Chapter 121 Di Qing: Your Highness, why are you playing in the mud...?
Years later, Old Man Wu would recall that frosty morning when he secretly watched the Song army meet with important figures.
The figure he had imagined, taller and more heroic than the cold-faced General Di, never appeared. Instead, he saw a tiny, adorable baby, barely reaching his shoulder, with an innocent, childlike appearance, like a child from a New Year's painting. Surprisingly, everyone around this baby treated him with utmost respect; even General Di bowed to him.
Could it be? Could it be?
Old Wu had already deduced the answer in his mind, but emotionally he still couldn't believe it. An eight-year-old "big shot"? What kind of background could he have? He tried to look up to see more, but his coarse cloth clothes hung on the haystack, making a rustling sound as they rubbed against each other.
"Who's there!?"
"Who is it! Come out here now!"
The slightest rustle of wind caused both teams to tense up simultaneously, further proving that the eight-year-old toddler was no ordinary person. But Old Man Wu had no time to be alarmed by his own deduction, because he saw several soldiers walking towards him from the sound, holding iron knives in their hands, the blades reflecting a terrifying gleam in the bright sky.
Old Wu was so frightened that he trembled all over.
He didn't want to be slashed, so he immediately jumped down from the height and rolled onto the cold, muddy ground: "Soldiers, it's me, it's me! It's Old Wu! Please don't chop me!"
The soldiers paused, Di Qing frowned, and Fusu, whom he was firmly protecting behind him, raised an eyebrow and tried to stand on tiptoe to get a better look: "General Di, who is he? Do you recognize him?"
Di Qing responded in a low voice, "Your Highness, please calm down."
He stepped forward again, drew his knife, and held it straight to Old Man Wu's nose: "Why aren't you sleeping at home this early in the morning? Why are you here?"
"I, I only stayed here because I heard from you, sir, that a very important person was coming!" After saying this, Old Wu immediately noticed that both groups of people tensed up at the same time, and then realized that his words contained the implication: "I, I had no other intention than to show off in front of that high-ranking official!"
Then, he shared his journey of getting up earlier than the chickens, going to bed later than the dogs, and patrolling day and night, all to catch the eye of important figures. It was so moving that it brought tears to the eyes of everyone who heard it.
Fusu was even more amazed: "With such perseverance, he will succeed in whatever he does."
He patted Di Qing's arm, which was blocking his way: "Alright, General Di, let me see who this person is."
Di Qing's expression showed disapproval: "The Emperor has decreed that everything I do must be done with His Highness's safety in mind. His Highness must not be placed under a dangerous wall."
“But General Di, you clearly know that this person can’t be a dangerous wall.” Fusu pointed to the hilt of Di Qing’s sword.
"But the Emperor is really something. I was wondering why he didn't give me many instructions. Turns out he was putting pressure on you."
Di Qing: "..."
As fate would have it, the Emperor's edict also stated that no matter what he instructed, Su'er would surely outwardly comply but inwardly disobey. Therefore, he skipped the step of painstaking persuasion and directly entrusted the safety of the Crown Prince's palace to you, Di Qing. Di Qing, you must not fail my trust.
You two, father and son, seem to know each other quite well.
Di Qing suspected he had been drawn into some bizarre tug-of-war between an official and his son. But His Highness was right; the possibility of Old Man Wu being a spy was very low, and it wouldn't hurt for His Highness to meet him. He had simply been overly nervous and paranoid.
Fusu finally saw Old Man Wu in his entirety. He discovered that Old Man Wu was staring intently at him, his eyes completely still, as if frozen in place.
"Grandpa, what are you looking at?"
Old Wu seemed to be in a daze after the crisis, and when asked, he blurted out without thinking, "Look how good the child is. I wish my grandson would look like that when he grows up..."
Fusu: "..."
The others, including Di Qing, felt a chill run down their spines. It was said that His Highness the Crown Prince had a peculiar quirk: he disliked being praised to his face. This old man Wu had not only violated this taboo but had also rudely compared His Highness the Crown Prince to his own grandson. Was such a comparison even appropriate?
