The rolling mountain peaks are like a large herd of livestock, immersed in the yellow mist. The east wind is like a seal, head high and chest high, quietly staring at the mountains in the east, stacked on top of one another, like clouds holding each other together.
Kongshan, located in the suburbs of Beijing, is very close to Songlu Mountain where the guards of Prince Zhu Gaojie's palace are located. This land belonged to the royal family, but the royal family's inspectors really didn't think there was anything to be gained from Kongshan. The land was not suitable for planting, it was sparsely populated, and there were no tourism projects to develop in the Ming Dynasty, so it was abandoned. However, Kongshan still has a certain value, because this mountainous land has large-scale open-pit coal mines.
Open-pit coal mines are coal seams deposited on the surface or shallow layers due to geographical changes, and coal mines are mined through direct open-pit mining. When the royal family discovered that there was a large amount of coal here, they were hesitant to start construction. This place is very close to the capital. If mining occurs, wouldn't it damage the foundation of the dragon's veins?
Of course, this is only part of the reason. The more reason is that after the imperial court sent people to inspect, they found that the coal here was extremely toxic if used for heating. If it is used for ironmaking, the quality is extremely poor. And Kongshan is like chicken ribs, tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.
However, this mountain range has now been planned to be included in Prince Qi's Mansion.
The old man was very happy and sent someone to complete the formalities directly. Zhu Gaojie did not hesitate and asked Su Wen to take dozens of guards to Kongshan for inspection.
…
Zhu Gaojie thrust his saber into the wide plain, flying away a piece of muddy grass, revealing the dark and shiny coal ore underground. He bent down and picked up the ore. He didn't mind it being dirty, so he held it in his hand and observed it carefully.
"The open-pit coal mine in Kongshan really has amazing reserves, and some of them have even penetrated beyond the topsoil." Zhu Gaoji couldn't help but admire.
Su Wen sighed: "It's a pity that the quality of this Kongshan coal is too inferior and the poison content is too high. If ordinary people use it for heating, they will probably be poisoned directly. But if it is used for iron-making, the steel produced will be The quality is so poor that it is useless. If you mine ten pieces of coal ore, not one of them may be usable."
Zhu Gaojie shook his head: "No, I think this is not a big problem."
The quality of Kongshan coal is inferior, mainly because it lacks a water washing link, and the sulfur content in coal varies from high to low, and the low one is negligible. The poor quality of Kongshan coal is mainly due to excessive impurities.
The main purpose of coal washing is to reduce ash content, remove impurities and improve quality. Simply put, coal washing is for coking, that is, combining coal with different compositions into one piece for coking. The process of coal washing is the process of washing out different grades of coal based on the original composition of the coal.
The specific gravity of coal is smaller than that of water. The buoyancy of water is used to separate coal and gangue. This process is called coal washing. Coal washing with water can remove 50% to 80% of ash and 30% to 40% of total sulfur in raw coal, which can greatly improve the utilization rate of coal.
However, the process of washing coal with water will consume a lot of fresh water resources. However, Kongshan is located in the north of Jinling City, leaning on the Yangtze River, so there is no need to worry about water issues.
There are terrifying reserves under the open-pit coal mine in Kongshan. If used properly, the benefits will be self-evident. The world regards Kongshan as a wasteland, which is really a waste.
Of course, ordinary people don't have the energy to turn Kongshan Coal into treasure. Just relying on the fact that "Kongshan belongs to the royal family" can scare people away.
"We still need to find some helpers..." Zhu Gaojie touched his chin and fell into deep thought.
He was ambitious and wanted to build a complete streamlined industry in Kongshan, from raw coal to clean coal, then to coke, and finally to apply the coke to steelmaking to produce high-quality steel. Although the benefits are huge, the financial resources that need to be invested in the early stage are also huge, and even Prince Qi's Palace will find it difficult to support it.
Thinking of this, Zhu Gaojie immediately decided to return to the capital.
Find two partners to invest first!
…
Duke Cheng's Mansion
"Haha, Lord Qi, why do you think of coming to me for a drink today?"
Duke Cheng Zhu Yong laughed and invited Zhu Gaojie into the room. A table of delicacies and wine had been prepared and he entertained him warmly.
"The last time Duke Cheng Guo spoke for me in the court, I said I wanted to have a drink with you a long time ago. However, I was busy with errands, so I delayed it until now." Zhu Gaojie sat down and raised a cup to greet each other, "Come here. , one goes first!"
"Your Majesty, this is a compliment to me. Okay, let's go first!" Zhu Yong was also very generous. He picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
Zhu Gaojie looked at the red-faced and bearded Zhu Yong, feeling a little melancholy in his heart.
Among the second generation of generals in the Yongle Dynasty, Zhang Fu and Zhu Yong were probably the most outstanding. Zhang Fu shined brightly during the Yongle Dynasty, and Zhu Yong performed on stage during the Xuande Dynasty.
When Emperor Xuande quelled the rebellion of the Han Dynasty, Zhu Yong believed that soldiers should be quick and the battle should proceed at full speed. Zhu Zhanji recognized and adopted his idea. When the army arrived at Qingzhou City, the vassal territory of King Han with lightning speed, Zhu Gaoxu gave in and surrendered. Later, Zhu Zhanji removed the military power of Zhang Fu, who was also a hero of Jingnan, and the person who accepted his military power was Zhu Yong.
