Southwest of Wushang, seven or eight hundred kilometers away, in a mountain range with steep cliffs and no path connecting it. But more than two months ago, more than one hundred people had traversed the mountains, cutting their way through brambles and thistles to enter this mountain range.
No one knew what they were doing, only that they had spent more than a month clearing a path out of the mountain. Then, they began to dig into the mountain, apparently searching for something.
"Everyone, do your best! Marquis has ordered that if you can find that lu ore, everyone will be heavily rewarded! From now on, you will all be able to eat and drink well, and no one will have to worry about food or clothing! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! "
"Don't be discouraged, don't be disheartened. If Marquis says it's here, then it definitely is!
"All of you know about the war of the southwest. A person like Marquis has always been like a god and would never lie. Everyone, do your work well. Marquis will not treat you unfairly!"
… …
On a mountain, atop a large crouching boulder, a thirty-something-year-old army supervisor was urging his men on, his loud voice echoing over the mountain range.
"Milord!"
While they were digging, a panicked shout suddenly came from outside. A strong man in his thirties, who was naked from the waist up, staggered in from the outside.
"There are many people outside. Quickly go and take a look."
"What?!"
On the crouching boulder, the thirty-something-year-old army supervisor leaped down from the boulder in shock.
"What nonsense are you spouting? There's no one else here except us."
"Milord, I'm not lying. Quickly, take a look."
The thirty-something-year-old man said, his face filled with fear. The argument between the two quickly attracted everyone's attention. Gallop! A few moments later, a cloud of dust and thunderous hooves could be heard, traveling along the path they had cleared.
The inspector-general's expression froze as he subconsciously raised his head. He saw a billowing cloud of dust covering the sky, and within the cloud of dust, he could vaguely make out countless figures. From the clopping of hooves and the cloud of dust, there were at least one thousand people rushing over.
"Just who are these people? Other than us, there's no one else in the entire mountain range. Could it be a nearby mountain bandit? "
The military supervisor was startled, and a thought flashed through his mind.
On the westbound Silk Road, bandits and highwaymen were the most tyrannical. For them to appear at this time, they were most likely the bandits and highwaymen from the nearby mountains.
"Could it be that we made too much noise here and attracted the attention of some mounted bandits?"
The army supervisor felt uneasy.
"Thunder Roc?"
At this moment, a loud voice came from the smoke. Before the supervisor could figure out what was going on, he saw an arm with bulging veins and five fingers that were as black as steel. The arm grabbed a token and reached out from the smoke.
"That's right!"
Lei Peng was taken aback, but he quickly recognized the token. In the entire Tang dynasty of the Central Plains, there was only one lord who would use such a token.
"Did Marquis send you here? But isn't it not time yet? "
Lei Peng immediately calmed down.
"The battle on the western front has ended. Marquis has ordered us to speed up the progress on the lu ore mine."
The smoke dissipated, and a fully-armored leader of the cavalry charged out. His expression was solemn, and he had a mustache above his lips. It seemed that he had some status. Behind him, one figure after another arrived. Upon closer inspection, there were at least a thousand people.
"But we've already been digging for more than a month, and we still haven't found any lu ore. Isn't it too hasty to increase our manpower now? What if … wouldn't it be a waste of countless manpower and resources, and a great disappointment to the Marquis? "
Lei Peng said nervously.
Although he had been cheering them on for the past few months, he had no idea whether or not the lu ore Marquis had spoken of actually existed here.
The mountains here were so dense that before they actually dug it out, no one knew which mountains had it and which ones didn't. Perhaps the entire mountain range didn't have it at all. Wouldn't that be a waste of effort?
"If Marquis says there is, then there definitely is. There's no need for you to say anything more."
The leader of the cavalrymen was swift and decisive. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his head and waved his hand behind him. In an instant, everyone dismounted from their horses, pulled out pickaxes, shovels, and other tools from their horses, and walked over with large strides. They quickly joined the mining army.
Seeing this, a trace of helplessness flashed through Lei Peng's eyes, and he joined the mining army. One day, two days, three days …. Just when Lei Peng was about to give up hope, on the fourth day, there was a rumble as the mountain suddenly collapsed. A shout of joy came from within.
"We found it! We found it! We really did find the lu ore Marquis spoke of! Hahaha … "
An old miner clasped a large piece of grayish-white ore in his hands and suddenly cried out in excitement.
