My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 170 What's the difference between this and robbing money

Publishing newspapers in the Tang Dynasty may sound like a fantasy, but Li Chengqian calculated that it was actually possible.

At present, there are two hundred carving craftsmen under the Prince's Household Temple.

It takes a craftsman about seven days per month to complete the woodblock carving of a court bulletin.

This means that two hundred engravings can be completed in seven days.

A printer can complete a hundred pages a day, so two hundred people can produce 20,000 copies.

In just seven days, 140,000 copies have been completed.

The current population of Chang'an is over one million, and 140,000 official reports are about the same.

Printing can also continue during the issuance period.

In fact, there is no need for copper movable type, and the court bulletin can be published by making movable printing.

With the expansion of scale, there will be more and more skilled craftsmen, and it will be possible to issue coins in Luoyang and even in various states of the Tang Dynasty.

If there were fewer states, it wouldn't matter much.

"This is really good stuff." Li Chunfeng exclaimed sincerely.

Li Chengqian said: "The court report is only a part of it. In Tiangong Kaiwu, many tools can be improved."

"I opened a coal factory in Jinzhou. The processed coal can be used to make steel."

"Through the same division of labor, each component of the armor is standardized to the same size."

"But before that, we need to develop a set of standard sizes."

In fact, Li Chengqian still lacks a chief editor of the court newspaper, but he does not plan to let Li Chunfeng be the one to do this.

He is more suitable for scientific research.

For example, the transformation of textile machines, the optimization of textile technology, the improvement of coal processing, the improvement of iron smelting furnaces, including ceramic firing technology and a series of other things.

After all, Li Chengqian is the crown prince, it is impossible for him to put all his thoughts on this.

Li Chunfeng is a good candidate as a replacement.

For such scientific talents, you only need to give them a direction and a little guidance, and they can basically make things right away.

Li Chengqian's idea was to develop an industrial cluster around Chang'an.

Around Chang'an, it is planned to build large-scale steel mills, textile mills, ceramic factories, and military factories to form an industrial park.

Li Chunfeng was shocked.

He felt as if he had entered a new world.

A world of new reforms.

He realized that the ideas proposed by the prince would have a huge impact on the Tang Dynasty.

"It's not over yet. I will show Master Li something new."

"Yang Jialing, lead the way."

The prince's household official Yang Qifan bowed and said, "Yes, Your Highness."

While Li Chengqian was making paper, he had already begun preliminary preparations for the industry.

In fact, many technologies of later generations can be imitated without the equipment of later generations as long as a certain amount of knowledge is mastered.

Among them, the most obvious one, and the most commonly used one in the current Tang Dynasty, is cement.

There is no shortage of limestone and clay in the Guanzhong region, and there is no shortage of iron ore, so the raw materials for cement are naturally complete.

Li Chunfeng followed the prince to another courtyard.

There aren't many people here, only about a few dozen.

Three kilns come into view, but they are somewhat different from ordinary kilns.

This was achieved through the guidance and improvement of Li Chengqian, with improvements made to the ventilation holes and combustion chamber of the kiln.

The number and size of the vents have been increased to allow the fuel to burn more completely, thus reaching higher temperatures.

The coal used is also washed with water to remove some surface impurities and sulfur-containing substances such as pyrite before use.

Although it is not possible to completely remove the sulfur, the sulfur content can be reduced to a certain extent.

In front of each kiln, there are two clerks observing and recording.

"This is the cement that has been burned. For now, No. 9 cement is more effective."

Li Chengqian had a vague impression of the cement formula. Although he had memories of his previous life, there was no specific formula ratio in his memory. After all, few people would pay attention to these.

Therefore, we can only carry out research and development through continuous testing.

In front of us are more than ten large wooden boards, on which are the prepared cement samples.

Li Chengqian took the gavel handed over by Yang Qifan, the prince's household steward.

Hammering on pieces of cement samples.

Most of the cement samples broke into pieces when they were hit, which was obviously unqualified.

Some people persisted for several times.

The best one to use is No. 9. It takes more than ten knocks before a slight crack appears.

"That's not enough. We can make slight adjustments to the formula of No. 9 cement to develop a better and more durable cement."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Li Chunfeng asked curiously, "Your Highness, I wonder where you are going to use the cement you burnt for paper."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Of course it will be used in Chang'an."

"This cement is derived from cement mortar, but it is easier to use than cement mortar and the cost is not high. It is mainly made of limestone, clay, iron ore, and a little gypsum."

"The best mix ratio has not yet been tested. Once the strongest and most durable cement is found, it can be produced on a large scale."

"By then, I will pave the entire Chang'an City with cement, just like the stone bricks on the floor of the imperial palace, clean and tidy."

The ground in Chang'an is made of simple cement, mainly loess, lime and sand.

