We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Although the decision to go to war had been made, Li Che did not set off immediately in a hurry.

The content of the message he sent to Yang Zhongsi was to ask them to set up more outposts in the northern border to keep an eye on the Russians and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

The Russian Empire is not a pushover. Before going to war with them, Li Che has to stay in Fengtian City to make more preparations.

Moreover, the New Year is coming, so now is not a good time to attack. We should at least wait until the New Year is over and the weather starts to warm up.

As for the group of Russians, the enemy is in the open and I am in the dark. The initiative is in my hands, so I am not in a hurry to deal with them.

The first thing Li Che dealt with was the heating problem.

Now that winter is approaching, the clothing factory is responsible for producing warm clothes for all the people and soldiers of Feng State, so of course it must be inspected first.

Don't underestimate this small bedding factory. Even a tyrannical man like Lao Li used to be the director of a bedding factory.

As a factory that employs a large number of female workers, Li Che has always regarded the bedding factory as the front line for liberating female labor, so he took it over as a military factory a few years ago.

The Fengtian Bedding Factory was the main factory, and most of the female workers who could work there were widows of fallen soldiers.

The soldiers who died were the main labor force in their families. The loss to a family is so great that no amount of compensation can compensate for it.

It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. With this job, at least the widows of martyrs can be self-sufficient.

Fengtian City, eastern suburbs, Fengguo Bedding Factory.

Inside the tall factory building, the water-powered flywheel drives hundreds of Jenny spinning machines, making a continuous sound.

Countless female workers sit in front of the machines, their hands flying, concentrating on spinning cotton yarn into thread, and then weaving the thread into cloth.

In the work area on the other side, more female workers were busy in front of the sewing machines. With the crisp sound of "da da da", the parts of the cotton-padded jackets were quickly sewn together.

The entire factory is in good order and operates efficiently.

Li Che walked into the factory accompanied by Huo Duanxiao, Chang Pan, Xue Zhen and others.

Chang and Xue had just arrived in Feng State and were unfamiliar with many things. Li Che naturally had to personally take them to meet officials and generals from all sides to help them integrate into this group.

The two looked at the scene in front of them, which was completely different from the traditional weaving workshop, with their eyes full of novelty.

Li Che introduced them as he walked:

"The bedding factory specializes in producing winter clothing, quilts, and cotton armor for military personnel and civilians."

"Among the women of Feng State, many were doctors and textile workers, and they made great contributions to Feng State."

Li Che looked at his father-in-law and said with a smile:

"Speaking of which, Ningxue is the real hero. Without her dedication and dedication to military medicine, setting an example for the women of Fengguo, the girls would probably not dare to leave their homes."

When Chang Pan heard this, he felt mixed emotions.

At that time, his daughter Chang Ningxue insisted on following Li Che to the border areas, and he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure and proposed this marriage to Li Che.

Who would have thought that the helpless choice made at the time would become the Chang family's greatest reliance today.

After his father Chang Wudi passed away, the Chang family was in turmoil for a while and had a completely transparent existence in the court.

Now, because his daughter has become the father-in-law of King Feng, he has once again entered the core of power.

If His Highness ascends the throne in the future, the Chang family will become an in-law, which will at least ensure prosperity for two generations.

There is nothing more strange than this in fate.

When Li Che and others walked into the factory, a woman in her early thirties who had just received the notification came up quickly.

When this person saw Li Che, she immediately bowed deeply and said, "I, the humble Lu, pay my respects to His Highness and to all the gentlemen."

Li Che also knew this person. She was the widow of a Fengtian Army general and the current head of a clothing factory. Her husband died during the expedition to Liao.

Li Che gave a soft helping hand and said in a gentle tone, "Manager Lu, there's no need to be so polite. Please get up quickly."

"I came here today, firstly, to inspect the production progress of the bedding factory to ensure that the soldiers and civilians on the front lines are well protected from the cold; secondly, to see if the female workers have any difficulties that require resolution by the court."

Mrs. Lu's body stiffened slightly, a complicated look flashed across her eyes, and then she lowered her head and said, "Your Highness is kind and gracious. On behalf of the sisters in the factory, I thank you."

"Your Highness and all the gentlemen, please follow me."

Li Che keenly caught her strange expression at that moment, and doubts arose in his heart.

But he remained expressionless and nodded.

The group walked into the huge sewing area and saw the cloth in front of hundreds of female workers moving like water, and semi-finished cotton coats were sewn out at an astonishing speed.

In the packing area on the other side, piles of cotton clothes and quilts are packed and bundled, waiting to be shipped to various places.

"Manager Lu, what is the daily output of the bedding factory now?" Li Che asked as they walked.

Mrs. Lu quickly replied, "Your Highness, the entire factory is running at full capacity, producing 5,000 cotton-padded jackets and 10,000 quilts a day."

"As for the military cotton armor, we produce about 500 sets a day."

After that, she pointed to a special area in the corner of the work area.

There were piles of large amounts of cotton armor, all dark black in color, with diamond or square grids quilted on the surface.

