Chapter 441: The Development Path of Annan County
When Zheng Qinghe and the yamen runners rushed to Taohua Village, they saw Gu Jiayue standing at the foot of the mountain, reaching out to stop a group of villagers who were carrying hoes and looking excited.
"We really can't dig any deeper! We're not professional miners and don't have the technology to support the mine. If we dig too deep and the mine collapses, people will die!"
Most of the villagers who were stopped were from the neighboring Xinghua Village.
Although they also knew that Gu Jiayue was the principal of Qiushi Academy, knowledgeable and sensible, compared to the respect the villagers of Taohua Village had for her, these people from other villages were obviously not so convinced.
A man in a coarse cloth shorts stepped forward, hands on his hips, and spoke with a hint of impatience. "You little girl, what's it to you whether we start mining coal or not? This mountain is not the private property of your Taohua Village. Why can't we dig just because you say we can't?"
"That's right!" another villager chimed in, his eyes filled with suspicion. "I think you guys from Taohua Village just want to monopolize this coal! You told us we could dig it before, but now that you know it can be sold for money, you're trying to stop us from digging!"
Upon seeing this, the village chief quickly stepped forward, protecting Gu Jiayue behind him, and said in a deep voice to the people of Xinghua Village, "If we wanted to monopolize this, we wouldn't have told you that coal can burn, and we wouldn't have allowed you to come here to dig! You are so ungrateful!"
The village chief was well aware of the benefits of coal and had previously considered digging deeper to extract more coal for profit. However, as soon as he mentioned this to Gu Jiayue, he was stopped.
Gu Jiayue told him at the time that before mining coal, the mountain structure must be surveyed first, and professional craftsmen must be hired to build mine supports. He was confused by those terms.
But remember the core point: you cannot dig too deep into the coal mines casually, as it will be dangerous.
In fact, Gu Jiayue’s idea is very simple.
The exposed coal on the outskirts is enough to keep the people of several surrounding villages burning for the winter. After the spring, we will inform Zheng Qinghe of the coal discovery and ask the government to send professionals to plan and mine it, ensuring both safety and standardized management.
However, these people from other villages were confused by the news of "making money by selling coal". They only focused on profits and did not take "safety" seriously at all.
In their opinion, it’s just digging a hole in the mountain, what could go wrong?
"Since you don't want to monopolize it, then get out of here!" The speaker was Chen Kang from Xinghua Village, a notorious troublemaker. Normally lazy and gluttonous, he was at the forefront of the coal rush today. Sure enough, it was just laziness, or perhaps the benefits weren't big enough.
"Even if the Jade Emperor comes today, I will dig up this coal and sell it for money! Brothers, don't waste time talking to them, just keep digging. I'll see who dares to stop me!"
The villagers of Taohua Village naturally refused to give in.
There wasn't much coal out there to begin with, and the people of Xinghua Village had already mined and sold most of it. Now, even those in the village who wanted to burn coal for heating had to use it sparingly. If they were allowed to dig deeper today, the mine would become Xinghua Village's "private property" in the future. If the people of Taohua Village wanted to come and dig again, they would have to rely on their permission.
Anyway, no matter what, we must not let the people of Xinghua Village dig deeper on their own. If they want to dig, we have to discuss it together!
Several villagers from Taohua Village couldn't help but come to Gu Jiayue and whispered, "Jiayue, why don't we dig with us? As long as we're careful and don't dig too deep, nothing should happen..."
Gu Jiayue shook her head, her tone firm. "We can't leave safety to chance! The coal we've mined so far is enough for our village to burn through the winter. I'll tell County Magistrate Zheng about this in a few days and ask him to arrange for professionals to plan the mining. Then I'll negotiate a cheaper price for our village. It's better than taking the risk of digging holes now!"
After hearing what Gu Jiayue said, the villagers of Taohua Village could only shut up awkwardly.
Although they didn't understand what "mine support" and "safe production" meant, they had never made a mistake in Gu Jiayue's suggestions over the years, and it was always right to listen to her.
When the people from Xinghua Village saw that the people from Taohua Village no longer stopped them, they showed smug smiles on their faces, as if they could already see the white silver waving towards them.
Chen Kang waved his hand and shouted, "Start digging! No one can stop us from making money!"
Just as the people from Xinghua Village were carrying their hoes and heading into the mountains, Zheng Qinghe suddenly raised his hand and waved. The yamen runners following him immediately rushed forward, slamming the scabbards in their hands on the hoes and shouting, "Stop! Don't move!"
The villagers of Xinghua Village were startled by the sudden noise. They almost dropped their hoes and froze in place, not daring to move.
These yamen runners were wearing official uniforms and holding knives that gleamed coldly in their hands. The disputes with the villagers of Taohua Village were completely different. The official power alone was enough to make people feel scared.
Chen Kang reacted the fastest, quickly putting away his stern expression and approaching with a smile. He pulled out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and stuffed them into the hands of Chen Ada, the leader. "Officer, what do you mean? We just want to dig up some dirt to repair the house. We haven't done anything wrong..."
Chen Ada didn't even look at the silver coins. He simply reached out and brushed his hand away, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "Digging? Do you think we're blind, or don't know what we're talking about? Isn't this black lump just the coal that's been selling like hot cakes in the county town lately?"
The hottest new commodity in the county recently was coal, and the wealthy who had bought it raved about its value. The yamen runners had already heard about it, so how could they be fooled by Chen Kang's lies?
Chen Kang saw that he couldn't fool people and knew that today's matter would be difficult to handle.
