Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

"I am Pan Jin, the Chief of Staff. I am honored to meet Mr. Xu and Mr. Pei."

A middle-aged official in his fifties followed Pei Hui into the hall and bowed to Xu Shu and Pei Qian.

Among the many officials in Luozhong, the one with the longest name is the Chief of the Imperial Household. The so-called Chief of the Imperial Household should be called the Chief of the Imperial Household. But in normal times, it is enough to call him the Assistant Chief.

"Pan Zuocheng," Xu Shu asked calmly, "I and Minister Pei are here on the orders of the Emperor to inspect the Imperial Palace. If you have any questions, you can answer them truthfully."

"As you command." Pan Jin lowered his head slightly and responded.

Pei Hui introduced him, "This is Pan Jin, Pan Hongyi, from Zhongmu, Henan. He has been on duty at the Chief of Works for more than 20 years. Xu Shizhong, brother, if you have any questions about the Chief of Works, you can always ask him. If he can't answer, then no one else will know."

"We have been in the Ministry of Works for more than 20 years?" Xu Shu sighed softly: "When did Pan Zuocheng come?"

Pan Jin bowed and replied, "In reply to Mr. Xu, I was appointed as the Director of Works in the tenth year of Jian'an."

"Twenty-five... twenty-six years." Xu Shu calculated briefly and said, "Pan Zuocheng, Minister Pei and I will ask about the copper mine first. Where is the copper official in Wei now?"

"Reporting to Lord Xu, the copper officials under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works are only in Pengcheng and Hedong."

"How many people work at each of the two Tongguans?"

"There are about 2,000 people in Hedong and about 1,000 in Pengcheng."

"Why is it so little?" Xu Shu asked with a frown.

"It's already a lot." Pan Jin smiled bitterly. "Mr. Xu may not know that what the Wei Dynasty urgently needs in recent years is not copper, but iron. The court has set up many iron officials in various places to make weapons, armor, arrowheads, swords and axes, etc., but has not had time to pay much attention to the matter of smelting copper."

"Even so, there are still not enough people among the iron officials in various places. The iron officials in Yecheng, Nanyang and other places are often conscripted by the prefecture and county officials to take turns to assist the iron officials in their work."

Pei Qian spoke up now: "How come there is a shortage of manpower? How many subway officers are there in total?"

"To reply to Mr. Pei, the total number of iron officials in various places is nearly 20,000, but they are often supplemented by conscription and labor service from nearby prefectures and counties, so the total number is not limited to 20,000." Pan Jin replied.

Seeing that Pei Qian was about to ask more questions, Pan Jin was straightforward and spoke directly: "Mr. Xu and Mr. Pei may not know that the biggest difference between the generals of Wei and Han is the personnel."

"In the Han Dynasty, except for clerks and a few craftsmen, the craftsmen in the Iron and Bronze Offices were all Iron and Bronze Officers, who were forced to work as punishment for crimes. However, since the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, the people have been displaced. Since the Jian'an period, the court has attached great importance to the population and suppressed the refugees. Most of the people have been farming, so there will never be so many prisoners and officials in the Iron and Bronze Offices."

"If the Iron Official is like this, the Copper Official is even more difficult." Pan Jin's throat moved slightly and he swallowed his saliva. "Take the Copper Official north of Anyi Salt Lake in Hedong for example. The veins of the copper mines there are small and complex. They are often excavated from the ground to the underground. Charcoal is burned to make the rocks brittle, and then cold water is poured on them before they can be excavated with hammers and chisels. After excavation, smelting is required, which is difficult and complicated. Mr. Xu and Mr. Pei, please forgive me for being frank. The manpower in Hedong and Xuzhou should only be increased, not reduced. It is not easy to maintain the current output..."

Pei Qian was filled with emotion and was about to say something when Xu Shu beside him asked coldly:
"Pan Zuocheng, I will not ask you so many questions today. I will just ask you two simple questions."

"Please speak, Mr. Xu," Pan Jin replied.

"First, are the copper mines in Hedong and Xuzhou more difficult to mine than those in Wu and Shu? Can this difficulty be improved by adding more manpower?"

The atmosphere in the main hall of the Directorate of Works was already tense. Pan Jin, who was already in his 50s, was questioned by the minister from Luoyang Beigong for the first time. The minister's questioning was equivalent to the emperor's questioning. If he said he was not nervous, he would be lying. At this moment, he felt as if his mouth was glued shut, and he was a little afraid to speak.

"Hongyi, don't panic, just speak your mind, I'll take care of everything." Pei Hui patted Pan Jin's back gently.

