Chapter 149: A Golden Sun Rises Over The Northern Frontier
Three days after Li Xiao married Xiao Yanyan, he bid farewell to Xiao Simo, mounted his warhorse, and with a flick of his reins, his army, vast and mighty, advanced towards Jin Prefecture.
When they arrived, Li Xiao’s cavalry had advanced like a fierce gale, reaching the Eastern Capital in just three days, like lightning.
However, this return journey was like an old ox burdened, progressing with difficulty, taking a full ten days.
The reason for this was the large number of slaves dragging down the marching speed.
“We’re finally back.”
Ten days later, Li Xiao gazed at the crystal-clear lake at the edge of the horizon, and couldn’t help but sigh softly.
The shimmering waves danced under the sunlight; this was Dragon Bone Lake.
It was like a long-awaited old friend, carrying familiarity and peace.
After passing Dragon Bone Lake and traveling another dozen miles, they could see the familiar outline of Hexi Fort.
And as Li Xiao was musing, a Khitan general in leather armor rode up from not far away.
“Governor.”
“Governor Bali,” Li Xiao chuckled and nodded in response.
“Governor, we have now arrived in Jin Prefecture. This subordinate plans to take the people to settle in Big Black Mountain first.”
Hearing this, Li Xiao waved his hand and said, “Hexi Fort is just ahead.”
“No matter what, come to my home for a visit first.”
“Allow me to fulfill my duty as a host.”
Facing Li Xiao’s enthusiastic invitation, Bali’ala smiled wryly and shook his head, “No.”
“It would be too much trouble for you, Governor, to accommodate this thousand households here. We will arrange for them at Big Black Mountain first.”
“Then, this subordinate will specifically come to pay his respects to you.”
Hearing this, Li Xiao no longer insisted.
He nodded lightly and said, “Have you spoken to the Princess?”
“Not yet, I was just about to go and ask for the Princess’s instructions.”
“It’s good to settle the herdsmen first. After a few days, I will host a banquet at Hexi Fort to welcome Governor Bali.”
Bali’ala nodded with a smile upon hearing this, “Alright, it’s settled then.”
“I’ve heard for a long time that there is fine wine in Hexi Fort called ‘Western Wind Fierce’.”
“At that time, this subordinate will savor it properly.”
Li Xiao laughed heartily, “Drink as much as you like.”
“If you like it, I’ll send a few carts for you to take away.”
Although Li Xiao had become the Governor of Jin Prefecture, according to the rules, Xiao Simo appointed another Deputy Governor.
It was Bali’ala.
In fact, given Bali’ala’s seniority and ability, he was fully qualified to compete for the position of North Sea Governor.
However, due to mistakenly trusting Xiao Lintta, his army suffered a night raid from the Kangli people.
Therefore, the position of North Sea Governor was not meant for him, and he was instead appointed as the Deputy Governor of Jin Prefecture.
It was a form of demotion.
At the same time, accompanying him to Jin Prefecture were five hundred households of Khitan herdsmen and five hundred households from other tribes in the Yin Mountains.
Bali’ala also concurrently held the position of Chiliarch for these thousand households of herdsmen.
But in reality, these thousand households of herdsmen were Xiao Yanyan’s dowry from Xiao Simo.
And they were also the backing for Xiao Yanyan in Jin Prefecture.
Although Li Xiao could command this force in his capacity as Governor, fundamentally, these thousand households of herdsmen were Xiao Yanyan’s private army.
This was because the Khitan people had a tradition of Empresses commanding troops.
During the Liao State period, they were called the Shan Cong Army, and in the Western Liao period, they were called the Feng Bu Pishi Army.
The force currently under Xiao Yanyan’s command was called the Black Mountain Chiliarchy Army.
This was because Li Xiao had settled them in a grassland north of Jin Prefecture, near Big Black Mountain.
After pausing briefly on the west bank of Dragon Bone Lake, Li Xiao and Xiao Yanyan watched Bali’ala lead his people away, and then they took their retinue back to Hexi Fort.
“I’m truly sorry, Aman.”
“The house is too old and hasn’t been tidied up yet.”
