Seeing Lu Chengqi so happy, the honest man Li Jie was not at all "puzzled", and said: "But this white stack...... Well, it's cotton, and it's not much......"

Lu Chengqi was stunned when he heard this, his originally happy expression froze there, and he didn't know what to say for a long time. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info This is also because he was too happy, the economic value of this cotton has not been discovered by the ancients, how can it be planted? Besides, it was only the people in the south who gradually realized that cotton was warmer than hemp clothes made of plant fibers.

Even so, the route of cotton transmission is very slow. According to Li Jie, cotton has been found in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, but they are only sown on barren land with insufficient soil strength, and cotton is very scarce, and it is difficult to say whether more than 10 pieces of clothing can be made into one acre of land.

At this time, there was no spinning wheel for spinning cotton, and the clothes were made only by sewing two layers of linen clothes, which were filled with cotton wool, which looked bulging and very bloated. But the effect of keeping out the cold is obvious, and in private, Li Jie also doubted, how did Lu Chengqi know about this, is there really someone who is born to know?

This thought only existed for less than half an hour, and then Li Jie was left behind. He is a courtier who attaches great importance to Gangchang, and it is very disrespectful to talk about the emperor in secret.

After synthesizing the reports of the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry in various places, Li Jie found that the planting range of cotton has spread all over the south of the Qinling Mountains, and except for Suzhou and Hangzhou, which are rich in silk, the people in the south are aware of the benefits of cotton. Those who have room for land are planted with one or two acres of land in preparation for the cold winter.

Lu Chengqi understood the embarrassment of cotton production, frowned and said, "Does Li Qing have a solution?" ”

Li Jie took out a piece of cotton that had just been picked from his sleeve. Looking at this tiny cotton ball, Lu Chengqi frowned even more. The cotton in my memory should be much bigger than this! No wonder Li Jie said that the yield is small, such a little bit of cotton, even if it is planted on more than a dozen acres of land, there may not be much harvest!

Lu Chengqi cautiously asked, "Is this harvestable cotton?" ”

Li Jie said: "Back to Your Majesty, that's right, this is cotton purchased from a farmer's house in Jingzhao Mansion, and it is rumored to have come from Tianzhu. It grows very quickly, and even if it is sown in mid-March, it will be harvested in July. Some time ago, the minister went to the field to inspect it in person, and found that this thing was extremely labor-intensive, and if the land was not fallow afterwards, I was afraid that the grain would be planted in the future, and the yield would be greatly reduced. ”

Lu Chengqi also knew that cotton was an extremely labor-intensive crop, so he thought for a while and said: "Li Qing can publicize the advantages of cotton, and at the same time warn farmers not to plant on fertile land. If cotton can be cultivated intensively, the yield will definitely increase. But why is this cotton so small, but there are other varieties that can't be made? ”

Li Jie was stunned for a moment, he didn't understand what "variety" meant, and asked without any thought: "Dare to ask Your Majesty, what is the meaning of the word 'variety'?" ”

Lu Chengqi also knew that some of his words were incomprehensible to the ancients, and they often needed to explain many times before they could understand what he meant. As for how to explain the word variety, Lu Chengqi felt quite powerless, and after thinking for a long time, he tried to use plain sentences and said: "There is another kind of cotton, which is much larger than this one, and I think the yield will be higher......"

Li Jie understood, and he was not sure if there was such cotton, so he just said: "The minister doesn't know, it will take time to know." Your Majesty is assured that the minister already knows the use of cotton, which is indeed beneficial to the people. If it can be made into cotton clothes, the people of Dashun can easily resist the severe cold in winter, and no one will freeze to death on the streets anymore......"

Hearing Li Jie's words, Lu Chengqi also felt a little guilty in his heart. Even in later generations, in extremely cold weather, homeless people who froze to death often occurred, not to mention the ancient times when there was a lack of material! Even if there is a thatched hut, the wind leaks on all sides, and when the snow is overwhelming, it is difficult to ensure that you will not be frozen to death!

Lu Chengqi was both ashamed and relieved when he heard that Li Jie was so concerned about the people. This is another official who can think about the people after Xu Chongguang! Lu Chengqi finally felt that he was no longer lonely, such a courtier, even if there were two more, he would not be alone in declaring war on this era.

In ancient times, the reason why reform was so difficult was because the resistance of the diehards was so great that vested interests were unwilling to back down. This is destined to be a protracted war, a declaration of war not only against the diehards, but also against vested interests, but also against an entire era! If you want to brake the car by historical inertia, it is impossible to rely on one person alone. Even if you are the emperor, you can use your power to temporarily suppress it. But a hundred years from now, can you guarantee that what you created is still there?

Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty in the official history, was so strong, he thought that he had built the framework for his descendants to be emperors, and his descendants only needed to ascend to the throne. As a result, he dismissed the prime minister, and the first assistant of the cabinet came out; He severely punished corrupt officials, and as a result, the number of corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty was the most in all dynasties; He sympathized with the peasants and lowered taxes, but in the Ariake generation, the taxes were frighteningly high, which eventually led to the bankruptcy of the peasants...... The list goes on.

Is Zhu Yuanzhang wrong? No, he was great, dared to declare war on the times, and also achieved a certain victory. However, he still did not jump out of the limitations of history, nor did he let the inertia of history deviate from the original track. After all, thousands of years of imperial system are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the historical inertia is too great to be promoted by individual strength. is as strong as Zhu Yuanzhang, and it doesn't seem to work.

So, when Lu Chengqi realized this, he began to look for teammates. At present, it seems that Xu Chongguang is still a good helper, and now there is another Li Jie. Coupled with Tang Xun, Su Song, Shen Kuo and others, Lu Chengqi is not alone on the road ahead.

Listening to Li Jie's words, Lu Chengqi sighed a lot, took over the conversation and said: "Yes, if I do this, even if I spend more thought, it will be worth it." Of course, you have to ask Li Qing for this matter. I have already given you full authority over the matter of cotton. I want to see that within three years, the people of Dashun will be able to wear cotton clothes! ”

Li Jie heard the big cake painted by Lu Chengqi, and his heart was also full of passion. He was only in his twenties, and when he was eager to make a contribution, he was full of passion and courage, and immediately bowed down and said: "Your Majesty trusts me, and the minister must do it with all his heart!" ”

Lu Chengqi hurriedly got up and helped him up, and said, "Li Qing, don't do this!" I have also considered that you are too young to occupy a high position, and I am afraid that some people will not accept it. If there is no political achievement, it will not be enough to convince the public. When it comes to cotton, it's time for you to show off your skills! (To be continued.) )