As the sky grew brighter, Murong Defeng, who had not slept all night, returned to the Murong family's main residence in the southwest of the city with a haggard expression.

Behind him, he was followed by dozens of friends and subordinates from the firearms battalion, and twenty of them were actually members of the Murong family.

Everyone was in tattered clothes, with a fading look on their faces, and their steps faltered.

In the past, every time Murong Defeng came back, he always returned to his heart like an arrow, but this time, he didn't even dare to enter the door, and he had an urge to escape.

The second housekeeper heard the movement and hurriedly greeted him and helped him hold the horse. "The second brother is back, and the third master is waiting for you in the ancestral hall."

Murong Defeng dismounted listlessly, glanced at the porch and asked, "Why didn't you hang a mourning flag?" ”

The second housekeeper sighed and said: "Although the thirteenth brother is fifteen, he has not married, according to the etiquette, the uncles and grandparents in the family are all there, and they can't hang mourning flags." ”

He nodded, turned his head and walked into the courtyard, and the buddies who followed behind him were silent one by one and followed in.

Murong Dechang is their brother, their friend, yesterday they were still playing and frolicking together, and today they are separated by yin and yang.

At this time, no one could laugh, and after a tiring night, he didn't even have the interest to speak.

The front yard that used to be lively was deserted, and when you enter the front yard, go around the laneway from the west corner gate to the side courtyard, and go all the way inside, which is the ancestral hall of the Murong family.

Before he got closer, he heard bursts of crying, and Murong Defeng hesitated for a moment and walked forward firmly.

When they came to the entrance of the courtyard of the ancestral hall, there were only two white cloths tied to the door here, and dozens of them came over, which also alarmed the people in the courtyard.

Several women lay in front of a coffin and wept bitterly, and an old man with gray hair sat on a stone pier, with a cane in his hand and his head bowed.

Murong Defeng walked in front of the old man step by step, then knelt down with a plop and cried. "Grandma, I didn't take good care of Brother Thirteen, it's my fault, you beat me!"

The old man said calmly: "My Murong family is a family of Jiangmen, are there still few people who have sent away in this life?" Your great-grandfather, your grandfather, your father, but I sent them away. Since the thirteenth brother has entered the army, it is inevitable that the horse leather shroud will be ......"

Murong Defeng couldn't help crying. "It's my fault, it's my fault......"

Murong Yanqing strode over, grabbed Murong Defeng's neckline, pulled him up, and slapped him in the face.

"Cry what cry! The eldest husband sheds blood, sweat and tears, as a general Yuhou, a general of a battalion, followed by the Pao Ze brothers, in such a state, how can you deserve the official position on your body? ”

This slap was not light, and Murong Defeng's face immediately swollen, but it also made his heart feel a little more comfortable.

Yesterday near dinner, he still rushed to work, although it was not his main responsibility, but the firearms battalion rushed to work, and it was he who ordered it.

For this reason, he always believed that he had killed his brother.

A woman with a wide skeleton came over and said softly, "Third uncle, let them all salute the thirteenth brother......

Murong Yanqing's slap was not for Murong Dechang, but for the brothers who followed behind Murong Defeng.

Twenty-two sons and nephews of the Murong family have entered the Jinyi Guard, which represents the attitude of the Murong family.

The official position of Marquis Yu on his body is Zhao Dezhao's face to the Murong family.

But others may not be convinced, he is now a battalion general, crying and crying, what kind of system has he become?

"Sister-in-law, I just woke him up, since he has joined the army, he has to be in the army again."

This slap woke up Murong Defeng, and in the face of his mother, he knelt down and kowtowed three times. "Mother, I'm sorry for you and the third sister."

Murong Yanzhao had a wife and three concubines, gave birth to twelve sons, and lived ten, the eldest followed Murong Yanzhong to serve in the army in Cizhou, because of his age, he did not enter Jinyiwei this time.

On the side of Jinyiwei, the second Murong Defeng is the main one, and there are twenty-two cousins within four generations.

The dead Murong Dechang was the younger brother of one of his fathers, but not a mother, his mother was the third concubine, according to the custom at this time, he called his father's concubine a sister.

The third sister knelt in front of the coffin and cried heartbreakingly, even if Murong Defeng came back, it didn't distract her at all.

She gave birth to four children, except for Murong Dechang, the remaining three were daughters.

For her, when Murong Dechang died, the sky fell.

Murong Defeng came to the third sister, knelt down and kowtowed three more times, but the third sister ignored it.

"Third sister, I'm sorry for you, Hua'er now has another one in her belly, if it's a boy, I will pass him on to the thirteenth brother, and in the future, he will give incense to the thirteenth brother during the New Year's holidays, and don't let him cut off blood and food in the underworld."

The third sister, who couldn't open her crying eyes, suddenly stopped crying, and looked at Murong Defeng with wide eyes. "Is that true?"

Murong Defeng nodded. "Even if this baby is a sister, I will give birth, and I will always give birth to a brother to the thirteenth brother's heir."

The third sister suddenly collapsed on the ground and cried: "Good second brother, it's not in vain that the thirteenth brother always likes to play with you, and he likes to follow you and call the second brother from childhood to adulthood." ”

For Murong Defeng's promise, except for his lady Hua'er, who was a little reluctant, everyone else nodded again and again, thinking that he was doing the right thing.

