Wuchang Prefecture, within Daye County.

There is a mine here that has been mined intermittently for more than 1,600 years from the Three Kingdoms period to the present. It was the first large-scale open-pit iron mine mined using Western machines in the Qing Dynasty.

This strange mine is called "Iron Mountain" by the locals and is commonly known as "Tiankeng" by later generations.

When Chen Tianhua mounted his horse and looked at this huge natural creation with a telescope, he was also stunned.

The volume is too large. Currently, only the shallow layer is excavated. If the middle layer or deep layer is excavated in the future, it can be excavated for tens or even hundreds of years. How much ore can this provide to the Chinese nation?

It not only has high-sulfur iron ore, but also copper, and even gold and other rare metal ores. It is definitely a treasure mountain.

It is said that this mine was the only iron ore mine that a certain founding father of later generations personally inspected. He jokingly said, "You have to go and see it even if you are riding a donkey."

Sure enough, this mountain is extraordinary.

The mine uses excavators imported from the West and is transported by rail. The railway line starts from Tieshan and ends at Fenghuang Pier in Shuiyao Town, with a total length of about 31 kilometers.

Phoenix Pier is a deep-water terminal in Daye Lake, with direct access to the Yangtze River and convenient water transportation. Chen Tianhua decided to expand Phoenix Pier three times, add Piers 2 and 3, and import Western cranes to increase the loading and unloading capacity by ten times.

At the same time, measures such as increasing the railway carrying capacity, adding new high-power locomotive units, increasing the loading capacity and increasing the train speed, and expanding the dispatching capacity of the terminal station will be implemented.

With these ideas and action plans in mind, safety along the way and in mines must also be raised to a certain level.

At the same time, the governor of Huguang issued an order, and a battle to clean up and rectify the road and mining rights throughout the territory began.

…

In the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu's reign, it was the end of March in the lunar calendar.

Daye County, early morning.

The four seasons of the year lie in spring, and the opportunity of a day lies in the morning.

Men, women, old and children in the county, shop fronts, stalls and hawkers were all in the streets and alleys of the city, and they started shouting early.

The North Shore Pier in the north of the city was very busy today as usual.

This is the freight terminal of Daye County, and it is also the only deep-water terminal in the county. Many large cargo ships dock here to load and unload cargo.

Around the dock, there are many warehouses and trading markets. It is one of the important distribution centers in Daye County and even Wuchang Prefecture.

The Huguang area is surrounded or shuttled by the Yangtze River outside, and there are various lakes and rivers inside, with abundant water conservancy irrigation and water transportation routes. Therefore, it is not only a land of fish and rice, but also a prosperous place for industry and commerce.

Wuchang Mansion seemed to be the best imperial paradise in the Qing Dynasty, attracting people from surrounding provinces, especially the northern provinces.

Of course, this kind of chaotic place is also a place closely monitored by local military police.

There is a fine teahouse next to the street. In the elegant dining room on the second floor of the attic, Luo Erhu and Meng Wei leaned on the railing and looked down at the bustling crowd on the street below.

Luo Erhu was the deputy commander of the Sixth Regiment of the Third Association. This time it was his turn to lead the troops and formed a reinforced battalion, with more than 700 people including infantry, cavalry and artillery. They followed Chen Tianhua to Huguang, except for the Daye Iron Mine.

, as well as the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant, and the defense of the Hubei section of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway, the task is very arduous.

Of course, in addition to his regular security team, there are also factory-affiliated security teams that originally belonged to various places, as well as the cooperation of local military police.

Meng Wei is the director of the patrol station under the jurisdiction of the Wuchang garrison office, and the Wuchang garrison officer is Li Yuanhong. He concurrently serves as the commander of the second town of the Hubei New Army. He is a popular figure around Zhao Erxun, the governor of Huguang, and his favorite general.

.

Li Yuanhong and Chen Tianhua have a very close personal relationship. Last time, Chen Tianhua helped solve many matters such as the Hanyang Arsenal. Li was very grateful. The two were completely like brothers.

This time, the two of them worked together to clean up and rectify the ownership of road and mining rights, clamp down on illegal trading, and arrest foreign spies and internal traitors.

Meng Wei's eyes were fixed on an inconspicuous breakfast stall on the side of the street.

A middle-aged man with a somewhat gloomy expression was drinking porridge and eating steamed buns and pickles by himself.

"His name is Shi Jin. After investigation, it was found that he was the general agent for Dongyang's acquisition of mineral rights shares in Changye and the three prefectures in eastern Hubei. He was originally a native of Jiangxia County and a Jiangnan cloth merchant. This is his

A legal identity used as a cover.”

"He acts very carefully. We have investigated all the people related to him. In addition to Daye, he has business dealings in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangxi and northern Guangdong."

"But there is no evidence that he colluded with any official, or any trace of his contacts with Japanese people."

"If it hadn't been for one of his offline confessions, who would have thought that such a seemingly ordinary guy could actually be a big fish?"

Listening to Meng Wei's words, Luo Erhu couldn't help but frown.

He is highly skilled in martial arts. He was first trained in the special operations team, and later took charge of the gendarmerie brigade and corps of the autonomous region. He dealt with various spies and traitors and accumulated a lot of experience.

He is well aware that spies trained by the Japanese are very clever in their concealment techniques. In the absence of insider information, it is more difficult to find clues about a high-level spy than to reach the sky.

"Mr. Luo, time is too short. We only checked some of his business dealings and through several bank transactions, we found out that he does have dealings with the Ezhou Railway Investment Foundation and many mine owners in Daye County and E County.

"

Meng Wei smiled, but he did not tell Luo Erhu who these foundation members and mine owners were, or the specific details of their dealings.

Of course, Luo Erhu couldn't interfere, because this was an internal secret of the patrol station. They also had to make meritorious service and receive awards, so they couldn't leave everything to the Zhejiang Army security team.

As an outsider, Luo Erhu was only temporarily ordered to eradicate these bad guys who were destroying the road and mine construction as soon as possible. He had no right to know too much.

However, it is conceivable that those who betray the interests of the country and the nation are always inseparable from money transactions and other matters.

There is no benefit, but it is extremely dangerous to become a traitor and do things to destroy the nine tribes. Most people will starve to death and will never do it.

"Where is his home in Daye and what is the specific situation at home?"

Luo Erhu whispered while looking calmly at the small breakfast stall. The man was drinking porridge, eating steamed buns and pickles, and was wearing a gray spring and autumn shirt. He looked no different from ordinary people. His eyes

A hint of cold light flashed across his eyes.

"In Changye, he lives in the busiest neighborhood. He has more than a dozen servants and several concubines at home."

Meng Wei was also a person who had practiced kung fu and could detect a hint of murderous intent emanating from Luo Erhu.

His face also became solemn and he said in a deep voice:

"My people here are all familiar faces, so they don't dare to get too close, but I am sure that there are several martial arts masters guarding him in his home, and he might even be an Oriental ronin."

"Can you find out the details of these guys in the dark?" Luo Erhu frowned and asked cryptically.
Chapter completed!