The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

The accompanying scholars did not only assist in herding; they also had a crucial task: to convert to Confucianism and follow the teachings of the Yellow Sect.

However, this Confucianism was adapted by Li Guangdi, mainly focusing on loyalty to the emperor and serving the country, and pragmatism in academic discussions, that is, abandoning sectarian prejudices.

Do more research and think more; those who achieve mastery come first!

Instead of believing that everything Confucius said is correct, or misinterpreting his words in a pedantic way, thus stifling the thinking of scholars.

As for the Yellow Sect, it is similar to the sects of India, emphasizing obedience in all things, believing that suffering in this life will bring blessings in the next, and that even being oppressed to death is justified.

This fundamentally castrated the Mongols.

As soon as Galdan gave the order to set off, these chiliarchs left with their followers and supplies. They only had enough tea, salt, and grain for one month, and once they arrived at the pasture, they would have to be self-sufficient.

To provide food for hundreds of thousands of people for a month, Galdan nearly emptied the surplus grain reserves in Hebei, and they will have to start living frugally again.

In just three days, all the commanders led their people, cattle, sheep, and horses away to migrate.

Only Guihua City remained, sitting in its original location.

This place will become a hub of the grasslands, where merchants can come and do business. Basic commodities such as tea, salt, and grain are priced at a premium to attract merchants.

Meanwhile, Galdan had already arrived in Datong Prefecture.

Hunyuan Prefecture, which later became Hunyuan County!

This is the best coal mine. Just digging through the surface soil, the coal on the surface alone would be enough to supply the entire Han Dynasty for a hundred years.

At this time, the vast mine was filled with prisoners, both men and women, numbering nearly 30,000. Most of them were families of the Eight Banners, who had survived by chance, as well as those captured by Subutai in the cities of Liaodong.

At this time, war was raging, and the Han Dynasty had no shortage of women. Moreover, these princesses of the Eight Banners were not good-looking; they all looked like savages, and even meritorious soldiers looked down on them.

At the foot of one of the small hills, a burly Manchu man with a rat's tail at the back of his head, dressed in a tattered cotton-padded jacket and with his legs bound by hemp ropes and shackles, was diligently digging coal with a pointed hoe in both hands.

Judging from his appearance, it was actually Prince Yu, Fuquan.

It turns out he didn't die initially; he was captured alive along with Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

A soldier holding a leather whip and wearing a sun hat stood in the middle, supervising these Eight Banners soldiers as they worked. This overseer was Tang Sanchui, the grandson of Tang Hao, who had once killed the entire Guarjia clan with a hammer.

He followed his brother to join the army, but was rejected because he was too short. However, since he had a Beijing household registration, he was assigned to be a foreman, with room and board provided for a month, plus three qian of silver.

Tang Sanchui recognized Prince Yu, Fuquan, and specifically sought to bring his entire family under his command.

"Snapped!"

"You stinking dog, haven't you eaten?!"

"You're not even strong enough to mine, what use are you?"

With Tang Sanchui's whip, the woman next to Fuquan fell to the ground and couldn't get up. Judging from the whip marks on her body, she had been whipped three or four times in a short period of time.

"Madam!"

Upon hearing the scream, Fuquan immediately turned around and saw that his wife was unconscious. He screamed and ran over, only to fall face-first to the ground because of the leg chain.

Tang Sanchui didn't care about any of that. He stepped forward and kicked out, his whip creating a sonic boom as it swung.

"You dogs, you were responsible for the land grab and the deaths of dozens of members of my Tang family. You're here to atone for your sins, not to play the victim. Get to the coal mines!"

Fu Quan forced himself to pull himself together, but his bulging cheeks and bleeding lips showed that his gums were already clenched and broken. He stared intently at Tang Sanchui.

"You scoundrel, I'll fight you to the death!"

With this roar, Fu Quan rushed forward, tackled Tang Sanchui to the ground, grabbed his neck with both hands, and tried his best to strangle Tang Sanchui to death.

But Fu Quan, who could only eat until he was three-tenths full, was no match for Tang Sanchui, a young man. Before he could even put up a fight, he was easily sent flying.

"Flaghound, are you looking for death?"

Puff puff!

Tang Sanchui, filled with deep hatred, drew his waist knife and angrily slashed at Fuquan three times. One of the slashes struck Fuquan's neck directly. Fuquan covered the wound in despair, but blood continued to flow uncontrollably.

Upon seeing the dead body, several foremen nearby ran over. "Brother Sanchui, what happened?"

"Do you need your brothers to stand up for you?"

Tang Sanchui waved his hand casually. These overseers were all people whose families were destroyed and their homes were ruined by the Eight Banners soldiers who seized their land.

He knew these people came so quickly simply to see who would resist so they could swarm and kill them to vent their frustration.

However, the number of slaves each person can have in this mine is limited. If they kill them all, he, as the overseer, will be out of a job.

"It's nothing, just two ignorant lackeys!"

"After work, we'll take it out and bury it!"

Seeing that Tang Sanchui was not working, the other overseers left in boredom, while Fuquan's wife's corpse was left on the spot, which frightened the other Manchus so much that they turned pale and their mining speed increased by three points.

After the Manchu people finished mining, Tang Sanchui would blow his bamboo whistle, and soon Han laborers would come to collect the ore.

These Han Chinese laborers were paid wages, three qian of silver per month including two meals of mixed grains. This amount of money was not enough to support a family, yet people still scrambled to do it.

After all, this is income from sources other than farmland.

The laborers were seen placing baskets of coal ore into a wooden box that was three meters long and two meters wide.

These boxes have iron wheels underneath, with a larger inner diameter and a smaller outer diameter. When placed on a wooden track that is more than a meter wide, they can be pulled by mules.

It sounds impressive, but this thing actually existed in the Song Dynasty, but nobody used it on official roads.

They continued digging and transporting the materials until the clanging of gongs sounded, at which point all the bannermen gathered and, led by the overseer, went to eat.

The distance wasn't too far; there was only a simple thatched shed, a bowl of thin porridge with a couple of shredded pickled vegetables.

After resting for half an incense stick's time, it's time to continue mining!

The bodies of Fuquan and his wife, along with those of other deceased Manchus, were buried directly in the wheat fields to increase the crop yield for the coming year and to atone for the evil they had committed in their lives.

From his high platform, Galdan saw everything. He arranged for these able-bodied men, who had been confiscated but could not join the army, to manage the Eight Banner miners, hoping to give them a chance to vent their anger.

It seems to be working well now, but the losses are too great. We need to think of where to capture some slaves to use.

However, Galdan's life motto was...

It means that the sin is committed in the present, but the merit will last for generations.

I'd rather emulate Emperor Yang of Sui than Emperor Renzong of Song; I'd rather bear a lifetime of infamy than fail to bring blessings upon my descendants.

"Your Majesty, as you said, the coal with seven layers of coal powder, two parts clay, and a mixture of straw powder does indeed produce no toxic smoke when burned. We can begin large-scale production starting tomorrow."

"These honeycomb briquettes can not only be used for cooking, but also for heating in winter. They're much cheaper than firewood; they're truly a beneficial product for the country and its people!"

Wei Cheng, who was accompanying Galdan, praised the honeycomb briquette highly, and unusually, he flattered it.