Chapter 9, the black mine, is truly very dark

Uncle Guan, you said that charcoal is quite an expense

Looking at that patch of grass huts, the faces of Jia Gouzi and Wu Shitou suddenly sprang to mind, and Li Si let out a slight sigh. Memory told him that the people living in these grass huts were all the impoverished households in the village who had lost their land and homes; Jia Gouzi and Wu Shitou's families were among them, relying solely on this mine for their livelihood. In contrast, the row of neat wooden houses across the way was where the management personnel, such as the guest supervisor and section chief, as well as the guards, resided.

Having read too many time-travel novels, Li Si was quite familiar with the technological tree of the iron and steel industry. However, he was not Zheng Kezang and did not have a Taiwan to experiment with. For now, he could only focus on the smallest matters.

Are there any books on iron smelting? Go ahead and boast!

Last year, this mine produced a total of 400,000 jin of iron. It sounds like a considerable figure, but the price offered by the merchants was only 1.2 taels of silver for every 100 jin, while the market price was 1.6 taels. The reason lies not only in the "regulation" by Master Zhong but also in the poor quality of the pig iron produced, which is, however, a common standard for such black mines.

A large river, approximately thirty to forty meters wide, flows just a hundred meters away from the hilltop, with a long line of wooden rafts moored along the riverbank. Along the riverbank, several large pits are arranged in a row, each marked by a tall cross-shaped wooden pestle, indicating they are ore crushing pits. In the distance, at the foot of the mountain, there is a row of low brick kilns, filled to the brim with firewood, which are likely charcoal kilns. Not far from the charcoal kilns, the top of an iron smelting furnace can be faintly seen emerging.

In the "Great Dictionary of World Commerce" compiled and published by the Savary Brothers in France in 1724, it is mentioned that the price of pig iron from Guangdong was 1.6 taels of silver per hundred pounds, and the price for transporting it to Japan was 4.5 taels.

Upon further calculation, a quarter was forcibly taken by Lord Zhong, leaving over 3,000 taels. With around 200 laborers, considering both food and wages at an annual rate of 10 taels of silver, this amounts to 2,000 taels. Lai Yipin, along with the chief guest and the section chief, as well as that group of guards, will take away another 1,000 taels. As for Guan Fengsheng, Tian Dayou, and the mid-level staff such as the coal and pot heads, along with twenty to thirty furnace workers, once their wages are accounted for, nothing remains.

Guan Fengsheng murmured in his throat, and his face also flushed red

A small section of the mountain had been excavated, revealing a bare, dry soil cross-section and a large pit that was four to five meters deep and several hundred square meters wide. A dark, gaping opening extended into the belly of the mountain, with the sound of clanging echoing throughout the cave. Li Si vaguely remembered that this mine was over a hundred meters deep

Li Si had already made plans, and now that he has seen the reality, he feels even more assured. However, he does not intend to reveal everything at once; matters must be approached step by step

Indeed, the trees on this hill have long been cut down. Unable to afford clean charcoal, one has no choice but to buy firewood from other mountains to make charcoal oneself. Even so, a furnace of iron requires half a tael of silver's worth of firewood, and with six furnaces a day, that amounts to three taels of silver.

This is a bustling place. Miners, charcoal burners, and those transporting ore, with hundreds of people coming and going, the charcoal kilns and iron smelting furnaces are located on one side of a large pit at the foot of the mountain, while dozens of thatched huts are densely packed on the other side of the pit. Opposite the huts, a row of about ten wooden houses appears much neater and cleaner. Several guards lean against the wooden houses, vigilantly watching everyone, as if each person were hiding a piece of ore in their trousers.

Qu Da www.hetushucom.com has already passed away, but his "New Language of Guangdong" continues to circulate. It mentions the iron smelting furnace in Foshan: "The shape of the furnace is like a bottle, with the mouth protruding, the mouth is about ten feet wide, the bottom is three zhang and five feet thick, the height is half of that, and the body is more than two feet thick." Li Si still remembers this. What he sees before him is much smaller in size, but the structure is generally not different. It seems to be the technology commonly used during this period, although the size of the wooden fan for blowing air is significantly smaller, roughly only half of the recorded dimensions of "five or six feet high and four feet wide." What he sees before him is much smaller in size, but the structure is generally not different. It seems to be the technology commonly used during this period, although the size of the wooden fan for blowing air is significantly smaller, roughly only half of the recorded dimensions of "five or six feet high and four feet wide."

Li Si intends to engage in technology from the future, and indeed, there is no such book. Avoiding the question about Guan Fengsheng, he smiled slightly and said: "There are many books on iron smelting. You all know about the ironworks in Foshan, right? I am well aware of how they smelt iron and refine steel. Even seventy or eighty years ago, there were books that explained it clearly."

Guan Fengsheng shook his head, unable to believe Li Si. If this were to come true, he could save three to four hundred taels of silver in firewood each year

Li Si's words made Guan Fengsheng smile wryly

Even the county magistrate must receive a share. What complicates matters further is that the merchants purchasing pig iron also have their own guild system, and annual contributions are indispensable. After all, this involves dealing in illicit goods, and it would not be good if the officials from the mines were to cause a disturbance.

In a moment, they arrived at the iron smelting furnace. The ore had arrived, but the charcoal was not yet ready, and a group of furnace workers were waiting in the pit. Upon seeing Li Si approach, one of the workers, Tian Qing, grunted in annoyance and turned his head away, ignoring him. Naturally, Li Si was too lazy to pay him any mind and simply stared blankly at the large-bellied iron smelting furnace.

