Chapter 834: Trouble at the Copper Mine

Kiwifruit, a fruit native to the Qinling region, has not been cultivated for very long; in our country, it was always wild, but later it was taken to New Zealand by Westerners, cultivated, renamed kiwifruit, and then transmitted back in reverse.

Kiwifruit tastes good and the fruit is large, so in a situation where there are not many fruit choices, it is an extremely good thing; based on the region and the current climatic conditions, Baifeng feels that in some parts of the Suiren and Xuanyuan Tribe, it should be possible to find wild ones, with a higher probability of finding them in the Suiren territory.

However, Baifeng does not know what the kiwifruit looks like now, but he thinks it should not be too different from the improved ones, and since kiwifruit is also a frequent guest in high school geography exam questions, Baifeng still remembers some of the characteristics of kiwifruit.

The relationship between Huaxia and Suiren is currently quite subtle, neither hot nor cold; most of the things in Suiren can be found in the Xuanyuan Tribe, and because of the waterways, it is more convenient and faster to transport everything.

Although Suiren is closer to Huaxia, one has to walk the whole way, which is not only dangerous but also impossible to carry too many things; although the Xuanyuan Tribe is far away, relying on the Dahe, the speed is actually about the same as going to Suiren, and it is even more convenient.

Suiren is also an object whose relationship Huaxia needs to stabilize for now; as for the past matters, they can go unmentioned, anyway Huaxia did not suffer too many losses, as long as there is no thorn in Suiren's heart.

And in the current situation that looks like a tripartite balance of power, the one who is most uncomfortable is actually Suiren; previously, their strength was not necessarily the strongest, but it was on par with any of the others, but after the battle with Huaxia, they not only crippled themselves but also raised Huaxia even higher.

Now, Suiren can touch one of the largest tribes of this era with their eyes closed while walking; if they cannot rise again, they will definitely be the first to finish in the future.

Baifeng and Xuanyuan are both guarding against the other side winning over Suiren; Baifeng does not know if the Xuanyuan Tribe has any actions, but the trade between Huaxia and Suiren has never been hidden from Xuanyuan.

Baifeng wants to find a way to bring the relationship with Suiren closer, and the best way is to create income and benefits for Suiren; teaching them about planting is impossible, as it is enough to have one rapidly developing force, and there is no need to create another opponent for himself.

However, a certain amount of economic aid is perfectly fine, but it should still be done through trade; Baifeng guesses that Suiren should have kiwifruit, and the possibility that Suiren has Chinaberry Trees is also not small.

But Baifeng really does not dare to send Changle to Suiren to take risks; it is better to let braver Soldiers go, and if they succeed, they will naturally have the rewards and honor that belong to them.

As an equally brave Soldier, Zhong, who was exploring for copper mines in Xiao Town, did not bring back enough good news; he has already checked all the land around Xiao Town and did not find a real ore vein; those scattered malachite pieces were likely brought down by a river that flowed through here in the past.

Looking at the site selection of Xiao Town, he looked left and right and felt that this was the ancient riverbed that Baifeng spoke of; perhaps a very, very long time ago, there was a Dahe here, but why the Dahe disappeared and why a salt lake and Saltpeter Mine were left behind, he cannot explain, and Baifeng cannot explain it either; if they could understand these things, Baifeng would not be a doctor.

Now, they have to grope for every principle and the logic of every thing bit by bit; they are currently in a process from zero to one, which is the most difficult time; fortunately, Baifeng added zero point something or zero point zero something to this zero, giving the giant truck of all industries a push of human strength.

It was precisely because he did not find anything nearby that Zhong postponed his return time and continued to stay in Xiao Town, while only Xi returned after completing his task; Zhong did not want to let down everyone's expectations.

In order to find even one tiny mine, Xi had to climb over mountains and ridges to search, so he first chose the small valley where the ore was initially discovered; although it was some distance from Xiao Town, he did indeed find a layer of ore in the valley.

However, mining cannot be carried out here because the only water source for the entire Xiao Town flows under their feet; this place simply does not have the conditions for copper mining; not to mention how much can be mined here, what if after digging a few cartloads, they suddenly find that the ore has disappeared? But the water source has been made completely turbid and unusable by the mud and sand they dug up, and it has to be drawn out and settled before it can be used again; is such a thing worth doing?

Only if they can find a way to find a more stable water source with a larger volume for Xiao Town in the future can they consider coming here to mine; for now, water is more important than ore, and while Huaxia needs copper, it is not too scarce.

Huaxia's Iron Ore has not yet hit bottom, and although the iron output is indeed a bit low, it is stable, and the use of iron in Huaxia is more than that of copper.

Che also told Zhong not to be too anxious and to look slowly; at first, the one who was anxious was Che, who urgently needed a big piece of good news to increase his political achievements and provide a better future for Xiao Town, but now it is Zhong who is anxious.

Zhong is visibly turning darker and more haggard, his lips are often chapped, and the Soldiers who follow him on missions every day feel exhausted, thinking that protecting Zhong is indeed a very strenuous job.

Zhong gave up on the ore in the valley, but the fact that there was ore in the valley could barely be considered good news, because he searched in multiple locations in that valley and found scattered, broken copper ore, and it was a very obvious layer.

He does not understand how this situation came about; logically, it should be a parallel layer, but now it appears along the mountain slope, which is a slope, clearly violating his cognition.

He sent the problem to Baifeng using a pigeon, but his own actions did not stop; if he did not find it in this valley, he would look in the next; the places washed open by water are like a cut made on the mountain, where one can clearly see what is inside, like observing the internal organs of a great mountain.

If he were to dig with a shovel, he would not know where to dig or how deep to dig; in a completely unknown situation, he could not guarantee where ore could be dug out, and this would consume too much manpower.

Although he also found some scattered copper ore in other valleys, without exception, it was a very thin layer, and the trend was the same—a slope—which left Zhong with nowhere to start.