Chapter 122 Selling luxury goods is better than distributing potatoes. ...
After a long silence, Fusu asked suspiciously, "General Di, what are you thinking about while you're lost in thought?"
Di Qing snapped out of his daze, opened his mouth, and couldn't help but blurt out his outrageous conjecture. Then he stared intently at the Crown Prince's reaction.
Fusu paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. He counted on his fingers with interest: "That seems to make sense. The vinegar and rice from Yingzhou, Shuozhou, and Huanzhou; the donkey meat sandwiches from Zhuozhou, Xinzhou, and Wuzhou are quite delicious. The fish from Mozhou, the roast duck from Youzhou, the wine from Guizhou…"
As he spoke, he almost made himself hungry. But seeing Di Qing's increasingly blank expression, he kindly revealed the truth: "Relax, General Di, I was just joking."
The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun can be further divided into "Seven Prefectures in Front of the Mountains" and "Nine Prefectures Behind the Mountains," with the Yanshan and Taihang Mountains serving as the dividing line. The area in front of the mountains, separated from the Liao Dynasty's main base by a natural barrier, had customs and scenery more similar to those of the Song Dynasty. The Liao Dynasty's defenses were also more lax, which gave them a slight opportunity to "subdue the enemy without fighting."
As for what happens next...
Fusu gazed northwards: "Sooner or later, we'll have to fight a tough battle."
He made a lighthearted joke: "So, General, don't worry, you won't lack opportunities to use your skills."
Di Qing smiled and shook his head: "Your Highness, why do you say that? This humble subject also hopes that the joke will become a reality."
But they all knew that if they were to reclaim their lost territories, war and bloodshed were inevitable. Fusu had even begun preparations for this day long ago. He prepared for four whole years.
Fusu paused for a moment, then suddenly raised his head: "General Di, leave some soldiers here to work, then hurry and meet up with your adjutant. They need you more over there."
Although the entire Yunzhou region is already under their control, occupying a territory is not as simple as exploring a map in a game. Clicking or selecting a single point will change the entire character to your faction's name.
Besides waving flags to announce the change of control of the city, they also had to take over the local government offices, settle the corrupt scholars who had been fighting, open the granaries to distribute supplies and win over the people's hearts... Only when the war ended and the people's hearts were completely settled could they be considered to have initially conquered a certain place.
Di Qing had mastered this tactic five years ago in Guangyuan Prefecture. Rather than confining himself to the county to protect himself and handing over his hard-earned military merits to others, it would be better to send him to the front lines, to the battlefield that was more suitable for him.
"As for me, I have enough people left behind, so I'll be fine. I'm perfectly safe."
Di Qing hesitated for a moment, but Fu Su pushed him forward without hesitation, saying, "Relax, General Di. I'll take care of persuading the Emperor. He certainly won't blame you."
Di Qing paused for a moment, then suddenly cupped his hands in a salute: "It is my dereliction of duty that I failed to protect Your Highness with all my heart."
But His Highness is right, the front lines need him more.
"Once I have recovered all of Yunzhou, I will soon see Your Highness's achievements."
"You won't be disappointed."
Di Qing, "driven away" by Fusu, set off for the front lines that very afternoon, leaving only five hundred elite soldiers to guard the village and protect the Crown Prince. Don't underestimate five hundred; this was the combined total of all the men in three nearby villages. Fusu, staying in the rear, was truly safe.
Moreover, five hundred people is the size of a medium to large factory in modern times, more than enough for him to manage. Fusu needs to think carefully about how to maximize the efficiency of these five hundred people.
He locked himself in his room and wrote and drew. A day later, the soldiers who stayed behind to guard the area received their first task.
Almost everyone who heard this doubted their ears: "Are you sure? His Highness gave this order?"
“I saw what Your Highness said with my own eyes, so it cannot be wrong.”
"So, he made us... dig yellow mud?"
The soldier delivering the message frowned: "What? You think it's beneath you to dig mud? Do you know this is raw material for honeycomb briquettes! Others would be lucky to find a place to dig it! Those who hear this, keep your skin on yourselves, don't let outsiders—especially the villagers—see or hear this, understand?"
