A small sapphire can be sold for 200 taels of silver in Beijing, 50 or 60 silver dollars in Naha, about 150 taels in Jiangnan, and only two silver coins in Sri Lanka. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info Tian Lai Novel.2

This question bothered all the people present, there was a very large profit margin in the middle, and the big ones were in the arms trade, Xiao Lotian was very interested and decided to take a look at the industry for himself.

There were British people who opened the road, and the natives of many villages along the way were requisitioned to help build the road, and finally even brought a team of elephants, Xiao Lotian and they rode on it with a very wide view.

Along the way, perhaps the British side deliberately released rumors, and from time to time, local chieftain-level people brought out some high-quality gems for guests to buy.

Xiao Lotian only then knew that the title of the gem island was indeed worthy of its name, and before he arrived at the mining area, Xiao Lotian spent a thousand silver dollars to buy a pair of pink sapphires the size of pigeon eggs.

You heard it right, it's a pink sapphire, Xiao Lotian had heard of the existence of this gemstone before, but he never had the chance to see it, and even if he saw it, he couldn't afford it.

The so-called sapphire is a general term for corundum gemstones, blue is mostly but does not mean that there are no other colors, this pink is a very rare one, so big can be matched successfully is really not easy.

Xiao Lotian decided to go to Europe to ask top craftsmen to design it, and his two daughters-in-law had one for each.

The elephant ride is very leisurely, and many stream elephants directly flow past, and even crocodiles in the distance dare not provoke these behemoths.

Soon there was a large open field at the far junction, a small river running through the open field, and outside the humble village were countless rice fields, and in the middle of the rice fields there were many square shafts supported by logs, and black children were rocking their wheels on the side, and a large bucket was up and down.

"This is the gem mine, it's all water and mud down there, it's so dirty, let's watch it on the back of the elephant......" the guide shouted in the native language, and the workers next to the shaft all knelt and kowtowed in the muddy water.

Jae-chun was shocked, "Is this a gem mine? Isn't it all mud in the rice fields?"

Jason said, "Your Majesty, this is how the gems here are mined, and the gems are hidden in a thick layer of clay, and the locals dig a shaft on the flat ground, which is more than five meters deep, and support it with wood, and then dig the clay horizontally, and the clay brought up by the rollers will be sent to the river to be washed......"

"The clay scatters when it encounters water, and the stones are kept in the bamboo baskets, from which the gems are sifted!"

Xiao Lotian had seen a documentary about Sri Lanka before, and he nodded, "Yes, the whole island of Sri Lanka is a huge mountain jutting out from the bottom of the sea, and gems are caused by volcanoes and geological movements, when the rocks are broken, the gems are scattered on the ground......"

"After tens of thousands of years, humus buried the gem to form such a thick layer of clay gemstones......

Xiao Lotian almost threw out the big 6 drift theory, and quickly shut up in time, but just like that, Jason and the others were also stunned: "Oh God, Yuan, you also have research on geology? This is really a very peculiar statement, I don't know where the research comes from?"

Where did Xiao Letian dare to continue to talk about this, and quickly changed the topic, "Look...... Why is this mine full of water?"

The locals were puzzled and said, "Of course there is water, it is already rainy here, and the clay layer is rich in water, and there must be water when digging down......"

In the eyes of everyone, three workers in the waist-deep dirty water in the five-meter-deep shaft were looking at the big man above him with horror.

You are five meters above, sitting on the back of a sacred elephant, and I am five meters below, soaking in the filthy muddy water. Two people who don't belong to the same world at all suddenly cross paths at this moment.

"Aren't they sick after soaking in water for so long?" asked Xiao Letian.

The local guide shrugged his shoulders, "Sick, few of these people don't seem to live past the age of 35...... But that's their fate, isn't that what the untouchables are?"

As he spoke, the guide shouted loudly in the native language at the bottom of the shaft, and the people inside cowered and did not know what to answer. Immediately afterwards, the guide smiled flatteringly at Xiao Letian, "Respectful Xiang, I have asked, one is eighteen years old, one is twenty-one years old, and the other is twenty-five years old......"

Xiao Letian and the others were in an uproar, "Are you so young, why do you look ......like you're in your forties?"

Xiao Letian couldn't bear to look at it anymore, and at this time he even felt that the pink diamonds in his pocket were dripping blood, and these gems were all exchanged for human lives.

"Jae-chun, Sang-tae...... Now you understand why the gems here are so cheap, and the treasures that were supposed to be a gift from nature are dug up by these slave-like pariahs, but they don't cost at all, and I'm right......"

Xiao Lotian looked at Jason, and Jason couldn't understand the compassion in Xiao Letian's words at all, "Isn't this their life? It's been like this for thousands of years, who can change it?"

Xiao Lotian smiled bitterly and shook his head, "May I ask General Jason, if I want to invest in a jewelry production and sales company here, can the governor of the colony give me a license?"

"This ......" Jason suddenly became embarrassed, this question could not be answered "Haha, hahaha...... Dear Yuan, you are too good at joking, your status is so noble that you belong to the top politicians in the world, you should not be short of money, right?"

"As for starting a company, I'm a soldier I don't understand, hahaha, let's go back to the city, there's a dinner in Galle Castle, it's absolutely Indian......"

Xiao Letian didn't ask anymore, he had already got the answer he wanted, this is the face of the European colonizers, they are completely predatory, they will not invest a little in the colonies at all, and they will not give out a cent of the investment without money.

There are more than 30 shafts like this in this mining area, and there are definitely a lot of gems produced every year, but these greedy guys are reluctant to build even a road.

Not to mention building roads, look at these short-lived workers, who may be sick after the age of twenty, and soak in dirty water and dig clay all year round, all of them are definitely severe rheumatism.

Although these people mined endless wealth, the sales channels of the gems were firmly controlled by the Europeans, and perhaps tourists and merchants bought a dozen gems for their own fun.

But if you dare to participate in the gem trade on a large scale and form a company to trade, then you will immediately be attacked by the colonists, and you will not even be able to get a license.

The gem of two silver coins became fifty or sixty silver coins when it reached Naha through monopoly trade, and it could reach a high price of two hundred taels when it arrived in Jiangnan and Kyoshi.

The root of all this is the source of the Europeans stuck in upstream shipments.

Xiao Lotian sighed, "Come on, give each of these miners three silver coins, which is considered my reward to them...... Go back and tell them to plant more chili peppers, it's good for their health!"

There is only so much that can be helped, and Xiao Letian doesn't even dare to reward him with more money, because he knows that if he gives more money, it won't reach the hands of the miners.

"Let's go, let's go back to Galle!"