In the south of Hanshan, there is an official office in the prefecture. In the corner, several minor officials are urging coal stoves.

Because this kind of stove was just now promoted and many people were not very good at using it, so after working for a long time, they failed to successfully create a fire.

The coal stove burns coal, and is cylindrical, with holes like honeycombs. This kind of furnace and fuel are not available elsewhere.

No, it is available in Poyang, so this kind of furnace is also called "Poyang furnace", and honeycomb coal is also called "Poyang Chai".

The structure of a coal stove is simple, and it is said that it is easy to make a fire, so you can learn it once, but for novices, how to make a fire is really inaccurate.

Fortunately, there was a fireworker responsible for guiding the use of coal stoves at the public office, so the officials found him.

Fireworkers are not surprised, and they explain patiently while operating.

The coal stove is a barrel-shaped stove, as hollow as bamboo, but with much thicker walls.

The stove is about three feet high, with a cover opening below, which is a ventilated. A kettle and other cooking utensils can be installed above, but you have to light the fire before you can boil water and cook.

When ignitioning, you must first open the vent at the lower end of the stove, then find some hay, fine wood or waste paper, and then put it in the furnace.

Add a piece of honeycomb coal to the lit firewood so that the honeycomb coal can be completely ignited.

After the first piece of honeycomb coal is completely ignited, add the second piece with pliers. When adding the second piece, pay special attention to aligning with all honeycomb eyes of the first piece, otherwise the fire will be extinguished after a while.

A standard-sized coal stove can add up to three pieces of honeycomb coal. When the third piece is added, the honeycomb eye should also be aligned with the second piece, and after adding it, you can boil water.

The fireworks quickly started the fire and finally set up a teapot with tea leaves and water to make tea. When the officials saw that the fire was burning vigorously, they couldn't help but smile.

"Now with a coal stove, even if it is cold, the government can cook tea every day, so it's fine."

"No, when I returned to the dormitory, I could still soak my feet in a bucket of hot water. Oh, no matter how tired or tired I was, I felt comfortable after soaking my feet in a hot water."

While the discussion was about it, the officials continued to work, and the fireworks then moved to the boiling water room and checked the coal stove.

The coal stove that burns honeycomb coal is very small, like a bucket, and can be taken away by carrying it. The coal stove in the boiling water room is larger in size, and the coal stove that burns crushed coal and the water pot is also very large.

Since the open-pit coal mines began to be mined and supplying large amounts of coal to Hanshan, Xuzhou Public Party has opened a boiling water room. Every day, officials from all departments can come to fetch water.

However, to prevent waste, you must register when fetching water. The number of times you fetch water in each department every day is limited.

The minor official who manages the boiling water room is not only responsible for registration, but also for boiling water. Now it is winter, but the room is as warm as spring and very comfortable.

But in summer, it's a pain.

The fireman turned around several coal stoves, but found no problems, so he sat aside and rested and kept warm.

Several minor officials who managed the boiling water room were transferred from Huainan. They were quite interested in coal stoves they had never seen before, so they asked the fireman from Poyang:

"Old Hu, is there a coal stove in Poyang?"

"Yes, because there are coal mines one after another, the city has sufficient coal supply. Burning coal is not much more expensive than burning firewood. Many people use honeycomb coal."

"Who came up with the idea of ​​this honeycomb coal? It's so convenient to use."

"That was learned by our envoy Li from others." Huo Gong said, laughing: "It's not Xu Zhenjun's guidance. Xu Zhenjun is in charge of water, but no matter how fire."

Everyone laughed, laughing, and imagined the scene in the dormitory after nightfall.

Because a heating bedding (sitting) called "Kang" is built in the dormitory.

"That warm kang is really amazing. It is said that it is very warm to lie on the kang at night. You can sleep warmly until dawn in a single dress and cover yourself with an ordinary quilt."

"It's not said, that's it." The fireman laughed. "The kangs in the dormitory have been prepared now. The first time to start a fire tonight, you have to pay attention, don't sleep on the kang."

"What's the point?" The clerks became interested.

