'Two more Hundred Households...'
'That means... the Forced Labor will increase too?'
Chu Mu leaned against a tree, aimlessly gazing at the Nanshan Mine before him. His mind, however, drifted back to what Xu Yuan had said earlier.
It wasn't that he was having fanciful ideas about snagging a position for himself. Rather, he was pondering the deeper implications...
A simple numerical comparison made it clear. The Nanshan Inspection Office currently had nearly five hundred Inspectors. And the Nanshan Mine, even counting the recent increase in Forced Labor, had at most just over three thousand men on Forced Labor.
On average, that was one Inspector for every six or seven men on Forced Labor.
A ratio like that was undoubtedly extremely stable.
Moreover, the mine's management system for the Forced Labor was exceedingly strict. The mining areas were divided, the men on Forced Labor were segregated accordingly, and there was even a system of collective punishment specifically for them.
With all these measures in place, it was obvious that without some other change, there was no need to increase the number of Inspectors.
Not to mention an increase in the entire staffing structure of the Inspection Office!
'If they're going to increase the Forced Labor again...'
Chu Mu silently surveyed the mine before him, the doubt and alarm in his eyes growing ever stronger.
In this era, how large could the population of a mere remote county be?
The mine already had over three thousand men on Forced Labor. Not long ago, another thousand on Forced Labor had vanished without a trace in the Commandery City. And now, they were going to add even more Forced Labor here at the mine...
And from what he understood, the Nanshan Mine wasn't the only place in Qinghe County conscripting for Forced Labor.
Whether it was repairing roads, controlling floods, fortifying city walls, or even clearing new land, Forced Labor was a routine necessity every year.
And the men on Forced Labor worked for the Government Office. Naturally, they couldn't be the old, weak, sick, or disabled. Able-bodied young men were the mainstay.
Every single man on Forced Labor was very likely the pillar of a family.
Several thousand men on Forced Labor could mean several thousand households!
'Aren't they afraid of a rebellion?'
Chu Mu pursed his lips. Watching the numbly toiling men on Forced Labor not far away, his heart couldn't help but tighten.
Oppression is often met with resistance.
The only difference lies in how sophisticated the methods of oppression are.
But here, the methods of oppression were undoubtedly at the lowest level, without even a shred of concealment. In fact, they were constantly adding fuel to the fire.
"Time to eat!"
"Time to eat! Everyone get over here and eat! Get back to work after you're done!"
The shouts faintly reached his ears. Chu Mu glanced at the source of the sound. Just like any other day, led by a few Inspectors, several kitchen hands on Forced Labor were yelling as they carried baskets filled with food.
If there were no surprises, the baskets should be filled with cornbread buns.
Cornbread buns made from cornmeal mixed with crushed corncobs and wheat bran.
At least in Nanshan Town, Chu Mu had yet to find any food harder to swallow than these cornbread buns. You could say they were exclusively for the men on Forced Labor.
As for the Inspectors, they naturally had their own separate kitchen, and the food was quite decent.
"Let's go, Mu. We'll eat first, then come back to relieve the next shift."
"Alright."
Chu Mu nodded and didn't refuse, quickening his pace to follow the Inspector who had called out.
The Inspection Office's management of the Forced Labor was strict, and its management of the Inspectors wasn't exactly lax either—at least, not for a low-ranking Inspector like Chu Mu.
Meals were eaten in shifts. As for guard duty, each man had his designated post. Unless it was your break or your shift was over, you were stuck at that same post, day in and day out.
Of course, no matter how humble a low-ranking Inspector might be, to the men on Forced Labor, they were all lofty beings.
"I heard the guys from Team Three killed a wild boar yesterday. Looks like we're in for a treat today."
"Tsk tsk, wild boar meat! That's the good stuff!"
The man chattered on. As he spoke, he suddenly threw an arm over Chu Mu's shoulder, acting all too familiar.
"By the way, Mu, tomorrow's payday. Lend your old brother some money, will you? I'll pay you back next payday."
Hearing this, the corner of Chu Mu's mouth couldn't help but twitch. 'This guy really is forward!'
"Brother He, I've only been on duty for a few days. How much pay could I possibly have?"
The man grinned. "Mu, you've got that wrong. We Inspectors have never lived on our pay alone."
Chu Mu was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Haha, our Inspection Office is guarding this mine. There are plenty of... perks!"
"The higher-ups eat the meat, and us little guys drink the soup..."
"He Ergou, what nonsense are you spouting now?"
He Ergou was mid-sentence when the sudden reprimand made him shut his mouth. When he saw Li Gang approaching with a grim face, He Ergou couldn't hide his fear and quickly tried to explain with an awkward smile.
"Team leader, I..."
"Can't even control your own mouth! You want me to sew it shut for you?"
Li Gang didn't give He Ergou any chance to explain before his sharp voice rang out again.
In this situation, how could Chu Mu not realize that He Ergou had walked right into the line of fire?
Although he was quite interested in what He Ergou had to say, tomorrow was payday. From the sound of it, whatever was going on would become crystal clear after they received their pay.
Chu Mu decided to beat a hasty retreat and decisively strode away.
He and this He Ergou had only met a few times; he didn't feel the least bit awkward about leaving him.
Besides, the guy was actually trying to borrow money from him...
'Do I look like I have money?'
Chu Mu felt the thick wad of banknotes in his robes, which gave him a strange sense of security.
With money in your pocket, you don't panic about anything.
But heaven as his witness, this money was earned through blood, sweat, and tears. The original owner's father had traded his life for it. He didn't dare spend a single bit of it recklessly!
Hm?
As his mind wandered, a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision seemed to catch his attention. Chu Mu's gaze suddenly froze.
'Corpses?'
Not far off, at a fork in the road by the mess hall that also led down the mountain, several bodies wrapped in straw mats were piled up without any cover. A few Inspectors were standing around nearby, clearly paying the bodies no mind as they chatted up a storm.
"Five bodies..."
Chu Mu glanced at the pile of corpses again, unable to help but repeat the number in his mind.
"No, there's more!"
He quickly rejected that number.
The reason was simple. In the few moments he had been watching, several more Inspectors had arrived, carrying more bodies wrapped in straw mats.
Looking at the growing pile of corpses, Chu Mu felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.
Three men on Forced Labor had died in the mine accident this morning; he had seen that with his own eyes.
But what about the others?
'A dozen or so men on Forced Labor have died in this mine in a single morning?'
'Were they all from mining accidents?'
"Mu, that wasn't very loyal of you! You just ditched me and ran!"
Just then, a hand suddenly clapped him on the shoulder. If a voice hadn't immediately followed, Chu Mu would have jumped out of his skin.
"Bro... Brother He..."
Chu Mu forced a smile.
"What's up with you?"
He Ergou raised an eyebrow, then followed Chu Mu's gaze. He practically jumped. "Holy crap! Did a mine tunnel collapse or something? Why are there so many dead people?!"
...