Datang: Ten Years of Proton, Leading an Army of Millions to Return

"Okay," Du Ruyan was a person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, after all, "but you have to go and come back quickly. Also, when you give clothes to others, be careful not to catch a cold yourself."

"I understand," Xiao Yuanyuan smiled happily, "Sister and brother-in-law, I'll be back soon."

"Master Guo, you're here!" Just as Yuanyuan was about to go out, a shrill voice came over.

Li Kuan and his men hurried to greet them. After a while, Guo Shoujing came in and said to them with a smile:
"Oh, Your Majesty, I haven't seen you for a few days. I think your life at home is pretty good!"

"Thank you for your concern, Principal Guo," Li Kuan responded, "I am at home, either eating and sleeping, or sleeping and eating. It is indeed much more comfortable than going into battle to kill the enemy."

"Your Majesty, alas, there is nothing I can do about you. But then again, you can live such a comfortable life. Sometimes, even I can't help but envy you," Guo Shoujing said with a smile.

"But now, Your Majesty, are you still going to keep it a secret from me?"

"Principal Guo has misunderstood," Li Kuan said with a smile, "I am not hiding anything, it's just that there are some things that I haven't had the chance to tell you yet."

"Your Majesty, this is not right for you to do. All the tailors on Yanyun Street have spread the news one by one, but I only found out about it later."

Guo Shoujing said.

"But are these cotton-padded clothes and cotton really as magical as they say? Not only are they warm to wear, but they are also extremely cheap. Can they keep the people of Yanyun City from freezing in winter?"

"Due to the limited planting area, there is not much cotton or cotton clothes now. I originally planned to tell everyone after they have reached a certain scale, but I didn't expect Principal Guo to discover it so quickly."

Li Kuan smiled and said, "However, what is the effect of this cotton-padded jacket? Whether it is really so magical, I dare not assert it. If Principal Guo feels it himself, he will know the truth from the people's mouths."

"Your Majesty, you are keeping me in suspense," Guo Shoujing smiled and wrapped his cloak tightly around himself.

"But that's fine. Since I'm already here, I'll go and see what the so-called cotton-padded jacket looks like.

A group of people quickly came to the tree cotton planting site. Under the influence of the culture solution, although the cotton had been picked several times, some tree cotton plants were still in full bloom.

Guo Shoujing looked up and found clusters of white objects mixed among the green leaves.

Because the weather was good at that time, Guo Shoujing felt that they were undoubtedly miniature versions of white clouds.

Li Kuan put a "white cloud" in Guo Shoujing's hand. Guo Shoujing held it in the palm of his hand, feeling a strange softness.

To be honest, Dayan has a vast territory, and Guo Shoujing, as the prime minister of Dayan, has a vision and knowledge that is unmatched by ordinary people. However, this tree cotton is not only the first time he has seen it, but he has never even seen anything similar before.

He looked at it for a long time, and finally asked slowly,

"Your Majesty, is this what you weave?"

"Yes, four or five have been completed." Li Kuan answered truthfully.

"I have never seen this thing before. Where did your Majesty get it when you were a child?"

"These are cotton seeds that I got from prisoners of war during the Northern Expedition." Since he had already lied like this, Li Kuan could only continue to lie.
"It's just that I was busy with work and only thought about this recently. After my inspection, I found that the prisoners of war did not lie. Making clothes with cotton is not only very simple, but the finished product is also very warm."

"No wonder the north is so cold. How did those foreign tribes that invaded our Tang Dynasty survive the winter? Your Majesty, you have done a great deed this time," Guo Shoujing said with a smile.

"But, but, using flowers to make clothes, this is the first time I have seen such a strange flower, I wonder if he can help me and plant it widely?"

"Principal Guo, this cotton plant is not a real flower. It just looks a bit like a flower, so it got this name."

Li Kuan carefully considered his choice of words. People in the Tang Dynasty probably didn't know what fiber was. "To a certain extent, cotton can be said to be a close relative of hemp, but in many ways, it is much better than hemp."

"Oh," Guo Shoujing became interested, "I wonder what's good about it?"

