In the early Ming Dynasty, the General Soldier was responsible for the important border towns such as Ningxia and Datong, and the total number of people in the country was only a dozen. But now, the guard post has been abolished, and the General Soldier is in charge of the troops of a province.
There are as many general soldiers as there are provinces in the country.
As for the deputy commander, there are more.
As long as it is an important pass, there must be a deputy commander.
Therefore, the value of general soldiers has been greatly depreciated.
In the imperial court, the chief soldier was of the same rank as the chief envoy, with the rank of second rank, and the deputy chief soldier was of the third rank.
However, there are not many passes in Suiyuan now, and the General Soldier also has to patrol various pastoral areas and garrison border troops on weekdays, so the Deputy General Soldier has a lot of power.
After a while, the soldiers came out and brought Yu Wangfei in.
Good guy, in this camp, although ordinary soldiers have long bunks, for the officers, it is a private courtyard with flowers and plants.
Several maids serve it, and it feels like a private residence.
But considering that his annual salary reaches 1,500 yuan and he still has a military rank, this is nothing.
In the school grounds, a middle-aged man in a smart suit was dancing with a spear, making a splash.
Yu Wangfei smiled and cupped his hands and said, "My nephew has met my uncle."
"Get up!"
Yu Liuliang calmed down and stroked his long beard: "Why are you so willing to come and see it?"
"My uncle worked hard guarding the border, so my nephew naturally misses him very much."
When the two entered the hall, they felt the warmth of the floor and couldn't help but relax.
Yu Wangfei talked about the Heidaigou coal mine: "If we get the contracting rights, we can make a net profit of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan a year."
"Oh? Coal mine affairs are under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. Both the chief envoy and the governor are difficult to deal with. Even the commander-in-chief can't do anything about it."
Yu Liuliang sighed.
Yu Wangfei was not in a hurry and said with a smile: "My nephew thinks about it this way. If we want to find a coal mine, the first step is to provide supplies to the border troops. You must know that it is very difficult to keep warm on the grassland."
"Who says it's not?" Yu Liuliang agreed, then smiled and said: "Your idea is good, I'm sure."
"However, all the necessary management measures in the army must not be missed. Even the commander-in-chief does not dare to exceed the rules."
Heating expenses in the military are basically supervised by the Ministry of War, allocated and reviewed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, and implemented by local governments and the army.
Under such circumstances, we can only take care of them instead of directly embezzling them as before.
"Ordinary coal is not strong enough, so you have to make it into briquettes." Yu Liuliang suggested: "The capital is full of briquettes, which are not only resistant to burning, but also convenient."
"Build a venue and hire more military relatives and local folks and herdsmen. Then it will be easier for the army and the local government to talk."
"Military family?"
Yu Wangfei was puzzled: "Isn't this a dispatch?"
"The exchange of thousands of people every year is of little use. Most people are too lazy to bother. If they stay here for more than ten years, they can change to a better place, such as Chahar, Liaoning, etc., so they all take their wives and children over."
Yu Liuliang said casually: "Some of them stayed directly, and the court also arranged for a minor official."
"Remember, the more mercenaries and herdsmen, the better, and the more people will speak for you."
After chatting for half an hour, Yu Wangfei saw his uncle's concubine, took a bite of food and left with the post.
Without his uncle's post, he would not have been able to ask for a meeting with Governor Xiong.
Moreover, he also found out where the governor was going: Tumed Left Banner.
This is what it was called in the Manchu and Qing dynasties.
It has been used for decades.
The reason why Governor Xiong came here is because there is a gold mine here.
Big mines like gold mines are mined by imperial merchants, and they are also big imperial merchants. Without a net worth of millions, they are not qualified at all.
The refined gold was transported directly to Beijing and then minted into gold coins.
The Imperial Merchant has no contracting fees, and its profits are from the associated minerals of gold mines, such as silver and copper, which are its private interests and belong to its free mining profits.
By the time he arrived here, it was already snowing non-stop, the ground was covered with snow, and only a small town appeared in front of him.
There were deep ruts on a dirt road, stained with a little coal ash, which was obviously coal for alchemy.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recruit.
The output of associated mines is almost as much as that of gold mines. Copper means even profits, while silver means big profits. Often, both copper and silver are available. Although the value is not as high as that of gold mines, it can’t stand up to the lack of tax!
This is equivalent to smelting small silver mines to produce gold, and there is no charge.
Looking from a distance, a small village appears in front of you.
The brick and tile structure is about four feet high and the trench is several feet wide. It is a natural hazard on the grassland.
On the way, he met a herdsman driving a cart.
