The Reborn Lao Tzu Is the Emperor

Chapter 1257 Making honeycomb briquettes
Immediately, several people pondered in the imperial study room.

Although the people's livelihood in the Great Song Dynasty is becoming more and more prosperous, no matter how rich the country is, there must be a gap between the rich and the poor.

Even in the Song Dynasty, there were beggars and refugees everywhere in the territory, especially those in remote places. Due to the constraints of this era, people's livelihood has not changed much.

Not to mention that the Great Song Dynasty has been conquering for years, and there is not enough food and grass. Even if there is enough food and grass, there is no way to ensure that everyone can fill their stomachs.

As for the increasingly popular greenhouse cultivation method, those who can still eat fresh vegetables in such weather are only very small and wealthy families.

It is undoubtedly extremely difficult for Zhao Dongting to let the people of Song Dynasty survive this natural disaster.

After a long time passed, Lu Xiufu said: "Your Majesty, why don't we order the refugees from all over the country to gather in various states and counties now. With the current food reserves in various places, if we can distribute enough clothes to these refugees, perhaps ...If the natural disaster does not last very long, the imperial court can guarantee that they will survive this natural disaster."

Zhao Dongting frowned slightly, "But who knows how long this natural disaster will last?"

He was clearly suspicious.

It is a good thing to gather the refugees, and it is also a good thing to distribute clothes and food to them.But if this kind of thing cannot have a beginning and an end, then it is a good thing or a bad thing.

Taking the natural disaster that Lu Xiufu just mentioned happened when he was young, Zhao Dongting thought that if the court hadn't been able to follow through with the end, the common people probably wouldn't have had so much resentment afterwards.Helping them first and then leaving them to fend for themselves is better than leaving them alone in the first place.

Of course, this is impossible.Unless Zhao Dongting is the kind of stupid king who "why not eat minced meat".

"This……"

Lu Xiufu didn't know what to do when he heard Zhao Dongting's question.

Faced with natural disasters, there is indeed no good solution in this era.After all, it is limited by manpower and material resources.

Only at this moment, Zhao Dongting's eyes suddenly shone with a little light.

He didn't care about what to say to Lu Xiufu and others, so he was busy writing.There are flamboyant and phoenix-dancing handwriting on it.

Lu Xiufu and the others raised their toes lightly and looked at the paper on Zhao Dongting's desk.

Just looked at it, but his expression changed slightly.

They didn't quite understand what Zhao Dongting wrote.All I know is that the emperor intends to use coal as fuel to allow coal production in various places to survive the natural disaster.

Seeing that Zhao Dongting was only writing on his own, Chen Wenlong couldn't help but said, "Your Majesty, are you planning to let the people use coal as fuel?"

Zhao Dongting didn't raise his head, and said with a smile: "Coal is available everywhere, and the manufacturing process is not as complicated as charcoal, and the cost is low. It should be able to help my Song Dynasty survive the natural disaster."

Chen Wenlong, Lu Xiufu and others all had strange expressions.

Chen Wenlong said with some embarrassment: "Your Majesty, you have never used coal before, so I'm afraid you don't know. Although coal can burn, it emits poisonous gas when it burns. This kind of poisonous gas can cause death."

In their view, Zhao Dongting is not saving the people of the Song Dynasty, but harming the people of the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Dongting finally raised his head and said, "I know. But what I wrote is not ordinary coal, as long as the coal is refined by my method, it will not emit poisonous gas."

As he spoke, he put down his pen.

On the paper in front of him, what was written was the manufacturing method of anthracite and briquette.

In later generations, this briquette was widely used.

Because Zhao Dongting focused on military affairs and state affairs, he never thought of this briquette before.

Chen Wenlong and the others looked at each other.

Of course they were surprised.After all, it is common sense in this age that coal cannot be used for heating.

The emperor even said that his method can prevent the coal from emitting poisonous gas. Is this really possible?

Immediately Lu Xiufu asked: "Where did the emperor learn about such a method?"

Zhao Dongting scratched his head and said perfunctorily, "I figured it out when I was free and had nothing to do."

He can never say that this is what he learned in later generations.