"I just said that I dare not make a definite statement. You still need Principal Guo to experience it for yourself."

Li Kuan smiled and said, "Here is a cotton coat. Please feel it for yourself, Principal Guo."

Li Kuan took out the cotton-padded jacket made for himself. Xiao Xiaoyuanyuan was watching from the side and couldn't help but pout.

Because of the production of this cotton-padded jacket, she also had some credit, although because she did not know how to weave, her credit was basically to make trouble, but she did not want the clothes she made for her brother-in-law to be worn by others...
But in order to support Li Kuan, Xiao Yuanyuan stood by and said nothing.

Eunuch Wang helped Guo Shoujing take off his cloak and then put on his cotton coat.

Due to the height difference, the suit is a little longer for Guo Shoujing, but it generally fits him.

"This coat is really warm. I just felt a cold wind blowing, but now it's suddenly warm."

Guo Shoujing wrapped his cotton coat tightly and couldn't help but smile.

"But I think this cotton coat is not as breathable as silk, and it's a little heavier. I can use it in winter, but silk is better in summer."

"Yes, Principal Guo, cotton clothes are indeed not as light as silk, but their quality is much better than linen, and the material is easy to obtain, so the price will be very cheap," Li Kuan said slowly.

"So, I want to use cotton instead of linen and make it the main source of clothing for the people of Dayan."

"How about a convenient method?" Guo Shoujing asked excitedly. You know, hemp, as the main raw material for clothing, has been circulated in China for thousands of years. It is definitely not an easy task to find a new thing to replace it.

"Principal Guo, silk production requires planting mulberry trees, raising spring silkworms, and waiting for the silkworms to mature. After that, the silk is extracted and then goes through a series of processing."

"In this series of projects, we must first ensure that the mulberry trees that produce inexpensive fruits are not good, which may affect the quality of the silk and indirectly lead to quality problems of the silk."

"During the silkworm breeding process, some silkworms will die for various reasons, thus reducing the original production. Even if some silkworms can survive, they may not be able to produce silk or produce less silk."

"This process is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it will also inevitably lead to a huge waste of silk."

"Cotton is different, it requires two steps, planting and harvesting."
"Your Majesty, what you mean," Guo Shoujing pondered, "is that as long as we plant trees, cotton will grow?"
"Of course not," Li Kuan said affirmatively, "This is just a kind of cotton, called tree cotton. In addition, there is also cotton that grows from the ground."

"As long as there are no particularly serious disasters and they grow normally, there will be a certain amount of cotton harvest. As for how much the harvest will be, it depends on the local soil and the planting and cultivation methods of the people."

"Cotton is just like ordinary grains. Apart from the time of planting and harvesting, which requires a certain amount of manpower, the other procedures are definitely much simpler than silk production."

"I see," Guo Shoujing nodded, "but this cotton looks like a bunch of clumps, how does it become cloth for making clothes?"

"Principal Guo, please look," Li Kuan knew that cotton would be rapidly promoted in Dayan in the future, so he drew the blueprint of the cotton spinning machine long ago.
"Due to the different materials, the machines for cotton weaving are also different. The picture in my hand is a cotton weaving machine. Although it is more troublesome to make than an ordinary weaving machine, it is also very efficient and can produce a piece of finished cloth very quickly."

"That's great," Guo Shoujing said with emotion.

"However, I still have a question. If cotton is widely used, what will happen to the people of Dayan who grow mulberry trees and raise silkworms? I cannot ignore their livelihoods!"

"Principal Guo, you just said that although cotton is warmer than silk, it is not as light and soft as silk. Therefore, Your Majesty and many ministers must continue to need silk. I brought this cotton to the Central Plains, and it is designed more for the people."

Li Kuan emphasized, "After all, compared to the princes and ministers, the majority of people in Dayan are still ordinary people!"

"That makes sense," Guo Shoujing responded, "but I don't know where I can plant this nose tuber, and what conditions are required?"

"The most important growing condition for cotton is sufficient sunlight and a certain amount of water for irrigation during the growing period," said Li Kuan. Although he is a science student now, he also learned a little about geography in geography class.

