Chen Duzhong said now: "When will this matter be implemented?"

"After Uncle Jiu returns to the Dongfan, he can first release the news and write a list. At the same time, I will write a note. I will pay some money for the Nan'an League Chief Li Yi. I can buy thousands of shovels, shovels, forks, rakes and other items. I also need to buy some plowing oxen from the prime of life and transport them to Taiwan one after another. It is now the first day of January, and cotton is suitable for planting in March. There are still three months left, which is enough to spread the cloth."

"I have to discuss this with my brother and the others." Chen Duzhong said excitedly: "I think they will not object."

Chen Dujing, Chen Duguang, Chen Durong and others are all in charge of Changwen Hou Mansion. Chen Du was young and could only be regarded as the periphery of the family, not the core.

If the Dongfan opened a cotton field successfully, Chen Duzhong would probably be qualified to speak in the affairs of his family, so he would not be excited.

"Okay." Xu Zixian smiled and said, "Uncle Jiu started the fire first, I'll follow up."

"Of course I will follow up," Chen Zhengbin smiled and said, "We can't grow cotton in Penghu, but we have a lot of people. If the Dongfan incident is successful, the pressure on Penghu will be much smaller, and I am happy to see it happen."

...

After leaving Changwen Hou Mansion, Chen Dujing, Chen Duguang, Chen Duzhong and others discussed secretly with Xu Zixian. The people in Changwen Hou Mansion thought Xu Zixian's suggestions were quite good and worth following up.

Fuzhou is a rare large-scale plain area in Fujian, but no matter how large the territory is, there is no free land. There are two royal palaces, dozens of mansions, national families, civil and military officials, gentry and wealthy families. Even if the Great Wei Li is in the industry and commerce, which one does not have ten or eight manors?

These manors each have their own masters. If you want to integrate them, you will need to change the cotton fields, how much effort will it take to negotiate, break through, and give up benefits?

Fujian originally had cotton fields, but the yield was small and it was completely impossible to compare with Jiangnan. If the crops that people are used to planting, they would have to take real benefits. Even if Xu Zixian's own official village wanted to ask the people to give up growing grain and change them all into cotton fields, the cost would not be small.

It was because of these concerns that they had trapped the large cotton merchants and cloth merchants including Changwenhou Mansion.

Fujian's textile industry is also quite developed. The famous Huangdaopofang machine was found in Fujian. In the past century, it has been suppressed by Jiangnan. It is mainly because of insufficient cotton production and relying on others to breathe. How can we let go of our hands?

Xu Zixian also saw business opportunities. There was no cotton in China. The ancients kept warm, and the poor people wore hemp and kapok. The rich and noble people wore silk, and kapok, or fur clothes in winter. These were luxury items that the poor dared not imagine.

Later, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Indian cotton was introduced to China, and China began to plant cotton on a large scale.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, cotton gradually spread to all parts of the north and south. By the time of the Great Wei Dynasty, several cotton production bases such as Hedong, Shandong, Jiangnan, and Fujian had been formed.

The most cotton-producing ones are Jiangnan and Shandong, which are over 10 million kilograms a year.

Ordinary people today certainly cannot afford to wear silk cotton jackets, but every household still needs to prepare a few ordinary cloth cotton jackets. The poorest places in Yunnan and Guizhou still cannot afford them. Many families only have one cotton jacket, and whoever goes out will wear them... This is of course the poorest family. In Fujian, a few new clothes are always made a year. After wearing it for a long time, the cotton jacket will be shaved and shrink, and you have to add cotton and then loosen it to keep warm.

Therefore, the business in this area has great potential and almost no bottom line.

Moreover, Japan, the East, the West, and the Tianfang have a large demand for China's cotton cloth. Although this transaction is not as profitable as raw silk and porcelain, it is because of its large quantity. For example, it is impossible to have a surplus if it sells or sells it.

