Li Xin took it and took a look, indeed, it was different from the kind of cloth and silk and hemp that he saw now. But if it is said that it is the kind of cotton cloth that is in later generations, it is actually far from it. But in general, he knew that this should be the kind of cotton he was looking for.

In Guanzhong and Qinzhou and other places, when the weather is getting colder, if you rely on silk and linen cloth to make clothes to keep out the cold, not to mention the effect, just a matter of quantity, it is enough to crush the current Huashan army.

You must know that at this time, silk and linen cloth are basically the same as grain, and they are the main goods circulating in the market. This has also led to the fact that whether it is Jiangzuo or Yanguo, all local forces are grabbing this thing.

Due to the fact that these things are not dominant in all parts of the country under the rule of the Huashan Army, almost all of them are bought from outside. There are so many soldiers alone, not to mention that the people under his rule have to be clothed.

Among them, silk and silk are especially expensive, how can ordinary soldiers afford to wear them, and moreover, it is not convenient to fight.

And the rest of the cloth, the cloth at this time, refers to the cloth made of hemp, ramie, or kudzu! This is a relatively more common thing, and it is also used by the common people and soldiers on a daily basis.

And silk, this is also a valuable thing, and ordinary people can't afford to wear it at all. Besides, it's okay to wear these clothes in other seasons, but in winter, you'll need more of them.

Especially clothes made of these materials, which don't last long and have to be replaced. Especially for an army like the Huashan Army, which has a high training intensity, military uniforms have to be issued twice a year, which is a huge pressure on logistics.

Therefore, Li Xin thought that he could find something with lower cost and better effect to replace. If you think about it, it's just cotton. As mentioned before, fur is a good thing to keep out the cold, but not everyone can afford it.

"I guess that's what I'm looking for! Where did you get that? Li Xin looked at it for a while, then nodded.

"This one! I found it from some merchants in the city, after all, I had to buy some cloth because I had to make a lot of clothes. According to the merchants, they brought it from the Western Regions, and I heard that many people there use it to make clothes! ”

"That's it! I know! You go get busy first! If possible, find more of this and try to make some clothes first! Hearing this, Li Xin thought for a while and said.

"I know, then I'll go back!" Zhou Ting nodded, and then left after speaking.

After she left, Li Xin sat on the lobby and looked at the piece of fabric over and over for a long time. In the end, he asked Wu Hui to be called.

"You've been dealing with people in the Western Regions in the past, but have you ever seen this thing?" Li Xin handed the fabric to Wu Hui and asked.

Wu Huizheng was surprised, and when he heard this, he hurriedly took it and took a look.

"This seems to be the white stack over there in Gaochang! Xia Guan had seen it once or twice in the past, but he didn't know much about it! After Wu Hui saw it, he handed it back and replied.

"I don't know what it should be called, either it's called White Stacks or it's called Fabric! The caravans of your Department of Commerce come and go from all over the country, let them pay close attention to see if they can find anything woven with this kind of cloth in places such as Ningzhou and Gaochang! If possible, bring the seeds back, and try to plant them all over Qinzhou in Guanzhong as much as possible! With this thing, it's a good thing for us! Seeing that he didn't seem to know much about it, Li Xin had to say.

"Xia Guan understands, he must explain this matter!" Wu Hui didn't know why he valued this thing so much, but he answered immediately.

In fact, Li Xin didn't know that there was actually a big difference between the cotton at this time and the kind of cotton seen in later generations. Because the varieties are completely different, their quality characteristics are also different.

The cotton planted in Ningzhou actually belongs to grass cotton, which was transmitted from India during the Han Dynasty, so it is actually called Indian cotton! The one on the Gaochang side is relatively later, it is transmitted from the African side, and it belongs to African cotton!

If these two kinds of cotton are used for weaving, there is nothing by hand, and if they are woven with the machinery of later generations, it is not so suitable. Therefore, the varieties grown in China in later generations are basically the improved upland cotton varieties introduced from the United States.

But for Li Xin, even grass cotton is already very rare. Qinzhou Guanzhong and the land of the state, there are many places that are relatively barren, and because of the small population, it is very necessary to look for some cash crops as much as possible.

