Chief Armaments Master of the Ming Dynasty

The cause was food, or rather, the struggle for the right to distribute the last bit of food.

Wang Ziyong's injuries worsened, his high fever persisted, his consciousness was often blurred, and his control over the team was greatly reduced.

Two petty leaders, Liu Sanba (who has a scar on his face and was originally a deserter from the border army, brave but greedy) and Hu Laowai (who was originally a down-on-his-luck scholar who knew a few words and was good at bewitching people), secretly colluded to control most of the stored grain. They only distributed a very small portion to ordinary soldiers and the elderly and weak, keeping the rest for themselves, intending to win over their confidants and even start their own faction.

The discontent among the ordinary soldiers had reached its peak and finally erupted on a cold morning.

Dozens of hungry soldiers surrounded the cave where Liu and Hu stored their grain, shouting for a share.

Liu Sanba, along with his cronies, blocked their way with knives, and the two sides were on the verge of a fight.

Wang Ziyong was helped out by his personal guards to suppress the disturbance, but he was weak from illness, and his shouts were feeble.

Liu Sanba La now completely disregards him, instead subtly mocking certain people for being "incompetent" and dragging everyone down to their deaths in the mountains.

Hu Laowai, meanwhile, stood by making sarcastic remarks and fanning the flames.

Just as conflict was about to erupt, Lin Fan stepped forward.

Instead of heading towards the two opposing sides, he walked to a slightly elevated stone platform next to the cave.

He had no swords, only a broken crossbow that he had been fiddling with and using for demonstrations these past few days.

"Brothers!" Lin Fan's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent valley. "For a few mouthfuls of rations to survive, are you really going to point your weapons at your own people? Are Leader Liu and Leader Hu withholding the grain so that we can all starve to death and they can pocket it all and run away?"

These words hit the nail on the head, immediately changing the expressions of Liu and Hu, and further enraging the surrounding soldiers.

"Doctor Lin! What do you suggest we do? The grain is all in their hands!" someone shouted.

Lin Fan raised the broken crossbow:

"Food is certainly important, but we're trapped in these mountains. How long can this little bit of food last? The government troops are still searching the mountains outside; they'll find us sooner or later. Without any useful weapons or skills to defend ourselves, can we hold onto the stolen food?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:

"I know a place where we might find something useful. Go down that deep ravine behind the mountain, there's a rock wall that's reddish in color. I heard from an old miner when I was fleeing that you can often find 'flint' and 'stinky stone' near those rocks."

Flint and sulfur!

The soldiers began to stir.

Flint can be used to start a fire, sulfur... Although they may not know the specific uses, they all know that it is related to "fire" and "medicine". The "Heavenly Thunder Arrow" that Lin Fan made earlier has given them a direct and awe-inspiring understanding of the power of "fire".

"If we find those things, will Master Lin be able to create 'Heavenly Thunder' again?" someone asked eagerly.

"I can't guarantee it," Lin Fan said frankly, "but with the materials, we can at least make better arrows than we have now, and they'll be easier to ignite. We might even... find something else to treat the chieftain's wounds."

His last words were spoken while looking at Wang Ziyong, who was being supported by his personal guards and whose face was ashen.

A glint of light flashed in Wang Ziyong's cloudy eyes as he struggled and hissed:

"Master Lin... what Master Lin said... makes sense! Liu San, Hu Laowai! Take out the grain... and distribute it according to the number of people! Master Lin... take some men to find... find medicine, find flint!"

Liu Sanba and Hu Laowai's expressions changed.

Their withholding of grain was originally intended to win over people and start anew. Now, Lin Fan has proposed a plan that seems more promising (finding important resources) and can temporarily divert attention from the conflict (finding resources requires manpower, and distributing grain can appease everyone). Wang Ziyong has also explicitly supported it. If they insist on it, they will immediately become the target of everyone's criticism.

Weighing the pros and cons, Liu Sanba glared at Lin Fan, then reluctantly waved his hand, ordering his confidant to open the cave.

Hu Laowai gave Lin Fan a sinister look but didn't say anything.

The fire was temporarily extinguished.

The grain was taken out, and although it wasn't much, it was distributed equally among the people, which barely calmed the restless hearts of the people.

Lin Fan, along with Han Jinhu and a dozen soldiers who volunteered (or were forced to) follow, including confidants sent by Liu and Hu to "assist" (in reality to monitor) them, headed toward the deep ravine behind the mountain that was said to contain a mine.

The ravine is deep and precipitous, with jagged rocks.

Lin Fan wasn't entirely confident; he was just guessing based on geological common sense (the red rock layers might be related to minerals like iron and sulfur) and his previous observations of the mountain terrain.

This was more like a gamble, betting on his keen sense of resources and the team's thirst for "hope".

They trekked through the cold ravines for most of the day. Just as everyone began to have doubts, and Liu Sanba's trusted confidants started to speak coldly, Han Jinhu, who was walking at the front, suddenly exclaimed:

"Brother Lin! Come quick! Is this the kind of stone you were talking about?"

Lin Fan strode forward and saw some dark red rubble scattered under a collapsed rock wall. On the damp rock wall, clear ochre-red streaks could be seen.

He picked up a stone, examined it carefully, and then searched the surrounding area thoroughly.

Finally, near a crack in the rock that was leaking water, he found several pieces of yellower, more brittle material. When he brought them close, he could smell a faint, pungent sulfur odor.

Not far away, some flint and hard quartzite were also found.

"Found it!" Lin Fan held up a piece of sulfur ore, a look of relief on his face.

Although it is just an exposed vein with unknown quality and reserves, it is undoubtedly a shot in the arm in this desperate situation.

The news reached the temporary camp, and the low morale was lifted.

We've found a "treasure trove"!

Master Lin is truly skilled!

Wang Ziyong's condition seemed to have improved somewhat as a result, and he forced himself to issue an order to mobilize more manpower to begin the organized mining of these ores—mainly flint and sulfur—under Lin Fan's guidance.

Flint could be used to make a more reliable flint, while sulfur offered hope for the future production of gunpowder.

Although there was no saltpeter available for the time being, this had already given everyone a glimmer of hope.

Lin Fan's position is therefore more secure, but also more delicate.

The look in Liu Sanba and Hu Laowai's eyes was filled with both fear and murderous intent.

Wang Ziyong, in a private meeting, made a vague promise to him:

"Master Lin...work hard, find more useful things...once I recover from my injuries, I'll lead you out of the mountains, and you'll eat and drink well, and you'll get your share!"

Lin Fan responded respectfully, but his heart was ice-cold.

He knew that he was just a slightly special pawn in this chaotic quagmire.

Wang Ziyong's troops were trapped deep in the mountains, facing internal and external troubles, and could not stay there for long.

Li Zicheng, the name that ultimately rose to prominence amidst the tides of history, the "Chuang King" who knew better how to find a way out of dire straits and even once proposed the slogan "equal distribution of land to all, regardless of social status," is perhaps the chessboard on which this pawn can play a greater role and even truly change something.

The sulfur ore in his hand gleamed dullly under the dim light.

Could this substance from underground, full of danger and possibilities, become a new stepping stone for him to reach that chessboard?

Night had fallen, and the mountain wind howled.

Lin Fan lay on the cold rock, listening to the faint clanging of ore miners in the distance and the slightly enthusiastic whispers of soldiers filled with new hope. His gaze seemed to pierce through the heavy mountain and look north to the more unknown mountains where the legendary "Chuang" flag fluttered.