Qin Official

On the first day of March, two people left Ying County in a car and headed west of Jiangling City.

The dark-faced young man in the car was wearing crimson clothes and a yellow ribbon with a copper seal. He was obviously a high-ranking official, so he was naturally a black man. There was also a doctor in plain white silk clothes with a medicine bag on his shoulder. It was Chen Wujiu who had just arrived in Nanjun and was ordered to create a medical corps system with Hei Fu.

“I never thought that it’s only March and it’s so hot in Nan County.”

Chen Wu Jiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the sun above his head, complaining in agony. He was from the north and didn't like the heat very much. He didn't wear outer clothes after bathing and came out wearing only a thin silk coat.

The temperature these days is slightly higher than that of later generations. Heifu saw a rhinoceros by the Yunmeng River. It is said that elephants appear after crossing the Yangtze River. In addition, it has not rained for several days, so the temperature is indeed a bit hot. Probably because his body is used to the weather in Nan County, he didn't feel much, he just joked:

"Since he is afraid of the heat, why didn't Dr. Chen stay well in Xianyang, but why did he take the initiative to come to Nanjun? It's just spring, and in summer, you will suffer!"

Chen Wujiu said: "Guanzhong and Xianyang are managed by the master himself, and all his disciples are sent to various counties, so I took the initiative to request to come to Nanjun."

He was very smart in his abacus, and it would be easier to achieve results if he teamed up with Heifu.

Heifu knew it well and did not expose it. He just introduced the scenery of Jiangling.

It was Chen Wu Jiu's first time to come to Jiangling. In this city where "the clothes in the morning are fresh and the clothes in the evening are poor", it was very refreshing to look around. His eyes especially liked to look at the slender-waisted girls wearing thin silk fabrics sitting by the bridge.

Then he sighed with emotion: "Jiangling is worthy of being the ancient capital of Chu State. It is connected to Wu and Ba in the west and Yunmeng Rao in the east. In terms of grandeur, Jiangling is certainly not as grand as Xianyang, but in terms of prosperous commerce and trade, the people are free and easy, but more rigid than traditional Guanzhong is a bit stronger."

However, he did not come all the way to the south just for fun. Today, he and Heifu went to Jiangling just for the purpose of protecting the medical soldiers.

Heifu did not hide his secrets and said to Chen Wujiu: "I think the medical and nursing staff should be divided into two groups. One is to accompany the army and cooperate with the army to quickly bandage the injured and then bring them back to the camp; The base camp is waiting for the arrival of wounded soldiers and the medical soldiers who assist the military doctors in rescuing people.”

When something is to be implemented, many details must be considered. Since Heifu has been entrusted with this task by the county magistrate and county lieutenant, he must try his best to do it well. Otherwise, as the advocate of this matter, if he does it If it is not as good as Guanzhong and other counties, wouldn't it be a big shame?

Heif went on to say: "After the ambulance soldiers went into battle with the army, they stood behind the formation together with the military judge. When the battle started, they assisted each other and carried the injured soldiers who fell to the ground on stretchers to places far away from the battle formation, and gave them to them. Wounds are bound to stop bleeding, but what kind of material is used to wrap wounds? Who will supply such a large amount? This is what you and I have to solve today."

Heifu knew that bandages in later generations should be made of cotton, but there was no cotton in China these days, let alone cotton cloth, so he could only look for a substitute among the existing fabrics in Qin.

As they talked, they also arrived at the textile room in the west of Jiangling City...

…

The so-called weaving room is the textile workshop run by the government of Qin State. At this moment, the weaving room worker has received the news and is waiting outside. Seeing Hei Fu and others arriving, he quickly came over and bowed:

"My subordinates are far away to welcome you. It is a great honor for us to have Cao Shi, a soldier from the left, come to the weaving room."

The chief officer of the county Gongcao is Gongcao, with a rank of 400 stones. There are many specialized workshops under it, such as the Tongguan workshop, the weaving workshop, etc. Although the weaving engineer is also an official, his salary of only 100 shi is not worth mentioning compared to the 400 shi of Heifu "Zuo Bing Cao Shi". He must be warmly welcomed, and there is nothing wrong with calling himself a subordinate.

Besides, there are recent rumors that Cao Shi, the left soldier, is not only a close confidant of the county governor, but also highly appreciated by the county governor, who allows him to talk in private rooms...

After a few polite words, Heifu explained his purpose of coming, and the weaving room worker immediately welcomed him in.

They passed the silkworm house first. March is the critical moment for the growth of silkworms. They saw that the silkworm foils were covered with dense silkworms squirming slowly. The silkworm farmers spread the newly picked mulberry leaves, and they could only hear the sound of There was a rustling sound, and after a while, the mulberry leaves were chewed until only the veins and meridians were left.

Next was the weaving room. Before I even got close, I heard the continuous sound of machine singing. This sound was very familiar to Heifu, because his mother and sister-in-law often weaved at home, weaving silk and hemp threads into cloth with warp and weft.

These days, it is a standard division of labor for men to farm and women to weave. As the saying goes, "If a man does not farm, he may suffer from hunger; if a woman does not weave, she may suffer from cold." Crops can fill the family's stomach, while mulberry and hemp can make the family full. They have clothes to cover their bodies. Sericulture, mulberry trees, silk reeling and silk weaving are half of the sky that supports the self-sufficient small farmer economy.

