraid of us?
Working in Ruyifang is not a comfortable life.
In the past few days, we have all seen how well the king treats ordinary miners. We all know that you should not be really bad people. If we can help, we will definitely help.
But my king, we really can’t help you!”
Seeing the leader speak, the other two also begged for mercy:
"My lord, we both have wives and children in the hands of Ruyifang. If they knew that we were helping you open a mine, our families would be finished."
"My king, don't be fooled by the fact that Ruyifang treats us well, but that's just an appearance."
The old miner wiped his eyes and said sadly:
"Since I was young and strong, I was chosen by them. They tempered me with secret methods and taught me to dig spiritual ore. That was like signing a death contract. My wife and children at home were said to be protected, but in fact they were under house arrest.
I work hard every year, but I can only see my family two or three times.
They dare to use us with confidence because they have grasped our weak spot. How dare we have any second thoughts?
There were other people before who seduced miners and tried to learn secret techniques, but once they were discovered, not only would their families be killed, but Ruyifang would also hire assassins to hunt them down for thousands of miles.
Several of us were already half buried in the ground.
Death is death.
But the incense tradition cannot be destroyed, my king, please be kind and let us go."
"Yes, my king, please let us go."
The frightened miner simply knelt on the ground and kowtowed desperately. This appearance made Jiang Xia realize that their mental defenses were already crumbling.
If you threaten him once or twice more, maybe you can get the secret method.
but……
"Do you know where your family is being held?"
Jiang Xia was a little annoyed. He put away his gun and suddenly asked.
Several miners were stunned.
The oldest one immediately understood what Jiang Xia meant. He knelt on the ground and said loudly:
“It’s near Fengyang County City, but I don’t know exactly where it is.
The people in Ruyifang are very cunning and will move my family members all the time. If the king can rescue our family members, we will regard it as selling them to the king!
I will work hard in the future and never have second thoughts!"
"Go do your work first!"
Jiang Xia said:
"I will go and save your family, but you must also show your sincerity and go dig for spiritual ore, or tell me what the secret method is?"
"this……"
Several miners looked at each other in silence. After a long while, the oldest miner gritted his teeth and said:
"We can't do it! But...but the king may be able to find someone else."
He raised his head and said to Jiang Xia in a pleading tone:
"There is a man among the miners named Niu Sansheng, who came here a few years ago . He is different from the others, and the manager once promised us to take him to mine spiritual ore.
But that man was very stupid.
He always made mistakes while doing his work. Although he had a good temper, he was just not smart enough, so he was finally assigned to the ordinary miners.
Only we know this. Although the man's skills are very poor, his method...
He generally understands it.
Besides, he has no family."
