After broadcasting the ancient times live, I handed the system over to the state.

Hearing everyone give their answers, Yi Mei nodded, "I've heard quite a few correct answers already. That's right, ships carry more."

“In the past, the Silk Road could only be transported by camel, and the amount transported at one time was limited. The high cost meant that the goods were expensive and could only be enjoyed by the upper class, not by ordinary people. But it was different when it was transported by sea.”

“A seagoing vessel can carry at least 200 tons of cargo. The increase in cargo volume has gradually transformed the nature of cargo goods from expensive luxury items to everyday necessities.”

They saw that there were many things in the table above—

The imported goods mainly consist of spices, medicinal herbs, minerals, and so on.

The main exported goods are silk fabrics, porcelain, and so on.

Those capable of organizing exports are mostly major manufacturers, and their production capacity must be sufficient.

The fact that there was still a steady stream of exports under such conditions shows just how wealthy the Song Dynasty was.

Later, Yi Mei gradually released several tables, which showed that in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, the export volume of silk fabrics from the Yellow River Basin was quite considerable, but by the Southern Song Dynasty, it was far less than the export volume of goods from the south.

Even in terms of national taxation, the export tax revenue of silk fabrics from the Southeast region has far exceeded that of the original Central Plains Economic Zone. All of this indicates that the economic center is shifting southward.

"These are just some examples of silk fabrics. Now let's look at porcelain, which is also an important part of exports."

"Our later research revealed that ceramic production areas were very concentrated along the southern coast."

Once marked, it appears as a dense, bright red patch on the map.

For example, the Longquan kiln system in Zhejiang, the Jingdezhen kiln system in Jiangxi, the Fujian kiln system, and the Gui kiln in Guangxi and the Yue kiln in Guangdong in the Lingnan region. In some places, the remains of porcelain kilns that stretch for five or six hundred kilometers can even be found.

In Fujian alone, more than 20 kiln sites have been discovered along the Nanpu River in Jianyao, and there are likely many more elsewhere.

Those sitting in the classroom were slightly surprised, especially when the data was presented so directly. Moreover, Yi Mei had only mentioned a small part of Fujian, and had not mentioned many more kiln sites and kiln beds.

Zhu Qinggu was also somewhat surprised, as were the people under the sky. They were unaware that there were so many and so numerous firing sites for these porcelain pieces.

They once again experienced the prosperity and wealth of commerce in the Song Dynasty.

"The strong manufacturing capabilities of handicrafts were also one of the important factors contributing to the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road!"

Yi Mei emphasized again.

It's only because the data is presented together that it's so intuitive. If it were at the beginning, people would know it was lush, but they wouldn't know where the lushness was.

Yi Mei gradually revealed the secrets to everyone.

"It wasn't just silk fabrics and ceramics, but also paper, and even more handmade goods that were exported overseas. The prosperity of handicrafts was evident in the gradual establishment of these workshops, and there were certainly reasons behind it."

"The Industrial Revolution was not just about changing the carriers of information; it was also essentially about improving the way energy was used. The strength of handicrafts was inseparable from the coal revolution in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty."

Coal revolution? Yet another new term.

They had no idea that these things were interconnected. When you dug out the surface, you found that there was something deeper beneath the foundation that supported it. Only by seeing the core inside and knowing what was inside could you deduce what was on the surface.

"Coal had many names during the Song Dynasty. Some called it stone coal, while others called it black gold. This black ore once ignited the cold winter nights of Bianjing."

"Seventy-two percent of the city's population used coal for heating, whether in ordinary households or government offices. This usage rate was 23% higher than the coal penetration rate in London at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. At that time, our coke smelting was seven hundred years ahead of Europe!"

"At the Northern Song Dynasty iron smelting site in Xingtai, Hebei, archaeologists discovered the remains of a steelmaking blast furnace with a furnace temperature as high as 1400 degrees Celsius. The secret lies in coal. Shen Kuo also mentioned the process of desulfurization by calcining coal in his Dream Pool Essays, which is consistent with the principle of modern coke production."

"The water-powered pumping device at the Zhengzhou Ancient Xingzhen Iron Smelting Site could deliver up to 300 cubic meters of air per day. The inscribed steel knife unearthed from the Cizhou Kiln site had a carbon content of 0.6%, meeting modern medium-carbon steel standards. During the Yuanfeng era of the Northern Song Dynasty, iron production reached 12.5 tons..."

There are countless examples to show that coal had already entered into widespread use at that time.

Of course, it was also due to demand. With the increase in population, the production of copper and iron increased significantly, and the scale of porcelain production expanded, so the demand for fuel also increased. At that time, there was a shortage of firewood and other fuels, so people had already found new sources of fuel.

In fact, coal was used for iron smelting as early as the Han Dynasty, but it was not valued. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the coal revolution brought the Song Dynasty into an era of new energy sources, creating conditions for the improvement of the living standards and industrial level of the Song people.

It predates the European Industrial Revolution by a great deal, but it did not continue indefinitely.

"If the level of industry at that time could have been maintained, who knows what might have happened?" Yi Mei said, her voice tinged with regret.

They even thought of the very bold and creative plan that Mao Hexuan and the others had discussed before.

That is, to conduct such an experiment in a certain Song Dynasty timeline, only to interrupt the progress of the war and allow this level of industrial development to continue, but without letting the people of the Song Dynasty know that there was external support and assistance, and later generations could only observe in secret.

This is a bold and dangerous social experiment, like putting ants in a box and observing their behavior.

However, it was considered somewhat unethical and an improper use of resources, so the plan was shelved.

At the national level, the primary consideration is still to become wealthy. The Chinese people have experienced thousands of years of war, and they have a strong obsession with hoarding things.

It's a huge waste to use a valuable piece of land for social experiments that don't immediately satisfy hunger, instead of engaging in exchange, business, farming, or mining.

However, with the progress of civilization and the improvement of technology, Yi Mei speculates that such large-scale social experiments will definitely be carried out, because this will be more conducive to our understanding of civilization, and will also eliminate some unnecessary choices for the development of civilization and increase the tolerance for mistakes.

Thinking about this, Yi Mei still felt a chill.