Chapter 24: Iron Mine

In the mountains north of Yancheng, more than thirty ragged men sat huddled together, eating dry rations. Among them were a few individuals dressed in Xianbei attire, all of them appearing utterly exhausted.

A short, stout man, while chewing on his food, spoke up: "Boss, these mountain ranges are endless. We’ve been wandering back and forth in these hills—are we really going to find it?"

"The Prince said it’s in this area, so it must be here," Wei Xiang replied.

This was their tenth day in the mountains. They had recruited a few guides from a Xianbei tribe who were familiar with the terrain, split into two groups, and agreed to meet at a specific peak on the tenth day. Today was that day.

"But the Prince has never been here himself," the short man persisted. "How could he know it’s here?"

"Enough with the chatter," Wei Xiang snapped, his patience wearing thin. "The Prince ordered us to find it, so just do your job and keep looking."

"Boss, it’s not that I don't want to look, but what if we’re in the wrong place?"

Wei Xiang ignored him. Just then, one of the men in Xianbei clothing approached and asked, "Brothers, what exactly are you looking for?"

Wei Xiang glanced at the Xianbei man, thinking to himself that the Prince had strictly forbidden them from letting the Xianbei know they were searching for iron ore. Besides, the Xianbei likely wouldn't know what it looked like—he barely knew himself, having only heard from two blacksmiths that iron ore was generally rock streaked with black.

Wei Xiang cleared his throat and said, "Brother, we’re looking for a type of black stone. Have you seen any?"

The Xianbei man scratched his head. "There are no black stones on this mountain. Most are grey or dark yellow."

"If there are no black ones, what about dark red or brownish ones?" the blacksmith next to Wei Xiang interjected.

"Brownish?" the Xianbei man muttered. "Oh, I remember now. On the other side of this mountain, there are brown stones. But they come in thin layers and crumble at the slightest touch. They’re useless."

Upon hearing that there were brown stones on the other side, the blacksmith grew excited, grabbing the Xianbei man’s arm. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, there’s a large area covered in that color," the Xianbei man replied, looking at the eager blacksmith.

The blacksmith turned to Wei Xiang, his eyes bright. "Captain Wei, that must be it."

Wei Xiang stood up, looked toward the mountain path, took a hard bite of his ration, and commanded, "Let’s go!"

The group set off toward the other side of the mountain.

"Why are you looking for that stone anyway?" the Xianbei man asked, still perplexed. "It's so brittle, it can't even be used to build your Han houses."

Wei Xiang chuckled. "We're not building houses. We're using it to build pigsties."

***

"Pigsties?" The Xianbei man looked at Wei Xiang with disdain. He had long realized these men were being evasive, but they had been ordered by their tribe to guide them, so they had no choice but to follow.

An hour later, the group reached the other side, which featured a relatively flat area and a large plateau. The blacksmith knelt, picked up a piece of brown stone to examine it closely, and stood up to tell Wei Xiang, "Captain, this should be the place."

Wei Xiang took the piece of stone, inspected it, and turned to the bailiffs behind him. "Men, start digging!"

The exhausted bailiffs dragged their weary bodies forward and began to dig. The surface debris was easy to clear, revealing a harder layer of rock beneath. After a while, they had opened a shallow pit about half a meter deep, exposing a dark brown mineral deposit.

The blacksmith took a sample handed up by his men, inspected it, and exclaimed excitedly, "Hahaha! This is it! We found it, Captain! Look, this is it!"

Wei Xiang gazed at the ore in his hand, filled with excitement. "Good! We finally found it! Excellent!" The others were equally thrilled; some collapsed on the ground, relieved, muttering that they could finally stop climbing mountains. For men used to idling in the city, ten days in the mountains had pushed them to their physical limits.

That night, they camped on the spot. The air was bitingly cold, and when Wei Xiang tried to start a fire, the Xianbei man stopped him. At this time of year, the mountain vegetation was dry as tinder; a single spark could trigger a wildfire that would burn them all alive. They had no choice but to huddle together for warmth.

