In Youzhou in December, it has now entered winter, and the cold east wind is blowing, so that in addition to the necessary to go to the fields to sort out the crops, the people are hiding at home and relying on quilts and other things to get some warmth.

"Whew...."Last winter, because Liu Tai was busy, he didn't feel much cold, but this year it was different, all the big and small things were handed over to those capable ministers under his command to take care of, and Liu Tai, who had nothing to do, walked in the garden of the Hou Mansion and felt the cold winter in the north.

"Little Huzi, did you say it's a little cold this winter?" Liu Tai shook the cotton clothes draped on his body, glanced at Xu Chu, who was blue from the cold, and asked.

"Lord, it's a little cold, I didn't feel much last year, but it's been very cold in recent years, maybe it's because Chu was born in the Central Plains, right?" Xu Chu exhaled a breath of warmth and said in his big hand.

"It's a little cold, but it's not very cold, I don't feel much different from what I used to be, but, well, maybe it's because I'm born in the north." Zhang Fei squatted on the ground and said with a smile as he looked at the branches in the garden that were swaying back and forth by the east wind.

"Well..."Liu Tai nodded, and said thoughtfully: "With our young and strong bodies, we will all feel cold, those ordinary people, the conditions are not good, I am afraid that it will be more difficult to survive this winter, we have to come up with a way." ”

"What can I do, I can't stand the cold, let's pick up some branches to keep warm." Zhang Fei said with a look of course.

Liu Tai ignored Zhang Fei's ease, but frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly his eyes lit up and said, "Have you two heard of where there is black coal?" ”

It turned out that Liu Tai thought of the people of later generations to burn coal and stone for heating, and in today's Han Dynasty, coal mining is almost zero, no one can realize the use of coal mines, if there is good equipment, the temperature of coal burning can be about 1,000 degrees, which is countless times better than those wood fire smelting copper and iron ore in the arsenal now, even if it is used for heating in ordinary people's homes, as long as the conditions are possible, it is also very simple, which can greatly reduce the situation of freezing to death in northern Xinjiang in the cold winter due to poor conditions.

Although Liu Tai is a later generation, he does not remember the place of large-scale coal production very clearly, and even if he knew, it was difficult to correspond to the present, so he simply asked.

"Coal stone? I haven't heard of it when I'm so old, but someone should know, what is the lord doing with this coal? Zhang Fei frowned and thought for a while, then shook his head and said.

"Haven't heard of it?" Liu Tai frowned, trying to recall the famous coal and stone branch area in modern China, and suddenly said with a happy expression: "I thought of it, I thought of it, Taiyuan Coal Mine is Taiyuan Coal Mine, well, Taiyuan should be the area of Jinyang today, and a large number of coal mines can be found at all." ”

Seeing Liu Tai talking to himself, Zhang Fei and Xu Chu glanced at each other, both confused, but since they didn't understand, they didn't hear it, anyway, Liu Tai didn't ask himself.

Liu Tai looked at Zhang Fei and Xu Chu with a happy face and ordered: "Zhang Fei, you go and call Xun Yu to come immediately, and say that there is something important to discuss." ”

"No!" Zhang Fei nodded, didn't say any nonsense, bowed directly, and ran to Xun Yu's mansion in Jixian County.

"Xu Chu, you go and summon Xiao Jiazi to come, and say that there is a big business for him to do." Liu Tai also instructed Xu Chu, although it is said that if Coal and Stone are really born, it can bring huge benefits to the two states of Youji, but the government cannot do business openly, and this matter can only be handed over to the Kyushu Commercial Bank to do, anyway, the headquarters of the Kyushu Commercial Bank in Bingzhou is located in Jinyang, which is very convenient to do.

"Promise" Xu Chu also trotted away, and he couldn't understand why Liu Tai was suddenly so happy.

Not long after, Xun Yu and Guo Jia hurried over, saw Liu Tai wrapped in a big cotton coat, thinking in the garden, and bowed forward and said, "I don't know why the Lord summoned me to wait?" ”

"Oh? Coming so soon? Liu Tai looked at Xun Yu and Guo Jia with a smile, and then said with a chuckle: "Guo Jia, do you know Coal Stone?" ”

"Coal stone? What coal? Guo Jia frowned and asked.

"It's the kind of grayish-black stone that can be burned with fire." Liu Tai frowned and said aloud.

After Xun Yu and Guo Jia thought about it in place, Xun Yu said out loud: "I have indeed heard of this thing, but it is mostly used by Taoist priests for alchemy. ”

"There is no need for a Taoist priest, there are a large number of coal and stone minerals in Jinyang, if you are instructed to go down, Tian Feng will immediately start looking for coal and stone, and after finding the source of the mine, it will be handed over to the Kyushu Commercial Bank for excavation, this thing is not only flammable, but also keeps it for a long time, not only suitable for the people to heat in winter, but also can replace the fire source used in various military factories." After thinking for a while, Liu Tai looked at Xun Yu and Guo Jia and said.

The two nodded at the same time, but this thing is fresh after all, and there are still many things that I don't understand, Guo Jia asked out loud: "Is this coal and stone easy to collect?" At what price should it be sold to the people? ”

"It shouldn't be difficult, Jinyang's underground reserves should be a lot, enough to supply the people of Erzhou for regular use, the price is a little cheaper, after all, now Erzhou has just started, and the people don't have much money left, and after the autumn harvest next year, the people are rich, and the price can be adjusted again." Liu Tai tightened his cotton clothes and said indifferently.

"Well, Najia will immediately mobilize people to go to Jinyang." Guo Jia nodded, since he took control of the Kyushu Commercial Bank for more than a year, Guo Jia is also very skilled in various businesses, and with Guo Jia's resourcefulness, controlling a commercial bank is overkill.

"Oh, by the way, if you find that there are coal mines in other places, you must also send people to guard them, Xiao Jiazi, you can set up a special mining team to search for gold, silver, copper, iron, and coal mines in various parts of the two states, which will not only save the manpower of the government, but also greatly increase the efficiency of the Kyushu commercial bank." Liu Tai saw that Guo Jia wanted to leave, so he interrupted and said.

"The lord is not proper, gold, silver, copper and iron ore are all strategic substances, if they are handed over to the Kyushu Commercial Bank, I am afraid that some people will gossip." Xun Yu on the side said disapprovingly, gold, silver and copper mines are the top priority of the government's income, and naturally they cannot be handed over to Kyushu Commercial Bank.

"Don't worry, strategic materials, Kyushu Commercial Bank only has the right to exploit, no right to use, but Kyushu Commercial Bank can take a commission of 10% to pay the workers' money, of course, the essence contained in the refined minerals will naturally be handed over to the Ministry of Industry to do, if the Ministry of Industry is not really unavailable now, Tai will not hand over the strategic materials to Kyushu Commercial Bank to deal with." Liu Tai sighed and said helplessly.

Xun Yu, who is temporarily in charge of the Ministry of Industry, naturally knows the current situation of the Ministry of Industry, except for two or three kittens, there is no one available at all, and it is already a bit difficult for them to refine some gold, silver, copper and iron minerals, and then to find and mine, it is not realistic at all.