Cutting 1719

Chapter 344 7000 Jin of Iron

In July, the red sun hangs high in the sky, and the whole south has reached the hottest day of the year. There is a scorching heat in the air, which makes it difficult to breathe. The heat is even deadly hot before, so many People dare not go out at will, and have been staying at home waiting to get through this period of time.

However, the common people can stay at home to survive the heat, while the several mines in Daye are still working hard. There are heat waves in the closed and narrow mines, and the steaming from time to time almost makes people avoid the breath directly. In the past, in such an extremely harsh environment, it was simply impossible for human beings to survive normally.

There are still a lot of mines under Ning Chu's command. However, the normal mines have announced the suspension of work a few days ago, waiting for the heat to pass before continuing to work. However, in the two series of mines in Daye Gengwu, they are still working hard. Obviously, the reason is actually very simple. The two series of mines in Gengwu were basically in charge of the Qing army prisoners of war.

It is particularly worth mentioning that the prisoners of the Qing army in these two mines were basically the heinous Green Battalion soldiers and most of the Eight Banners soldiers. Even some famous generals of the Qing army were in these mines, as before. Fu Erdan and some Dutong from the Eight Banners were sweating profusely for the iron mine in Ningchu.

"Father, drink some water"

A seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy carefully walked into the mine step by step with half a bowl of turbid water, and placed it in front of a lying man. He felt his throat was on fire. He wanted to drink the bowl of water in front of him more than anyone else, but he forcibly held back.

Fu Erdan forcibly struggled to sit up, and patted the boy's head with his hand, "Hadaha, take a sip first."

Hearing this sentence, the boy couldn't bear it after all, and took a sip of the filthy water. Suddenly, a cool feeling came to his heart, and his throat became much better. He wanted to continue drinking. But it stopped after all, but he looked down at the water, finally couldn't help it, and wailed in pain.

Fu Erdan heard the boy's wailing, and did not stop him, not to mention his son, even he had the urge to bump his head to death here countless times.
On the battlefield that day, the remnant army led by Fu Erdan was completely defeated by Ning Yu. He himself and his second son Hadaha were captured. The eldest son Zhaode died in battle and was then sent to the mine.

In today's Gengwu two series of more than ten mines, there are more than 3 Eight Banners captive soldiers working hard, and their original number was as many as 1. In just two years, they have been tired one after another. More than [-] people died, and the rest had only half their lives left.

Even Fu Erdan, the former minister of internal guards, suffered a lot during this year, but he insisted on surviving because he wanted to see that the Qing army could come here one day, and he would swear at that time Repay with ten times the blood of the Han people. Although he didn't know that Emperor Kangxi was dead.

Once he thought of this goal, Fu Erdan was unwilling to die. He struggled to take the bowl of dirty water, and there was only about a quarter of it left, and he drank it all in one gulp. The bowl of water is so smelly and unpleasant, just like the wine I drank in the capital, my heart is full of desire for life.

At the same time, a second lieutenant of the Fuhan Army, wearing a neat red military uniform, walked towards the mine where Fu Erdan was. His steps were firm and powerful. Even in such hot weather, he did not unbutton his collar. There is a cold taste on it.

After the second lieutenant entered the mine, when he saw Fu Erdan and his son lying on the ground, he frowned slightly and said sharply: "Fu Erdan, your team's goal for this month has not been completed yet, and the punishment will be executed. Please gather yourselves. The team is coming out!"

Fu Erdan didn't seem to hear it, he was still lying on the ground motionless, until the second lieutenant repeated it, he knelt down slowly.

"Yes! Fu Erdan knows."

"If you don't answer in time, you will receive ten lashes!"

"Yes! Fu Erdan knows."

There are many rules in the mine, especially for these prisoners of war. For example, the prisoners are divided into many groups, each group has about 30 people, and there are also monthly mining indicators. If two or two months are not completed, a whip will be imposed.

Fu Erdan and the other captives were tied to the wooden posts, and they would each receive a punishment of lashes. Each of the others received ten lashes, while Fu Erdan received twenty lashes. Don't underestimate this kind of whipping. Every month in the past, people were beaten to death with ten lashes, so even Fu Erdan felt a little guilty.

