The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 443 Paper (Part 2)
Master Hongming spoke eloquently in his area of ​​expertise:

"What the general said is correct. As far as the raw materials for papermaking are concerned, most tree bark is usable."

Not only tree bark, but also grasses and vines with silk, fluff, kudzu, sinews, hair, grass, and fibrous strands can be used to make paper.

Different uses require different materials for paper.

If the General wishes to purchase paper for painting, I would highly recommend Xuan paper.

I studied papermaking in Xuanzhou for ten years and have a deep understanding of the characteristics of Xuan paper.

Compared to other types of paper, it is the softest and finest, with the best ink absorption.

Xuan paper also has the advantage of being resistant to aging and having an extremely long shelf life. A great writer once praised it, saying that it is a paper that lasts for a thousand years and is a treasure of the world.

However, because the paper mulberry tree used to make Xuan paper does not grow quickly and is not easy to plant widely, and because the papermaking process is cumbersome and complicated, the paper mills ultimately included these costs in the selling price.

Second only to Xuan paper in quality is mulberry bark paper. However, since mulberry trees are grown for silkworm rearing, they do not have the regenerative ability of paper mulberry trees after being peeled and will die quickly. Therefore, the cost of obtaining the material is too high, and few paper mills in previous dynasties produced this type of bark paper.

Overall, sandalwood bark paper is the most widely sold material on the market.

Sandalwood, also known as paper mulberry, can be propagated from seeds or sprouted from rhizomes. It can grow rapidly in any field, wasteland, or even wall crack, and its materials are readily available.

Compared to Xuan paper and mulberry bark paper, the process of making sandalwood bark paper is simpler. Its characteristics are toughness and smoothness, but its ink absorption is only average.

The master truly deserves to be called a master.

He speaks eloquently about various types of calligraphy and painting paper.

Various comparative analyses.

To the end.

He believes that sandalwood bark paper can be vigorously developed in the Kansai region.

He also stated that he could use his ten years of experience in making Xuan paper to improve the process of making sandalwood bark paper in order to increase its ink absorption.

Gan Minglan humbly accepted the instruction.

This indicates that they will then send people to Kansai to purchase sandalwood seeds and saplings, and will subsequently plant them on a large scale in Kansai.

Seeing that the authorities took his proposal very seriously, Zen Master Hongming's calm demeanor began to lighten.

Before leaving, Gan Minglan asked, seemingly casually:

"Master, by the time the sandalwood saplings we bought grow to a usable size, it will probably be autumn. Do you think that during this half-year period, we could have the papermakers make some straw paper using grasses and vines that have silk, fluff, kudzu, sinew, hair, grass, and fibrous strands?"

“Of course it is possible. Rice straw and wheat straw are very useful! But the fibers in these two materials are extremely short. To make paper with good toughness, a certain proportion of long vine-like materials must be added. General, you can have someone summon those thirty-odd papermakers, and I will explain the key points to them in detail.”

it is good!it is good!it is good!
If we have toilet paper, will toilet paper be far behind?
A series of orders were issued.

The various departments of Ganluchuan Garrison are operating at a speed that is astonishing to the craftsmen.
half a month later.

With the breeding farm and wool mill in operation, and the paper mill's infrastructure largely completed, Qu Daxian had Xiao Jin deliver a message that left Gan Minglan both amused and exasperated.

Tiger Head and the others saw that their patriarch looked like he had a toothache after reading the letter.

Random guesses:

"Master, have Master Qu and the others been captured by the Hu people? Do you need to bring money to ransom them?"

Gan Minglan said irritably:
"It would be great if they were really captured! Without saying a word, I will lead you to raze that place to the ground."

Tiger Head and his men were never afraid of fighting.

Make a fortune every time you fight.

The fifty men who didn't go to the southwest were so jealous they were practically distorted when they learned the amount of reward money they received for killing the enemy.

The young man's eyes darted around: "How about we, the underlings, go to the Hu people's territory and set up a sting operation?"

