I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

The study in the inner hall of the Prince of Qin's residence.

The autumn sunlight streamed obliquely into the room through the window.

The room was quiet, with only the soft sound of a pen nib scratching across the paper.

The desk was piled high with thick ledgers, receipts, and detailed income and expenditure records.

The books were stacked neatly, densely covered with numbers.

Li Wanqing, dressed in an elegant long dress, stood upright before the desk.

"Your Highness, I have finished sorting out all the income and expenditure of the Prince's Mansion and am reporting to you on the accounts."

She bent down and opened the ledger, explaining each item in detail and with clear logic.

"Currently, the permanent population of Northern Liang, including local residents, migrant workers, artisans, and laborers, totals nearly one million."

"The largest expenditure is food consumption."

"With a population of one million, daily rations, soup kitchen supplies, extra meals for laborers, and soldiers' pay are being consumed every single day."

"The daily food expenditure is a terrifying figure."

"Previously, the Prince's grain reserves and surplus were almost entirely used to fill the gaps in people's livelihoods."

She turned to a page of the ledger and continued reporting on urban construction expenses.

"Secondly, expenses for city renovation, new construction of the outer city, pipeline laying, and road repair projects."

"The Prince's Palace will cover all expenses, including food and lodging subsidies for the million laborers, tools and materials, bricks and timber, and wages for the craftsmen."

"There are also subsidies for land reclamation and resettlement, supplies for displaced people, distribution of agricultural tools and seeds, and materials for building barracks."

"Each item represents a large expenditure with no income."

"At present, the Northern Liang is in dire need of reconstruction, tax revenue is unstable, businesses are not thriving, and there is almost no large income."

"The entire operation was sustained by the Prince's reserves."

Li Wanqing spoke objectively and frankly, and every account was clear, detailed, and verifiable.

Chu Yun listened quietly, her fingers lightly touching the edge of the table, her expression calm.

He knew it in his heart.

The Northern Liang now appears to be thriving, but in reality, it relies entirely on his massive investment of resources and financial support.

Urban construction, land reclamation, military buildup, and pacification of the people—every step required burning through money and resources.

It is extremely rare to be able to keep a million people stable and prevent their livelihoods from collapsing in just one month.

After listening to all the reports, Chu Yun nodded in satisfaction.

"Thanks a lot."

"The internal affairs of the vast Prince's Palace are numerous and complex, with a multitude of accounts."

"You managed it perfectly, without a single mistake. You did a great job."

Upon receiving affirmation, Li Wanqing's expression relaxed slightly, but she showed no joy whatsoever.

She frowned slightly, then changed the subject, revealing the most critical hidden danger at hand.

"Your Highness, the current situation seems to be steadily improving. The city is safe and the people's hearts are at ease."

"But now there is a very critical problem."

"At most one or two months, the harsh winter will fully descend upon northern Xinjiang."

Her tone was solemn, with a hint of gravity.

"Winter in the Northern Liang is completely different from that in the Central Plains."

"Normal temperatures are minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius, with strong winds and blizzards, and the ground is frozen solid."

"In previous years, the population was sparse, and there were few local people who spent the winter scattered and barely managed to survive."

"But now, we have nearly a million people."

"Inside and outside the city, residential areas expanded in contiguous areas, and the population became highly concentrated."

"I have sent people to calculate the timber reserves in the surrounding mountains and forests."

"Even if all the timber in the surrounding mountains and forests were cut down, it would still be far from enough to keep a million people warm during the winter."

"The shortage of firewood is enormous."

"Once winter arrives, without firewood for heating, the poor, refugees, the elderly, the weak, and children simply cannot withstand the extreme cold."

"In previous years, we could still endure the mild cold, but this year, with millions of people crowding the area, a lack of firewood would be a dead end."

"People will freeze to death, and in large numbers."

This statement is not an exaggeration.

It is a real and dire situation affecting people's livelihoods.

Chu Yun's relaxed expression instantly turned serious.

Previously, he only focused on building the army, suppressing bandits, securing the border, cultivating land, and constructing cities.

Solve the problems of food, security, and border defense.

They overlooked the horrors of the harsh winter in northern Xinjiang.

Chu Yun tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and said in a deep voice.

"The northern Liang region experiences harsh winters, with temperatures dropping to minus twenty or thirty degrees Celsius."