He had been wandering around the county town for years and knew Chen Ada, the leader of this group of yamen runners. He quickly took out two pieces of silver and approached Chen Ada, saying in a very low voice, "Uncle Chen, this coal can really be exchanged for some silver. Today, if you can be so kind as to help us, when we make some money, we can split it 40% to 60%, and you can take the lion's share. How about that?"
"We all have the surname Chen. Maybe we were from the same family eight hundred years ago. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all get rich together? Why bother being so serious?"
Chen Ada snorted coldly, his eyes full of disdain.
Chen Kang was too tactless. Didn't he see that the county magistrate was standing not far away? He even dared to bribe him in front of the magistrate. He was simply courting death!
Following Chen Ada's gaze, Chen Kang noticed a man in a green robe standing not far away. He had a calm temperament and was surrounded by several followers. It was obvious that he was not an ordinary person.
He was startled and realized that he was so busy dealing with the yamen runners that he didn't notice the man whose dress and appearance were out of place with them.
Isn't this the magistrate of Annan County? He had seen him from a distance once before when he went to the county town to get medicine.
"Hold them all under control!" Chen Ada gave an order, and the yamen runners immediately stepped forward, held down Chen Kang and several villagers from Xinghua Village who took the lead in mining coal, and tied their hands behind their backs.
Only then did Zheng Qinghe slowly walk forward. His eyes fell on the coal scattered on the mountainside and he asked, "Is this the coal that can burn for a long time?"
"Yes," Gu Jiayue stepped forward and nodded in response. "This coal is not only good for heating, but also for forging ironware. The fire it burns is more stable, and the ironware forged is purer and more durable."
When Zheng Qinghe heard this, his eyes lit up instantly.
It can both keep you warm and help with forging. It’s simply a treasure!
He quickly squatted down, picked up a piece of coal, and examined it carefully, not caring if his fingers brushed against the coal dust. His tone was filled with a certain amount of excitement. "From today on, the coal in this mountain will be under the jurisdiction of the government. No private individuals are allowed to mine it! Anyone who disobeys orders will be treated as a traitor and executed!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers present shrank back in fear, even breathing became cautious.
Chen Kang's legs went weak, and he fell to his knees, kowtowed repeatedly. "Sir, please spare me! Sir, please spare me! I won't dare to do it again!"
Zheng Qinghe glanced at him, his tone cold. "Since this is your first offense, I'll give you a lighter sentence today. Those who tried to lead the coal mining effort will each receive twenty lashes of the cane. Chen Kang, you're the mastermind, so you'll receive an additional ten lashes as a warning to others!"
The bailiffs immediately found a few thick branches, set up a simple torture rack in the open space at the foot of the mountain, and pressed Chen Kang and others on it.
For a moment, the crackling sound of boards and the screams of crying for parents rang out at the foot of the mountain, making the other villagers tremble in their hearts.
The villagers of Taohua Village secretly rejoiced.
Fortunately, I listened to Gu Jiayue's advice and didn't join in the clamor to dig coal, otherwise I would be the one being beaten now.
When the screams gradually subsided, Zheng Qinghe turned to look at Gu Jiayue and asked, "How did you find this coal? And how do you know it can burn?"
Gu Jiayue had already thought of her story, and she answered naturally, "Next to this mountain is our village's papermaking workshop. A while ago, my eldest brother Gu Yushan and I went to the mountain to play and stumbled upon these black stones. We were hungry at the time, so my eldest brother picked up some dead branches to start a fire and roast some potatoes. Unexpectedly, a black stone rolled into the fire. When the fire was almost out, we discovered that the black stone was still burning. That's how we knew it could burn."
She knew it clearly in her mind.
Gu Yushan had already joined the army at the front, so even if Zheng Qinghe wanted to verify it, he couldn't find him immediately. Although this excuse was not perfect, it was enough to get by.
Zheng Qinghe nodded, obviously not intending to pursue the loopholes in this excuse.
No matter how it was discovered, as long as the coal can be used by him, he is the biggest beneficiary.
When he saw this thing, he thought of hundreds of ways to increase income for Annan County.
As long as it is managed well, the economic income of Annan County may not be comparable to that of Jiangnan, but it is entirely possible to achieve economic freedom.
He stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "From now on, this mountain will be managed by the Annan County government, and all mining matters will be centrally arranged by the government."
Gu Jiayue quickly asked, "Should this matter be reported to Kyoto?"
"Of course I have to report it," Zheng Qinghe waved his hand, his tone carrying some meaning, "but you don't have to worry about these things, I will arrange it."
As for when to report, how to report, and to whom to report, it is up to him to decide.
This coal was the "treasure" he discovered first, so he had to let Annan County benefit from it before considering reporting it.
Gu Jiayue breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Zheng Qinghe's idea coincided with hers.
"What if we villagers want to mine some coal for daily heating and cooking?"
"Illegal mining is definitely not allowed," Zheng Qinghe said, changing the subject. "But I can make it easier for you. Every winter, every household in Taohua Village can go to the government-run mining site with their household registration and receive ten dan of coal. If it's not enough, you can buy more at half price, but the maximum amount cannot exceed twice a household's normal consumption to prevent people from buying and reselling it."
"The school has special circumstances and can apply for 50 dan."
Hearing this, Gu Jiayue smiled and quickly thanked him: "Thank you for your consideration! This arrangement is great!"
She actually felt more relieved.
It is much safer to let the government professionally mine the coal than to let the villagers dig holes randomly. At least there is no need to worry about mine collapses and casualties.
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