Most importantly, it is not uncommon for people to freeze to death in this era. In the homes of dignitaries and nobles, they can wear fur fur and mink robes, but ordinary people may only be able to stuff reed flowers in quilts and clothes to keep out the cold.

Of course, the common people can also wear fur, but they can't wear fox and tiger skins like the rich people, at most they wear sheepskins or dog skins! If you have a cotton coat, you can also have a quilt.

Ordinary people can have clothes to protect themselves from the cold, and the soldiers don't have to wear thin clothes, and they are covered with cold iron armor. In this case, if necessary, the army can move even in the cold of winter.

After dealing with the cotton matter, Li Xin decided to go to the workshop of the military department to have a look, because there has been a lot of equipment for the Bupo Army and the Wyvern Cavalry recently. This matter is the thing he is most concerned about, so he is naturally extremely concerned.

At the beginning, the generals led by Lao Ma were camped, and then six departments were established, and the part that cast weapons was included in the military department. Naturally, Lao Ma could no longer be their steward, so the current head of the Weapons Division was a subordinate who followed Lao Ma at the beginning.

"How's everything going?" The workshop is in full swing, because this place is very important, so after moving directly from Zheng County, it was directly placed in Bacheng County, not far from Chang'an City. Li Xin had already been here a few times, and after reading it at this time, he asked.

"Everything is going well, it's just that it's not going to be fast. Nowadays, a maximum of 100 weapons can be crafted per day, and in the case of armor, it takes a group of people three days to produce one. This is all carried out in a state of rush, and the number of explanations given by the general may not be completed before this year! The head of the Weapons Division said with some trepidation.

"You guys really have fewer people here, and you have more to do! So be it! In a few days, I will ask the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry to transfer another group of people to you, and you will find a way to complete everything I want before this year! Li Xin looked around, in fact, everyone was sweating and working, not that they were lazy. So, I didn't blame him, and after thinking about it for a while, I said.

"General Xie understands that if he can get more manpower, as long as there are a hundred more people, this speed can be greatly improved. At the very least, the whole workshop can be fully utilized! Hearing this, the chief rejoiced.

When the Ordnance Division was rebuilt, Li Xin had long-term considerations, so he specially set aside a large ~ area for this place. As a result, after the completion of the workshop, due to the shortage of manpower, there are still a lot of equipment in the workshop that are not running.

"By the way, did you ask someone to try that thing I told you about last time?" Nodding, Li Xin remembered something and asked.

"What kind of charcoal is the general talking about? Since receiving the general's reminder, Xia Guan sent someone to look for it. There are many such things in Beidi County, Hedong and other places, so it is easy to find. According to the method you said, Xia Guan let people test it, and sure enough, the effect is not ordinary! It's still being studied, and if possible, maybe they'll all be changed to using that kind of thing to build weapons in the future! After the principal was stunned for a moment, he immediately reacted and hurriedly replied.

Li Xin is actually talking about coal, in the past, the Huashan Army did not have such high requirements for weapon casting, and the amount was not so large. Therefore, there is no problem in building it in the original way.

But as the demand increases, in addition to the military and civilian, this inefficient approach is necessary to change. It just so happens that Guanzhong is surrounded by coal-rich places, so it is just right to use local materials.

"It's good to be useful! You will study this thing more in the future, and the kind of bellows will also have to be improved to see if it can be pushed by water or animal power. In this way, you can also save a lot of labor in the future, especially to improve efficiency and quality! Tell everyone that whoever creates the best weapon armor will be rewarded if they improve their technology! Hearing this, Li Xin was finally relieved, and then said.

"Yes, the lower official must explain this!"

The existence of the incentive mechanism can make the technology on their side continue to improve. Otherwise, although according to the normal historical development, this technology will still progress after all, but time does not know when it will be.

Thinking that the Qin State was able to unify the six countries back then, political and financial resources may be the reasons, but this military strength is also an important reason. Now compared with others, since there is a big gap in strength between Huashan Army and others, it naturally has to find a way to make up for it technically.

In this way, on the one hand, the combat effectiveness of the soldiers will be improved, and on the other hand, the quality of the equipment will be improved, and the two-pronged approach will be able to get the greatest improvement in the shortest possible time.