The appearance of Village Chief Wang Shun did not disrupt Zhang Yang's plans.
The next day, Reyn, Wang Mumu, and the others set out again. This time, there were more of them: a full hundred Captain-Level Soldiers, along with all of Wang Shun's men. Every one of them was sent to mine and transport coal.
Under the intimidation of overwhelming force—or rather, the intimidation of the mysterious and powerful Ghost Lady—they had no other choice.
Zhang Yang also had the craftsmen build a hundred huge sleds, each capable of carrying five tons of coal. They were parked in a place a hundred and fifty li away where the snow was deeper. When the time came, Wang Mumu would only have to take a little extra trouble to make the snow-covered road thicker, wider, and harder, allowing the coal to be transported back quickly.
At the same time, Zhang Yang continued making seamless iron pipes. Whenever a batch was completed, he had the construction team take it out and assemble it.
These things had to be buried three meters underground and then sealed with stonework to prevent rust as much as possible. Although they might not last for many years, as long as they made it through this winter, it would be the greatest victory for Zhang Yang.
Over the next full half-month, Zhang Yang finally completed all the seamless iron pipes. All the iron ingots had been completely consumed, while he turned the steel ingots into heating boilers.
The heating pipes were first supplied to the residents, then to the barracks where the soldiers lived. In the end, there was none left, and Zhang Yang's castle, where he and several heroes lived, did not receive any.
During this period, Reyn and the others also sent back coal twice, totaling a