Chapter 439: Coal-producing Area
Chapter 439: Coal-producing Area
At noon the next day, Xiao Xia received a report that the coal-carrying fleet had arrived outside Jiangdu City. This news made Xiao Xia very happy. He hurriedly took Liu Wenjing and several other officials to the dock outside the city.
There is a large wharf outside Jiangdu City. A half-moon-shaped bay was specially dug on the canal and a wharf was built here. However, this is only a passenger wharf, not a cargo wharf. The cargo wharf must be located along the Yangtze River.
However, some special goods related to people's livelihood, such as fruits and vegetables, grain, oil, charcoal and firewood, can be unloaded at the dock outside the city after approval by the county government.
More than 200 cargo ships loaded with coal are temporarily anchored at the dock. They do not unload here, but go to Pier No. 7 on the Yangtze River, which is Xiaojia Wharf.
More than 200 500-stone cargo ships transported about one million jin of coal, which was actually only 500 tons. The person in charge of purchasing coal was Zheng Rong, a second-level aide to Xiao Xia. He was from Chenliu County, about 35 or 36 years old, with a plump figure and looked like a businessman. His job was to be responsible for external procurement.
Zheng Rong stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I have completed your Highness's request and purchased one million kilograms of coal, all of which are of very good quality!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Zheng. How much did this coal cost?"
Zheng Rong shook his head. "It only cost some labor costs. It was 20 wen per car to transport the coal from the coal field to the river. In addition, there was another 10 wen for digging and loading. In total, 30 wen per car, about 100 kilograms."
Xiao Xia was surprised, "Why doesn't coal cost money?"
"Your Highness, the coal fields over there are all under the jurisdiction of Pengcheng County. There are both official and private fields. I have already negotiated with Pengcheng County and bought 1,000 acres at three strings of cash per acre. I also bought 500 acres from local people at three strings of cash per acre, for a total of 1,500 acres."
"Only three strings of cash, so cheap?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, the local farmland is only ten strings of coins per mu. This coalfield is relatively remote and far away from the village. In addition, the soil is very thin and crops cannot be grown. It has always been a wasteland and is full of weeds. However, there is a small river running through it, which can accommodate cargo ships of 500 dan. If it is dredged and widened a little, it can also accommodate cargo ships of 1,000 dan."
"Will it be stolen?" Liu Wenjing asked nearby.
Zheng Rong smiled and said, "Your Excellency, you don't know that there is coal everywhere over there. This is the least rare thing. Moreover, the land is barren and the locals are very poor. When they heard that I wanted to hire people to dig and transport coal, people from all over the country came here."
"Describe the coal seam to me!"
"Your Highness, there is a large low-lying area over there with many gullies. I dug a few times with a hoe in front of a cliff several feet high, and a black coal seam was exposed. The coal seam is four or five feet thick. It is really a treasure field."
Xiao Xia nodded and asked, "How far is it from the county town?"
"It's very remote, about thirty miles away, between Pengcheng County and Liu County. I rented a shop in Pengcheng County and opened a small business. I left three men behind. Next time I go to transport coal, I'll go directly to the business. They'll be responsible for recruiting people to dig and transport coal."
"Good! Good! Very thoughtful."
Xiao Xia praised him and asked, "You just said that if the river is dredged a little, it can accommodate 1,000-ton cargo ships. How long is the river that needs to be dredged and how much is it widened?"
"Your Highness, the river is about ten miles long and needs to be widened by ten feet. The local labor is very cheap. I estimated that it would take about two months to dig by hiring three thousand laborers. Because it is a flat-bottomed boat, it does not need to be dug too deep. The cost is about ten thousand strings of money."
“Is there any coal around?”
"Of course there is. There is a hundred miles of low-lying land over there. There are more in Liu County to the north, but Liu County is mainly wetland and cannot be used. The south is wasteland and close to Sishui. If Your Highness wants this hundred miles of land, you can exchange it with Pengcheng County for the dock on the Yangtze River. I have dealt with the county officials before, and they are eager to get the transit dock on the Yangtze River."