"Yes, Master Craftsman." Pan Jin calmed down and said, "In reply to Mr. Xu, according to the records of the Han Dynasty's General Works, the copper mines in Hedong are indeed slightly more difficult to mine than those in Yizhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou and other places. As for manpower, the more people the better, especially when it comes to mining copper. The ordinary smelting process, as well as cutting wood and making charcoal can be completed by corvée labor in surrounding states and counties..." "I understand." Xu Shu did not let Pan Jin's long speech go on, but continued:

"The second question I want to ask is, take the copper officials in Hedong County as an example. Aren't there only 3,000 of them now? If the court assigns you 10,000 people to mine, how will you manage them?"

Pan Jin was a little stunned.

He had never thought that he would be called here to ask such a topic. When he was led by Pei Hui to the government office on his way to inspect the workshops, he thought the emperor sent the attendant to ask about armor, bows and crossbows, and even memorized the recent production figures in his mind several times.

Is the imperial court really going to smelt copper on a large scale?
Add another ten thousand miners?

Pan Jin responded carefully, "Mr. Xu, please forgive me for saying a few more words. I have been on duty in the Military Construction Supervisory Office for more than 20 years. I have been to most of the iron and copper offices, if not all of them. It can be said that mining is the hardest job in the world! If the mine is a little deeper, it will not see the sun. Not only do you have to burn the ore and use water to stimulate it to crack, but you also have to work hard to dig it out and carry it out on your back."

"Mr. Xu, ordinary people would never do this!"

Xu Shu and Pei Qian looked at each other and made up a lie without leaving any trace:

"The imperial court won a great victory in the war this year and captured many prisoners on the battlefield, who may be used in the bronze official."

Pei Qian was speechless, but did not expose him. Pei Hui did not know the inside story and remained calm.

Pan Jin was stunned for a moment: "Since they are prisoners of war, this matter will be easy. Just exchange the minerals for food!"

"Okay, I have taken note of what Pan Zuocheng said." Xu Shu stood up without hesitation and looked at Pei Qian sideways:
"Wenxing, I have asked all the questions I need to ask. Let's set off and return to Beigong now."

Pei Qian's mind moved slightly, and he nodded: "Wen Ji, Yuan Zhi and I will go back to the North Palace first. If there is anything else, I will ask the Secretary to inform you."

"Okay." Pei Hui bowed and said, "Minister Xu, please take your time. Brother, please take your time."

Since the two brothers want to pass the message through the Secretariat, the court or Your Majesty himself should make a very formal assignment.

After Xu Shu and Pei Qian rode away, they did not return to Luoyang City directly for a while, but walked on the low embankment beside the Luo River.

This dam was built by the court after the flood receded this summer, and the people near Luoyang were mobilized to build it. The Luo River was frozen at this time, and looking far into the direction of the flowing Luo River from the low dam was a different scene.

"This is a new idea." Xu Shu stroked his beard as he walked and said, "The Great Wei lacks copper. Previously, it was difficult to mine copper mines in Hedong and Pengcheng, and the circulation of Great Wei copper coins was small, so it was put on hold. Now the court has lowered the tax rate for military farming, and it is expected that taxes will be reduced across the board in the sixth and seventh years of Taihe. There will definitely not be enough five-zhu coins on the market, so we should reserve copper materials as early as possible to prepare for future needs."

"Since there is a lack of people to mine, and the Xianbei tribes are about to fight, if we can make some arrangements, it should not be difficult for the Wei Dynasty to gain tens of thousands of people."

Pei Qian nodded, but then sighed:
"Didn't Pan Jin say that? Mining is the hardest of all. If we really use Xianbei people to mine, those officials will not have any mercy or sympathy for the Hu people. I'm afraid it will damage the great virtue of the court."

Xu Shu laughed and said, "Wen Xing, please stop talking. We are beside the Luo River, not in front of His Majesty in the palace. There is no need to say such things."

"When Shu conquered the South, it recruited manpower and resources from the barbarians. When did it ever show mercy? Wu conquered the Shanyue for decades, destroying their land, forcing them to leave the mountains, making them military households, driving them into battle or serving as slaves, like cattle and horses. When did it ever show mercy?"

"Your Majesty is kind, but he is a descendant of the Cao family after all. Wenxing should not worry too much. During the decisive battle of Chiting in the second year of Taihe, blood flowed like a river in front of him. Your Majesty played chess with the general and others in the tent, and he remained calm. I have heard about this before!"

Pei Qian also chuckled: "Then let's wait and see. It's not even the end of the year yet, and if the Xianbei start to make trouble, it will be spring at the latest. There's plenty of time for Wei to manipulate. Don't worry." (End of this chapter)