Chapter 74 It turns out to be Gongzi Chang! I have heard of your great name for a long time!
"Brother, the Han Dynasty will be very powerful! Really, soon, the people will become wealthy!"
"It will be strong for many, many years!"
"Hahaha, you're right!"
Liu Ying picked up Liu Chang and pinched his face.
"I mean it!"
"I know I know."
The largest mines of the Han Dynasty were in Zhao Dynasty, and the rest were distributed in Yan, Liang, Shu and other regions.
The mine in Shangjun was not the largest one, but it was the closest government-run mine to Chang'an. After the founding of the country, Xiao He sold some of the large mineral resources left by the Qin Dynasty, leaving only a small part, because the Han Dynasty did not have so many criminals, and Xiao He was never willing to abuse the people's power.
Among all the officials, the one who has the greatest reputation among the people is Prime Minister Xiao He. People from all over the country love him very much. They are more excited to see the Prime Minister's carriage than the emperor's carriage. Xiao He continued the litigation law of the Qin Dynasty and placed the final power in his own hands. If the people feel that the judgment of the superiors is unfair, they can sue Xiao He all the way.
Of course, if it is found that the superior has not made a wrong judgment, then this person will be doubly punished, but if it is really a false accusation, the chief officer will catch him and execute the punishment he originally sentenced.
Apart from litigation, in terms of taxation, Xiao He also reduced taxes many times and abolished many miscellaneous taxes left over from the Qin Dynasty. The early Han Dynasty was still a classical socialist country. Everyone had a title and could improve their title by fighting and beheading people. However, Prime Minister Xiao increased the proportion of agricultural titles on this basis, and tried to make the Han Dynasty move in a different direction from the Qin Dynasty.
Shangjun was probably one of the poorest counties in the Han Dynasty. There were few county towns here, the roads were bumpy, and the county towns were far apart from each other.
However, the mining area is still quite lively. Although there is no city, there are some villages around because of the mining industry. Merchants coming and going can rest here. They also provide food and drinks. Merchants who want to buy ironware will trade here.
Liu Chang couldn't wait to follow his second brother to visit the mine.
The mines of the Han Dynasty were still relatively simple, and the miners still relied on the most primitive tools, such as axes, hammers, hoes, etc. Around the mines, you can see many furnaces of different sizes. For convenience, in the Han Dynasty, iron smelting and mining were done in the same place, with mining on one side and smelting on the other.
Liu Chang jumped up hurriedly and began to observe carefully. Because there were no tools, the miners could only look for ores by observing with their eyes and use simple instruments to determine the grade of the ore and decide the direction of mining. It was clearly seen in the mine that the miners chose to mine in the places with rich ore and high grade in the fault contact zone.
"Amazing!"
Liu Chang couldn't help but sigh. He thought that the mining method at the moment should be very simple. However, in this mine, the miners used a development method that combined vertical shafts, inclined shafts, inclined tunnels and horizontal tunnels. They even knew how to solve a series of complex problems such as underground ventilation, drainage, lifting, lighting and derrick support.
In terms of methods, they have already done their best, and the only thing that can hinder them is the mining tools.
Liu Chang narrowed his eyes, as if he remembered something, and lowered his head to think.
Liu Ying was at the mine for the first time, and he could not understand anything, whether it was the ore or their various methods. He just looked around blankly and did not bother Liu Chang. The prince came in person, and the miners knelt in the distance, with their heads down. The soldiers stood beside them, with their heads down, not daring to look directly at the prince.
The person in charge here was a burly fellow named Zhao Huan. He looked rough but had a lively mind. He stood beside Liu Ying with a smile on his face. "It is a great honor for us that the Crown Prince can come in person... I can die without regrets if I can see the Crown Prince in person... The Crown Prince's benevolence... is known to the world..."
This guy kept flattering, which made Liu Ying feel annoyed. Although everyone Liu Ying met was usually very polite, he had never met such a flatterer who had no bottom line and was so straightforward. After all, Liu Ying was usually surrounded by people of high status, and they would definitely not flatter so directly, as they still had to save face.
