Gao Yue just accepted the poem, saying that we don't want to talk about grass, or talk about the topic of cotton, according to Lotte's opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this cotton cloth?

Bai Juyi was clever, and knew that this was also a question session in the Jinshi test, so he said truthfully: "The texture of this cloth is smooth, and the feeling is very warm to the touch, but compared to silk, it seems to lack smoothness, and the color is far less vivid than silk." ”

Gao Yue nodded and said that Lotte was right, but do you know the market price of this cotton cloth?

The Bai family's father and son said they didn't know.

At this time, Liu Demuro laughed and quoted the price: "A piece of cloth, forty feet, and each foot of white cloth (that is, cotton cloth) is only three yuan, which means that a cotton cloth is one hundred and twenty yuan." ”

One hundred and twenty dollars?

In other words, the price of cotton cloth is about one-tenth of that of silk cloth.

It's also too cheap.

"So what does it matter if it's smooth or not, bright or not? This cotton cloth is for ordinary people to wear to keep out the cold. Gao Yue said.

Bai Juyi suddenly admired Gao Yue in his heart, although Gao Yue still regarded the future Bai Juyi as "Tongzhong Feng" in his heart, but Bai Juyi was also full of a strong sense of civilianism, and he knew that this kind of cotton cloth could really bring benefits to the people.

"Therefore, Ben Yin will also carry a tube to present to His Majesty this time, and immediately all military towns in the northwest, including Gyeonggi, can plant cotton."

"The people of Middle-earth wear linen and have a long history, this cotton cloth seems to be?" At this time, Bai Jigeng also had some doubts, after all, in terms of clothing, food, housing and transportation, the power of tradition is very great, especially in ancient times.

So many generations of ordinary people have worn linen clothes, let them change to cotton clothes, this implementation may not be successful.

"Actually, this cotton cloth was popular in Shu during the Han Dynasty." Gao Yue said with a smile, which means that the people have long loved cotton clothes, "Huayang National Chronicles and historical records have recorded that in the Han Dynasty, Xishu had used the 'Suluo Shuzi' from the south to cut open, take silk and weave cloth from it, and then Tianzhu people traveled thousands of miles to the capital of Shu to buy cloth, and the Suluo tree is cotton, which shows that the texture of cotton cloth in my Celestial Dynasty at that time has even overshadowed the origin of Tianzhu (the origin of high-quality cotton in Asia is Assam, India, and there are trade routes along Myanmar, Yunnan and Sichuan, China in ancient times). This cotton cloth is delicate and smooth, much stronger than most linen. ”

When Bai Juyi heard Gao Yue's words, he was even more impressed by his knowledge, but he still had questions, "Boy, please benefit, since Xishu has woven a large amount of cotton cloth in the Han Dynasty, why has it disappeared now?" ”

"Speaking of this, it has something to do with Zhuge Kongming." Gao Yue paused, and then replied to Bai Juyi very seriously, and the other people at the banquet also listened carefully, "Xishu cotton cloth, in the end of the Han Dynasty, was mostly sold in Tianzhu and Daxia, but very few were sold to the Central Plains. In addition, the silk weaving industry in Dongchuan and Xichuan has also risen successively, and the silk washed out of Jinjiang in the capital city of Shu is well-known all over the world, so when Zhuge Kongming was in power, he said that 'the people are poor and the country is empty, and the capital of the enemy is the only one to look up to the brocade ear', so it is specially set up to weave in the Shu Jinyuan, so in this situation, Shu cotton is declining. ”

"Where does this Zhuge Kongming live? He should be arrested! During the banquet, Ming Huai was indignant and seriously dissatisfied with Zhuge Liang's destruction of the good policy of "planting cotton" in Xingyuan Mansion and Shudu City.

Gao Yue glanced at him, meaning you shut up.

"What are the advantages of cotton and linen?" Bai Juyi couldn't wait to ask the next question.

Gao Yue said that there are three advantages:

First of all, there are many kinds of hemp in my soil, mainly hemp, jute, flax, and hemp, among which hemp, jute is coarse, unbearable to weave, can only be used to rub hemp rope, and flax is generally the best to extract oil, the weaver only has hemp, but the hemp is the most delicate, it needs fertile soil, it needs irrigation, it needs rain, but it will be destroyed by rain, cotton is different, saline-alkali land can be planted, sandy land can be planted, and as long as the sun is abundant, the rain is suitable, and the land is not competing for land, which is the first advantage;

Secondly, the damage to the fertility of the soil is huge, a field can not be planted after a few rounds of moirax, but cotton is not, not only does not damage the fertility of the soil, but there is also the effectiveness of grass fertilizer, a field for two years to plant cotton, one year to plant rice and wheat, the soil will become fat, the inferior field can be turned into good land, and less pests, this is the second advantage;

Finally, for the farmers, the most painful thing is the process of "hemp", what is hemp? That is, the farmer should take advantage of the fact that the stem of the flax has not turned yellow, cut them off with a sickle and soak them in water, and then stick together one or two feet long the flax one by one after soaking, and then they can weave, tired and tired every day, and the income can only be calculated in terms of "money" (weight unit), the yield is difficult to increase, but cotton is not, after maturity, half a stone can be harvested per mu, and the utensils I make can be used to go to the seed, draw the thread, spin, and get a pound of cotton thread every four days, which is much more efficient than the flax, which is the third advantage.

Hearing this, Bai Juyi vaguely understood something, he plucked up his courage, and asked Xingyuan Yin again: "That is to say, this cotton does not choose the color of the soil, does not fight for the field, compared with silk, there is no sericulture, but it has the effect of harvesting, compared with the hemp, there is no pain of hemp, but it has the benefit of keeping out the cold?" ”

"What Lotte says is true!" Gao Yue highly approving, "Fengzhou has also begun to grow cotton, in your opinion, where is the long-term benefit?" ”

Bai Juyi's quick thinking, although he is only fifteen or sixteen years old, but he also analyzes the doorway inside: "There are no households in the world who don't want to be warm, but silk is too expensive, and hemp damages soil power, and it can't grow grain on a large scale, only this cotton can complement each other with growing grain, if there is a large harvest, the people in the world can get high-quality and inexpensive clothes, and there is no shortage of food, and an appropriate amount of hemp can be used to make paper." ”

Gao Yue laughed heartily, saying that Bai Lotian was young, and he also had the knowledge of a prime minister.

The Bai family was flattered by these words, and they all stood up and were busy humble.

In fact, Bai Juyi is right, the historical significance of cotton lies in this.

Originally, the output of silk, the north was higher than the south, and later due to the invasion of Khitan and Jin, they went to the Central Plains, frantically cut down mulberry trees, used to build fortresses or used to siege cities, so that the latecomers of the southern silk weaving industry prevailed, but silk is silk, whether it is north or south, it is never something that civilians can afford to consume in large quantities, so once cotton is promoted, it will soon allow the people to get good quality but cheap clothing materials, and at the same time, it will also indirectly promote the increase of grain production (cotton does not compete with wheat fields and rice fields), Then a large number of people were born, and the flax was saved, used to make paper, and a large number of books were printed—so that a new generation of people with a large population and a flourishing culture was born.

Bai Juyi, who was praised by Xingyuan Yin, was both excited and excited, and he simply asked Gao Yue to say, can he replace his father and stay in Xingyuan Mansion to watch the planting of cotton fields? Then he could also help his father to promote the cotton industry in Fengzhou.

"Lotte, you brothers might as well enter Xingyuan's Taofen Academy, how about it?" Gao Yue is kind and seductive.