Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The matter of mining the gold mine was imminent, and there was no time to waste. The Dragon Martial Army soldiers wore masks and carried out all the skeletons from the mine. They arranged them neatly in a large pit that had been dug a long time ago. Then, they covered the grave with earth and carved the deeds of Tong Tie and the others on it.
Tong Sanpang knelt in front of the graves and cried as he remembered his ancestors. From time to time, he expressed his desire to continue his ancestors' legacy and work for the Tang dynasty. However, in Ang Lee's eyes, Tong Sanpang was greedy for money. He probably didn't really think that way. Working for the Tang dynasty was just a pretense. His real goal was to get benefits for himself.
Of course, now was the time to hire people. As long as Tong Sanpang could complete the mining mission well, it was necessary to give him some benefits.
After some simple preparations, Tong Sanpang immediately brought most of the miners to the Gourd Cave. Mining the gold mine was his priority. Although he could only get 30% of the profits, it was much more cost-effective than mining the copper mine.
In just three days, the inside and outside of the mine looked brand new. There were all kinds of mining facilities and smelting facilities in the mine. There were also several rows of houses outside the mine for the miners to live in.
As the leader, Tong Sanpang had his own house. The preparation work was very complicated, so he stayed there all day and all night. The tavern and the copper shop were completely taken care of by people he trusted. The copper mine was temporarily closed and all the miners under his command were brought to the Gourd Cave.
As long as the gold mine could continue to produce gold, Ang Lee would have endless wealth. The problem of insufficient pay for the soldiers would be completely solved.
For this reason, Ang Lee appropriately reduced the burden on the soldiers. He hired a group of craftsmen and had them build all kinds of war materials on a large scale. They were also responsible for improving the weapons according to Ang Lee's blueprints.
Zhuge repeating crossbows were important weapons, so they had to build more of them. The corresponding eight-inch crossbows were also in great demand. The more the better. They had to be made of iron, wood, and bamboo.
Ang Lee had some impressions of powerful weapons such as ballistae and crossbows. He drew them on the blueprints and had the craftsmen develop them.
In addition, Ang Lee also had many models of siege weapons in his mind. He drew them all on paper and handed them over to the craftsmen to develop.
Ang Lee felt that it was necessary to report to the imperial court about the official start of the gold mine. Although the purpose of his trip was to quell the rebellion in Cuandi, the imperial treasury of the Tang dynasty was empty and did not have much financial resources to provide more supplies for the army. Ang Lee's mining of the gold mine in Gourd Cave was also an act of sharing the imperial court's worries. It was crucial for the army to quell the rebellion in Cuandi. In addition, it was necessary to let Li Longji know about the origin of the gold mine and the deeds of Tong Tie, the ancestor of the Tang dynasty. This was also a cultural asset of the Tang dynasty.
"General, Mine Master Tong is here."
Ang Lee was in the middle of writing a memorial to the throne. Hearing this, he stopped writing and said, "Let him in."
"Commoner Tong Sanpang!"
Ang Lee quickly waved his hand and said, "Stop, Tong Sanpang, we are already very familiar with each other. There is no need to be so polite in the future. If there is anything, just say it."
Tong Sanpang smiled and said, "General, the first batch of gold has been smelted out. It has just taken shape. Take a look."
Ang Lee touched it and said, "Oh, it is still warm. Not bad. It is shining and very beautiful. Tell the miners to work harder and produce more. Oh, right, how long can the gold mine be mined? Can you estimate it?"
"General, according to the current mining speed, it will not be finished in a few hundred years."
"Yes, it will be enough if it can be mined for a few hundred years."
Tong Sanpang scratched his head and said in a low voice, "General, let's discuss something."
"What is it?"
Third Fatty Tong was all smiles as he said softly, "General, this commoner has many goldsmiths who used to specialize in making bronze wares. Now, if we let them make jewelry out of the gold, the price will definitely increase by a few times."
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Yes, this is a good thing. We will do as you say. The ratio will not change."
"Yes, General. I will take my leave."
Tong Sanpang left with a smile on his face.
"Gold jewelry, this is the rhythm of making a lot of money."
Satisfied, Li An revealed a joyful smile.
