Chapter 1410 - 1319: Prologue_3

The craftsmen handled such dangerous tasks as easily as drinking water. Some could even carve a steel flower using water power, truly creating a flower made of steel.

Shi Le took the newly made steel flower and secretly applied force, but found he couldn’t move it an inch. The petals were sharp; just a gentle touch drew blood...

Shi Le shuddered, grateful he surrendered quickly back then. With such powerful weapons, and Zhao Hanzhang showing no fear, how could he have contended with her?

The innovations in people’s livelihood surprised Shi Le, yet they were not as stunning as the things inside the Ministry of War’s Department of Observation.

He saw various explosives there. Although he didn’t see them in use, just listening to the craftsmen’s explanations made him both fearful and yearning.

Besides, he had firsthand experience of explosive attacks when he faced Zhao Hanzhang in the past.

So when the craftsmen spoke, Shi Le believed them.

He eagerly requested to fight, "Your Majesty, with such powerful tools, we can completely drive the Duanbu Xianbei out of Youzhou. If they dare not yield, I will use explosives to annihilate their clan."

Ji Yuan: "General Shi, we Chinese do not extinguish any legacy of worship."

Shi Le snorted, "I was just saying. Our Jie people also have a tradition: we don’t kill anyone shorter than a carriage wheel."

Zhao Hanzhang smiled warmly, "There’s no rush with the Duanbu Xianbei. When the nation thrives, I believe they will wholeheartedly submit to the court. There’s no need to be hasty in waging war. Besides, they are still quite respectful towards me and the court."

"Shi Aiqing, Youzhou is harshly cold, so its economic development lags behind other places. Every year, many people fall ill or die due to the cold. After seeing along the way, do you know why I specifically brought you to see the Department of Observation?"

Shi Le’s heart stirred, "Coal?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "Exactly, coal. With coal and cotton, we can resolve the cold in Youzhou."

Shi Le’s eyes flickered slightly, "I know about coal; I heard people mention it last year while searching for salt ponds, and there are several deposits in Youzhou."

The several locations identified by people were evidently exposed coal mines.

In fact, coal mines were discovered and utilized as early as the Stone Age, though by only a small number of people, as our ancestors discovered a type of stone that burns and can keep us warm.

By the Han Dynasty, more people began using coal for warmth, and coincidentally, coal started being used for iron smelting. People began making coal briquettes.

Thus, Fu Tinghan, while smelting, used coal, and further processed it for heating, steaming vehicles, etc. While craftsmen were surprised, it wasn’t completely new to them.

These things had existed long before, just not widely adopted, and they weren’t used with his level of precision.

Once he arrived, coal use efficiency improved, and the combustible temperature increased significantly.

Though Shi Le had never seen coal, he had heard of stone carbon, "Minister Fu, is coal the same as stone carbon?"

Fu Tinghan nodded, "Yes."

Shi Le’s eyes glittered, "I’ve heard this substance is abundant in Youzhou, Dai Country."

Zu Ti couldn’t help but glance at him, and Zhao Hanzhang nodded with a smile, "Indeed, while other places have it too, on a national scale, Youzhou probably has the highest reserves."

According to modern survey data, the regions with the highest coal reserves nationally are Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guizhou, Anhui, Sichuan, and Shanxi.

Shanxi corresponds to the current Yongzhou area. Currently, most used coal mines are sourced from around Luoyang, but surveys are already underway in Yongzhou, waiting to be found and developed.

But the highest reserves are still in Shanxi and Inner Mongolia.

These two places correspond to present-day Bingzhou and parts of Youzhou.

Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "Bingzhou and Youzhou are harshly cold, with longer winters than other places. Their arable land is less than the Central Plains, and other economic crops are not as rich as in the Central Plains and Jiangnan area, but the heavens are fair, and both states are richly endowed."

She continued, "Not just coal, many mineral resources are mainly found in Youzhou and Bingzhou. It’s just that people don’t recognize them or know how to use them, resulting in hardship for those living on that land."

Shi Le’s eyes shone brightly, he looked at Fu Tinghan as if seeing a pile of gold ingots, and he implored Zhao Hanzhang, "Your Majesty, please allow Minister Fu to reside in Youzhou for a couple of years."

Such a person is too precious to remain only in the Capital City.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled slightly at him, "Now that you know about such good things, Shi Aiqing, how do you plan to use these things to enrich the people?"