I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 577 Xishan Coal Field
"Gold is everywhere in the ground, mountains and rivers are full of treasures, and Xishan Coal Field is rich in coal resources. It will be a big industry in the future. It only costs 15 taels to build a stone road. It is too cheap, not too expensive."

Listening to shopkeeper Li's complaints, Huang Dong laughed and didn't take it seriously, secretly thinking that this was not the case.

Nowadays, trees around Daming have been cut down and damaged so severely that the price of firewood has skyrocketed. Many ordinary people can no longer afford to burn. Therefore, coal, a high-quality resource, has become more and more popular.Many people saw this as an oil and water business, so after the imperial court lifted the mining ban last year and allowed the opening of coal mines in Xishan, the number of Xishan coal mine manufacturers immediately increased sharply, and at one time there were hundreds of them.

Although Huang Dong was also envious of the business, mining was a bit troublesome. The investment was huge and the safety issues were low, which could easily kill people. Secondly, he did not want Daming Trading Company to involve too many industries and make things complicated. Yes, so there has been no layout in Xishan.

Some time ago, the emperor suddenly gave him a formula. After opening it and reading it, he was overjoyed. His intuition told him that this thing would definitely become popular in the future.So he immediately asked people to apply for a coal field license in Shuntianfu, and at the same time set up a workshop near the Xishan coal field to start putting this formula into practice.

The carriage drove slowly. The closer it got to Mentougou in Wanping County, the noisier it became. Huang Dong slowly opened the curtains and looked into the distance. He saw an endless stream of carriages hauling coal to the west. The road There are also many ragged people on both sides carrying broken baskets and staring at these carriages. As long as a small piece of cinder falls from the carriage, these people will rush up to pick it up.

After waiting for a long time, we finally arrived at Wanping Mentougou, where the Xishan Coal Mine is located.Huang Dong and others got out of the car, and people from Daming Trading Company came to meet them.

After getting off the carriage, Huang Dong looked around and found that the environment in Mentougou was not ordinary dirty and messy, but this did not affect the large number of people here at all.

As the last stop on the way to the coal mine, it is also a place for miners to rest and have fun. In less than half a year, this place is already crowded with people. There are all kinds of places to eat, brothels, accommodations and other places of entertainment. There are also posts on the roadside recruiting miners. Followers abound.

Huang Dong listened to his words and found that the miner's salary was also very generous. The monthly salary could reach one to two and five, and if he was skilled and endured hardship, he could get up to two and a half.This made Huang Dong sigh inwardly, how short of a manpower this coal yard really had. The miner's monthly salary at the beginning of the year was only one tael a month, and now it is as low as one tael or five.

The shopkeeper of Daming Trading Company in the Xishan Coal Yard looked to be in his 40s with a goatee. Seeing Huang Dong get out of the car, he quickly came over and said:
"The boss has been traveling and traveling for a long time. It's been a hard journey."

Huang Dong nodded without changing his expression, then looked at the Xishan Coal Yard and said:
"Shopkeeper Li, it's only been half a year, but there are only so many people in the Xishan Coal Mine."

"Mingjian, the great shopkeeper, the supply of coal in the Xishan Coal Field is now in short supply. As soon as it is dug out, it will be bought up immediately, so there is no need to worry about selling it. Residents in the capital cook fires, and Tongzhou and Luanping also manufacture firearms and ironware. Demand in Tianjin has also increased sharply. This is still the off-season, and if it comes to winter, coal prices will definitely be higher."

Shopkeeper Li, who was in charge of the Xishan Coal Yard, heard this and reported it quietly. Although the shopkeeper in front of him was only in his early twenties, he did not dare to neglect at all, and his words were very respectful.However, as he spoke, he took a few steps forward and whispered to Huang Dong:
"But I heard that because the number of mines in Xishan Coal Field has increased too much, Shuntian Prefecture has increased the coal mine director's license to 1000 taels of silver per unit, and the tax has also been set at 200%. The supply is still in short supply, and the number of coal mines has increased. There are more than [-], so Shuntian Mansion is afraid that it will be difficult to manage in the long run, and it is estimated that it will stop issuing coal mine director licenses soon."

"Haha, this Xishan coal field was not that popular during the Wanli period. At that time, mine supervisors were sent to collect taxes. There were many resisters, fearing that they would be deprived of the mining taxes. How come they are all obedient now? The price of the license is so high, and there are people snatching it. It’s really difficult to understand how to do it.”

Huang Dong shook his head helplessly when he heard this, and secretly thought that this was really strange. If this kind of thing had been done during the Wanli period, it would definitely have been mentioned by the ministers as a matter of competing with the people. "Haha, it's raining and dewing now. How can all the officials in the court and even the merchants complain?"

Shopkeeper Li also laughed when he heard this and said something slowly.As soon as these words came out, everyone immediately laughed knowingly.

After Huang Dong has been doing business for several years, he naturally understands the truth after listening to shopkeeper Li's words.During the Wanli period, Shenzong sent tax inspectors to extort merchants, which made the people miserable and filled with resentment.

The main reason for this is that all the money went into the pockets of the emperor and the eunuchs, and they were extorting merchants and disturbing the people in every possible way. However, all the officials and local officials in this area had to clean up their messes. In the end, the court did not benefit at all. How could the court officials at the time tolerate this? Therefore, almost all officials in the court opposed the emperor.

But now the situation is different. The imperial court has opened the mining ban, issued licenses to coal mines, and collected taxes and fees. All taxes are clearly marked. If you are willing to do it, you can do it. If you find it too expensive, you don’t have to do it. One is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer. Children and old people have no choice. bully.

Now that the Xishan Coal Field is open, the owners of the coal field make money, and the miners make money. Coal is cheaper than firewood, and the capital and Tongzhou are also happy to use it.Moreover, the money for the Sizhao and mining taxes was divided among the Shuntian Prefecture, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Emperor.

In this way, everyone has made money, and it can be said to be a win-win situation. Naturally, no one will refute it, and they will even praise the emperor for his wisdom.

Thinking of this, Huang Dong smiled and shook his head, then waved his hand and asked shopkeeper Li to quickly lead the way. He wanted to go to the workshop near Mentougou to see how the things the emperor ordered were being made.

So under the guidance of shopkeeper Li, everyone simply strolled around Mentougou for a while, then got on the carriage and headed west.

Three miles to the west from Mentougou is the Yongding River, and the workshop of Daming Trading Company is built at a corner of the Yongding River. This is also a small town at the foot of the Xishan Coal Field. Because it is close to the Wuding River, it has water transportation advantages. , transportation is convenient, so coal from many coal mines will be shipped and shipped here.

When Huang Dong and others passed through the town and arrived at the workshop, they saw that four or five rows of production rooms had been built on the high ground, while construction was still going on in the low-lying areas near the river. Arranging tools, it looks like they are tinkering with a hydraulic workshop.

The thing that Huang Dong longed for had already been built, and it was in the production room. Huang Dong immediately quickened his pace and couldn't wait to find out.

(End of this chapter)