The executioners held long rattan whips in their hands, and soaked them in salt water overnight before each whipping. On the one hand, it was able to fully absorb water and enhance its flexibility. On the other hand, these captive soldiers had to continue to work. , so the use of salt water can play a role in disinfection.

"Snapped--"

The first whip hit Fu Erdan's back, and a dark purple welt appeared on his back. The severe pain made Fu Erdan almost faint.But before he fainted, the second whip followed, and the skin and flesh of the original whip marks were instantly rotten and blood overflowed.

Many people fainted to death under this kind of whipping, but for a warrior like Fu Erdan, his body's ability to resist blows is much better than ordinary people, and he has always insisted on After completing twenty lashes, the clothes on his body seemed to be completely soaked in blood, like a bloody man.

Hadaha gritted his teeth, but he didn't dare to cry, because he would be whipped soon. If he cries now and the executioner notices it, he will intensify the execution. Not so good.

The burning pain accompanied by the blazing sun made Fu Erdan a little confused between reality and fantasy. He opened his mouth as he looked at the crowd, as if he wanted to say something, but before he could finish speaking, he passed out completely.

When Fu Erdan woke up, he found that he was no longer in the mine, and there were no smelly miners around him. He saw a young man standing in front of him with his hands behind his back. His aura seemed to be different from that of everyone around him. Not the same, just a slightly familiar feeling.

"Fu Erdan, are you awake?"

The young man's voice rang out, clear and pleasant, with a slightly calm taste.

Fu Erdan didn't speak. Although he didn't remember who this person was, he was keenly aware that this person should have a lot of background, so he kept silent immediately.

"You were not what you are today on the battlefield. It seems that this environment can change people." The young man chuckled, as if he was not mocking him.

But the young man's words instantly reminded Fu Erdan, he soon noticed something, looked up at the young man's back, and confirmed his thoughts.

"Are you Ning Yu?"

"Shut up! How dare you be presumptuous in front of His Majesty today!"

Before the young man could speak, a middle-aged man appeared out of nowhere, with a sword in his hand, looking at Fu Erdan with a bit of murderous intent.

"Fengchi, you should step back first."

There was no expression on Ning Yu's face, he waved his hand, Gan Fengchi couldn't continue to act, so he stepped aside, but his hand was already on the hilt of the sword, if Fu Erdan made any movement, he would be able to kill him in an instant. kill this person.

But Fu Erdan seemed to have not seen Gan Fengchi, snorted coldly, and said: "I am the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, and you and other thieves dare to pretend to be emperor?"

Ning Yu was calm and calm, and said slowly: "Kangxi has been dead for more than a year. After you were captured, I fought a big victory in Anqing and directly defeated Kangxi's [-] troops. Then he returned After Beijing, he died. It is not Kangxi who reigns in the Qing Dynasty today, but Yongzheng, that is, Prince Yong.”

"what?"

Fu Erdan was like a thunderbolt, he deliberately thought that what Ning Yu said was false, but he knew that the other party could not come to make such a joke that he couldn't hide, so his face turned pale and his heart was ashamed. His loyalty to Kangxi is in it, and on the other hand, he also feels a little bit bleak about his future.

Emperor Kangxi died, what should I do?
The news of Ning Yu completely frightened Fu Erdan, he began to think about it wildly, the scene at the beginning kept flashing in his mind, what a wonderful time it was!

It's a pity that since the Fuhan army came out, this kind of life has completely come to an end. Today, Fu Erdan, after hearing that Kangxi died and the main army was defeated, his whole mentality has changed a little.

The [-] troops led by Kangxi himself have all been destroyed. What else can stop the Fuhan army?Who else can stop the man in front of him?

Prince Yong?Fu Erdan, who was not good enough, did not believe that Yongzheng could do anything. After all, there was the Baye Party inside and the Fuhan Army outside. This situation was too difficult.
"Fu Erdan, I didn't come to see you today. I just heard that you were whipped, so I came to take a look. Now that I see you, I have a new idea in my heart. Would you like to hear it? ?”

