After several days of continuous travel, switching from water to land routes, the group from Taoyuan Town finally arrived at Yintuo.

For this trip, Taoyuan County had dispatched twenty men, all miners who had been the earliest to participate in the development of the asphalt mine and had extensive experience using gunpowder.

They were also strong and robust, with excellent stamina.

At this time, although it was daytime in Yintuo, the sky was extremely overcast, with heavy rain pouring down and silver snakes dancing wildly.

Everyone couldn’t help but feel their hearts sink. This was not what they had been told… Wasn’t it supposed to be just a light drizzle?

This rainfall couldn’t be considered light at all.

The team leader, Ding Kai, had a gloomy expression on his face as he shouted at the team members, “Everyone, double-check your equipment again! The oilpaper and casings must protect the gunpowder and fuses well. They absolutely cannot get wet! Otherwise, this trip will have been in vain! We must successfully complete the task assigned by the County Magistrate!”

“After we return, each person will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!”

“Yes!!!”

The other team members all responded in unison.

Seeing that morale was good, Ding Kai turned his head to look behind him… The escort team of over two hundred people behind him was said to have been brought by the merchants who came to Taoyuan County.

These people were no ordinary folk either. Each of them had a straight posture and high spirits, not inferior to his own miners.

Fortunately, with so many people, it was possible to carry the gunpowder up the mountain… Otherwise, with this heavy rain, attempting to climb the mountain would probably exhaust them after just one round trip.

The leader of the escort team was called Cheng Si, an imperial guard arranged by Guo Tianyang with Emperor Jing’s written order, who had changed into plain clothes to escort Ding Kai and the others.

At first contact, Cheng Si had looked down on these country bumpkins from outside, but after interacting with them for a few days on the boat, he discovered that these people were not simple!

With their clothes off, they had a body of strong, muscular physiques. When bored on the boat, they could match his own men in strength without falling short at all. It should be known that his men were also top-notch experts in the imperial guards!

To think that when competing in strength, he could only match these people fifty-fifty. It was enough to show that they were not ordinary. Later, he put away his contemptuous attitude.

Seeing that the rain was far heavier than imagined, Cheng Si walked up to Ding Kai and said, “Old Ding! Can we still continue?”

Ding Kai kept observing the surrounding mountain terrain and nodded, “Yes, look at these mountain peaks. They are tall and straight. If they collapse, they can definitely block the river, but it will be hard work climbing up!”

“Let’s begin! Have your men carry the items and follow me. The mountain peaks on both the north and south sides need to be blasted for this to work. Tell your men to be careful when carrying the items. The oilpaper absolutely cannot tear, or our precious goods will be ruined!”

Cheng Si solemnly nodded. Through the past few days of communication, he already had a general idea of what the Taoyuan County miners had brought, although he had not personally seen the power of this stuff. But he did not dare underestimate it.

Then he turned around and shouted, “Brothers! Pick up the goods and follow Team Leader Ding!”

The large group responded in unison and began to quietly pick up the gunpowder packs that had been divided earlier. The lighter packs weighed a few dozen catties, while the heavier ones exceeded a hundred catty.

Carrying them on a normal day might not be a big deal, but with the slippery paths and the need to climb the mountain, it became especially difficult.

Ding Kai, holding a map, looked at the points that had been marked earlier, found the right direction, and set off.

Over two hundred people, braving the heavy rain, advanced with heavy loads under the gloomy weather.

…

Soon, everyone entered the forest. The fierce wind howled wildly, causing the trees to rustle loudly. Communication was basically only possible by shouting.

Ding Kai, carrying the least, walked at the front, not only having to feel out the path up the mountain but also constantly searching for suitable blasting locations.

As they walked, a cry of alarm suddenly came from behind.

Ding Kai quickly turned his head to look and shouted, “What happened? Who’s in trouble?”

After a while, Cheng Si’s voice was heard, “It’s nothing! Keep going! A brother sprained his ankle, but it’s not a problem!”

Hearing this, Ding Kai continued walking upward.

Cheng Si roughly wiped the rainwater from his face, unable to restrain himself from silently cursing.

This damn weather was too abnormal! If it weren’t for his brothers all being battle-hardened soldiers and top-notch warriors, it would probably be a struggle just to climb the mountain.

The physical fitness of this group of miners from Taoyuan County was unexpectedly good! It once again exceeded his expectations.