“It’s really a hardship for you to stay here.”
Before they even reached home, Qin Dani, with an awkward expression, held Xiao Yanyan’s hand and said.
The main reason was the tight schedule; upon receiving Li Xiao’s notification, the Li family members immediately went to the Eastern Capital.
They hadn’t had time to tidy up the courtyard at home.
They were still living in the old house, which made Qin Dani feel very embarrassed.
After all, Xiao Yanyan was a Princess, and it was really an imposition for her to live in such a place.
However, Xiao Yanyan smiled freely and quickly comforted Qin Dani, “It’s fine, Mother.”
“The house is good, there’s no need to trouble yourself so much.”
“I don’t mind, as long as there’s a place to live.”
Xiao Yanyan herself had experienced hardship and did not have high demands for food and lodging.
She even felt that as long as Li Xiao was there, she wouldn’t mind living in a tent every day.
However, the Old Master shook his head and said, “When a new bride enters the family, she should be treated as such.”
“Otherwise, others will say that our Li family is impolite.”
Saying this, he looked at Xiao Yanyan and said, “You’ll have to make do with staying at home for these few days.”
“I’ll find someone right away to quickly build another large courtyard.”
“It’s okay, Grandfather~”
As Xiao Yanyan was about to refuse, Li Xiao interrupted her.
“Grandfather, Aman, you don’t need to worry about the new house.”
“I will arrange it.”
Li Xiao also supported building a new house.
It wasn’t for personal enjoyment, but because the old house was simply too small to accommodate everyone.
After all, Xiao Yanyan wasn’t coming alone this time.
She also had several personal maidservants, a few female attendants, and over a dozen guards.
The Li family’s houses simply couldn’t fit everyone.
Thus, Li Xiao tidied up the house briefly and had the attendants stay in tents in the courtyard to make do for a while.
The next day, Li Xiao left Hexi Fort with his men.
They traveled southeast and arrived on a plain.
This place was about thirty li from Hexi Fort, and less than ten li north was the Dragon Bone River.
The terrain was flat, and as far as the eye could see, there were scattered low shrubs and vegetation like ox tendon grass and sea buckthorn grass.
“This place is rather desolate.”
“Why aren’t crops planted here?” Xiao Yanyan asked, looking at the plain while riding her horse.
Logically speaking, wherever there was land, the Han people would want to cultivate crops.
Why was it bare here?
“Because Jin Prefecture does not lack land that can be cultivated, and the soil here is too barren,” Li Xiao replied.
Jin Prefecture could be considered sparsely populated, with dozens of li between the fortresses.
And the population of Jin Prefecture was very small; they couldn’t even cultivate all the land around these fortresses.
The Han people wouldn’t bother going to other places to reclaim wasteland.
Moreover, the land beneath Li Xiao’s feet was significantly more barren than the land around Hexi Fort.
The soil quality was poor, and it was mostly gravel and sand, with scattered stones.
Reclaiming such land would require a great deal of manpower and resources.
It was entirely not worth it.
“Then why are we here?” Xiao Yanyan asked curiously.
Li Xiao smiled faintly, “I plan to build a new city here.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yanyan was instantly astonished.
“A new city?”
Li Xiao nodded heavily, “That’s right.”
“Jin Prefecture should have a city.”
A city’s role was more than just a place to live; it was also a spiritual pillar for the people.
The city represented Jin Prefecture.
As long as the city was not captured, Jin Prefecture would not fall.
The belief in the hearts of the people of Jin Prefecture would not waver.
Therefore, Li Xiao’s purpose in establishing a new city was to rally the people and give the people of Jin Prefecture a sense of belonging.
After listening to Li Xiao’s explanation, Xiao Yanyan nodded silently.
“Indeed, it’s time to build a city.”
After this war, Jin Prefecture had a large number of artisans, many slaves, and an abundance of money and copper coins. Manpower and material resources were all plentiful.
It was indeed the time to build a city.
Moreover, the location Li Xiao chose was also good; it was open all around, close to a water source, centrally located within Jin Prefecture, and convenient for transportation.
If this city were built, it would indeed greatly establish the dignity of Jin Prefecture.