Compared with other cities, it is already very good. But compared with cement, it is certainly not on the same level.

By now, Li Chunfeng felt that he had been conquered by the prince.

For an exploratory scholar like him, the happiest thing is to learn new knowledge.

However, the prince seemed to have a wealth of knowledge that he had never been exposed to.

What made him feel a little strange was that this knowledge was not just in its infancy, but had already become a system and was very mature.

Li Chunfeng’s favorite thing is reading.

It can be said that he has read almost all the books in the Tang Dynasty.

My favorite books are those on mathematics.

However, there was not a single book related to the prince, as if they appeared out of thin air.

He was just confused and couldn't question the prince.

As a subject, all you have to do is follow orders.

The next day.

Li Chunfeng's official position arrangement process had already been sent to Taiji Palace with the help of Hou Junji.

"The Crown Prince wants to transfer a historian to be a scholar at the Chongwen Academy?"

In fact, Li Shimin's impression of Li Chunfeng still remained on his modification of the armillary sphere.

Not to say it’s strange, but to say it’s familiar, that’s it.

As for going to the southwest to check the Feng Shui, it wasn't just Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng who were arranged to go there, but in fact there was a large group of people who understood Feng Shui.

Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng are just two of these people.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince admires Li Chunfeng's talent very much, which is why he promoted him as an exception." Zhang Ananda helped explain.

Li Shimin said: "Isn't it enough that the Crown Prince has made extraordinary promotions?"

Having said that, Li Shimin still let Zhang Ananda stamp it and pass.

"Back then, I also had eighteen scholars."

Li Shimin felt a little emotional. The Qin Palace Literary Institute helped him a lot on his road to becoming emperor.

Thinking of the glorious past, Li Shimin missed the many heroes who had helped him conquer the world.

I was thinking in my mind whether I should do something.

After all, many heroes have passed away by now.
-
Jinzhou, outside Linfen City, coal factory.

Although China's use of coal began in the pre-Qin period.

But it has not been mined on a large scale.

It was not until the Ming and Qing dynasties that coal processing technology was improved.
With the growth of population and economic development, the demand for energy has increased greatly.

Coupled with the large-scale felling of trees, the land was bare everywhere, and coal mining began to be carried out on a large scale. At this time, there was no need to dig a mine hole to dig coal, because there were many open-pit coal mines.

Mining coal feels similar to digging a mountain, you can just use a shovel to dig.

Near Coal Hill, there are a large number of temporary houses, and a wooden track runs from the Coal Hill to the flat land outside.

Rail transportation is actually nothing new. As early as the Qin Dynasty, there were wooden tracks similar to the train tracks of later generations.

Unlike the horse-drawn trains of the late Qing Dynasty, the wooden tracks of the Qin Dynasty were the "military railways" of the Qin Dynasty, whose purpose was to transport logistical supplies.

When Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, the scale of the troops was huge and the requirements for logistical supplies were very high. This "horse-drawn train" method could meet the needs of large-scale material transportation and save labor costs.

The wood of the track is hard and has been treated with anti-corrosion, so it can be preserved intact even after two thousand years.

The track built by Li Chengqian was relatively simple, and ordinary wood was used for the temporary construction.

The hand-pushed bucket carts of later generations were very common and did not require much technical content.

After the bucket car is filled with coal, people push it on the track for transportation, which can save a lot of energy.

There is also a human-powered winch crane.

Using the principle of pulley block and winch, a wooden frame structure is built with a pulley installed on the top of the frame.

A wooden drum with a crank and a rope wound around it.

Ropes were connected through a pulley block to lift the coal and deliver it directly to the wagon.

"How many times have I told you, mask! Mask!"

"If you don't wear your masks properly, don't blame me for the fine. Then beg for mercy."

"According to the rules of the mine, I'm warning you once, but I won't be so easy on you next time."

The supervisor shouted at the coal workers.

Wearing masks is a mandatory requirement in mines, but people don’t understand this.

After all, wearing a mask is very uncomfortable, and there are always people who take it off secretly.

The people are honest, but also cunning.

Li Chengqian had already set a rule that those who do not wear masks will be warned the first time, and will be fined ten cents each time they are caught thereafter.

Ten cents is not a lot, but for a miner, it means 150 kilograms of coal.

After being urged by the supervisor, the miners who were not wearing masks put them on immediately.

"What a rotten rule. You have to bring this thing with you when you go mining."

"Keep your voice down so the supervisor doesn't hear you."

"Am I afraid of him?"

"I heard that this is a rule set by the Crown Prince. There is a lot of coal dust, so it is easy for it to get into the stomach. This is for our own good. If you slander this rule, aren't you slandering His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Yes, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked us to wear masks for the sake of our health. I heard that the pig blood in the food can remove the dust in the stomach."