After a while, Liu Chang suddenly came over.
"Do you know the burning explosion method?"
Zhao Huan was stunned and asked, "What is the Burning and Exploding Method?"
"First, heat the ore with fire, then pour cold water on it... The ore will explode due to heat expansion and cold contraction..."
Zhao Huan widened his eyes. He had never heard of such a method. What nonsense was this kid talking about?
He looked at the prince suspiciously and asked, "Who is this..."
"This is my seventh brother, the eldest."
"Oh, it turns out to be Young Master Chang. I have heard of your great name for a long time. It is my great honor to meet you today. I can actually meet the Crown Prince and Young Master Chang in one day..."
Zhao Huan said , and suddenly turned around and shouted to his subordinates: "Didn't you hear the young master speak! Use the Explosion Method!!"
Liu Ying carefully pulled Liu Chang and asked in a low voice: "Brother, is this really possible?"
"Of course, this is the easiest way..."
Zhao Huan personally led the miners to an open-pit mine to do what the young master said about the explosion method. In his heart, Zhao Huan probably didn't believe that this method would work. However, when they used fire to burn the iron ore red and then poured water on it, "hiss--crack--", the ore actually cracked. Zhao Huan widened his eyes and gently chiseled it with an iron hoe, and the iron ore fell off.
"This this……"
Zhao Huan was stunned and looked at Liu Chang in doubt.
Liu Ying also looked at this scene in surprise, and then he laughed and rubbed Liu Chang's head.
"I knew it! My eldest brother won't let me down!"
Liu Chang did not look very happy. He shook his head and said, "This method will have little effect. The best way is to use gunpowder to blow it up..."
"What medicine?"
Liu Ying thought that he had read a lot of books over the years. Although he was not very knowledgeable, he was definitely not ignorant. However, he realized that he had not read enough books. He could not understand what Liu Chang said.
"Brother, do you know where to find saltpeter?"
Zhao Huan, who had been waiting for an opportunity to flatter Liu Ying, was delighted when he heard this. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Liu Ying say confidently, "Salt is from Longdao!"
"Maybe there's saltpeter here, too?"
Zhao Huan smiled and nodded, "Of course, but why does the young master need saltpeter? Is there someone suffering from a disease?"
Liu Chang did not answer, and asked again: "What about sulfur?"
"what?"
Zhao Huan looked confused. He had been mining for so many years, but had never heard of sulfur.
Liu Chang helplessly described the characteristics of sulfur for them. Zhao Huan thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Ying smiled and asked again: "You are asking about Shiliuhuang, right?"
"This thing is not difficult to make..."
Zhao Huan looked at him with some grievance, and asked in confusion: "The prince has lived in the palace for a long time, how do you know all this?"
Liu Ying said, "I like reading. I once read a book called 'Fan Zi Ji Ran', which was written by the ancient Fan Li. It contains saltpeter, stone yellow and other things. When I heard my elder brother mention it, I thought of the introduction in the book..."
"Alas, knowing the world without leaving home is the power of books! The prince is smart, I can't wait..."
"Then can we get this stone yellow?"
"We are short of everything in Shangjun, except for the two things you want, sir ."
Zhao Huan patted his chest and said that he could deliver these two things to Liu Chang today.
"In addition... I need one more thing... charcoal. Bring that to me as well."
"good!"
Zhao Huan left in a hurry.
The bronze ware of the Shang Dynasty had already begun to use charcoal as fuel. This shows the wisdom of the ancients.
The miners also started working, and many places began to use the blasting method, but this method is more effective in open-pit mines. Liu Ying followed behind his brother and asked in confusion: "Brother, where did you learn these strange methods?"
"You made the spinning wheel before, and now you come up with this idea in a flash. Who taught you this?"
“I was born knowing it.”
Liu Chang raised his head proudly, "This is nothing. Later, brother, you will know how powerful I am!"
"Could it be possible that those three things could be used for mining?"
"Want to know?"
"Then take me to eat, okay... I'm hungry, I'll tell you after I finish eating."