As long as the financial problem was solved, the rest of the problems would be easy to solve. He would have the funds to make weapons and research new weapons.
After the gold mine was on the right track, Ang Lee began to focus on the military training. He had already inspected the supply and combat teams.
Next, he would go to the special forces to inspect the results of their training.
The special forces were deployed in the Gourd Cave's West Valley. They were divided into two scouting teams, two cavalry teams, and two siege teams. There were a total of 350 people.
Today, Li An was going to inspect the reconnaissance team. All the new recruits in this team were elites who had been carefully selected. Every one of them was very strong.
"General, why can't I see a single soldier in the training field?"
"Yes, it is training time now. Where did the scouting team run off to?"
These subordinates had not entered the West Valley. They had been busy with the mines for the past few days. Naturally, they did not know the situation in the West Valley.
Li An's lips curled into a smile as he pointed at the surrounding trees and grass. "The recruits are right here. Can't you see them?"
The subordinates all opened their eyes wide, but they did not see anything. Other than a few trees and short grass that had just sprouted from the ground, there was nothing else.
More than half a month ago, the West Valley had been burned down by a huge fire. All the trees and weeds had been reduced to ashes. The few trees that could be seen were specially planted later, and the weeds had only grown in the past half a month.
Logically speaking, the soldiers should not be able to hide in such an area. However, these generals could not see the new soldiers around them.
Ang Lee smiled even more happily and reminded them, "The new soldiers are training. They are right beside you. The closest one is less than 20 steps away."
"Less than 20 steps? How is that possible?"
"General, there are only weeds and trees around here. There are the shadows of the new soldiers. Do the new soldiers know how to hide?"
"If they are 20 steps away, then they must be hiding in the weeds."
His trusted subordinates still couldn't see any sign of the new recruits.
Ang Lee did not keep them in suspense. He shouted, "Soldiers, come out!"
Suddenly, hundreds of new soldiers jumped out from the surrounding grass, trees, and rocks. They quickly walked towards Ang Lee.
This time, the soldiers could see clearly that these new soldiers were hiding in the surroundings. However, they were wearing camouflage. Their faces were also smeared with various colors of paint. They could not be seen from a distance. In other words, with these camouflage, the new soldiers could blend in well with the surroundings. It was difficult for people to discover them.
"General, this is amazing. The new soldiers are wearing these things on their bodies and we can't even see them at such a close distance. This is amazing."
"This way, the scouting team can get closer to the enemy's main camp without being discovered by the enemy soldiers."
Although the generals had not seen this kind of unusual camouflage technique, they immediately understood the huge use of this technique.
Ang Lee did not hide it anymore. He told everyone about the huge use of the camouflage technique. He also said that the scouting team was carrying out the most difficult and dangerous mission. They must use the most appropriate camouflage. Because if they were discovered, the consequences could be very serious.
"Big Brother, with the soldiers' faces smeared like this, can they recognize each other? If it was not for the fact that soldiers do not recognize their generals, there would be a lot of trouble when commanding."
Ang Lee smiled faintly. He pointed at the various colored markings on the soldiers' chests. He said seriously, "Do you see these markings? Although they are very small, they can be seen clearly at a close distance. Each color represents a different meaning. This is called a military rank. As long as they see this, they will naturally be able to determine their superiors and subordinates. From there, they will know who to listen to."
"Military rank, this is a good idea."
"General is really smart. He came up with such a good idea."
"Military rank, military rank."
All the generals praised Ang Lee. However, they were still not used to it.
"General, the scouting team can't just practice camouflage. If they are discovered by the enemy, the camouflage will lose its meaning. They should have more powerful skills."
Ang Lee smiled faintly, "More powerful skills, of course they have. Whether it is fighting or archery, they will not lose to the soldiers of the battle group."
"Where is Nan Jiyun?"
"General, this subordinate is here."
Ang Lee nodded and looked at Nan Jiyun, "You will represent the scouting team and show them a few moves. Let the generals see what you can do."
"Yes, General."
Nan Jiyun accepted the order. She first took out the crossbow on her back and aimed at a tree trunk eighty steps away.
With a whoosh, the crossbow arrow hit the tree trunk. The huge force caused the whole tree trunk to shake.