Li Che walked to a pile of finished cotton armor and picked up one to examine it carefully.

This cotton armor is made of thick cotton cloth with tight cotton filling in the middle, and is nearly an inch thick.

The surface is dyed black and decorated with copper and iron armor bubbles, and lined with thin iron sheets.

It's not light, but it's much lighter than armor.

He pressed it hard and tried pinching it with his fingernails. It was tough enough to withstand stray arrows from a certain distance.

More importantly, in severe cold, it can provide warmth that cannot be matched by armor.

"Well, not bad." Li Che nodded with satisfaction.

In the early days of Feng State, metal armor performed excellently in resisting cold weapon attacks against enemies such as Mohe and Khitan.

But now, the enemies have changed to Japan and the Russian Empire, and hot weapons such as muskets and cannons have come out one after another, and metal armor has gradually lost its key protective effectiveness.

Although this type of armor can resist attacks from swords and knives, it is vulnerable to firearms.

Even if soldiers were wearing heavy armor, it was difficult to avoid the fire of muskets.

The traditional rules of war were broken, and Li Che had to rethink the protective gear he used, and cotton armor came into being.

Cotton armor is both light and has a certain degree of defensive power. Compared with metal armor, it not only reduces the load, but also helps to maintain body temperature. It is especially suitable for the severely cold battlefield environment in the north.

When Li Che watched the historical drama of the Qing Dynasty, he was curious about why soldiers wore iron armor for thousands of years, but no one wore it in the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, it is because after the emergence of firearms, the significance of iron armor became less and less, so most of the soldiers in the Qing Dynasty used this kind of cotton armor.

"The cotton armor is the lifeblood of the soldiers on the Northern Expedition. Quality must be guaranteed. The filling must be adequate, the seams must be tight, and no carelessness is allowed."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will supervise strictly and will not dare to slack off!" Lu promised hurriedly.

Li Che put down his cotton armor and glanced at the female workers who were working hard.

He had an idea and said to Mrs. Lu, "Manager Lu, could you please ask a few female workers to come over?"

"This king wants to speak to them for a few words and ask about their situation."

A hint of hesitation flashed across Lu's face, and her lips moved as if she wanted to say something.

But when she came to her senses, Li Che had already walked straight to the nearest row of female workers who were operating sewing machines.

The female workers were startled at first when they saw a group of men with extraordinary demeanor suddenly approaching.

After all, His Highness had issued a clear order prohibiting men from entering the clothing factory.

When he saw the face of the leader clearly, the panic on his face disappeared instantly and turned into an expression of incredible excitement.

One of the female workers, who looked quite old and thin, was so excited that her hands were shaking and she almost made a mistake in operating the sewing machine.

She stood up hurriedly and was about to kneel down in a panic.

Li Che was quick to signal Qiu Bai to stop her and asked in a friendly manner, "Sister, there's no need to panic."

"I am deeply impressed by your hard work. Do you...know me?"

The female worker was so excited that she was incoherent: "I...I know him! Your Highness!"

"My husband is Zhang Laosan from the Chaoyang Army's front camp. Back in Chaoyang City, when I was sending him off to battle, I saw you from afar."

When she mentioned her man, tears welled up in the worker's cloudy eyes: "My husband said that there is hope in following His Highness."

"Zhang Laosan..."

Li Che quickly searched his memory. The Chaoyang Army was the core of the Fengtian Army. Each name could evoke a memory of fighting side by side.

After thinking for a long time, Li Che still couldn't remember, so he continued to ask: "Sister, how old are you this year?"

The female worker wiped her tears and replied awkwardly, "Your Highness, I am twenty-four years old this year..."

Li Che was surprised when he heard this: "Twenty-four?!"

Huo Duanxiao, Chang Pan and others were also shocked.

How could a 24-year-old woman look so old and haggard?

Li Che and others looked at the female worker in front of them. They saw that she was old and haggard, with gray hair and a hunched body. It was really hard to associate her with the age of 24.

This is clearly the appearance of a weathered and overworked man in his forties.

Looking at the female worker's attire, it was not warm inside the factory, but she was still wearing thin and worn clothes.

The other female workers were in much the same situation. Although they didn't look pale, their complexions weren't very good either.

Although cotton-padded clothes are made every day, no one wears them.

As if he thought of something, Li Che's heart sank.

He couldn't help but frown and asked, "Sister, have the Fengtian Army's pensions over the years been delivered to you in full and on time?"

The Fengtian Army’s pension was not low. If they had the pension, these female workers would not have lived in such poverty.

Not to mention eating delicious food and drinking spicy drinks, at least buy a cotton coat, and having enough food and clothing every day will definitely not be a problem.

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a thunderclap, and the entire work area fell silent in an instant.

Huo Duanxiao's face was so gloomy that water could drip out of it. Chang Pan and Xue Zhen also looked horrified, and the faces of all the accompanying ministers changed drastically.

They are all military commanders and know the importance of pensions and rewards for military merit to military morale.

If anyone dares to deduct even the life-saving money of the martyr's widow, this is simply shaking the foundation of the country and seeking death!