Chapter Forty-Four: Coal II

Chapter Forty-Four: Coal, Part Two

What Wang Zhen said was indeed heartfelt.

Coal is poisonous.

That is the belief held by many in this era.

Zhu Qizhen said, “Rest assured, Grand Eunuch Wang. I will not use coal. But the north is already dry by nature, and now, within a hundred miles of the capital, all the usable trees have been cut down.”

“That would be against the teachings of the sages.”

The teachings of the sages stand as the moral pinnacle of this age. Zhu Qizhen had long since discovered how remarkably useful invoking them could be.

His words echoed those of Mencius, “If the axe and hatchet enter the mountains and forests only at the proper times, the timber will never be exhausted.” This is what Mencius himself said.

Yet the current situation in Beijing made such a thing impossible.

Firewood is heavy, and if transported from afar, the cost rises naturally, making it unaffordable for the common people. Thus, they would rather strip the surroundings of Beijing bare than bring firewood from distant places.

Fortunately, there were still some mountains near Beijing.

The charcoal burned in Xishan was just enough to supply Beijing’s needs.

Wang Zhen said, “Your Majesty’s intentions are most noble, but you must not endanger yourself. Those below may use coal, but within the palace, we cannot substitute it. Otherwise, it would be improper.”

Zhu Qizhen replied at once, “Very well.” He had no desire to argue further on this matter. As long as coal mining could proceed, the rest could be managed.

Wang Zhen turned and said, “Little Cao, did you hear clearly what His Majesty said?”

Cao Jixiang immediately replied, “This servant understands.”

Wang Zhen said, “Go quickly and see to it.”

After dispatching Cao Jixiang, Zhu Qizhen reviewed the subordinate offices. He only glanced over them, offering a few admonishments.

He knew that things had to be done one at a time.

Since he had decided to focus his efforts on coal, all other matters would have to wait.

Historically, Cao Jixiang was not well regarded, but his ability to handle affairs was exceptional.

It takes great wisdom and courage to employ someone of such notorious reputation.

Anyone who leaves a mark in history always possesses talent beyond the ordinary. Even Zhu Qizhen hadn’t expected Cao Jixiang to work so swiftly; in only a few days, he had clarified the entire situation.

Zhu Qizhen summoned him immediately.

By then, Cao Jixiang’s face was several shades darker, having traversed the capital and its environs to investigate coal usage.

Zhu Qizhen, seeing his condition, bade him first drink some water, then sit and speak.

With deep gratitude, Cao Jixiang reported everything he had discovered: “Most commoners in the capital use firewood, but coal is not entirely absent. Coal is used in the vicinity of the capital; since the previous dynasty, most of it has come from the Western Hills, though there are now prohibitions.”

Zhu Qizhen asked, “What prohibitions?”

Cao Jixiang replied, “There are fears that coal mining will harm the earth’s vital energy and damage the dragon vein.”

Zhu Qizhen immediately understood. The Heavenly Longevity Mountain lies just west of Beijing. He said, “Let us put that aside for now. Have you determined where coal is produced?”

Cao Jixiang responded, “I have. Most of the coal used near the capital comes from Mentougou. Since the Yuan dynasty, Mentougou has been a coal-producing area.”

“In the Yuan capital, all coal was sourced from there.”

“To supply the capital, Guo Shoujing of the previous dynasty built a special canal—the present-day Yongding River. Thus, the coal of Mentougou could be sent south via the Yongding, then transferred to land and carried into the city by packhorse.”

“But the newly built Beijing cannot yet fully restore that former system.”

Zhu Qizhen felt a twinge of shame.

He realized now that Beijing’s coal supply was not as scarce as he had imagined. Still, it seemed coal and firewood were often used interchangeably, and without government guidance, the replacement of firewood by coal would be a lengthy process.

Zhu Qizhen asked, “How many coal mines are there in Mentougou, and how do they extract the coal?”