Upon hearing that it was one of the secret recipes for honeycomb briquettes, the men who received the assignment were no longer sleepy and straightened their backs. They should have said so earlier! They thought they had somehow offended His Highness and been sent to do hard labor!
However, the raw material for honeycomb briquettes is actually yellow mud? In other words, when he made honeycomb briquettes, he also... In almost everyone's mind, the image of the noble and adorable prince rolling in a pile of mud, his face covered in mud splatters, looking both disheveled and cute, suddenly appeared.
Pshaw, what are you thinking!
How could one harbor such disrespect for His Highness the Crown Prince in one's heart!
Di Qing never expected that just one day after he left, the secret he had intended to keep to himself and bury would be exposed and become an open anecdote in the army.
Unfortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince himself was completely unaware that playing with clay was beneath his dignity. This resulted in Fusu, despite being directly involved, remaining detached from the storm of public opinion, only experiencing a gentle tranquility.
He methodically arranged the next important matter.
Since the mud-digging work was assigned to the army, why not assign the coal-digging work to the villagers? They grew up near the coal mines and would definitely be skilled at collecting coal.
Of course, the initial period upon arrival is crucial for building mutual trust. Make sure to pay people adequately when assigning them tasks.
Fusu wrote and drew on the paper: for every basket of coal he collected, he could exchange it for a basket of potatoes of the same weight. Considering that potatoes were prone to sprouting and not easy to store, he added another item: for every ten baskets of coal he dug, he could exchange them for a brand new cotton coat.
Surely someone will be willing to do it then?
"Your Highness, this is far too extravagant," the eunuch beside him said hesitantly, swallowing hard.
This man was a close attendant of the Emperor, one of those who had watched Fusu grow up. However, he was not a confidant of the Crown Prince. He had been sent by the Emperor to the Crown Prince's side this time, intending to remain silent except for delivering messages, but this time he couldn't help but express his opinion.
"Huh? Is that extravagant?" Fusu was surprised. After receiving a nod in response, he waved his hand and said, "Then let's be extravagant. That way, people will be willing to work. Besides, a basket of coal is far more valuable than potatoes. Just give it to us."
Consider it helping the villagers get through the winter.
The eunuch said nothing more and went out to relay the order. A short while later, Fusu heard a series of commotions and buzzing sounds outside the window. Listening closely, he realized it wasn't his imagination.
"What's going on? Is someone causing trouble?"
He immediately pushed open the door and went out, trying to find out what was going on.
The eunuch wiped the sweat from his brow: "Your Highness, it's not that someone is dissatisfied, it's...it's..."
You've given too much!
The second half of the sentence was left unsaid, but there was no need to say it anymore. Because Fusu had already witnessed it firsthand.
He now lives in the best house in the whole village, which has a large courtyard in front of it, where he usually raises chickens and ducks and dries rice. But now the chickens and ducks are nowhere to be seen, and a large group of people, led by Old Man Wu, are kneeling on the ground, kowtowing whenever they see him. While kowtowing, they are muttering incantations.
Fusu was so startled that he almost jumped up.
The scene before him was eerily similar to a crab leg gathering. For two lifetimes, perhaps even three, Fusu had never received such a grand gesture. Just one glance sent shivers down his spine.
As for what the villagers were saying, Fusu didn't hear it clearly, nor did he dare to. He quickly went to the only familiar old man, Wu, saying, "Get up quickly, tell them all to get up, don't kneel before me!"
Old Wu was grabbed by the arm, but he couldn't get up no matter what.
Fusu said helplessly, "If I keep kneeling, there won't be any potatoes left to exchange for. No matter how many baskets I dig, there won't be any."
Old Man Wu was so frightened that he jumped up from the ground.
Seeing that this tactic seemed to work, Fusu immediately followed suit, shouting in his tender voice, "Stop kneeling—anyone who kneels will lose their potato—I mean what I say—!"
A soft, sweet voice floated in the courtyard, and only then did the kneeling people reluctantly rise to their feet. Fusu finally let out a long sigh of relief and asked Old Man Wu, "What exactly happened?"
