Chapter 506: Saltpeter Mine and the Town

They watched Tianli purify the saltpeter almost the entire time, including the workers; they didn't even build their houses. Although it was extremely crowded—so crowded that those on the outer perimeter couldn't see what was happening inside—it still couldn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm and curiosity. Mostly, it was anticipation; everyone hoped that there could truly be a massive saltpeter mine here.

Watching the liquid in the pottery pot evaporate bit by bit until it dried, finally turning into pure, blocky chunks—though not yet completely pure, it was enough to verify whether it was saltpeter. Based on Tianli's own experience, he was already extremely certain that this was indeed saltpeter.

Afterward, he placed this substance on wood and then carefully brought the fire close. The white substance instantly hissed, began to smoke and spark, and then came the smell of saltpeter smoke that Tianli knew so well.

Tianli shouted with joy; they had succeeded. Everyone cheered along with Tianli. Their Huaxia would henceforth possess a sufficiently large saltpeter mine. From now on, Huaxia would never lack saltpeter again, nor would they need to go to the latrines to find it.

After coming to their senses, the workers realized they hadn't worked for a long time, so they hurriedly grabbed their tools to get to work. The soldiers also had greater motivation while helping the workers.

Tianli had become a great hero, so even though he was lying in the tent sleeping now, no one had any objections. They even had to show concern for whether he was sleeping comfortably and if the ground was too hard.

Over the next few days, Tianli led people to that saltpeter mine to dig and transport large chunks of raw material over. Only after arriving at the camp did they take water from the irrigation ditch and begin purification. Because they were no longer in a rush, he followed the full set of procedures; even the mud inside had to be levigated several times.

He was also in no rush to use fire to heat the saturated liquid, instead placing it directly under the sun to bake. In any case, the weather was excellent now, so using it to evaporate the moisture was a breeze. This could also save some manual labor and firewood; after all, this wasn't Huaxia City, and there wasn't so much charcoal to use at will. Here, using firewood meant dragging it bit by bit from the distant woods.

After another few days, their living quarters were mostly built—semi-underground houses, though the lighting was very poor, and there was a high chance of water getting in on rainy days. But there was no help for it; special times called for special measures.

They wouldn't be staying here much longer; they were already preparing to return in the next two days. Tianli had purified a considerable amount of saltpeter, but in front of so many people, it didn't amount to much. If everyone carried a little, it would be easy, but this also meant their food supplies were running low.

However, everyone was still very confident. The weapons in their hands weren't just for show. As long as they entered the forest, they would be able to find enough wild beasts, unlike now, where they could see nothing except for the occasional stray beast that came to lick the soil. There was nothing to hunt even if they wanted to.

Once everything was packed up and the houses they had built were concealed, everyone prepared for the return journey. They hadn't stayed long this time, and the reason they built the houses was to make it convenient for everyone to have a place to go the next time they came, even though they hadn't lived there for many days this time.

The moment the saltpeter was purified, they sent the news back via pigeon. It was just unclear whether the city had received it, because the journey was long and they had brought several pigeons, releasing them simultaneously. Although the carrier pigeons had long since proven their ability, Lu, who had never traveled so far from home, was still not quite at ease. He was afraid the pigeons would lose their way, fail to arrive, or be snatched away by other things mid-flight.

Xiong had already verified the pigeons' capabilities, and Baifeng was the most aware of them. Let alone a journey of a few days, even to places far away that they couldn't understand or imagine, the pigeons could return home without losing their way.

When Baifeng received this good news, he was so happy he almost wanted to celebrate throughout the entire city. However, he first gathered all the departments to prepare for a meeting to discuss the matter.

Baifeng first announced the good news, and everyone applauded warmly from the heart, but what Baifeng said next made everyone fall silent.

"Now that we have our own saltpeter mine, it is on our own territory, unlike the Sulfur Land, which is still in the hands of others. For the sake of the safety of our saltpeter mine and the subsequent mining and development work, I have decided to split off a portion of the population to go live at the saltpeter mine. Their only task is to develop the saltpeter mine."

After Baifeng finished speaking, everyone's expressions dimmed visibly, because this meant that they were all potential candidates to be sent there, or their subordinates, family, or friends. No one wanted to leave such a comfortable place as Huaxia City to go reclaim land in such a distant place, and furthermore, once they left, who knew how long it would be? They might never come back.

Baifeng had already guessed this would be the situation, so he hadn't mentioned this matter earlier, but Baifeng would not give up on that saltpeter mine just because these people were unwilling. The more reluctant you were, the more I would make you go.

Baifeng stated his plan without caring: "There, I intend to build a town, which is a city smaller than the capital. My preliminary plan is to accommodate about three thousand people. Of course, not all at once, because the construction there is still a blank slate."

A town must be built, no matter how far or how difficult. This is the foundation of Huaxia's future, and it cannot tolerate a single mistake. Considering that everyone might not be willing to go to such a distant place to reclaim land, I will say this: it will be primarily for Slaves and tenant farmers. As long as they go there, they will have Citizen status, be given houses, and be given land. If the land there is not suitable for farming, we will give them Pastures, and I can even allow them to share a portion of the profits from the saltpeter mine."

"The initial stage is the same for everyone; they only need to focus on construction. Food and supplies will be provided by the state until the town can operate smoothly. I believe that after being familiar with things for so long, there are already many tenant farmers who want to strive for an opportunity for themselves, right?"

Hearing that it would be primarily tenant farmers and Slaves, the officials' expressions gradually improved, and they began to devise strategies for the future of the new town.

Especially the officials of the Ministry of Revenue; if it involved population migration, it was torture for them, because if no one was willing to go, whoever they chose would easily be scolded or even beaten. But if it were primarily tenant farmers and Slaves, it would be much easier to handle.

"King, there is indeed a portion of tenant farmers who are already striving for their own future. Not only have they shed their old bad habits, but they are now leaning toward the Huaxia people, and their identification with and love for our Huaxia is even higher than many of the commoners. What they lack most now is an opportunity; after all, just being hired to work for others really yields too little profit."