Cao Jixiang said, “I have seen them. There are about a hundred, all leased coal yards. The common people go in to collect coal, tallying their share with bamboo tokens. I have calculated: each person can mine about fifty catties per day.”

“Some miners work there year-round, while others come only during the off-seasons from farming.”

Zhu Qizhen pondered this for some time before understanding.

Even if these mines are not open-pit, the coal must lie shallow. Indeed, for the locals, this is only a sideline.

Zhu Qizhen did not need to recall the situation of Beijing’s coal mines in later ages; by his own judgment, these mines would one day flourish.

For the population of Beijing would only grow.

And the available firewood around Beijing would only decrease.

Zhu Qizhen asked, “Is coal from Mentougou taxed?”

Cao Jixiang replied, “No. A modest gate tax is collected when the coal enters the city, but nothing more.”

Zhu Qizhen said, “Does our dynasty not tax mining?”

Cao Jixiang’s heart gave a slight jolt. He said, “Your Majesty, currently only the government may operate mines. When you ascended the throne, the Grand Empress Dowager suspended all nonessential affairs, including all gold, silver, and copper mines throughout the realm.”

“All the eunuchs stationed at those mines have been recalled.”

Zhu Qizhen, surprised, asked, “Is that so?”

Only recently had he begun to grasp the workings of government. When he first took the throne, he had only a vague understanding of many matters.

He had no idea that the so-called suspension of nonessential affairs by the Grand Empress Dowager included this.

Wang Zhen hurried to explain in Zhu Qizhen’s ear.

Zhu Qizhen then understood—this had always been the Ming court’s policy, not merely the Grand Empress Dowager’s decision.

Zhu Yuanzhang believed that food and agriculture were paramount; all else was secondary. As long as there was enough, that sufficed. During Zhu Yuanzhang’s reign, mining was suspended more than once.

Whenever the court needed more weapons, mines were opened for iron; once there was enough, the mines were abandoned. Even in Beijing, the iron mine at Zunhua was operated intermittently.

Private mining was not permitted.

This stemmed from the lessons of the fallen Yuan dynasty.

The consensus was that the Yuan fell because the government was too lax.

Lacking proper control over the people, the Yuan gathered too many laborers to repair the Yellow River, which led to the rise of the Red Turban Army.

Thus, the Ming strictly regulated all gatherings of commoners, and mining, which brought together countless able-bodied men working side by side, was especially suspect.

With weapons, such a group could form an army in an instant.

Not to mention that miners could forge their own weapons.

With this in mind, the Ming dynasty’s attitude toward private mining is easy to imagine.

But some things cannot be stopped by prohibition alone.

The needs of the people will always find someone to meet them. In fact, Zhu Qizhen did not realize that at this moment, private mining was rapidly expanding, though the government only recognized official mining operations and rarely taxed the private sector.

Iron mining, in particular, was booming. Mentougou was but a microcosm.

For a moment, Zhu Qizhen was at a loss for words.

He took careful note of the situation, but now was not the time to interfere—not least because he was unsure whether there was even an office specializing in mining administration.

In Han times, such matters belonged to the Lesser Treasury.

But now, under whose authority did they fall? The Ministry of Works, or the inner court? And if the inner court, which office exactly?

Zhu Qizhen asked, “Can ordinary people afford coal from Mentougou?”

Cao Jixiang replied, “In my opinion, most cannot.”

“Why?”

“Though firewood is scarce near Beijing, there are still scraps of brush and trees here and there, and many people grow trees in their own yards. For them, it is easier to expend a little labor than to purchase coal.”

Zhu Qizhen said, “I was mistaken.”

For the truly poor, labor costs nothing, but coal must be bought.

Anything that must be bought is unaffordable.

Zhu Qizhen had never visited Mentougou, but he imagined the mines used the most primitive methods, with no possibility of large-scale industrial production. The price of coal was probably similar to that of firewood.

Thus, who could afford to buy coal? People would rather gather and store bundles of firewood during shortages than buy coal.

To replace all the firewood in Beijing with coal was not a simple task.