Dozens of miles west of Jingshi, is the rolling mountains, the mountains are tall, the mountains are stacked, it is the remaining vein of Taihang. Among them, there are more than 100 peaks above 1,000 meters above sea level.

From southwest to northeast, there are four parallel rows of mountains, from north to south: Lingshan - Huangcaoliang - Gray Jintuo - Bijia Mountain; Baicaoban - Baihua Mountain - Laolongwo - Hair Mountain - Qingshuijian - Miaofeng Mountain; Jiulong Mountain-Xiangyuliang; Ma'anshan-Wollongong. Xishan Town is located at the southernmost foot of Wolong Mountain.

The Yongding River crosses four rows of mountains from northwest to southeast, forming more than 200 miles of canyons, wide mountains and narrow valleys. The mountain is seriously cut, and more than 300 large and small valleys are formed between the ridges, and the terrain can be described as complex.

In this vast mountainous area, there are many mineral deposits, among which the coal mine has the largest stock and is also the most famous. On the two wings of Baihua Mountain and Jiulong Mountain, there are many coal mines, among which the Mentougou Coal Mine between the Grand Canyon of Yongding River has the most and the most extensive reserves.

Since the Yuan Dynasty, the coal mines of Xishan have supplied the whole of Beijing, where thousands of miners have spent their lives digging coal deep in the mountains in exchange for money to support their families.

Of course, just like the peasants who cultivate the land, the miners who dig coal are also at the bottom, and the coal mines belong to the mine owners, who only sell coolies for copper money to support their families. However, it took more effort than farming, and they spent years digging coal in the mines, crawling out with heavy coals on their backs, which severely damaged their health, and few miners survived past forty.

In normal years, a miner digging coal is enough to feed a few people, and as long as coal is still burned in Beijing, dozens of miles away, they will not have to worry about food, which is much better than that of farmers who rely on the weather for food.

For example, today, due to the invasion of the Manchurians, the gates of Beijing were closed for several months, and the coal dug up could not be sold.

Without input, relying on the little grain and copper money stored at home could not last long, and in less than two months, many miners' homes had been cut off. In desperation, many people had to borrow usury from the mine owners and then buy grain to make ends meet. Knowing that the loan shark they owe to the donkey rolling will take them years or even half a lifetime to pay off, there is nothing they can do.

There is a valley in Baihua Mountain against the Yongding River, and there are hundreds of low houses scattered on the high part of the valley, which is a village inhabited by miners called Gray Yu Village.

In one of the houses, Xiao Bing, a miner, was sighing to his companions, "No, we can't go on like this anymore, or it won't be long before all of us become slaves of the butcher on Dog Day, and we will have to work for it for the rest of our lives!" ”

Xiao Bing is in his twenties, born strong and burly, with small but bright eyes. As a miner, his income is really limited, and he spent all his savings in order to treat his mother's illness, resulting in his twenties not being able to marry a daughter-in-law.

Li Daozi was as young as Xiao Bing, but a narrow scar between his eyebrows made him break his appearance, and his originally handsome face was hideous, looking very vicious.

"What do you want to do? Brother, I listen to you completely. Why don't we go and slaughter the butcher for that dog's day? Li Daozi smiled and rubbed the short knife on his waist, he was originally from a military family, and he couldn't bear the lonely days of mining coal all over the world.

"It's easy to say, how can it be so easy to slaughter the butcher, not to mention his family's high-rise compound, even the dozens of thugs raised by him are not something we can deal with." Xiao Bing sighed, "Besides, if we really slaughter the butcher, it will be a murder and rebellion, and when the army of the imperial court comes, we will die without a place to bury." ”

"Alas!" Li Daozi sighed, and suddenly wilted, he who had stayed in the border army, naturally knew the strength of the army.

"But we can't just put up with it, let's unite more miners and go together to put pressure on the butcher of that dog's day, force him to cancel the usury, and lend us money at normal interests, no, advance a few months' wages to us first." Xiao Bing's eyes lit up.

"I should have done this a long time ago, working for the butcher like a pig and dog every day, and enduring his usury, I can't bear it anymore." Li Daozi slapped the wooden stool under his ass and shouted.

In the next few days, Xiao Bing and Li Daozi went around in tandem, Xiao Bing was generous, and he was very popular among the miners, and quickly persuaded hundreds of miners to agree to go with him to put pressure on Zhu Butcher.

On the twenty-eighth day of the Lunar New Year, four or five hundred miners gathered outside the Zhuangzi where the mine owner wished the butcher and shouted inside.

"Damn, what do you want to do during the Chinese New Year? Do you want to rebel? Surrounded by a few thugs, the butcher climbed up the wall and shouted outside.

Hearing the word rebellion, all the miners calmed down and looked at Xiao Bing, who was the leader. Everyone knows that Zhu Butcher has a deep background, and his backstage is a certain noble relative in the Jingshi, such a person is not something that a poor miner can offend.

"I wish you, master, we are here for nothing else, we just want to ask you for an explanation!" Xiao Bing stepped out of the crowd, raised his face and shouted at the butcher on the wall.

"I know you, your name is Xiao Bing!" Zhu Butcher stared at Xiao Bing coldly, "Say, ask me for something?" ”

"Zhu Master, you know most of us, we are all miners who follow you to dig coal, and many of us have been digging with you for half their lives. Right now, everyone is desperately digging coal, not only do you not pay the wages, but the money you lend us has such a high interest, you are forcing our family to ruin again! Facing the fierce Zhu butcher, Xiao Bing also had some drums in his heart, but he still shouted to the Zhu butcher.

"The gates of Beijing are closed, and the coal dug up cannot be sold, how can I pay you? It's not that you haven't seen that the heaps of coal dug up have become mountains, and a pound has gone out in the past two months? Zhu butcher said coldly, "Since you are borrowing money, you must ask for interest, this is a rule for thousands of years, you don't want to pay for benefits, you can not borrow, and no one forces you!" ”

"But we are all people who have been digging coal with you for half our lives, you can't do it well, you are exempt from those interest, and the borrowed money can be deducted from our wages in the future!" Xiao Bing shouted sadly.

"No interest? Lao Tzu's money is blown by the wind? You Xiao Bing owes me one or two or five dollars, and you have to pay me back three taels in a month, and you can't miss a penny! Zhu Butcher snorted coldly.

Looking at Zhu Butcher's cold appearance, Xiao Bing knew that it was useless to beg him again, since the soft one was not good, then the only one was hard!

PS: The mood is not high, and the author is in urgent need of subscription support.