Fortunately, even so, the engine was successfully started.
The propeller whirred.
Wang Xuance pushed the joystick, and the fuselage slowly lifted off the ground, flying towards the opposite shore of the sea.
Fang Er reminded him from the side, "Slower, steady, and keep a close watch."
The Ka-27 could reach 290 kilometers at full speed, but they maintained a speed of about 70 kilometers per hour.
The air required by the engine had to pass through gauze filters in the windows. If the speed was too fast, a negative pressure would be generated inside the cabin, and the engine would likely stall within minutes.
Goryeo and the Japanese islands faced each other across the sea. From their takeoff point to the Iwami Ginzan, the distance was only a little over 300 kilometers.
Under normal weather conditions, it would have taken just over an hour to arrive. However, they flew in the sky for nearly five hours, even finding a small island to refuel midway.
The Japanese islands were located on the western edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The eruption of Mount Fuji triggered violent geological movements. When they arrived above the Iwami Ginzan, they discovered that the silver mine had suffered extensive landslides and collapses.
The village at the foot of the mountain was deserted. Judging by the few corpses found, most people had fled temporarily.
"You two stay here and change the gauze. I'll go into the mountain to take a look," Fang Er said, disembarking from the helicopter and instructing Wang Xuance and Xue Rengui.
"Your Excellency, it's too dangerous. Perhaps I can go in your stead!" Xue Rengui advised with concern.
"That's enough. You can't help me with this. Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Fang Er smiled and turned towards the Iwami Ginzan.
The rocks from the landslides caused him considerable trouble, but they also offered convenience.
After traversing a pile of rocks, he found a mineral vein exposed by a landslide.
He placed his palm on the silver ore and issued a command to the communication system.
"Sister Tong, come out and work!"
[Are you planning to collect resources wherever you go?] the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"What else? If so many civilians are going to Great Tang, they still need to eat and drink, don't they?" Fang Er said with a wry smile. He didn't want to do this, but the thought of nearly 300 million civilians from three Song dynasties pressed him down like a mountain.
[Tsk tsk tsk, poor child, I sympathize with you for three seconds!] After the system teased him again, it began to execute the command to collect the silver ore.
[Exchanging for points~~]
[Exchanging for points~~]
[Exchanging for points~~]
~~~~
Just like the previous time, the system prompt echoed wildly in his mind. Fang Er put on a gas mask, looking boredly at the points soaring like a stopwatch.
[Ding! Point exchange completed. A total of 659426581 points were exchanged!]
Six hundred and fifty-nine million! The reason why the previous amount was a few million taels less was probably because the Japanese from the Ming Dynasty had collected it. After the exchange was completed, Fang Er dared not linger on the mountain and quickly returned to the helicopter, pulled open the cabin door, and jumped in. He said to Wang Xuance, "Quick, let's get out of here!"
The gauze covering the windows had already been replaced by the two. The helicopter ascended and turned towards the northeast.
The Iwami Ginzan, with its silver mine depleted by the system, looked like a hollowed-out piece of art if cut in half. Shortly after they left, when the earth trembled again, a large-scale collapse occurred. The entire mountain range sank nearly a hundred meters, and the stirred dust spread outward in a ring. The distant trees were uprooted by the shockwave, a truly terrifying sight! However, the helicopter had already flown far away, and the three of them did not witness this scene.
Wang Xuance, while piloting the helicopter, asked, "Your Excellency, where do we go next?"
Fang Er pointed to a pillar of fire rising into the sky further to the northeast and said, "Let's go see over there!"
Wang Xuance was stunned. In the face of such a natural disaster, they should be fleeing, not heading towards it.
"Your Excellency, you mean, go to the place where the volcano erupted?"
Fang Er nodded slightly, "That's right. Volcanic eruptions are things you can't even see on normal days. If we go closer, perhaps something precious will spew out from underground along with the magma."
"Your Excellency, but this... isn't it too dangerous?" Xue Rengui also couldn't help but advise from the side.
"Alright, let's fly in that direction for a bit first, and then we'll decide based on the situation." Fang Er made the final decision. Wang Xuance and Xue Rengui could only comply.
The helicopter traced an arc in the sky, adjusted its direction, and then flew towards the inland of the Japanese islands.
Honshu Island is the largest island of the Japanese archipelago, located in the central part of the islands and is the seventh largest island in the world. To the north, it faces Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait; to the south, it faces Shikoku Island across the Seto Inland Sea; and to the southwest, it faces Kyushu Island across the Kanmon Strait and Bungo Channel. Honshu Island extends from northeast to southwest for about 1,300 kilometers, with a width ranging from 50 to 230 kilometers. Its coastline is 5,450 kilometers long, and its total area is 230,500 square kilometers, accounting for 60% of Japan's total area. The highest point on the island is the active volcano Mount Fuji, which stands at 3,776 meters. This is the target of the three.
As mentioned earlier, the entire Japanese islands are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The eruption of Mount Fuji seemed to have triggered a chain reaction. The Iwami Ginzan, which was so far away, experienced landslides; the inland areas were even more affected. Looking down at the earth from the helicopter, the cracked ground, collapsed houses, and rivers that had broken free from their channels presented a scene of hell on earth everywhere.
"Your Excellency, it's no wonder you attached so much importance to the Japanese government back then. If we hadn't brought them under control earlier, given the poor condition of their dwelling place, they would have sooner or later coveted our Central Plains!" Xue Rengui exclaimed in realization.
Wang Xuance said with disdain, "This place is beyond redemption. Those shorties are like donkeys that don't learn unless they're beaten. In my opinion, the tremors weren't severe enough; the entire Japanese island should have sunk into the sea."
Fang Er glared at him, "Your idea is very dangerous! You must be careful in the future!"
"Our Central Plains believe in overcoming people with virtue, so we should assimilate them. There's no need to carry out an extermination."
Wang Xuance was speechless, "Your Excellency, assimilation isn't that easy!"
"Hahaha, isn't this simple? Separate the men and women. Send the men to the Americas, scatter them, and let them live with the local indigenous people."
"As for the women, there's no need to say more. The Emperor's marriage decree is excellent!"
"After a hundred years, they will only remember that they are wives of the Great Tang. Who will remember where the Japanese government was?"