Old Wu smiled sheepishly: "As soon as I relayed your words, they were all deeply moved and discussed with each other that they wanted to come and kowtow to you in person to thank you."
Fusu narrowed his eyes: "Really, it wasn't you who started it and instigated the others?"
He noticed something sinister about old man Wu's penchant for showing off and his ability to stir up trouble. All that bluster must have been orchestrated by him.
Old Wu fell silent.
He had a guilty look on his face, as if he had been caught out.
The other villagers, after being called to their feet by Fusu, looked somewhat frightened and apprehensive. They thought they had messed up; the nobleman disliked people kneeling before him, and they were filled with anxiety. They all listened quietly to Fusu and Old Man Wu's conversation. Then someone mustered up their courage and said loudly, "It was Old Man Wu who organized it, and we all volunteered!"
"Yes, yes, it was our own choice."
That's it!
Old Wu's smile, a mixture of flattery and pride, deepened.
Fusu sighed again, turned around, and faced the crowd: "But you really shouldn't kneel before me. Exchanging a basket of coal for a basket of potatoes, I still made a lot of money. If you want to thank someone, thank your own labor. It is the result of your hard work."
A voice came from somewhere: "But, but we used to work for the government and got nothing in return."
Fusu choked for a moment, then fell silent.
What else can be said?
I sigh deeply and wipe away my tears, lamenting the many hardships faced by the people.
He was deeply saddened, but he couldn't show it on his chubby face, lest the villagers see it and feel pressured: "How about this, when it's time to exchange goods, I'll sit next to you personally, so that no one will deduct from your hard-earned money."
The villagers were overjoyed.
Having listened to Old Man Wu's long-standing propaganda and personally experienced Fusu's benevolent policies, they all knew that this handsome, childlike figure was different from the others! With him in charge, they truly didn't need to worry about being cheated!
The villagers wanted to kneel down to express their gratitude again, but then they remembered that Fusu disliked this. Their knees were half-bent, and they looked at each other, their appearance quite comical. Fusu couldn't stand it anymore and waved them away: "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go dig the coal! If you're too late, there won't be any left!"
The villagers suddenly realized what was happening and ran away in a flash.
Fusu let out a long breath, one foot dragging on the yellow earth in the flat courtyard, muttering a complaint: "Who taught them to kneel down so easily?"
There was none in the Qin Dynasty, none in modern times, and none in the Song Dynasty.
When the emperor and his ministers discussed matters in the Chuigong Hall, the ministers sat in rows, okay? The outdated practice of kneeling and bowing dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The eunuch seemed to be thinking, "Perhaps this is the Buddhist custom of 'prostrating oneself'?"
"Oh!" Fusu suddenly realized.
He suddenly remembered that the Liao Dynasty was a Buddhist country. Buddhism was very popular among the upper classes, including royalty and nobility. One of the future unfortunate empresses was even named "Xiao Guanyin." It was not surprising that this trend gradually spread to the common people.
The problem is that Buddhism is not a religion with strong cohesive identity. Similar religious wars, such as the ongoing Crusades during Fusu's time, were rare in regions where Buddhism was prevalent. Later scholars have suggested that this was one of the reasons for the decline of the Liao Dynasty in its later years.
From beginning to end, it failed to build any so-called "national identity".
But then again, making such a demand on the Liao emperor was going too far. Their country's culture and aesthetics were entirely based on those of the Song Dynasty.
But now that Yunzhou was under his control, Fusu would not let this opportunity slip by. Taking advantage of the change of ownership, he should also make the people of Yunzhou start calling themselves people of the Great Song Dynasty.
Fusu decided to mention this matter briefly in his reply to the Emperor.
But right now, the most crucial and urgent task, and his biggest purpose in traveling all the way to Yunzhou, was the production of honeycomb briquettes. The raw materials had been ordered out and would be ready in a few days; all that remained was the production process.
When Fusu first fired the coal, his skills were inexperienced, and the holes in the coal were of varying sizes, which significantly affected the combustion efficiency. To avoid the same problem from happening again, Fusu decided to use molds.
He sketched on the paper with a pen, and after a long while, he finally drew a three-view drawing that was barely satisfactory. He beckoned to the eunuch: "Let's go, we'll go to the city."
