Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

In the Northern Song Dynasty, the location of Tokyo City was still determined by "such-and-such square", but the lane system was actually abolished, and official documents only recorded "such-and-such square".

The official charcoal farm contracted by Ju Ming is located in the left military wing in the south of the city.

There used to be military camps here, but now only civilian houses remain. The soldiers of the Forbidden Army are no different from ordinary people.

In the Zuojunxiang area in the south of the city, the local and foreign population is estimated to be more than 30,000, and they are Ju Ming's main customers.

When Dean Zhu was about to arrive in the capital, Ju Ming's store opened.

Taipei students also moved to the Chengnan campus, which is only ten minutes away from the "Tanhua Coal Shop".

Today happened to be a holiday, and dozens of people including Chen Dong, Zhu Song, Gou Long Ruyuan and other Tai students came to support them... although they had nothing to buy.

I saw a plaque hanging on the main door: Tanhua Coal Store.

There are several signs outside, which say "honeycomb briquettes, cheap and durable", "also sells various coal stoves" and other words.

Early in the morning, people buying coal started queuing up.

This is not a promotional activity carried out by Ju Ming, but the Carbon Coal Division has rectified the market, auctioned off many government-owned stores, and reached a verbal agreement with the Tokyo Charcoal Company. Today, all coal stores will reduce their prices.

In inner cities, the uniform price of coal is 7 cents per catty.

In outer urban areas, the uniform price of coal is 6 cents per catty.

Outside the city and suburbs, the uniform price is 5 cents per catty.

The government and coal companies have no control over where people buy coal. However, if it is a store delivery, it must not exceed the scope of business, otherwise it will be suppressed by the government and the charcoal bank.

In other words, if Ju Ming delivers goods to his home, he can only deliver them in Zuojunxiang in the south of the city.

"What does the sign say?"

"Tanhua Coal Store changed its official store into a private store. I heard that Tanhua Lang bought it."

"Hey, what are honeycomb briquettes?"

"Where are the briquettes?"

"It's written on the sign."

"..."

People buying coal chatted while waiting.

Coal is an absolute seller's market in Tokyo, and it relies entirely on the government and the coal industry to maintain business order. For the small people in Shengdou, they will be happy if the price can be reduced, but if they insist on selling it at a high price, they can only bite the bullet and buy it.

It's pretty good now. Even if you only buy a pound, the store can't refuse to sell it.

A few decades ago, you would have to buy at least one scale (15 pounds).

A piece of the door panel was removed from the inside, and two guys went out and completely dismantled the door panel.

Coal stoves and briquettes were moved to the door and placed neatly.

Zhu Ming rode over on horseback, and Bai Chongyan and Min Zishun also came over on donkey carts to support them.

Bai Sheng was holding a wooden board, and Shi Biao was holding a hammer and firecrackers.

There was a burst of crackling firecrackers, and Ju Ming ordered: "Nail the boards up!"

There was a poem written on the wooden board. Ju Ming's calligraphy skills were limited, so he asked Chen Yuan to write it for free.

Bai Sheng nailed the wooden board to the wall of the door, and Chen Dong read: "Cut out the chaos to get the black gold, which hides the deepest yang and meaning. The fire burns back the spring, and the furnace shines through the dark night. The Ding Yi Yuan Lai generates strength, and the iron stone remains dead. I hope that everyone in the world will be well fed and warm, and they will go out of the mountains and forests without any trouble."

Zhu Song clapped his hands and praised: "I hope that everyone can be fed and warm and go out of the mountains and forests without any trouble. Good poems and sentences are worthy of Mr. Zhu's handwriting!"

The common people didn't care how many there were and just pushed forward.

They came to buy bulk coal. Most of them just bought one scale, and some even bought two or three scales, for fear that the price would rise again one day.

"Buy one scale of charcoal and receive seventy-five cents!"

After the waiter finished weighing the charcoal, he shouted at the top of his lungs, and the shopkeeper began to collect money and register.

The shopkeepers and clerks of the coal shop are all recruited in this department, and contracts are signed through intermediaries.

It must be a permanent household with a family, and neighbors must be asked to provide guarantees to prevent them from stealing property and running away.