There were more than a dozen slaughtered sheep on the car, just exposed and covered with snowflakes.
A long queue must have a size of more than a dozen people.
"Brother, where are you going?"
Under Yu Wangfei's command, the guide hurriedly asked.
"Go to that Golden City." The herdsman said honestly, "But the Han people call it Tujin City."
"We went to deliver sheep, and they ordered sheep."
"So you have friends working there?"
"Yes, there are hundreds of people here. The money you get can buy a lot of things. There is a lot of grazing here..."
Yu Wangfei looked thoughtful: "Why should we hire herdsmen as much as possible?"
"What is the imperial court's intention?"
Here, Xiong Rulin inspected the gold mine and showed a hint of satisfaction after discovering that more than 300 herdsmen were working in the mine to quarry.
When he learned that he had one silver dollar a month, he even smiled from the bottom of his heart.
"Which is better, mining or herding sheep?"
he asked kindly.
"Although mining is dangerous, dark, and tidal, you can make more money than herding."
The miner with a dark red face said in not fluent Chinese: "I have no time to graze all day, the wind and rain make me miserable, the animals are sick, my hair is falling out in a few days, and I have to encounter wolves..."
"At the end of the year, I can't eat meat more than once, so it's better to go to the mines. I eat mutton several times a month!"
Xiong Rulin was extremely satisfied. He looked at the herdsmen who continued to work in the mine and said to the steward in charge:
"If something goes wrong, don't cover it up. You have to pay what you deserve. Otherwise, those tribes will be involved. If they cause trouble, I will send you out directly to account for it."
"It's hard to explain to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After all, the Tatars are causing trouble..."
The steward was trembling with fear and nodded hurriedly.
Well, the Tatars still have to be coaxed.
At this time, Xiong Rulin learned that a businessman was asking to see him. As soon as he thought about it, he knew it was because of the coal mine, and he immediately said: "No."
"Dong Weng, this is Deputy Commander Yu's post..."
"Let him in!"
Xiong Rulin frowned.
In the border areas, although the power of the frontier army did not overwhelm the Yamen, they were able to evenly divide it.
Because the Mongols need the army to suppress them, and a lot of consumption is due to the army.
Not to mention anything else, just to provide meat to the border troops, many herdsmen began to raise pigs, chickens, etc., just to make money.
"Caomin Yu Wangfei has met the governor!"
Yu Wangfei hurriedly raised his hands and bowed.
"What? Are you also interested in Heidaigou?"
Xiong Rulin said bluntly, he was too lazy to make excuses.
"The grassland people actually come here for the herdsmen."
After knowing Xiong Rulin's thoughts on serving the people, Yu Wangfei thought about it carefully: "Nowadays, herdsmen on the grasslands mostly use cow dung as fuel, but once there is a white disaster, the cow dung will naturally be insufficient and a large number of livestock will freeze to death."
"Therefore, only briquettes can resist the white disaster."
"The herdsmen are not buying briquettes."
Xiong Rulin showed a trace of dignity.
No matter how cheap briquettes are, one piece costs one or two cents, which is a huge expense for herdsmen.
"The grassroots people are willing to exchange cattle and sheep, or replace them with wool, cowhide, eggs, etc."
Yu Wangfei said hurriedly.
Then he remembered what his uncle had said about employment, and hurriedly added: "If a mine is opened, I am willing to hire at least two hundred herdsmen to do their work."
"Oh? Interesting." Xiong Rulin really felt the sincerity: "Follow me."
With that said, he took Yu Wangfei to the entrance of the cave, but the absentees said: "The herders would rather risk the risk of landslides than return to the grassland for grazing."
"It's just that grazing is too poor. If there is a slight drought or a heavy snowfall, the number of livestock will decrease, and they will starve and have to fight."
"In the Central Plains, when there is a drought, lakes and rivers will be built, and wells will be drilled. But when there is a white disaster, there will naturally be houses, and the court will naturally provide relief."
"The grassland is too bitter."
"I found that herdsmen are more able to endure hardships. As long as they have a way to survive, they will not rebel and will become obedient people."
Xiong Rulin said in a deep voice: "The only way to survive is to mine and farm on the grassland. Do you understand now?"
But there is one sentence he did not mention: when the herdsmen leave the tribe and come to the mines, over time they will break away from the tribe and form a walled city.
For example, although this earth-gold city is narrow, some herdsmen still don't care and take their wives and children here to reunite.
Moreover, mining will create order and be more conducive to court control.
If there is one less herdsman on the grassland, a piece of grassland will be freed up to feed more herdsmen.
The court will also receive taxes from mining.
This is a one-win deal.