'Aluminum ore' might have been mistakenly called 'lu ore' in this era, but Wang Chong had still relied on his memories to successfully find these treasures buried deep in the mountains.
If one looked down from a high vantage point, one would realize that there were far more mining teams like this one. In the southeast, southwest, and other places along the Silk Road, Wang Chong had dispatched men to all of them. Moreover, after the battle at the triangular gap, he had increased the size of his forces by more than ten times.
This rapidly increased the efficiency of mining, and as more and more aluminum ore was discovered, the great clans of the Tang Dynasty that had allied with Wang Chong quickly began to deploy their forces.
Cart after cart of aluminum ore was excavated from the depths of the mountains and sent to the capital like rivers flowing into the sea. And in the capital, everything related to aluminum ore was gathered under the name of a single person.
"Milord, this is the thousandth cart of lu ore that has been delivered today."
On the eastern outskirts of the capital, on the westbound Silk Road, an azure-robed guard stood next to Zhao Jingdian, watching as countless carriages passed by, transporting one cart after another of lu ore.
Behind them stood a series of houses. These houses were all made of the simplest and crudest brick construction. There was no furniture inside, only piles of 'lu ore' inside.
In the Tang Dynasty, all the iron and copper ores were sought after by the great clans and sword smiths, but no one knew what this newly discovered lu ore was for.
Although many people believed it to be worthless, it was an indisputable fact that it was highly valued by Wang Chong. Although many great clans still had reservations about Wang Chong's plan, they couldn't stand the fact that the cost of this lu ore or lime was far too low.
For these great clans, even if they participated, their losses would be extremely limited. On the contrary, if they gambled correctly, they would be able to obtain endless benefits from Wang Chong.
This was the true reason why so many great clans were participating.
"The supply this time is truly too large. It seems like Marquis has already freed himself from Wushang."
An extremely quick-witted guard next to Zhao Jingdian spoke up, an excited expression on his face.
"Mm, the two of you have rather fast reactions. I just received the news a few days ago that Marquis defeated Dusong Mangpoje and the Ouzan on the plateau, sweeping away the threat to the west. For the time being, there shouldn't be any threats to Qixi. Marquis means that we should speed things up on our side."
Zhao Jingdian gave a slight nod and said.
Zhao Jingdian had not gone with Wang Chong on this trip to Wushang, because Wang Chong had given him an even more important task. The lime, clay, sand, and stones were all extremely unremarkable items that the nobles of the capital would not care about. But Zhao Jingdian could sense that Wang Chong viewed these items with unprecedented importance.
This was the primary reason he had stayed behind.
"How are the craftsmen in the rear coming along with the new mud formula?"
Zhao Jingdian asked, his gaze still fixed in the direction of Qixi.
"All the most experienced craftsmen have been working day and night to formulate the best formula, and they've already reaped the rewards. The newly formulated mud, after being hardened, can now withstand the full-force blow of a True Martial realm expert, but Master Kong and the others say that the hardness of this formula can be increased. In its ideal state, it should be able to withstand the full-force blow of a Profound Martial realm expert. "
The guard on the left solemnly said.
"In addition, the masters have agreed that Marquis's idea of adding some steel bars to the mud ahead of time is very reasonable. Moreover, the masters also have some ideas. They feel that we can add some simple toughening inscriptions or defensive inscriptions to the steel bars. This will greatly increase the hardness of the hardened mud, further increasing the amount of strength it can bear. "
The other guard added. The greatest difference between this world and Wang Chong's previous world was the large number of inscriptions. This also meant that Wang Chong had probably underestimated the heights' cement 'could reach in this world.
Wang Chong could not have predicted all of this.
"It's about time. Marquis's matter can't be delayed. Inform the great clans of the capital and tell them that Marquis has made an agreement with them that it's time for them to contribute money and strength. After waiting for so long, they're probably even more anxious than we are. "
Zhao Jingdian held his hands behind his back.
In the days since Wang Chong had left the capital for Wushang, many of the great clans of the capital had come to investigate under the guise of using all sorts of tricks.
As a grand clan of ministers and generals, and with the King of Song backing them, no one believed that Wang Chong would deceive them. But none of the great clans knew anything about this matter, and Wang Chong was unwilling to tell them. All the great clans were itching to know, and they could only send people to investigate.
Bang!
Zhao Jingdian's voice was like a thunderclap crashing over the capital, sending massive waves through the capital. The great clans and nobles were like sharks that had smelled blood, swiftly moving into action.
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