“The initial city doesn’t need to be very large; it only needs to accommodate a population of twenty thousand people.”
“The most important thing is to move our workshops here.”
Li Xiao spoke enthusiastically about his plans for the city.
Build shops along the streets to develop commerce.
Designate specialized residential areas and industrial zones.
Move the textile shops, wine shops, and workshops that Li Xiao planned to build in the future all here.
In the future, this would be a city of industry and commerce, becoming the absolute core of Jin Prefecture.
Finally, Li Xiao pointed to the land and said in a deep voice.
“Dragon City!”
“Its name shall be Dragon City!”
The City of the Rising Dragon!
Afterward, Li Xiao summoned a group of artisans and discussed city construction with them.
Since it was a city built from scratch, many future factors had to be considered from the very beginning of its construction.
“Two main roads will be designated within the city, connecting the east, west, north, and south gates.”
“These two main roads must be widened, wide enough to allow twenty horses to travel side-by-side simultaneously.”
“The regulations for houses within the city must also be consistent, and each street should be laid out horizontally and vertically.”
……
Listening to Li Xiao’s requirements, Carpenter Old Li and the others all nodded, indicating they had no issues.
However, it would require a long time and a lot of manpower and resources.
“Time can be extended, but you can only have three thousand people,” Li Xiao said.
These were the three thousand Han prisoners of war whom Li Xiao had assigned to build the new city.
However, Li Xiao had other important uses for the more than twenty thousand non-Han prisoners of war.
While city construction was important, it was not as important as military preparedness.
The next day, Li Xiao left with his men and caught up with Li Erjiang.
Upon returning to Hexi Fort, Li Erjiang only briefly visited home and did not linger, instead leading his men to escort over twenty thousand prisoners of war and all the blacksmiths, continuing their journey towards Golden Mountain.
They traveled fifty li per day.
Li Xiao caught up in half a day.
A few days later, they entered the mountains, moving intermittently, and finally arrived by the Bala River.
The Bala River is a tributary of the Irtysh River. Li Xiao knew of it primarily because the Mengku Iron Mine was located in the area it flowed through.
The Mengku Iron Mine is the largest iron mine in western Huaxia, with extremely high reserves of iron ore, and it is all open-pit, making it relatively easy to mine.
At this moment, Li Xiao stood by the Bala River, dismounted, and picked up a stone from the riverbank.
It was a crimson stone, with sharp edges, revealing a semi-metallic luster, and covered in layers of stripes.
“This is iron ore!” Xiao Yanyan exclaimed.
After marrying Li Xiao, she had naturally begun to see herself as the mistress of Jin Prefecture.
With nothing else to do, she had followed Li Xiao to Golden Mountain again.
Of course, the most important reason was to keep Li Xiao close and prevent him from having opportunities with other women.
She, Xiao Yanyan, had to give birth to the legitimate eldest son.
Li Xiao weighed it in his hand and nodded, “To be precise, this is hematite ore!”
The scientific name for hematite is iron(III) oxide, with an iron content of seventy percent.
Compared to other iron ores, hematite has the advantage of containing less sulfur and phosphorus, which is very beneficial for smelting.
This is because sulfur affects the hot brittleness of steel, and phosphorus affects the cold brittleness of steel.
In short, hematite is an excellent raw material for iron smelting.
Looking around, the entire mountain range was composed of this crimson stone, as if one were in a mysterious world ignited by the flames of war.
Where the rock faces were exposed, layers of hematite were stacked, and as far as the eye could see, the continuous mountain range was stained crimson, like a winding, dormant crimson giant dragon lying across the land.
Li Xiao had no idea how much iron ore was here.
He only knew that this was the largest iron ore vein in western Huaxia.
The exposed mountainsides were only a small part of the ore veins; more iron ore lay buried underground.
“Second Uncle, arrange for the slaves to mine iron ore.”
“Understood!”
“I’ll have them start right away!” Li Erjiang said with a heavy nod.
He naturally understood the significance of this iron ore vein to Jin Prefecture.
Frankly speaking, warfare in the current era was essentially a war of steel.
