What is the national pillar industry, what is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, and what is the export of foreign exchange, Xu Qilin does not say, and the people of the Tang Dynasty do not understand.

And he can see such a broad prospect from a small cotton and think so far-reaching, which is naturally the only one he has.

Even if His Majesty Li Er allowed him to plant cotton on a large scale, what he thought of was that the common people had cotton clothes in winter and single clothes in summer.

The three-day harvest was finally over, and the truckloads of cotton that were bundled and compacted were transported to the workshop, and the migrant workers who had eaten and drunk enough and earned money also returned home to live contentedly.

The local people who grow cotton have not been idle. The cotton stalk can be chopped and composted, which will be a high-quality bio-fertilizer; It can also be fermented to become livestock feed; It is even possible to manufacture industrial paper.

The technology of orange stalk and weed composting is probably the most widely used, from the large-scale printing of the "Practical Agricultural Book" in Dayingku this spring, to the distribution of the imperial court to local officials, in the territory of the Tang Dynasty, there have been many places to use.

Coal is also gradually being promoted in various places, which has also greatly reduced the use of orange stalks as firewood, which is the least utilized.

The change was not obvious at first, the farmers who used it were small, and the operation was not yet mature. However, with the wide application, Datang's grain yield per mu will reach a new height in three to five years.

This is not counting the other new technologies and diversified operations mentioned in the agricultural book, and if they are well mastered and used, the income of farmers will be higher.

The cotton harvest means that Xu Qilin has completed another major event this year. Although he is going to go to Gaochang with the army, it will also be next year.

His Majesty Li Er has just issued an edict ordering Hou Junji to be the general manager of the Jiaohe Road March, and the generals under his command, including Niu Jinda and Xue Wanjun, as well as the minority generals Ashina Sheer and Qibi He Li, began to mobilize the government soldiers, as well as the minority vassal army.

Although the holy decree was issued, the transportation and mobilization capacity of ancient times could not be overestimated, and it would take at least a few months for the 150,000 troops, plus 50,000 or 60,000 craftsmen and craftsmen, to assemble all and store enough grain and grass materials.

In other words, it will be a matter of next summer.

Xu Qilin calculated very clearly, but the arrival of His Majesty Li Er's letter reduced his enjoyment.

As an important place in the Hexi Corridor, the army that conquered Gaochang must pass through this place, and some preparations must be made. For example, the transfer, transportation, storage and storage of grain and grass materials.

His Majesty Li Er did not clearly stipulate it, but just let Xu Qilin plan by himself and prepare the corresponding equipment and materials for the army.

In addition, it is mentioned that the governance and operation of other places in Hexi, if they can develop like Ganzhou, conquer Gaochang and control the Western Regions, it will be more smooth.

In this regard, Xu Qilin agrees. I agreed to go to work for the post because of this consideration.

But his official position is in Ganzhou, and the development of the first year is very important, and he can't leave himself to take care of other places. It just so happened that His Majesty Li Er asked, and he didn't skimp on his ingenuity.

To the west of Ganzhou is Suzhou, and later Jiuquan, Dunhuang, Shazhou, and Guazhou. It is the starting point for entering the Gobi Desert and crusading against Gaochang.

To the east is Liangzhou, the Wuwei area of later generations, which is the throat road into Guanzhong.

Xu Qilin felt that the stall was too big and too much was managed, which was not suitable, and the results would not be fast. It is mainly a relationship between population, and it can only be done from place to place.

Needless to say, Jiuquan was a famous irrigated agricultural area in the northwest inland in later generations, and was the most important commercial grain base and cash crop production area in the northwest region.

As long as there is enough manpower, grain and cotton are planted in large quantities, it is enough for this place to become rich and develop.

As the gateway to defend Chang'an and control the Western Regions, Wuwei was the military, political and cultural center of the northwest region for a long time, and it has always been an important town for commercial exchanges between China and the West in the Han Dynasty.

This point is similar to Zhangye, but in later generations, Zhangye has Danxia, Jiuquan has satellites, and Dunhuang has Mogao Grottoes.

Of course, if Wuwei in later generations is still called Liangzhou, the first well-known "Liangzhou Ci" may be able to become a place name label.

But now, Xu Qilin has thought of a way to make Suzhou and Liangzhou develop by leaps and bounds. Of course, including Ganzhou, how can you not consider your own place?

That's right, it was to take the opportunity of the expedition to Gaochang and invite tens of thousands of soldiers to reclaim the wasteland and plough in the spring.

It is not difficult to operate, let the government soldiers pinch the time, rush to Suzhou, Ganzhou, and Liangzhou before spring ploughing, and then go out of the customs to Gaochang after farming.