They learned this phrase from their master. Gan Minglan: "."

Master Qu presented her with a difficult problem.

What is it?
The winemakers went out looking for water, and eventually ended up in the Iri River Valley.

He wrote in the letter:
"General, we have found a sacred place for brewing wine. This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with lush greenery and a river formed by snowmelt flowing around the foot of the mountains. The water here is clear, pure, and sweet, and is called the 'Holy Spring' by the local herders."

I wrote five pages of repetitive ramblings about this holy land of winemaking.

The key point is that the Yili River Valley doesn't belong to our Yongtai Dynasty.

If you set up a distillery on your rival's turf, who will benefit from it in the end?

General Zhenxi solemnly replied:
"Great Immortal, no, this general cannot send troops to Yili for the sake of a winery. You should come back quickly, we are close to the snow mountain, and the meltwater from the snow mountain is very sweet."

Xiao Jin made the round trip in just one morning.

Qu Daxian continued rambling:
"General, once you've tasted the holy spring water, no other snow water tastes any better! Trust me, taking this place will make you rich!"

Gan Minglan took Qu Daxian's letter and went to Hami City to ask General Zhaowu (Xiong Zhen) for advice.

"My lord, what do you think? How about we pull off something big before you return to Shangdu at the end of the year?"

Xiong Zhen: "Will His Majesty agree?"

Gan Minglan:
"Yes, His Majesty has instructed us to adopt a strategy of division towards the Kashgar Khanate. Although the tribal leaders in the Ili River Valley are supporters of the Black Hat Khoja faction, the Ili River Valley is more than 3,000 li away from Shache."

Her meaning was obvious.

Whoever is closest to this lucrative opportunity will have easier time managing it.

"Last year, didn't the Kashgar Khanate send envoys to negotiate peace? I remember the conditions you proposed back then, which was that they would offer the Ili River Valley to my Yongtai Dynasty emperor. Their envoys have been gone for so long, and they haven't said they disagreed. They probably tacitly agreed to let us take it for ourselves!"

Xiong Zhen: General Gan, you could have just gone and robbed it, but you had to come up with this excuse. It's not easy for you.

Looking down at Qu Daxian's description of that sacred place for brewing, Xiong Zhen couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Could they possibly be able to make wine that tastes better than the local wines of Huozhou?"

"It's different! The brewers in Sichuan and Chongqing are best at brewing distilled spirits, strong liquor made from grains. The Tatars and the Hu people love alcohol, so we'll sell them the strong liquor produced in the Yili River Valley distilleries at high prices. The profits will all go to the logistics and revenue-generating center. Our tactic is called using the Hu and Tatars' money to support the army and horses."

When the topic of generating revenue for the logistics center came up, Xiong Zhen immediately perked up.

As the first person in Kansai, he will enjoy a 20% stake in the revenue-generating center.

Given the speed at which Jade-Faced Rakshasa amasss wealth, Xiong Zhen has every reason to believe that he and his descendants will have more money than they can spend in their later years.

Thankfully, he remained rational and wasn't completely fooled.

Finally, I asked a crucial question:
"His Majesty wants to turn Guanzhong into the granary of the imperial court. Where would he find surplus grain to brew wine for them?"

Gan Minglan pointed in the direction of the Yili River Valley:
"My lord, the land there is fertile and suitable for both farming and animal husbandry. The locals have so much grain that their granaries can't hold it all."

Heart moved.

Xiong Zhen was truly moved.

By acquiring the Iri River Valley, one can gain access to a sacred land for winemaking and fertile soil stretching for thousands of miles.

The geographical significance lies in the fact that the territory of the Yongtai Dynasty expanded westward by more than a thousand miles.

Such a great achievement has never been accomplished by any general in the current dynasty, the previous dynasty, or the dynasty before that.

When he returns to the central government at the end of the year, he must bring His Majesty a generous gift.

What gift could be better than a country ceding territory to an enemy?

(End of this chapter)