Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

The world is vast, but food and clothing are the most important. The land of the Tang Dynasty was divided equally, agricultural tools were improved, farming methods were changed, and grain production increased. As long as the people were more diligent, the problem of food would be basically solved, but the problem of clothing had not been completely solved.

Although Zhang Mo improved the textile machine, due to the shortage of raw materials, cloth cannot be produced on a large scale. In addition, due to the shortage of thermal insulation materials, winter is still very difficult for ordinary people.

"I had someone try to grow the cotton that Princess mentioned in Wuwei this year. It was harvest season before I came back, so I brought some back for you to review."

In the conference room, Jia Xu, who had just returned from Liangzhou, had someone bring in a bag of cotton. He personally went up and opened the bag, revealing the snow-white cotton wool inside.

Zhang Mo walked over quickly, took out a few flowers from the bag, and asked excitedly, "Did it really grow successfully? What's the yield per mu?"

Jia Xu explained to her carefully, "This is our first year of trial planting, and no one has any experience. However, this crop isn't unique to Jiaozhou. I heard from merchants returning from the Western Regions that they've seen it there as well, but in the wild, not cultivated. They said that in previous years, the flower usually bloomed in August or September. Based on the temperature difference between the Western Regions and Wuwei, I roughly estimated several planting times and had people sow in different periods. The results were all different."

"According to local farmers, those sown too early suffer from low temperatures, a long germination period, weak seedling vitality, and severe disease, resulting in incomplete or no emergence. Sowing too late results in quick and uniform emergence, but the effective growing season isn't fully utilized, often leading to premature and late maturation of cotton, resulting in low quality. The cotton I brought back was sown in late April, which was just the right time, and the yield was the best, around 200 kilograms per acre. If better fertilizer had been applied, it might have been even higher."

"Two hundred kilograms!" Zhang Mo was delighted. "This yield is very good! Very good! It's more profitable than growing crops!"

Jia Xu also smiled. "That's right. Although two hundred kilograms may not seem heavy, cotton is light. There is still a lot of it. I wonder how much cotton cloth can be spun out of it?"

Zhang Mo said, "Take these you brought back to the textile factory and try them out. You'll find out. This cotton can not only be used to weave cloth, but also to make quilts, cotton clothes, cotton shoes, and sanitary products..."

She suddenly paused while speaking.

"What about hygiene?" Jia Xu asked.

"Um... hygiene... cotton balls, medical ones..." Zhang Mo was embarrassed for a second, then casually explained, "Anyway, cotton is a good thing. Let's expand the planting area in the suitable areas in Liangzhou. I'll harvest whatever you grow."

Jia Xu looked at her strangely. What was there to be embarrassed about talking about sanitary tampons?

However, Lu Bu knew that what she was talking about was not tampons, but something called sanitary napkins, which were used by women of their time during menstruation. Amo had complained to him more than once that the thing she could not adapt to most here was the menstrual belt filled with wood ash.

Jia Xu said, "Before I came back, I had already expanded the planting there."

"We should also build a textile factory directly there, processing the raw materials on site to save transportation costs. Coincidentally, Jincheng County, where the Yellow River flows, is a very suitable place to install water wheels. We should send people to Dunhuang, Jiuquan, and Zhangye to investigate whether there are rivers that can drive water wheels, so that we can build more textile factories."

At this point, Zhang Mo thought of Xinjiang again. "It would be even better if the countries in the Western Regions could also submit to the Tang Empire. The land and climate there are more suitable for growing cotton. I wonder what the situation is like there now?"

Jia Xu replied, "Since Generals Wei and Huo defeated the Xiongnu and seized the Hexi Corridor, our Han Dynasty has had frequent exchanges with the states of the Western Regions. However, over the past few hundred years, the Xiongnu have constantly interfered, and the Protectorate has been abandoned several times. In the second year of Yanguang, Zhang Gong, the governor of Dunhuang, and Chen Zhong, the minister of state, suggested reopening the Western Regions to "scare the Xiongnu." The court accepted their proposal and sent Ban Chao's son Ban Yong as the "Head Secretary of the Western Regions" to station in "Liuzhong." The states of Kucha, Shule, Khotan, and Shache soon came to submit, and our Han Dynasty's previously interrupted ruling relationship with the Western Regions was restored. However, since the Liangzhou rebellion, the Han Dynasty has severed contact with the Head Secretary of the Western Regions. I'm not very clear about the specific situation there now, but I think that as long as they know the strength of our Tang Dynasty, the states of the Western Regions will be willing to submit."

