Chapter 2 Chapter 1 The War of Coal, the War of Jin

When it comes to coal bosses in Shanxi, we must first "do as the Romans do" and learn a few words of local "jargon". Coal: Also called "charcoal", it is coal, which is a common name for coal in Shanxi. Fine charcoal: "fine" is the "fine" of "fine grain", and fine charcoal is "charcoal" of good quality. Kiln: It is a coal mine, also known as "coal kiln" locally, which is a common name for coal mines in Shanxi. Heikouzi: "Heiyao", that is, an unlicensed coal mine, also called "Kouzi" by the locals.

Kiln clothing: The "work clothes" worn by miners when they work in the coal mine, their function is not to "protect the cold", but to "cover the body".Because the air in the mine does not flow, the temperature generally does not drop. In addition, the miners are hot and sweaty after high-intensity labor. The thin clothes are just used in this environment.Old-fashioned military uniforms, autumn clothes, short sleeves, shorts worn by relatives and friends at home, or clothes picked up from the junk pile are the first choice of workers. Shovel ridge: also called cross ridge, which is a technical term for the extractive industry.Coal is distributed in layers underground, and there is a thick rock layer between the coal seam and the coal seam. According to the needs of coal mining, the coal seam is excavated through the rock layer. "Guolong" means "through the rock layer".

Old man: It is the highest "leader" under the coal mine.Its duty is to coordinate and guide various problems that occur in the production process, and take overall responsibility for the overall mining engineering and construction safety. This requires that the incumbent must first have considerable experience in underground pit operations and be familiar with the process connection of various types of work under the pit , Secondly, he is good at commanding and coordinating the "unit combination" of coal production under the pit. Digger: Also known as "coal pit hand" and "nest digger", this is one of the main types of work under the pit.In small coal mines, coal is extracted manually. The main tool for "coal pit hands" to dig coal is "coal pick".

Pulling: one of the main types of work under the pit.These people use special rickshaws under the pit to transport the coal dug out by the diggers to the designated location.Due to the humid air in the mine, the infiltration of groundwater, the uneven road surface, abnormal muddy conditions, and long-term rolling, the ruts on the ground rocks under the pit have sunk by nearly 15 centimeters. It is very difficult to move forward. Each car of coal is calculated by volume, and 4 cars are one ton. Generally, in a “unit” of production combination, the coal excavated by one excavator can be hauled by one puller, and the work intensity and labor volume of the two are basically the same.

Mining cart: a special "tool cart" for transporting coal between the surface coal yard and the underground coal mining area.Mining carts are generally two to three sections connected together like train carriages. Mine cart pusher: One of the types of work that assists in transporting "charcoal" on the ground above the pit.The "charcoal" produced by the workers in the mine is transported to the ground coal yard through the mine cart, and the type of work that operates the mine cart to load and unload coal is "pushing the mine cart". Tire patching: one of the auxiliary types of work on the pit.Due to the harsh environment in the mine, the human-powered coal trucks were severely damaged, especially tire explosions, air leakage, broken shafts, broken spokes, etc.The damaged tools were transported to the ground in time, and the coal mine specially arranged maintenance workers to serve the pullers.

Pushing the slope: one of the auxiliary types of work under the pit.Due to the complex terrain under the pit, to complete the task of coal transportation, someone must push the cart behind the coal truck to help the puller move forward. This is "pushing the slope", commonly known as "pushing the slope". Rope-pull: The coal transportation channel under the pit is uneven, and it is common to go uphill and downhill.To complete the task of coal transportation, the puller must use the hoist to pass the steel wire rope hanging on the axle to help the puller "up". Get ready, this is the "rope-pull".

Pull belt: one of the pulling aids.When working, put the rope on the shoulders, and hang the other end on the coal car through the hook, so as to make the shoulders and hands stronger. Windshield: This industry was popular in the 1980s.As the name suggests, it means "to shield from the wind and rain".That is to say, the "role positioning" of this industry is to help coal bosses cope with and avoid various "inspections and acceptances" in order to maintain the normal production of coal mines as "mine protection bodyguards".This line is mainly composed of heads of local industry management departments.

Counter-seam: This industry was popular in the 1980s. It is equivalent to the "horse crooks" in the mule and horse market in rural fairs. Their main job is to build bridges between coal bosses and local industry authorities. Serving the normal production of coal mines, such as handling coal mine production permit procedures in government departments. Wall: In terms of specifications, functions and grades, a "wall" is more "windproof" than a "windproof".Generally speaking, the "Wall" will not take the initiative to find the coal bosses. The coal bosses must find the "Wall" through "counter-joints". "With the "wall", coal bosses not only have the capital to show off in the coal market, but also can crowd out competitors, manipulate the coal market, and even infiltrate the administrative life of local government departments.

Recorder: one of the main types of work under the pit.It mainly records the workload of each type of work in the coal production process, which is used as the basis for calculating the wages and remuneration of miners. At the same time, it also supervises whether the pullers' coal trucks are sufficient.Recorders engaged in this type of work must be close friends or relatives of the coal boss, and they are required to always work on the side of the coal boss. Heigouzi: A person who specializes in stealing coal from coal storage yards at night. Encountered "black dog" Kangcheng, a remote town in the coal-producing area three hundred miles southeast of Taiyuan City.

This is a typical mountain town in the southeast of Shanxi. The sun sets, the mountain breeze blows, and the mountains surround it, silently caring for the prosperity and tranquility here. At the Zhennan bus station, I met Xiao Li, a "local companion" and "guide" introduced by a friend. He is a cheerful and generous native of Kangcheng, and now works as a teacher in a rural primary school.After exchanging pleasantries, we decided to go to the emerging coal mine in Cannes first. When we arrived at the entrance of the town, we happened to catch up with the "meeting" in the local village.

