How to fight against the cold winter? There are many ways, which boil down to two directions.
"The first is clothing to keep out the cold, and the second is keeping the house warm." Chen Jingke organized his words and said:
"Let's talk about the first item first, clothing to keep out the cold. The best clothing to keep out the cold is winter clothing made of fur, but fur is expensive and difficult to process and make. There is no way to promote it on a large scale and can only be used as an auxiliary means."
Seeing that he really answered this question, Li Shimin immediately understood that he had a solution. He was very happy and couldn't help but said: "Then how should we solve the problem of cold-proof clothing?"
Chen Jingke did not answer directly, but asked: "Has your Majesty heard of cotton?"
"Cotton? Is it related to kapok?" Li Shimin was puzzled. Changsun Wugou and Sun Simiao on the side were also puzzled. They had heard this word for the first time.
Chen Jingke was a little helpless. He didn't know what cotton was called in ancient times, so he could only describe its shape.
Li Shimin and Changsun Wugou both frowned and couldn't remember what it was.
Sun Simiao looked thoughtful and said, "But Bai Diezi?"
Li Shimin suddenly realized: "I remembered it. "Book of Liang" records that there is grass in Gaochang, which is like a cocoon, and the silk in the cocoon is like fine silk. It is called Baidiezi. It is very similar to the cotton mentioned by Jing Ke. I wonder if it is the same.
kind?"
Chen Jingke also said happily: "Yes, Baidiezi is cotton. Its fruits can be spun and weaved. The cotton is soft, breathable, absorbs sweat and keeps warm."
"It can also be used to fill clothes and bedding. Its warmth-keeping effect is second only to fur. It can be infinitely thickened. If it's not warm enough, just stuff it with more cotton."
"Cotton can be grown all over the country. People can plant a little in the fields to feed their families, and they can sell more to subsidize their families."
"Moreover, cotton is more comfortable than linen and cheaper than silk. It is a big business..."
Chen Jingke explained the various functions of cotton and its economic value. After listening, Li Shimin was obviously moved.
"I didn't expect that Gaochang would have such a magical thing. Qu Wentai didn't know how to dedicate it to the imperial court... hum."
He didn't say the next words, but that cold snort was enough to explain his attitude.
The eldest grandson Wugou pursed his lips and smiled and said: "Congratulations, your majesty, congratulations to your majesty... With this thing, the people no longer suffer from the severe cold. This is all thanks to your majesty."
Li Shimin was very excited and said a little embarrassedly: "Thanks to Jing Ke, you have made great achievements again. I wonder what reward you want?"
Sun Simiao's expression changed and he wanted to refuse on his behalf, but Changsun Wugou rushed in front of him and said:
"If a tree is as beautiful as the forest wind, it will be destroyed by the wind. If Jing Ke is rewarded too early when he is still young, he may get into trouble. It is better to write down his achievements first and reward him together in the future."
How could Li Shimin not understand what his wife meant? His eyes flickered and he nodded slowly: "Okay, you are his aunt, so I will listen to you."
Then he turned to Chen Jingke and shouted: "Boy, do you have any objection?"
No matter how stupid Chen Jingke is, he still knows that Changsun Wugou is protecting him, and he quickly said: "No objection, no objection, I will listen to my aunt."
Li Shimin gave him a knowing look, and then said: "Go on, you can pass the cold-proof clothes I just mentioned. We are keeping the house warm. You don't mean to talk about the brazier, do you?"
Chen Jingke was stunned for a moment. Li Shimin was very polite to him before, but why did he become so... rude after refusing the reward? He spoke like he was lecturing, could he be angry?
But it was your wife who took the lead in refusing just now. Why do you blame me?
In fact, he didn't know that it was precisely because Changsun Wugou protected him many times that Li Shimin knew that she really accepted his nephew from the bottom of her heart, so she suddenly became so rude.
It was difficult for him to understand this subtle psychological change for a while. But Sun Simiao could see it clearly, and a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
Chen Jingke was complaining in his heart but did not dare to show it on his face. He said honestly: "No, Your Majesty, just come with me and take a look."
After saying that, he got up and took them to visit the backyard room: "This is the fire wall... this is the fire kang... this is the fireplace... this is the stove with the chimney..."
It is still relatively cold in Guanzhong in winter. Chen Jingke knows this very well, so when he built Zixiao Temple, he had already considered the issue of heating.
Except for the bathroom, rooms that are frequently occupied by people have heating equipment.
There is a fireplace in the living room, where everyone can chat and warm up the fire. If relatives and friends come over, they can also have a small barbecue.
There is a fire wall in the study room, so you can light a fire from the next room to prevent open flames from igniting books; there is a stove in the classroom, so you can heat hot water; and there is a fire kang in the bedroom to make sleeping more comfortable.
After reading it, Li Shimin couldn't help but marvel at his fantastic ideas: "Today we know that there are so many ways to keep warm."
Changsun Wugou praised: "The most valuable thing is safety. You don't have to be as frightened as burning a brazier."
Li Shimin nodded with deep understanding and said: "The general will come over tomorrow to observe and learn. If we place such things in the palace, winter will not be so difficult in the future."
When the Sui Dynasty built Daxing Palace, they only considered Feng Shui and did not care whether it was livable or not.
However, this is the lowest point in the entire Chang'an City. It is hot and humid in the summer and cold and humid in the winter. This is why Li Shimin decided to build the Daming Palace.
Later, Li Yuan and eldest grandson Wugu died one after another, and he had no idea about the construction and the project stopped. It was not until Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty that the Daming Palace was built in one go.
Now that we have these heating equipment, at least the winter days will be much easier. As for the summer... we will talk about it then.
When Chen Jingke saw that he only talked about the fire bed and did not mention the affairs of Liaodong, he couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, these two methods should be able to solve the problem of winter in Liaodong, right?"
Li Shimin looked a little hesitant, but did not want to dampen his enthusiasm, so he said: "These two strategies are indeed good methods, but there are still many problems in immigrating to Liaodong."
"Firstly, there are many foreign ethnic groups in Liaodong, and immigrants in the past were easily plundered by them, making it difficult to settle down. Secondly, Liaodong is far away from the Central Plains and the roads are inconvenient, so the court cannot effectively govern it."
"Thirdly, not long after the chaos ended, the population dropped sharply and people were anxious about peace, and it was impossible to immigrate to the border on a large scale from the Central Plains... Therefore, actual immigration to the border is not feasible for the time being."
"But Jing Ke, your method is good. When the population and national strength recover in the future, I will take Liaodong and destroy Goguryeo to repay the humiliation of the Sui Dynasty."
Hearing this, Chen Jingke was also helpless. Population was always a shortcoming for a newly established country. He could think of solutions to other problems, but he really had no solution at all when it came to population.
However, he still said: "Your Majesty has the world in mind and will inevitably send troops to Goguryeo in the future. You might as well make preparations in advance. Even if large-scale immigration is not possible, you can still move there a little and choose a fertile and safe place to settle."
"This can not only accumulate experience for future large-scale immigration, but also provide military supplies for the troops stationed in the local area and reduce logistical pressure."
Li Shimin quite agreed with this point, saying: "There are more than 200,000 people in Liaodong, and cotton-padded clothes and heating methods can be promoted among them first."
"Cotton-padded clothes, in particular, are urgently needed by the soldiers stationed at the northern border. The sooner we promote them, the less suffering they will suffer."