But her grandmother, mother, uncle, and husband all agreed, and she had no room for opposition.

At this time, everyone moved the women's mourning seats aside, and let these brothers who came from the army offer incense and worship.

Murong Dechang is not yet married, although he is not an untimely death, he does not need to find a place to bury him, reincarnate, and can be buried in the ancestral grave.

But since they are not adults, the three stages of burial, funeral, and burial are all simple.

No reburial, no stopping, after death can not be left at home for a day, must be buried before noon.

Therefore, the good people who got the news also sent their juniors to come to a stick of incense before noon.

On the side of the Jiedu Embassy, Zhao Dezhao didn't practice last night, he got up before dawn in the morning, practiced internal skills for half an hour, and then practiced external skills.

When he was wielding a sword to practice martial arts, Lu Duoxun, who had not slept all night, came over from the wooden camp.

After Zhao Dezhao finished practicing, he took another shower and changed into clothes, and then he called Lu Duoxun and arranged for someone to set up a meal to eat together.

He has no prejudice against Lu Duoxun, although this person is a cowardly person and has a bad personality, but his ability is indeed very strong, otherwise, he would not have offended people all the way and sat all the way to the position of prime minister.

During the meal, he listened to Lu Duoxun's report on the situation in the carpentry camp, and yesterday there were a total of 163 dead and more than 200 wounded, plus a warehouse of saltpeter and burned wood, it can be said that the losses were heavy.

However, since the accident has already occurred, it is more important to solve the problem and strengthen prevention in the future.

Lu Duosun also gave a series of solutions, including the handling of the aftermath and compensation in all aspects.

Zhao Dezhao doesn't need him, because there is a lot of advanced enterprise management experience in later generations. But to treat the symptoms, the solution given by Lu Duosun, who belongs to the elite of this era, is very good.

Zhao Dezhao praised him, and only after eating did he tell him about cotton.

This matter can be promoted by civil affairs officials, but until the benefits are seen, the promotion of civil affairs will be very slow.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, cotton was introduced to China, and it was only in the Ming Dynasty that cotton cloth became the main consumer goods in China, and it took hundreds of years in the middle.

Lu Duoxun's current position is that of a soldier, and he communicates with all parties about the supply of chariots, horses, equipment, and fabrics to the army.

Dividing cotton as a military supply, and having a cadre like him to promote it, will be much faster.

Lu Duosun was a little incomprehensible and asked: "Stay behind, I don't know what cotton is, it should be similar to kapok, right?" Why don't you let Fu Yin promote it, but give it to your subordinates? ”

"No, cotton is more versatile than kapok, in addition to filling cotton clothes and quilts, and more importantly, it can weave cotton cloth. When planted more, the price of cotton cloth will be lower than that of silk satin. ”

"How much lower?"

There are also seven or eight kinds of silk, but the price is roughly not more than twice as much. The price of cheesecloth in the Ming Dynasty was only one-fifth or sixth-of-the-fibre of silk and about one-tenth of that of brocade.

Zhao Dezhao said: "If cotton is planted everywhere, the price is only one or two percent of silk." ”

Lu Duosun shook his head and asked, "How about keeping warm?" ”

"Far more than kapok, linen."

Before cotton entered China, most of the people's clothing was linen.

From the beginning of human history, Mai has been one of the species that has been cultivated the most and demanded by humans.

In China, linen fabrics, mainly flax, ramie, jute, sisal, and abaca, have been serving human beings for thousands of years.

Even in later generations, cotton cloth has been popularized, and linen has not withdrawn from the stage of history, and its use has become more extensive.

However, both in terms of practicality and economy, it is necessary to promote cotton planting.

Without cotton and cotton cloth, the vast world of the north would not have been able to conquer at all.

Although cotton hurts the land and costs water, it can continue to occupy Central Asia in the future and specialize in growing cotton there.

Ludoson was intrigued and asked, "Where is the cotton?" ”

Zhao Dezhao said: "As far as I know, there are all in the northwest and Yazhou, and the varieties are different. What you need to do is to send people to find different varieties and growers, understand the planting habits of cotton, and check that kind of cotton has high yield, strong warmth, and is more suitable for weaving.

The spinning and textile equipment of the woodware camp by the river can not only make silk and linen! ”

"Left-behind ......"

Zhao Dezhao interrupted him and said: "Don't worry, I will pay for the money, as long as you research it, I will immediately promote planting in a suitable area, and I will make a great contribution to you in the future." ”

This time, Lu Duosun immediately stopped pushing, got up and hugged his fists and said: "My subordinates must live up to their trust." ”

For a person like him who is bent on climbing up, obeying Zhao Dezhao's arrangement and gaining Zhao Dezhao's favor is more important than anything else.

Tong Liang walked in. "Second brother, the carriage is ready."

Zhao Dezhao nodded and asked Lu Duoxun, "Would Lu Gongcao be willing to go with me to the Murong family to pay respects?" ”

The Murong family is the head snake of the land, and Lu Duoxun will often deal with them in the future, so naturally he will not be unwilling.

What's more, traveling with Zhao Dezhao is a good opportunity for him to build a relationship.

He immediately clenched his fists and said, "I don't dare to ask for ears." ”