More than a month into winter, the weather is getting colder and colder.

Luo Lan felt bitterly cold when he lived in the palace, such a cold winter was very rare, especially for the south.

It is almost certain that it will snow this winter.

Listening to the cold wind howling outside the window, Luo Lan felt a little more worried in her heart. His concern was naturally the progress of the transportation of coal from the north to the south.

Now that the policy of transporting coal from the north to the south has been implemented, the first ship of smokeless bee coal has gone south from the port of Phuket City, and it should have arrived at the ferry port in the central part of the country.

There are also boats on the other side of the Phuket River, which will pass through the vast plains of the central and southern parts of the country and reach the foot of the mountains in the south.

Everything seems to be going well, and the twin shipping lanes are enough to cover most of Phuket Island, and the coal can be sold as long as it is transported to the market in the south.

But Luo Lan was still worried, he was worried about the agricultural market.

Charles had only been in the south for two or three months, and the local government generally had no funds and no manpower, so it was difficult to build an agricultural market.

In other words, the current agricultural market has not yet taken shape, and coal has already been shipped south, which will prevent coal from entering the trade normally.

Farmers generally stay at home to keep warm in winter, and with poor roads, Luo Lan even thinks that the vast majority of farmers are unaware of the existence of the agricultural market.

So, it's impossible for them to go to the market and buy bee coal.

Luo Lan showed a wry smile, he is used to thinking about big policies, and often ignores small details, and farmers do not buy coal is small details.

"It would be nice if there was an internet." Luo Lan sighed, and then went to the fireplace to bake the fire for a while.

The bee coal in the fireplace was burning, and the strong heat made Luo Lan blush quickly.

Luo Lan stared at the reddened fireplace, his mind sank, he was thinking about the peasants' winter, it was a good policy to transport coal from the north to the south, but far from water could not quench the thirst of the near, and it was difficult for the bee coal to even enter the homes of ordinary people.

As he pondered, the door was pushed open, and Ellie, who was air-conditioned, rushed in like a rabbit.

"It's cold, it's cold, it's windy outside." Ellie ran over, her little hands reaching into the fireplace.

Luo Lan pulled her so that she wouldn't be burned.

"Do all the people in the city use bee coal?" Luo Lan asked, he had asked Ellie to do this before.

Ellie smirked: "Of course, I don't see who is out of the way." The coal in the city was sold out, and the merchants made a lot of money. ”

In the small city of Phuket, every household basically uses bee coal for heating, and they are the first to benefit.

However, the real business is in the countryside, and the real difficulties are also in the countryside.

Luo Lan's body warmed up, he walked to the window and pushed the window open slightly to see the situation outside, but a strong wind blew, making him shiver, it was really cold.

"Don't open the window, isn't there no poisonous gas in the nest bee coal, just have a vent to breathe." Ellie grumbled, took off her cold boots, and reached out to the fireplace with her little white and pink feet.

"You're really not ladylike." Luo Lan teased, grabbed the woolen coat on the shelf and put it on.

Elle couldn't help but be stunned when she saw him dressing: "You want to go out?" ”

"I'm going south."

"What?" The barefoot Ellie jumped over in shock, "You're stupid, when are you going south, you want to freeze to death!" ”

Of course, His Royal Highness the Prince will not freeze to death, but it is estimated that he will grow frostbite or something, and no matter how thick his clothes are, he can't stop it.

"I'm not at ease, this winter is very critical and cruel, I have to go to the south to see the situation so as not to have an accident."

Luo Lan explained, he was serious. As a person who is afraid of the cold, of course Luo Lan doesn't want to leave the palace, but he is really worried that some things can't be controlled remotely, especially in the era when there is no network.

Elle stopped talking, looking at this stupid prince and really didn't know whether to be angry or admired.

"Tell Gandalf if he's willing to let you go south."

Eventually, Ellie moved out of Gandalf.

Luo Lan pinched her little face: "Buji City is handed over to you." ”

Elle opened it and scolded: "Don't pinch me, stupid!" ”

Luo Lan left the palace.

He led a horse, some rations and clothes, and a group of city guards out of the city and headed south. Luo Lan didn't look for Gandalf, he knew that Gandalf would definitely not let him go south.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he left the city, he met Gandalf head-on.

