Chapter 668 Textile Industry Layout and Glass Bottle Liquor

When the county magistrate of Danshan County heard the leader asking about textiles, he immediately took Luo Chong to inspect.

Last year, as the Han tribe became larger and larger and the population increased, a textile factory in Hanyang City alone could no longer meet the tribe's cloth needs. The textile factory in Ruyang County was a high-end textile factory that mainly produced silk, and ordinary people could not afford it at all. Based on this situation, Luo Chong quickly issued an order to sink the textile handicraft channel.

First, the three counties under Hanyang County, with the support of the technical team sent by Luo Chong, each produced looms and other textile equipment, and then encouraged the local planting of specialty fiber crops, recruited idle female workers to train skills, and finally successfully built a county-level textile factory.

Take Danshan County for example. Its population is actually larger than that of Hanyang City at the time, and it is comparable even now. Therefore, the output of fiber crops produced locally is not inferior to that of Hanyang City. The looms and other equipment are all guided by the master craftsmen sent by the county, and the local carpenters produce them themselves. Therefore, the production equipment is comparable to that of Hanyang City. The most distinctive feature is definitely the different raw materials.

That's right, the raw materials are different. The Han tribe currently has several kinds of textile fibers, mainly ramie, followed by wool and alpaca wool, and then mulberry silk and chestnut silk. Cotton is still being planted and has not become the mainstream. However, it is different here in Danshan County. They have developed several new materials themselves, namely flax, Han (large) hemp, green hemp and jute.

The reason for this phenomenon is naturally the merit system introduced by Luo Chong. Who made Luo Chong say that as long as you come up with a practical invention technology or discover a new material for the tribe, you can be promoted to a noble title. Isn't this forcing those who want a title to actively look for it?

So there is a reason why the Han tribe can develop so fast. This is the advantage brought by the system.

Plants such as flax and ramie are actually very common. This thing is like a weed in the mountains. It is everywhere in the mountains. It is just a matter of whether you know them or not. Luo Chong can't know them all, and the people can't know them all. But this does not prevent those who want the title from taking them home and experimenting one by one. They can always try out a few that can be used. This is how the four new hemps in Danshan County came from.

If you want to say that the longest hemp fiber is ramie, it must be ramie, but the relatively short hemp types such as flax, jute, and green hemp also have their own uses. With the introduction of glutinous rice cultivation in the Han tribe, the technology of using glutinous rice to make plant glue has begun to spread. With this plant glue, the short fibers that were useless before have really come in handy.

Flax is a high-end product among hemp fibers. The linen cloth produced is more comfortable and more delicate than ramie, comparable to silk in plants. The quality is much better than ramie products. Now the linen cloth in Danshan County has become the most high-end existence among the hemp textiles in the Han tribe.

The grade of jute and hemp is similar to that of ramie, neither better nor worse, but slightly better in quality. At that time, compared with the length of ramie fiber, it was a younger brother, but the mid-range also has its mid-range uses, that is, the production of functional fabrics, that is, uppers, soles, boat canvas and the like, which are also very popular in the Han tribe.

Finally, the green hemp with shorter fibers was left, all of which was used to produce hemp ropes and sacks, and the sales volume was also gratifying.

When Luo Chong walked into the textile factory in Danshan County, he saw a busy scene. The whole factory workshop was filled with the sound of the loom, which was a mixed symphony of pedals and flying shuttles.

After counting silently, there were 120 flying shuttle looms in the workshop alone, and each one was operated by someone constantly. According to the modern name, it was full-power operation. As for the combing machine and spinning machine, they were all in another workshop.

"What kind of cloth is produced here? Tell me about it." Luo Chong asked the county magistrate beside him.

"To the leader, there are a total of 120 shuttle looms here, 50 of which are used to produce linen. Because linen is comfortable to wear, it sells very well in summer and in autumn and winter. At that time, it is mainly used to make underwear, and the rougher ramie cloth is used to make outerwear, so the linen cloth we produce has always been very popular.

The remaining 70 looms are fully producing canvas. As for things like sacks and hemp ropes, we mainly send the raw materials directly to Fuma Pass and let them produce them, because the scale of sisal cultivation in Fuma Pass is the largest in the Han tribe." The county magistrate hurriedly introduced to Luo Chong.

