Chapter 57: All Kinds of Difficulties

  Baili Zhou Ba Mu Tan.

  The hundred-mile embankment is finally about to be completed, and the embankment is crowded with people, with the sound of gongs and drums echoing through the sky. The embankment is three zhang high and four zhang wide at its base, looking sturdy and reliable. The embankment is covered with turf, and as far as the eye can see, the majestic long embankment is like a green giant dragon, binding the surging river water.

  Xiao Dai's skin had darkened a lot, no longer as tender and delicate as before. The fine down on his lips was gone, replaced by coarse black whiskers that made him look even more solemn. He gazed out at the long dike, finally letting out a deep sigh. Thinking about how hard it had been to organize the repair of the riverbank, with some workers slacking off or running away, and never enough labor, they had even faced difficulties with food shortages. Moreover, due to inexperience, there were problems with planning, rework, and redoing work, wasting more than half a year's time.

  The Yangtze River embankment has finally been completed and is about to face the test of the Chongzhen Five-Year Flood. Xiao Daizi is confident in his masterpiece, believing that the embankment can withstand the continuous flood peaks that come with summer. Every day, he mixes with a group of water conservancy experts, learning a lot of knowledge about water conservancy, and looking around the vast Ming dynasty, there are only a few people who have more knowledge of water conservancy than him. This guy is also good at learning, and has almost memorized Pan Jixun's "River Defense Overview".

  "Seventeen thousand acres of good land!" Xiao Dai couldn't help but feel proud of his own project, gazing at the clover covering the sandy ground with a mix of emotions. The transformation of the sandy ground was carried out simultaneously with the river embankment work, and Teng Yu Hao had really shown off his skills, planting clover all over the sandy ground, raising large quantities of livestock, finally allowing the entire group to eat meat every day, earning Lin Chun Hong's endless praise.

  As Lin Chunhong put the last spade of earth on the river embankment, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause: after three years, the 100-li river embankment was finally completed! Lin Chunhong raised his iron spade and roared: "To fight against heaven, what a joy without end! Long live!"

  "Long live..." The more enthusiastic roar burst forth from the crowd like a tsunami. The people who built the river embankment may have complained, may have been lazy, may have even done some small sabotage... but now looking at the huge project that has changed reality, they all feel proud, and some are even tearfully moved.

  It's no wonder that these civilians are excited, Lin Chunhong stipulated: Those who participate in the construction of the river embankment for more than two years can rent 15 mu of land. The civilians think that from renting land, Lin Dianshi has treated them as his own people.

  Bao Zhedong and Tan Jie Xi on the rostrum couldn't help but feel a little jealous, and asked Zheng Tiancheng sitting next to them: "Director Zheng, when will Jingzhou Warehouse finally make its move?"

  Zheng Tiancheng was smiling at the cheering crowd, but when he heard Bao Zhedong's question, he couldn't help but curse in his heart: "Damn it, 170,000 mu of good land can't even get a foothold, and now you're thinking of getting a share of the profits from the warehouse!" But he was well-mannered and smiled as he said: "Don't worry, Bao parents and Tan Zhushi, how much silver can the warehouse make? There are more profitable things that need your support!"

  "What's going on?" Bao Zhedong and Tan Jie Xi couldn't help but lean their heads in the direction of Zheng Tiancheng, perking up their ears to listen to Zheng Tiancheng's revelation. After all, as soon as Zheng Tiancheng revealed a bit of information, the two of them would be able to earn a fortune.

  "Huǒshāo Píng's iron mine!"

  Bao Zhedong and Tan Jixi were shocked and asked: "Did Weng Zhizhou agree to switch to civilian mining?"

  Zheng Tiancheng nodded heavily, which made Bao Zhedong and Tan Jie Xi extremely happy. Mining indeed makes more money than a warehouse, and the two of them knew exactly how much Guan Renmei had earned in Ma Lian.

  It was not easy for Lin Chunhong to get the mining rights from Yu Yan. Although Yu Yan had promised to hand over the Huoshao Ping Iron Mine to Lin Chunhong due to the matter of Cui Yuer, this matter could not be put in writing, and if Yu Yan really wanted to go back on his word, Lin Chunhong would have no way to make him change his mind.

  Lin Chunhong went straight to the point after seeing Yu Yan and said: "I don't know how the progress of mining rights transfer from official to civilian in Huo Shao Ping is going?"

  Yu Yan sighed and said: "The imperial edict has not been issued yet, and I am also powerless!"

  Lin Chunhong heard this and really wanted to beat Yu Yan severely. He said, "What you said is like farting, and you pushed all the responsibility onto the superior's document." For official adoption to civilian adoption, Yiling has the right to decide, and the top is just for filing. He barely suppressed his anger and said, "It's also true that things are delayed at the top, I've learned enough." After finishing speaking, he took out a petition from his pocket and waved it in front of Yu Yan.