Gandalf had gone to inspect the coal mills, and was returning to the city with great joy, when he saw His Royal Highness the Prince wrapped in an overcoat and leading the soldiers out of the city.

"Your Highness, where are you going?" Gandalf stopped the group, he felt unusual.

The workers who came and went to the two workshops and the city also gathered around, not knowing where the prince was going in such a cold day.

"If you're bored, go for a walk on the West Coast." Luo Lan responded with a smile, and Gandalf breathed a sigh of relief and made way for him.

Luo Lan whipped the horse's buttocks: "Go!" ”

The fast horse ran towards the miserable road to the south, and the city guards behind were stunned for a moment and hurried to follow.

Gandalf shouted, "Your Highness, you want to go south?" Stop me! ”

The icy wind and the dust were intertwined, and Luo Lan was far away.

Gandalf was so anxious that he stomped his feet, and the workers looked at each other.

Half a day later, Luo Lan and his party stopped in a village. The village is right next to the road and could well be an important transportation hub.

However, the village was lifeless, and it was already evening, but there was no smoke in the cooking, let alone the peasants.

Luo Lan's heart jumped, and she thought of something bad, could it be that everyone in this village was frozen to death?

Fortunately, the accompanying city guards said to Luo Lan: "Your Highness, if it is too cold in winter, everyone will bake wheat bales early and huddle in the house to survive, and generally will not go out or cook." This year's harvest is good, and everyone's wheat bales should be enough. ”

Is that so?

This life is no different from that of an animal that needs to hibernate, and in the winter the farmer can barely work.

"Will people in the rest of the world be like this? For example, the people of the Southern Plains. ”

Luo Lan asked, and a city guard who had been to the Nanyuan Territory smiled dryly: "Your Highness, the Nanyuan Commander will not be like this." The main reason for us to be like this is that we don't have warm clothes, and this year is very cold, and we don't have to work for the nobles, so everyone naturally huddles at home. ”

This truth is actually very simple, Luo Lan doesn't know because he has never been involved.

"It's not going to work, they can't survive the snow at home, they only have wheat bales. The farmland also needs to be taken care of, otherwise the wheat will be blown off. ”

Wheat is not afraid of snow, and when it falls, it forms a thermal insulation cover. But the wind is howling, and the wheat cannot be stopped, and there must be farmers to take care of it.

"Your Highness, this is something that can't be helped, everyone doesn't even have cotton clothes, and when you go out in sackcloth, it's like being naked. Winter is not forgiving, and I am afraid that many people will freeze to death this year. ”

The experienced city guards lamented that they felt cold in their cotton clothes and armor, not to mention the poor peasants.

Luo Lan was silent, and rode directly into the village.

The sound of horses' hooves, the opening of windows, and the protrusion of some trembling heads, already red from the cold.

The charcoal in the house could not stop the cold wind blowing in.

"This is His Royal Highness Prince Luo Lan, let your village chief come out."

The city guards shouted, and more peasants poked their heads out, surprises flashing across their faces.

Luo Lan has a good reputation on the island, and the farmers feel that Luo Lan's arrival must be a good thing.

After a while, a middle-aged man ran out of a dilapidated stone house.

This man deliberately grew long hair to cover his entire face, probably to keep out the cold.

Luo Lan examined him and found that his shoes were actually wrapped in some linen, and they would fall off at any time when he walked.

Looking at his clothes again, it was as if he was covered with a thin layer of ice, and the hard ones couldn't even stick to the flesh.

He was already shivering with cold when he ran to the horse, and if he stayed for another two minutes, he would probably get frostbite.

Luo Lan hurriedly dismounted, took out a spare cotton coat from the package and wrapped it in the village chief.

"Come into the house and say." Luo Lan dragged the village chief into the house, and many villagers braved the cold to come over.

In the simple stone house, Luo Lan saw a few cages of charcoal fire. It was a charcoal cage made of bamboo, and a charcoal fire was placed in it to keep warm.

However, the farmer's house lacks charcoal, and the charcoal will run out in a few days, and then the only wood can be burned, but where can the wood be burned in the house?