Chapter 18： Turned out to be a coal mine

After returning to the Huffman Manor, Marin settled down five kittens, and began to house the four fishermen. These fishermen have been fishing at the beach for generations.

However, the families are out of luck. They are the fishing boat of the family overturned at sea (a fishing boat bought by 4 families). You know, fishing boats are the most important property of fishermen. The disappearance of the fishing boat is tantamount to the collapse of this home. Boats are expensive for the average fisherman. The absence of a fishing boat is tantamount to hopelessness for the whole family. Although they survived by adept water, the hunger in their home was unavoidable.

Seeing bankruptcy looming, Marin came to recruit fishermen. The desperate family of four simply followed Marin ...

Marin helped them build a house by the river and settled down four families. But the problem comes-they don't have fishing boats ...

The four family members brought fishing nets for fishing.

Originally, according to the wishes of the four families, they wanted to ask Marin to help them buy a Hansa speedboat that they were skilled in driving—a dhow dhow. However, Marin considered that inland rivers are different from the open sea. The wind is strong at sea, and sails can drive ships. But in the river, there are often no wind or breeze. By then, the sailboat would be dumbfounded.

风 A large "inland sea" like the Mediterranean also often has no wind. Therefore, the Venetians and Genoas are popular for paddle sailing. When the wind is driven by the sail, the sailors paddle together when there is no wind ...

Although the Ruuru River is not small, it is not large. It would be a waste to introduce Italian paddle boats for fishing. After much deliberation, Marin decided to use the Oriental's inland watercraft, a rocker.

The sway barge is generally small, with a displacement of no more than a dozen tons. However, rocking a barge has a great advantage-it is labor saving.

The archaic saying goes: "One paddle and three paddles", which means that shaking a paddle is equivalent to paddling three times. But the invention of the Orientals is also very scientific. His advanced point is that the stern plate is rearward, similar to the ship propellers of later generations. The paddles are left and right, and it is more laborious to row.

He Malin brought in several shipbuilding craftsmen in the nearby town and spent several days working together to build a small wooden boat with a displacement of about five or six tons and a sampan. Not only that, Marin also made the craftsman to build a black awning on the boat, which is convenient for sheltering from the rain. Some are similar to the black awning of Zhejiang.

I said honestly, although Marin knew what Captain Shake was like, he didn't shake Shaw himself. So when he started to give people demonstrations, the ships were swaying and sometimes spinning. Fortunately, the Frisian fishermen he recruited were more talented than him. A few days later, Marin didn't master how to shake the demonstration. The Frisian fisherman did master how to shake it, which made Marin very ashamed.

Afterwards, a few Frisian fishermen began to navigate the barge on the Ruhr River and cast their nets for fishing. It seems that no one in this era catches inland fish. Therefore, the harvest of several fishermen is great. Several hundred pounds of various inland fish can be returned with each fishing.

As the lord of the asylum family, Huffman's family got half of them, and it was the first choice. But what made Marin speechless was that the old Huffman and others (except Mrs. Mary) seemed to be eating fish for the first time. Both the old Huffman and Adler were caught by fishbone and were sore in pain. Fortunately, the three children were not stuck.

After the two mermaid thorns were thought out, Mrs. Mary resolutely ordered that the children should only eat meat without thorns on the belly of the fish. The rest of it was given to Mrs. Mary, a man who grew up on the beach. As a Frisian, Mrs. Mary grew up from a snack fish and was naturally not stabbed. From then on, the Huffman family ate fish, and Mrs. Mary wrapped a lot of meat on the spine's spine. As for the meat and fish roe on the belly, they are divided by others.

Marin also displayed a handful of oriental cooking that is said to have learned from "Daxian Einstein" and made a lot of delicious meals using a Chinese iron pot customized from a blacksmith shop. For example, fish, although there is no balsamic vinegar, but there is apple cider vinegar in Europe, so Marin made a sweet and sour fish, which is called a delicious. Before the sweet and sour fish comes out of the pan, the drool of the younger brothers and sisters has become a long river ...

But Marin also has depression-Europe is hard to find ginger, onions and garlic. However, the taste is not so authentic.