Tens of thousands of Guanzhong government soldiers, all from peasant households, with cattle and horses, can cultivate hundreds of thousands of acres of fields in a few days.

Don't think that these hundreds of thousands of acres of land are a contribution to the local area, and they are also extremely beneficial to the army that conquered Gaochang.

You think, the conquest army must carry at least a few months of grain and grass materials, and you can't keep thinking about feeding the enemy, that's the insurance.

The summer sortie, the end of the war probably after the autumn, this is still an optimistic estimate. When the time comes, the grain in Hexi will be able to be harvested and supplied nearby, which will be more convenient and faster, and it will also reduce the amount of transportation with the army.

Xu Qilin believed that His Majesty Li Er would definitely be able to agree, but he still calculated it and listed the estimated data. It can not only support the large army to fight in the Western Regions, but also supply the long-term garrison in the Western Regions.

This is not only a matter of immediate consideration, but also involves the strategy of the Tang Army in the Western Regions, which is just to let tens of thousands of soldiers come early and do farm work for more than ten days.

With such a simple input-output ratio, how could His Majesty Li Er not understand it? Perhaps, after the war is over, the soldiers will be left in the three prefectures of Su, Gan, and Liang to settle down on the spot!

As for the specific business development of Su and Liangzhou, Xu Qilin feels that the experience of Ganzhou can be used for reference. Combined with some local characteristics of Su and Liangzhou, it can be regarded as a good answer.

Xu Qilin was thinking about writing at the same time, and suddenly stopped writing again. He felt that replying to them all so quickly seemed very unserious. A place has a local characteristic, and if you don't investigate it, don't you do field research and research, isn't it too perfunctory?

Although I know that these are all true, others seem to be doing it behind closed doors.

After thinking for a while, Xu Qilin only reported the matter of asking the government soldiers to participate in spring ploughing. Other suggestions will be left for the rest of the year and will be sent again after a while.

Taking advantage of the crisp autumn weather, it is not bad to go to Suzhou, which is a tourist sightseeing.

Thinking of this, Xu Qilin couldn't help but smile, turned his head to Scarlett and said, "Clean up, take advantage of the lukewarm weather to take you to play." ”

Scarlett happily agreed, and that was how obedient she was.

Adjani blinked, as if she didn't mean her. After a while, he came over with a patrol, presented a well-skinned apple, and asked with a smiling face, "Ah Lang, can you also bring the slave?" ”

Xu Qilin squinted his eyes and said, "Be careful when eating outside, don't embarrass someone." ”

"Definitely, definitely. Ah Lang is at ease. Adjani nodded again and again, but she has always only agreed and forgotten when she turns around, so Xu Qilin has no tricks.

……………

Yumen Pass, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened the road to the Western Regions and set up the four counties of Hexi, was named after the Western Regions when importing jade from here, and belonged to the jurisdiction of Dunhuang. Another important pass, Yangguan, is also in Longle County, Dunhuang.

At that time, the Central Plains and the Western Regions were indispensable for traffic through two passes, which were important military passes and Silk Road traffic arteries.

One is "the spring breeze does not pass the Yumen Pass", and the other is "persuade the gentleman to drink a glass of wine", which metaphorically means that after these two passes, it is desolation and bitter cold.

Dunhuang, also known as Shazhou, vividly illustrates the characteristics of this place: an oasis in the middle of a vast sandy beach.

It is said that the high-spirited Huo Qubing defeated the Xiongnu and occupied the Hexi Corridor, and it was here that the pursuit stopped. As a result, there is a very meaningful name - grand splendor, that is, Dunhuang.

But from ancient times to the present, even important passes have faced a major problem, that is, barrenness, which can also be described in one word - bitter cold.

The yellow sand is everywhere, uninhabited, and even wild animals are rare. If it weren't for Wang Fangyi's interest, Xu Qilin would really be too lazy to go so far.

"Next year, thousands of troops and horses will go out of the customs and conquer Gaochang." Wang Fangyi was a little excited and excited, pointing to this long sea of sand, as if he saw the sky and sun covering the sky and the sun of the army's march.

Xu Qilin shrugged his shoulders and tidied up the hat that shielded him from the wind and sand. The image is a bit filed, but you don't lose your eyes and don't eat sand!

In fact, he came here for another purpose, but it was not known to Wang Fangyi.

"I've seen it, let's go to Yumen County!" Xu Qilin turned to the official and guide sent by Suzhou and said, "It's still called this now, right?" ”

"Go back to Xu Cheng." The official replied immediately: "Yumen County was abolished in the first year of Zhenguan, and it is now called Huiji County. ”

Xu Qilin nodded and said, "It is said that stone paint is produced there, also called stone grease water, but is it true?" ”

Stone paint, stone grease water, that is, oil, was first discovered in Yumen County, Suzhou. According to the records of the county chronicles of the Tang Dynasty: stone paint, stone grease water, water greasy floating, such as paint, take the plaster car and burn the lamp, extremely bright.

