Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

Before we could even get our fill of the lush greenery in the greenhouse, a new problem arose.

We're running out of firewood.

There are hundreds of greenhouses, which need to be covered with straw curtains to keep warm at night, and stoves need to be lit inside the greenhouses for heating.

Although coal slag is used, coal slag is still coal and must be transported from the coal mine.

The Heishishan Coal Mine produces 2,000 truckloads of coal a day, which sounds like a lot, but when it's distributed among the city's heating, cooking, iron smelting, kiln firing, and greenhouses, it's barely enough.

"Your Highness, we're running out of coal."

Han Lie said with a bitter face, "Over there at the iron smelting furnace, the blast furnace can't be shut down, otherwise the molten iron will solidify and the furnace will be ruined. But over here at the greenhouse, it can't be left to freeze either. If we squeeze both ends, we won't have enough coal."

Xiao Chen stood at the foot of Black Stone Mountain, watching the oxcarts carrying coal lined up in a long queue, pulling them out one by one.

The miners, shirtless, toiled in the mine, sweating profusely, but the coal they extracted was still not enough.

"Can we increase coal production even further?" he asked.

"Disaster."

Han Lie shook his head. "We're operating on a three-shift system now, with people resting but the mine never stopping. We've reached our limit. If we dig any deeper, we'll have to dig deeper. Deeper is dangerous; it's prone to water seepage and collapses. Besides, longer tunnels mean slower coal transport."

Xiao Chen gazed at the continuous Black Stone Mountains and pondered for a moment.

"This mountain has more than one coal mine, doesn't it?"

"It's more than that."

Han Lie said, "The previous dynasty dug here for decades, creating dozens of mines of varying sizes. But the easy-to-dig, shallow ones have all been dug out. What's left are either deep, scattered, or have poor coal quality."

"Take me to see it."

Han Lie led Xiao Chen around the mountains for half a day.

Black Stone Mountain is very large, stretching for more than ten miles from east to west.

The mine shafts opened by the previous dynasty are scattered throughout the mountain like a beehive.

Some have collapsed, while others still retain dilapidated alleyways.

But as Han Lie said, all the easy digging has been done; what's left are the tough nuts to crack.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Xiao Chen suddenly stopped.

There is an abandoned mine shaft here, the entrance is half collapsed, and it is pitch black inside.

However, around the cave entrance, there were some black stones scattered around, glistening in the sunlight.

Xiao Chen picked up a piece, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be very light.

It crumbles when you squeeze it with your hand, revealing its honeycomb-like structure inside.

"Is this... coal gangue?" he asked.

Han Lie took it and looked at it, then shook his head: "It's not coal gangue, it's... it's 'outcrop coal.' It's just that the coal seam is too shallow and it's exposed on the surface. This kind of coal has a lot of impurities and is not easy to burn. The previous dynasty didn't want to mine it."

Outcropped coal?

Xiao Chen's eyes lit up.

"Is the coal seam shallow down here?"

"It should be shallow."

Han Lie stomped his foot on the ground. "Judging from the sound, it's hollow down there. I guess the previous dynasty dug here, found the coal quality was poor, and gave up."

"Dig!" Xiao Chen said.

"Your Highness, this coal is of poor quality; it produces a lot of smoke when burned and easily forms slag..."

"I'm not afraid."

Xiao Chen interrupted him, "We won't smelt iron; we'll use it for heating and burning coal in the greenhouses. It produces a lot of smoke, so we'll build tall chimneys. It slags, so we'll clean the furnace frequently. The key is, this coal is shallow, easy to mine, and has a high yield."

Han Lie thought about it and agreed.

Although exposed coal is of poor quality, it is easy to dig.

No need to drill deep wells or branch tunnels, you can just excavate in the open.

It is at least three times more efficient than underground coal mining.

"Then let's give it a try," Han Lie said.

"No need to try, just do it."

Xiao Chen was decisive. "Transfer five hundred men here and start an open-pit mine. If we don't have enough tools, have the construction department work through the night. If we don't have enough oxcarts, have the people carry them in baskets on their backs. I want to see mountains of coal within ten days."

