Li Zikang thought about it for a while before speaking.
"What Changshi Shen said makes sense to a certain extent, but she doesn't know the specific truth yet.
When the Western Regions Protectorate was still there during the Han Dynasty, all the countries in the Western Regions surrendered and took the initiative to send troops to clear out bandits and maintain trade routes. From Yangguan and Yumenguan, there was an endless stream of traders traveling to and from the Western Regions, which also brought about the prosperity of the Hexi Corridor.
However, banditry is now rampant in the Western Regions, and the number is as high as a cow. Although there are still some caravans going back and forth, compared with the prosperous period, there is only one out of ten. If the Western Regions can be recovered and the banditry is eliminated, Hexi will definitely regain its former glory, and the country's Difficulties can also be solved.
besides……"
Li Zikang paused.
"When the thirteen generals of the Han Dynasty returned to Jade Gate, all the people shed tears. As a warrior, how do you feel about this?"
With a "pop" sound, Li Kuang slapped the table.
"How magnificent! I wish I could fight the enemy with him."
Li Zikang felt relieved.
"If His Highness can lead the troops to regain the Western Regions, he will leave a lasting mark. Future generations will also praise His Highness like this."
Li Kuang looked directly at Li Zikang.
"Then when I get home, my uncle will do his best to help me."
Li Zikang felt at ease and smiled.
"Your Highness, don't worry. It's just..."
Li Zikang's tone changed.
"This matter is not easy to handle.
Let’s talk about military strength first. Most of the domestic military forces are concentrated in the east, northeast, and north to resist the Wei Dynasty and the Turks. If you want to use troops in the Western Regions, you must have less troops, but not too many."
Li Kuang nodded.
Li Zikang calculated for a while and then said: "More than ten thousand elites should be enough. However, Your Highness also knows that most of the elites in the army are concentrated on the border, and a small number are guarding Jincheng. Deploying ordinary troops is just a waste of food and grass."
Li Kuang listened to Li Zikang's analysis and tapped the map on the table with his fingers.
"Uncle Clan, I have a hunch. If we mobilize troops from here."
Li Zikang looked at the place where Li Kuang was knocking, which was the border between Qin and Wei.
"Changshi Shen will definitely find a way to persuade the Wei Dynasty and reduce the deployment of troops here."
"Your Highness, why do you have this premonition?"
Li Kuang smiled and shook his head.
"I don't know, maybe it's a tacit understanding with Shen Changshi."
"tacit agreement!"
Li Zikang chewed on these two words.
"This must be the first time His Highness and Changshi Shen have met in private. Why do you say that?"
Li Kuang did not answer, but asked again: "Uncle Clan, what do you think of Shen Xiyao?"
Li Zikang was stunned and thought deeply for a moment.
"Did His Highness fall in love with her?"
Li Kuang didn't blush or shy away, and nodded generously in admission.
"Although this is my first private meeting with her, I just feel that talking to her is easy and comfortable, and she is to my liking. If I can marry her, I can give away all the women in the house."
Li Zikang smiled and shook his head, then he looked serious and brought the topic back.
"Then there is resistance from the clan. After all, the Later Qin Dynasty has established a country and proclaimed itself emperor, so the clan inevitably has some other ideas, including seeking to conquer the Central Plains."
Li Kuang stood with his chest crossed.
"Then it depends on Wei's luck. If he can't hold on, I don't mind stepping on him again."
In the imperial study, Yang Ke and Yang Lin looked a little solemn after listening to Shen Xiyao's story. Yang Lin glanced at his father and saw that he was bowing his head in deep thought.
Taking advantage of this, Yang Lin raised his head and looked at this woman who attracted his attention and brought different ideas to the Wei court several times.
"Often."
Yang Ke suddenly spoke up.
"The old slave is here."
"Acquire the maps of the Later Qin Dynasty and information about the Western Regions."
"Here!"
After a while.
Chang Chu was in front, followed by two regular attendants, holding a stack of books in his arms.
Then several young eunuchs walked into the imperial study carrying a roll of cloth.
Spread out the cloth, it is the map of the Later Qin Dynasty and the Western Regions.
Well, it has the same style as the map kept in Shen's residence. There are no contour lines, and the rivers and mountains are drawn more abstractly.
"You all go down."
After the young eunuch and the two regular attendants had put everything away, Chang Chu drove them all out of the imperial study.
Yang Ke walked to the map and carefully observed the content drawn on the map.
"Qin Xijin after the inducement?"
Yang Ke murmured and shook his head.
"Xiyao, this is inappropriate."
Yang Lin also walked to the map. While looking at the map, he listened to what Yang Ke said.
"It's too late this year. Next year! It only takes one year! In the future, Qin's military power will be able to subdue the countries in the Western Regions and reopen the trade routes in the Western Regions. It will take another year to plant and harvest Baidie. By then, Qin will return to the Central Plains with a large number of Baidie .If Baidie can be woven into cloth as you said, the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Chu are vying to buy it. Then the Later Qin will become richer and richer, and its national power will become stronger and stronger. You..."
Yang Ke left some words but did not say them.
"He is suspected of being an enemy and will create a strong enemy for the Wei Dynasty."
Yang Lin took over his father's words and said.
Both father and son looked at Shen Xiyao and saw the old god Mu Jianming standing in front of the map, also staring at the map.
"Your Majesty, eldest prince. Let me tell you this matter slowly."