Everyone thought that Old Man Wu was in deep trouble. They all looked at His Highness the Crown Prince. The ordinary soldiers dared not speak, but Di Qing had already made up his mind that if His Highness the Crown Prince was angry, he would plead for Old Man Wu.
After all, although he was cunning and somewhat slick, he had never done anything detrimental to the Song Dynasty. He was also one of the key contributors to their discovery of the coal mine.
To everyone's surprise, the Crown Prince's expression faltered slightly upon hearing this. His brows furrowed, and his face turned as if he had accidentally eaten a peppercorn. But the next moment, he acted as if he hadn't heard anything and returned to his warm and amiable demeanor: "You know all the soldiers? Could it be that you were the one who gave us directions?"
Old Wu finally came to his senses and nodded vigorously, "That's right! That's right, it's me!"
He was now absolutely certain that the so-called "important person" was none other than a child standing before him, not even old enough to be called a teenager. So what was he waiting for? The other person had taken the initiative to speak to him; why not quickly respond and strike up a conversation!
He pointed eastward and said, "Look, the coal mine is on that mountain. It's just a short walk away."
Fusu squinted at the direction he was pointing and saw that it was not far away.
"Then lead the way."
Old Wu was startled: "Huh? Now?"
Isn't this supposed to be an important person? Shouldn't the whole village come out and kowtow first, and then he rest before coming out to meet people? That's how the yamen runners in their county always do it.
Fusu misunderstood Old Man Wu's meaning. He looked the man up and down, said "Oh," and said to those around him, "Give him a cotton coat to wear."
It's so cold outside, it must be really tough for them to be out there waiting for people. I hope they don't get too cold.
The soldier, with a complicated expression, took out a cotton-padded coat and tossed it to Old Man Wu. Just moments ago they were worried about Old Man Wu's misfortune, but now their stance had completely changed, and they were filled with envy and jealousy—you're just a peasant, what merit do you have to deserve His Highness's first concern? Our General Di, and I, don't even receive this treatment!
But then again, His Highness the Crown Prince has such a good temper... It's said that when the Emperor is remonstrated with by a minister, he can just let it dry on his own face even after being sprayed with spittle. His Highness the Crown Prince's ability to tolerate others is no less impressive.
As their entourage departed in a grand procession, some eyewitnesses, taking advantage of their distance from the Crown Prince, began whispering amongst themselves. These were all former members of the Imperial Guard, not normally belonging to the same battalion. The group heading to Yunzhou was the elite, while those accompanying Fusu were a different group responsible for the security of dignitaries.
The comments from the first group about the Crown Prince indeed drew laughter from the second group: "How come you only just realized how good His Highness the Crown Prince is? No, you've all received favors from him, so why are you speculating about him like that?"
The speaker blushed: "I just didn't expect that such an important person would be so approachable..."
"Foolish! If important people aren't approachable, would you still have good food and drink?"
"It seems so..."
The two men's voices suddenly rose, reaching Fusu's ears. He turned around in confusion: "What are they saying? Has something happened?"
Di Qing, who had practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed keen hearing and eyesight, took in everything. He coughed awkwardly, "It's nothing, the soldiers were just joking."
Otherwise, you can't exactly say that the soldiers you command are ungrateful.
Fusu said "Oh" with some doubt, and then said, "This slope is gentle, but there are a lot of stones, which are really hard to cut."
The area around Yunzhou is mountainous and hilly, and ancient shoes lacked the flexibility and elasticity of rubber soles. After walking for only a short while, Fusu began to feel discomfort in the soles of his feet. One can only imagine the suffering endured by ordinary people without access to shoes when climbing this mountain.
Di Qing misunderstood his meaning: "Then I will carry you away."
As he spoke, he bent his long arm and scooped the person up.
Fusu exclaimed "Ah!" and realized he was already suspended in mid-air, his face immediately turning bright red. Ever since he began his official career at the age of four, the emperor had rarely held him, and others dared not hold him either. He had rarely experienced this feeling of defying gravity.
