I kept stumbling under my feet, and after walking for a while, I saw sweat on my forehead and shortness of breath. Needless to say, Shinhachiro behind him, even Ah Xue looked calm and relaxed, and he couldn't help but feel frustrated for a while, but at this moment, he suddenly saw that the Spo Yichao who led the way was actually not as good as me, and then he felt better.

When I first built Komaki Mountain Castle, I was also with a group of men who went up and down Ninomiya Mountain for a few months, and now I think about it a little warm. Now a few of us are also climbing a mountain, but the state of mind is not the same as at that time, and this mountain is mine; Second, this mountain is much more "cute" than Mt. Ninomiya! Because it has a very loud name - Ikuno Silver Mountain!

The largest and best quality silver mountain in Japan is now in my hands, and it's exciting to think about it! Eighty percent of the silver coins in Japan are minted here, and it can be said that it has an immeasurable impact on the entire Japanese economy. However, the reason why the Mayama clan was able to maintain tens of thousands of troops for a long time and control Harima, which had been operated for a long time by the Akamatsu family, was a great contribution! Now that it's in my hands, there's no reason not to make the most of it.

The road up the hill was uneven, with only enough room for two three-foot-wide wooden wheelbarrows carrying ore side by side, and the road was covered with large and small ores due to years of spillage, and it was uncomfortable to step on them.

There are many working faces along the way, all of which are small empty fields of three or four zhang square, on which there are workers ranging from ten to thirty, beating the ore in front of them. There will be a pitch-black mine cave on the side, as if it is ready to devour the life of the giant mouth of the monster at any time. From time to time, miners would come out of those holes and pour the ore from the baskets onto the working face, and the beating workers would beat them to the size of steamed buns and load them onto the wooden ore carts that passed by the mountain roads from time to time.

Whether it is the miner or the beating worker, each of them is yellow-faced and thin-skinned and dull-eyed, and from time to time he is patronized by the leather whip in the hand of the overseer because of his slow hands and feet, but whether it is the whistling whip or the blood marks of the flesh and skin, it seems that they have no feeling at all, and all movements seem to have become mechanical behaviors. Most of us walked by with no oblivion, a few of us raising cloudy, lifeless eyes with blank expressions, completely ignoring those of us who held their destiny in their hands.

"How many people are working in the whole mine?" I saw the unbearable expression on Ah Xue's face, and I was also slightly apprehensive about this cruel labor.

"As of yesterday, it was 1,371!" Spooychao hurriedly stepped forward and replied that it had been a few days since he had come to take over the place.

"What about today?"

"Five died in the morning!"

"Who are they?"

"They are all hard labor prisoners interned by the Yamana family, and most of them are lower-level prisoners of war captured during the war!" He thought for a moment and said, "There are also rebellious tycoons and criminals, as well as some other criminals. ”

"Oh......" I nodded, suppressing the intense disgust in my heart. I finally reached the top of the mountain, avoiding the pungent mineral dust, and I took a deep breath. "You find out the original file and carefully identify it, if it's just someone who has a conflict with the Yamana clan, let it go!"

"But the lord ...... Be! Spoyage was about to say something more, but when he met my cold gaze, he shook and lowered his head.

"In the future, in addition to those simple and repetitive jobs, other jobs should employ craftsmen with a skill, at least some strong ones!" After looking at the progress of some projects, I was really not satisfied. "Just relying on some old, weak, sick and disabled, when will this yield be able to go up!"

"Yes! …… However, the lord ...... "Although he was full of fear from the bottom of his heart for me, he still expressed his worries from the standpoint of a practical operator." "Back to my lord! Once this approach is adopted, the cost of management increases accordingly. Gold and silver are very valuable things, and it is inevitable that some people will carry them out, and besides, most of the skilled and strong people are unemployed ronins, and they must be subdued......"

"How do other countries manage mines?" I really haven't done any of these things directly, but I've always felt that it is difficult to effectively improve productivity using this "slavery" method. "Oh...... How were the Kurokawa Gold Mine in Kai and the Mt. Fuji Gold Mine in Suruga managed? I added. Among the Warring States periods, Takeda Shingen paid the most attention to the production of gold mines, and he was very effective in this regard.

"Returning to my lord, the nations have basically adopted this method of hard labor!" Probably because I didn't believe it, he added: "In the Takeda family's major gold mines, except for the main technicians, the rest of the labor force is a prisoner of war from previous battles!" It's just that the physical treatment of the prisoners is better than here, but the supervision and management are much stricter than here. ”

"Oh......" I took a few steps forward to the edge of a large rock, and watched the people working like ants below, and from this position I saw that the mountain of raw wild silver was like a giant ant nest. To be honest, centralized management of such a production enterprise is really not my forte, how to make people work consciously and voluntarily is really a headache, suddenly the plot of an old movie called "Gate No. 6" jumped into my head. "Got an idea!" I couldn't help but scream.