"I think cotton can be widely planted in the north and south of Da Yan. For example, in places like Yangzhou and Hangzhou where commerce is well developed and the population is dense, or in places like the Western Regions where there is sufficient sunlight and a certain amount of water, we can even create a cotton gathering area."

"It not only provides raw materials for the people to make clothes, but when the people have extra cotton, they can also take it to the market to exchange it for their livelihood."

"That's great," Guo Shoujing said excitedly, "The war is gradually being settled, and the population of Da Yan is increasing. This is originally a good thing, but once the population increases, both food and cloth become a problem."

"Due to wars and natural disasters, a large number of mulberry trees in the south have been destroyed. The tribute to the court has decreased a lot compared with previous years. It is difficult to solve the problem by relying on hemp alone. Your Majesty, you have also discovered a new material for making clothes, which is a great achievement in itself."

Guo Shoujing looked up and saw clusters of "white clouds" on the tall kapok tree, mixed among the green leaves, as if they were playing with each other.

Guo Shoujing could even imagine the scene of a bumper harvest when cotton was widely planted in the land of Dayan.

"Besides, the cotton yield is so high that it will surely open up livelihoods for the people of Great Yan and increase tax revenue for the imperial court in the future. Your Majesty's contribution is no less than winning a great battle."

"Principal Guo, thank you for the compliment." Li Kuan originally planned to wait for another good cotton harvest and report it to Guo Shoujing and others after it reached a certain scale.

I didn't expect Guo Shoujing to be so satisfied with cotton now. It seems that the promotion of cotton in Dayan should be a very rapid thing.

"Your Majesty, you don't have to be modest, but such a good thing cannot be grown only in your Li Mansion," Guo Shoujing said with a smile.

"I will immediately gather skilled craftsmen to make more cotton spinning machines according to your blueprint, Your Majesty, so that the people of Da Yan can wear cotton clothes as soon as possible before the severe winter."

"In addition, I will give you a few acres of good land outside Yanyun City, and five hundred elite soldiers to help you grow cotton. If you need anything else, please feel free to ask me."

“If the effect is good, I will order the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to promote it comprehensively. Your Majesty, the people of the world will surely remember your contribution.

"Haha, good!" Li Kuan cupped his hands.
"But I don't know, when the first batch of cotton-padded clothes are produced, who will be given them to first, Principal Guo?"

"Oh," Guo Shoujing heard the hidden meaning in Li Kuan's words, "Your Majesty, what do you think?"

"I think that after the cotton-padded jackets are made, they should first be given to the generals and soldiers in the northern border areas,"

"The north is extremely cold, and in winter, water can freeze instantly. As the soldiers are the guardians of our Great Yan territory, the court should also take their living conditions into consideration and try to take measures to prevent them from getting frostbite."

"Secondly, I think that after the cotton-padded clothes are made, they should also be given to the elderly and weak people near Yanyun City. Chang'an is located in the north. Although there are many rich people, there are also many ordinary people. For some elderly people, it is very difficult for them to survive the winter in Yanyun City."

"Principal Guo's gift of cotton-padded clothes to the elderly and weak in Yanyun City not only reflects the court's concern for the people, but also demonstrates the court's benevolence. It really kills two birds with one stone. If there are any cotton-padded clothes left after giving them to them, Principal Guo and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works can make their own arrangements."

Guo Shoujing pondered for a while. After all, if any rare items appeared in the world, they should be used by the royal family first. When the royal family could not use them up, they would be given as rewards to ministers, or even circulated among the people. This was a common and even rare phenomenon.

But Guo Shoujing was a wise prime minister. After thinking about it, he felt that what Li Qiu said made sense, so he nodded:

"Your Majesty, you are right, I will do as you say. I cannot forget the soldiers guarding the northern border and the people of Da Yan. You brought these cotton seeds, so your Majesty will be fully responsible for this matter."

"Thank you, Principal Guo." Li Kuan thanked him.

Guo Shoujing smiled and turned to walk outside, but halfway through, he suddenly turned back.
(End of this chapter)