  He continued: "Ten days ago, Zhijiang received a complaint stating that Li Ruxi, the patrol officer of Yidu's Gujiang Customs, had embezzled goods from good people."

  Yu Yansi's expression changed, and he immediately returned to normal, coldly saying: "I still hope that Lord Lin will uphold justice and make a name for himself as a fair official." Li Ruxi was Yu Yansi's trusted subordinate, who held the position of patrol officer. Yu Yansi had benefited greatly from this arrangement. Originally, the case in Yidu wouldn't have involved Lin Chunhong, but since the plaintiff was from Zhijiang, he handed over the complaint to Lin Chunhong. However, Yu Yansi had been an official for many years, and his family's influence ran deep; how could he be afraid of such a small matter?

  Lin Chunhong saw that Yu Yan was not taking it seriously, and he couldn't help but secretly admire Yu Yan's calmness. He admired him, but what about his own affairs? Yu Yan, this old fox, would never agree to change the official adoption to a private one. Lin Chunhong felt a bit annoyed and said ambiguously: "Thank you, sir, for your guidance, I have benefited greatly."

  Yu Yan looked at Lin Chunhong's expression clearly, and secretly laughed in his heart. He wanted to see what other tricks Lin Chunhong could play. Lin Chunhong saw that the hard approach didn't work, so he thought of using a soft method, hoping to move Yu Yan with profits. His eyes rolled around, and he said: "As for the Huo Shao Ping iron mine, it's indeed rich in resources, and the surrounding area is also densely forested, so there's no shortage of charcoal. The official excavation has always been troubled by the difficulty of transportation, and only 30,000 stones can be excavated in a year. I've been thinking about how to transport the ore out, and later came up with a method that can increase the annual output to 500,000 stones!"

  Yu Yan's interest was finally piqued, and he couldn't help but ask: "What method?"

  "Cable car!"

  Yu Yan burst out laughing, almost crying with tears in his eyes. "Lord Lin is really good at making jokes," he said. "Of course, we've thought of this method before, but if it were that easy, wouldn't we have done it already?"

  Lin Chunhong also smiled and said, "I have thought about this problem too. The difficulty of using a ropeway lies in the construction of mountain roads. To make the mountain road suitable for the ropeway to go up and down is indeed very difficult. Some giant rocks can't be bypassed at all. However, when I was repairing the suspension path along the Yangtze River some time ago, I did gain some experience in cutting through mountains and stones."

  Yu Yan finally reacted, this kid had done it before. He suspiciously said: "Could it be that you used gunpowder to blast the mountain?"

  Lin Chunhong nodded.

  Yu Yan finally believed that the annual output of 500,000 tons was possible, and his heart itched a little. But he thought for a moment, suddenly realized, and shouted that Lin Chunhong was sinister, almost falling into his trap: since Lin Chunhong had already said all the methods, who would give the iron mine in Huo Shao Ping to be mined? Guan Renmei was not bad, why bother asking Lin Chunhong?

  He pushed it away, saying: "Alas, the instructions from above have not come down yet."

  Yu Yan's mind was as clear as Lin Chunhong's, and he coldly thought to himself: The most crucial method I haven't even mentioned yet, what are you in such a hurry for? Excavating giant rocks doesn't necessarily require gunpowder, and using more manpower isn't going to make it impossible, is it?

  Lin Chunhong continued: "Your Excellency also knows that in my warehouse, there is a four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage, which runs very smoothly, even on rough terrain, it doesn't shake. This was figured out by the people below me. I wanted to make more, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough iron material, so I had to give up. Once Huoshao Ping can produce iron, I will take it all. From this, we can see that the mining prospects of Huoshao Ping are very promising!"

  "Haha, I've actually tried sitting in this carriage before, it's incredibly comfortable. Lord Lin has many skilled craftsmen under him, doesn't he? Otherwise, we could just go buy some from Guan Renmei."

  "Guanchuan is always busy delivering iron to the Nanjing Military Equipment Bureau, how can he bother with someone as insignificant as me?"

  "Unless I, this official, give Guan Renmei a shout and get some for you?"

  "Thank you, sir, but I think we should prioritize meeting the needs of the Military Equipment Bureau first. Delaying matters of the imperial court is a crime!"

  "Heh heh, it's convenient for both public and private matters, this is how we'll settle it, Lord Lin should thank me?" Yu Yan said, picking up his tea cup and taking a sip, the implication clear: you little brat should get out of here!

  Lin Chunhong had no choice but to bid farewell and pondered on the way how to get Yu Yan to hand over the mining rights.