Fu Erdan was immersed in the news of Kangxi's death, but he didn't understand what Ning Yu was talking about for a while. He murmured: "The emperor is dead, and the slaves don't want to live alone." He slammed his head against the wall with all his strength, but his body was extremely weak, but he was blocked by Gan Fengchi.

Ning Yu looked at Fu Erdan and snorted coldly, "Although Kangxi is dead, the Eight Banners are not dead yet. Now if you don't think about yourself, you can also think about the more than 2 prisoners in the mine, and your son Hada ha."

Fu Erdan closed his eyes, "Winner and loser, there is nothing to talk about. If you want to kill or cut, it's up to you."

"If I want to kill you, I won't wait until today to ask such a stupid question. In fact, to me, your life and death are irrelevant. However, if there is any value, it is not impossible to use it. Of course As far as you are concerned, you can also save your life, and my idea can be described as a win-win."

"what idea?"

"What I'm telling you is not only about the 2 people in the mine, but also the life and death of the entire Eight Banners. I'm not afraid to tell you a famous saying. In three years at the latest, I will unify the north and south of the river. By then, the survival of the Eight Banners will be at stake." It's all in my hands, if you, Eight Banners, still want to live, you have to change the way of talking with me."

Ning Yu's words hit something in Fu Erdan's heart. In fact, he has completely ignored his own life and death, especially after knowing the news of Emperor Kangxi's death, he felt a sense of despair. But for the Eight Banners, he still cares a little bit, after all, no matter how you say it, he is a child of the Eight Banners.

"I tell you clearly that when the time comes, there will be no place for the Eight Banners in this country. Even the land outside the customs will only be Han Chinese in the future. There will be no extra inch of land for the Eight Banners."

"I want to tell you that the Eight Banners seem to occupy half of China right now, but I won't hide it from you. The iron ore you are in can produce two thousand catties of iron every day, and this I already have more than 100 mines. You should understand what I mean."

Ning Yu had a smile on his face. Although these things can be regarded as secrets, they are only secrets at the moment, because Ning Chu's mining speed will reach a peak in the future, and the number will double by then. It's been a few times, so it doesn't hurt to tell Fu Erdan.

As for Fu Erdan, he can naturally figure out the account. His own mine can produce two thousand catties of iron every day, which can be estimated. At around 100 catties, that's 20 to two million catties a year.

But the problem is that according to the relevant secrets that Fu Erdan knew, the Qing Dynasty produced only 58 million catties of iron in the 500th year of Kangxi. The 500 million catties were concentrated in the whole country, of which the southern iron mines accounted for a part, so it is now thrown away. After going to the south, it may be difficult to keep 3000 million catties of iron a year.

However, it is not only the Fuhan army that caused this situation, but also the rulers of the Qing court themselves. In fact, the iron production of the Qing court has been deliberately controlled, because the iron production of China in all dynasties is higher than that of the Qing Dynasty. Among them, due to the long-term demand for continuous casting of iron coins and the demand for a large number of iron weapons in the Song Dynasty, the iron production had a period of explosion. At the peak, the annual output was about 700 million catties. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty , the output of iron is as high as [-] million catties.

However, since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the rulers of the Qing court deliberately controlled the output of iron. For example, Kangxi ordered the closure of many iron mines across the country and imposed heavy taxes on the remaining ones, so that the current iron production is appalling.

Now the iron output of the Fuhan army is as high as 7000 million catties, which is more than half of that of Kangxi in the whole year. Without iron, it means that it will seriously lag behind the Fuhan army in terms of equipment and weapons. Fu Erdan was a little downcast.

Seeing that the fire was almost ready, Ning Yu snorted coldly and said, "I tell you this, there is no other meaning, that is, if you want to fight, I am willing to accompany you to the end, and the 7000 million catties of iron will be evenly distributed to the Eight Banners. Everyone can get forty to fifty catties, and I can crush you all to death with iron!"

"If the Eight Banners still wants to survive, they must learn to cooperate with Ning Chu. Only by cooperating can the future Eight Banners have a way out!"

(End of this chapter)