After a series of twists and turns, they finally reached the halfway point of the mountain without incident.

Ding Kai looked down at his feet with delight and said, “Damn! The County Magistrate is truly protecting us! There’s actually a mountain crevice here, saving us a lot of effort! Brothers! No need to keep walking. Let’s unload here!”

The people nearby heard this and were overjoyed. They quickly took off the heavy gunpowder packs from their bodies.

“Everyone, gather the items in one place! Old Cheng, take your brothers and retreat downward!”

Cheng Si did not understand his intention, but still had his men pile all the gunpowder packs in front of Ding Kai, then led his men down the mountain.

Ding Kai ordered the men to connect the gunpowder packs into a sheet using ropes, then divided them into two groups and connected the fuses. They used oilpaper casings to protect the fuses and began to slowly lower them down separately.

With the gunpowder having reached the bottom, Ding Kai started to arrange for people to lead the fuses down the mountain while checking if the fuses had gotten wet.

The two teams quickly regrouped with Cheng Si’s main force.

Cheng Si scratched his head, completely baffled, and asked, “Old Ding! Why did you come back down? How are we supposed to blast the mountain?”

Ding Kai chuckled and raised the fuse in his hand, “Watch closely! I guarantee it will be an eye-opener! Come, give me the fire striker!”

Cheng Si’s gaze was fixed on the fuse in Ding Kai’s hand. The moment the flame touched the fuse, it swiftly disappeared into the casing with a whoosh.

“Huh… this…”

“Get down! Everyone cover your ears!!!!” The instant the fuse disappeared, Ding Kai immediately shouted.

In the next second, just as people covered their ears, the ground suddenly began to tremble.

…

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of thunderous explosions rang out! Countless shattered rocks shot into the sky!!

The massive mountain peak actually swayed for a moment and showed signs of collapsing!

Cheng Si was scared out of his wits, his eyes red as he stared at the mountain peak, his body shaking uncontrollably. Most people were like this, and some even buried their heads between their legs, trembling.

Seeing that one blast was not enough, Ding Kai quickly lit the second fuse…

Boom boom boom boom!!!! Another series of explosions, and the mountain peak’s foundation was finally shaken. It teetered and toppled over.

Huge boulders continuously crashed into the river, stirring up wave after wave of enormous spray.

“Ooh ooh ooh ooh! Success!!!!” The miners all cheered. Although it wasn’t completely finished, the feasibility was absolutely unquestionable!

Going home this time meant a reward of a thousand taels of silver! They could lie at home for the rest of their lives!

Cheng Si and the others finally managed to recover after gaping for a long time.

This kind of scene, this kind of method, made his previous battlefield experiences pale in comparison.

It was simply… a divine technique!

He looked at Ding Kai and his group again, his eyes now filled with reverence.

After forcefully swallowing his saliva, Cheng Si cautiously asked, “Old Ding… shall we continue?”

“Continue!”

At this moment, Ding Kai was in high spirits! Half the matter was already done. Strike while the iron was hot and finish the other half, then hurry home to collect the silver.

What was so good about staying in this godforsaken place?

“Retreat!”

Cheng Si shouted, and the main force turned around to continue leaving the forest. The group got up, then a bunch of them fell over with a crash.

A team member said with a tearful smile, “Team Leader! My legs have turned to jelly… I can’t walk…”

Cheng Si’s old face turned red as he looked at Ding Kai.

Ding Kai just chuckled, “Rest up, then continue!”

The miners erupted into laughter.

It turned out these people were also like this, just a bunch of cowards. One blast and they were scared shitless. Back when they first started mining…

…

After resting, the group of over two hundred returned to their original spot and started to gather up the remaining gunpowder packs again, setting off once more for the other mountain peak.

Although the second time took much more effort, following the same method, they still succeeded smoothly.

Watching the surging floodwaters flow out in the planned direction, everyone couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy in their hearts.

Ding Kai shouted, “Brothers!!! Each person go back to the county yamen to collect a thousand taels of silver. I’m treating everyone to a feast at Qingchang Tower, then we’ll go relax at Tiande Pool!”

The twenty miners immediately cheered loudly.

In the heavy rain, Cheng Si and his official soldiers watched the miners with jealous expressions.

They helped the palace without a single coin, while these people worked for the county magistrate and could actually get a thousand taels each… What a difference…