Whichever side had sharper weapons, sturdier armor, and more warhorses would directly determine the outcome of the war.
With this iron ore vein, combined with the large number of artisans plundered from Kuyun-Ordu, Jin Prefecture’s iron smelting industry would develop at a rapid pace.
There would be a continuous supply of steel to equip the officers and soldiers of the Jin Prefecture Army.
However, iron ore alone was not enough; iron smelting required something else.
Coke!
Afterward, Li Xiao led his men deeper into the Golden Mountain.
They crossed the pass and entered the eastern side of Jinshan.
This area originally belonged to the Naiman people, and in later generations, it was part of the Mongol Empire.
But now, it had been incorporated into Jin Prefecture’s jurisdiction.
Under the guidance of an old Naiman herdsman, Li Xiao and his group arrived at a mountain valley.
The land here was a dark color.
After digging down for a short while, pieces of stone with a dark sheen were exposed.
The old Naiman herdsman said with awe, “Lord, these black stones are very strange. Years ago, someone took them to burn these black stones, and then people inexplicably died, one after another, in terrible ways.”
“Since then, our tribe has avoided this place from afar. Even livestock get restless when passing through here; it must be that these black stones are cursed.”
As he spoke of this, the old herdsman’s voice trembled, his face slowly turned pale, and he staggered backward, his eyes filled with fear.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiao lightly shook his head and smiled.
Cursed stones?
It was clearly coal!
The reason the Naiman people died after burning coal was that they had sealed their tents too tightly, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning.
With proper ventilation, there would be no problem.
Li Xiao had heard about these stones from the Naiman people under his command, and immediately realized that there might be a coal mine here, so he brought his men to inspect it personally.
Now, he recalled.
This coal mine was also quite famous in later generations. Because it was in the Mongol language, he couldn’t remember the name.
But he knew it was one of the largest open-pit coking coal mines in the Mongol Empire.
Coking coal mines were the highest quality coal mines for coke production.
“Fourth Uncle, I will transfer ten thousand slaves from the iron mine to dig for coal. This coal mine will be your responsibility.”
“Guard it well!” Li Xiao said with a serious tone.
“Don’t worry,” Li Sishui replied with a firm nod.
After Li Xiao subdued Xiao Lintta’s two thousand Jin Prefecture Army soldiers, he had appointed Li Sishui as one of the chiliarchs.
For the next month, he would lead men to construct the coal mine and supervise ten thousand slaves digging for coal.
“In one month, I will send people to replace you and let you go home to rest.”
“Also, tell the officers and soldiers that for staying here for a month, each person will receive a reward of ten gold coins,” Li Xiao said.
The soldiers under Li Erjiang and Li Sishui’s command had just returned to Jin Prefecture, and without even time to go home, they were escorting slaves to Jinshan.
They had indeed worked hard.
Li Xiao could not be inhumane.
Therefore, he could only reward them more materially.
Ten gold coins were roughly equivalent to ten taels of silver or ten strings of copper coins.
Li Xiao paid his workshop workers an average of two taels of silver per month.
A fivefold wage was fitting for these soldiers.
Of course, this was only for the first month, a special circumstance. The next group to replace them would certainly not receive this much.
Subsequently, Li Sishui began setting up strongholds near the mountain valley while dispatching soldiers to escort the ten thousand slaves to the coal mine.
Soon, simple camps were set up in the valley, fences were erected, and sentry posts were established to prevent outsiders from spying and, more importantly, to prevent the slaves from escaping.
In this manner, the excavation of the coal mine and iron mine commenced successively.
The problem of raw materials for iron smelting was solved; the remaining issue was technology.
Coke production.
While coal could be used for iron smelting, it contained many impurities, resulting in low-quality iron.
The best raw materials were charcoal or coke.
To convert coal into coke required further refinement.
A specially designated area within the camp was set aside and protected by soldiers.
Li Xiao led his men to search the surrounding areas, found refractory clay, and ordered artisans to fire it into refractory bricks.
Half a month later, a tall and sturdy coke oven finally stood before everyone.
