Speaking of raising sheep, Xiangbu became interested: "When it comes to farming, we are not as good as the Han people in the mainland, but if we talk about raising sheep, we are stronger." Ever since I could walk, I've been helping my family shepherd the sheep. One glance at the appearance of the sheep will tell if they are sick or not, and what to feed. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Practice makes perfect, this is naturally good." But we can't just rely on this, but we must write down this knowledge, pass it on from generation to generation, summarize it little by little, and gather the wisdom of all people, so that we can do things quickly and well. ”

Xiangbu disagreed: "What's so good about this being passed down from generation to generation? As long as you have been herding sheep since childhood, you will naturally know. ”

Hearing this, Du Zhongxiao couldn't help but think of a joke in his previous life, talking about sheep farmers in this area. He smiled and said to Xiangpu: "I once heard a joke about a man who happened to go into the mountains and saw a shepherd child and asked him, 'What are you going to do when you grow up?' The boy replied: 'Sheep are told.' Then the man asked: 'What are you doing with the sheep?' Answer: 'Sell for money.' ''What to sell for money?'' ''Save money to marry a daughter-in-law.'' ''What do you do with a daughter-in-law?'' ''Raw dolls. ''What do you do when you give birth to a baby?'' Answer: 'Sheep herding.' Then he asked: 'What does the doll do with the sheep?' ''Marry a daughter-in-law. ’”

After speaking, Du Zhongxiao laughed with Cheng Wenli and others.

Xiangbu was confused, and said to Du Zhongxiao: "This kid is very simple, and his answers are reasonable, what's wrong?" She saved money by herding sheep, saved money to marry her mother-in-law, married her mother-in-law and gave birth to a baby, and then herded more sheep, and this is how we passed it down from generation to generation. “

Du Zhongxiao couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this, and looked at Cheng Wenli face to face, not knowing what to say for a while. Just like the children of the Han people, they know how to cultivate the fields and work hard since they were young, and they are good people in the eyes of others. The children of herdsmen know how to herd sheep since they were young, but what is wrong?

After thinking about it, Du Zhongxiao said: "Outside, there may be nothing wrong with this child, but there is something wrong with such a place." If people can only make ends meet from generation to generation, and have children, won't there be no hope? Just like a farmer, it is good to work hard, but if you have spare energy, you still need to read and write. After accumulating several generations, cultivating and reading heirlooms, and becoming an official, you will change your court. I only know that raising sheep and giving birth to babies is the same as the previous generation, how can it be passed on? One day, there will be no pasture, no sheep, and no crafts, what should I do? ”

In fact, Du Zhongxiao wanted to say that if he learned some other knowledge, future generations could come out to see the world, so that his ancestors would not be in the ravine for generations. However, the most decent thing in this era is to be an official, so I can only say that. For hundreds of years, there have been frequent wars in this area, and it is impossible to herd sheep in the mountains from generation to generation. Even the incense cloth itself, the ancestors have not moved to this place for many generations.

Xiangbu listened, thought seriously for a while, and shook his head: "That's what a big man like an official thinks, we Xiaomin, just want to live in a peaceful and prosperous world, and be safe." Whether it is raising sheep or farming, it is already a blessing to be fed and clothed, where do you dare to think about that! ”

Du Zhongxiao and Cheng Wenli glanced at each other, shook their heads, and said nothing more. The slow development of society, simple repetition from generation to generation, is the norm of this era, and the principles of one's previous life may not be useful now. If we want to change people's minds, we still rely on social reality. If the people around them are literate and literate, learn crafts, and live a better life, these people will naturally learn to do it. If the people who raise sheep honestly since childhood are the winners, and the people who toss and turn are not as good as them, people's consciousness will naturally be cultivated in that direction.

Everything about the Volcano Army has just begun, and the people who come here just want to live a peaceful life, and they are not aware of the large number of opportunities.

After drinking tea for a while, Du Zhongxiao said: "I heard that there are hundreds of sheep outside the staff, I don't know if they are sheep or goats?" ”

Xiangpu said: "Huiguanren, there are sheep, and there are goats. The little ones heard from the place where the wool was collected that the sheep wool produced a lot, but the price was not high. Although the cashmere of goats is less, it is more expensive than gold. The small ones want to see which one is more cost-effective. ”

Du Zhongxiao listened and nodded again and again: "Okay, good, that's exactly how it should be." But you also have to know one thing, for example, now that sheep make money, everyone raises sheep, naturally the price of wool will come down, and the price of cashmere will rise. Goats and sheep, which makes money will change. ”

This area was famous for its cashmere in later generations, and it makes sense. The wool here is coarse and hard, and the quality is not high, far less than that of the northern steppes. The terrain is broken, the hills are numerous, and it is suitable for goats. It's just that goat cashmere is much more troublesome than sheep shearing, the quality is not high with a brush, and manual pulling is labor-intensive. The price of high-grade cashmere is not exaggerated compared to gold at this time, and the price of fabrics is even far better than that of top-grade silk.

