You have truly caused me great suffering!

Li Gang's servant was stunned as he listened to his self-talk.

It turns out that Minister Li was unaware that this coal was actually burnable.

The servant was also from Bianliang. The people of Bianliang had long since started burning coal because charcoal was simply unavailable.

It's normal that Li Gang didn't know.

Because the Li family's house is not burned.

They either burn charcoal or the more expensive smokeless coal.

The scholar-officials and ministers of the Song Dynasty were high above the rest, the upper class of the dynasty.

They have been out of touch with the people for too long.

As a result, some technologies that have actually existed and even been partially popularized in the general public have remained completely unknown to them.

Even among the civil officials of the Song Dynasty, such as Li Gang, who was known for his uprightness, could you say he was truly upright?

That's certainly possible.

But you say he can save the Song Dynasty, save the Central Plains, and save all living beings?

That's pure nonsense.

Their limited abilities meant they couldn't even see the current difficulties, believing that passion alone could save the country.

Actually, it's the opposite of what we're looking for.

Just like when he deployed defenses outside the city to resist the Jin army, he had the will to resist, but he was indeed ignorant of military matters.

Otherwise, Li Xiaozhong and Yue Fei wouldn't have criticized him for being ignorant of military strategy.

Li Gang himself did not know the difference between coal and charcoal, nor did he know what coking was, but he truly saw Chen Shao's appearance among the common people.

At this moment, he himself knew that he could no longer compare Chen Shao to the likes of Dong Zhuo and Zhu Wen.

However, this did not change his hatred for Chen Shao.

Because he felt that Chen Shao was far more destructive to the Song Dynasty than Dong Zhuo.

The common people and gentry will be bewitched by him and become his accomplices in his plot to usurp the throne!
so bad!
As mining began, this massive iron ore mine had two iron ore zones.

One of these methods involves mining in areas rich in surface mineral deposits by digging away the soil covering the ore and using a "burning and blasting" method (burning the ore and then splashing water on it to remove it).

Another method involves developing mines using vertical and inclined shafts, employing semi-subterranean iron smelting furnaces. These mines can reach depths of tens of meters and are equipped with ventilation and drainage systems, allowing miners to descend and excavate.

Chen Shao patted the miner on the shoulder and laughed, "Brother, be careful down there. Your wife and kids are waiting for you to celebrate the New Year."

The miner grinned, wanting to say something, but couldn't think of any words, so he could only nod and chuckle awkwardly.

The area east of the Yellow River is rich in coal and iron, both of which are Chen Shao's next focus. No wonder people call the Guanzhong Plain and the area east of the Yellow River a holy land for separatist regimes.

Even during the Republic of China era, Commander Yan was able to rely on this place to become the most steadfast military leader.

What Chen Shao urgently needs to do now is to improve coking.

The goal is to bring coal into every household, and more importantly, into every workshop.

Liberate and improve productive forces.

As mining officially began, Chen Shao, along with other officials, withdrew.

With these people around, the miners had no time to worry about mining. Chen Shao was well aware of this, so he took the initiative to lead everyone back to the city.
-
Even in autumn and winter, people who have just finished their busy work are still busy.

People are preparing for the New Year, either by adding clothes or by trying to add firewood.

However, I heard that a new mine has been discovered nearby, and the wages for mining are not low, so many people are planning to go and earn some money.

These days, physical strength is worthless, and everyone is thinking about exchanging it for something else. So even though the wages for laborers digging rivers are pitifully low, people still volunteer to do so.

Even in matters like war, people are eager to participate.

Zezhou Prefecture recruited miners in the suburbs. This time it was different from before because Chen Shao recruited a large number of miners and sent them to Laizhou, Shandong to go to sea.

Therefore, these people need to undergo simple training before they can go down to mine.

Chen Shao stayed in Zezhou and never left.

A bronze stove was lit inside the small building, and he, Da Hu, and several guards warmed themselves by it.

Chen Shao sat in a chair, holding a memorial in one hand. After reading it, he threw it into the stove to burn.

This report was sent by Han Shizhong, and it was just him reporting the weather in Youyan, which was completely meaningless.

Chen Shao knew that he was indirectly asking for food and supplies, because once the fighting started, they estimated that they would rush into the northern border.

That place is covered in ice and snow, so you need to prepare cotton-padded clothes in advance.

Chen Shao pulled out another letter, this one even more outrageous, saying that a pure white mythical beast had been discovered near Chen Shao's hometown on Fuyan Road.

That night, the small village of Chenjiazhuang was bathed in a red glow, and the fragrance filled the air and lingered for a long time.