Today's first customer came out carrying 15 kilograms of coal, but saw Tanhua Lang lighting a fire at the door. He couldn't help but stand and watch.

After igniting it with shavings, a few more wood chips were put in, and then strange briquettes were stuffed.

Those briquettes were full of holes, and after waiting for a while, nothing seemed to happen.

Ju Ming put a clay pot on and added well water into the pot.

People who have trouble at home observe for a moment and then turn around and leave. But more people gathered around, wanting to know what Tan Hwa Lang was doing.

"The water is boiling, the water is boiling!"

someone shouted.

Ju Ming picked up the iron lid and covered the mouth of the furnace.

There was a lack of air inside the coal stove, and the charcoal fire immediately became smaller, but the water in the pot was still boiling, but not as fiercely as before.

There is no need to explain too much at all. Many people understand that this kind of stove can control the heat!

Finally, someone couldn't help but ask: "Tanhualang, how did you sell this stove?"

Zhu Ming said: "A one-core stove costs 80 Wen, a two-core stove costs 100 Wen, and a three-core stove costs 150 Wen. For ordinary people to make fire and cook, they can just buy a one-core stove. Two-core and three-core coal stoves are sold to restaurants and restaurants. , the charcoal fire can burn more vigorously.”

"How can I sell these briquettes?" someone asked again.

Ju Ming said: "Eight cents each, each weighing two kilograms."

There is no stipulated price for briquettes at the charcoal store. After all, they are all made from scraps, and the small quantity does not affect the market.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

Hou Xuan came riding on horseback and said with a smile from afar: "Brother Chenggong, I heard that your shop has opened, so I'm here to give you a congratulatory gift!"

His father, Hou Meng, was the Deputy Prime Minister of Zhongshu. Although it was difficult to exercise actual power under the constraints of the traitorous party, his noble status was still there.

The family is rich!

The gifts are also very valuable.

Two servants of the Hou family actually brought a bonsai, a small pine and cypress coiled on a strange stone.

Because of Song Huizong's Flower and Stone Guide, the price of rare stones in the south of the Yangtze River has skyrocketed. The price of this small piece of stone is more than a hundred guan. It has also been made into a bonsai. If you don’t have two or three hundred sticks, don’t even think about buying it!

Zhu Ming couldn't laugh or cry when he saw it: "This is a coal shop. If I put it in the shop, it would be blackened in ten and a half months."

"Then take it home and put it on display," Hou Xuan squeezed over and stared at the stove and said, "This is interesting, how much does it cost?"

Someone had just given an expensive gift, but Ju Ming had no nerve to accept the money and said, "Take it anyway, it's not worth much. Just remember, when burning the stove in the house, you must open the doors and windows."

Hou Xuan laughed and said: "Who doesn't know in Tokyo? If the doors and windows are closed, the charcoal poison will not dissipate."

Zhu Ming began to explain how to use it again: "The lid of this coal stove has a small window, and the size of the window can be changed. If you put the lid on, seal the window, and stagger the holes of the briquettes, it can burn all night long without going out. By opening the window slightly, you can cook food over low heat. A small hole means a low fire, a large hole means a big fire. If you want the maximum flame, take off the lid entirely."

Hou Xuan felt more and more strange: "You can actually control the size of the flame? You must be very handy when making tea."

After observing for a while, Hou Xuan picked a stove and twenty briquettes for his slaves to take home for use.

Seeing someone wanting to use this thing, a bystander asked: "Can the stove be used on credit? I sell food at the night market. This coal stove is easy to use, but I don't know how long the briquettes can burn. I bought ten briquettes and went back. If It’s more economical than coal, so I bought a coal stove. If it’s not more economical, I’ll return the coal stove.”

In and around Tokyo, the customers of shops selling daily necessities are basically neighbors, and credit is a very common practice.

Although Zhu Ming didn't know this person, in order to open up sales, he still said: "Even if you give it on credit, you can return the coal stove within three days. After three days, you can't return it."

In a short time, nearly a hundred briquettes were sold, the stove was tried on credit, and the customers were all food vendors.

Such vendors are estimated to be the main consumers of briquettes within half a month.

At the same time, they are free advertising.

