Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

We had lunch at Yanzilou Restaurant.

We ate vegetarian food at Taitou Temple in the evening.

During the vegetarian meal period,

Local scholars readily submitted their poems.

He wanted to showcase his talents to the emperor.

Unfortunately, the quality of the poems was generally mediocre.

New and old dynasties changed

Truly talented scholars,

He would have become an official long ago.

Either you pass the imperial examination this year and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Since arriving in Beijing,

Fu Zhirou has always served as a secretary.

He served Zhao Yuan at his side.

This guy,

Any random poem,

He crushed all the scholars of Xuzhou.

A scholar couldn't help but ask:

"May I ask which prominent figure of our time is by Your Highness's side?"

Fu Zhirou cupped his hands and said, "I dare not call myself a master, I am Fu Zhirou from Luoyang."

"So they were the Eight Steeds of Luoyang,"

"The direct grandson of Fu Zheng Gong!"

Those who knew its value immediately exclaimed in surprise.

Fu Zhirou smiled and said, "The name 'Eight Steeds' is not true; it's just a far-fetched association."

"My literary talent is far inferior to that of His Majesty the Emperor."

Therefore, everyone asked Zhao Yuan to leave behind an article.

Zhao Yuan came to Xuzhou to inspect the iron smelting plant and the military factory.

Today's outing was purely for relaxation.

With the original intention of rescuing the treasures of Chinese culture,

The shameless emperor copied down another poem—

"The strategic importance of ancient Xuzhou has faded away, leaving behind only a few heroes."

"Imagine the iron armor and double pupils, the black horse sweating blood, the jade tent stretching to the sky."

"The Chu army of eight thousand scattered, their souls, I suppose, will never reach Jiangdong."

"The Yellow River flows like a ribbon, while the chaotic mountains are like dragons amidst the clouds."

"Autumn winds rise over the mausoleums of the Han dynasty, and the fields of millet and sorghum fill the Guanzhong Plain."

"The Xima Terrace is deserted, the painter of eyebrows is far away, and the Swallow Tower is empty."

"Life is but a fleeting moment, so let us be joyful and drink a thousand cups in one go."

"Looking back at the desolate city under the setting sun, I lean on the railing and watch the wild geese fly away."

After finishing a poem,

Fu Zhirou immediately recited,

The scene was so stunned that it fell completely silent.

If Emperor Zhu had left his calligraphy along the way,

It is estimated that many legends will remain in Shandong.

Even random and unusual foods can be the subject of various stories.

The day after his trip, Zhao Yuan took a boat to Liguo Observatory.

Chapter 1932 Your Majesty is Wise

On the deck,

Geng Dingchen pointed to the north and introduced:

"The canal north of the city was opened by Di Wuxiang (Di Qing)."

"The canal south of the city was dug by Su Dongpo."

"The efforts of the two gentlemen in the past,"

"Only through this can we achieve the prosperity of the Liguo Bureau today!"

"Does Xuzhou's iron smelting industry now use coal for everything?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Geng Dingchen said, "Coal is cheaper than charcoal."

Even small-scale smelters use coal.

Zhao Yuan nodded: "Excellent."

Xuzhou Iron and Steel Industry

There were two leaps in development during the Northern Song Dynasty.

The first time was when Di Qing was sent to Xuzhou.

Specifically responsible for supervising the manufacture of weapons and equipment,

Expand the scale of iron smelting here immediately.

The second time was when Su Shi governed Xuzhou.

They sent people to explore the area.

High-quality coal mine discovered in the wild

Xuzhou's iron and steel industry thus entered the coal era.

One south and one north,

The two men each dug a canal.

And it connects with the existing canal.

They also solved the traffic problem.

Liguojian's iron mine,

Half of the descendants are immersed in Weishan Lake.

This is also the Xuzhou Ironworks.

The main reason why it was inferior to Zunhua Ironworks in the Ming Dynasty.

Weishan Lake was not present at this time.

That area was all land.

In fact, in ancient times,

Iron smelting conditions in Xuzhou

It is far superior to Zunhua.

Because of the iron and coal mines here.

All of them are of high quality.

And the distance is quite close!

"The Du family's forge is just ahead,"

Geng Dingchen pointed ahead and said,

"The Du family used to only produce iron,"

"His Highness's method was used,"

"They've already started speculating on steel."

"Let's go down and take a look," Zhao Yuan said.

Zhao Yuan didn't say beforehand that he would disembark here.

The entourage was immediately thrown into chaos.

The Du family's smelting workshop also rushed over in a panic to greet them.

Xuzhou has thirty-six metallurgical plants.

That is, 36 private iron smelting plants that have obtained operating licenses.

They mined and smelted iron themselves.

They gave 20% of their products to the government to offset taxes.

The remaining products can be freely bought and sold.

However, the government has the right to purchase at the lowest price.

The Northern Song Dynasty also attempted to monopolize the iron smelting industry.

The result is that many of the products are unusable.

Moreover, the government-run ironworks had always been operating at a loss.

It even forced the local people to turn to thievery.

"This humble subject, Du Yu, pays his respects to Your Majesty the Emperor!"

The owner of Du's smelting workshop rushed over to pay his respects.

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "Please stand up and speak."

"The workers should just do what they're supposed to do."

"Yes."

Du Yu gave the instructions in a low voice.

His entourage immediately dispersed the bystanders.

The workers were ordered to return to their posts immediately.

Zhao Yuan asked this man to lead the way.

I went to check on the factory.

No water power is used here.

Because it does not involve forging.

However, Zhao Yuan's design was adopted for improvement.

This refers to the steelmaking method recorded in the "Tiangong Kaiwu" (Exploitation of the Works of Nature).

It's simply a matter of connecting the stove to the wok.

It can be poured directly into the wok to fry wrought iron.

Compared to the previous steel frying method, this method greatly saves time and labor costs.

Du Yu genuinely respected the Emperor.

He regarded the emperor as an expert.

The Emperor's Improved Iron-Making Equipment