Chapter 95: Visit to Textile Factory
This was Zhu Yuanzhang's test for He Xi.
He Xi must continue.
Today he is in charge of one to two million people. In this land of Liaodong, there is coal and iron. There are various products. And the army went to war. What is needed most is food. Not to mention that Goryeo has already granted fields. If there are no problems, Korea can still solve some of them. The court solved part of the problem. Direct sea shipping. It will reduce He Xi's pressure.
As for beyond that. The supplies needed are nothing more than weapons, medicinal materials, cloth, etc. He Xi didn't think he could do it.
It's not without its problems though. But He Xi didn't feel like he couldn't solve it.
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw that He Xi had agreed, he said, "Let's have a meal. After eating, go and see your textile factory."
"Yes." He Xi said.
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When He Xi came out of the main hall of Niuzhuang Inn, he felt as if a big battle had been fought. My heart was pounding wildly. Zhu Yuanzhang is old. The methods are not soft at all. He Xi couldn't figure it out for a while. What is Zhu Yuanzhang's intention?
He thought about it outside for a while, and suddenly something happened in his heart. He understood very well that clearing the world was the beginning of Zhu Yuanzhang's series of new policies. As for the matter of clearing the world, no one came to Liaodong. Although the Qing Dynasty began in the south. But there are already people taking up front positions in the northern provinces.
But there is none here in Liaodong.
But that's right. Because Liaodong is not a province, it is governed by Shandong Province. But He Xi always felt that something was wrong.
He Xi suddenly figured it out: "Liaodong seems to be independent of the New Deal."
He Xi didn't know what the purpose of such a pattern was. But he always felt that Zhu Yuanzhang played a big game in this matter.
"Master He, Master He." When He Xi was thinking about it, he saw Fang Chengfeng saluting from a distance.
He Xi said: "Uncle Fang, what are you doing?"
Fang Chengfeng looked sad and said: "Unfortunately, my father died, so I went back to my hometown for burial. When my father was here, he said that he received great kindness from you. Without you, the Fang family would not be what it is today. Everyone in the Fang family is proud of you. We are looking forward to seeing each other. We say goodbye today. I don’t know when we will see you again. I came here to express my gratitude today.”
Then Fang Chengfeng took out a wooden box and handed it to He Xi.
He Xi took it over and felt his hand feel heavy. When he opened it, he found it was a gold nugget, a naturally formed gold. And it looks like a cow. This kind of natural nugget gold has collection value. This kind of uncarved nugget is just like the nugget gold of certain items. It is a natural creation and a miraculous workmanship. I dare not say it is priceless. But the minimum value is far greater than its texture.
He Xi smiled slightly. He gave it back to Fang Chengfeng and said, "There's no need for this. Kunzhong of the Fang family has also helped me a lot. It's just that the sky never holiday."
Fang Chengfeng said: "My lord, I have something I would like to ask your lord to enlighten me on."
He Xi said: "What's the matter?"
Fang Chengfeng said: "Xiaoguan has a weak foundation in the court. It will take several years to observe filial piety. I am worried, worried about ------"
After hearing this, He Xi immediately understood Fang Chengfeng's worries.
The Fang family has now recovered. Fang is imprisoned in Nanyang, and there is another count. But compared to the founding heroes, they are still far inferior. These big guys can be crushed to death with one finger. Now Fang Chengfeng has just made a meritorious service. Strike while the iron is hot, and there will still be a shortage. But once I wait three years, I don’t know what official has done.
Not to mention. These days it is rare for civil servants to observe mourning for three years. Not to mention military commanders.
He Xi is considered the backer of the Fang family. Naturally, he asked to come to the door, and the dog-headed gold was just a hint. Fang Chengfeng didn't expect anything to happen, but he couldn't live without it. If not, it will appear that you do not understand etiquette.
He Xi's heart moved and she said: "Marquis Yongchang will never agree to Japan's annexation of Goryeo. And His Majesty has already approved it. The war in the east is getting worse and worse. This thing must be sent to the right door."
Fang Chengfeng's heart moved, and he immediately saluted and said, "Thank you, Sir. The whole Fang family will always be grateful for your kindness."
He Xi didn't seem to say anything, but in fact, it was already very clear. The war in the east is getting worse and worse. The conquest of Japan was no different than that of Goryeo, which required crossing the sea. And who is the first family in the Ming Dynasty naval battle? It's the Fang family. Fang Guan's reputation in the south.
Although a little empty. But now Lan Yu has no choice. After all, Lan Yu will definitely learn the lessons of the Ming Dynasty's conquest of Japan. It is necessary to choose a general who knows how to fight at sea to command the navy. But not many people in the Ming Dynasty knew about naval warfare. And it’s a carrot and a pit.
Fang Chengfeng came to the door at this time. It solves Lan Yu's urgent need.