Built with thick, refractory bricks, it was rectangular in shape, with multiple shelves inside the kiln body for placing coal.
Li Xiao ordered the mined coal to be placed inside the kiln dwellings, then ignited them. Through the ventilation holes reserved on the side of the kiln body, the air intake was carefully regulated to allow the coal to burn slowly.
During the burning process, the volatile components in the coal gradually volatilized.
After a few days, when the coal was completely carbonized, coke was successfully produced.
Li Xiao held two still-warm pieces of coke in his hand, tapping them against each other, and heard a low “puff puff” sound.
“It’s done!”
Li Xiao smiled with satisfaction; this was the sound.
He then said to the artisans around him,
“Build a few more kilns.”
“Burn them like this.”
“It’s actually quite simple; you just need to pay attention to the heat and ventilation to produce coke.”
…
At that moment, Li Xiao felt as if he had become an omnipotent sun.
He held the knowledge of the entire universe in his chest, capable of providing precise guidance in any field.
While some were merely acting the part, Li Xiao was genuinely knowledgeable.
It couldn’t be helped; although he wasn’t a professional, he was indeed a bit superior to the artisans of this era in this regard.
“Old Wu, I’m entrusting the coke production to you.”
“Get it done, don’t disappoint me.”
Li Xiao said to an artisan.
These artisans were mostly from Kuyun-Ordu, and were essentially Li Xiao’s slaves, completely bound to him.
Li Xiao had no fear of them leaking his coke-making skills.
Anyone who dared to leak it would have their entire family executed.
“Governor, don’t worry, I will not disappoint you.” The man speaking was named Wu Lao Wu.
He was Li Xiao’s most outstanding disciple in the coke production industry.
Although he himself was not particularly outstanding, coke production was a matter of practice makes perfect.
With a few more failures, one could grasp the pattern.
Li Xiao could only entrust this group of artisans to his management.
There was only one requirement: produce enough coke.
…
In this way, all matters concerning the coal mine were arranged.
Li Sishui was in charge, leading a thousand soldiers to guard the area, while the Naiman people from the Huormar Tribe grazed their livestock a dozen miles away.
Ten thousand slaves dug for coal, and Wu Lao Wu, with over fifty artisans, refined the mined coal into coke and then transported it away.
The coke problem was solved.
On the way back, as Xiao Yanyan walked along the undulating mountain road, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of emotion.
“The mountain road is difficult, but fortunately, the packhorses can still pass.”
“Otherwise, even if the coke were produced, it couldn’t be transported to Jin Prefecture.”
Li Xiao nodded slightly; the saying “to become rich, first build roads” was indeed a golden maxim.
The coal mine and iron mine were located on opposite sides of Jinshan, separated by half a mountain, making transportation a huge issue.
Horse carriages were out of the question; they could only rely on cattle, horses, and camels to transport it batch by batch.
Although troublesome and inefficient, there was no other way for now, as there were no other coal mines within Jin Prefecture.
There were some in the Eastern Capital, but Li Xiao couldn’t reach them.
“How was it? Are you tired from running around with me these past few days?” Li Xiao asked.
“No!” Xiao Yanyan shook her head lightly.
“I haven’t done any work, so how could I be tired?”
Xiao Yanyan had grown up as a nomadic herder and was accustomed to traveling.
Her physical fitness was excellent.
Rather, she found it interesting, as she had seen so many novel things.
“Husband, I’ve discovered you’re truly amazing; you know so many things.”
“You even understand how to burn coke.”
“I really don’t know what you *don’t* understand,” Xiao Yanyan said, riding her horse and looking at Li Xiao, her face showing a look of admiration.
She seemed like a young fan.
Hearing this, Li Xiao knew she was deliberately trying to please him and provide emotional value.
He playfully flicked her forehead.
“Naughty.”
“It’s just burning coke! It’s nothing.”
“Next, I’ll show you how your husband smelts iron,” Li Xiao chuckled.
To smelt a large amount of steel, relying solely on the previous crucible smelting would not suffice.
Li Xiao needed to employ more advanced technology.
Blast furnace iron smelting!
In short, he, Li the Golden Sun, knew everything.
