Mines

After the feast that night, the military generals and officers who had various dissenting opinions against Li Xian were silenced overnight, after seeing that their lord indeed cares about warring soldiers. Now that Yi Province was on a peace footing, they agreed that there was no need for every fort to be at a maximum garrison at all times aside from those that the generals believed were in danger of imminent conflict, such as Hanzhong and the nearby pass that protects it.

Li Xian, however, had posed a challenge to the craftsmen within Yi, that whoever can make an armour lighter and stronger than anything they had will be eligible for a reward. Though the reward was never specified clearly or remained vague on purpose, the craftsmen were greatly motivated.

After all, a liege lord who is generous in spending can't be stingy in rewarding. What if it was a grand mansion? A personal craftsman to the lord? Endless contracts for the military?

The water wheel technology that was introduced widespread throughout Yi Province had gained traction among craftsmen as well. The reason for their popularity was what flowing water could continuously do in place of human hands.

Picture this, a water wheel that could constantly pound metal over a pair of human hands day and night. The human tires but water never does as it constantly trickles.

Li Xian had taken the time to visit the Liu Yan Workshop, which was named after Liu Zhang's father and set up recently. This was an entire marketplace of workers which were able to rent facilities from the government to speed up their production process or for aspiring craftsmen to take apprentices.

"My lord, I am honoured to have you visit here! I am Li Guang, I was put in charge of this area thanks to your blessing."

The man greeting him was definitely a worksman before his managerial role. His hands were full of calluses and his clothes betrayed the strong arms and bulky body beneath. He had a nasty scar that ran across his face.

"No need for the formalities. Show me the facility please." Li Xian said as Li Guang walked beside the lord, with Li Xian's entourage following behind. The path in front of them opened up as people automatically parted and bowed to show their respect for Liu Zhang, the Governor of Yi.

The facility was constructed in Chengdu in one of the newly developed areas that Li Xian had decided would be for commercial purposes. It was a massive facility that combined workshops, warehouses and manual labour as well as row upon rows of shops. From pottery to metalwork, everything can be found here.

Many refugees had actually fled Luoyang or Chang An and moved to Yi Province due to Xiliang Province's proximity with Yi Province. Dong Zhuo had imposed punitive taxes on his citizens for the construction of his mega palace and seized women and girls to be brought into his harem. As much as Li Xian wished to stop this, there was no realistic way in which Yi Province can challenge Dong Zhuo's power in battle.

If anything, Li Xian was still obligated to continuously sell food to Xiliang Province as Dong Zhuo has the Emperor under his control. To go against Dong Zhuo openly now was to court death as much as the people of the Han knew that he was a tyrant.

Touring the narrow alleyways and streets of this place, Li Guang proudly declared, "My lord, I am confident that in a few months time, no greater workshop will be available from here to the Central Plains."

"Good, is there anything you need?" Li Xian asked as he smiled as some of the worksmen who greeted him.

"My lord, we need more mines to satisfy demand for our goods in the fields of iron. Aside from that, your competition has made the demand for iron soar. I'm afraid of the price going out of control."

"I understand, do everything to control the price for now. I will have more supplies for you soon."

As the tour ended, Li Xian scratched his head while speaking to the civil officials.

"We have mountains in Yi, hills, rich soil, how come our iron mines are so small?"