Mu Jianming paused and gathered his thoughts.
"If the Later Qin Dynasty wanted to conquer the Western Regions, it needed to concentrate some of its troops. There are three ways to solve this problem: recruiting, hiring, and transferring.
The population of the Later Qin was sparse, so conscription was not the first choice in terms of time and practice.
There are some soldiers and horses of the Han, Qiang and other tribes scattered in Hexi and the Western Regions. Hiring these people is also a way. But these people are difficult to control, and after the news of the huge profits of the Later Qin was spread, these people who were originally unruly and difficult to control, It may bring greater trouble to Later Qin.
The only right way is to mobilize troops.
The northern front of the Later Qin Dynasty needs to defend against the Turks just like us. If you mobilize troops from the northern front, the Turks may break through the defense line. On the southern front, the Later Qin does not have much military power to use. Therefore, transferring troops from the eastern front is the only option for the Later Qin."
Yang Ke nodded.
"Yes, the Later Qin could only mobilize troops from the eastern front, and they were sure that even if they mobilized cavalry from the eastern front, the Wei Dynasty would not take the opportunity to launch an offensive."
"But what if Hou Qin really sends a large number of white stacks?"
Yang Lin asked.
"Don't worry, the eldest prince, the other two countries will not buy in large quantities. Wei is the only sales target of Later Qin."
"Sales... target?"
Yang Lin clicked on these four words.
Yang Ke was more concerned about what Mu Jianming said.
"Why is this? You said that Baidu can weave cloth to keep warm, so why won't Shu and Chu buy it?"
Mu Jianming ignored Yang Lin who was thinking about other things, smiled and continued.
"If Wei didn't buy it, no one in the Three Kingdoms would buy Later Qin's Baidie."
Yang Ke, Yang Lin and his son both had question marks on their faces.
"Weaving cloth with white-stacked yarn requires machinery and technology, which are currently not available in the three countries."
In previous history, the popular use of cotton cloth was during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.
Huang Daopo!
Songzhou cloth!
It’s a topic that cannot be avoided.
Although Mu Jianming had seen ancient looms through various media in his previous life, there were dozens of processes in the process from cotton to cloth. It was not just a touch of his upper lip to his lower lip that could surpass the accumulation of hundreds of years of craftsmanship in the textile industry. Precipitation and development.
If that were the case, it would be too magical.
"If we can't weave, what do we do with it?"
Yang Lin was a little confused.
Shen Xiyao looked at the two people in front of her and uttered two words lightly.
"Armor making."
Yang Lin let out a light sigh.
Yang Ke also nodded slightly,
Later.
Yang Ke's eyes suddenly focused on Mu Jianming.
Yang Lin also came back to his senses.
"What did you say? Say it again!"
"White stacks can be made into cotton armor."
That’s right!
He tried every means to get cotton, mainly for making armor.
The second is to provide a little bit of raw materials and technology accumulation for the development of cotton textiles.
As for the incidental solution to the problem of personal warmth, that is no longer important.
"Is this true?"
Yang Ke couldn't believe it. He walked up to Shen Xiyao and stared at this woman who had been admonishing him many times recently.
Mu Jianming nodded seriously.
Don’t blame Yang Ke for losing his composure.
Is it wrong for an emperor to care about the military affairs of the country?
Nothing wrong!
Armor is a matter of national importance.
There are only a few fully armored armies in the whole world, not to mention the Wei State.
These armies are all the trump cards of various countries and are directly in the hands of the emperor.
Taking the Wei State as an example, in the general army, only officers above the rank of captain are equipped with armor, and ordinary soldiers have no armor to wear.
"Isn't armor made of iron, leather, etc.? Why is there still cotton armor?"
Yang Lin asked with some confusion.
Shen Xiyao turned to Yang Lin.
"Yes. The defensive power of iron armor and leather armor is indeed very good. But it is also heavy. Another point is that leather is required to produce iron armor and leather armor. How much can the Wei Dynasty produce in a year? Although the defensive power of cotton armor is not as good as Iron armor and leather armor, but they are lighter. The production of cotton armor is also relatively simple. As long as Hou Qin can send cotton... uh... white stacks over, cotton armor can be made in large quantities."
"It turns out that the defensive power of cotton armor is not as good as iron armor."
Yang Lin sighed with some regret.
"First Prince, what we have to solve now is whether there is any."
"Yes, Xiyao is right. What we have to solve now is the armor problem of ordinary soldiers."
Turning his head, Yang Ke asked again.
"Once Later Qin learns that we are equipped with a large number of cotton armors, they will definitely not sell us Baidie. Moreover, if the cotton armor is easy to make, several countries will follow suit. Later Qin's Baidie will definitely not be short of buyers."
"So, just in case, I asked Li Kuang for Baidie's seeds."
Yang Ke suddenly became interested.
"Oh? Can this white-layered Wei be planted too?"
"Of course you can. However, the land in Wei State is limited. If you plant Baidie, there will be less land for growing food."
Yang Ke walked back and forth several times in the imperial study with his hands behind his back.
"Xiyao, do you have a solution?"
"I don't need to tell you this, Your Majesty should know it too."
"Is there no other option but to expand the territory?"
"have!"
Yang Ke and Yang Lin both looked at Shen Xiyao.
"Your Majesty can set up another yamen to specialize in the research of crops and increase yields. Research farming methods and guide farmers in farming. Use high-yielding crops and intensive farming to increase yields per mu."