Crowned the New Han Dynasty

Chapter 528: The gold guard Shi Naixun

The priest Chen Zhi mentioned was named Ge Lu.

This Ge Lu also has some background. He entered Youzhou together with Chen Zhi. He is considered an old member of the team. He has an extraordinary background. He is a relative of the little immortal Ge Hong. According to their seniority, the two of them can still Considered a peer.

However, this Ge Lu is several years younger than Ge Hong, and he has been with Ge Hong since he was ten years old. When Ge Hong was refining alchemy, he would do odd jobs nearby. Ge Hongruo wrote: He also has to wait beside me when writing notes.

In fact, this is Ge Hong's long-term follower, and in a sense he can be called his disciple.

The fact is also the same. Among Ge Hong's relatives, Ge Hong doesn't value and appreciate many of them. This Ge Lu is one of them. There is the little immortal Ge Hong inside.

However, when Chen Zhi went north to Youzhou in the end, the little immortal Ge Hong didn't really accompany him. In the end, he sent his relative and disciple over.

According to Ge Hong, Ge Lu has acquired a lot of skills and true teachings from him. He has learned the methods of alchemy and has the ability to identify alchemy formulas.

But since he followed Chen Zhi, he hasn't shown much ability. At least compared to a few others, he is still very low-key. He is quite peaceful, neither impatient nor bored. Every day he is very low-key. He lives in seclusion and spends most of his time in his own room, not knowing what to do. Sometimes he goes out, just like wandering aimlessly, walking around in and around the county town.

At this time, after hearing Chen Zhi's praise, the Taoist priest calmly shook his head and said with a smile: "The governor is ridiculous. I don't have any great skills, but I can still identify a few alchemy stones and ask myself. ."

At first glance, a few people on the side thought that the Taoist priest was being modest. But after a closer look, they discovered the deeper meaning. There was no hint of humility at all, and it was clearly a compliment to Chen Zhi for what he said.

These people also have their backgrounds. It was under Chen Zhi's special instructions that the outstanding ones selected from the servants sent there had all dealt with mineral deposits in the past, and they were not mining in the general sense, but also engaged in mining. Too close to exploration-like behavior.

"With the guidance of the Taoist priest and the help of all of you, we will be able to capture them easily." After Chen Zhi praised Ge Lu, he also took advantage of the opportunity to praise these prospectors.

"We will do our best, but this matter of searching for minerals is not simple. It is really not easy for you, Grand Supervisor, to search around this Dai County. I have been wandering around here these days, but there is no trace. "The leader said so. His name was Chen Jing, and his original surname was Li. Because he completely joined the Chen family, he even changed his surname.

He was trying to persuade Chen Zhi, pretending that he wanted to educate Chen Zhi on how to search for minerals, so as to prevent Chen Zhi from messing with his command.

In fact, not only Chen Jing, but also the Taoist priest Ge Lu was weighing whether he should tell Chen Zhi the truth to prevent them from wasting their efforts here.

Of course Chen Zhi knew that the iron ore in this county would not be discovered until later generations. It is indeed difficult to find traces of it now. However, this land in later generations is within Yu County, where there are coal mines and a small amount of iron ore.

This county is close to Bingzhou, which is the land of Shanxi in later generations. Shanxi is a coal-rich land with rich reserves, so there are also coal mines here. Although the iron ore reserves are not large, they are relatively speaking, but It takes time to mine, and Chen Zhi also has countermeasures for this.

The most urgent task is to find a suitable reason to get the group of people in front of them to take action. In this way, in conjunction with the "finding talisman", there is a way to find the mineral deposits.

Or, as long as a certain amount of authority is established and people believe his words, then even if there is no strict reason, these people can still search for it with all their heart.

After thinking about this, Chen Zhi had an idea.

"I also know a thing or two about the difficulty of prospecting," he smiled slightly. "I know a little bit about some of the key things involved. If you need anything, you can tell me."

Chen Jing's expression changed slightly and he couldn't help but said: "I don't know, Lord, how much do you know?"

Beside, the Taoist priest Ge Lu also heard this and looked slightly sideways with expectation on his face.

Bao Jingyan, who came after hearing the news, happened to be here. When he heard this, he asked with interest: "The prefect's words are always true. Since you said you know a little bit, you may be proficient. I don't know what kind of search the prefect knows." The method of mining?”

The art of prospecting in China has been around since the pre-Qin period, and the miners who have inherited it have the skills to identify minerals and prospect for minerals.Chen Zhi laughed when he heard this and said, "That's all I know a few sentences about. "The Rites of Zhou" says: 'The people hold the land of gold, jade, tin and stone.' My understanding of this mineral deposit also comes from Here."

The "卝" here is "mine", which has the same pronunciation. It symbolizes the mouth of the shaft during mining. The two horizontal lines are the ground surface, and the two vertical ones are the supporting back plates of the shaft. The back plates should be higher than the ground, which is a pictogram. The beauty of writing is that the mining technology of the pre-Qin period can be expressed with just one glyph.

The examination and comparison of later generations has confirmed that the mines in the Shang and Zhou dynasties were just as recorded in this word.

Bao Jingyan smiled and said: "The miner is the master of gold and stone. The "Shuowen Jiezi" says: Jin refers to the five-color gold; Shi refers to the mountain stone. The prefect explained the key in one sentence."

