"The deepest part of the mine is about twenty meters, but the main areas are around ten meters. As for the length, it’s hard to calculate, probably more than a li? Myths tell of great dangers lurking deep underground, home to demons and specters. When these evil creatures attack, torches and oil lamps would inexplicably extinguish, plunging everything into darkness. Miners would then, in the dark, have their vitality drained, their complexions flushing cherry red, and they’d inexplicably collapse dead without a single wound. Even if they were fortunate enough to be rescued, the ebbing of their life force would leave them insane or demented."
"Digging further could easily anger the Earth Mother Goddess, bringing tremors and collapses. Therefore, the miners never dared to dig too deep, afraid to disturb the demons suppressed beneath the earth, or incur the wrath of the Mother Goddess’s majesty..."
At this point, Necali’s face showed deep reverence. This seasoned Samurai, unfazed by death on the battlefield, and who could slaughter men as if mowing grass, was careful and retreating before the unknown powers of myth.
Xiulote remained impassive, gently shaking his head. He thought carefully about the details in the Warrior Captain’s account.
"Flames going out without reason, cherry-red complexions, collapsing dead... that’s a lack of oxygen and carbon monoxide poisoning, indicating a need to address ventilation issues. Tremors and collapses... therefore, deeper passageways would also need wooden supports for reinforcement."
As Xiulote pondered this, he saw another group of miners emerge from the ground. They walked silently to the edge of a small pond, expressionless and mute, with clay jars on their backs, only to pour out water with a "splash" sound.
"Huh? The clay jar is full of water?"
"Yes, Marshal. This is to drain water from the mines. During the rainy season, with too much ingress, draining is a daily task and requires the most manpower. Sometimes, draining is the only work available during the rains. You see, there’s a shallow channel in the mountain spring’s pond, from which the overflowing water is led to a little river, eventually reaching the lowest ground at Lake Zirahuen..."
At this, Xiulote was somewhat astonished.
"It is indeed dangerous when the mine is flooded. But does drainage require so many people?"
"Yes, Marshal. Today, thirty percent of the workforce is draining. When it rains, the number is even higher. Drainage is the most critical task in mining; only after water is sufficiently drained can the miners begin to excavate!"
Xiulote thought for a moment, then patiently asked,
"How exactly are the miners arranged? And what is the daily productivity of copper?"
The Warrior Captain thought for a moment, counting on his fingers.
"Two hundred Samurai form one unit, and there are five units of a thousand miners each. Of these units, one unit of 200 is responsible for logistics, including tasks like lumbering, charcoal burning, fire making, cooking, and other miscellaneous chores."
"One unit of 200 is in charge of copper ore selection and smelting. They start by busying themselves in the river, using wooden sluices to wash the ores and sift through for quality pieces. Then they crush the pieces of ore, the smaller the better generally. Lastly, they put them in small clay kilns with airholes and use charcoal to smother and heat them. When the fire is out, they cool the ashes with water, resulting in ochre copper suitable for direct forging into utensiles for the Capital City."
"Good! You’ve been very attentive!"
Xiulote smiled in approval, expressing satisfaction with Necali. The Warrior Captain racked his brains, continuing to recall.
"Then, a unit and a half, or 300 people, carry clay jars in and out of the mine to continuously drain it. When they’re about done, the last one and a half units of 300 enter the mine with bamboo baskets, using Bronze Pickaxes to chisel the hard rock walls and extract the blue-green Copper Ore. This work is quite tough and very dangerous; miners take turns doing it..."
The King nodded patiently, listening to the end. Necali clenched his fist tightly, smacking it proudly against his chest and declared,
"Marshal, on average, 300 people excavate, each expected to mine 20 jin per day, resulting in 12 jin of copper after smelting. With 1,000 miners in the mine, that’s a daily production of 3,600 jin of copper!"