There is strength in numbers, which is absolutely true in ancient times when productivity was underdeveloped.
In the next few days, news of ore veins being discovered came from various mines.
In order to prevent outsiders from breaking in, Maoliannu directly built a simple fence around the perimeter and sent tribesmen to jointly guard it with Cheng Minting.
In the smelting workshop, Wang Tieshan burst into laughter looking at the endless flow of ore.
Since the discovery of the ore vein, Wang Tieshan was appointed as "Si Jin" and was responsible for the mining of ore.
Starting from the Northern Zhou Dynasty, six officials were established according to the Zhou rites, among which the craftsman was the winter official with five orders.
"Tongdian" records: "The five positive orders are:...Dongguan: Ministry of Industry, Craftsman, Secretary of Wood, Secretary of Tu, Secretary of Gold, Secretary of Water, etc."
Although the position of 'Si Jin' appointed by Yang Fan was only an official of the ninth grade, it also allowed Wang Tieshan to get rid of his status as a craftsman.
This, of course, made him so happy that he was so desperate to work.
Seeing Cheng Minting and his people coming to patrol the mountain, he quickly reported: "General, today's ore production has reached 5,000 shi, which is twice as high as yesterday."
"The output is so high?" Cheng Mingting was a little surprised.
No wonder he is like this, 5,000 stones may not be considered a big deal in later generations with modern tools.
But in ancient times, when digging by manpower, hundreds of thousands of kilograms of ore was definitely a huge number.
Wang Tieshan picked up a piece of silver ore that was estimated to weigh five kilograms in front of him. He couldn't help but said with a cracked mouth: "General, look, this is the ore we dug. The veins of those silver mines are simply amazing. There is no adulteration at all."
Mixed with other things, this content is higher than that of silver-rich ore. In addition, thousands of Fuso people have been recruited to work in the past two days. Those Fuso people are short in stature, but they are definitely good at mining.
There is no difference between stones."
Indeed, Mauriano recruited several thousand miners from the Fuso Kingdom in one fell swoop, and with so many people under his management, Wang Tieshan was certainly very proud.
The most important thing is that those veins are very shallow and there is no need to dig deep at all, so the mining speed is even better than imagined.
"Yes, keep working hard. If there is any change in the miners, remember to report it early." Cheng Minting nodded and affirmed Wang Tieshan.
Then he turned to look at Maoliannu and said: "I heard that many Fuso people have sneaked down the mountain these days, so you have to take precautions."
Seeing the mountains of money, although Cheng Minting was very happy, it made him a little worried.
Maoliannu patted his chest: "General, don't worry, we didn't build a fence a few days ago to allow these Fusang people to take advantage of it. Yesterday, the tribe caught an escaped Fusang miner and directly showed his head to the public. I guess these people don't dare to take advantage of them."
Life is a joke."
"I am not worried about the miners here, but I am worried that after the news of Yinshan spreads, it will cause unnecessary trouble."
Cheng Mingting knows very well how money and silk can move people's hearts.
Thinking carefully, if you were the ruler here and found such a large silver mine, any risk would be worth taking.
There are nearly 5,000 Fuso miners in the entire Iwami Silver Mine, and there are only about 2,000 people including the guards and Mauriano tribesmen.
If you just manage these mining projects, there is nothing to worry about.
Not to mention 5,000 miners, even if there were ten times more miners, his guards could easily handle it.
Cheng Ming was very worried that if the news was revealed, it would cause Emperor Fuso Shumei to spy on him.
After all, this is their home court.
What's more, the wealth is so huge that the other party may take desperate risks.
You must know that the annual tax revenue of the entire Fuso Kingdom is more than 200,000 yuan.
At least millions of silver can be smelted here a month. The mountains in the south of the Yangtze River are high and the emperor is far away. Even if Yang Fan wanted to support him, he couldn't get there so fast.
Seeing that there was more and more silver here, and Yang Fan was already preparing to return to Jiangnan with the prepared silver, Cheng Minting was really worried that something would happen.
In fact, Cheng Mingting's worries are very reasonable.
As the Iwami Silver Mine recruited a large number of workers and some Fuso people escaped, the news that a large number of silver mines appeared here instantly spread throughout the Fuso Kingdom.
Pingchengjing, the capital of the Fuso Kingdom, is one of the birthplaces of Fuso ancient culture.
The historical Heijo-kyo was built in Nara Prefecture, where 90% of Fuso Kingdom's dignitaries lived.
As the leader of the Fuso Kingdom, Emperor Shuming naturally also lived here.
It is undeniable that Emperor Shumei was an ambitious and ambitious king.
Not long after he ascended the throne, he sent Tang envoys to the Tang Dynasty. The purpose was of course to steal troops, which could be described as extremely ambitious.
Now that he knew that an outsider like Yang Fan had actually discovered an astonishing amount of silver mines in his own country, he naturally had a wrong idea.
As a result, the emperor impatiently summoned all ministers to discuss how to take back the Iwami Mine.
But after researching for a long time, I found that there is no reason to take back the mine using normal means.
After all, Yang Fan purchased it through "regular" procedures.
Now Emperor Shuming is really a little downcast.
