Late Tang Dynasty: I

Chapter 340 Taking Hus as Slaves

Li Ye remembered that the removed briquettes need to be dried in the shade for half a month and cannot be exposed directly to the sun, as they will easily fall apart and crack.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

"They're making a stove over there. If there's a stove, there's bound to be something to burn!"

"..."

"Your Majesty, I heard that this charcoal will produce poisonous smoke after being burned. I'm afraid..."

Li Ye smiled and said, "I have a way!"

The poisonous smoke of coal is naturally the sulfur dioxide gas generated after the sulfur in it is burned. There is currently no technology to desulfurize, but there are ways to fix the sulfur.

Adding alkaline quicklime powder is the solution. Under high pressure, sulfide can easily react with alkaline quicklime. As long as the amount of quicklime powder is added enough, no poisonous gas will be produced.

"I promise, when this briquette is burned, there won't be any poisonous smoke at all!"

His Majesty is always able to turn decay into magic. Looking at the eunuchs around him who are all big and round, he can figure out the method of castrating pigs. On this point, everyone who knows it is dissatisfied.No one who heard it didn't believe it.

Li Ye looked at the map of Bianjing and marked out a piece of land in Ande Square in the south gate.

Coal from Xuzhou and Shandong can be transported to Nancheng Wharf through the Bianhe River. Several workshops can be built in Andefang. After thinking about it, I still shook my head. It would be better to make honeycomb briquettes outside the city.

It is definitely more convenient to transport coal by water. Land and water terminals need to be built. The mines are not necessarily located near the water. Roads need to be built to the rivers, and oxcarts are needed for loading and unloading. Where do the people come from, and who owns the mine.

The more Li Ye thought about it, the more things he had to worry about. For example, this mine. He could take all these mines into royal possession with just one sentence, but was this really good?
Where do you find people to mine? Do you arrange everything from mining to land and water transportation yourself?

If you look too ugly, you will be cut off.

Li Ye urgently summoned Zhang Chengye to discuss matters.

"Do the mountains, rivers, land and minerals belong to me or to the imperial court?"

"This……"

Zhang Chengye looked at His Majesty the Emperor tinkering with coal and the strange stove, and knew that there must be a deep meaning, but the Emperor's question...wasn't it in vain?

Zhang Chengye cupped his hands and said: "All over the world, even the imperial court belongs to your Majesty!"

Li Ye couldn't answer this reply. He smiled and shook his head, paced back and forth, and asked Zhang Chengye: "How are the mineral deposits in Datang treated?"

Zhang Chengye said: "Salt and iron are under the control of the imperial court. All profits will go to the national treasury. The rest, such as this coal, belongs to whose land it belongs."

“How did the land where these coal mines are located come into private hands?”

"You just need to pay a sum of money to the local government."

Li Ye shook his head and said: "These mines can also bring huge benefits to the court, how can we teach them to others so easily!"

"Your Majesty, this charcoal is rarely used. Most of it is used to make tiles and bricks. Charcoal is only used in large quantities. Moreover, charcoal is not easy to mine, so even if there is a mine, few people buy it. As far as I know, most of the charcoal mines in all states across the country are It’s ownerless.”

Li Ye shook his head and said: "There are 70 million soldiers and civilians in Bianjing. I predict that in a few years, there will still be 100 million people. If one person burns one catty a day, it will cost 100 million catties a day, and it will cost 30 million catties a year. One catty of coal Even if it’s one penny, it still costs [-] yuan…”

"His Majesty……"

His Majesty the Emperor waved his hand and continued: "Just imagine, I am bidding in Bianjing..."

"Your Majesty, what is bidding?" "The so-called bidding... Let me give you an analogy. For example, I want to buy charcoal, and it costs 100 million jins a day. I will issue an announcement. As long as someone provides the charcoal, he will submit the quotation himself.

Bidding is to attract more people to quote. For the same goods, I can choose the cheapest one. "

Zhang Chengye nodded.

Li Ye said: "I thought about it for a while and decided that it is better for the imperial court to manage the coal mine. Should it be managed by the states, or should it be managed uniformly by the imperial court? Let's discuss it. We can still invite bids at that time!"

"...Your Majesty, I understand that this is a bidding process for purchasing goods. How do you invite bidding for this coal mine?"

Li Ye said: "Buying things can be done through bidding. Whoever wants less money can do business with him. Selling things can also be done through bidding. Whoever wants more money can do business with him!"

Zhang Chengye suddenly realized that he couldn't keep up with His Majesty's thoughts.

"It's not necessary to sell all the coal mines at once. For example, by defining the scope and selling the mining rights for five years, and then re-issuing the bid after the five years expires, the court can also have a steady stream of income!"

"Wonderful, Your Majesty, in this way, the imperial court has gained an additional income, your Majesty's internal funds have also received an additional income, and the water and land transportation along the way have also provided an additional income to the people along the coast, but..."

"Just what?"

"Your Majesty, where do the miners come from? No serious people are willing to mine. In the past, Emperor Taizong sealed the mines for recuperation, and he really did not want to waste the people's power!"

In fact, due to backward mining technology, no matter iron ore or coal ore, only a shallow layer on the surface is dug, and human lives are needed to fill it further down.

Li Ye thought for a while and said: "Prisoners across the country can be assigned to mines. If the mine owners want to use them, they have to pay the court!"

"I'm afraid it's just a drop in the bucket!"

How many prisoners can there be, and tens of thousands of kilograms of coal are mined? The number of miners needed is probably tens of thousands!
Li Ye looked solemnly and looked at Yanmo, the living man next to him, and said, "You go down first! I have something private to talk about with Mr. Zhang!"

"promise!"

After Yan Mo walked away, Li Ye said to Zhang Chengye, who also looked solemn, "How about using a barbarian?"

"..."

"There are millions of barbarians in the north, and there are no less than a million barbarians in the south. Let's use them to mine..."

Zhang Chengye's expression changed and he said: "Your Majesty, be careful what you say. Your Majesty must be benevolent and righteous. If you say this, it may damage your Majesty's majesty!"

Li Ye shook his head and said: "The barbarians on the grassland are like weeds. Taizong defeated Tujue, Xue Yantuo, and Tuyuhun in succession, but after a few years, he still couldn't lose his tail. From the founding of the Tang Dynasty to the present, he has been repeatedly intimidated by the barbarians. Chengye, do you think it is? Because of what?"

"This……"

Li Ye let out a long sigh and said: "Beware of them. The imperial court will have hundreds of thousands of troops stationed on the border, which is a waste of national power. Once the imperial court declines, they will bite off the flesh and blood from the Tang Dynasty like hyenas. Isn't it the source of the Anshi Rebellion? Did An Lushan take advantage of the troubles in the border areas?"

Zhang Chengye didn't know what to say, so he heard His Majesty the Emperor continue to speak.

"When fighting against the barbarians, there is no benefit in defeating them. If they lose, the invaders will be thousands of miles away. Even if they win, they will come again a few years later and the invaders will come again. This repeat will eventually lead to serious trouble..."

"Your Majesty, I am stupid, and the barbarians may not be willing to come to Middle-earth to mine!"

Li Ye shook his head and said, "What if a barbarian is worth fifty strings?"

"Fifty strings?"

(End of this chapter)