"The kang is very hot, and people who sleep there will sweat. They toss and turn around overnight, like fish rolling on chopping boards."

"Haha, Lao Hu, don't fool us. It's cold and cold. Who would think it's hot? I'm going to sleep and see if it can make me sweat!"

In the dormitory area, the chief clerk Zhang Ying took time to see the situation of the official dormitory. Tonight is the first time the fire is on the kang. If the effect is good, then the heating of the official staff members will no longer be a problem throughout the winter.

The newly built dormitories are all brick and tile houses, rows and rows, and very neatly. Each house has a brick heating brick table "Kang" because it allows more than ten people to sleep on it at the same time, which is also called "Tongpu".

When the kang burns coal, the hot air heats it through the fire channel from the end of the kang, and the hot air is finally discharged from the brick chimney outdoors.

People sleeping on the kang are like fish fried in a clay pot, but the brick table is very thick and has strong heat storage ability. People sleeping on the kang will only feel warm and not hot.

But people sleeping on the kang may feel uncomfortable: this is the entrance to the hottest place on the kang.

Zhang Ying looked at several dormitories carefully, at least from the outside, and found no problems. He explained some things to his entourage and turned around and left.

Whether the quality of the kang is of course tested by actual use. If the problem is found, it will be corrected until it is qualified.

He already has a kang in his house, so he knows that kang is a powerful tool to protect against cold, as long as it can burn fuel, such as firewood or coal.

Due to the development of open-pit coal mines, there is sufficient cheap coal to replace charcoal and wood in Hanshan City, as a heating fuel, to help the military and civilians survive the cold winter.

In order to improve the accommodation conditions of officials, the government office built kangs in the dormitory and supplied coal, which was not required to be paid by officials.

At the same time, the barracks were also built in the barracks, and the soldiers did not need to pay for the coal they burned.

Coal comes from official and civil coal mines. Among them, coal from private coal mines is purchased by the state party with salt or copper coins. The corresponding expenses are borne by the state party and the military government.

Such a burden is not light. The state party and military government actually rely on the money borrowed from the business to maintain various expenses, including purchasing fuel for heating.

There are also the fuel expenses for making fires, cooking and boiling water in the military camps.

Zhang Ying walked towards his official office, looked at the snowflakes falling in the sky, thought about the "everything is difficult to start" of Xuzhou Prefecture Party, and was full of fighting spirit.

As long as you survive the most difficult first two years, the next road will be easier.

Large-scale mining of coal mines means that the price of coal will become cheaper, so replacing charcoal and firewood and becoming common fuels for ordinary people are just around the corner.

The coal mined from Xuzhou coal mines should be used as commodities for large-scale transportation and sales, and sold along Sishui to Xiapi, Suyu and other riverside areas.

It even went to the Huai River along the Si River and sold to various parts of Huainan.

At that time, these black carbonites will become an important mineral in Xuzhou, and the profits of large-scale exports will become an important income of Xuzhou Prefecture Party.

The premise is to survive the hardships of the first two years.

Therefore, state governments have to buy coal from private coal mines with debts, so that mine owners can taste the sweetness and increase the scale of mining.

As he thought about it, Zhang Ying thought of Li Li who was fighting outside.

Li Li always said, "I can punch one punch so that a hundred punches will not come." So after autumn, he led his troops to attack everywhere, "robbed" local snakes who were close to Qi's prefectures and counties, asking for food.

Then he continued to "guerrilla" and fanned the flames everywhere in Qi State, creating the illusion of a large-scale attack, forcing Qi State prefectures to withdraw troops and defend the city, and had no time to concentrate troops to advance southward.

The effect is still good. For several months, no Qi troops have invaded. I don’t know if the other party had no intention of going south or because Li Li made the mess everywhere, so he couldn’t take care of it.

Now that Li Li led his army back to Hanshan, he arrived soon, but he didn't know what plans would be for Qi State next.

Zhang Ying returned to his official office and continued to handle affairs. There were only a few lonely cities under the rule of Xuzhou of Liang State, as well as a Hanshan Imperial, coal mines and iron mines, so it was not like a public office, but more like a management agency of the workshop.