Xiao Xia carefully looked at the map drawn by Zheng Rong, and he suddenly realized that this large low-lying area of 100 miles is the Weishan Lake of later generations. Weishan Lake was formed after the Yellow River burst its banks in the Ming Dynasty. Now it is the Sui Dynasty, and this place is still half wet and half dry.
Xiao Xia pondered for a moment, then decisively said to Zheng Rong: "I will appoint you as the purchase envoy of the Jiangnan Road General Administration Office, and you will represent me to negotiate with Pengcheng County and exchange a Yangtze River wharf for a hundred miles of land. Then, Envoy Zheng will build a wharf by the Sishui River and dredge the river. I will mine coal on a large scale."
Jiangdu currently has seven large docks, which were built by the court five years ago, but now the Jiangnan Dao General Administration has decided to build an additional twenty medium-sized docks and hundreds of warehouses on the north bank of the Yangtze River, while preparing for shipbuilding on the south bank of the Yangtze River.
If we can get the coal fields in Pengcheng County, it doesn't matter if we give Pengcheng County a wharf. Zheng Rong immediately bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will definitely get the job done!"
In the afternoon, Xiao Xia returned home and sat down in the study. His wife Cui Yu came in holding the child, followed by Xiao Qing, holding a cup of tea.
Cui Yu has finished her confinement and has returned to her normal life. The child has been handed over to the care of a wet nurse. There are two wet nurses, one is responsible for taking care of the child and the other is responsible for breastfeeding.
Xiao Xia quickly stood up and hugged her son, kissed him on the cheek and said with a smile: "I suddenly want a daughter again. The princess is still recovering, Xiaoqing, please try your best!"
Xiao Qing blushed and didn't dare to reply. Cui Yu smiled and said, "Chu Chen will prepare medicine for her and take care of her. It will take several months. Husband, you should have a son first! You can wait for a daughter. We will definitely have one."
Xiao Xia handed his son to his wife and said, "I may have to go to the beach for inspection tomorrow, which may take two or three days."
Cui Yu's eyes lit up, "Husband, I want to go to the beach too!"
Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "The sea in Jiangdu is completely different from what you think it is. It's all mudflats, the water is yellow, and the wind is so strong that it scratches your ears like a knife."
"But I want to go to the beach!"
"Let's wait until next year! I will take a boat to Jian'an County for an inspection. You can go with me and bring the child with you."
Cui Yu smiled happily and said, "I'm really looking forward to that day!"
Before dawn the next day, Xiao Xia set out, taking with him three hundred cavalry guards and several clerks. This time, Zhang Qiao also accompanied Xiao Xia.
The northern coastal areas have always been salt-producing areas throughout the dynasties, especially the section between the Yangtze River and the Huai River, which is an important salt-producing area directly controlled by successive central dynasties. Yancheng County was established during the Jin Dynasty, and it became the center of the entire salt production industry.
Although the Sui Dynasty abolished the salt monopoly system, it did not mean that the court no longer cared about salt. The government still controlled a large amount of salt production and allowed private salt making.
At present, salt production is still mainly based on boiling salt, which requires preparing firewood and burning fire to fry salt. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that the method of boiling salt was changed to drying salt. Therefore, the biggest cost of boiling salt is the money for firewood.
This is also what confuses Xiao Xia. How could the wholesale price of salt from firewood be only ten cents per dou?
Each of them was equipped with three horses, carrying dry food and water, and galloped all the way. Zhang Qiao followed Xiao Xia, wearing a black warrior costume, a long sword at her waist, and a gauze hat on her head. Her fair skin, against the warrior costume, looked even more distinct, and she looked heroic.
Two days later, they entered the salt-producing area, where they saw brine pools and earthen stoves for boiling salt everywhere.
"Aqiao, have you ever been to the beach in Jiangdu before?" Xiao Xia asked with a loud laugh.
Zhang Qiao nodded, "This is my first time at the Jiangdu beach, but I've been to the Yuhang beach before, with my second uncle."
“It’s different at the seaside!”
"It's a little different. There are many people living by the sea over there, but this side is deserted and the water is also very turbid."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "It's not deserted, actually. Isn't there a small town ahead?"
Xiao Xia pointed into the distance, and Zhang Qiao looked in the direction of Xiao Xia's finger. Sure enough, there was a small town in the distance about ten miles away.
(End of this chapter)