Fusu tried to struggle a couple of times, but Di Qing's strong arms didn't budge. He quickly glanced around: everyone was staring straight ahead, and the occasional glances they cast were nothing out of the ordinary, as if everything was perfectly normal.
Fusu's feet were indeed uncomfortable from being poked, so he blushed and leaned on Di Qing, saying, "When the time comes, we need to dig up all the stones buried in the road and clear a clean path so that everyone can walk around easily."
Di Qing glanced at the Crown Prince he was holding and said, "I will have my men do it in a moment."
"Then let's dig another road, one side for pedestrians and one side for vehicles, to avoid collisions between people and vehicles."
Before Di Qing could speak, Old Man Wu chimed in, "You're such a kind person, you're practically a bodhisattva! You've come all this way and you're already thinking of us farmers!"
He thought to himself with delight: What General Di said a few days ago was indeed true. Their help to the Song army was really useful! From now on, there will be a smooth road to go up the mountain.
Di Qing's focus, however, was different: "Moving the carriage?"
It's just coal, why would it need to be transported by cart? Why was a special road designated for carts? Why does Your Highness attach such importance to it? Not only did you plan the road in advance, but you even... risked your life to go to the front line in Yunzhou.
Fusu noticed Di Qing's confusion. He didn't intend to answer immediately—at least not until he saw the finished product.
Coal, classified according to its degree of coalification from low to high, can be divided into lignite, long-flame coal, non-caking coal, weakly caking coal, anthracite, and so on. The higher the degree of coalification, the higher the calorific value during combustion and the less smoke, sulfides, and other harmful substances, making it more suitable as fuel.
If Fusu remembered correctly, the coal from Yunzhou, which later became Datong, was of very high quality. But before seeing it with their own eyes, no one could be sure what kind it was. If it was lignite, it would need to undergo at least one coal washing process to remove harmful substances before it could be used; otherwise, its combustion would be extremely harmful to health.
"arrive."
Fusu hesitated for a moment, but did not pull himself out of Di Qing's arms. Standing on higher ground made it easier for him to see further.
Those who have never seen an open-pit coal mine before will undoubtedly be awestruck upon their first visit. In the distance, endless yellow hills rise, only to be replaced by a vast expanse of gray-black earth. Seemingly devoid of life, it is in fact incredibly valuable.
"It's really huge!" Fusu exclaimed.
He then noticed that Old Man Wu was subtly puffing out his chest in pride, which made him chuckle. After laughing, his resolve to "absolutely not give this land to the Liao Kingdom" grew even stronger.
Fusu patted Di Qing's arm, signaling him to put him down. Once his feet were on the ground, he immediately squatted down.
"What does Your Highness need to do? Perhaps I can do it for you, so as not to dirty your hands."
Fusu shook his head: No, he wanted to do it himself.
He bent down and searched the ground. Before long, he found a pit that had been dug out, revealing a patch of uneven coal. He pried open a loose piece with his hand, ran his fingernail across it, and the coal shone with an almost glassy luster, while black ash clung to his fingernail.
If you scratch it from another angle, the glass's luster and black color remain unchanged.
Those who witnessed this scene were all very suspicious: What is His Highness doing? Isn't he afraid of getting dirty?
No, of course I'm not afraid.
You could even say the dirtier the better!
Fusu suddenly stood up, almost seeing stars, and presented the coal to Di Qing: "General, look!"
"This is standard weakly caking coal!"
Although it wasn't the highest grade of anthracite, Fusu was already quite satisfied. As long as it wasn't lignite that produced nothing but smoke and dust when burned, everything was fine! Starting from non-caking coal and above, the thermal efficiency during combustion was extremely high, making it very cost-effective for both heating and as an industrial raw material.
Di Qing was completely baffled: "What is weakly viscous coal?"
Isn't this coal? And... does coal even have different classifications?
Although Di Qing was from Shanxi, he had only seen this object occasionally. Others not from Shanxi were even more clueless. Fusu shook his head, offering no explanation—because he genuinely couldn't explain why he knew how to classify coal when he had never seen it before.