As for whether the battle can be won. He Xi was not worried at all. The Ming Dynasty's ships and firearms overwhelmed more than one of the Japanese, and Fang Chengfeng was not a fool. Just be careful and you won't capsize.
He Xi said: "Just do your job well."
This is just a small episode.
He Xi also has ideas about Japanese gold and silver. And placing a person is just a matter of convenience.
The real big thing today is nothing else. Right on the textile mill.
After all, there is already a Taiping Iron Works in the south.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew the Taiping Iron Works very well. This place in Shenyang is just a replica. There wasn't much to see. The textile factory was a new thing.
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After Zhu Yuanzhang had lunch, he followed He Xi to the textile factory with a group of guards.
The textile factory is built in a large courtyard. In this courtyard, there are many wooden houses. These houses are also newly built. Even the wooden branches on several wooden houses have sprouted thin buds. It can be seen that this wood was not treated at all and was used directly.
There is no other way.
Not just here, this is the case in many places in Liaodong.
A steady stream of Korean immigrants entered Liaodong. millions of. This requires a lot of houses.
After all, in a situation like Liaodong, if you don’t have a house in the winter, you will only end up freezing to death. So building houses is a top priority. He Xi also arranged the brick-burning. With enough coal and iron, it is not difficult to make bricks. But the problem is that large-scale brick burning also takes time.
So a wooden house is the best choice.
Especially after the opening of the Liaosong Canal.
The reason why wood had to be transported from the Yalu River before was not because there was no wood on the Liao River. Instead, both sides of the Yalu River are mountainous. After cutting down the wood on the mountain, it can roll down into the Yalu River with a gentle push. Go down the river. Save labor.
Although there are large trees on both sides of the Liao River, these large trees are still some distance away from the Liao River. It is also very laborious to drag a big log from the mountain into the Liaohe River.
This is not the case on the Songhua River side today.
The Songhua River is even more desolate than the two sides of the Yalu River. Embrace the big tree together, and there will be as much as you want. And no one had cut it before, so even on flat ground, there was plenty of wood available. Coming along the canal is much more convenient than before.
The Liaosong Canal has affected Liaodong's timber industry. At least Liaodong's timber output is more imaginative than before.
Therefore, Liaodong may lack other things, but it definitely does not lack wood.
When all materials are in short supply, building a house out of wood is the first choice. Many people think that this kind of house cannot keep out the cold, but that is not the case. There are neat logs in the middle. Then paste it with mud to form an earth wall, which is very warm. Not to mention digging a fire tunnel under the room, which is enough to survive the winter. Of course, the wood is not treated. Maybe there are problems like this. But no matter what. Let’s get through this level first.
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say much about such a hasty project.
Go directly into the factory.
Talk about a dead factory. In fact, it can’t be called a house at all. But a greenhouse. Frames support the thatched roof. Because of this beam-and-column structure, the entire factory building is very large. There are hundreds of square meters. There are nearly a hundred looms placed inside.
Although there are so many people coming at the moment. But these weaver girls. Everyone was paying attention to what they were doing, and no one dared to look up. There was only the sound of the loom.
This is what He Xi has been trained for a long time.
King Yan followed Zhu Yuanzhang, and he was very interested at this moment. Because this loom was different from the looms he had seen. King Yan grew up beside Queen Ma. Queen Ma also weaves all year round, but she stopped doing anything after a serious illness a few years ago.
King Yan was no stranger to textile machines.
The textile machines in front of us today are completely different.
First of all, the materials are different.
This loom is of iron and wood construction. The stand is made of wood. But many key parts are made of iron. And it's very brisk. Shuttles were flying back and forth, and for a while King Yan couldn't even see how many shuttles there were. I saw that weaving was very fast.
A piece of cloth is produced at a speed visible to the naked eye. Almost as soon as he looked at it, several feet were produced.
This is too fast.
King Yan was very aware of the efficiency of the loom. Generally speaking, if you can knit one piece in one day, it is pretty good. One horse is several feet long, but at the current speed, a loom will be several times as long as the original loom in one day.
King Yan said: "This is impossible."
King Yan immediately took out a piece of cloth from one side, gave one end to the guards around him, and pulled the other end himself. It was exactly the same size as the Jiangnan cloth. No, it's not the same. This piece of cloth is wider than the one in Jiangnan.
A piece of cloth is usually four feet long, which is forty feet. The width is different. Generally no more than four feet, the reason is very simple. This is the width between your hands. Because when weaving, people need to put their hands on both sides, this width is also fixed.
But now the new textile machines free people's hands. In this way, you can be as wide as you want. Just for convenience. In line with this era. We must also follow the habits of this era. So the cloth was more than four feet wide. More affordable than other fabrics. But it won’t increase the cost too much.
It's the current size.
When King Yan touched it, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, it's linen."
