Chapter 124: The Era of Great Construction

Half a month later, the caravan returned bringing back a batch of grain and cotton.

At the entrance of Hexi Fortress, Li Xiao came to welcome them.

He found that Li Dashan, Li Ergun, and the others had all become much darker.

It seemed the sun in the Desert was indeed more intense than in Jin Prefecture.

“Dalong, our wine sold exceptionally well!”

Upon seeing Li Xiao, Li Ergun dismounted and walked up quickly to report the results of this trip.

“Following your instructions, after arriving at Beshbalik, we sent two large carts of wine to Xiao Tuladuo.”

“That guy was very satisfied after drinking it.”

“He immediately ordered all the restaurant owners in Beshbalik, as well as passing merchants, to gather together.”

“After those people tasted our wine, they also thought it was good.”

“In less than half a day, the remaining eighteen carts of wine were all sold out.”

Li Ergun patted the dust off his body, grinning and speaking cheerfully.

This trip to the Desert had greatly broadened his horizons, and he felt this was much more interesting than fighting wars.

“It seems our wine is quite popular!” Li Xiao nodded and smiled faintly. Although this deal relied on Xiao Tuladuo’s face…

Fortunately, the quality of West Wind Fury was solid enough.

With this connection, those owners and merchants would most likely continue to buy it in the future.

“Its very ery popular. When we came back, those merchants even asked me when the next batch of wine could be delivered,” Li Ergun said happily.

“The second batch of West Wind Fury has finished brewing— a total of five hundred jars.”

“After resting for a few days, you can lead the men to set off at any time,” Li Xiao said.

“Alright, no problem!” Li Ergun nodded, looking full of energy.

Although West Wind Fury was Li Xiao’s business, he also had a commission.

The more he sold, the more he could earn himself.

“How much did it sell for?” Li Xiao asked.

“Uniform price, three hundred wen per dou.” Li Ergun held up three fingers.

This price was not cheap.

The price of ordinary wine in this era was around two hundred wen per dou (about twelve jin).

But the price of three hundred wen was the wholesale price for those merchants and owners.

When they sold it again, it would probably reach four hundred wen or even more.

So West Wind Fury was destined not to be affordable for ordinary people— it was a high-end product only nobles could enjoy.

“Three hundred wen? its not expensive,” Li Xiao chuckled.

After all, it was a monopoly product and unavailable elsewhere.

According to Li Xiao’s idea, it could even be sold more expensively.

However, in the initial stage, the price indeed couldn’t be set too high; the most important thing was to cultivate the habit of drinking white spirits among those nobles.

After they fell in love with West Wind Fury, proceeding from top to bottom, the lower classes would also slowly try white spirits.

In Li Xiao’s plan, West Wind Fury was his flagship product.

Wait until the industry of the Hexi Fortress distillery became more perfect and production higher, he would launch a more affordable wine to enter the low-end market.

Li Ergun continued to report— “Three hundred wen per dou, this time we sold a total of one hundred and eight strings of cash.”

“All used to buy cotton and grain.”

With a turn of his head, he calculated this account clearly.

This ability was indeed unique among his peers.

“Very good.” Li Xiao looked satisfied and nodded gently.

His vision had broadened; a mere one hundred strings of copper coins were not in his eyes.

But West Wind Fury was a long-term business after all, emphasizing steady flow.

In the long run, West Wind Fury could indeed be counted as huge profit.

Subsequently, Li Xiao’s gaze turned to the carriages behind, all loaded with grain and cotton.

Even the horses Li Dashan and the others rode were loaded with cotton.

“How much is cotton per jin?” Li Xiao asked.

Jin Prefecture didn’t lack grain. The reason for still buying grain from the Desert was to be prepared for any eventuality.

In this era, copper coins held value less than grain.

With Hexi Fortress preparing to brew wine on a large scale, Li Xiao wouldn’t complain about having too much grain in his hands.

But as for cotton, Jin Prefecture really didn’t have any.

“Cotton is quite expensive.”

“One hundred wen per jin.”

Hearing this, Li Xiao was instantly stunned too.

“So expensive?”

Li Ergun smiled bitterly: “This price was given only because of Xiao Tuladuo’s face.”

Well, Li Xiao really learned something new.

