Here, Xiao Ji had been.
Though he hadn't seen its entirety, it was not the ruin before them now.
Madam Hua was greatly alarmed. She knew the first priority was to dig people out of the mine; other losses could be dealt with later.
Having experienced the Battle of Liangzhou, everyone had some rescue experience.
A thousand elite soldiers were first assigned to set up temporary tents on the open ground outside. The remaining two thousand were divided into ten teams, each responsible for a section. They immediately began clearing the collapsed debris from the outside to rescue those inside who were uninjured but trapped.
They were all elite soldiers and capable individuals, and they worked diligently.
Soon, several small passages were cleared, and many trapped miners emerged, supporting each other.
Some were merely shaken, while others had sustained minor injuries that had already been bandaged.
Upon seeing Madam Hua, they rushed over as if she were family and spoke with great emotion.
"Madam, you have finally arrived."
"I apologize for the fright everyone has endured. Where is Steward Qi and the others?"
"Steward Qi led a group into the innermost mine shaft. The collapse there is severe. If it's not cleared quickly, I fear the brothers inside will have no chance of survival."
Madam Hua fell silent. Even if they could clear it, the casualties inside would likely be heavy.
However, the Feng family's mines always had a sturdy, impact-resistant corner prepared in advance, stocked with food and water, which was replenished regularly. Even ventilation was accounted for.
She hoped that the corner had survived the mine's explosion, allowing them to save at least one person!
"You should all rest first, then start fires and cook. Prepare plain congee and steamed buns as quickly as possible, or anything that can fill your stomachs."
Some of the rescued individuals were originally responsible for cooking, and the kitchen area had not been significantly damaged.
However, the passages were narrow, making it somewhat troublesome to transport supplies from inside.
"Madam, rest assured, we will handle this matter properly."
Thus, the men brought by Xiao Muqian were tasked with digging inwards, while those who were merely frightened began widening the passages on the sides.
Supplies from the kitchen were continuously brought out, and stoves were set up and lit beside the tents.
The only inconvenience was that the well previously used for water had also collapsed, forcing them to fetch water from the river outside. Fortunately, with so many people, several large vats were filled in a short time.
The cooks, along with some helpers, immediately began to light fires and prepare food.
There was ample food to fill their stomachs, and meat was not spared.
All the preserved cured meat that had been stored was brought out and steamed together with the rice. Soon, the aroma of cured meat rice filled the air.
While everything proceeded methodically outside, the deeper they dug, the heavier Madam Hua's heart became.
It was normal for the mine to store gunpowder. The mole must have used it.
And the amount used must have been significant, otherwise, such a widespread collapse would not have occurred. This meant the enemy had considerable manpower.
When Madam Hua thought of this, Xiao Muqian naturally did too.
When they arrived at the former living quarters with the elite soldiers, they found the place also in ruins!
Especially the place where Feng Shan usually kept the account books, it was as if it had been ransacked. Looking at the scene, Feng Jinhua spoke with fierce hatred, as if her own home had been torn apart.
"If I ever catch that mole, I will skin them alive to quench my hatred!"
Madam Hua, however, noticed something amiss. She said to Xiao Muqian with concern,
"The other party wanted to find the mine's account books! That's why they feigned the mine explosion to distract everyone."
"Madam Feng, what would happen if the account books fell into the wrong hands?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Hua's stern face broke into a faint smile. "Young General, rest assured, these books will never fall into the hands of outsiders."
After hearing this, Xiao Muqian frowned and looked at her. Her tone was too confident, making him doubt if the account books were truly here.
If they were, why was she not afraid of them being discovered? If not, then what was the purpose of Feng Shan leading him on that previous excursion?
A diversion?
For a moment, he couldn't figure it out.
"Since there is no danger here, let's put this aside for now. Let's take our men to the mine and see what the situation truly is."
"Alright!"
When they all arrived at the most severely collapsed mine shaft, Steward Qi was so overjoyed he almost jumped.
"Madam!"
Tears streaming down his face, he looked at Madam Hua and moved to kneel and beg for punishment.
"This old servant failed to supervise properly, leading to such a mistake! I beg Madam to punish me!"
"Steward Qi! Get up quickly. Saving lives is the priority now! Tell me the general situation here, so the Young General can lead his men to rescue them!"
Steward Qi nodded, finally noticing the elite soldiers and capable men who had arrived behind them.
With them here, there was a greater possibility of survival for those buried below.
"Very well! The Feng family's mine has a total of twelve shafts. There are quotas for annual mining. Once the target is reached, the master allows everyone to rest and resume work the following year. Therefore, we never have late-night work or strenuous labor, and there's no possibility of operational errors due to fatigue. The gunpowder was buried in advance. It started exploding from mine shaft number six, affecting seven, eight, nine, and ten. When the explosion occurred, there were still one hundred and seventy-nine people working inside. Thirty-six people escaped from the areas closer to the entrance, leaving one hundred and forty-three people inside."
Xiao Muqian felt a measure of admiration for Steward Qi, who could so quickly and accurately account for the numbers and even prepare a list. This demonstrated that the mine's daily management was extremely orderly.
Madam Hua took the list and the drawn map of the mine shafts and handed them to Xiao Muqian.
She had no talent in this area and was not well-informed about the situation, so it was better for Xiao Muqian to take charge.
Upon unfolding it, the construction of the mine shafts was also quite reasonable.
Some extended deep into the earth, with support beams at every level, making them less likely to be damaged. Three teams were immediately dispatched to excavate these deeper shafts.
Others descended to lower levels, with a safe corner, as mentioned by Madam Hua, added for every five meters of depth. This meant there were four locations that could accommodate nearly a hundred people. If they could all hide there, it would save considerable effort in searching.
Therefore, Xiao Muqian ordered that while the upper sections were being reinforced, four points were to be dug down towards the safe corner locations. However, the process required extreme caution. The upper sections were relatively safe, but the lower sections carried the risk of secondary collapses.
After making all the arrangements, Xiao Muqian personally led a team to dig near the mine shafts.
Steward Qi and those around him were skilled in their craft. With their guidance, the elite soldiers dug with greater speed and accuracy.
Feng Jinhua took the lead, working alongside the elite soldiers.