Chen Jing breathed a sigh of relief and flattered with a smile: "What the Lord said is absolutely true. From now on, if there are any allusions to this mine prospecting, I have to ask the Lord for advice."

Only that Taoist Ge Lu shook his head slightly, seeming a little disappointed.

Chen Zhixiao glanced at Chen Jing and knew that this person had selfish motives, so he wanted to hammer it out. This mineral prospecting matter was originally in his plan. He had stood still because firstly, there was not enough protection, and secondly, it was not I am willing to scare the snake and make wedding clothes for others. Now that these two problems have been alleviated to a certain extent, I can start to make arrangements.

The matter of mineral deposits is related to Chen Zhi's future development, and it is very important to use the lottery. At the beginning, we must not let things ferment.

So he said: "This prospecting relies on craftsmanship and inheritance, not literature and classics. However, there are indeed mysteries hidden in this literature and science. The article "Internal Storage" in "Han Feizi" is an example."

When Bao Jingyan and Ge Lu heard this, they became energetic, and the former said, "I would like to hear the details."

Chen Zhixiao said: "It's easy to say, but it's just one sentence: In the land of Jingnan, gold grows in the beautiful water, and there are many people stealing gold. In fact, it is about gold mining, which relies on sedimentation and sorting. There is no way to search for minerals, and the "Zhuangliu Chapter" of "Lunheng" says: In the turbulent flow, the sand and gravel turn and the big rocks do not move. What is it? The big rocks are heavy and the sand and gravel are light. The sand and gravel are deposited on the big rocks. , the boulder disappears without being seen, this is exactly what it says.”

After saying these words, Chen Jing's eyes twitched, Ge Lu smiled and nodded, and Bao Jingyan simply put his palms in his hands and smiled, saying: "This is a method of searching for heavy sand ore, using washing to loosen it, and in the remaining sediments and slopes Collecting things from accumulations and alluvial deposits is indeed a method of prospecting. Although it is relatively common, most people do not know that this method is prospecting for ores, and they all think it is treasure hunting. The prefect said this, and he is proficient in prospecting."

"This is a compliment to me," Chen Zhi shook his head, "I only know a thing or two about the so-called specialization in the art industry, but the secret of the method of prospecting can indeed be found from some predecessors' words, such as that In the book "Guanzi", there is an article "The Number of Lands", which says, "If there is ocher on the mountain, there is iron underneath; if there is lead on the top, there is silver below; if there is cinnabar on the top, there is gold below; if there is lead on the top, there is gold below; There is a magnet with copper and gold underneath it. All these things are based on looking from the outside to the inside, and you can know the secret by seeing the subtleties."

He talked about many methods, and everyone in front of him was surprised and surprised. Chen Jing's face changed several times, and finally he couldn't help but said: "My ancestors also taught many of these methods, but I didn't know that the sages had already recorded them. "Returning the Tao is a unique method, and the methods the Lord has said are beyond the legends of my family."

"Your words are just like flattery," Chen Zhi still shook his head and said sternly: "I'm actually just a juggler. I'm far inferior to you. That's because your search for the Dharma is passed down from your ancestors and has been proven by many experiences. , and I’m just talking on paper, and the methods I mentioned are actually different.”

"That's right, that's right." Taoist Ge Lu smiled and nodded, "The prefect knows this. Those who use ocher to look for iron are actually looking for elixirs through weathering. The "Shan Hai Jing" also says: 'There is something in it. Beautiful ocher means that its yang is rich in gold and its yin is rich in iron. Using ocher to search for iron has been practiced since ancient times. My teacher once said that the iron ore in the red mountain is like a stone, and the color is reddish. "

Chen Zhi also smiled and said: "This is exactly the reason. In addition to the difference between ocher, the lead, cinnabar, and magnet I just mentioned, as well as the lead and red copper under the mausoleum, and the silver under the mountain, are actually all It is a method of symbiosis, and this is another method of finding ore, iron-copper symbiosis, lead-copper symbiosis, silver-mercury symbiosis, etc., all have traces to follow."

"You must be an expert in this way," Ge Lu nodded in praise, but then changed the subject, "But in this case, the prefect should know that it is not easy to find such a place in Dai County, at least in Dai County. Otherwise, This mineral deposit should have been mined long ago.”

When Chen Jing and others heard this, they all nodded slightly to express their agreement. Only Bao Jingyan's expression changed slightly and showed interest. He looked at Chen Zhi and looked like he was waiting.

Chen Zhi responded calmly and said with a smile: "This is true, but you should also know that some of the methods of searching for minerals mentioned above are actually looking for mineral deposits with obvious hidden potential. For mineral deposits that are too thickly covered, Generally speaking, these methods are not very accurate, so there are different methods such as shallow pit method, shallow well method, trench method, etc. for exploration."

Every time he mentioned a method, the surprise on the faces of others increased.

"These methods involve more manpower and energy, and consume more time and material resources. They are often combined with mining projects. They are more complicated prospecting methods that do not have enough endurance and energy. Without enough power to guide, it is difficult to achieve results, and what Chen is going to do now is this! However, it is a little different from what you think, Chen has a unique method of prospecting, using this method , you can get twice the result with half the effort.”

(End of this chapter)