In addition to individual small farmers weaving at home, the government, which has a huge demand for cloth every year, will also set up weaving workshops in counties and counties, and the busy weavers there are basically official slaves. After women from nobles and officials were implicated, they were often sent to the weaving room. At this moment, Hei Fu saw hundreds of women of various ages indoors, busy spinning spinning wheels and weaving looms.

"Dian Si", a clerk who is responsible for silk production, also came to introduce that silk is the most important product of the weaving room. From silkworm rearing to silk spinning, silk weaving and dyeing, it is all one-stop.

Heifu picked up a piece of newly produced silk and looked at it. After pulling it, he shook his head and said: "Silk is not good, it is too expensive. If you use this to wrap wounds and bandages, it will cost too much..."

Although Nanjun's silk is not as famous as Shu brocade, Ajin, Lujin, and Huainan shell brocade, it is not cheap either. An ordinary piece of silk is worth about five or six hundred yuan, and a better one is worth thousands of yuan!

Heifu must consider the cost issue: "Using silk to write is still considered a waste by the Qin government, not to mention it is used to wrap up wounds and save lives of soldiers who are humble in the eyes of the nobles? But not every battlefield rescue can be like the previous one, can Use the enemy's silk flags to make materials!"

After rejecting silk, they continued to move forward and checked Gebu, which was mainly used for sewing underwear, but it still didn't work. The fine grass cloth is light and thin, which is suitable for summer underwear, but it is a bit fragile for bandages, and the price is still a bit expensive.

They finally walked to the linen weaving workshop. Because hemp was only planted in February and March and there was no material for weaving, it was not very busy here. There were only a few female official slaves weaving clothes and shoes with the leftover linen from last year. .

It is worth noting that those clothes are sent to the dyeing workshop behind to be dyed into Chu color...

They are weaving Chu clothes for ministers and concubines. It is a national ritual, starting from the uniform. People of different status use different materials, cut different clothes, and dye them in different colors. For example, as an official, a black husband wears silk and silk, while ordinary Guizhou officials and concubines wear linen. When walking on the road, you can tell at a glance what professional class you belong to.

At this time, a clerk hurried to the weaver's side and whispered a few words to him. The weaver quickly confessed to Hei Fu and Chen Wujiu, saying that there was something going on outside, so he asked the clerk responsible for the linen weaving. "Dian X" (xi) accompanied him, and he hurried out.

Dianhe followed Heifu respectfully and answered whatever Heifu asked.

As the most common clothing materials in the world, silk and linen, one is expensive and the other is cheap; one is gorgeous, the other is simple; one is smooth, the other is rough, and the two are often put together and called together. But in fact, linen has a longer history in China than silk.

"So that the history of military affairs will be known, and the world will have the legend of Boyu making clothes."

The young official in Dianxu laughed and said: "It is said that the ancient sage Boyu was the first person to discover that the ubiquitous hemp could be used to weave clothes. He ate hemp ropes and hung them with his fingers, and the cloth he woven was like a snare. People in the world will follow suit, and this will give them an opportunity, and all people will be able to use linen to cover their shame and keep out the cold."

"Yu snare" means that it is very sparse. After all, the textile technology was primitive in ancient times.

"If there really is a Yellow Emperor and Shennong, then besides animal skins, could they also be wearing fishing net outfits?" Thinking of this scene, Heifu couldn't help laughing.

Then, the clerk Dianhe took out linen cloth of different materials from the warehouse, a total of three types, and introduced them one by one.

"This is qing linen. It can be made into cow clothes, raincoats, or twisted into ropes and made into bags."

This kind of linen was rough and bulky, obviously unsuitable for bandages, and Heifu immediately dismissed it.

Then, the clerk pointed to a piece of pure white and refreshing fabric and said: "This is ning linen, which is also the most common linen in Nanjun. Most of the common people in Jiangling City wear this cloth."

Without saying a word, Hei Fu picked up the piece of cloth and looked at it carefully, his face brightened with joy.

Heifu also has this kind of cloth in his family. Before he became a doctor, the clothes he wore were made of this cloth. In his mind, this is the most suitable substitute for gauze bandages!

"If I remember correctly, the gauze bandage is characterized by sparseness and an obvious grid, which is exactly the same as ramie cloth!"

Those who have worn this kind of fabric especially remember that it is cool and sweat-repellent, breathable, and washable and sun-resistant!

It is simply the most suitable fabric for medical bandages. Of course, the most important thing is that it is cheap!

"It costs about 300 yuan per horse in Anlu. It's a little more expensive in Jiangling, but it's within the acceptable range."

The specifications of a piece of cloth are four feet long and two feet two inches wide, which is enough material for a human body. If it is made into bandages, it can make at least twenty rolls.

Seeing that Heifu had found what he needed, he showed a satisfied smile. Dianhe also flattered the soldiers and said: "Congratulations to the soldier Cao Shi. People say that the mayflies are dug up and the linen clothes are like snow. Use the linen cloth to wrap the soldiers' wounds. How appropriate." but!"

The words were very pleasant. Heifu memorized this poem, maybe he would use it in the future.

Heifu then asked the clerk about the production of ramie cloth. He was relieved when he learned that this kind of linen was grown everywhere in Nanjun. The Jiangling Weaving Room alone could produce at least 50,000 pieces of ramie cloth every year.

Before leaving, out of curiosity, he asked Dianxu again: "I think this third type of linen is slightly yellow in color and the material is not tight or dense. If the ramie cloth is not enough, it can also be used as a substitute. What is it called?"

Dianhe said with a smile: "This kind of linen is less common in the south and more abundant in the north. It is generally called hemp, or hemp!"