Chapter 222 Since the beginning of winter, what is the price of carbon?
The weather turns cold.
Time is like water, gone and never returned.
On this day, Ying Gao was looking at the bamboo slips piled as high as a hill in the governor's mansion. Snowflakes were flying outside the window, and heavy snow fell from the sky. He seemed impatient.
Years passed by, and this was the fifth winter that Ying Gao had spent in Great Qin. He looked at the snowflakes outside the window, looked down at the charcoal fire in the study, and his eyes moved.
Due to the existence of the charcoal fire, the study room is very warm. However, the charcoal fire is still a charcoal fire. To a certain extent, it is not even as good as coal, let alone the heating of later generations.
At this time, the Qin Dynasty could only rely on charcoal for heating. In the palace, the wealthy families naturally had no problem, but there were the most common people in the world.
…
"Maybe we can dig coal. Although anthracite is difficult to get, it is not impossible. After all, Da Qin has the most powerful craftsmen of this era."
Thoughts were rolling in his mind, and flashes of light flashed through Ying Gao's heart. He knew in his heart that he had the final say in Sanchuan County, but there were some things that he still couldn't make the decision.
Especially when it comes to minerals such as copper and iron, which are national resources, it is even more difficult for the Jiannan Chamber of Commerce to get involved.
…
"Tie Ying, how much does one pound of carbon cost?"
Ying Gao knew in his heart that at this time, only high-ranking officials and nobles could afford to burn charcoal, and ordinary people were simply unable to pay the terrifying price.
"Master, one pound of carbon costs 10 coins in Xianyang City, and 9 coins in Sanchuan County!"
Many people are not familiar with these things, but as Iron Eagle warriors, they know these things well. When they saw Ying Gao asking, they couldn't help but said quickly.
Although he didn't know why Ying Gao suddenly asked this question, in his opinion, a young master like Ying Gao never needed to pay attention to this.
"Is it so expensive?"
Ying Gao frowned slightly. Although he was a prince of the Qin Dynasty and was not familiar with the world's grains, he still had some understanding of Qin Banliang's purchasing power in this era.
One stone in this era was about 27 kilograms in later generations, equivalent to 13 to 14 kilograms, and the price of grain in Da Qin was about 64 qian per stone.
This means that 1 kilogram of grain is equivalent to 4.22 yuan.
As a result, even in Sanchuan County, 1 kilogram of carbon costs 2 kilograms of grain, which can be said to be a sky-high price. Ordinary Chinese people simply do not have this purchasing power.
With thoughts flashing in his mind, Ying Gao looked at the map on the long desk. He knew the location of Sanchuan County, which was probably the Sanmenxia area in Henan Province in later generations.
There is an open-pit coal mine in Sanmenxia, and its reserves have reached about 20 million tons. The most important thing is that this is an open-pit coal mine.
Although there were no large-scale machines of later generations at this time, there was still a certain possibility of being mined.
As soon as he thought about this, Ying Gao had an idea in his mind. Although iron has not yet flourished in today's era, when coal is used in large quantities, it will inevitably lead to the boom of iron mines.
"Mining can only be in the hands of the royal family. There is no doubt about this, otherwise my father and the king will not be able to pass the test!"
Thinking of this, Ying Gao turned his eyes and said: "Invite Jing Yu over..."
"promise."
…
Now that Wang Hu is heading to the Jingxian camp, Ying Gaoda has a rhythm that no one can use.
After looking at the map for a long time, Ying Gao shook his head. There was indeed a mine in Sanmenxia, but it was too far away from him and was very unsafe.
After all, Sanmenxia is very close to Shaanxi County and not far from Hangu Pass. Even if it is coal mining, it may not fall into Ying Gao's hands.
After being silent for a while, Ying Gao looked at Jingxian County. Next to Jingxian County was Zhengzhou. In later generations, Zhengzhou also had coal mines with a lot of reserves.
The most important thing is that all the coal mines in Zhengzhou are within the territory of Sanchuan County, and he is the governor of Sanchuan County, a county governor who is under the control of military and political affairs.
In this way, the operation is easy.
However, Wang Li was unavailable and could only use the Jing County camp. After pondering for a moment, Ying Gao said: "Go and call Ma Xing over..."
"promise."
…
Although Ying Gao also knew that the meal had to be eaten one bite at a time, he didn't mind speeding up everything.
"It seems it's time to go to Xianyang. It involves coal and iron. I'm afraid it won't work without passing by my father!"
…
"Ma Xing has met the county guard!"
After a while, Ma Xing arrived, and since both of them were in the county magistrate's mansion, they were very fast.
"sit!"
With a wave of his hand, Ying Gao poured some rice wine and handed it to Ma Xing: "Jun Cheng, where are the best craftsmen in the Central Plains?"
"Report to the governor, at Da Qin Shang Gongfang!"
After taking a sip of rice wine to warm himself up, Ma Xing hesitated and said, "The county governor needs craftsmen?"
"A large number of craftsmen are needed. After a while, you will summon various craftsmen from Sanchuan County in the name of the county governor's office."
“The more people, the better!”
After saying this, Ying Gao paused for a moment and said: "Jun Cheng, winter is coming and the weather is freezing. How are the people in Sanchuan County now?"
"How do they keep out the cold and survive this winter?"
"call……"
After a moment of silence, Ma Xing looked solemn and said: "To be honest with the county governor, many people die every winter due to the cold."
"Ordinary Chinese people don't have money to buy charcoal, so..."
…
People in this era don't have cotton.
In the Central Plains, it was first introduced during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, but it only existed in border areas. It was actually introduced into the interior during the Song and Yuan Dynasties.
Promotion and mass production were in the hands of Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in the early Ming Dynasty. Ying Gao remembered clearly that the origin of cotton was in India and Arabia.
Today's India is still in the Mauryan Dynasty era. Although the Qin Dynasty was powerful, it had not yet annexed the Central Plains and was not able to expand its territory at all.
Therefore, only caravans can reach the Ganges River Basin to collect cotton. The pioneering spirit has existed since ancient times, but it was built up of human lives.
At this thought, Ying Gao couldn't help but set his sights on the Jiannan Chamber of Commerce.
"Why!"
With a sigh, Ying Gao's tone was slightly lowered: "This is true for Sanchuan County, and I'm afraid it's even more true for the entire Daqin County."
"Except for Bashu and Neishi, Sanchuan County should be regarded as the richest county in the entire Qin Dynasty."
“Charcoal is too expensive, so there’s nothing you can do!”
Ma Xing shook his head, sighed, and said: "It's not that the court is unclear, but it doesn't matter if it is clear. There is no fundamental solution."
"It can only reduce the casualties of all people in the world..."
"Sir, the most miserable people in the world are the people of the world. Among us in Qin, things are a little better. Although we live in poverty, at least we still have food to eat."
"Among the six kingdoms of Shandong, there are places where Yi Zi cannibalism has not happened. This world, with years of war, is far more difficult than any class..."