paranoianovel Chapter 2679 Coal Price Drop
Chapter 2679 Coal Price Drop
According to the rules of the Tang Code, anyone who illegally fells trees or destroys crops shall be punished as a theft offender and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
In the Tang Dynasty, the mountains and forests belonged to the state and the powerful. Ordinary people were not allowed to go up the mountains to cut firewood.
There are also merchants who specialize in selling firewood.
Due to years of war and the lack of firewood, the trees near the city have been exhausted, so people have to go to distant places.
Most importantly, wild animals roam the mountains and forests during this period. Even if you are allowed to cut firewood, you may still end up being eaten by wild animals.
To be honest, if it weren't for Wang Xuance's explanation, Li Shen really wouldn't have known that ordinary people couldn't cut down trees at will.
The main reason is that he doesn't have access to this kind of information.
With his status, he's waited on hand and foot; he wouldn't even consider the issue of firewood.
However, Li Shen felt that protecting the environment was the right thing to do, regardless of the purpose.
Just as Wang Xuance had said, there were practically no trees to be seen around Chang'an.
My own nursing home is still by the river. It used to be government land, which is why a small grove of trees was preserved.
“Xuan Ce, what you said is indeed a problem, which I overlooked.”
In this way, you can publish the method of building earthen kang (heated brick bed) and heated walls in the newspaper, and do several issues in a row, focusing on major prefectures and counties in the north.
Write another memorial and submit it to the court, requesting that the government issue an order to all localities to implement it after the spring.
"As for the firewood..." Li Shen stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then continued:
"The firewood problem is easy to solve. We still have so many coalfields that haven't been excavated. We can publish the benefits of burning coal in the newspapers."
The negative effects of burning wood were also mentioned.
“Burning wood has disadvantages?” Wang Xuance was somewhat surprised to hear this. Haven’t people been burning wood for thousands of years?
"Of course there is." Li Shen nodded affirmatively.
"Your Highness, what are the disadvantages of burning wood?" Wang Xuance humbly asked.
"This..." This question stumped Li Shen.
“If there were no downsides, you wouldn’t change your mind, like if it were expensive, right?” Li Shen gave an angry reason.
"Your Highness, our coal costs five copper coins per pound. One piece of coal weighs several pounds and is equivalent to a peck of rice," Wang Hongfu interjected at this inopportune moment.
Li Shen immediately glared at Wang Hongfu, thinking to himself, "You talk too much."
"Well... there are many downsides too. Too much deforestation causes soil erosion, and over time it turns into a wasteland."
"Look, the road from Xizhou to the Western Regions has turned into desert. That must be because people cut down all the trees a thousand years ago."
Li Shen started making things up and spouting nonsense without any reason.
"Is that so?" Wang Xuance had read extensively, but he had never heard that the deserts of the Western Regions were formed by logging.
"If I say so, then so be it. Just write it down as I say, and tell the people that cutting down trees is destroying the environment and creating a disaster for their future generations."
Li Shen didn't really have any legitimate reason. If you talk to the people now about the future ecological environment, they won't listen.
The only effective way to scare them is to frighten them.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will make arrangements when I return. But if we don't cut firewood, what will the people burn?" Seeing that Prince Ji was furious, Wang Xuance said no more.
"Of course we burn coal. The coal mountains we bought are practically free. The only thing that's expensive is the labor."
Starting in October this year, after the onset of winter, the price of coal dropped to two coins per pound, and remained so until the end of February.
We'll also make some honeycomb briquettes to sell, and we'll price them at three copper coins per pound.
Li Shen waved his hand, saying that he could still make a profit at two coins a pound, just a little less.
“Your Highness, if it’s two coins a pound, we probably won’t make any money. Hiring laborers costs money these days.” Wang Hongfu did the math and realized he wouldn’t make much.
"You don't need to worry about that. We can use prisoners serving time or recruit cheap laborers from other countries."
For example... Japan.
"I suddenly had a plan in the palace the other day. It was originally intended for road construction, but now it can be used for excavating the coal mine."
Li Shen chuckled, looking somewhat sinister.
Everyone knew from this that Prince Ji was plotting against someone again.
"I wonder what brilliant plan Your Highness has?" Wang Hongfu asked cooperatively.
"Hehe, my plan is to bring some free laborers from Japan and feed them every day so they don't starve."
Let them mine for us; even if they die, we won't have to pay them any compensation. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?
Li Shen thought his plan was brilliant; he didn't need to pay wages or provide compensation, just some food would suffice.
They also don't understand the risks of mining, such as whether it's safe or whether people will die.
“Your Highness, recruiting laborers is easy enough, but free laborers… I’m afraid the Japanese won’t agree.” Wang Xuance felt compelled to offer this advice upon seeing Li Shen’s sinister smile.
“If you disagree, you won’t just not tell him, will you? You can try to trick him into coming first,” Li Shen said immediately, unwilling to listen.
"Trick them into coming? How do you trick them into coming?"
Everyone was stunned when they heard Li Shen's words.
Li Shen got up from the recliner, went to the desk, picked up a piece of paper, and handed it to Wang Xuance and the others to read.
The paper had several words written on it, such as "Golden Mountain," which was the same paper that Li Shen had written in the palace that day.
"The answer is on this paper. We can spread the word in Japan that the Tang Dynasty had mountains of gold and that gold was everywhere."
The gold they find on their first day in the Tang Dynasty will earn them more than they would in ten years. They only need to mine gold in the Tang Dynasty for a year to return home in glory.
Li Shen explained the meaning of the words on the paper to the group.
"But Your Highness, will anyone believe this?" Looking at the paper in his hand and listening to Li Shen's words, Wang Xuance felt that this matter was not very reliable.
He thought it sounded unbelievable. Who could believe it? Where is there a place where gold is everywhere? Who could believe that?
"This will naturally require some methods. I'm leaving this matter to you; it's inconvenient for Di Renjie to get involved."
Let our people spread the word over there that the Tang Dynasty is full of gold, and you can pick it up just by bending down.
He'll be rich in three years, return home, buy land, and have beautiful wives and concubines.
You can make a fortune every day without needing to be literate.
Once you arrive in the Tang Dynasty, you can become a Tang citizen at any time and have the same status and position as other Tang citizens.
I refuse to believe that no one is tempted.
Li Shen sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. Although he didn't know the specifics of that period, he had seen the movie "Once Upon a Time in China," and that's how it was portrayed.
In his view, it should be pretty much the same as reality, nothing more than the lure of money.
The group was stunned. This Prince Ji was truly a devil; he could spout such lies so easily.
If the officials of the court found out that they had tricked people into coming here and then made them slaves, wouldn't they condemn Prince Ji?
Many more righteous people might march in front of the palace, and then what will become of Prince Ji's reputation?
(Heaven is round and earth is square; laws and decrees are in nine chapters.)