Luo Chong nodded, and heard a lot of information from his words. The current layout of the textile industry in the Han tribe is very distinctive, and each place has its own characteristics.

For example, Danshan County mainly produces underwear fabrics and canvas, and Matan County is built on the basis of the Bian tribe where Xiaodie's hometown is located. Large tracts of ramie fields are ready-made, and their main products are outerwear fabrics and bedding.

At Fumaguan, they basically stopped producing cloth, but deliberately made it into the sack and rope manufacturing center of the Han tribe. It was mountainous on both sides, so it was most suitable to grow sisal. Sisal has strong tensile strength and acid and alkali resistance, making it the best raw material for making ship cables. In the future, Luo Chong also plans to promote sisal to Zhudao and Tang tribes, squeeze their local farming area, and produce ship cables and canvas nearby.

In Hanyang City, the capital of these three counties, there is no special feature when it comes to textiles, because Hanyang City does a lot of things, it can do everything, and it is particularly proficient in everything, but the scale of any one of them is not as good as other places. Why? Because Luo Chong is here.

The biggest feature of Hanyang City's textile industry is not which one has formed a scale, but that it exists as a leader in the textile technology of the entire tribe. Whether it is spinning, weaving, or dyeing, Hanyang City is the first in terms of technology. The textile workshop here is like a research and development center. All new materials must be tried here, and then they will be decentralized and promoted after the process is figured out. The linen textile in Danshan County uses glutinous rice slurry as plant glue. The technology was developed by Hanyang City and then fed back.

As for Ruyang County, it is also very distinctive. It is now the largest silk textile base in the Han tribe, with a variety of silk fabrics. This year, under the guidance of Luo Chong and the leadership of Xiaodie, Ruyang County successfully launched a silk and linen blended fabric, which is made of chestnut silk and linen. The finished product is a reflective linen cloth, which is more comfortable than linen and has bright colors. Coupled with the unique reflective effect of brocade, it immediately became a mid-to-high-end hit. People who can't afford pure silk can also consume this kind of silk and linen fabric.

There is no need to mention Xingang County and Weishan County. These two counties are not engaged in textiles at all. One is a new steel giant with important strategic significance in the Han tribe. In addition to agriculture, Weishan County's business is now mainly developing local characteristic economies such as sugar making, wine making, and high technology. After all, the islands in the lake are close to them.

Liuyang County also has its own set of textiles. It is the largest wool textile base and leather product base in the Han tribe. After absorbing the Sharp Horned Tribe, almost all the high-nosed antelopes were brought here. Later, after the grassland was conquered, most of the goats and sheep brought back from the grassland were also sent here because it is an open plain area and close to the river. It has become the largest county in the Han tribe to raise sheep, so there are the most wool and sheepskin here.

Of course, the locals in Liuyang County also planted some flax and ramie. In addition to paying taxes, they also took the initiative to develop a wool and linen blended fabric in response to the chief's call for blended fabrics. It was very thick and very soft. The main ingredients were wool and flax. It was a very good winter coat fabric.

As for Dongxin County, it's better not to mention it. After all, it's a new county. Mining coal alone is enough to keep them busy. Don't even think about weaving. If they can sort out the two things of food and coal mining, they will be considered successful.

After going around these counties one by one, the autumn corn planted in the fields was waist-high. In mid-September, Luo Chong came to Liuyang County again.

It has been two months since the calcium carbide lamp came out. Now it has begun to appear in various places. However, due to the limited production, it has not yet been popularized. Only Liuyang County and Weishan County have more goods due to their geographical advantages. After all, they are close.

Calcium carbide lamps began to change the living habits of the Han tribe. This cheap and super bright lighting equipment quickly spread among the people as the lighthouse was put into use. Every household dreamed of owning a calcium carbide lamp. Even the newly married young people in the Han tribe now regarded calcium carbide lamps as a must-have for marriage, just like Luo Chong bought cars and houses in his previous life.

With sufficient light sources, the night life has become richer. In the past, going to bed early was a last resort, but now it is different. As long as you are willing to spend money, no one will care if you turn on the lights at home in the middle of the night. The most obvious change is that calcium carbide lamps have begun to be popularized in public institutions.

First of all, in schools, five or six calcium carbide chandeliers can illuminate the entire classroom as bright as day. The era when classes could not be held on cloudy days has finally passed. Now schools even have early self-study.