"yes!"

The order was given, and that afternoon, five hundred able-bodied men assembled at the foot of Shanxi.

The tools were readily available—there were plenty of pickaxes and shovels left over from the construction of the Iron City.

If there weren't enough oxcarts, they used baskets on their backs and carried the loads by people.

People, women, and teenagers all came to help.

Carrying a basket of coal earns you one work point and a free meal.

With such a generous reward, everyone is eager to be the first to participate.

On the first day of the open-pit mine's operation, three hundred truckloads of coal were unearthed.

Although the coal quality is indeed poor, black with a grayish tinge, and soft to the touch, it can still burn, and that's enough.

Xiao Chen had a dozen large earthen stoves built next to the mine, with big iron pots set up to boil water, steam buns, and cook vegetable soup.

When the miners got tired, they would come in for a drink of hot water and a hot steamed bun before continuing their work.

The efficiency is astonishing.

Three days later, the daily output of the open-pit mine reached 1,000 truckloads.

Adding the two thousand truckloads of coal from the underground mine, the daily output is three thousand truckloads, totaling sixty thousand jin.

The coal shortage has been alleviated.

But Xiao Chen was still not satisfied.

"It's such a waste to just burn this coal like this."

He said to Han Lie, "We need to find a way to increase utilization."

"How to improve?"

"Coking." Xiao Chen uttered two words.

"Coking?"

"right."

Xiao Chen explained, "Coal is heated at high temperature in a sealed furnace, which drives out the volatile matter inside, leaving behind coke."

Coke burns longer than coal, produces a stronger flame, and generates less smoke, making it ideal for iron smelting.

Moreover, the coal gas and coal tar produced during the coking process are all valuable resources.

Gas can be used to light lamps, and coal tar can... it can be used for many things.

Han Lie was completely confused, but what the prince said must make sense.

"Then... shall we give it a try?"

"try."

The construction of a coke oven is much more complicated than that of a greenhouse.

Xiao Chen drew up the blueprints—a circular kiln, built with refractory bricks, with a feed inlet, a coke outlet, and an exhaust outlet.

There is a fire channel at the bottom of the kiln for heating.

There is a gas collection pipe on the top of the kiln to collect coal gas.

"This kiln must be airtight and cannot leak air."

Xiao Chen cautioned, "If there's a gas leak, the coke won't be refined properly, and we won't be able to collect the gas."

Ironworker Ou personally led the team to build the kiln.

The refractory bricks were bought from Yulin Town; they were expensive, but we had to use them.

The mortar is made of lime and clay and must be applied tightly.

Three days later, the first coking oven was completed.

"Load the coal," Xiao Chen ordered.

The crushed coal is loaded into the feed inlet until it is about 80% full.

Then seal it with mud.

"ignition."

The fire channel under the furnace is lit, the dry firewood burns fiercely, and the heat is transferred into the kiln through the kiln wall.

Coal is heated in a sealed environment, and the temperature gradually increases.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

Pale yellow smoke began to rise from the exhaust vents on the top of the kiln—that was coal gas.

Xiao Chen had someone connect a bamboo tube to a large water vat.

When the gas comes into contact with water, some of it dissolves in the water, while the rest comes out of the cylinder opening.

Xiao Chen lit it with a fire extinguisher.

puff--

Pale blue flames rose and burned quietly.

"It's done!" the crowd cheered.

The gas actually caught fire!

Although the flame is small, it is gas extracted from coal, which can be burned and used to light lamps!

"Keep burning."

Xiao Chen remained calm. "Fire for twelve hours before opening the kiln."

Twelve two-hour periods, a full day and night.

The fire in the stove kept burning, and the gas kept billowing out.

Xiao Chen had people collect coal tar in earthenware jars—a dark brown, viscous liquid with a pungent smell.

Although I don't know what use they are, the prince said to collect them, so I will collect them.

The kiln was opened at noon the next day.

As soon as the kiln was opened, a wave of heat rushed out.

Once the heat dissipated, everyone looked inside.

The coal has turned into a silvery-gray, porous substance.

