Chapter 94

"Chairman," a short and plump middle-aged man began, "I think their carts are much better than the large carts we use. In the future, when we transport iron, their costs will be much lower than ours."

Sun Jingting smiled and said, "Zhang Fatty, why don't you look at how they made their fortune!"

Zhang Fatty, whose real name was Zhang Yan, was also a core figure in the Dongshan Association. He was a meticulous person. He laughed at himself and said, "I was talking nonsense. They originally made their fortune through the mule and horse business."

Over time, Zhang Han was no longer just a symbol in people's minds. From an unfamiliar strongman, he gradually became deeply rooted in people's hearts. Everything about He Yusheng also gradually became clear in people's minds. Zhang Han's actions and his history of how he made his fortune were also gradually known to everyone.

Sun Anle led the way, and everyone followed behind him. They entered the ironworks, and the ground was still muddy. Looking around, there were lights in all directions. The Dongshan Association had about five thousand miners, and with their families, the elderly, women, and children lived both inside and outside the ironworks. There were also some villages. The ironworks was the highest place, and from a distance, the lights spiraled down like stars.

Usually, it didn't feel like much, but after seeing the He Yusheng ironworks, they felt the chaos and disorder here.

The furnaces were in the center of the ironworks, with piles of iron ore randomly stacked. Various tools were scattered on the ground, and solidified iron blocks were placed in front of the smelting houses. The refined iron blocks were also placed on one side. When someone approached, the animals in the stables snorted and made various sounds and pungent smells.

Under the night sky, the tall furnaces stood like ancient giants.

One furnace seemed to be tilting, which was a recent concern for Sun Anle. This furnace could crack and collapse at any time. If it did, it would result in a loss of several thousand taels of silver. In recent years, the number of people in the Dongshan Association had increased, but the profit had decreased. The iron output was low, and the refined iron had too many impurities, making it hard to sell. There were also many taxes and fees in the area. The Dongshan Association was a large, loosely organized union, not a criminal organization. If it were the latter, it would be much better. Unfortunately, Sun's uncle and nephew and other major shareholders were not capable of handling such matters. Their martial skills were only for self-defense, not to bully others.

Pushing open the wooden door and entering the room, there was a smell of rotten wood. Sun Anle, as a shareholder and chairman, did not care much for luxury. The room was small, with only some simple furniture and a bed. There were also a few locked cabinets. People were on duty day and night, and the cash and account books were kept inside.

Everyone entered the room, bringing in a lot of mud. Sun Anle did not mind, gesturing for everyone to sit down.

"Everyone has seen it today," Sun Anle said, "Starting tomorrow, each of you should explain the situation to everyone. He Yusheng is indeed better, and those who are willing can go there. They need at least three to four thousand people. If most of them are from our Dongshan Association, I will be grateful."

Zhang Yan looked reluctant and said, "Can't we really hold on here?"

Sun Anle glanced at him and said, "Isn't that obvious? If we could hold on, why would we all run out to drink with others today? Are we really that idle?"

Zhang Yan sighed and sat down without saying anything.

The Dongshan Association had too many people and a heavy burden. The other shareholders were all public-spirited people, but they were not good at making money. Over the years, Sun Anle and others had not accumulated much wealth. The miners who followed them also lived a hard life.

Thinking about this, Sun Jingting interjected, "Today, I saw how people live here. We eat radish and millet mixed together for three meals a day, and the children are always hungry. The adults can't let the children eat well, and they have no strength to work. The women and children walk in the mud every day, eating like pigs. Seeing the situation at their ironworks, I feel ashamed. My uncle and everyone else established the association to make the miners live better, but who has lived a good life in these years?"

Sun Anle listened to his nephew's words, which seemed to subtly blame them for their failures. He wanted to scold him but realized that Sun Jingting's words were reasonable, so he kept his head down and said nothing.

Someone said, "There have been disasters every year for the past few years, and the price of grain has risen sharply... Sigh, but we must admit that Mr. Zhang is indeed capable. We can't match him."

Sun Anle nodded and said, "It's hard for me to sustain this. Most of the furnaces are old and can't hold up. The money we make is not enough to feed everyone, and we don't have any silver ourselves. We thought it was mostly the Han family's fault, but after seeing He Yusheng, we realize we are far behind... There's no need to say more. It's like this."

Sun Anle looked very dejected, and everyone felt the same way. They all said their goodbyes and went to notify their subordinates, then went to the miners' gathering places to inform everyone.

