Before the Song Dynasty, there was only the word "mian" next to silk in China, and there was no word "mian" next to wood. The word "mian" only began to appear from the "Book of Song". It can be seen that at least before that, cotton was not used in the word "cotton".
Large-scale cultivation in the Central Plains only appeared in the border areas.
In ancient times, cotton was called Gubei, and finely woven cloth was called Baidu or Baidu. However, before the Tang Dynasty, grass cotton was not known, and cotton cloth was mistaken for kapok. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the difficulty of weaving, Baidu was regarded as
Make a treasure.
Cotton is an excellent material, whether it is used to make clothes for warmth or to weave cloth.
Puquluo scratched his head and continued: "The cloth woven from this thing is light and soft, of excellent quality, and the price is also very expensive. It is very popular among the nobles of the Western Regions. However, the silk wadding is mixed with seeds.
It's very difficult to remove, so it's very troublesome to make, and production is extremely rare."
"It doesn't matter." Fang Jun held the riding whip in his hand and knocked on the saddle twice, smiling so hard that he couldn't see his eyes: "What... is this thing called?"
"Baidiezi."
"Hmm, can the planting range be extensive?"
"Not much." Puquluo shook his head and said: "Although the silk floss produced by this thing is expensive to weave into cloth, it is difficult to remove the seeds, so the yield is extremely low. It is only made by every household during their leisure time in winter.
Weaving, no one can weave during the busy farming season.”
I heard that the output was very small, but Fang Jun didn't care much.
Cotton likes heat, good light, drought tolerance, and avoids stains. It is suitable for planting in loose and deep soil. During its growth and development, as long as there is sufficient temperature, light, water and fertilizer conditions, it can continue to grow just like perennial plants.
Long branches, long leaves, budding, flowering, boll formation, continuous growth and development, unlimited growth and strong regeneration ability.
During the life of cotton, temperature has a great influence on its growth and development, yield and product quality. In addition to temperature, cotton is very sensitive to light, relatively drought-tolerant, and afraid of waterlogging.
Cotton can be grown in most areas, south and north.
Cotton not only keeps out the cold, but the cloth it makes is more durable and softer than kudzu, and cheaper than silk. As long as it becomes popular, it will definitely be a hugely profitable business!
As for the difficulty of removing seeds?
That’s no big deal at all!
When Fang Jun was young, his grandmother had a gin used to deseed cotton...
"It is indeed troublesome to plant these white seeds. On such a good slope, we should have a variety of grass seeds and raise more cattle and sheep. However, although Gaochang is short of land, there is no shortage in the Central Plains. You will buy more cotton seeds.
When I bring it back to the Central Plains for planting, I can also make use of the uncultivated hillside wasteland."
Fang Jun said...
Where did Puquluo have this insight? He immediately beat his chest and said proudly: "What's so difficult about this? When all these white cotton seeds are harvested, the young one will buy all the cotton seeds, harvest as much as possible, and give them all to the Marquis.
!”
The cloth woven from white quilts is very expensive because the process is too troublesome and the efficiency is too low, but the white quilts themselves are not expensive, not to mention the cotton seeds that no one wants?
It's rare to be able to show off some strength for this rich man, so Puquluo naturally took over everything...
Fang Jun thought about it and estimated that the officials sent by the imperial court to take over Gaochang State would be when he got up to return to Guanzhong. He calculated the time required for the journey and found that it was probably within the last month or so.
Then he said: "In this way, I will accept this favor from you, but the sooner the better."
Puquluo was shocked: "Master Hou is leaving now? As soon as you leave, our agreement..."
Fang Jun chuckled: "I can't stay here permanently, right? Although Gaochang State is rich, it is a bit remote. You don't have to worry about the breweries and woolen mills. After returning to Chang'an, I will dispatch the most capable ones.
My servant is here to take care of this matter. There is no reason not to make money, right? Haha..."
Pouchluo thought about it, that's true.
Fang Jun is so young, he holds the position of marquis, his father is a minister of the Tang Dynasty, and he himself is the future emperor's son-in-law. He has a bright future, so how can he condescend to the small Gaochang Kingdom?
This is the real power figure of the Tang Empire in the future!
Although Puquluo is a bit naive, he is definitely not stupid. He knows that the benefits of being friends with a powerful person in the Tang Dynasty are endless. Even if he can't survive in Gaochang and his family moves to the Tang Dynasty, there will still be a strong person to take care of him.
with...
