After Zhu Ping'an got the approval document for recruiting soldiers from Zhang Jing, he returned to the office of the Supreme Court and said goodbye to Zhang Neitai and others. Then he rushed to the Taohuaji training ground without stopping, and sent the chubby little maid Hua'er and the seductive girl Ruonan to their residence in Taohuaji town.
Hua'er and Yaonu Ruonan wanted to go and recruit soldiers, but Zhu Ping'an rejected them without hesitation.
"Son-in-law, the young lady asked me to take care of your daily life..."
The pitiful and aggrieved attack of the chubby little maid Hua'er failed to change Zhu Ping'an's mind.
"Humph, they didn't bring us because they were afraid that we would disturb someone who was looking for prostitutes and feasting on the people's money...
The evil woman Ruonan's sarcastic and mocking attacks also failed to change Zhu Ping'an's mind.
This is a recruitment activity, not an outing. Why are you following us? Zhu Ping'an firmly rejected them.
Zhu Ping'an hadn't been back to the military camp for several days. He had to go back to the Zhejiang Army camp to arrange his work first, and then go to Yiwu to recruit soldiers.
The first thing is the cotton armor. The war against Japanese pirates is about to begin, and the cotton armor is an important part of Zhu Ping'an's plan. Qi Jiguang once said that good armor can save lives and defeat the enemy. The reason why the Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing Dynasty were invincible in East Asia was not only because of the high combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners soldiers, but also because of the cotton armor of the Qing Dynasty.
Zhu Pingan called Liu Dadao and others and briefly told them about the situation of going to Yingtian to receive the imperial edict. When they learned that Zhu Pingan had been promoted to the deputy envoy of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provincial Criminal Investigation Bureau, everyone was very excited and congratulated Zhu Pingan. Rising tides lift all boats. Zhu Pingan's promotion brought them many invisible benefits.
Zhu Ping'an smiled and waved his hand, then asked Liu Dadao about the cotton purchasing situation.
"Sir, I spent all the one hundred taels of silver you gave me on cotton. Now it's winter and the price of cotton has gone up a bit, now it's 50 wen per catty. I bought a total of 2,000 catties of cotton," Liu Dadao reported.
"Dadao, well done." Zhu Ping'an nodded with satisfaction and praised.
The unit price of cotton is more expensive than expected. Of course, Zhu Ping'an is making an empiricist mistake.
Zhu Ping'an subconsciously compared prices with modern cotton. Modern cotton has a high yield, a large planting area, and a high degree of mechanization, so the price is cheaper. The price of modern cotton is about five or six yuan per catty.
I forgot that this is the Ming Dynasty.
The cotton planting area, cotton production, etc. in the Ming Dynasty cannot be compared with those of modern times, so it is reasonable that the price is high.
Speaking of which, we have to thank Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang was the first person to popularize cotton in my country. Cotton was first planted in China between the Song and Yuan dynasties. Before the Ming Dynasty, cotton was mostly grown as an ornamental plant - a flower. In the early Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang saw the huge economic value of cotton as an ornamental plant and ordered it to be promoted nationwide, which led to large-scale planting of cotton all over the country. Of course, due to historical limitations, it cannot be compared with modern times.
In short, the cotton production during this period was not low (although not comparable to modern times), and the price was not expensive, so ordinary people could afford it. Most families could have a set of cotton clothes to keep warm in the winter.
"Take these seven hundred taels of silver and continue buying cotton. If there is not enough nearby, you can go to a village or town farther away to buy it."
Zhu Ping'an took out another seven hundred taels of silver from his pocket, handed it to Liu Dadao, and told him to continue purchasing cotton.
"We still need to buy cotton..." Liu Dadao was stunned.
"That's right, keep buying, the more the better." Zhu Ping'an patted Liu Dadao on the shoulder and said with a smile, then instructed, "Dadao, while purchasing cotton, ask someone to go to the town to find a craftsman who can fluff cotton and fluff all the cotton."