At this point, I have to whip the corpse of Zhu Qizhen, the "Tumu Fortress God of War" who has not yet been born.
Zhu Qizhen's imperial commander personally went to conquer Oala. Although the expedition was not successful, the strength of the Ming army was far superior to that of Oala. Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and sent 50,000 elite cavalry led by Zhu Yong to fight against Oala. But the leader of Wala also fought more battles than Zhu Qi Zhenhui. He ambush the main force of Wala in the mountains. Before Zhu Yong arrived, Wala had already occupied the high ground and looked down on the Ming army.
The Mongolian infantry ambushed the Ming cavalry, and it always felt like the two poles were reversed. But in fact, this is not the first time that the Mongolian army has turned into infantry to fight in mountain warfare. Genghis Khan used this method to defeat the Jin cavalry at Yehuling.
Even so, Zhu Yong is also a veteran, and he knows this situation very well. This is a good place for an ambush, so Zhu Yongjun did not rush into the mountains to search for enemies at the beginning.
However, Zhu Yong understands, but that does not mean that all his subordinates understand as well as he does.
Liu Seng, the supervisor of the army, was afraid that others would take away his "deserved" credit, so he secretly led his troops to charge and rushed into the pass to pursue the Wala "forward" before the army's formation was established.
Here I want to talk about the position of supervisor of the army. Since Wang Zhen, the leader of the eunuchs at that time, was deeply favored by Zhu Qizhen and had great power, this also led to Liu Seng being the supervisor of the army, but he did not take the orders of a prince in his eyes.
This behavior also triggered a large number of non-commissioned officers who felt that "the law does not punish the public", and these people also rushed out with Liu Seng. In this way, the eunuch Liu Seng, who did not know how to fight, led part of the Ming army into the narrow valley.
Zhu Yong had nothing to do at this time. He could not continue to command the remaining troops normally. As long as the front army got the head, these people behind would definitely be ready to move and completely disobey the command.
Liu Seng's sudden advance did bear fruit. He successfully caught up with Wala's "vanguard" and cut off many heads.
But the next story becomes this:
"The captives have already arrived" - the enemy army will arrive next
"The enemy ambushed four times, and the king died fighting hard" - The enemy ambushed four times, and Zhu Yong died fighting hard (Zhu Yong later granted him the title of King Pingyin)
"All 50,000 cavalry were destroyed" - the entire army of 50,000 cavalry was wiped out.
His immediate boss (Zhu Qizhen) was blindly giving orders, and he was so cruelly cheated by Liu Seng. Zhu Yong died in the hands of Wala in such an aggrieved manner. However, although Zhu Yong died, his death was not in vain. He gave Zhu Qizhen the last chance to turn around and buy enough time for Zhu Qizhen to escape.
The ministers suggested that they withdraw all the way to Juyongguan and mobilize troops to fight against Oara, but Wang Zhen was unhappy because the more than 2,000 baggage vehicles accompanying him were Wang Zhen's personal property.
Therefore, the prince and his father-in-law requested to wait until all the baggage was collected before retreating. Zhu Qizhen actually listened to such a ridiculous thing and ordered the army to set up camp in Tumubao, wasting the opportunity that Zhu Yong had bought with his life. After that, " During the "Tumu Fort Incident", the Ming Dynasty's entire army was wiped out. His Majesty the Emperor was "lucky" to become a prisoner of Oara, enjoying delicious Cha milk tea in the yurt every day.
…
After three rounds of drinking, Zhu Yong's face was flushed and he asked: "Your Majesty, do you have something to say?"
Zhu Yong is a smart man. Of course, he would not be naive enough to think that King Qi came to him just for drinking.
"Did Duke Cheng Guo know about Kong Shan?" Zhu Gaojie also started talking about business.
"Of course I know, there are many coal mines in Kongshan." Zhu Yong said with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you want to drag me along to dig coal? You may be disappointed, Your Majesty. Although there is a lot of coal in Kongshan, it is not difficult to collect it. But the quality of the coal is so inferior that it is really of no use. The Duke of Ancheng’s government only has so much money, and it doesn’t want all of it to remain in the coal mines.”
When King Qi said the word "Kong Shan", Zhu Yong had already guessed King Qi's purpose - to attract investment.
If King Qi wanted him to invest in other projects, Zhu Yong would just go along with the situation and invest in it directly. But Zhu Yong really couldn't see any room for investment and development in Kongshan Coal. It would be easier to just throw money into the streets than to invest money in Kongshan Coal.
Zhu Gaojie said with a smile: "But what if the king says that he just wants to recruit the Duke of Cheng to join the gang?"
Zhu Yong frowned slightly: "The prince is joking?"
"I know that everyone thinks that Kongshan Coal is a loss-making business with no future for exploration."
Zhu Gaojiu filled his glass of wine and said in a neutral tone: "But I can tell you clearly that as long as you have the courage to follow me and spend money together, within three years, Kongshan Coal will make you a lot of money." The bowl is full!”
Zhu Yong was a little suspicious and asked: "Your Majesty, I dare to ask, why do you think this poor place in Kongshan can make money?"
"Well...if I say it in too much detail, you probably won't understand." Zhu Gaojie said decisively, "Mr. Cheng, there is no need to say more. Please tell me everything. Do you believe me?"
(End of chapter)
