Since Huang Daopo brought back textile technology from Hainan, Songjiang has grown from a barren land to one of the richest in the world.
The entire Songjiang Prefecture has a population of one million, all supported by one industry.
That is cotton spinning.
Cotton cloth can be found in every inch of earth, and looms must be found in every room.
This is the current situation in Songjiang Prefecture.
If you pick up a random person on the street, even if they are not you, their relatives are related to cotton spinning.
The over-prosperous cotton spinning industry also profoundly affected Songjiang’s local agriculture.
Xu Guangqi once said in "The Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" that "the government, civilians, and military cultivated 2 million acres of land, most of which were planted with cotton, which should be more than one million acres."
Even so, locally produced cotton cannot supply production needs. Therefore, purchasing cotton from other places has become a necessary means for Songjiang cotton spinning industry.
Shandong is an important source of raw materials for Songjiang cotton textile industry.
In other words, the entire Ming Dynasty’s cotton supply relied on Shandong.
Because the cotton output of six prefectures in Shandong province, especially the three west prefectures, namely Jinan Prefecture, Dongchang Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture, accounts for half of the country's cotton output.
Last year, the White Lotus Sect rebelled and destroyed the entire Shandong Province. The most serious consequence was that the cotton textile industry in Songjiang Prefecture lost its source of raw materials.
Pan Yunlong's grandfather Pan En once served as Minister of Industry. Taking advantage of this convenience, the Pan family became the largest cotton purchaser and supplier in Songjiang Prefecture, and had very close ties with all parts of Shandong.
"Since the chaos in Shandong last year, the supply of cotton has been sluggish. I have sent people to negotiate many times, but my old friends are nowhere to be found. What can I do?"
The cotton spinning industry in Songjiang Prefecture has become highly specialized. Taking the Pan family's procurement as an example, they even placed a deposit with a Shandong cotton merchant in advance.
In this way, after the cotton is harvested, it can be transported directly to Songjiang Prefecture.
As a result, there was chaos in Shandong last year, and all the Shandong businessmen who supplied cotton to the Pan family lost sight of them.
Pan Yunlong once sent people to Shandong to make contact. As a result, many local people's houses were emptied and villages were destroyed. Apparently, many businessmen died in the war.
Even the people sent by Pan Yunlong encountered the White Lotus Sect rebels several times and narrowly escaped death.
Faced with this situation, Pan Yunlong wanted to cry but had no idea what to do.
This was caused by war and was a force majeure factor. No one responsible could be found.
Those workshops that have signed supply agreements with the Pan family cannot blame the Pan family. The most difficult thing facing everyone now is that there is no work to start.
This has seriously affected the livelihood of everyone in Songjiang Prefecture. If it continues, it will definitely trigger an economic crisis and social unrest.
After learning about the situation, Zuo Mengeng couldn't help but be more cautious.
He found that his previous thoughts were actually simpler.
After developing the hydraulic drive, he wanted to develop the cotton spinning industry locally in Shandong and seize the market by relying on Shandong's cheaper costs.
But after consulting everyone in Songjiang Mansion, he realized that there was almost no chance of success in this matter.
First of all, there are many processes in cotton spinning. Just cleaning cotton is divided into four processes: opening cotton, cleaning cotton, blending cotton, and rolling cotton.
Later, there are dozens of processes such as carding, strip rolling, combing, roving, spun yarn, winding, twisting, shaking, bale forming, warping, sizing, drawing, and weaving.
Each step requires a large number of mature craftsmen to complete.
Songjiang Prefecture can achieve its current industrial scale only by relying on more than three hundred years of accumulation.
In other words, it will take at least several decades to establish a new cotton spinning center in Shandong.
This is very uneconomical.
Although Zuo Mengeng did not have any profound knowledge in the economic field, he was aware of the development of Shanghai in later generations. Anyway, it would be his own territory in the future, so there was no need to destroy the existing industrial base of Songjiang Prefecture and start a new one.
On the contrary, the predicament of the Songjiang Mansion made him see a God-given opportunity.
That was the opportunity to seize the entire Songjiang Prefecture on his chariot.
Cotton spinning is the foundation of Songjiang Prefecture, and the most important raw materials are in his hands.
In a flash of lightning, Zuo Mengeng made an immediate decision.
"After our army's fierce battle, the White Lotus Sect rebels are now gone. At least the rebels in Jinan Prefecture, Dongchang Prefecture, and Yanzhou Prefecture have been wiped out. Seniors, please rest assured. I will immediately send an order to them to send cotton over."
Everyone in Songjiang Mansion was overjoyed and thanked him profusely, and almost offered Zuo Menggeng as a Bodhisattva.
Xu Ji looked at this scene and felt emotional.
Has this son-in-law actually reached the point where he can decide the lives and deaths of millions of people with just one word?
He was still worried and asked: "Shandong's cotton production has always had rules. I'm afraid that if the acquisition is unfavorable, it will be wasted again."
What he thought was that those who could do the cotton business were all people with profound backgrounds, and he was afraid that they would not give Zuo Mengeng any face.
In front of everyone, Zuo Mengeng slightly showed his fangs.
"My father-in-law didn't know anything. After the White Lotus Sect caused chaos, people's livelihood in Shandong was completely destroyed. Nowadays, there are thousands of miles of uninhabited land and barren fields everywhere. Most of the cotton fields are in the hands of my son-in-law. It will not be a problem to meet the needs of all the seniors."