When people coming and going saw them using briquettes, they couldn't help but inquire about the situation, and the number of customers gradually increased.

"Dang-dang-dang!"

A gong sounded, and Guirou, the first car from the charcoal store, came together with several charcoal store owners to congratulate Ju Ming on the opening.

These people are both competitors and collaborators. They must work together to fight against the government, and their normal relationship is relatively harmonious.

"Mr. Zhu, good luck opening your business!" Che Guirou smiled and handed over her hand.

Ju Ming smiled and said: "Same joy, same joy."

Che Guirou also contracted an official store this time and opened another branch.

The coal shop owners exchanged pleasantries and finally focused on the coal stove and briquettes.

These guys have a keen sense of smell and quickly realize something is wrong.

They carefully observed the usage, each bought a stove, and also bought a lot of briquettes, intending to take them back to study and imitate them.

When the briquette market matures, it is estimated that prices will need to be re-priced.

After working until noon, Ju Ming paid for a treat and ate at a restaurant in the south of the city. Of course, Chen Dong and other Tai students also participated.

Everyone gave gifts so that Ju Ming wouldn't spend any money.

As evening approached, Ju Ming watched the coal shop close, feeling indescribably happy. This was his first business in Tokyo.

I don’t expect this business to make me a rich man, at least it can meet my daily expenses. This is the foundation for being an honest official!

A few days later, sales of briquettes increased significantly.

The small vendors in Zuojunxiang in the south of the city have switched to using briquettes whenever they need to light fires.

Because small vendors found that this kind of stove is too convenient.

When there are many customers, turn on the high fire, and when there are few customers, turn on the low fire. If there are no customers at the moment, just seal the lid, and the smoldering fire can still burn for several hours.

They don't call it honeycomb briquette, but they call it "Tanhua coal" when they meet others.

Other coal shops in and around Tokyo have also launched imitation products. In order to open up sales as soon as possible, "Tanhua" is also used as the prefix.

For a time, Tanhua stove and Tanhua coal were popular in the city, and Ju Ming could not sue his colleagues for trademark infringement.

Following the small vendors, more and more people are also using briquettes to boil water and cook because they can actually save money.

Even the coal poem copied by Zhu Ming spread widely, and Zhu's nine poems became Zhu's ten.

Ju Ming occasionally rode a horse for a stroll and saw briquette stoves at the entrances of several teahouses in the city. You only need to grind the Tuan Cha into powder in advance, and you can order tea at any time with the kettle on the stove.

This sight made Ju Ming quite happy. He changed the daily life of the people in Tokyo.

“The common people’s daily use is the Tao!”

It was another holiday, and Chen Yuan was giving a lecture in the courtyard: "The Tanhua stove and Tanhua coal are the embodiment of transforming the Tao into something useful. To burn firewood, there must be air circulation, and the bellows used for blacksmithing is to inject the air into it." Put it into the furnace. The holes of the Tanhua coal are for ventilation. The lid of the Tanhua furnace also uses air to control the fire...Having this thing can save the people money. If you study more about this kind of things, you will definitely save countless money for the people. !”

Ju Ming sat nearby and listened, unable to correct the mistake because he didn't know how to introduce the concept of oxygen.

Chen Yuan believes that it is a kind of "anger".

Air circulation is life, which can ignite fire and support combustion.

If it does not circulate, it is dead air and cannot be burned. For example, if you cover a candle with a lid, the candle will go out. This is because the air flow is blocked and the life becomes dead air.

If the wind is too strong and blows out the flame, then the anger is too strong and the flame cannot bear it.

People breathe and survive by being angry.

Hmm...a very simple understanding, similar to the Western concept of phlogiston.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

There was a sudden knock on the door, and a sharp knock.

Min Zishun's servant went to open the door. Hou Xuan stood outside the door, followed by Fatty Zheng and Zheng Yuanyi.

"Dalang, Mr. Zhu has come to Beijing!" Zheng Hong shouted.

Ju Ming rushed out quickly: "Where?"

Zheng Hong said: "Outside Donghua Gate, Mr. Zhu asked us to come look for you first. It happened that Brother Hou was watching the fun. Brother Hou was very enthusiastic, so he brought us here."