"Without heating supplies, the people's houses were flimsy and the mud walls let in the wind."

"After a blizzard, there will be a shortage of firewood and heating, which could really lead to a major disaster."

"Providing heating for millions of people is not a trivial matter; it is a tremendous challenge to people's livelihoods."

He looked up at Li Wanqing.

"This is the highest priority right now."

"Don't worry, I'll find a way to solve this."

"We will never let the people freeze to death in the cold winter."

Upon hearing this, Li Wanqing nodded gently.

With Chu Yun's words, she felt a little more at ease.

Without saying another word, he bowed respectfully and slowly withdrew from the study to continue managing the daily affairs of the Prince's Palace.

The room fell silent again.

Chu Yun sat in the main seat, his brows slightly furrowed, his fingertips tapping incessantly on the table.

There is enough food.

We have a place to live.

The security situation has stabilized.

The army was formed.

The defense line is under construction.

Not having enough firewood is a big problem.

Trees grow slowly, and it's impossible to conjure up a huge amount of firewood out of thin air in a short period of time.

We need to change our approach.

His mind raced, recalling the most commonly used, most durable, most affordable, and most suitable items for widespread use in winter heating when he was a child.

Honeycomb briquettes.

In an instant, my thoughts became completely clear.

Honeycomb briquettes have significant advantages.

It is heat-resistant, produces a strong flame, retains heat for a long time, and requires little dosage.

A pile of coal can burn for several times longer than firewood.

It is simple to make, the recipe is straightforward, and the process is not complicated.

As long as there is raw coal, it can be mass-produced by grinding, mixing, forming, drilling, and drying.

It is perfectly suited to the wintering needs of the current population of one million in Beiliang.

The only prerequisite is a coal mine.

We must find the coalfield and extract the raw coal.

Once the coal mine is found, all problems will be solved.

Thinking of this, Chu Yun's eyes suddenly brightened.

He immediately raised his voice and gave a stern order to the guards outside the door.

"Someone come here."

The guards outside immediately bowed and went inside.

"By my order, summon Su Zhe and the other three immediately to the palace for a meeting!"

He needs to make arrangements immediately.

Exploring coal mines, selecting sites for mining, building workshops, and trial production of honeycomb briquettes.

To produce enough heating fuel for a million people to get through the winter before the cold winter arrives.

........

Half an hour later.

The Prince's Study.

Four hurried footsteps quickly passed through the long corridor of the Prince's Mansion.

Su Zhe, Zhou Meng, and the other three, upon receiving the summons from the guards, dared not delay for even a moment.

They all put aside their official duties and rushed to the study to discuss matters.

The four people stood in a line and bowed in unison.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects!"

Chu Yun raised his hand, signaling the four of them to stand up.

Without any unnecessary pleasantries, they went straight to the point.

"I have summoned you here for one most important reason."

"Winter is approaching in the Northern Liang region. In a month or two at most, snow will fall and the temperature will drop sharply."

"Today, the population of Northern Liang includes nearly one million settled people, refugees, artisans, and military dependents."

"I have verified that the reserves of firewood in the mountains and forests throughout the territory are severely insufficient."

"Even if we mobilized everyone to go into the mountains to cut firewood, working day and night, it would still be far from enough to keep a million people warm during the winter."

"Once winter arrives and there is a lack of heating, a large number of the elderly, the poor, and children will surely die."

"This is our biggest crisis right now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the study became heavy.

Su Zhe stepped forward, cupped his hands, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Your Highness, I was just about to report this matter to you!"

"Winter in Beiliang is extremely cold, with temperatures often dropping to minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius."

"In previous years, the population was sparse, and scattered villages relied on firewood from the mountains and forests to barely make ends meet."

"Now, a million people have gathered in the city, and the population has increased dozens of times."

"We have taken inventory of all the firewood, spare timber, and surplus materials from the project in the warehouses."

"All of them combined won't be enough to help 30% of the population get through the winter."

"My subordinates also secretly arranged for laborers to go into the mountains to cut down trees ahead of time."

"But the available timber in the surrounding mountains and forests has already been exhausted."

"The new timber didn't have time to dry, and the quantity was far from sufficient."

"It won't be in time for winter, and it won't be able to fill this huge gap."