At present, the wool fabrics here of the Volcano Army are mostly made of local wool mixed with wool collected from the north. You can also mix cashmere into it to raise the grade. As for fabrics made entirely from cashmere, that's a high-end luxury.

In the territory of the Song Dynasty and the Dangxiang, the wool produced was not of high quality, coarse and short, so there were many goats. However, in the past, wool was not commoditized, and there was no unified market, and the price was uncertain. The Volcanic Army's wool industry has only just begun, and everything is full of uncertainty.

After listening to Du Zhongxiao's words, Xiangbu pondered for a long time and didn't have an idea. Goats or sheep make money? Always give it a try. One day, a large amount of wool will be imported from the north, and it will be too late to raise goats.

After drinking tea, Xiangbu took Du Zhongxiao and others to see the sheep he raised. Now in the summer, the nearby hillsides are rich in water and grass, and his sheep are driven by a few hired shepherds and roam the mountains. Every few days, Xiangbu and his sons take turns to check on them. This is also the habit of working as herders in the mountains, where the mountains are pastures in the summer and the valleys in the winter. Now that I have a home, I go straight back to the village in winter.

Out of the village, not far away is a millet valley, about a dozen acres. Xiangbu pointed to Du Zhongxiao and said: "Official, this is the largest piece of land in the village, and I also have five acres of millet here, and it is growing very well this year." ”

The land in this area is far from being leveled by the fields, and a dozen acres of land is already rare, and because of this land, the village is located here. In other places, there are mostly three or five acres of land, and it is not as convenient as here to plant.

Du Zhongxiao saw it and said to Xiangpu: "If it is a small piece of land in the summer flood here, be careful that there is nothing washed by the rain." A few days ago, there was a notice in the yamen that all fields should be reported to the yamen, and the yamen should see it. If nothing else, I am afraid that you will indiscriminately reclaim the wasteland. ”

Xiangbu nodded yes, looking unconcerned. Now there is a lot of wasteland around, which cannot be cultivated, and I am not afraid of the restrictions of the yamen.

Along the way, there are dotted in the mountain depressions, and from time to time you will see a field, where you can grow millet and beans, which is very vibrant. Walking through their own land, the incense cloth must be introduced. When the famine was opened, how many kinds were planted, and how much grain was expected to be harvested, I was full of interest.

Walking up to the nearest mountain, Xiangbu pointed to a flock of sheep not far away, about seventy or eighty, and said to Du Zhongxiao: "Official, that is the group closest to the village of my family, and I have hired a Fan to graze. This man has no wife and no children, and he is alone, which is very suitable. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded, looking at the green grass on the surrounding hillside, and a group of sheep grazing freely. A man leaned lazily under a tree, looking at the flock of sheep not far away, with two dogs lying beside him, elegant and quiet.

One person can graze seventy or eighty sheep, and it is very leisurely, Du Zhongxiao roughly knows it.

Why is it necessary to develop the wool industry? Is it just to make money? Of course not. The commercialization of textile raw materials is the beginning of industry, this is one of them, and more importantly, Du Zhongxiao needs the materials of grassland commercialization to be sold to the Central Plains. Once the wool industry is on scale, it can fundamentally change the production mode of the grassland and change the relationship between nomadism and farming.

Wool was produced, and grain and needed materials were exchanged from the Central Plains, so that farming and nomadic economy could be organically combined. For thousands of years, the trade between the agrarian and nomadic areas was a serious excesse, absorbing the wealth there. The products of the nomads were dispensable to the farming peoples of the Central Plains, but the goods of the Central Plains were indispensable to the nomads, which gave rise to many contradictions.

Wool can be produced stably, with the least risk and the easiest to monetize compared to the livestock grazing by nomadic herders. If the northern steppes become wool producing areas and have a stable income, the aggressiveness will be greatly reduced.

Without the wool industry interconnected with the grasslands, the danger there could not be eradicated. The grasslands are there, they cannot be turned into arable land, and the cost of long-term rule in the Central Plains is too high. With the wool industry and economic stimulus, everything will be much better, and the Central Plains Dynasty will also have the motivation to operate.

Grazing is mainly wool production, and nomadic herding has the conditions to transform into fixed grazing, and a new situation will appear. Without a change in the mode of production, the management of the grassland will not be possible after all.

Wool is produced in the northern grasslands, and cotton is produced from Hexi to the Western Regions, which together provide textile raw materials for the Central Plains. Once this pattern is formed, only when a strong force can be used and the land conquered can be stabilized.

The most basic communication is whether there is or not, and each has a division of labor, so as to form a whole machine.

Please remember that the first domain name of this book is .. m.