We still owe Master Zhong for the tools used in mining, the oil lamps and wooden fittings in the mine, as well as a large number of other tools, especially the charcoal, which costs us over a thousand taels of silver each year. Master Zhong said that this mining area is rented by us, so we must cover these expenses ourselves; however, out of kindness, he has advanced this sum for us. Although Uncle Tian and I each earn around a hundred taels of silver annually, most of it goes towards repaying these debts.

Tian Qing raised his voice, and Guan Fengsheng shot him a glare, asking somewhat urgently: "What book?"

Master Zhong, at the mine, essentially relied on usury to control Guan Fengsheng and the others. He was both a landlord who exploited tenant farmers and a capitalist who exploited workers, truly despicable to the core, thought Li Si.

The two individuals were heading towards the mine, and Li Si's plan had to start from here. This mine was rented from Lord Zhong by the people of Fengtian Village, with the rent being one quarter of the pig iron produced from smelting.

Listening to Guan Fengsheng's introduction, Li Si gradually gained a deeper understanding of the situation at this mine. As he turned over the ridge, the entire mine came into view, and the chaotic scenes from his memory now appeared vividly and orderly before him.

Selling farmland? Absolutely not!

Currently, charcoal costs approximately 1.23 yuan per hundred jin, while firewood costs about 0.34 yuan per jin. To produce 200 jin of iron, it requires over a thousand jin of firewood. When calculated, this portion of the cost approaches 20 percent.

The stove is placed in a pit, making it convenient to add materials from the top. The lower half of the stove is made of bricks, while the upper half is constructed with refractory mud. Li Si carefully looked down from the top of the stove and noticed that a thick layer of refractory mud had been applied to the inner wall.

It is said that Old Master Zhong also clung to someone’s thigh, and his mining operations are not limited to this one site; there is even a blacksmith workshop. Guan Fengsheng only mentioned it vaguely, seemingly unwilling to let Li Si get too deeply involved.

Li roughly calculated that the annual output value of this mine amounts to as much as 5,000 taels of silver

Tian Qing sarcastically remarked from the side, and his words were quite reasonable, prompting a group of furnace workers to respond in agreement

Reading has truly made one foolish; how much coal must be burned to smelt a certain amount of iron? Should we burn less? Where should we cut back? Different fields are as distant as mountains; you should not come here to cause trouble.

What is there to gain from this mine? If we refine a lot of iron, Master Zhong will lower the purchase price. If we refine less, he will raise the price just enough to keep us afloat, so we don't go out of business. They say we are renting his mining site, but in reality, we are all just Master Zhong's hired hands

The entire mine has about two to three hundred people, with only one furnace, producing around one thousand pounds of pig iron daily

I am originally a blacksmith, but my ancestors also passed down some techniques for smelting iron, which is how I managed to negotiate this mine with Lord Zhong. The pig iron produced is barely sufficient for sale. Over the past two years, I have gained some insights and have finally been able to support everyone through this mine.

Although Li Si had a plan, he still needed starting capital. However, his pockets were empty, forcing him to consider the ten acres of paddy fields he owned. Guan Fengsheng misunderstood this as Li Si only thinking about selling the land to pay the imperial taxes, and he shook his head resolutely.

Guan Fengsheng spoke sarcastically, no wonder he closed his eyes to sell his daughter just to secure the imperial grain from the Li family, it turns out he was already in a state of negative assets

Guan Fengsheng surprisingly still sympathizes with Lord Zhong. Upon hearing him speak, Li Si also felt that there were others suffering in silence. It turns out that Lord Zhong still has to show filial piety along the way. Not to mention that the guards at these mines are all from the Green Battalion of Jingshan Xun, the flood control officer of Jingshan Xun, who is said to be a general with the surname Xiao, also needs to be won over. After all, the illegal mining is happening right in his flood control area and jurisdiction, and pretending not to know about it comes at a certain cost.

Fourth Brother, do you still know how to smelt steel

Even Master Ke Zhong may not find peace; every year, that more than 1,000 taels of silver, I estimate that I can only get less than one-third of it

This is still just manual labor, what about the production costs? Is the ore not considered valuable, and is charcoal free?

This is a secret formula that I have only learned through my studies

Li Si remained unperturbed, chuckling softly, leaving everyone momentarily stunned, including Guan Fengsheng who was also taken aback

What? You can reduce the charcoal consumption of each furnace by thirty percent? Fourth brother, this is not a matter of mere writing and drawing; do not speak carelessly.

However, there is a distinction from renting land. During the Kangxi era, mining by the populace was generally prohibited, yet this did not prevent private extraction. Their mines were essentially the black mines of later generations. Although Lord Zhong rented the mining area to them, the management was still under his control. For instance, the pig iron produced could only be purchased by merchants that Lord Zhong had connections with. The tunnel chief was Lai Yipin, who, in name, was responsible for managing the miners, but in reality, he was a supervisor sent by Lord Zhong to the mining site. Besides Lai Yipin, the guest chief responsible for daily management and the section chief handling financial transactions were also Lord Zhong's people, and they maintained about ten guards, all of whose salaries were charged to these tenants.

Uncle Guan, don't you also have no land? Don't worry, I don't rely on land to pay the imperial taxes; otherwise, what would I do next year after paying this year's? I need some money to make a living and, by the way, help you get this mine up and running

This mine is actually the property of Lord Zhong; it is referred to as a "lease," but it serves as a pretext for Lord Zhong to extricate himself during official investigations.