"You're going to..."
"Make the mold, find a blacksmith."
Besides coal, Yunzhou also boasts abundant iron ore deposits. There are numerous blacksmith shops throughout the city. Fusu and his entourage, dressed in white dragon-fish robes and disguised as ordinary children, curiously looked around, blending seamlessly into the crowd like salt in water, appearing as if some wealthy young master were out strolling the streets.
But whose young master's destination when strolling around is a blacksmith's shop?
Their group kept searching, visiting the shop several times amidst the clanging and hammering. Most of the blacksmiths were bewildered upon seeing the three-view drawing, waving their hands and saying they couldn't make it. Only one man hesitated and asked, "Young master, is this drawing in two parts?"
Fusu felt a surge of hope and nodded vigorously.
"Is it... for drilling a hole in something?"
Fusu: "Yes, yes, yes!"
The dark-skinned, burly blacksmith hesitated and said, "I can give it a try, but I can't guarantee it."
"It's alright, just try it. As long as you can make a finished product, that's fine." Fusu then magically pulled out several sheets of paper from his pocket, startling the blacksmith. When he unfolded them, he found that they were patterns drawn on them.
The blacksmith couldn't name those patterns. But they were undoubtedly things only the wealthy cared about. Who among the common folk had time to worry about whether their clothes looked good?
"Could it be fitted inside this cylindrical column?"
"No problem, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"You'll have to pay more."
Fusu: "Then let's add it." He didn't care at all about being ripped off by an exorbitant price.
The blacksmith's gaze towards Fusu changed: with the Song army in charge of the city these days, his shop, which could forge weapons, had become a sensitive area, and business had plummeted. Just when he was worried about not being able to afford food, a young master suddenly came along, wanting to make ironware that had no apparent use but was definitely not a weapon, and even wanted to embroider it?
He completely mistook Fusu for a rich young master with money to burn. After receiving the deposit, he obediently went to work as a blacksmith for the client.
But the eunuch also didn't understand: "Why did you print those patterns on the honeycomb briquettes?"
Fusu smiled slyly: "Look."
He handed the paper with the designs drawn on it to the eunuch. The eunuch, who had grown up in the palace, immediately understood: Tang grass pattern, ruyi pattern... these were all the most popular patterns in Bianjing!
"We'll keep the plain honeycomb briquettes for ourselves, but we can sell the patterned ones."
Who to sell it to? That's what the blacksmith was thinking—the wealthy people who care about the little things and the finer details.
In fact, honeycomb briquettes could have been categorized like charcoal, into grades such as silver frost charcoal and red charcoal, and further divided into superior, medium, and inferior grades. However, inferior coal not only has low calorific value and contains more harmful substances, but also causes environmental pollution. Therefore, Fusu had no choice but to focus on patterns and designs.
"Let's go back."
Before the molds for the honeycomb charcoal arrive, we need to build a factory first.
Fusu asked Old Man Wu to be his guide, and after exploring the mountains and rivers, they finally found a suitable open space. There was a water source nearby, but the downstream area was sparsely populated, so the factory's drainage would not cause any problems.
"Let's settle on this spot for now. What about the yellow mud we dug a few days ago? Let's build three rooms first and see how it goes."
Old Wu suddenly realized: "So that's what the yellow mud you had the soldiers dig up the other day was for?"
Fusu smiled but didn't say anything.
When he leaves Yunzhou, the recipe for honeycomb briquettes will be left to the local villagers as a means of livelihood. Even finding a source for it wouldn't be a problem. It's just that now is not the time.
The five hundred elite soldiers left for Fusu were the most capable and loyal. They were incredibly efficient in assigning tasks. The location was determined in the morning, the orders were given in the afternoon, and by evening, three bungalows had sprung up, ready to be occupied once the mud had dried.
Meanwhile, another group of people were busy sorting coal, mashing mud, adding water, and stirring—they were all working with great enthusiasm. Finally, the last piece of good news came from the blacksmith's shop in the city: the final piece of the factory was finally complete.
Honeycomb briquettes, let's get to work in style!
