Any teenage middle school student knows that Shanxi is rich in coal, but in the Ming Dynasty, for various reasons, coal was not widely developed and used.

The reasons for this are as follows.

First, coal mining is difficult, and it is far less convenient than cutting down trees.

Second, most of the coal contains a lot of impurities and high sulfur content, and produces a large amount of black smoke when burned, which is toxic.

Moreover, in this era, the average person heats his house, the rich people burn charcoal, and the poor and lowly burn firewood, which has long formed an inherent concept.

Charcoal is widely favored by the wealthy gentry because it is burned more fully and does not produce too much smoke, but it is necessary to take good wood to burn charcoal, and it is time-consuming and laborious, and the price has been high.

Hearing that Liu Hong gradually wanted to make a fortune on coal, Gu Datong's little eyes, which were originally full of hope, suddenly lost their luster like candles blown out by the wind.

"Uncle, there is indeed a lot of coal in Shanxi, not to mention other places, Baiyun Mountain, not far from here, black coal can be seen everywhere at the foot of the mountain, but this thing is poisonous!

The old man had heard that some blacksmiths were greedy to draw that coal cheaply to make iron, and that coal was indeed more resistant to burning than wood, and at first those blacksmiths were a little complacent, but guess what?

Only half a year later, I heard that several people were poisoned! Uncle, this business can't be done! ”

It's no wonder that Gu Datong was disappointed, with this lesson from the past, the coal naturally has no market, and he still makes money from wool.

But Liu Hongjian didn't think so, he was a man with a mineral map!

It is difficult to excavate, and if it does not exist, we can find one in the open air, not to mention that the Ming people may not know that there is a kind of coal called anthracite!

Anthracite has a very low sulfur content, is colorless and odorless, has a long burning time, and is a good heating fuel.

Although most of the anthracite coal is buried deep in the ground, Liu Hongjian knows that there is a vein not far from here, and although the coal mine is also buried in the ground, it is extremely shallow, and it can be dug out by digging a few meters down.

And who said that ordinary coal has no use value, black smoke is poisonous, what are you doing with that thing?

Liu Hongjian also knows that modern coal is washed through the process of coal washing, so that it can be used only when it becomes refined coal, but this process is also time-consuming and laborious, and there is no modern equipment in these years, so coal washing is useless.

But it can be made into honeycomb coal, and when the time comes, you only need to make a stove in the house, and then put an upward pipe outside the house, and use the physical action to exhaust the smoke out of the house.

Liu Hong gradually remembered the kind of briquette stove he saw in the countryside when he was a child, an iron pipe was deep outside the house, and the stove inside the house could not only heat the house, but also cook and boil water.

"Well, that's a problem, but what if Benber had a way to find coal that doesn't emit that black smoke?"

Thinking about the specific measures, Liu Hong gradually said confidently.

"Uncle, don't be kidding, how can there be non-smoking coal in this world, the old man is fifty-four this year, and he has never heard of ......it."

Liu Hongjian didn't have any official pretensions, and Gu Datong also said it very casually, but after speaking, he found that Liu Hongji's eyes were extremely serious, and there was no sign of joking, so he immediately gasped.

"That's it...... Seriously? ”

"Damn, what did I lie to you, and no one gave me money, when did Uncle Ben tell a lie! In addition to anthracite, Benber also knows how to use that smoky coal! ”

There are many people here, and Liu Hong gradually stops.

"If it's really as Uncle said, there is that anthracite, you should have a cornucopia!" Gu Datong's eyes lit up again.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the price of a pound of charcoal had soared to three dollars of silver, and now it is the Xiaoice River period, the weather is cold, the price of charcoal is in short supply, and those merchants who are responsible for burning charcoal are making a lot of money.

If there is anthracite, even if the price is as low as a penny, it is a great profit!

"Well, how is it, Lao Gu is interested?"

Although he knew that this anthracite could make money, Liu Hongjian had no time to dig coal in Shanxi, and he had to find an agent.

"To do things for my uncle, of course it is my duty to do things!" Lao Gu naturally agreed.

"Eh, you old Gu said that you don't want to make money, although my old man doesn't understand these ways of doing business, but if your old Gu makes a fortune, don't forget my old man.

Let's not talk about the rest, I need to send a pot of wine to my old man every day, and talk about it as a thank you, how about it? ”

As a jinshi, Fang Xianling was naturally not interested in the affairs of Shangjia, but he didn't take advantage of it, and it seemed that he was a little lost, so he squinted his eyes slightly, snorted and said.

"Well, it's easy to say, for this fortune plan, my old Gu respects Uncle Gu a cup!" Gu Datong picked up the wine cup and drank very happily.

"My lord! Oh no! The bandits are here! While a few people were talking and laughing, the cow came rushing from outside the yard with a panicked face.

"Bandits? The old man has always been peaceful under his rule, where did the bandits come from? The old man wondered.

"My lord, the sentinel of our Long Live Mountain Thousand Households has just come to report, saying that there are a large number of troops on the official road of Meng County, and they are coming straight to our city! Now it is less than twenty miles away from Linxian! ”

The bull mallet gasped.

"How many centaurs?" Liu Hong gradually frowned, Made, it must be those eight old miscellaneous dogs who jumped off the wall in a hurry.

"At least 10,000 horses! There are cavalry and infantry troops, but the march speed is not fast, and there may be Fran cannons! Niu Zhuang thought for a while.

The wool still can't hold on to a shackle, Liu Hongjian suddenly regretted his previous sloppiness.

"Pass on my military order, all the soldiers of the Thousand Households of Long Live Mountain will immediately enter the city and garrison! The city gates are closed, and all residents are not allowed to move around at will! Those who violate the order will be punished as a conspiracy! ”