Therefore, Xiong Rulin pays special attention to mining, and hiring herdsmen is also important.
During the first conversation, Xiong Rulin felt good about Wangfei and had a preference in his heart.
A few days later, Yu Wangfei acquired this large open-pit mine. The difficulty of mining was close to zero, which meant low costs and high profits.
The frontier army first took half of the share, and several major cities also ordered the same. After the herdsmen learned that they could exchange items for purchases, they also became enthusiastic.
Because of the coal mine business, a large number of herdsmen drove horse-drawn carriages to carry out delivery business, and some people purchased coal for temporary sale.
Through the coal mine, Yu Wangfei has fed at least thousands of people and affected thousands of families.
Of course, he won a lot of hearts by solving the urgent heating problem on the grassland.
Xiong Rulin further strengthened his determination to open the mine. He wrote in a secret letter to the emperor:
"Lime mines can be used to build houses, copper mines can be used to cast money, and gold and silver can be profited in countless ways. Even ordinary clay can be used to make ceramics, and even Suiyuan's special porcelain can be produced..."
"The veteran believes that building a city on the grassland is a good strategy, but it is difficult to solve the problem of fuel or food. Every time a mine is opened, one more city can be built. After three to five years, all the grasslands will be cities..."
When Zhu Yixi received this secret envelope, it was already the twelfth lunar month, and every household began to make eight-treasure porridge, and the fragrance spread throughout the capital.
Even if the whole world is in trouble, such as the floods in Jiangsu, the capital city is safe and secure, with a large supply of supplies that keep Beijingers hungry.
Zhu Yixi was not picky. He was used to eating delicacies from the mountains and seas. He only ate nine dishes, no more, no less. When encountering some serious disasters, he would pretend to move the dishes to five dishes to show frugality.
"Prairie mining?"
Zhu Yixi thought about it.
There are many open-pit mines in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Even if they are buried deep underground, they are stronger than those in the mountains in the interior, making mining more difficult.
As for why mining was not carried out before, one reason is that the distance is long and not cost-effective, but now that the grassland has been built and the city has been built, it has the spending power.
Moreover, through years of trade, the grassland people also had some savings through the sale of wool, sheepskin and other products.
The market has already started.
Secondly, of course technology has improved.
Although on the surface, the Ming Dynasty was not as wealthy as the Song Dynasty and not as domineering as the Tang Dynasty, in fact, technology has naturally improved a lot.
For example, papermaking and bamboo paper became popular, and the cost was one-tenth that of the Song Dynasty. Couplets, New Year pictures, etc. also emerged in the Ming Dynasty.
The iron-making output of the Ming Dynasty surpassed that of the Tang and Song Dynasties in one fell swoop, and was ten times that of the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Obviously, with large-scale mining, the market will force technological progress and output will become higher and higher.
For example, the application of steam engines can pump out groundwater on a large scale, reducing the difficulty, and can also lift large quantities of mines, saving time and effort.
As for the bumpy grassland, this is just the price of industrialization.
As long as the grassland is stable, some environmental pollution is nothing.
Just like Yunnan, poor places have regarded Yunnan Copper as a road to wealth.
In the three hundred years before the Ming Dynasty, the copper production areas were Deshan and Qianshan in Jiangxi, with an annual output of only 500,000 jin.
If it were cast into copper coins, it would only cost about 400,000 yuan, which would just scratch the itch.
So obviously most of the copper comes from Japan.
Japan has restrictions on the export of gold and silver, but its official duties on copper are not strict. It is the largest exporter and likes to exchange copper for copper coins.
In order to develop livelihoods and expand local financial resources, mining of Yunnan copper was proposed.
"Dian Province has seven mountains, two rivers and one field, and the annual income is only two million yuan. It really needs copper mines."
Zhu Yixi sighed. Suiyuan agreed, so naturally he could not object to Yunnan.
Although silver coins are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, copper coins are the most commonly used among the people, especially copper coins, which are even more popular.
"That's all!"
Zhu Yixi chose to agree.
On the other side, there are the profits of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from the mining of gold and silver mines in Qi.
Since Qi did not have the technology to mint coins, it used silver in exchange for silver coins like Japan did.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs was unwilling to give this profitable business to the court, so it directly picked up the inventory and went to the court to replace it with silver.
Zhu Yixi took a cursory look and was amazed:
In the 21st year of Shaowu's reign, Qi State refined 200,000 jins of silver and 30,000 jins of gold.
If converted into silver dollars, it would be 620,000 silver dollars.
For Qi, a small country with few people, this is a huge number. The more people there are mining, the higher the profits will be.