Zhang Mo said, "Then let's have the governor of Xinzhou send an envoy over to take a look, and have Ziyi send a thousand soldiers and horses to accompany them. If the Western Regions are willing to submit, that would be great. If not, at least take back the Chief Secretary's Mansion first. I don't think the troops stationed there will have a good time in the next few years."

Jia Xu nodded in agreement. "Yes, they originally relied on the soldiers' own farming and taxes collected from passing merchants to support themselves. After the Liang Province rebellion, merchants rarely went to the Western Regions, and they also lost contact with the Han Dynasty. Living on farming must have been very difficult. And with the Han Dynasty divided like this, the Western Regions might not respect the Han Dynasty anymore, and the Northern Xiongnu might even make a comeback. Life will be very difficult for the soldiers in the Changshi Mansion."

The soldiers stationed there were like children abandoned by their mother, with no home to return to and wolves lurking in the four states.

After hearing Jia Xu's analysis, Zhang Mo immediately said, "Have the envoys bring some food, cloth, and other daily necessities. If they still hold on to the Changshi Mansion, we will reward them in the name of the King of Tang. If they have returned to another country and are willing to come back, we will return to the Changshi Mansion of the Tang Kingdom. Tell them that as long as the Tang Kingdom exists, we will never abandon them."

"The princess is kind-hearted and righteous, they will be willing to return to the Tang Dynasty!" Jia Xu sighed with relief.

After discussing the business, Lu Bu held a banquet to entertain the civil and military officials who had come on the Western Expedition to Liangzhou. Naturally, there were rewards of money and property. Then everyone's merits were recorded in a book, and when Lu Bu became emperor, he would award them with titles. If they died in battle accidentally before that, the title would be inherited by the next generation.

Halfway through the banquet, Zhang Mo suddenly thought of Wang Yi. After asking, she found out that she had also come to Yecheng, but without the order of the king and the princess, Jia Xu did not bring her into the Prince of Tang's Palace.

Wang Yi had been rumored to have an affair with the king. Jia Xu didn't want to bring her back at first, but he couldn't resist the girl's persistence. She insisted that the king had promised her. Jia Xu was afraid that she was really the person the king wanted to take, so he could only bring her back reluctantly. However, he didn't dare to bring her to the princess. Unexpectedly, the princess asked about it herself.

"Call the people in!" Zhang Mo ordered.

The attendant quickly went out and brought Wang Yi in. She walked into the hall with confidence, bowed to Lu Bu and Zhang Mo, then looked up at Zhang Mo.

Zhang Mo was also looking at her. She was surprised at first, and then her eyes turned into the same look as a star-chasing girl in her previous life would have when she saw her idol. With just this one look, Zhang Mo could be sure that she really came to Yecheng because she admired her.

"I heard from the king that you want to follow me?" Zhang Mo asked.

Wang Yitou was beating his chest like a chicken pecking at rice. "After hearing about your heroic deeds, I've been particularly fond of you. I don't want to be a tool for my family's marriage, so I beg you to bring me to Yecheng. If you don't mind, I'm willing to follow you around and serve you at your command."

"Then why did you lie and say that the king was interested in you?"

Wang Yi hurriedly said, "Princess, please don't misunderstand me. If I don't let my brother think this way, he might have betrothed me to someone else. If he had, I wouldn't have been able to leave Ji County. I can only let him misunderstand me like this."

"I see!" Zhang Mo smiled. "She's a smart girl. Let's move into the palace today."

Wang Yi hadn't expected Zhang Mo to be so easy to talk to. He was immediately overjoyed and bowed again, "Thank you, Princess!"

"No need to be so polite. I'm sure you're tired from the journey. Go down with the attendants and settle down first. Get familiar with the palace over the next two days!"