Then, the manager who manages the workplace for the boss must work hard for the normal operation of the entire workplace.

As long as you survive the most difficult first two years, the road ahead will be easier.

......

In the afternoon, Li Li, who led his army back to Hanshan, came to the Fengwo Coal Farm to see the production of Fengwo Coal.

Fuel is a very important material. Whether it is heating or cooking water, cooking, it requires ignition, and fuel is required for ignition.

Common fuels are grass, dead branches, and firewood. Now, Li Li has invented honeycomb coal and has used honeycomb coal as a fuel with low quality and low price to promote it on a large scale.

If this is done, it will not only allow the state party to have stable fiscal revenue, but also benefit the people, and win multiple goals at one fell swoop.

However, the production of honeycomb coal is also of particular importance, and there are some technical content.

The coal transported from the northeast coal mine of "Pengcheng Lake" is crushed by a hydraulic crusher and ground into coal powder with a suitable particle size, and then mixed with yellow mud and water to press it into honeycomb coal by the machine.

It can be used after drying.

The ratio of coal to mud is 8 to 2. The reason why yellow mud is mixed is not to cut corners, but to shape: the adhesion of coal powder is very poor and yellow mud is needed as the adhesive.

Moreover, the honeycomb coal produced in this way has a "yellow mud skeleton" that can still remain the same after being burned in the coal stove, making it convenient to be taken out intact.

However, coal will emit a certain smell when burning, which is not very smelly. Therefore, when making honeycomb coal, some quicklime will be added properly, so the honeycomb coal made will not have an odor when burning.

Li Li asked Zhang Ying, who accompanied the inspection, "How much did you complain about the smell after the honeycomb coal was promoted in the city?"

"Not many, after all, there is better than not." Zhang Ying looked at the roaring machine and felt relaxed and happy: "People who can afford to burn charcoal do not need to burn coal, and those who cannot afford to burn charcoal are satisfied if they have coal."

Li Li nodded and walked aside: "We must promote honeycomb coal, at least in places where water transportation is convenient, so that coal is not much more expensive than firewood. In this way, coal can be sold."

"People can cook fires and cook at a lower cost, so they don't have to eat cold food and drink cold water all day long. It's fine in summer, but in winter, eating cold food and drinking cold water can easily cause stomachache and get sick."

"Of course, the premise is that the price of honeycomb coal is cheap, that is, the coal price is low. If the coal price is low, you have to increase production and sales, and make small profits and quick turnover."

"When coal has sales, the income of the state party will increase, and the mine owner...the mine owner will find a way to expand the amount of coal mining. They will inevitably use various methods to get people into the mine to dig coal."

"In fact, it's just abducting people to do illegal work, and the number of cases of trafficking in population will increase. This requires attention and cannot be condoned."

"Human traffickers are extremely evil, and the government must not sit idly by."

Of course, Zhang Ying knew that he wanted to crack down on vicious crimes such as trafficking in people. Li Li's attitude was the attitude that his parents should have.

However, to increase the amount of coal production in coal mines, a large amount of labor must be invested. According to the character of local snakes, it is inevitable to traffic in the population and do black work.

This kind of thing has happened since ancient times. During the Han Dynasty, Dou Guangguo, the younger brother of Emperor Wen of Han, was abducted at the age of four or five, and resold it to more than ten families, becoming slave workers, burning charcoal in the mountains.

Later, an accident occurred and hundreds of charcoal burners died. Dou Guangguo was lucky enough to die. He finally recognized his sister, who was the queen, and then escaped from the sea of ​​suffering.

For Li Li, he has been abducted and trafficked by others, so he will not be accused of tigers. However, the shortage of labor in coal mines is a real problem that must be faced. How to solve it?

"We just need to crack down on the trafficking of people in our jurisdiction." Li Li looked at Zhang Ying and then looked at the magnificent Hanshanyan, "I am the governor of Xuzhou of Liang State, and the people of Qi State cannot control it."
Chapter completed!