As for the shops on the street, the main ones are Ruyang, Liuyang and Weishan counties, which have the most shops on the street. Now the business hours of these shops have been extended, and they are open until curfew at night, around ten o'clock. In this way, people who have been busy all day can go out shopping at night, and even a night market has been derived from this, which was unimaginable in the Han tribe, which used to be deserted at night.

The most surprised person was Niu Wei, who was in the Han tribe, that is, the business elder of the Xin tribe. This guy has been studying in Hanyang City for more than a year. He can basically read and write common characters, and he has said goodbye to translation when communicating with others. This time, he heard the wind that You Fu had returned from Zhudao, so he took the initiative to ask to follow Luo Chong to Liuyang County to take a look, mainly to welcome You Fu's return, and by the way, ask about the situation in his hometown, as well as the cooperation between the Han tribe and the Xin tribe. There

are some things that the tribe does not know, but Niu Wei, who is in the Han tribe, knows very well. He is afraid that his tribe will suffer in the cooperation with the Han tribe, so he came to take a look.

Luo Chong came to Liuyang County to wait for You Fu to come back, but he would not wait here foolishly. Using limited time to do more things is Luo Chong's principle. This time, in addition to waiting for You Fu to come back, he also had to inspect the trial production of new ships, the packaging and sales of wine and beverages.

Luo Chong was very relieved about the shipbuilding. He just took a look. This kind of small boat was not difficult for the Liuyang County Shipyard. In the past, he explained the design of the watertight compartment to everyone. Basically, there was nothing that needed his own guidance.

What interested Luo Chong the most was actually the white wine in glass bottles. This thing was absolutely new.

Regarding the problem of how to use glass bottles to hold white wine, several plans were derived. Of course, the main ones were glass bottles with corks and glass bottles with screw caps. However, these two plans also had their own characteristics. It didn't matter which one was better or worse. Luo Chong was really a little undecided for a while.

It is not convenient to transport or put wine in a container like a jar. It is also easy to spill when pouring wine, which causes great waste. You should know that these are all brewed from grain. Luo Chong was reluctant to waste them. So he took advantage of the momentum of the successful development of glass and launched an experimental project of glass bottled liquor.

Glass bottles are easy to make. Just put them in the mold and blow them. However, how to seal them when used to hold wine is a problem. The cork is similar to the packaging of red wine. The requirement is that the bottle mouth should be slightly slender to increase the contact area between the cork and the bottleneck to make it better sealed. There is no big problem with the shape. The key is that it is not easy to open. Special bottle opening tools are required. It can be used for high-end wine, but it is not conducive to promotion.

So after thinking about it, the threaded bottle cap is the most cost-effective, but this is more difficult technically. First of all, the thread of the bottle mouth is not easy to handle. Luo Chong's suggestion is to blow out a bottle first, and then handle the bottle mouth after the bottle is finished. After all, multiple processing of glass is actually very common.

Finally, Luo Chong made a special machine specifically for this process. The process is to blow out the glass bottle in a bottle mold, then remove the metal blowpipe, clamp the bottle body with a clamp, reheat one end of the bottle mouth, and wait for the bottle mouth to be red and soft, then put the bottle mouth on a round metal mold rod, use a lever to operate the two halves of the metal mold with threads engraved inside to hold the bottle mouth, and apply pressure to shape the bottle mouth threads, then cut off the excess red hot glass with a knife, and finally make the bottle mouth round.

For the bottle cap, Luo Chong chose thin iron sheets and thick iron sheets. First, use hydraulic stamping equipment to stamp out the prototype of the bottle cap, and then use a hand-cranked lathe to extrude the threads on the bottle cap.

This is obviously much more difficult to process than the cork-type sealing method, but it has more development prospects, so Luo Chong doesn't mind spending more effort.

Corks can only be used on narrow-necked bottles, but screw caps are different. They can be used not only on wine bottles, but also on hot sauce jars, all kinds of sauce products, and even canned food. Canned food in particular is the focus of Luo Chong's development, and the output in the future will even be greater than that of liquor.

The Han tribe is about to develop maritime trade. How will the sea fish be transported to the mainland in a few months? How can fruits and vegetables be preserved on the ship for a long time? With the advanced technology of the Han tribe, pickled canned food is the best solution.

(End of this chapter)