At first I thought this was a place where birds didn't poop, but I didn't expect that the Tang Dynasty people discovered such a large silver mine there.
According to the news compiled by the people of Fuso, the Iwami Silver Mine produces tens of thousands of taels of silver per day. How could this not make him excited?
After consulting with the ministers, Emperor Shuming decided to take a desperate risk.
"Minister Teng Yuan Zuo decided to send troops to capture the Iwami Silver Mine. What do you think?"
Minister Zuo is the de facto person with the highest responsibility in the Fusang Kingdom's court.
Since he wanted to send troops to capture the Iwami Silver Mine, he naturally had to seek advice from Teng Yuan.
Teng Yuan thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty the Emperor, if we attack each other without any reason, will the Tang Dynasty send troops? It is said that Yang Fan who bought the Iwami Silver Mine is the governor of the Tang Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Shuming hesitated.
Indeed, the Tang Dynasty is now victorious, who dares to attack the Tang Dynasty!
If the Tang Dynasty really sent troops, Fusang Kingdom would only be destroyed.
But Emperor Shuming was unwilling to do so!
Putting such a huge amount of wealth there and just watching it is like putting a piece of meat in front of a hungry wolf but not being allowed to eat it.
Of course, not only Emperor Shumei was unwilling to give in, but Shiro Ibebe was even more unwilling.
As the Right Minister of Fusang State, ever since he went to the Tang Dynasty as an envoy and witnessed the prosperity of Chang'an, he was no longer accustomed to living in poverty.
Now that he has such a good opportunity to win the Iwami Silver Mine, he will never let it go.
In his opinion, if he had this silver mine, he could live in the Tang Dynasty with money and become a master.
Seeing Emperor Shuming's retreat, he quickly persuaded: "Your Majesty, this silver mine is really as big as the rumors say. What's the risk of offending the Tang people?"
"Besides, the Tang Dynasty and Fusang Kingdom have high mountains and long roads, and are separated by a vast ocean. There is no way that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty would waste people and money to go to war with us over a silver mine."
"What's more, the people who discovered these silver mines haven't left our Fusang territory yet. The most important thing is that Yang Fan is loading millions of taels of silver onto the ship. As long as we move more covertly, haha, there are a lot of pirates here.
…”
Yes, the more Emperor Shuming thought about it, the more he felt that the plan was very feasible.
As long as Yang Fan and others are left behind, who will know who did it?
Emperor Shuming couldn't help but get excited. He waved his hand and said: "In that case, let's send 30,000 troops and 20,000 soldiers to besiege the Shijian Silver Mine and kill all the insiders. 10,000 naval troops will intercept Yang Fan and put him to death."
They were all sent to the sea to feed the fish..."
"I am willing to lead an army of 10,000 soldiers to snatch back our UnionPay, please His Majesty the Emperor's permission!" Ibebe Shiro said confidently.
In his opinion, more than 10,000 navy troops can definitely destroy Yang Fan easily.
When the time comes, the more than one million taels of silver will be secretly intercepted. As long as Yang Fan and others are sunk to the bottom of the sea with their money and the ship, no one will dare to say anything.
…
When Emperor Fuso was plotting against Yang Fan, a dock in Shimane Prefecture where the Iwami Silver Mine was located.
Waves rippled on the water, floating outward in circles. Four huge warships docked at the pier, and other ships circled around them.
Taking a closer look, it turned out that Xue Rengui was directing the guards to load boxes of silver and copper onto the ship.
Both silver and copper are precious metals in this era. You must know that copper is the raw material for casting copper coins!
Seeing that the four warships had a much deeper draft, Quan Wanji and his party couldn't help but sigh.
After going to sea, he actually got back millions of silver and copper coins. No wonder Yang Fan missed this place in Jiangnan so much. It was faster than robbery!
After the assembly was completed, Quan Wanji came to Yang Fan and asked: "Grand Governor, everything has been loaded. Do you want to set off now?"
Yang Fan withdrew his gaze, hesitated for a while and said, "Why don't Quan Changshi go back to the city to rest for now, and then we can pick you up after we eliminate those clowns?"
Quan Wanji was stunned for a moment and asked, "Do you mean that we are in danger?"
hehe!
Yang Fan smiled, and he was extremely confident about this: "Of course there is no danger, but some people are jealous of our things, and you don't need to think about it to know that they won't let us leave easily!"
"Oh? Since there is no danger, why should I avoid it? As long as the Governor does not feel burdened, I also want to experience the power of this new type of warship? Although Quan has been a weak scholar all his life, he cannot lift his hands or shoulders.
, but what I yearn for most is to be able to charge and kill the enemy one day. Now it is impossible for me to kill the enemy with my old arms and legs, but it is still possible to cheer for the Governor..."
Having witnessed the speed of warships along the way, Quan Wanji wanted to see the power of this new warship.
Seeing Quan Wanji's high-spirited look, Yang Fan was surprised. He didn't expect that this old man was still a hot-blooded guy.
Yang Fan was not willing to take risks for scholars like Quan Wanji.
After all, swords have no eyes. Who dares to claim victory on the battlefield?
