Spring Pole

"Are you ready?" Li Ming asked, his expression serious.

"Yes," Li Xuan nodded. She looked at the construction of the first spring pole in the world's history. The spring pole appeared quite simple—a large, robust pole firmly planted in the ground, with a long, sturdy log attached on top. On one side of the pole, there was a giant boulder, while on the other side, two ropes hung where people could step on them to tilt the balance in their favor. Not far from these ropes, a metal pole with a pointed tip was attached.

This was the spring pole. By leveraging the law of the lever, the spring pole would crush the ground whenever someone stepped on the ropes, causing the metal pole to smash into the ground.

Li Ming had explained how to use this equipment. While he personally wanted a modern oil derrick to speed up the process, this method was more suitable for their current situation. It might require labor-intensive work, but the people in this world were stronger due to their martial arts training.

Two men stood near the ropes, ready to step on them, while another stood nearby, prepared to lower the spring pole. The workers nodded their heads.

"Begin!" Li Xuan commanded.

As soon as they heard the order, the two men tied their feet together with a rope. They had to synchronize their movements, which was why they needed to be connected.

Then, they stepped on the ropes and pushed with all their strength.

"Haaaa!" They let out a cry.

Clang!

The pointed tip hit the ground from a height of one and a half meters, smashing into the sandstone. It immediately cracked the sandstone upon impact.

"Hoh?" Li Xuan widened her eyes in surprise. "Such strong penetration power."

The two men lifted their feet, causing the weight on the other side to lift the metal pole once again. Then, they pushed it down once more.

Clang!

The metal pole smashed into the sandstone, creating a small hole. It was only a few centimeters deep, and the diameter of the hole was about ten centimeters. However, if they continued, they would be able to create a deeper hole.

"This is how you use it," Li Ming nodded, satisfied. He then began noting down a few things for improvement. "Well, I want to use a better tool, but is it possible to use a horse for it?"

"We can do that, but horses are valuable for martial artists and traveling, so I need to learn the proper procedure before granting your request," Li Xuan explained.

"I understand. In any case, the workers should have understood the process," Li Ming replied, looking up. "I think we can leave them for now. I'm curious about the layered rocks."

"That's true. But there's something I'm confused about," Li Xuan pointed at the cracked stone. "Won't the debris fill up the hole? And since the hole is small, how do you plan to remove them?"

"With this," Li Ming took out a drawing of a metal can with a spiral inside. "This is a can with an Archimedes screw. When you spin this, the rocks will gradually enter the can. Then, we can bring the can to the surface and repeat the process until the hole is empty."

"Is such a thing possible?" Li Xuan gasped.

"Yes, it's possible. You'll see it later. Elder Han has been working on it since yesterday, but it's a bit complicated, and the item will only arrive at noon. So, we'll have to wait until then," Li Ming explained.

"What about the depth? I can see that it can be lowered for about two to three meters, but that's it. How can we reach a greater depth?"

"It's simple. See this?" Li Ming pointed at the metal block that attached the metal pole to the spring pole. "By attaching it vertically, we can gradually lower it down, allowing the equipment to reach deep into the ground, perhaps up to ten meters. Of course, the deeper we go, the more challenging it will become. That's why I mentioned earlier that it will be labor-intensive."

"I see. Is there anything else you want to add? It seems like the situation is under control," Li Xuan inquired.

Li Ming pondered for a moment before whispering, "How do you treat the workers?"

Li Xuan was puzzled by the question but understood that there might be different treatment for workers in other places. She replied in a low tone, "This is a new job, so we don't know how to pay them. But depending on the intensity of the work, we can grant them twenty copper coins a day. You should know that five copper coins are enough for an adult man to have a good roof over his head and fill his belly each day. So, you can understand that we're already paying them a bit too much."

"I see," Li Ming carefully considered it. "Well, I think that's good enough for now. If possible, hire big, robust men for this work. You can even increase their wages a bit, to twenty-five or thirty copper coins a day. The additional money can make them feel that this is an important job and discourage them from speaking out. After all, they won't find such rewards elsewhere if they do."

Li Xuan nodded, understanding his reasoning. "That's a fair concern. However, I'll observe their work today before considering raising their wages."

"Understood," Li Ming smiled. "In that case, let's climb the hill."

"Yes," Li Xuan called over her guard and instructed, "Let the workers continue. Da Ming and Da Su will stay here to protect them. Er Hu will accompany me to climb the mountain."

Da Ming and Da Su nodded. Li Xuan only needed one guard since she had brought her sword with her. That way, everyone climbing the hill would be armed.

Li Ming hoped that there wouldn't be a need for him to use his pistol.