Since cotton was planted on a large scale in later generations of Huaxia, he subconsciously felt cotton was a low-end consumable.

But in this era, cotton had not begun large-scale planting.

Even in the Desert, most were just growing grain, and cotton production wasn’t high.

So the price was relatively expensive.

In Huaxia’s history, large-scale cotton planting truly began during the Hongwu reign (Ming Dynasty).

Zhu Yuanzhang forcibly promoted cotton planting to let ordinary people wear clothes made of cotton cloth.

“This yield is still too low… pity I’m not the Military Governor of the Desert,” Li Xiao sighed with emotion.

He once again expressing his yearning for the Desert.

Although seventy percent of the land there was desert, the remaining thirty percent was much richer than Jin Prefecture.

its more suitable for developing agricultural planting.

“If only I could turn the Desert into Jin Prefecture’s granary…” Li Xiao thought secretly.

…

Two days later, Li Ergun set off again, taking five hundred jars of West Wind Fury to the Desert.

And Hexi Fortress began a period of vigorous construction.

Li Xiao built a distillery, named ‘Hexi Distillery’.

He hired some people specifically to brew wine.

At the same time, he found some carpenters and blacksmiths in the surrounding fortresses.

The carpenters’ task was to make Hexi Spinning Machines, as well as looms improved by Li Xiao.

Not too many needed— given Li Xiao’s current reserve of cotton and wool, twenty machines would be sufficient.

After all, the efficiency of these two machines was ten times that of ordinary machines.

Thus, Li Xiao built the first textile factory in Huaxia.

“Hexi Textile Factory.”

Hired twenty women from Hexi Fortress to start making cotton cloth and wool yarn.

As for the task of the Old Master and the group of blacksmiths, it was very simple— forging armor plates.

And to improve the efficiency of blacksmithing, Li Xiao improved the drop hammer device.

Using livestock like cattle and horses to drive a huge wheel to rotate, the wheel connected to the drop hammer by a rope.

When the wheel rotated, lifting the drop hammer to a certain height and then releasing it, the drop hammer relied on gravity to fall, hammering the iron material placed on the anvil.

Repeating this cycle saved blacksmiths a lot of time and effort, improving the processing efficiency of blacksmithing.

Unfortunately, the river froze in winter.

Otherwise, Li Xiao would have prepared to build a hydraulic device.

But fortunately, Jin Prefecture didn’t lack cattle and horses.

…

Another half month passed, and the weather became even colder.

Large flakes of snow drifted down from mid-air.

Looking around, the whole world turned into a vast expanse of white snow.

Amidst this wind and snow, Li Ergun returned again.

Sold all five hundred jars of West Wind Fury and brought back more grain and cotton.

This time, he led the people to the Desert himself, completing the task exceptionally well.

Although this Second Uncle’s ability to fight was average, he was born material for doing business, and he was enthusiastic about it too.

This made Li Xiao trust him even more.

However, due to heavy snow, trade with the Desert had to be paused for a while.

It was also on this day.

The result of Li Xiao’s hard work for more than half a month was finally born.

Amidst the boundless wind and snow, Li Xiao wore thick sheepskin, wrapped up tightly from head to toe.

But even so, he could still feel wisps of cold air invading his body.

And at this moment, holding a bow and arrow in his hand, his eyes stared tightly at a suit of armor fifty meters away.

“Whoosh—”

Accompanied by a whistling sound, a breath later, the arrow accurately hit the chest position of the armor.

Subsequently, Li Xiao mounted his horse and, together with the Old Master and others not far away, gathered around the armor.

“It didn’t penetrate!”

“It bounced off.”

San Bao widened his eyes and said in surprise.

What was in front of everyone at this time was precisely a suit of cotton armor just completed.

Similar in style to the cotton armor of the late Ming border army, it was white.

Mainly composed of body armor, shoulder guards, sleeve armor, skirt armor, groin armor, and a breastplate.

The armor was sewn from two layers of cotton cloth, inside and outside.

And in the middle of the two layers of cotton cloth, a layer of armor plates was paved with rivets.

It was the kind of iron plates used to make iron armor.

The only difference was that the iron plates used in this suit of armor were forged from Wootz steel.

Harder than ordinary armor plates.