War has this benefit, it can cause the redistribution of property.
The big landowners and businessmen who originally controlled the land had strong backgrounds, so Zuo Mengeng could only watch.
However, under the destruction of the White Lotus Sect, many places were destroyed and the original owners of the land were no longer there.
Under such circumstances, why should Zuo Mengeng be so polite?
Of course, you should collect as much land as possible and put it all under your own name. If there are some owners, buy them if you can, but if you can't... then let them become ownerless.
Zuo Mengeng's actions received full support from the major families in Linqing and Dongchang.
The expansibility of capital provided Zuo Mengeng with help for the first time.
The huge profits from vegetable companies and agricultural reclamation groups have made major families eager to expand production. No matter how much land they have, they can't satisfy their appetites.
Similarly, cotton fields with higher returns cannot be let go.
After learning about the situation in Shandong, everyone in Songjiang Mansion immediately felt different.
They originally didn't expect Zuo Mengeng to be of any help. They just wanted to inquire about the situation in Shandong so that they could have an idea.
Unexpectedly, not only would the cotton supply be restored quickly, but the young man in front of him would also monopolize Shandong's cotton output.
In other words, in the future, everyone in the Songjiang Mansion will rely on his guidance.
As long as this young man coughs, Songjiang Mansion will tremble three times.
However, the people in Songjiang don't care about that much anymore. Solving their urgent needs is more important than anything else.
But Xu Ji was very worried about Zuo Menggeng's large-scale package. After seeing off the guests, he expressed concern: "King of the Lu region, Kong Furniture is an extraordinary person, and the other wealthy families are also extraordinary. Without their support, you
Can the promise be fulfilled?”
Most of the land in Shandong is in the hands of a few vassal kings and the Kong family, and the same is true for cotton fields.
Xu Ji was very worried. Zuo Menggeng promised to do well here, but later failed to provide the supply of goods, breaking his trust.
Zuo Mengeng was full of confidence.
"Father-in-law is at ease. As long as the canal is in the hands of my son-in-law, he can do whatever he says."
Xu Ji was inevitably frightened. It was the first time he realized that this son-in-law could kill him so cruelly.
But Zuo Mengeng is right.
Now that he has tens of thousands of troops at his disposal, as long as he blocks the canal, what kind of ships can pass and what ships cannot pass is not a matter of his words?
No matter how many gods there are in Shandong, even a piece of cotton cannot be shipped out without passing through him.
Not to mention that Shandong is now in a mess, and the imperial court's control over the place has reached its weakest level. Large tracts of land have been deserted and have become ownerless lands.
Zuo Mengeng took the opportunity to get these lands in his hands and arranged for labor to manage them well. By next year, the cotton output in his territory alone will be astonishing.
Xu Ji thought that Zuo Menggeng had done something cruel enough, but he didn't know that in Zuo Menggeng's mind, he had already sentenced all the vassal kings and the Kong family to death.
It's just that the time has not come yet, and they are allowed to be arrogant for a while.
Just because of Zuo Mengeng's assurance, Songjiang's market is visibly prosperous again.
Now everyone in Songjiang Mansion no longer dares to look down upon this new son-in-law of Xu Mansion.
For a time, congratulatory gifts from various families arrived one after another, piling up like a mountain, even if Xu Ji repeatedly emphasized that the Xu family advocates simplicity.
Pan Xiaona even followed Pan Yunlong's advice and invited Zuo Mengeng to go on a trip in the name of his brother-in-law, in order to close the relationship.
Liu Zongzhou and Huang Zongxi have already returned to Zhejiang, and Li Banghua has also returned to Jiangxi. The wedding will still take some time, and Zuo Mengeng has nothing to do.
I thought I would take the opportunity to learn more about the situation in Songjiang Mansion, so I happily accepted the appointment.
When he asked to see the cotton spinning situation in Songjiang Prefecture, Pan Xiaona immediately made arrangements.
"Zhongheng, you see, this is the place where my Pan family's cotton cloth is distributed, and it is also the largest cotton production area in Songjiang Prefecture. The Qu Mansong family is the leader in this place. They do things fairly and everyone respects them."
Pan Xiaona took Zuo Mengeng to Loutang Town and explained to him the importance of this place.
Standing on the bow of the ship, Zuo Mengeng looked around and discovered the power of Loutang Town.
Compared with other places in Songjiang Prefecture, it is connected to Songjiang in the east and Suzhou in the west, making it very convenient to consolidate goods.
The Hengli River passes through the town, all the way to the northeast, and finally merges into the Yangtze River estuary.
In addition, there are two other tributaries connected to the Hengli River.
A tributary passes through the town and connects to the Liuhe River in the northwest. Through the Liuhe River, you can directly reach Yangcheng Lake and go deep into the hinterland of South Zhili.
The other tributary connects Yantie Pond and Zozaobang in the southwest direction, and finally connects to Wusong River and enters the canal.
Such developed and convenient water transportation conditions have contributed to the reputation of Loutang Town as the No. 1 Cotton Spinning Town in Songjiang.
Zuo Mengeng is looking forward to seeing how much the power of Songjiang Cotton Spinning can be seen here.
From a distance, I saw a young man running out of the town and heading straight to the dock. It was Qu Ye.