I was so shocked by Marin that in this era, **** was regarded as a precious spice imported from the East, which was expensive. Although not as precious as extremely expensive spices such as cloves and nutmeg, they are also expensive. According to the old Huffman, in the northern part of Germany, a pound of **** is generally worth 8 shillings (96 Finneys), and in some inaccessible places, you can change a sheep ...

羊 A sheep has dozens of pounds of meat. According to 2 fenny a pound of mutton (wholesale purchase price), it is also worth dozens of fenny, which is about one hundred fenny, which is too expensive to die! In fact, taking into account the value of wool and sheepskin, a sheep is estimated at about 160 Finneys, which is almost 1 mark.

(Note: Before the rise of Ottoman Turkey, Europe ’s land trade with the East was still very smooth. Therefore, spices were not particularly expensive at that time. But after the rise of Ottoman Turkey, it began to block the land trade route, making European spices prices crazy. For example, in the early Middle Ages, the price of **** was only 2 shillings per pound. However, the price of spices began to skyrocket because of the Turks' obstruction. After Turkey destroyed the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt, the land trade roads were basically isolated. It can only be obtained by the Portuguese sea route. By the time of Elizabeth I, the price of **** generally rose to the point of a pound of **** for a sheep.)

Not to mention the ginger, after the Huffman family ate the oriental cuisine made by Marin, each of them ate mouthfuls of oil and could not care about the image.

Mrs. Marie seemed to realize the value of this oriental culinary art. She learned oriental culinary art with Marin herself and planned to open a restaurant in the city.

But Marin strongly disagreed:

"Mom, I know that using this magical oriental cooking will definitely make money. But have you ever thought about it? If there are such delicious meals, those nobles will let it go? They will definitely think of a way How to take away this oriental culinary skill. By then, this may not be the luck of the Huffman family, but a huge disaster. After all, the Huffman family is only the nobility of the bottom of the empire ... "

As soon as Marlin said, the wise lady Mary reacted. Born into a large noble family, she naturally knew the aunts of the aristocracy. His son was right. His family was only the lowest-level aristocracy, and he couldn't bear the pressure. The Baron Bochum above them just let them hand over the recipe for cooking, and the Huffman family couldn't resist ...

In the end, Mrs. Mary decided that this kind of cooking was in her own hands, and it was limited to cooking for her family ...

Uh ...

On this day, Marin, who was full and satiated, decided to take a look at the back of his territory ...

Strange to say, the Huffman family ’s 1,000-acre enclosure, in addition to 200 acres on the Ruhr River, and other 800-acre hilly areas, not only failed to grow crops, but also trees did not grow, and weeds grew poorly.

So, Marin decided to go to Houshan to study and see why the hills and hills of Houshan are so barren ...

Although Ma Lin is not a geologist, as a history student, he is not bad. Not to mention that soil problems can be studied, but some simple common sense is still known.

马 Under Marin's leadership, several strong young men in Kahn followed Marin to the back mountain area to dig soil for Marin's sampling inspection.

After inspection, Marin found that the land seems to be somewhat salinized in the hilly area of ​​the back mountain. Therefore, the land here is very barren and the plants are not growing well.

This gives Marin a little bit of excitement. He doubts whether there is a salt mine underground here ...

怀疑 This doubt is not without reason. Bochum is a well-known mining city in later generations, with rich underground mineral reserves. Perhaps there was a salt mine buried under Huffman's estate.

You know, salt prices were very expensive in the Middle Ages. How expensive is it? In the Middle Ages, as an island nation, the price of salt was relatively cheap, at 4 shillings (approximately 48 fennies) per quart (12.7 kg) (equivalent to 1.7 fennies / pence a pound). And in continental Europe, except in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean, the salt prices are much higher than in Britain.

In the German region, the salt price in the northern coastal areas is around 2.5 fennes per pound. Inland areas, like Bochum, are only a few hundred miles away from the sea, about 3 Finneys a pound. Further inland areas further south, salt prices can be as high as 5 fennies per pound.

If a salt mine can be found under the Huffman Manor, it is basically no different from the discovery of a silver mine. Baihuahua's salt can be exchanged for Baihuahua's silver, and it doesn't worry about selling. The Duke of Luneburg, relying on the salt mine in Luneburg, became the famous duke of the German region.

