Technology dominates the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 278 Sideline, Salt Field, Sea
Led by the boss of the Xu family, Lu Bu and others started with the mulberry tree...

Mulberry leaves...silkworms...silk...weaving...Shu brocade.

To obtain Shu brocade, planting mulberry trees is the first step.

There are mulberry trees planted everywhere in the whole village, some small mulberry trees, and some decades old mulberry trees.

With mulberry trees, you can pick mulberry leaves.Feed silkworms with mulberry leaves, and the silkworms will spin silk, and there will be silk.

Then there is the issue of processing the silk, which of course is all handmade.There are many steps needed to make silk thread from silk, such as: boiling silk, dyeing silk, washing silk and so on.

The silk threads are ready, and then they are threaded one by one on the loom according to the pattern of the Shu brocade to be woven, and finally the brocade is woven step by step by hand.

The steps are complicated and time-consuming.

During the process, Cai Yan asked the old Xu family: "Are you not afraid that we will learn the craft of brocade weaving?"

However, the boss of the Xu family smiled and said: "If it was that easy, Shu brocade would have spread all over the country long ago. I'm not trying to deceive you, most people can't make good Shu brocade without more than five years of craftsmanship, and even if they are good at it, they have to weave a piece of brocade." It takes ten people and two or three months to complete a good Shu brocade."

Cai Yan, Diao Chan, Lu Lingqi, Xiao Tao and others were very surprised, they never thought that weaving Shu brocade was so difficult.Lu Lingqi had no interest at that time, but Cai Yan and Diao Chan wanted to learn.

So, Lu Bu and others stayed in this village for two days.In the process, Lu Bu bought not only all the brocades, but also three sets of tools and looms needed for weaving the brocades, and then ordered people to take them to Gaoyao County for placement.

After that, Lu Bu and others continued their journey.

Hepu County originally had a population of less than 10, but more than [-] people who fled from Jingzhou were brought here.

Most of the fields previously reclaimed by the army are now allocated to these "new people", and two new counties have also been established.

Along the way, apart from admiring the scenery, they also had to observe the people's sentiments. It happened that Lu Bu and the others met an old man who had just returned home from work in the field at noon.

"Old man, did you come here from Zhongyuan?" Lu Bu asked.

The old man stopped in his tracks and greeted Lu Bu and the others in large numbers. After the housekeeper Luo Kun showed their identity (merchant) identification, he replied:

"Are you here to buy sweet potatoes? It's a pity that you came late. Our sweet potatoes are basically sold out. If you want new ones, you have to wait three to four months."

"You asked if I just came here from the Central Plains. Old man, I just came here last year. The people here, tens of thousands, are all the same."

At this time, Cai Yan stepped forward, first looked at Lu Bu, and then asked the old man: "Old man, I heard that you were brought here by force, don't you regret it and don't want to go back to the Central Plains?"

Cai Yan has heard that more than 20 people who fled from the Central Plains, especially from Jingzhou, were forcibly assigned by Lu Bu's army to various parts of Jiaozhou to open up wasteland.

Hearing Cai Yan's words, both Lu Lingqi and Diao Chan were a little unhappy: "It's a loss and I let you go as a sister, but you speak ill of my father/husband to my face."

But Lu Bu didn't care. The old man looked good and dressed well, and he thought he would have a good life in the future.

Sure enough, the old man smiled and said: "At that time, I was a little unhappy, but when I came here, I got land, a house, sweet potatoes, and tax exemption for the first three years. I don't know how much better our life is than before. , who will go back and suffer.”

"Let me tell you, a group of people came from Jingzhou not long ago. I heard from them that there are not many wars in Jingzhou now, and there is still plague (typhoid fever), and many people have died."

"However, I heard from them that the general in Jiaozhou has arranged for many doctors to go to ask for help. The general is really a living Bodhisattva, sent by heaven to save us poor people..."

The old man talked more and more vigorously, which made Lu Bu feel a little embarrassed.Diao Chan and Lu Lingqi looked at Lu Bu with reverence.

But Cai Yan was surprised, and from time to time he called Lu Bu a lot, not knowing what he was talking about.

Finally, Lu Bu kindly reminded the old man, saying: "Old man, let me tell you that sweet potatoes are being grown everywhere in Jiaozhou this year, and sweet potatoes will no longer be worth more than before, so I suggest you raise more guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, etc. It's cheaper that way."

But the old man was not worried at all, and said: "We all know what you said. The general has already informed us from the Department of Agriculture. We have also planted a lot of new corn this year."

"Besides, the general sold piglets cheaply to feed us. When the porcupine pigs grow up, they will be purchased by someone from the Department of Agriculture. We are not worried at all."

Lu Bu is very pleased. Now it seems that Qin Yun has carried out his orders well: that is, to encourage the people to develop more sideline businesses to avoid risks, and the government will provide piglets, etc., and then buy them at market prices...

Whoever makes the people live a good life, they will be grateful to whom, this is the popular support.

Along the way, when they met people, Lu Bu and others would ask a few words.The results show that the life of the people in Jiaozhou is getting better and better.

A few days later, Lu Bu and his party arrived at Xuwen County. They entered the county this time and informed the county magistrate, because Lu Bu planned to check the salt field here.

Since salt and iron were monopolized by the General's Mansion, the salt field was naturally under the control of the government.

The so-called salt monopoly refers to the unified production, unified transportation, unified pricing and unified sales by the government.

In this way, not only can the people eat cheap salt, but it can also greatly increase fiscal revenue.

As for the sale of salt to the Central Plains, it also needs to be approved by the General's Mansion, and then a license will be issued.

Salt is now the lifeblood of Jiaozhou's stability, so Lu Bu absolutely does not allow others to control it.

Most of the sea salt in Jiaozhou comes from Hepu County, especially along the coast in tropical areas. There is a large salt field in Xuwen County.

After the production method of sea salt is changed from boiled salt to sun-dried salt, not only the output is greatly increased and the cost is reduced, but also the sea salt is whiter and of better quality.

Except for the price-fixed sale of salt in Jiaozhou, it is sold at a high price in the Central Plains, and it is specially provided to dignitaries, aristocratic families, etc., to earn money from the rich!
The only pity is that the Central Plains is now in turmoil and cannot continue to operate in large quantities.At present, it is mainly sold through Lu Bu's Zuixian Wine House, Jiangjun Steamed Bun Shop, and forest furniture.

After arriving at the salt field, Lu Bu first asked about the recent situation, how about the salt drying process, how about the labor, how about the output, how about the sales and so on.

Then they visited the production process of sun-dried salt. Lu Lingqi looked at it and said, "Father, this sun-dried salt looks very simple!"

Of course, it's easy when you know it.

After inspecting the salt field, Lu Bu and his party came to a beautiful beach, but unfortunately there are no bikinis here, no...

Fortunately, there are two beauties Diao Chan and Cai Yan.

"It turns out that the sea is so beautiful!"

Cai Yan, who saw the sea for the first time, was shocked.

"Yeah, it's so shocking every time." It's not the first time Diao Chan has seen the sea. Lu Bu took her to see it a few times before, but she never gets tired of watching it.

…………

(End of this chapter)