"Yes, sir. I will complete the task." Liu Dadao patted his chest and promised.
Zhu Ping'an asked Liu Mu about the blacksmiths and the production of iron sheets. Liu Mu replied that he had invited ten blacksmiths from nearby villages and towns, and they had started smelting the broken armor to make iron sheets for armor. He also showed Zhu Ping'an some of the iron sheets.
Zhu Ping'an looked at the iron sheets in his hand and nodded with satisfaction. These iron sheets were made according to his instructions. The iron sheets were about seven centimeters long and had holes reserved for later fixation with copper nails.
"Okay, that's it. Make as many as you can. Oh, by the way, let them make a batch of molds first, that is, the body armor mold, the front crotch mold, the armor sleeve mold, the shoulder mold, the left crotch mold, etc. I have already drawn the sketches of these molds, and the specific sizes are also marked on them. Please note that these sketches are top secret and must not be passed on to others. When you ask the blacksmiths to make molds, you must also pay attention. Each blacksmith can only make one mold. At the same time, let them sign a confidentiality agreement. All molds are military secrets and must not be passed on to others. Violators will be severely punished for leaking military secrets. For the time being, make fifty of each mold."
Zhu Ping'an took out the sketch from his arms, handed it to Liu Mu, and explained to him.
"Don't worry, sir." Liu Mu took the sketch, put it in his arms as if it were a treasure, and nodded vigorously.
"After the mold is made, have someone absorb enough water from the fluffed cotton and put it in the mold. Beat it repeatedly until it becomes thin cotton sheets, take it out and dry it in the sun. After it is dried, soak several cotton sheets again and put them in the mold. Beat them repeatedly into thin sheets again, dry them in the sun, and beat them again. Repeat this four times. After taking them out and drying them, they will become shaped cotton sheets. Make as many as you can." Zhu Ping'an then instructed Liu Mu.
Repeated beating and drying can make the cotton fiber texture dense and thick, thereby resisting the attack of cold and hot weapons, and also making it waterproof.
Zhu Ping'an estimated the time it would take to dry and pound the cotton repeatedly, and thought that by the time he returned from recruiting soldiers, the cotton sheets would be almost ready for shape.
So Zhu Ping'an said to Liu Mu and Liu Dadao, "You guys do these for now, and I'll do the rest after I come back."
"Wait for the young master to come back? Young master, are you going out on business?" Liu Dadao's eyes lit up and he asked hurriedly.
"Yes, I'm going to Yiwu to recruit soldiers." Zhu Ping'an nodded and explained to them briefly, "Governor Zhang Jing gave us a document approving 1,200 Zhejiang troops, allowing us to recruit soldiers on our own."
"Recruiting soldiers? Sir, I'll go with you. The Japanese pirates have been causing trouble recently. I'll go with you to protect you and make sure not a single hair of yours is spared." Liu Dadao volunteered.
"You still need to purchase cotton." Zhu Ping'an shook his head slightly, "Cotton is the key to making cotton armor, and the task is important."
"Sir, I took our camp to buy cotton a few days ago, and they were all capable of doing it. Hehe, just take me with you."
Liu Dadao laughed in a flattering manner.
"Sir, just take the big knife. He has strong limbs but a simple mind. He can't even do the math. The cotton purchase a few days ago was mainly done by people from his camp. Compared to purchasing cotton, he is more suitable to accompany you and guard you."
Liu Mu also helped to speak up.
Zhu Ping'an went to Yiwu to recruit soldiers, but Liu Dadao and others were not accompanying him, which made Liu Mu worried.
"Okay then." Zhu Ping'an nodded and said to Liu Dadao, "Go back and explain to the people in your camp."
"Don't worry, sir." Liu Dadao smiled and nodded repeatedly.
Zhu Pingan also gave instructions to the battalion commanders, asking them to train strictly and to compare the results when he came back. If any battalion performed poorly, he would hold their commanders accountable. (To be continued)