If something happens to this old man, he will lose a good helper.
Although the old man has a stubborn temper, this kind of character is favored by those in power, especially in the officialdom.
Considering the powerful protective power of the warship, no matter how bad it is, it won't be impossible to escape.
Thinking of this, Yang Fan nodded and said with a smile: "Chief Quan Shi has great ambitions in his old age. How can I deny it? Let's see what tricks the Fusang people can play."
Of course, Yang Fan already knew the news that Emperor Shu Ming wanted to intercept it.
After all, the things given to those Fuso Kingdom nobles were not given for free.
The mobilization of tens of thousands of troops is definitely a big deal for Fuso Kingdom, and there is no way to hide it from the nobles.
Quan Wanji laughed loudly and said: "It is really a blessing for Quan to be able to fight side by side with most of them. When I return home, I can brag to my colleagues!"
Following the sound of "Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo," the four warships drew white splashes of water on the water and headed straight for the estuary.
At the turn of the estuary, Ibe Shiro was on a huge ship, yawning and listening to the report of his subordinates.
"You said that Yang Fan has led the fleet from here?"
"That's right! According to the spy's report, the other party has loaded all the silver and copper on the ship. Normally we would sail here, but the spy said those ships are a bit big..."
Ibe Shiro stood up and smiled disapprovingly: "The opponent only has four ships, so what's the big deal? Can it still withstand the siege of hundreds of our ships?"
"This ship, my minister, was also purchased from the Tang Dynasty. It's big enough, but it can be destroyed by just a few dozen ships, so what's the point of fear?"
The ship that Ibe Shiro took was named "Hiroshima".
According to the "Tongkao of Documents", this kind of Guangzhou ship is generally a water transport ship, and each ship can carry a thousand stones.
This kind of ship was relatively advanced in the Tang Dynasty, and Shiro Inbebe bought it from the Tang Dynasty at a great expense.
After arriving in Fuso Kingdom, it was said that Guangzhou was invincible in single combat situations, which also caused Inbe Shiro to feel a little dizzy.
In his opinion, no matter how big and sturdy Yang Fan's ship is, it can only be about the same as Guangzhou Ship's ship.
Now he came with tens of thousands of naval troops, and hundreds of small boats at the same time. It can be said that he has everything at his fingertips.
"How long until Yang Fan arrives?"
"About an hour!"
Hearing this, Shiro Ibebe casually ordered: "Give me the order to hide all the ships. When the opponent's ship arrives, they will surround the opponent. As long as the opponent's ship stops, I will attack the ship and leave no one alive."
!”
"I obey my orders!"
Several naval leaders present left first and then.
Meanwhile, Shiro next to the well stared at the mouth of the sea with burning eyes, and a ball of heat rose from the bottom of his heart.
That’s more than 1 million taels of silver!
On the way to the estuary, Yang Fan ordered the fleet to move forward at a constant speed, and at the same time asked the guards to pay attention to the situation at all times.
Although his warships are advanced, he is still afraid of losing Jingzhou if he is careless!
You know, too many ants can sometimes kill an elephant.
Therefore, on the watchtower of the ship, several guards held telescopes to monitor all directions at all times.
When the fleet arrived at the estuary, suddenly, densely packed ships appeared from the corner ahead.
The guard watching suddenly felt something was wrong.
No, something really happened!
The guard suddenly put down his telescope, picked up the flag on the ground and waved a semaphore, and at the same time shouted: "Be alert, there is an enemy attack!"
Xue Rengui, who had been reminded by Yang Fan, rushed to the bow of the ship after hearing the guard's signal.
One ship, two ships, three ships...
Good guy, these ships are so densely packed, there are at least hundreds or thousands of them.
Although it is very small compared to my own warship, it seems that the person who came here is not evil.
Looking at these small boats, there are dozens or hundreds of people holding swords and spears, looking up at their warships.
You can see their surprise from the eyes of these people. It is obvious that these people did not expect Yang Fan's warship to be so huge.
Looking at the height of four or five meters apart, these Fuso Navy soldiers were dumbfounded.
There is no climbing place around, how can they kill it?
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
Xue Rengui immediately sounded the alert signal regardless of whether they had any way to kill them.
After all, there are too many people on the other side. If one of them climbs up, the consequences will be disastrous.
Each of his ships has only more than a hundred guards. Once he comes into contact with the opponent, he will definitely suffer heavy casualties.
If fighting a primitive enemy would result in too many casualties, how could he face Yang Fan's trust?
No matter what, this is also my first battle, and I have to win beautifully.
These guards were all trained by Xue Rengui in the past two years. Even if they cannot be compared with the special forces under Yang Fan, they are still among the best among the Tang army.
After receiving the warning signal, these guards quickly defended their positions.
"General Xue, how about I lead someone to kill him?" Fang Yiai held the big sword and was eager to try.
Originally, Fang Yiai was a lawless guy in Chang'an, but he was not afraid when he saw the large number of enemies, but instead became excited.
"No! Our numbers are too small to allow for close combat."
Although Xue Rengui did not have much experience in marching and fighting, he was relatively calm and knew that tactics should be paid attention to at this time.