Chen Shaogang was about to throw it into the fire, but after turning his head slightly, he handed it to Da Hu next to him.

Da Hu quickly and carefully put it away and placed it in the stack of reports that needed to be sorted and kept.

These people have already progressed to the point of receiving auspicious omens.

Seeking auspicious omens is always the safest way to advance, because Chen Shao is unlikely to punish him.

If it succeeds, the person who brought the auspicious omen will have earned merit; if it fails, it's just a matter of losing a piece of paper.

Even though Chen Shao despised this kind of person, he still had Da Hu put it away, in case it came in handy in the future.

"Open the window a little." Chen Shao felt a bit stuffy and gave the order. Soon some fresh air blew in through the window, which cheered him up so he could continue reading the stacks of reports.

At the beginning, Chen Shao would feel a bit irritated after watching half of it.

But gradually, he was able to calm down and enjoy the pleasure of reading through the reports.

With sufficient experience, not every letter could exhaust his energy.

Some reports, Chen Shao could tell what was going to be said just by reading the first two lines.

He will most likely pass these on to his staff for a second round of screening.

The wind outside was gradually becoming damp. Chen Shao walked to the window and stretched his arm. "It's raining again."

The scenery in the courtyard became blurred in the moonlight and rain.

Only the candlelight flickered, swaying in the wind.

At this moment, Chen Shao suddenly frowned, because in the quiet night, he heard a solitary song.

The sound is clear and bright, with a rough and rising tone at the end, making it very high-pitched.

Because of the courtyard wall, only fragments of words could be heard, such as "King of Dai" and "Chen".

It seems they didn't dare get too close, so they couldn't hear clearly at all.

The guards under the eaves and in the corridors, who had been on high alert, now stood silently, motionless.

Chen Shao glanced back and saw Da Hu and his personal guards, who had also heard the song, looking at each other without moving. Da Hu tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, should we arrest them?"

Chen Shao hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Not only did they report false auspicious omens, but the people of Zezhou, knowing that they had arrived, simply started singing prophetic ballads.

The reason for this is that "being persuaded to advance" is a very cost-effective opportunity for upward social mobility.

You don't need to study hard for years or have brilliant strategies for governing the country; you don't need to risk your life on the battlefield; you can be ennobled simply by talking.

Da Hu glanced at Chen Shao and thought to himself, "My boss is such a shrewd person, when has he ever suffered a loss?"

You have no merit whatsoever; relying solely on persuading others to advance your careers, it will be difficult for you to obtain official positions from your master.

He continued to sit by the bronze furnace, carefully organizing Chen Shao's reports.

His mother often said that he should study hard and learn to read so that he could share the king's burdens in the future. Da Hu knew that what his mother meant by sharing the burdens was mostly that he should obtain a higher title and official position.

Da Hu listens to the King of Dai and his mother the most.

So he has always been learning to read, and sometimes when he encounters a learned teacher, he will humbly ask him questions about things he didn't understand when he was studying.

Everyone knew that his relationship with the Prince of Dai was extraordinary, so they were happy to teach him.

Da Hu doesn't really have any talent in this area, but he is a very serious person, so he has actually learned quite a few characters.

Perhaps because no guards went out to stop it, the noise outside continued almost all night.

Chen Shao fell asleep soundly amidst the sound of rain and prophecy, enjoying a very good quality sleep.

What king, who commands 100,000 iron cavalry, has seven personal guards in his room when he sleeps on his own territory?

There was nothing Cai Tiao could do but learn a lesson from himself. There were many people like Geng Nanzhong in this world who were skilled at scheming and plotting their whole lives. They were so clever that they ended up dying from such a rash poisoning.

Caution is the boat.
-
Early in the morning, Gao Shiyou arrived at Chen Shao's residence with several officials.

He also learned from the lessons of the first day.

No one could have imagined that after a long and arduous journey, arriving in Zezhou from Taiyuan late at night, the Prince of Dai would get up so early and go straight to the mine.

He arrived early this time, but by the time the sun was high in the sky, the Prince of Dai was still nowhere to be seen.

Everyone sat in the flower hall, discussing what had happened the previous night.

"Did you arrange this?" Gao Shiyou looked at Liu Yu, the prefect, who quickly shook his head.

None of them noticed that the governor of Zezhou had a strange expression on his face and a hoarse voice, and was barely speaking.

If the Prince of Dai had made even the slightest move last night, he would have felt that it was all worthwhile. Unfortunately, he was unusually quiet.

After sitting for a while, Chen Shaocai washed up and came out.