"You know what, it really works. The toilet has been black these past few days."

The supervisors saw the miners talking among themselves but did not try to stop them.

The key in a mine is more work, more pay. The less you dig, the less you earn. It is your own business whether you dig more or less.

If you like staying in this dusty place, that’s up to you.

The minimum standard at the mine was to dig 300 kilograms of coal in order to get free meals.

The settlement of miners' wages is not done at the mine. Someone at the mine is responsible for weighing and issuing receipts.

The note can be sent to the money shop in Linfen City, and the person with registered residence can go there and withdraw the money.

A coal processing plant by the river at the foot of the mountain.

Zhao Jie and Li Yuanchang are watching here.

"This water recycling process designed by the prince is really a good thing."

Li Yuanchang said in amazement.

Above is a large water storage tank made of stone and mud, and then a long and wide trough made of wooden boards.

There are several coarse screens made of fishing nets in front of the water tank to remove larger stones and gangue.

Below is a fine screen composed of several fishing nets to remove smaller impurities.

At the end is a rotating coal washing pool. After preliminary filtration in the water trough, the coal enters the coal washing pool for washing.

The washed coal will be collected and placed on a drying rack made of wooden boards on the other side.

The washed coal is evenly spread on the drying rack, allowing sunlight and natural wind to evaporate the moisture in the coal.

After it dries, it will be ground into coal powder using a stone mill.

Add a mixture of clay, rice soup and wood ash into the coal powder and stir.

Finally, it is poured into a wooden mold, compacted, and demolded, and honeycomb briquettes are made.

Looking at the honeycomb coal in the warehouse.

Zhao Jie couldn't help but say: "This whole set of designs is for coal, oh, no, it should be called coal now."

“It’s just too convenient.”

The reason why it was produced so smoothly.

Because on the table in the middle, there are all the complete set of miniature carving models that need to be made.

As the crown prince, it was naturally impossible for Li Chengqian to go to Jinzhou to supervise and guide.

So he asked the master craftsman of the Shaofujian to carve a complete set of wood carving models according to his requirements.

Zhao Jie and Li Yuanchang only need to bring this set of carving models and then let the craftsmen build them according to the models.

All the rules, regulations and process arrangements for the workers only need to follow the regulations set by the prince.

After the three steps of excavation, processing and production, all that remains is packaging and transportation.

There are more than 3,000 miners, who can mine more than 2 million kilograms of raw coal every day.

After washing and processing, only about 300,000 kilograms are left.

However, after molding and adding binders when making honeycomb coal, the weight can be increased by another 20%.

"King of Han, Governor Zhao, the cost has been calculated."

The reason why Li Yuanchang and Zhao Jie stayed in Jinzhou was for the final cost accounting.

"Tell me, how much does a pound of coal cost?" Li Yuanchang asked.

Luo Hui held up the account and said, "The miners are paid 15 cents per pound of raw coal. After cleaning and processing, 10 pounds of raw coal becomes about 2.5 pounds of coal, so the cost of 10 pounds of coal is about 3 cents."

"But this does not take into account the transportation costs and the daily meals that the workers need."

"There are currently 5,327 people working in the mine, and the daily expenses are about 8,000 coins, and the coal production is 300,000 kilograms."

"If we estimate the selling price at five coins per pound, we can earn 1.5 million coins per day."

"The mine has 30 carts and 60 horses, which cost about 3,000 coins a day. The wages are more than 180,000, and the food expenses are 8,000. Add in other possible expenses, and it's about 200,000 coins a day."

Hearing this, Zhao Jie and Li Yuanchang looked at each other.

They can still figure out this account.

Li Yuanchang took a deep breath and said, "That is to say, the mine costs 200,000 coins a day, but the coal it produces can be sold for 1.5 million coins, so there is a surplus of 1.3 million coins?"

Luo Hui nodded heavily: "Yes, that's it."

In fact, when the account was calculated, Luo Hui himself was shocked.

It felt a bit unreal, so I checked it four or five times again and asked other accountants to check it together.

This is the number we finally came up with.

Earning 1.3 million a day is not gross profit, but net profit after deducting all costs.

The total cost of investing in this mine, excluding wages, was less than 30 million yuan.

In other words, it only takes one month to get your money back.

Of course, what is calculated currently is only the output value, and the honeycomb coal needs to go through the sales process before it can be sold.

But this is not a big deal for the prince.

Let the government directly purchase it, or even suspend the sale of firewood in the east and west markets of Chang'an, and force the sale of honeycomb coal.

Is this a sale, no it isn't, it's a policy.

"We must report this good news to His Highness immediately."

Zhao Jie's voice was a little excited.

The price is only five cents. If it were six cents, you would make an extra three hundred thousand cents a day.

Of course, the power to decide on pricing naturally lies in the hands of the prince.

(End of this chapter)