From the beginning of the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, in Yumen, Jiuquan and other places, the local people have been lighting with oil.

In the Song Dynasty, oil was even processed into a solid substance, called stone candles, which were lit for a long time, and one stone candle could top three candles.

However, due to the relatively thick smoke produced by the burning of oil, "all the curtains are black". Therefore, it is not widely used.

Of course, there was no high-tech oil extraction technology in ancient times, and the common people basically "scraped oil". It is to use grass or chicken tail feathers to fish on the surface of the water and then put it into a can.

Xu Qilin didn't want to extract oil on a large scale, and he didn't have the technology and tools. But it can also be very useful to acquire some.

"What Xu Cheng said is not bad." The official said: "There is a mountain in the south of the county, and the stone comes out of the spring, and the burning is extremely bright. ”

Water and oil are mixed, Xu Qilin touched his chin and had some ideas.

Wang Fangyi finally appreciated the desert scenery, turned the horse's head and came to Xu Qilin's side, heard him mention the stone paint, and asked curiously: "Xu Cheng, what is so strange about this stone paint?" ”

Xu Qilin smiled, clamped the horse's belly, and said as he walked: "If you can mine in large quantities, it can be said to be infinitely useful." But now it seems that it is not realistic. I want to buy a batch and study it first. ”

Wang Fangyi nodded and said, "Xia Guan hasn't heard of it yet, let alone seen it, so it's just an eye-opener." ”

In the leeward of the front, surrounded by several guards, two slender women rode on horses and waved to Xu Qilin.

That's right, Scarlett and Adjani have learned to ride horses. Although the horses are slightly short and relatively tame, Xu Qilin is very satisfied with them.

……………

Chang'an, Qianqiu Palace.

His Majesty Li Er was looking at Xu Qilin's recital, and his suggestions were already basically approved.

There are many, many wastelands to be reclaimed in Datang, and there are them in the south of the Yangtze River, and the conditions are even more favorable in Hexi. However, the operation and development of Hexi has deeper considerations and has extraordinary value for the strategy of the Western Regions.

Therefore, manpower and material resources will be inclined to Hexi, but it is not because Xu Qilin is favored.

Suzhou and Ganzhou developed grain and cotton and adopted a similar model, and His Majesty Li Er was more in favor of it. Ganzhou's success has proved that the experience is correct, and it is normal to apply it.

What's more, if Gaochang's expedition goes smoothly, how to deal with it is also closely related to the development of Hexi.

His Majesty Li Er has not revealed his true thoughts at this time, that is, at least to restore the Western Regions to the state of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, many ministers think that this is a country that does not conquer the vassals. Due to the fact that the road is too far, after the victory, most of them will have to restore their country and replace them as kings, just like they did with the Eastern Turks.

If he had Hexi, a strong backing and logistics supply base, His Majesty Li Er would be able to destroy his country and Jianzhou County and include Gaochang in the Tang Dynasty. And when the ministers admonished, he also had the confidence and reason to refute.

And once Gaochang was annexed to the territory, it would have to start a long confrontation with the Western Turks in the Western Regions. It is not possible to have fewer garrisons, His Majesty Li Er is still thinking about rebuilding the Western Regions Protectorate in the Han Dynasty!

Moreover, His Majesty Li Er had already thought of the name, and after Gaochang was laid, he set up the Anxi Protectorate.

Therefore, Xu Qilin's recital was undoubtedly approved. As for what Xu Qilin said, he set off to investigate and investigate in Su and Liangzhou, and His Majesty Li Er was even more appreciative.

This kid is still very attentive to his work, he does what he says, and is not afraid of the wind and sand in the northwest and the hardships of running and trekking.

After His Majesty Li Er finished approving the recital, he picked up another recital and groaned.

This recital was written by Chen Fangbi, the assassin of Suzhou, who asked to be released due to illness. Like Ban Chao who has been in the Western Regions for a long time and misses his homeland in old age, Chen Fangbi hopes to return to his hometown alive before he dies.

After 30 years of going to his homeland, he only wanted to be born in Yumen Pass. Compared with Ban Chao, Chen Fangbi is far behind.

But His Majesty Li Er was not so angry, this Chen Fangbi's performance was too timely. It can be said that there is no trick in the heart, and a sticky bean bag falls from the sky.

Ganzhou is still inseparable from Xu Qilin, and if he adds a history of Suzhou assassination, his official rank and qualifications will be objected to by the ministers. But Chen Fangbi's release, and the vacated position had another way to stuff Xu Qilin in.