According to custom, Fusu should have held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to bring good luck. However, the mud-brick factory was too plain, so he abandoned the idea. Unexpectedly, on the morning of the groundbreaking day, villagers braved the biting frost to deliver supplies.
When Fusu arrived, the doorway of the mud house was covered with a dense array of items: fist-sized potatoes, palm-sized eggs, and a few vegetable leaves.
Fusu squatted down to take a closer look, then stood up with a wry smile: "Alright, let's put them all away properly and save them for everyone's extra meal today."
"oh--"
Scattered cheers erupted from the crowd.
Perhaps it was the initial boost from starting work, or perhaps it was the extra food provided, but on the first day, the factory's efficiency was ridiculously high. Dozens of skilled workers were crammed into the factory, pounding mud, pounding coal, mixing, and filling... The process of making honeycomb briquettes was broken down into several steps, completed in one go like an assembly line.
In the final step, the punch mold presses onto the dense, cylindrical coal, creating several evenly shaped holes. Not a single speck of powder is wasted; one person sweeps it into the previous processes as raw material. Another person is responsible for arranging and stacking the finished honeycomb charcoal.
After a whole morning, the three workshops produced a total of 103 honeycomb briquettes. The amount of coal consumed was less than one percent of what the villagers had carried in baskets.
What are we waiting for?
Fusu raised his arm and shouted, "Quickly build more factory buildings!"
Heavy snow fell in both the north and south, and countless people were waiting to warm themselves!
-
The Song Dynasty, the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor has recently been fond of two places: one is a high place outdoors, and the other is the Kunning Palace.
Many who secretly observed the Emperor's movements were puzzled: What's going on? The Emperor and Empress have been at odds for almost twenty years. Even after having two sons, the Crown Prince and the heir apparent, they have never shown any intention of repairing their relationship. The Crown Prince has also remained silent about the coldness between his parents.
Why is it that now that he's middle-aged, the Emperor has suddenly become so affectionate towards the Empress?
Empress Cao's own assessment of this was: "Your Majesty, please don't bother coming to see me. If Su'er were to send me a letter, it would inevitably pass through your hands!"
She even spread her hands to indicate that she had nothing.
Emperor Renzong smiled sheepishly: "Isn't it because I'm too concerned that I've lost my temper?"
The last time he was separated from his son for a long time was when Su'er was determined to study at the Imperial Academy. But that time it was the Imperial Academy, this time it's Yunzhou, outside the capital! Can the two situations be the same?
Unfortunately, Yunzhou was far away, so the letter could only be sent back along with the military reports. However, the emperor opened several of Di Qing's victory reports but did not find any letter from his son reporting that he was safe, so he was inevitably a little anxious.
He waited anxiously day and night, and finally received a letter from his son. He eagerly opened it and saw his son's familiar handwriting. Only then did the weight of his worries finally lift off his shoulders.
Emperor Renzong let out a long sigh and focused on reading the contents—
Your Majesty, Father, I made a great discovery on my trip to Yunzhou! I found an entire open-pit coal mine. In the process, I also discovered a method for refining coal, making it three times more heat-dissipating than charcoal! Do you believe it? The entire Song Dynasty could rely on it for heating!
Emperor Renzong was startled: Three times? What does that mean? If an army only needs to carry one-third of the fuel, how much faster will it march? If a pot uses three times the fuel, how many people can it cook?
Emperor Renzong's heart pounded. If what Su'er said was true, this weapon would be a great asset to both the army and the people!
He patted his heaving chest to calm himself down, and continued reading: "What a pity! In order to encourage the local villagers to collect coal, I sent out so many potatoes that I almost went bankrupt. I can only send back some honeycomb briquettes to sell in the Song Dynasty to subsidize the military expenses. Your Majesty, you must help me!"
The honeycomb briquettes I sent back are brand new, "Made in Yunzhou," and are among the first spoils and souvenirs from the Song Dynasty's recapture of the Sixteen Prefectures. They are even engraved with various exquisite patterns on their backs, making them incredibly meaningful! Limited quantities available, first come, first served!
Your Majesty, when you help with the publicity, please remember to emphasize the key points I wrote above!
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Author's Note: Saturday, Day 4 [Applause]
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