"Clouds look like cotton, but they are actually just a ball of water vapor."
Jin Feng answered casually.
"A cloud is a ball of water vapor? How can water vapor float in the sky?"
Qing Mulan asked curiously: "What is cotton?"
"cotton……"
Jin Feng then remembered that the origin of cotton was India and Arabia, and that in its previous life, cotton began to be popularized in the Central Plains during the Ming Dynasty.
Today's Dakang is in a closed state. Almost no one in the Central Plains and Sichuan knows about cotton. People rely on silk, hemp, kapok, animal skins and the like to keep out the cold.
Rich people make mattresses made of fur, while ordinary people's quilts are stuffed with things like kapok and reed batting.
The poorer ones can only find some straw to pile on the bed, and the family huddles together, relying on each other's warmth to stay warm.
If you don't have a house or even a place to pile straw, you can only resign yourself to fate.
When Tang Dongdong originally proposed building a textile factory, Jin Feng thought of sending people to look for cotton.
But at that time, he had not fully grown up, and his own survival and safety problems had not been solved. How could he have the strength to send people on a long journey?
Later, when various things got busy and the textile factory was developing well, Jin Feng forgot about this matter.
Now that Qing Mulan reminded him, he remembered it again.
"Cotton is similar to kapok, but it is whiter, softer, warmer, easier to grow, and has a higher yield. It is also very suitable for spinning." Jin Feng replied.
"Since there is such a good thing, it should be available everywhere. Wei has been traveling all over the world with the fleet in recent years, so why has he never heard of this thing?" Wei Datong asked.
"Because cotton is far away in the West, we in Dakang probably don't have it yet."
"Far to the west? How far?"
“Farther west in Dangxiang and Tubo.”
"This..." Wei Datong sighed and stopped talking.
With Dakang's current national strength, it is simply a fantasy to send people across Dangxiang and Tubo.
This is also the reason why Jin Feng knew where the cotton was before but didn't send anyone to look for it.
"Sir, is this what the master told you?" Qing Mulan asked.
"Yes," Jin Feng nodded: "By the way, Mu Lan, remember to remind me about this when you go back. Don't look back and forget again."
"Sir, are you going to look for cotton?" Qing Mulan immediately understood Jin Feng's plan.
"I have this idea."
"Didn't you say there is a barrier between Dangxiang and Tubo?"
"You can give it a try. If it works, let's wait and see if it doesn't work."
Jin Feng was indeed moved: "If Dakang had cotton, so many people wouldn't freeze to death."
At this time, he is no longer the same as when he first opened the textile factory. With enough financial resources and strength to support him, things that he could not do or dare not think about at the time may not be possible now.
At least consider giving it a try.
After all, cotton is different from potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes. You don’t need to take a boat across the Pacific, or even cross the Eurasian continent. You might be able to find it if you go west to Xinjiang.
"If the cotton is really as good as what you said, it will be a great thing. Sir, if Miss Qing forgets, I will remind you."
Wei Datong also followed suit.
As a few people chatted, the hot air balloon had risen to a height of more than 300 feet.
"No wonder sir, you are so confident. With this treasure, it is so convenient to survey the terrain!"
Wei Datong looked outside and sighed.
Then he took out a map from his pocket, compared it with the bottom, and marked it with charcoal blocks.
"What are you doing, sir?"
Jin Feng looked at the map in Wei Datong's hand, and then looked outside, a little confused as to what his marks meant.
"These are the areas where the map needs to be revised. These are areas that cannot be seen clearly and require on-the-spot observation."
Wei Datong pointed to the mark and explained.
"This Kan map was edited by me. If you can't see clearly, use this."
As Jin Feng spoke, he took out a new map and handed over a monocular telescope.
"What is this?"
Wei Datong took the telescope and asked.
"This is a telescope. You can see far away."
Qing Mulan excitedly walked over and explained to Wei Datong how to use the telescope.
The telescope is very simple to use, and Wei Datong learned it quickly.
He would look away for a while, then look closer again, exclaiming:
"My God, I can see so clearly! You sir are truly a god!"
Today Wei Datong saw too many things that he could not imagine.
The big bag that can carry people flying, and the magical mirror that can clearly see miles away...
"It's just a little trick."
Jin Feng waved his hand casually: "Master Wei, isn't this much faster?"
"Much faster, much faster!"
Wei Datong nodded repeatedly: "Climb high and have a panoramic view of everything. You can see more clearly if you stay up here for half an hour than if you run down for half a month."
"That's good."
After Jin Feng heard this, he finally relaxed.
Now that the disaster is getting worse, if the Dujiangyan project starts earlier, the people will be able to work one day earlier.
"Master Wei, have you seen the big tree? I'm going to open the mouth of the treasure bottle over there. Have you seen the rocky beach? I'm going to put the water-dividing fish mouth there..."
Jin Feng pointed downwards and explained to Wei Datong the three major main projects of Dujiangyan.
Although Wei Datong is a smooth man and an old official, he has done a lot of research on water conservancy and is very aware of the importance of this project.
At this time, I didn't dare to show any signs of neglect. I listened carefully to Jin Feng's explanation and compared the map point by point.
If you encounter something you don’t understand, take the initiative to ask.
Not only was Jin Feng not impatient, but he was even more relieved.
The reason why Dujiangyan amazed Jin Feng was mainly because of its ancient history and backward conditions.
Li Bing and his son did not have a hot air balloon at that time, and they did not even have a detailed map. In order to build Dujiangyan, the father and son visited countless local people to understand the local terrain.
They had no other machinery. After confirming the plan, they could only lead the people to dig bit by bit with hoes.
It is said that they did not even have a steel drill at that time, so they had to use fire to heat the stone first, and then pour cold water on it, so that the stone would explode.
Using this extremely primitive method, Li Bing and his son led the people to cut through Yulei Mountain!
Dujiangyan embodies the hard work and wisdom of Li Bing and his son and the local people.
Although Jin Feng does not have large machinery such as excavators, he already has explosives.
When the time comes, burying more detonators will save a lot of effort.
That afternoon, Wei Datong and Jin Feng stayed on the hot air balloon until the fuel oil was almost exhausted before getting off.
Wei Datong was familiar with the waterways, but not the mountains. For this reason, Jin Feng also asked the eagle to go to the local area to find hunters and farmers who were familiar with the mountains.
"Sir, isn't it a good idea to find a hunter or a farmer?"
During dinner at night, Qing Mulan reminded: "What if they leak the news?"