I saw snack stalls lined up on both sides of the street, selling jelly, twist, and biscuits everywhere.Steamed, boiled, or fried, the soup is quite fragrant, and the tarpaulins are lifted up with bamboo poles and wooden sticks one after another. In front of a stall selling soda, several women were sitting in the shade chatting and laughing, some were holding shoe soles, some were twisting hemp rope, some were squeezing out their snow-white and fat breasts to feed the babies in their arms, and some were acting recklessly. talking and laughing. After eating a bowl of sliced ​​noodles, we continued east. After a few hours on the mountain road, we stopped at a small hill. "Under the mountain is the (Xinxing) mine." The "Xinxing" in front of me is just caught in the depths of the two mountains. Under the setting sun, a crane tower supported by steel bars is crookedly propped up at the mouth of the well-type charcoal outlet, like an exhausted old miner, and several mine carts transporting coal back and forth are parked around the pit mouth listlessly In the distance, five or six empty coke ovens are "warming up" in all directions. It seems that this "emerging" has been around for a long time. Walking down a small slope, I saw a neatly saddled and bridle donkey grazing intently, behind him was a well-fed, sturdy wooden cart. Looking at the situation, it seemed that it was ready to go at any time. I saw cars but no people, what's the matter? "This is 'Black Dog''s car." He said that with the further prosperity of the coal market, a "new" industry was born: in the villages around the coal mines, some people steal coal from the coal field at night, and the locals call them "black dogs". They often sleep during the day and "work" at night. Sometimes, the stolen charcoal couldn't be put in their homes, so they took it to the county town to sell. Xiao Li said that the most important thing in this line of work is "strength", because a bag of charcoal weighs one hundred and ten catties, and it usually takes several miles of mountain roads to walk, sometimes dozens of times a night. In addition, these people are more skillful in selecting coal, and can "feel" whether it is "fine charcoal" or "dry charcoal" in the dark according to the weight, softness and hardness of the coal. "Fine charcoal" is another name for high-quality coal by the locals. "Dry charcoal" is the coal that is mixed with stone components in the coal block and cannot be fully burned. He said that a "black dog" once told him his "experience" in stealing coal at night, saying that if you "touch" the coal with soft and slippery "slime" at night, throw it away immediately-this is not "Slime" is human feces! It turns out that there is generally no "convenient" place for the workers at the mining work site deep in the mine. It is impossible for everyone to solve the "problem" by going up and down the pit, because this is a waste of time and effort. Simply "solve" it on the spot, and then mix it into the coal pile and transport it to the ground charcoal field with the mine truck. Xiao Li pointed to the bushes behind a row of low-rise bungalows in the distance and said: "Did you see that, that is the 'transfer station' where 'Black Dog' and 'Xiaye' (sneak transporting coal at night) often use to transfer coal." I said, "I see!" "If you see it, you will see it, what are you talking about!" Just as he was talking, a young man came across from the opposite side, walking with his two bulbous eyes drooping and holding up his pants, it seemed that he had just finished urinating. We both laughed knowingly. "This is 'Black Dog' Yang Xiuying", Xiao Li knew him. "Just woke up?" "Ok." "Going to work?" "Ok." "Speak up, it doesn't cost electricity!" "Shh, keep your fucking voice down!" Yang Xiuying habitually looked around and gave Xiao Li a "jargon". "Okay, you are busy with your work, we will not interfere with your 'work'." When we got down to the flat place at the foot of the mountain, a row of miners’ dormitories blocked the way. In the grass in a remote place behind the house, we saw a row of shit lined up. Soft, hard, thin, thick, strange shapes; yellow, red, black, green, colorful.There are small holes of different sizes and thicknesses on the front of each plate. Needless to say, this is a "masterpiece" that the workers flush with strong urine when they defecate. "This is a guy who does heavy work (pulling) under the pit, at least he is a puller or a digger." Xiao Li said, pointing to a large lump of thick, black and dry stool. "This is someone who pushes down a slope, or a mine cart." In front of a pile of thin and yellow stool, he said again, sounding like an "expert" in stool identification. To the east of the path is a sunny slope where sweet potatoes are grown. Xiao Li knew that this piece of land belonged to Sisuo, his junior high school classmate. Not far from the field, several piles of pig manure lined up in order from large to small were piled up there alone. From a distance, it really looked like a grave bag for burying the dead in the countryside. Pointing to the one-foot-high manure piles lined up one by one, he told me: "This is the locker's (grave mound)." "This is from the lock (grave mound)." "This is the second lock (grave mound)." "This is a three-lock (grave mound)." "Well, there are no four locks yet." Xiao Li looked around and said regretfully. At this time, a young man who was about the same age as Xiao Li came from a distance. He took a closer look and found that it was Sisuo. He was carrying a load of pig manure and humming a tune as he walked. "Look, he's got a bunch for himself." Sisuo and Xiao Li are classmates in elementary school, and when classmates meet classmates, they are talking speculatively. "What are you working so hard for? This land is so thin that it doesn't produce any grain at all. The (human excrement) next to the land is enough for you to eat and drink." Xiao Li pointed to the piles of excrement on the ground while jokingly said. "That's nothing. I felt sick to my stomach yesterday. I managed to pull off a half-foot-long one. Alas, that one is thick and long. It's exactly the same as my rolling pin..." "That's just right, take it home and let your mother roll a bowl for you!" Xiao Li joked.