"In short, it's much better than charcoal."
After Fusu finished speaking, he was met with only collective silence. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to the unconditional trust of the emperor and his ministers. This sudden coldness was somewhat unsettling. He raised an eyebrow arrogantly: "You don't believe me?"
"Well……"
Everything is understood without words.
Wood was the most widely used fuel in ancient times. It could be burned as firewood or burned into charcoal for sale. As for whether this strange, dark stone could actually burn, some people present still had doubts.
"Let's give it a try. You guys dig up a basket of coal first, and then we'll head down the mountain."
Besides proving it in public, Fusu also wanted to see just how much more efficient the weakly caking coal from Datong, Shanxi, was compared to firewood.
"We'll see in a day."
——
A whole day was enough for all the villagers of Wujia Village to know about the arrival of the "important person." Old Man Wu's enthusiastic promotion played a significant role in this.
According to him, this important figure was "so handsome he was not human".
"You're exaggerating so much, have you actually seen it?"
"Not only have I met him, I've also spoken to him! Let me tell you a secret, this important person is currently living in my house!"
Amidst a chorus of boos, Old Wu proudly raised his head, successfully eliciting envy and resentment from the onlookers. But in truth, he was also filled with apprehension: why was this "prince," who resembled a fairy from a New Year's painting, confined to his room with only a basket of coal and a few soldiers, refusing to come out?
What is he fiddling with? Can coal really beat firewood?
Because he had a very good impression of Fusu, Old Man Wu secretly did not want him to lose.
Di Qing happened to have a similar question.
Fortunately, due to his special status, no one dared to stop him. So he made an excuse to secretly peek through the crack in the door. After seeing clearly, he left silently with a pale face.
His somber expression, accentuated by the tattoos, made him even more terrifying. Anyone who saw him wanted to avoid him; no one dared to ask him what he had seen through the crack in the door.
Di Qing didn't intend to say anything either.
He decided to keep what he witnessed a secret and keep it buried in his heart for the rest of his life.
What else? When I get back to Bianjing, I'll tell the Emperor that as soon as his eldest son, the Crown Prince, came out, he happily played with yellow mud, getting mud marks all over his arms and face, and I, as his subject, did not stop him. Am I just asking to be punished?
Di Qing was also planning to issue a gag order to the soldiers who had been summoned by the Crown Prince to help.
But he was also puzzled – wasn't the competition supposed to be about firewood and coal? What did it have to do with yellow mud?
Fusu did not allow Di Qing's doubts to fester for too long.
One day later, he emerged from seclusion.
He appeared before the villagers, neatly dressed, with shiny black hair and bright, dark eyes, earning praise such as "Truly a divine figure!" and "Old Wu didn't lie!" Di Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief: Thank goodness, he didn't get a speck of mud on him.
His Highness the Crown Prince's image has been preserved.
Fusu greeted everyone with a smile: "Today's protagonist isn't me, but it, everyone, please take a look—"
The orange glow clung to the familiar coal, its heat palpable to anyone nearby. Everyone in the village knew it well; it was just coal, after all. But some noticed a subtle difference.
The coal was rolled into a rounded pillar with unevenly spaced holes in the center. It looked like… Di Qing wondered, with a complicated expression, could it be a honeycomb?
Why are there so many holes and bumps on this surface?
"Uh, well..." Fusu scratched his face sheepishly, "It's a technical issue. It was my first time digging, and the hole wasn't dug evenly enough. I'll definitely pay attention next time!"
"But Your Highness, why did you make it look so strange?" Di Qing felt he had touched the edge of a secret: "Wouldn't it be better to keep it as it is?"
Fusu blinked: "The general will know soon."
He raised his voice: "Where's the pot?"
The soldiers quickly produced two large pots, the only two iron pots in the entire village. Following Fusu's instructions, they filled the pots with water and placed equal amounts of firewood and honeycomb briquettes underneath.
Old Wu immediately stepped forward: "Let the young master start the fire!"
He proudly pulled out the tinderbox and lit two piles of fuel under the makeshift mud stove. Then he stared intently at the coal. Most people, like him, were used to using firewood to boil water, but coal… could something be different?