Immediately his attitude towards Fang Jun became even more affectionate.
Fang Jun ignored Puchuluo's little thoughts. He was looking forward to "developing" a cotton gin, a water-powered spinning wheel, and even a copycat spinning jenny, and then selling cotton cloth all over the world by sea, creating the Tang Empire.
The first industrial revolution…
**********
Fang Jun is now staying in a Buddhist temple in Gaochang City. It is said that Xuanzang stayed again when he traveled westward.
The reason why I did not stay temporarily in the magnificent Gaochang Palace was because I was afraid of causing unnecessary trouble. Although the two generations of Gaochang kings have all died, there are still a large number of concubines and concubines in the palace, all of whom are as beautiful as flowers and jade.
Hongfen, once some rumors are spread, you can't wash them away even if you jump into the Yellow River.
Fang Jun was not a Taoist gentleman. He could not be imitated by Liu Xiahui. He was still young and full of energy. When he met such shy and timid pink beauties, it was not impossible for him to have a romantic relationship.
However, after his western expedition to the Gaochang Kingdom, Hou Junji was convicted of wanton robbery and lost the trust of His Majesty Li Er.
Because he lost his official position, he died in depression...
Compared with those two people, Fang Jun felt that he was like the sun in the morning, still having thousands of rays of light waiting to bloom, so he would not buy himself any hidden dangers just for the sake of quick success.
Besides, he was the one who wrote the petition to impeach Hou Junji, and then he made the same mistake as Hou Junji. Do you really think His Majesty Li Er is easy to mess with?
In Gaochang in autumn, the temperature difference between day and night is huge.
There is a cool breeze at night, but it is still hot and boring during the day...
At noon, he followed Pu Quluo out of the city. Under the scorching sun, Fang Jun's originally dark face became even darker and rosier...
Fang Jun couldn't stand the heat either. If he hadn't been concerned about his image, he would have wanted to put on a bundt instead of wearing a wide robe with big sleeves and a heavy official uniform. When he returned to his residence, he couldn't wait to take off his official uniform and
I scooped a ladle of cold water into the water vat and poured it from head to toe. Then I took out the watermelon from the water vat, put it on the table and cut it open with a saber. The skin was thin and the flesh was red. Take a bite of the juicy, refreshing melon.
The flesh enters the abdomen and dispels all the heat.
"Refreshing!" Fang Jun swallowed a large piece of watermelon in several mouthfuls, burped, and leaned down on the bench comfortably...
Just as he was about to take a nap, he was awakened by the sound of rapid footsteps outside the house.
Duan Zan, dressed in armor, quickly stepped inside.
"Admiral, I have a military report at the end." Duan Zan cupped his hands in greeting and said.
Fang Jun waved his hand: "This is not a military camp, so there is no need to be polite." As he said this, he pointed to the cut watermelon on the table, so Duan Zan took it himself.
Duan Zan had been getting along with Fang Jun for a long time, and he knew that this man was always informal, casual, and did not delay, so he walked over, took a piece, and started to chew on it.
In the blink of an eye, a piece of watermelon one-third the size had entered his stomach, leaving Fang Jun stunned...
Putting aside the melon rind, Duan Zan casually wiped his mouth stained with juice, and said: "The scouts came to report that an unknown number of cavalry were found outside the Qijiaojing Pass. Judging from their movements, they should be Turkic cavalry!"
Turkic cavalry?
Fang Jun touched his chin, a little puzzled.
Ju Wentai colluded with the Western Turks and abandoned the Tang Dynasty. However, when the Tang army attacked Gaochang, the Turks never showed up, except for the time when they attacked the Shenji Camp on the bank of the Puchang Sea...
At the most critical moment, the Turks gave up their allies in Gaochang and waited for the Tang Dynasty to occupy the entire Gaochang Kingdom, but they showed up sneakily. Why? Could it be that they saw the Tang Dynasty in Gaochang Kingdom?
There are too few troops in the garrison and you want to take advantage of it?
It doesn't make sense...
The great Turkic Khan Yugushe had already fled to the desert before the war started, taking his generals and tribes with him. He was afraid that the Tang Dynasty would retaliate against him for causing trouble behind Gaochang's back and disrupting the trade routes of the Western Regions.
Although the garrison in Gaochang only left the Shenji Battalion, the combat effectiveness of the Tang army in defending the city was vastly different from that in the field. Don't the Turks understand this and want to face the Tang army once and for all?