With enthusiasm for searching for salt mines, Marin commanded a few of Kahn, using Chinese shovel, and started digging in Houshan ...

After digging a lot, finally, in a small hilly valley in Houshan, a few meters deep underground, Kahn dug out a **** of black **** ...

"This is ... coal ..." Marin opened his mouth in surprise ...

I did not expect the salt mine, but found coal ...

Marin thought about it, but also felt normal. Where is Bochum? Ruhr area. The Huffman estate is on the banks of the Ruhr. In the Ruhr area, coal mines are everywhere, and the hills behind the Huffman Manor dug out coal, which is normal.

But coal was not as valuable as salt in the Middle Ages, nor was it very popular ...

why? Normally, everyone must eat salt. But coal does not have to be used. Coal can be used as fuel, and so can firewood. In those areas far from coal mines, instead of taking the boss's mind to transport coal from a distant place, it would be better to pick some firewood on site as fuel.

Unless it is in the city, whether it is firewood or coal, it must be brought in from the outside. Moreover, transportation in this city must be convenient, and transportation in coal mines must be convenient.

Now it is the Middle Ages, not the age of the steam engine that consumes amazing coal. Plus there are coal mines everywhere in the Ruhr area. Therefore, coal mines are not so valuable.

But then again, the Houman family's back mountain was originally a ruined and abandoned place. Now anyway, there are coal mines too, so we don't waste this place.

全 When the whole family learned that there was a coal mine in Houshan, they were very happy. Right now, although coal is not very valuable, it can still be sold. Moreover, Huffman Estate is right by the Ruhr River. At that time, as long as a pier is built on the river Ruhr, coal can be shipped by ship. The Ruhr River crosses the Rhine, and can reach many cities, and transportation is very convenient.

Alas, the price of coal is not really high right now. One Charteron coal (288 gallons, weighing about 1.5 to 1.7 tons) retails for only 3 shillings (36 Finnes) in the Ruhr area. Even if it is sold in the big cities on the Rhine, it is only about 5 shillings. For salt, one quart (12.7 kg) can be sold for at least 4 shillings. Therefore, coal and salt are incomparable.

不管 But anyway, Huffman Manor is convenient for water transportation, digging out coal and selling it to various cities can still make money. Old Huffman invited a professional miner to make an assessment. Assessed, the hilly area behind the Huffman estate is full of coal. Moreover, they are all first-class coal. It is estimated that it is not a problem to dig out millions of charlotons. These estimated coals can be mined to a depth of no more than 100 meters. As for the ones below 100 meters, the medieval technology is still difficult to dig. Not to mention, deep well drainage alone is a big problem. The British in the 18th century, UU reading invented the steam engine in order to pump deep water in the well. The watt steam engine is actually perfected on the basis of the coal mine pumping steam engine, and it is not the first invention.

Because of the discovery of the coal mine, the old Huffmans and Marin started an urgent discussion on how to mine coal and transport and sell it.

First of all, the Huffman family must definitely go outside to recruit a group of serfs to become miners. Now there are more serfs in the manor. The main reason is that there are many children in serfdom families, and the serfs required by the manor are limited. Therefore, every year, the manor will drive away some extra serfs. These serfs were forced to work as laborers in the city or in the mines, just like Huffman's Manor. Marin knew that mining underground was dangerous. Huffman's coal mine is obviously an underground coal mine. Although not buried deep, it is also underground, not open-air. And going down the mine is dangerous. Coal mines often explode and collapse. Therefore, Marin was unwilling to use the serfs of the manor as coal miners. Therefore, recruiting people outside is the best option.

Then there is the issue of transportation. After the mine is excavated, a track is laid, and the mine cart is pulled along the track to the Ruhr River. This distance also looks about two kilometers away. After being drawn to the Ruhr River, the Huffman family will also build a dock for mooring merchant ships to pull coal.

The Huffman family itself does not have a merchant ship, so we can only contact those middlemen and let them come to the dock to pull coal. Of course, in this case, the Huffman family can get up to 2 shillings for each Charteron coal. But even so, it can greatly increase the income of the Huffman family. After all, pure farming does not earn much.

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