"Prefect Gao, gentlemen, I've kept you waiting."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Gao Shiyou genuinely liked Chen Shao. In Chen Shao, he saw the qualities that military generals like himself were most willing to follow in their lords.

He has the potential to accomplish great things.

The only regret is that I am not stationed in the Northwest, but in Hedong.

Otherwise, he might have been among those thrilling battles, the long-distance raids and pursuits, and the victories against the Jin army.

One can imagine that when the future king establishes a new kingdom after replacing the Song dynasty, a large number of the three main figures will be granted titles of kings and marquises.

Moreover, it will be recorded in history and leave a lasting mark on the annals.

"What are Your Majesty's plans for today?"

Chen Shao laughed and said, "You, the magistrate of Zezhou, aren't you working in the government office? Are you going to follow me around?"

“There are only so many things to do in Zezhou. To be honest, Your Majesty, apart from spring planting and autumn harvest, and water conservancy projects, we have nothing to do on ordinary days.” Gao Shiyou suddenly lowered his voice and said, “If Your Majesty could transfer an official to Youyan, even as a commander, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Chen Shao gave him an annoyed look and said, "I'm transferring you from Zezhou Prefecture to Youyan. Are you going to jump up and down like that?"
He was so anxious that he even considered taking the sea route, but he never gave up on participating in the war.

Before entering the battlefield, Qu Duan was stationed near Zezhou. This is because Zezhou is located in Henan Prefecture, which is Luoyang.

Gao Shiyou and the group in Luoyang actually had a pretty good relationship. In addition to their prominence in the military, the Gao family also produced Empress Dowager Gao Taotao, the empress of Emperor Yingzong of Song, the birth mother of Emperor Shenzong, and historically known as "the female Yao and Shun".

This one was even more important, a pure protector of the old party, and Luoyang was the old party's stronghold.

However, now that they are each serving their own masters, Gao Shiyou has long since severed ties with Luoyang, cutting off all communication.

Although he never publicized these matters, Chen Shao was already well aware of the existence of Guangyuantang.

"Youyan is truly not a place we can go to. If there is an opportunity in the future, we will send you there."

Chen Shao gave a perfunctory reply, and Gao Shiyou didn't take it seriously either. What chance did Youyan have left?
After entering Gubeikou, the Jurchen Tartars will have to see how badly they are defeated.

If they're lucky, they can hide in the north and survive; if they're unlucky, their entire clan will be wiped out.

They killed more people in Hebei than their entire clan combined. Yue Fei and his men were filled with hatred and determined to take revenge.

Over the years, the Dingnan Army has also developed a deep-seated hatred for the Tartars, and they have been fighting to the death on every battlefield.

Therefore, once war breaks out, the battle may become extremely intense from the very beginning, determining the outcome and the fate of the Jurchen people.

Chen Shao looked at Gao Shiyou, a nobleman from a military family in the Song Dynasty, and suddenly smiled, "Don't be anxious, there will be many more battles to come."

For example, few people would have predicted Wu Jie's campaign against the Tibetan Empire in Qinghai, since that region was nominally still a vassal state of the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, Wu Jie did it very thoroughly, basically replacing the population of every place in the area where people could build cities and live.

The battle from Qingtang City to Lanzhou City didn't take much time in total. In several major battles, the Tibetan tribes of Qingtang suffered a crushing defeat.

Other Tibetan tribes were either too far away to intervene or simply stood by and watched.

They were terrified of getting themselves into trouble, fearing that the Dingnan Army would attack them again after defeating Qingtang.

With the combat power displayed by Wu Jie's troops now, even if they were deployed to the Youyan front, they would be a strong force capable of fighting against the Jurchen Tartars.

However, for those Tibetans, being escorted to the Dingnan Army's fortresses in the northwest was not necessarily a bad thing.

Climate change on the plateau has reduced barley production by more than half, making it no longer possible to support such a large population.

Once you're inside the fortress, don't worry about anything else; at least you'll have something to eat.

Wu Jie's attack on Qing also made everyone realize that the Prince of Dai still wielded considerable power in his hometown.

Even if the already massive army outside is wiped out, Chen Shao can still quickly make a comeback based on the eleven northwestern prefectures.

He has a very solid foundation.

But strangely enough, all of this wealth was actually prepared by Chen Shao for the Jurchen Jin Dynasty.

His initial ambition was not to become emperor himself, but to drive out the Jurchen Tartars.

However, as things have come to this point, Chen Shao's own mindset has also changed.

He didn't arrest the 'singers' who howled like ghosts in the middle of the night, nor did he burn the reports offering auspicious omens with nonsensical ramblings; he had already made his plans. (End of Chapter)