I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

Qi Shan heard the old man's cries from afar. Without hesitation, he went forward and immediately saw the stove. The fire inside was burning fiercely, and the temperature was extremely high. Although there was no open flame, he could feel that the heat from the fire was far greater than that from ordinary firewood.

"Where did you get this stone?" Qi Shan asked hurriedly.

Upon seeing Qi Shan, the old man immediately knelt down and replied, "Sir, I was just trying to save trouble. I thought timber was too expensive and wanted to reduce costs. So I went to Black Stone Slope, 30 li outside the city, to dig up yellow mud. I saw that the whole mountain was full of these black stones, and I thought I'd bring them back to line the stove. But who knew that these things would catch fire as soon as they saw a flame? They do burn well, but the smoke they produce is all black. The whole basket of buns is blackened by the smoke. We can't even eat them. What a waste of ingredients!"

The soldier next to him chimed in, "Yes, Commander, this thing is really strange. It looks like a stone, but it's so light in your hand. It's incredibly brittle when used for building houses, and it has a weird smell when burned. I really don't know what use it is."

It didn't work?

Qi Shan shook his head with a wry smile, "That's because you people don't know how to use it."

Direct combustion of coal does indeed produce large amounts of sulfur dioxide and sulfur monoxide, which are not only fumes but also highly toxic. Eating this bun would definitely cause poisoning; it's fortunate no one tried it.

However, by simply washing and crushing the coal, adding some yellow mud to make honeycomb briquettes, and using a special stove, the problem of smoke exhaust can be perfectly solved.

More importantly, coal has an extremely high combustion temperature and can even be used for smelting.

Qi Shan looked at the coal, took a deep breath, and his thoughts began to surge.

Although they had temporarily gained territory and established their own foundation, in this northern frontier region, the small thousand households were as insignificant as ants.

He knew that He Yong must have had someone above him who wanted to kill him, since He Yong was a commander of a thousand men, and above him was Yuan Tianlong, a commander of ten thousand men.

To this day, he still doesn't know why he was blacklisted by these people.

Why would you kill yourself?

Regardless, Liu Wei commanded over 1 elite troops. This was a sword hanging over his head.

He didn't know when he would fall, so he had to accumulate strength and have more cards up his sleeve.

So many that even the most powerful enemies dare not touch him, and if given the chance, they will surely turn the tables on him.

Another point is that the Yelü tribe was not defeated. Yelü Da was ultimately only a small part of the Yelü army. The Yelü army had more than 20 troops in the northern frontier.

Now that he has killed Yelü Da, he will surely incur the wrath of the Yelü tribe. At that time, with his 1000 new recruits from Qinyang County and his own scrap metal, if they really go head-to-head, he will only be swallowed up.

If this batch of coal is used properly, it can not only solve logistical problems, but also create a more powerful arsenal.

This batch of coal was transported to the blacksmith's shop, where a high-temperature furnace was built. By raising the furnace temperature, carbon steel could be produced. Carbon steel was a revolutionary, world-class advantage over sheet metal. Even Liu Wei's 1-strong army was only equipped with scrap metal, which couldn't compare to his carbon steel equipment. At that point, the tide of battle would turn.

Not only that, he also did some calculations in his mind.

Timber is scarce in northern Xinjiang. In the dead of winter, people even strip the bark off trees to survive. If he could produce honeycomb briquettes and sell them to the people at half the price of timber, he would earn a considerable income.

This is the most important aspect of solving logistical support.

This isn't a black stone at all; it's clearly a continuous stream of gold.

This would solve Qi Shan's headache-inducing problem of military expenses. With money, he could expand his army, recruit more refugees, and even buy more soldiers.

A thousand men are also a commander, and nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine men are also a commander.

If in the future we could use coal to build some kind of steam engine… Qi Shan shook his head, temporarily setting aside this long-term idea. After all, one must take things one step at a time; the most crucial thing right now is to monetize this resource and turn it into tangible strength.

"Shopkeeper, you are simply the savior of Qingyang County! The savior of this era!" Qi Shan patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder with great enthusiasm.

The old man selling steamed buns was initially quite upset, as he couldn't understand why a black stone could make the official so happy.

He was immediately flattered and hurriedly shook his head, saying, "This humble subject dares not. If you like it, sir, please take it. There are plenty more at Black Stone Slope."

"Give this shopkeeper ten taels of silver." Qi Shan beckoned to Meng Da. Meng Da was puzzled. Why would he give ten taels of silver for a few broken stones? But of course, he wouldn't disobey Qi Shan at this moment.

The reason he excitedly told Qishan that there were stones that could burn was because he believed that this could be used as an auspicious omen to project onto Qishan, to tell all the people in Qingyang City that Qishan was the highest authority in Qingyang City, and that even the heavens had agreed. "Look, isn't this an auspicious omen that has been sent down?"

I never expected Qi Qianhu to be so excited.

"Meng Da, send 100 men out of the city immediately to Black Stone Slope. Surround that place. No one is to approach it without my order. Anyone who disobeys will be executed." Qi Shan's tone left no room for argument.

"Then you take some men and bring some of these black stones in a horse-drawn cart. They must be exactly the same. Remember to cover them with a cloth when you bring them, and make sure no one finds them."

Meng Da was startled. Although he didn't understand what the black stone was for, judging from Lord Qi's performance, it was clear that the stone was very useful and that he had made a great contribution.

"Yes, sir!"

Two hours later, several carts rolled over the rammed earth of the military camp and stopped in front of the camp's private blacksmith shop.

That's right, Qi Shan has forcibly moved the blacksmith shop that made Zhuge crossbows for him to the military camp to make military weapons.

Of course, an old blacksmith is an old blacksmith after all. Business is usually good or bad, but now that he has finally secured a long-term business in this military camp, he is naturally overjoyed.

Qi Shan certainly thought the old man's skills were excellent; he could forge any kind of precision part, and very quickly. He even considered taking on a few more apprentices for the old blacksmith.

As soon as I entered, the old blacksmith, shirtless and carrying a dull blade, was sighing over the two remaining baskets of charcoal in the corner.

"Master, the charcoal quota at the military camp has been reduced by quite a bit, and now it's completely insufficient. But the military camp is still urging us to produce the weapons. What are we going to do if we can't make them?" An apprentice wiped the sweat from his neck with a rag, looking worried.

"This little bit of charcoal isn't even enough for daily life, let alone repairing military equipment. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, and the commander's requirements for military equipment are extremely high. This old man couldn't possibly fill the gap even if he gave his life."

Just as he was struggling with this problem, a steady footstep sounded outside the blacksmith's shop.