Each piece made a clanging sound when tapped.

"This is coke." Xiao Chen took out a piece and examined it closely.

It has a hard texture, uniform pores, and a metallic luster under sunlight.

It is one-third lighter than the original coal, but burns longer.

"Give it a try."

The coke was fed into the blast furnace along with the iron ore. Air was blown in, and the furnace was ignited.

The fire was burning brighter than usual, the flames were white, and the temperature was significantly higher.

Iron ore melts faster, and the molten iron is clearer.

"So burnt!"

The blacksmith was thrilled. "This coke is far superior to coal! The iron refined from it will have fewer impurities and be of much higher quality!"

"And it saves on coal."

Xiao Chen did the math: "One cart of coal can produce half a cart of coke. Half a cart of coke can produce more iron than a cart of coal. The coal saved can be used for heating and to fuel the greenhouses."

Kill two birds with one stone.

Coking should be promoted nationwide.

Soon, ten coking furnaces were built at the foot of Blackstone Mountain, running day and night.

Coke was used exclusively for iron smelting, and gas was used for lighting—although the quantity was small, it at least made the workshop a little brighter at night.

Xiao Chen said the coal tar would be collected and stored, as it would be useful in the future.

The coal problem has been completely solved.

But Xiao Chen knew that wasn't enough.

Energy is the lifeblood of industry.

With enough energy, we can do more.

"Old Man Han,"

He told Han Lie, "Take your men and continue searching for minerals. Coal, iron, copper, limestone—we need to find them all. Hanyuan can't rely solely on Black Stone Mountain for development."

"yes!"

"Also," Xiao Chen thought for a moment, "we should build coking furnaces in Tiecheng as well. The coal from Tiecheng can be used for the subway, saving us the trouble of transporting it back and forth."

"yes!"

After making these arrangements, Xiao Chen went to the school.

Today, he personally taught the children.

It wasn't about literacy and arithmetic; it was about "coal."

"Coal, what is that?" he asked.

The children chattered amongst themselves.

"It's a black stone!"

"It can be used to start a fire!"

"It can smelt iron!"

"right."

Xiao Chen nodded. "Coal is a gift from the sun. Tens of millions of years ago, the forests here were buried underground, and over a long period of time, they turned into coal. What we are burning now is the sunlight from tens of millions of years ago."

The children stared wide-eyed.

Tens of millions of years ago? Sunlight?

"Therefore, coal is precious and should not be wasted."

Xiao Chen continued, "We need to use it sparingly and find ways to make one pound of coal do the work of two or three pounds. That way, the coal can last longer, and Hanyuan can develop better."

The children seemed to understand, but they all remembered: coal is precious and should be used sparingly.

After class, Xiao Chen walked out of the school and saw Murong Xue waiting for him at the door.

"Your Highness, there's enough coal at the clinic."

She said, "At night, the gas lamps are brighter than oil lamps, and there's no smoke. The wounded all say it's good."

"That's good."

"Your Highness," Murong Xue hesitated for a moment, "coal tar... I tried it, and it seems to cure scabies."

"Oh?" Xiao Chen's eyes lit up. "How do you treat it?"

"When diluted, apply it to the affected area; it can relieve itching and kill bacteria."

Murong Xue said, "Although it smells bad, it's effective. I tried it on three patients, and they all got much better."

"good!"

Xiao Chen clapped his hands. "Keep trying and learn from our experience. Coal tar is a good thing; it will be very useful in the future."

"Yes."

As the sun sets, Black Stone Mountain is bathed in golden afterglow.

At the foot of the mountain, coke ovens emitted wisps of smoke, which was from burning coal gas.

Inside the workshop, the clanging of hammers marked the taking shape of newly forged farm tools.

Inside the greenhouse, tiny green shoots dot the landscape, a sign of hope growing.

Hanyuan, once a lifeless border town, is now teeming with life, its furnaces glowing red.

Standing on the city wall, Xiao Chen gazed at all of this, his heart filled with strength.

The firelight on Coal Hill illuminated the night in the frigid abyss.

It also illuminated the future of the North.