"Huh?!" Several people were taken aback by me.

"In fact, as long as we strictly manage the entry and exit of personnel, we can completely hand over the production to others!" I turned a few steps and walked in front of Spoy. "Since those people are as rebellious as wolves, then let's find a few more 'wolf kings'!"

"The Wolf King?" He still didn't understand what I meant.

That's what I thought...... "I had to explain it to him in detail." In fact, this method is very simple, it is to use the 'segmented package method' similar to city building! We recruit some experienced miners as 'masters', assign the mines to their own excavation, and they recruit their own personnel, you just need to verify the quantity and quality of the ore they produce every day! The final refining of the ore is carried out centrally, so that there is not much loss. Then strictly inspect the checkpoints in and out of the mining area, and those who find private entrainment will be immediately executed, and those who report will be rewarded with half of the number of entrainments, and their subordinates will be guilty of theft and the same crime! For those who work hard and have completed 20 years of hard work, they will be rewarded with 100 stone land and given samurai status when they retire! ”

"This ...... This...... The lord is really wise and wise! "Spoycho is convinced of my plan.

"Ha, ha, ha......" I was happy all of a sudden, and the transition from "slavery" to "feudal boss" can be regarded as historical progress! "By the way......" I suddenly remembered that the person in front of me was a well-known "expert in internal affairs" and "master of mining". "Do you see any improvements in the smelting method here?"

"Yes, my subordinates have some superficial opinions! In fact, there is a lack of a procedure in the smelting here...... "Speaking of this, he suddenly regained his self-confidence. "To remove the gold and silver mixed in the stone, the ore is first excavated, divided, made into powder, sifted, washed with water to distinguish between gold and silver ore and non-gold and silver ore, and then smelted and burned into melted lead. This is the use of the easy combination of metal and metal. The first stage is to combine gold and silver with lead, and in the next stage, ash is used to absorb lead, and finally only gold and silver are left, which is the 'ash blowing method'! ”

"I see, you came up with it?"

"It's not!" Spooy shook his head honestly. "There have been many people who have racked their brains in the past to think of something similar, but we haven't heard of anyone adopting it on a large scale. Finally, a Noh actor named Daizo Soemon turned theory into practice, and he is currently working for the Takeda family! ”

"Ash blowing...... "I muttered these words in my mouth and walked back and forth in place, and the eyes of several people turned suspiciously with my shape.......

"I know a way to do it...... "I stopped, looking up at the sky." Although the principle is similar, mercury is used to dissolve gold and silver! "I finally remembered what I was reading in a novel I read a long time ago." Theoretically, mercury has better metal adsorption and is not easy to solidify! When you put the gold and silver solution of mercury into a leather bag and squeeze it vigorously, the mercury will flow out through the pores, and the gold and silver powder will stand on the wall inside the bag. I've only heard of this method, and you can experiment with it! ”

"Yes...... It's ......" Spoy's lips trembled, his face turned pale, and he looked at me like a ghost. "My subordinates will do it!" He was about to leave.

"There's no need to rush!" I stopped him again. "What is the annual production here now?"

"Back to my lord! Now it can produce 170,000 taels of silver per year, but his subordinates are confident that they will increase the output to 250,000 taels within a year! ”

"What if...... My request is 500,000 taels? I stared straight into his eyes.

"500,000 taels?!" Spooysky was taken aback, and instinctively began to avoid my gaze. "It should ...... It should be possible, too! Ore production can be increased by digging a few more shafts and side shafts along the strike of the vein, and all of it can be smelted using advanced methods. But the subordinates want to remind the lord: doing so will damage the mountain and cause a certain waste of the ore veins! ...... in the long run"

"Yoshichao, ah......" I walked over and patted him on the shoulder, and said with a pleasant face: "Now I am in charge of San'in alone, and there are many places to use money. Besides, since I have mastered the Shengye Silver Mountain, the lord can't help but be embarrassed, and it is indispensable to pay 100,000 taels every year! ”

"Yes!" He nodded, but didn't grasp the meaning.

"And ......," I said thoughtfully, "As you see, how long has the Lord Guild tolerated me in mastering the Raw Wild Silver Mountain?" ”

"This ...... Yes, subordinates understood! He lowered his head and replied in a low voice, "Please rest assured, my subordinates will start doing it immediately!" ”

"Ah~~!" After Spoyoshi left, Shinhachiro let out a long yawn. "What's so fun here, I don't know how one or two of you are so concerned! Look, I'm going to stay over there for a while! With that, he shook his arms and walked towards a forest.

"You don't think you're bored, do you?" I asked Ah Xue. "You don't have to stay with me, you can also go and have fun!"

"Hmm~!" Ah Xue shook her pretty little head resolutely, her cheeks were fiery red, and her eyes were confused: "Lord...... I think you're amazing! ”