As the first wisp of steam rose and bubbles began to bubble on the surface, a small boil erupted among the crowd. Everyone could clearly see that the water had boiled first over the coal seam!
Attentive observers also noticed that the smoke coming from the coal site, although similar to that from firewood, took less time to produce.
Could this be the ingenious use of drilling?
A confident smile appeared on Fusu's lips—this isn't over yet, this is just the beginning.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle."
The water in both pots was boiling simultaneously, and hot steam kept rising, warming the surrounding crowd. They watched the hot water in the two iron pots, as if in a contest, neither willing to give in as they sipped their bubbles.
One incense stick, two incense sticks.
One of the pots gave up first, stopping bubbling. Everyone looked closely and saw that it was the one that was burning firewood! The other pot, however, persisted, the ripples on the boiling water still spreading.
Doesn't this mean that coal is more durable than firewood?
The villagers were alright, but the most shocked were the Song Dynasty soldiers and Di Qing. Di Qing even thought: If His Highness discovers the secret of the coal burning forever, then if he tells the Emperor about his playing with yellow mud, he probably won't be scolded... right?
He was incredibly anxious, his gaze fixed intently on the iron pot on the coals. And the pot, true to its nature, held up for over an hour, even under everyone's watchful eyes!
Including the time it takes for the water in the pot to boil in advance, this means that, compared to firewood of the same weight, the former burns for more than twice as long.
Those who calculated this result were all taken aback.
Di Qing asked softly, "May I ask, Your Highness, what would you like to call this black, hollow, porous coal?"
Fusu tilted his head, looking incredibly endearing: "How about we call it honeycomb briquette?"
He secretly felt that there was nothing more fitting than that.
Seeing Di Qing looking over, Fu Su waved his hand again, embarrassed, and explained, "I meant later, later. I know it doesn't look like it now, but in the future, when the technology is advanced and the holes are drilled evenly, it will look just like a honeycomb, really."
Di Qing shook his head; he wasn't looking over because of that. Rather, he finally understood why His Highness had rushed to Yunzhou alone upon hearing news of the coal shortage. And why the Emperor had actually allowed His Highness to go to Yunzhou.
Because this trip was worthwhile.
After quickly recovering from his shock and reflection, Di Qing swiftly regained his serious expression and the authority of a military commander: "Yunzhou is about to be completely recovered. In about two or three days, should we have the soldiers gather here, produce honeycomb briquettes, and immediately transport them back to the Song Dynasty?"
Upon hearing this, Fusu pondered for a moment and said, "It would be best to have them come over so that the factory can be set up quickly. There are more than one mineral vein in the area, so we can also send the remaining manpower to explore it."
"The honeycomb briquettes produced will first be distributed to the local people for heating, and some can be transported back to the Song Dynasty for sale. The profits will be used to pay the wages of those who built the factory, searched for mineral veins, and produced coal. This way, it can be renewable and cyclical."
Fusu finalized the arrangements for the mine in just a few words. Almost everyone beamed with joy upon hearing this: Did you hear that? They'll get paid for building houses/making honeycomb briquettes!
Old Wu was overjoyed: Wasn't this exactly the same as General Di's promise? How come all the important figures in the Song Kingdom are upright and just officials? In a little while, he would tell his fellow villagers all about it! And incidentally, he would garner a wave of envious glances from everyone.
As everyone was beaming with joy, Fusu quietly tugged at Di Qing's sleeve, signaling him to lean closer. Then, in a voice so that no one else could hear, he said, "We can also allocate some to the more severely affected areas in the north, following the example of Yunzhou, to win over the hearts of the Han people in Liao."
Di Qing: "..."
Is this even possible? Using the original Liao people's supplies to bribe them, without spending a single copper coin. Your Highness, you're truly something else.
The next moment, a terrifying thought occurred to him: Could it be that His Highness intends to take over one state after another, until all sixteen states have been taken over?
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Author's Note: Day three of Saturday's programming, success! [Let me see...]
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