Then, Nan Jiyun pulled out the sword at her waist and demonstrated her fighting skills in front of everyone. She was greeted with cheers.
Ang Lee also nodded with satisfaction. He looked at the new soldiers and said loudly, "The camouflage training is over. Next is the physical training. Let's begin."
More than a hundred new soldiers immediately ran a hundred steps away and formed groups of three. They picked up a thick tree trunk and carried it on their left shoulder. Then they raised it above their heads and carried it on their right shoulder. They repeated this cycle for hundreds of rounds.
After the practice, the three of them carried the tree trunk and ran to the pool. They held the tree trunk horizontally in their arms and did sit-ups in the water, causing their bodies to be covered in mud.
Of course, this was not the end. Then, the new soldiers carried sandbags full of mud and ran around the edge of the West Valley. When they came back, they were so tired that they were limp.
"General, none of the soldiers were left behind. They all came back."
Nan Jiyun reported excitedly.
Ang Lee nodded with great satisfaction. "Not bad. They have made rapid progress in the past few days. I remember that on the first day of training, half of the soldiers were so tired that they collapsed halfway. In just half a month, all of them have made it to the end. Not bad, not bad at all. It seems that it's time to increase the difficulty."
"General, I, Nan Jiyun, can run one more round without a problem. Hehe."
Nan Jiyun said with a grin.
"Good job, Nan Jiyun. You can run one more round by yourself. Go."
"General, it's just me."
Nan Jiyun was stunned.
"Yes, it's just you. After you finish, I will make you a captain and double your pay."
"Yes, General."
Nan Jiyun was overjoyed. She carried the sandbag and ran slowly along the edge of the West Valley.
After visiting the Special Forces Reconnaissance Team, all the generals were shocked by Ang Lee's new training method. Although it was a little strange, they were all generals who had been in the army for many years. They could see the brilliance of Ang Lee's training method at a glance. They secretly lamented that their talent was far inferior to Ang Lee's.
Of course, these generals were all people of the current era. Ang Lee came from more than a thousand years later. A lot of things had happened in the past thousand years. How could these ancient people compare with the accumulation of history of a thousand years?
In some aspects, Ang Lee could not compare with the ancient people. For example, reading ancient poetry would make people dizzy. However, the scientific knowledge and advanced training methods of the modern era were not the strengths of the ancient people. In this aspect, Ang Lee could completely beat them. The new training method of the Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was something that only Ang Lee knew.
After the accidental discovery of the gold mine, the army did not have to worry about their pay. They could handle all kinds of things with ease. After all, money made the world go round.
Under this premise, Ang Lee raised the standard of food for the soldiers. With meat to eat every day, the soldiers' training became smoother and their progress was very fast. This made Ang Lee very happy.
If this continued, the army's combat power would be stronger than Ang Lee had imagined.
People were greedy. It could also be said that humans were greedy animals. In front of money, how many people could resist the temptation?
Although the Gourd Cave was a closed environment and people were strictly restricted, the news of the gold mine in the cave was quickly leaked.
As for the way the news was leaked, it could be said that there were many ways. The soldiers in charge of transporting supplies, the miners who went out to buy tools, the carpenters who went home to visit their families, all of these could have leaked the news. As for who leaked the news, no one knew. Anyway, at least the whole of Luzhou City knew that there was a gold mine in the Gourd Cave.
When the local tyrants heard the news, they naturally wanted to take a share of the profits. However, after careful investigation, they realized that the location of the gold mine was completely under the control of the army. The army's commander-in-chief, Ang Lee, was a general that the emperor of the Tang dynasty, Li Longji, thought highly of. The gold mine naturally belonged to the imperial court. No matter how greedy they were, they did not dare to have any thoughts about it.
However, the bandits hiding deep in the mountains would not consider so much. The temptation of the gold mine was too great for them. Furthermore, the Gourd Cave was within their sphere of influence. They would not allow the gold mine to be taken by others right under their noses.
Outside the East Valley of the Gourd Cave, more than ten bandit leaders were sneakily hiding behind the trees. Their eyes were fixed on the checkpoint of the Gourd Cave, trying to find a weak point.
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