At a distance of fifty meters away, even with the force of Li Xiao shooting the arrow, it couldn’t penetrate the cotton armor in the slightest.

Because the outer layer of cotton played a certain buffering role, dispersing the force of the arrow.

It only pierced the outer layer of cotton cloth.

Looking at the protective power of the cotton armor, everyone was surprised.

“I didn’t expect this cotton armor to be quite sturdy, much better than leather armor,” the Old Master muttered.

Most nomadic cavalry on the steppe wore leather armor; only a very few were qualified to wear iron armor.

With strength like Li Xiao’s, from fifty meters away, he would have long pierced through an enemy’s chest.

But now, facing this armor made of cotton and iron plates, it only pierced the outer cotton cloth.

This shocked the Old Master and the others endlessly.

The effect simply exceeded their expectations.

But Li Xiao was not as surprised as them at this moment because he knew long ago that the protective power of cotton armor was far stronger than leather armor.

After all, it was made by compacting multiple layers of cotton and sewing them into armor.

When swords hacked, the multiple layers of dense cotton could act as a buffer, dispersing the force to the surroundings.

Even if the outer layer of cotton was pierced, there were still many armor plates in the middle layer, equally capable of blocking sword cuts and stabs.

So, unless one coincidentally hit the connection point of two armor plates, it was very difficult to pierce through the cotton armor.

Subsequently, Li Xiao continued the experiment.

“Pull in to twenty meters to shoot.”

As a result, at a distance of twenty meters, it still could only penetrate the outer cotton cloth, still unable to pierce the armor plates inside.

However, Li Xiao was also clear that this should be due to the Wootz steel.

If replaced with ordinary iron plates, the effect definitely wouldn’t be this strong.

“Switch to spear.”

Subsequently, Li Xiao mounted his warhorse, holding a long spear, with sharp eyes, and began to charge at the wooden stake covered with cotton armor.

The moment he rushed to the front and stabbed down ruthlessly with the spear in his hand, only a crack was heard.

The spear shaft broke at the sound.

The surface of the cotton armor was completely torn open, cotton wadding flying, revealing a layer of densely arranged Wootz steel armor plates inside.

“Hiss—”

Seeing this scene, Li Dashan and the others standing in the distance sucked in a breath of cold air one after another.

“Even this didn’t work?”

“It actually still wasn’t pierced?”

“But it’s also because it’s covering a wooden stake. If it were a real person, even if the armor wasn’t pierced, they would definitely be knocked off the horse.”

“The defensive power of this armor is quite formidable, almost catching up to iron armor.”

“The key is— it’s much lighter than iron armor.”

The weight of a suit of iron armor was around sixty or seventy jin.

And the weight of cotton armor, even including the helmet, was only around twenty jin.

Much lighter and more convenient.

Simply too suitable for light cavalry to wear.

Most importantly, the cost of cotton armor was low.

Even the manufacturing cost of a suit of ordinary iron armor could equal eight suits of cotton armor.

And if replaced with Toadskin Armor, it would be more than twenty suits.

So, at this moment Li Dashan and the others all laughed.

The scene of Jin Prefecture cavalry all wearing cotton armor, crushing those nomadic cavalry wearing leather armor, instantly appeared in their minds.

Completely not on the same level.

But Li Xiao’s experiment was not over yet. Next, he used other weapons to test the damage on the cotton armor.

The damage of swords, spears, and arrows to cotton armor was minimal.

And facing the hammering of heavy weapons like wolf-tooth clubs and iron maces, the effect shown by cotton armor was even stronger than iron armor.

Because there were two layers of dense cotton, capable of dispersing force and reducing the damage of heavy blows.

Until the stage of using the Divine Arm Crossbow.

The invincible defense of the cotton armor was finally broken.

At a distance of forty meters, even using Wootz steel armor plates, the single-layer cotton armor was still easily pierced by the crossbow bolt.

Seeing this scene, Li Xiao didn’t have any disappointment.

After all, even heavy armor might not be able to withstand the Divine Arm Crossbow, let alone cotton armor used to replace leather armor.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, cotton armor was almost the ceiling among light cavalry armors.

So, Li Xiao looked at everyone and said in a firm voice, “This winter, we will manufacture cotton armor in large quantities.”

“To equip our soldiers.”