The Tang Dynasty started from saving Empress Changsun

Chapter 47 Cotton
How to fight the cold winter?There are many ways, and they boil down to two directions.

"One is the clothes to keep out the cold, and the other is to keep the house warm." Chen Jingke organized his words and said:

"Let's talk about the first item, clothing to keep out the cold. The best clothing to keep out the cold is winter clothes made of fur, but fur is expensive, processing and production is very troublesome, there is no way to promote it on a large scale, and it can only be used as an auxiliary means."

Seeing that he really answered this question again, Li Shimin immediately understood that he had a solution, and was very happy in his heart. He couldn't help but said: "Then how to solve the problem of warm clothes?"

Chen Jingke did not answer directly, but asked instead: "Has your majesty heard of cotton?"

"Cotton? Could it be related to kapok?" Li Shimin was puzzled, and the eldest grandson Wugou and Sun Simiao beside him were also puzzled. It was the first time they had heard this word.

Chen Jingke was a little helpless. He didn't know what cotton was called in ancient times, so he could only describe its shape.

Both Li Shimin and Changsun Wugou frowned, unable to remember what it was.

Sun Simiao showed a thoughtful expression and said, "But Bai Diezi?"

Li Shimin suddenly realized: "I remembered. "Liang Shu" records that there are grasses in Gaochang, which are like cocoons, and the silk in the cocoons is like thin silk. It is called Baidiezi. It is very similar to the cotton Jingke said. I don't know if it is the same. kind?"

Chen Jingke also said happily: "Yes, Baidiezi is cotton. Its fruit can be spun and weaved. The cotton cloth is soft, breathable, sweat-absorbing and warm."

"It can also be used to fill clothes and quilts. Its thermal insulation effect is second only to fur. It can be thickened infinitely. If it is not warm enough, just add more cotton."

"Cotton can be grown all over the country. A small amount of cotton planted in the fields is enough for a family, and a lot of it can be sold to subsidize the family."

"And cotton is more comfortable than linen and cheaper than silk. It's a big business..."

Chen Jingke talked about the multiple functions of cotton and its economic value. After listening to it, Li Shimin was obviously moved.

"I don't think Gaochang has such a fetish, but Qu Wentai doesn't know how to dedicate it to the court... Hmph."

He didn't say the following words, but that cold snort was enough to explain his attitude.

The eldest grandson Wugou pursed his lips and said with a smile: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations to Your Majesty... With this product, the people will no longer suffer from the severe cold, it's all thanks to Your Majesty."

Li Shimin was very excited, and said with some embarrassment: "Thanks to Jing Ke, you have made another great contribution. I wonder what reward you want?"

Sun Simiao wanted to refuse on his behalf as soon as his expression moved, but Changsun Wugou hurried ahead of him and said:
"Mu Xiuyu will be destroyed by the forest wind. Jing Ke is still young and rewarding him too early may cause trouble. It is better to record his achievements first, and reward him together in the future."

How could Li Shimin not understand what his daughter-in-law meant, his eyes flickered and he nodded slowly: "Okay, you are his aunt, just listen to you."

Then he turned to Chen Jingke and shouted, "Boy, do you have any objections?"

No matter how stupid Chen Jingke was, he knew that his eldest grandson Wugou was protecting him, so he quickly said, "I don't have any opinions, I'll listen to my aunt."

Li Shimin gave him a look that counts your understanding, and then said: "Continue, the warm clothes you mentioned just now count as your pass. The house is kept warm, you don't mean the brazier, do you?"

Chen Jingke was stunned for a moment, Li Shimin was very polite to him before, why did he become so... impolite after refusing the reward just now.Talking is the same as scolding others, is it because you are angry?

But it was your daughter-in-law who took the lead in refusing it just now, so why blame me?

In fact, he didn't know, it was precisely because the eldest grandson Wugou protected him many times and let Li Shimin know that she really accepted this nephew from the bottom of her heart, that's why she suddenly became so rude.

It was difficult for him to figure out this subtle psychological change for a while.Sun Simiao could see it clearly, and a smile could not help appearing on his face.

Chen Jingke complained in his heart, but he didn't dare to show it on his face, and said honestly: "No, your Majesty will come and see with me."

After speaking, he got up and took them to visit the room in the backyard: "This is the fire wall... This is the heated kang... This is the fireplace... This is the stove with a chimney..."

Guanzhong is still relatively cold in winter, and Chen Jingke has a deep understanding, so he had already considered the issue of heating when building Zixiao Temple.

With the exception of the bathroom, the rooms where people are most active are heated.

There is a fireplace in the living room, and everyone can enjoy chatting and warming up by the fire. If relatives and friends come, you can also order a small barbecue by the way.

There is a fire wall in the study room, and the fire is lit from the next room to prevent the open flame from igniting the books; there is a stove in the classroom, and hot water can be heated by the way; there is a kang in the bedroom to make sleeping more comfortable.

After reading it, Li Shimin couldn't help but marvel at his whimsical ideas: "Today I only know that there are so many ways to keep warm."

The eldest grandson Wugou praised: "The most precious thing is safety, you don't have to worry about it like burning a brazier."

Li Shimin nodded approvingly and said: "The person who will be the prisoner will come to observe and study tomorrow, and arrange such things in the palace, so that the winter will not be so difficult in the future."

When the Sui Dynasty built Daxing Palace, only Fengshui was considered, and it was completely ignored whether it was suitable for living.

However, this is the lowest point in the entire Chang'an city, and the summer is sultry and the winter is humid and cold. That's why Li Shimin moved his mind to build the Daming Palace.

Later, Li Yuan and Changsun Wugou died one after another, and he lost his mental project of construction, so he stopped. It was not until Tang Gaozong that he built Daming Palace in one go.

Now with these heating equipment, at least the winter days will be much easier.As for Xia Tian... Let's talk about it at that time.

Chen Jingke saw that he only talked about the kang and did not mention the matter of Liaodong, so he couldn't help asking: "Your Majesty, these two methods should be able to solve the problem of Liaodong's winter?"

Li Shimin looked a little hesitant, but he didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm, so he said: "These two strategies are indeed good methods, but there are still many difficulties in immigrating to Liaodong."

"Firstly, there are many different ethnic groups in Liaodong, and immigrants were easily robbed by them in the past, making it difficult to live in peace. Second, Liaodong is far away from the Central Plains and roads are inconvenient, so the imperial court cannot effectively govern it."

"Third, the troubled times have just ended, the population has dropped sharply and the people are thinking about safety, and it is impossible to immigrate to the border from the Central Plains on a large scale... So the matter of immigrating to the border is not feasible for the time being."

"However, Jingke, your method is good. When the population and national power recover in the future, I will take Liaodong and destroy Goguryeo to repay the humiliation of the former Sui Dynasty."

Hearing that Chen Jingke is also very helpless, the population is always a short board for the newly established country.He can still think of solutions to other problems, but he really has nothing to do with this.

However, he still said: "Your Majesty has the world in mind, and he will inevitably send troops to Goguryeo in the future. You might as well make preparations early. Even if you can't emigrate on a large scale, you can move a little bit to the past and choose a fertile and safe place to resettle."

"In this way, we can not only accumulate experience for large-scale immigration in the future, but also provide military supplies for the troops stationed there, reducing logistical pressure."

Li Shimin quite agrees with this point, saying: "There are more than [-] people in Liaodong, and cotton-padded clothes and heating methods can be popularized among them first."

"Cotton clothes, in particular, are urgently needed by the soldiers stationed on the northern border. The sooner they are promoted, the less suffering the soldiers will suffer."

(End of this chapter)