Zhao Huan was planning the future of Xishan Coal in his mind, including where to build roads, where to build greenhouses, where to build workshops, where to build residential areas, and where to build commercial bases.
That's right, what Zhao Huan envisioned was what the mining area would look like in the 1970s and 1980s of the 21st century. Based on the Xishan mining area, he would build a large settlement to provide continuous services to the capital. When the model was mature, he would select backbones to go to Datong to build a new mining area, and then slowly radiate to the whole country.
Thanks to his geography teacher, Zhao Huan remembered the approximate distribution of China's resources, and coal resources were concentrated in the north and west of China.
Anhui, Shandong, Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Henan, and Shanxi all possess vast coal resources. Datong, Shanxi, in particular, possesses approximately half of China's coking coal, providing the driving force and foundation for the development of steel, metallurgy, chemicals, and machinery.
Anhui, Shandong and Henan are all core areas controlled by the Song Dynasty, so there is no problem with mining.
In Guizhou, local chieftains still rebel every now and then. If we want to develop, we have to deal with them first.
Datong is an important border town. Emperor Shenzong had just defeated the little prince of Western Xia a few years ago, so it should not be a problem at this time.
Heilongjiang, I don’t know what kind of dire straits the Jianzhou Jurchens are living in at this time. Otherwise, we should just destroy them to prevent them from harming the Song Dynasty in the future.
From the moment Zhao Huan started thinking about it, the Qing Dynasty perished before it was even born.
"Your Majesty, no, Master Jia, the West Mountain is so vast, where can we find coal?"
"Wangping Village is located northwest of Xishan Mountain. I calculated that the coal near this village alone is enough to power the Song Dynasty for a hundred years."
"Sir, you're really amazing. You can even calculate this. Can you help me calculate when I can get married?"
"Go away, how old are you? You're already thinking about getting married as soon as your hair grows out. Don't you see that I'm still single?"
Of course, Zhao Huan couldn't calculate it by counting on his fingers. He knew it so clearly because he had visited the Wangping Village Coal Mine in his previous life.
The Wangping Village Coal Mine, under the Bianliang Mining Bureau, was one of the eight major coal mines in Xishan. After production ceased in 1994, it was transformed into a scenic area. While visiting, one phrase particularly struck me: "Wangping Village," a name that dates back to the Song Dynasty, has been used for a thousand years.
I don’t know if it’s just like what was said in “The Prodigal Son of Song Dynasty”, that they are all surface coal that is easy to mine, or anthracite.
If it is deep-seated coal or bituminous coal, which is difficult to mine, the plan to make a fortune will have to be postponed. I hope God blesses me and that the author has checked the geographical data before writing this.
About an hour later, Zhao Huan and his party arrived at the foot of the West Mountain. The surroundings were finally no longer deserted, and there were gradually more signs of people's activities.
After getting off the carriage and stepping onto the solid ground, Zhao Huan felt a little unsteady. The bumpy ride made him feel nauseous. He had never expected that even a carriage could cause motion sickness.
After a short rest, Zhao Huan took Shao Chengzhang and Xiao Asi to the people working in the fields.
"Old man, I want to ask you something. Do you know where Wangping Village is?"
"In reply to your question, sir, if we continue north along this road, we will reach Wangping Village."
Seeing that Zhao Huan and his men were all dressed in luxurious clothes, some were wearing swords, some were wearing jade, and there were horses leading behind them, the old man knew that the people in front of him were not ordinary people, so he hurried forward a few steps to reply.
Knowing that the destination was not far away, Zhao Huan was no longer in a hurry to travel. He asked Xiao A Si to go back to the carriage to get some food and distribute it to the people working in the fields. Then he squatted in the fields and chatted with the old man.
"Old man, what's your name? We came from the capital. We heard that a lot of coal has been dug up in Wangping Village. We wanted to come and learn more about it and see if coal is useful for heating. It's been freezing these past few years."
"I'm Li Erniu, an old man. I'm already 42 years old this year. There's really not much going on around Taiping Village that I don't know."
"Oh my god, God has really killed me. We all know the coal you're talking about. It's everywhere over there on the West Hill, and no one wants it even if you pick it up for free. Coal is poisonous and can kill people if it burns. Last year, Widow Liu at the head of the village didn't have enough firewood and couldn't afford charcoal, so she dug some coal from the West Hill to keep warm. As a result, Widow Liu and her two children all died of smoke poisoning. It was so tragic!"
Forbidden City, Wenyuan Pavilion.
The chief minister of the cabinet, Li Gang, the ministers Jiang Mian, Mao Ji, Fei Hong, the minister of war, Wang Qiong and others were discussing matters with serious expressions.
Li Gang handed the memorial to Wang Qiong below. This was an urgent memorial sent by the Nanjing garrison. Let's take a look.
"Seventy-two bandits suddenly invaded Kuaiji County, looted Hangzhou, and then attacked She County in Huizhou, reaching Jixi and Jingde. They slaughtered and plundered Jing County, marched towards Nanling, and then to Wuhu. They burned the South Bank, marched towards Taiping Prefecture, invaded Jiangning Town, and headed straight for Nanjing. They rampaged for over eighty days, covering eight counties, killing and wounding four to five thousand people, including one censor, one county magistrate, two commanders, and two captains."
"A mere seventy-two men ran amok in the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, burning, killing, and looting. The garrisons in various places retreated to the city walls, shutting the gates tightly, not daring to attack, and only shooting arrows from the city walls. Yet, they were still shot down by the Japanese pirates, with over a thousand of them killed."
"Dehua, you are the Minister of War. Please tell me, these Japanese pirates are still wreaking havoc in Jiangnan. We need to come up with measures quickly. How should we suppress them and who should suppress them?"
"The memorial said that the garrison drew their bows and shot at the enemy, and the enemy caught the arrows with their own hands. The troops looked at each other in shock and fled. The soldiers were afraid of death and dared not fight. They had no courage to face the enemy, and did not dare to draw their swords, but only knew to flee. This shows the corruption of military discipline."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com