People still preferred charcoal, while poor households burned firewood directly. So although this was ancient times, truth be told, wherever people gathered, the surrounding land was stripped bare.
The south was better off, but in many places north of the Yangtze River, enormous amounts of timber and labor had to be spent on keeping warm once autumn and winter arrived.
If the north could put coal to use, its economic development would not be slower than the south's.
Pan Yun said, "The Ministry of Works is already looking for ways to process coal. There will be progress before long."
She paused, then said softly, "Whether coal is to be used for heating, generating electricity, or even more purposes, it must be processed. Nurgan Commandery stretches north to beyond the Outer Khingan Range, and this land is rich in mineral deposits. Second Brother, the Jurchens are one of the Ming Dynasty's minority peoples. They voluntarily submitted back then. After you go there, manage the place well, so they can live good lives relying on the land of their homeland—and so they will long to live well in their native land."
A gleam flashed through Pan Yu's eyes, and he nodded hard. "Younger Sister, tell me how to find coal mines. Once I reach Nurgan Commandery, I can find the coal mines and tell them this is good stuff."
With a swish, Pan Yun pulled out two books and stuffed them into his hands. "I prepared them for you long ago. The books not only explain how to find coal mines, but also simple methods of extraction and use. Still, for usage methods, I suggest you use the ones later published by the Ministry of Works. The coal ore in these books has basically not been processed, and the methods are too