As for his statement, Lu Xiufu and others naturally did not believe it.The emperor lives deep in the palace, and he can't even see coal. How can he be idle and have nothing to do to figure out how to use coal?
However, thinking of Zhao Dongting's creation of thunderbolts, grenades and other things in the past, they still held some hope for Zhao Dongting's "wonderful ideas".

Just to be on the safe side, Lu Xiufu said again: "Your Majesty, shall we first make coal according to your method, and then spread it to various places?"

Zhao Dongting laughed lightly when he heard the words, knowing what Lu Xiufu and the others were thinking.

He nodded, handed the paper to Lu Xiufu, and said, "Then, dear friends, please go and ask someone to use my method to make briquettes."

"Honeycomb..."

Lu Xiufu muttered with some doubts in his mouth, and took the paper from Zhao Dongting.Then he resigned and left with Chen Wenlong and others.

Seeing that the emperor is so confident, they dare not slack off in the slightest.

Although no one has died of freezing in various parts of the Great Song Dynasty, and the people are still able to persevere, but if the weather continues to be cold, it will be too late to save them.

But after Lu Xiufu and others left, Zhao Dongting was still meditating in the imperial study.

Da Song has not encountered natural disasters in these years, and he has not yet felt too deeply, but now the sudden natural disasters have made him deeply feel the backwardness of technology in this era.

If it is in the future generations, not to mention the weather that is only a few degrees below zero, even if it continues to be more than ten degrees below zero, the people will not have to worry about being frozen to death.

Here, Lu Xiufu and others led a lot of yamen servants out of the palace in a hurry.

There were no coal craftsmen in this era, but coal was everywhere.They stepped on the vast white snow, but their eyes were full of hope.

If the honeycomb briquettes mentioned by the emperor can really replace charcoal for people to keep warm, then there will be no need to worry about such cold and natural disasters after the Song Dynasty.

They soon arrived outside the city of Changsha.

There is no shortage of coal mountains here.

Such mountains are often barren, and there are no people who cultivate them.

As long as mining coal, it is not an easy task.

Lu Xiufu and others were helpless facing the mountain.

In the end, it was Zhao Dongting who went out in person and summoned the Flying Dragon Army in the city to dig coal mines outside the city.In order to save time, mining is carried out entirely with Thunderbolt.

In just a few days, a lot of coal was dug out.

Zhao Dongting also asked the Ministry of State to recruit labor in the city, and advertised the refining and manufacturing methods of anthracite and honeycomb coal.

The appearance of new coal surprised all the ministers in the court.

When the first piece of briquette was produced, Lu Xiufu and others who had been guarding the coal mine immediately tried it out.

As a result, there is really not much smoke, let alone the "poisonous gas" that can suffocate people.

Overjoyed, Lu Xiufu and others hurriedly took the briquettes to the palace to ask Zhao Dongting.

When Zhao Dongting saw that honeycomb briquettes were being refined, without the slightest hesitation, he immediately ordered the Ministry of State Affairs to spread the coal-making method to various places.

At the same time, local governments were also ordered to inform the people that although briquettes are non-toxic, they must remember not to use them in completely enclosed rooms.

There are dozens of fast horses leaving the palace one after another in Changsha City.

In this kind of weather, even carrier pigeons can no longer be used.

The fast horses galloped on the snow-covered official road, and all the knights were tightly wrapped up.

On the official road, someone who was heading towards Changsha City saw this scene and muttered in a low voice, "What happened in Song Dynasty?"

And these people are naturally Li Xiushu's group.

Li Xiushu in the carriage didn't mention it, but most of these people outside the carriage were tightly wrapped.

This year's Changsha is indeed extremely cold.

Although these masters are not afraid of the cold, they are not willing to go shirtless to attract attention.

Under the guard of the crowd, the carriage moved slowly towards the city of Changsha.

As soon as I entered the city, I saw the bustle and bustle inside the gate of Changsha.

There are many people gathered, lined up and don't know what they are doing.

I only know that some people came out with many dark things in baskets.

Inside the carriage, Li Xiushu lifted the curtain at some point, and asked outside the carriage, "What are they buying?"

Some people heard that the priests of Chaofu hurriedly went to ask.

Then he came back and reported to Li Xiushu with a strange expression: "Go back to the emperor, what kind of briquettes are they buying..."

"Honeycomb..."

Li Xiushu muttered softly, she didn't know what this briquette was.

(End of this chapter)