He Yusheng had been recruiting for a long time, and most people in the Dongshan Association knew about it. However, without the approval from the top, people didn't know the details. Although many were interested, they didn't dare to go on their own. Sun Anle and others' decision would likely result in many leaving in the short term.

Sun Jingting also pushed open the door and came out. Behind him, he heard his uncle's light sigh, and he felt a pang of sadness.

No matter what, this was the result of his uncle's thirty years of hard work, but it was truly unsustainable. Perhaps He Yusheng's arrival was a good opportunity to solve the Dongshan Association's problems.

Sun Anle didn't mention it when there were many people, but the Dongshan Association was already heavily in debt. There were too many people to support, and Sun Anle hadn't received any dividends for years. He had even put his own share into the association. Even so, many creditors came to demand payment at the end of each year, making it difficult to continue.

"Brother, why is Father sighing inside?"

A hand suddenly lightly patted Sun Jingting's shoulder, startling him. Then he heard a clear, playful voice. He put his hand on his sword and turned around, smiling bitterly. "Yuniang, can't you walk like a normal person?"

Sun Jingting turned around and saw a beautiful face as white and smooth as jade. This was his cousin, Sun Yuniang, also Sun Anle's beloved daughter. Despite living in the mine, Sun Yuniang was unaware of most things, her appearance bright and clear, her eyes like a baby's, her figure slender, and her charm captivating.

Sun Yuniang was not like the daughters of other wealthy families who stayed inside. She also carried a sword, which she had learned from Sun Jingting. However, the sword on her only made her look playful, not heroic. It was just a girl's love for play, and the adults' indulgence had not made her take it off.

It was raining, and the ground was muddy. Sun Yuniang's deer-skin boots were also in the mud. Sun Jingting frowned and scolded her.

"Big brother," Sun Yuniang put on a pitiful look and said, "Did you eat gunpowder today? You scold me as soon as you see me. Father is sighing inside. Didn't you go drinking today?"

"Smooth talker," Sun Jingting scolded with a smile, "For a young lady."

Seeing Sun Yuniang about to enter the room, Sun Jingting chased her away. "Go, go, go. Uncle is very upset now. Do you want to get scolded? Since we weren't home today, do you want to ask Uncle what you did at home?"

This really scared Sun Yuniang. She was not yet sixteen and lived in the mine. She was very beautiful but had a wild personality. Today, most of the people who could manage her were gone. After lunch, she had sneaked out with her maid, dressed as a man, to hunt wild boars in the mountains. There were no large animals left in the Dongshan area, so they had to go deep into the mountains to find some wild chickens and rabbits. The largest prey was the wild boar, which had thick skin and was covered in resin-like protection. Ordinary hunting bows couldn't penetrate it. Sun Jingting had taken Yuniang hunting a few times, and she thought wild boars were easy to hunt. Fortunately, she didn't encounter one today.

"Today, we were negotiating with Mr. Zhang from He Yusheng. Many of our people will be transferred there..." Sun Jingting sighed and said, "Mr. Zhang is not much older than you. He lived with his widowed mother, and his family was just average. In a short time, he established his own household and started a business. Now, he has surpassed both me and Uncle. To be honest, I really admire him."

Sun Jingting felt he had lost his composure and scolded, "Hurry up and go back. What if your mother gets worried?"

"I'll go..." Sun Yuniang stuck out her tongue, smiled playfully, and ran off.

Only then did Sun Jingting notice that his cousin was dressed in men's hunting clothes. The clothes were tight around the waist, accentuating her slender figure. Anyone could tell she was a girl in disguise, but this area was all under the Dongshan Association's control, so no one would dare to say anything. Sun Anle had only this one daughter, and as long as she didn't do anything too outrageous, he let her do as she pleased.

Sun Jingting could only shake his head and smile bitterly. Uncle was very upset, and this was a minor issue, so he let Yuniang go.

...

A few more days passed, and Zhang Han's iron furnaces produced nearly five thousand pounds of iron water daily. The coke usage was less than seventy percent of other furnaces, saving a lot of costs. At the time, the biggest expense for iron furnaces, besides labor and bribes, was the cost of charcoal. All the ironworks tried to reduce costs as much as possible, such as accommodation and food, but the charcoal was a fixed cost. The best was charcoal, followed by coke, and then coal. The quality of iron varied with different types of charcoal, and no one could argue with that. What made all the ironworks owners envious and admit defeat was that Zhang Han's iron water was both abundant and had fewer impurities, and he used less charcoal. He was truly a genius. If Zhang Han were an ordinary outsider, he would have been kidnapped and interrogated to reveal his secrets.