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Chapter 896: We Shall See

The mine owner's name was Hu Teng, a man from Datong.

He was by no means a virtuous man, merely a small, opportunistic merchant.

His family had always made a living through mining and selling ore.

However, the Ming Dynasty had always strictly prohibited private mining. To mine legally, one had to cultivate connections within official circles and bribe officials. This meant profits would be severely squeezed; not only would he barely earn anything, but even his miners would go hungry.

Hu Teng thus abandoned the official route. He secretly operated illegal mines, reasoning that with the "sky high and the emperor far away," as long as he wasn't caught, he wasn't breaking the law.

Initially, his mining crew was small, just a few dozen to a hundred people. Illicitly digging a bit of ore wouldn't cause any major commotion, and he'd earn a modest sum, with local officials turning a blind eye.

But last year, the Manchu invasion unleashed a brutal rampage.

Masses of upright citizens were forced to abandon their villages, fleeing into the mountains and gathering near his mines.

Hu Teng, on one hand, wanted to exploit these people to extract more ore and earn money; on the other, he couldn't bear to see so many pleading for help and refuge, so he took them in.

This number, however, drew the attention of the authorities.

Large-scale illegal mining was a grave offense.

Unwilling to surrender without a fight, Hu Teng had no choice but to organize his miners to take up arms in self-defense.

This, in turn, transformed them from illegal miners into a rebel party.

The charges against him grew progressively graver. What might have initially been settled with a fine escalated to military conscription or exile, and now it was a capital offense, just one step shy of implicating his entire clan in an act of treason.

The newly appointed Supreme Commander of the Three Borders, Yang Sichang, immediately set about dealing with him, dispatching border troops to suppress the bandits in the mountains.

How could Hu Teng and his band of miners possibly stand against seasoned border troops? Their only option was to flee. Fortunately, they knew the mountain terrain far better than the government soldiers. They scrambled through the forests, shook off their pursuers, and eventually reached the southern slopes, where they found a gully with a tile kiln and continued to mine for their survival.

Seeing Chen Yuanbo, the Prefect of Daizhou, appear before him, Hu Teng's heart sank with a jolt. He cursed under his breath: "Damn it, I can't even stay in Daizhou now! Once an official of the Prefect's standing gets involved, I'll have to move again."

Just then, Chen Yuanbo spoke up: "Hey, mine owner opposite. I have a question for you, answer truthfully. Are you just a merchant looking to earn some money, or a rogue bandit determined to cause trouble?"

Hu Teng replied, "Is that even a question? I just want to earn some money!"

Chen Yuanbo smiled, "If it's just about money, that's simple. I'll give you an opportunity to make it."

Hu Teng's face showed confusion.

Chen Yuanbo continued, "I intend to establish a government-run coal mine, but I lack sufficient manpower and experience in mountain coal extraction. Therefore... I need an official to manage the mining operations on my behalf. Would you be willing to serve as a mining official under my command?"

This was the art of persuasion. If he had simply said he was opening a coal mine and needed a paid manager...

The private mine owner, accustomed to his wild ways, would most likely have refused.

But framed as: "I need an official!"

The nature of the offer immediately changed.

In our glorious empire, who hasn't always dreamed of becoming an official?

Even an official without a formal rank, a mere unranked position, was still an official—a role countless people yearned for, desperate to attain.

Upon hearing this, Hu Teng's heart stirred.

However, he still distrusted the authorities, fearing the Prefect might be tricking him into coming out only to have him executed.

Chen Yuanbo said, "I know what you're worried about. I, Chen Yuanbo, can swear an oath publicly, granting you pardon for your past crimes of illegal mining and organizing a rebel party. All will be forgiven."

Hu Teng was overjoyed.

In those times, oaths still carried weight, unlike in modern times where they meant nothing.

With Prefect Chen Yuanbo swearing a public oath in his official capacity, there was nothing more to fear. Hu Teng declared, "Brothers, lay down your weapons! Let's go out!"

The miners also breathed a sigh of relief. If they could legitimately regain their commoner status, who would want to remain a rebel? Since the authorities had offered a step down, everyone took it.

Everyone laid down their weapons and walked out of the gully.

Thus, Chen Yuanbo created a new official position, a "Mining Administrator," appointing Hu Teng as the Mountain Mining Administrator, specifically tasked with managing mining operations for Daizhou.

Hu Teng initially intended to manage things with his old methods, but after collaborating with Chen Yuanbo, he realized how provincial his old ways truly were.

Chen Yuanbo immediately raised miners' wages, introduced advanced machinery, dispatched intellectuals to give the miners civic and morale lessons, and even taught them to sing "We Workers Have Strength." Moreover, he mobilized the people of Daizhou to construct roads connecting Daizhou directly to the tile kiln gully.

In an instant, these miners, who had once been labeled "rebel party" members, were transformed into proud coal miners.

However...

Only a few days after the tile kiln gully had been organized!

Just as Chen Yuanbo was about to shift his attention to other matters, Hu Teng reported: "My Lord Prefect, something bad has happened. Another group of miners from Datong has arrived, occupying Chai Tree Forest and digging an iron mine there..."

Chen Yuanbo chuckled, "What's there to be so surprised about? Remember how I convinced you? Go approach these new miners and recruit their leader to be your deputy mining administrator."

Hu Teng was thrilled: "Your subordinate has such authority?"

"Of course!" Chen Yuanbo said, "Go on."

Hu Teng added, "However... counting me and the newcomers, two groups of miners have already arrived. If Yang Sichang in Datong continues his bandit suppression campaigns, many more private mine owners and miners will flee to Daizhou, causing more trouble. I ask that My Lord Prefect be aware of this situation."

Chen Yuanbo nodded, "That's true. It seems I need to discuss this with Supreme Commander Yang."

Chen Yuanbo picked up his brush and began writing a letter, eloquently arguing the distinctions between private mine owners and rebel forces, suggesting different approaches for each. He elaborated on the excellent results his own pacification efforts had yielded, expressing hope that Supreme Commander Yang would abandon extermination and instead adopt a policy of appeasement...

Once finished, he dispatched a rider at top speed to Datong.

Two days later, the letter lay on Yang Sichang's desk.

Yang Sichang read the letter carefully, then slowly shook his head, pushing it aside. He picked up his own brush and penned a reply: "Prefect Chen, while your current policy of appeasement may seem to have achieved some success, these are merely false appearances. These miners will undoubtedly rebel again. They will never obediently work for the authorities. Once you let your guard down, they will gather once more to cause trouble and ravage the countryside. Ultimately, they will become too powerful to control, just as my father was dismissed from his post because of this very issue. If you don't believe me, just you wait and see."