After dinner, the blacksmith sat beside Wei Xiang. "Captain, we’ve found the ore, but how do we transport it? You saw the path we took—there isn't a decent road anywhere. It’s too far to carry it back, and it’s not realistic to haul stones down this way. We need to find a flatter route."

"Indeed," Wei Xiang said, looking toward the Xianbei men. "We aren't familiar with this place. We'll have to rely on them. Let’s ask."

"Brother Keba, come sit over here!" Wei Xiang called out.

The Xianbei man stood and walked over. He sat opposite Wei Xiang and offered him a goatskin flask. "This is our mare's milk wine."

Wei Xiang took a deep swig and asked, "Is there an easier path down from here?"

The Xianbei man pointed north. "Going down from the north is much faster and the terrain is relatively flat. There’s a plain at the foot of the mountain. If you follow the foothills eastward, you can circle back to our tribe, though it will add nearly two days to the journey."

"Distance doesn't matter as long as it's safe," Wei Xiang said. "If you can help us find a flat, usable road, when we return to Yancheng, I will have Prince Yan give each of you five catties of salt."

"We already have salt," the Xianbei man replied. "Our chieftain distributed it to every household. I know that salt comes from your Prince Yan. I’ve been to Yancheng before, but we rarely got salt there, so we are very grateful. Keep the salt—I will guide you to a road down."

"The salt your chieftain gave you was traded for cattle and sheep," Wei Xiang insisted, patting the man's shoulder. "What we are giving is a token of our gratitude for your help. Those are two different things. Don't worry, I, Wei Xiang, keep my word. The Prince will certainly provide the salt."

***

The next day, Wei Xiang sent five men to descend with the Xianbei guides, while he stayed behind to clear vegetation and mark a trail.

Several days later, at the Prince’s estate in Yancheng, the Commandery Assistant, Cao Li, was briefing Zhao Bin on the arrival of the first shipment of coal when a guard rushed in. "Reporting to Your Highness, the men led by Captain Wei have returned."

Zhao Bin stood up excitedly. "Bring them in at once!"

The five bailiffs were brought into the hall and knelt. "Your humble servants pay respects to Prince Yan."

"Rise," Zhao Bin said. "Well? Did you find the iron ore?"

One of the bailiffs handed over a heavy parcel. Wang Wu took it and placed it on the table beside the Prince. Zhao Bin opened it to reveal the dark stones. After verifying them, he handed them to Cao Li, who examined them, though he lacked the expertise to confirm their quality.

"Master Cao, the ore is found. Now it is up to you," Zhao Bin said happily.

"I understand, Your Highness. I shall draft the corvée labor notices immediately."

"Don't need too many men, about the same number as those working the West Mountain mine. Ensure transport and provisions are well-arranged. Also, the weather is turning colder; tell the people to bring warm clothing. Didn't we have a lot of sheepskins left? Buy some coarse cloth and hire the women in the city to sew quilts and tents. Bring those for the laborers," Zhao Bin instructed. He paused, then added, "Actually, let Cuier handle the sewing. You just need to post the notices, Master Cao."

That afternoon, bailiffs rode out to distribute the labor quotas. Cuier set up a desk at the gates of the estate, with guards keeping order. Following Zhao Bin’s instructions, the pay was set at three coins per quilt, two per mattress, and four per tent. The estate provided the materials, and the work was to be returned within two days. Fearing some might steal the materials, Cuier added a rule: anyone who embezzled the supplies would be executed. The women of the city, hearing of the work, flocked to the estate.

Two days later, two thousand tents and two thousand quilts were delivered. Four thousand laborers gathered north of the city, and with the supplies loaded onto carts, they set off in a grand procession toward the north. Since the Fourth Guard Captain, Wang Dayong, had gone to the capital with Xing'er, the Deputy Captain, Xiao Rui, was tasked with leading a hundred guards to ensure the safety of the laborers.