The matter of opening cotton fields in the Dongfan was decided. Of course, the early investment was huge, but the lands in the Dongfan were all unowned. The imperial court issued several consecutive edicts during the reign of Renzong and Xuanzong that whenever the unowned people went to the Dongfan to open up the land, the national tax was exempted for three years, and the lands opened belonged to the people, as long as they were reported to the government for records and recorded.

Even with such an order, there are still very few people going to wild lands like Dongfan Island. Over the years, there are only 10,000 residents of Dongfan, which shows how difficult it is to reclaim wasteland.

The Changwen Hou Mansion and the Nan'an Hou Mansion joined forces, and the manpower, material resources and financial resources were enough. With the cooperation of Chen Duzhong, the defensive commander, this matter could be done.

Even so, the early expenses must be huge, and the recruited personnel will have to spend huge amounts of money to lure them, otherwise many people will not be willing to go there.

Cows, farm tools, cotton seeds, and various utensils have to be transported from the sea, which is another huge expense.

Chen Dujing and Xu Zixian discussed that it was expected to open 100,000 acres of cotton fields, and they needed to buy large quantities of plowing oxen and horses from coastal places. Since people were unwilling to go to the Eastern Vanguard, it was best to work hard on pasture and livestock. If there were more plowing oxen and horses, the manpower needed would be less.

For example, two healthy cows are used on the arable land, and the land reclamation and daily care can help two families grow 60 acres of cotton fields. This is enough to make up for the shortage of the photos.

For 100,000 mu of cotton fields, those who were willing to grow cotton fields among the original people of the Dongfan period had to recruit more than 1,000 households from the coast of Fujian to the Dongfan period.

Xu Zixian proposed to move refugees in Zhangzhou. In Minqing, Houguan and Nanping, there are at least a few thousand refugees in these counties. They can move one thousand residents first. If the cotton field production is more than 400 kilograms in the first year, another 200,000 mu will be opened in the second year, and about 3,000 refugees will be employed to the Dongfan.

This not only gives the Dongfan enough manpower, but also the problem of refugees in Zhangzhou is expected to be completely solved.

The destruction of Zhangzhou was the biggest hidden pain on Fujian Road more than ten years ago. Five major thieves gathered more than 100,000 troops. In addition, the thieves in Qishan were the leader, the imperial guards could not resist, resulting in the destruction of Zhangzhou Prefecture, Zhangzhou Zhangpu, Longyan, Changtai, and the counties of Zhoucheng Longxi were all conquered. At that time, there were more than 200,000 refugees fleeing.

Over the past decade, Zhangzhou has gradually recovered its vitality, and refugees have returned to their hometowns one after another. There are still three or four thousand households. More than 10,000 refugees are unable to return home and are displaced on both sides of the Minjiang River.

This is also the most troublesome thing on Fujian Road. Xu Zixian has digested and utilized thousands of refugees in Nan'an. If he moved another thousand households, he would move another two or three thousand households next year. Basically, the problem of refugees in Zhangzhou will be solved.

Chen Dujing certainly agreed with this proposal.

If the two families are not in-laws, the Chen family may have reservations and doubts, or opposes, or half of the people who can mobilize the Chen family and half of the refugees.

In this way, both sides can restrain each other, and Xu Zi cannot be asked to control each other alone.

You should know that thousands of refugees have entered the Dongfan family, and both families have paid for their money. But who doesn’t know Xu Zixian’s reputation among refugees? If this is done, Xu Zixian is equivalent to the rebirth of refugees in Zhangzhou. If they really save their suffering, Xu Zixian’s reputation will rise again and again. The Changwen Hou Mansion will pay money and work hard, of course, he will also be grateful, but among the refugees, who has the final say?

It goes without saying that Xu Zi must have said it first.

The Changwen Hou Mansion's approach to this matter, from the public opinion, the ability of refugees in Zhangzhou to settle well is a great thing that benefits the country and the people. Cotton planting is not only beneficial to Changwen Hou Mansion, but also to Fujian Road. A high-ranking official like Chen Dujing, who is over 50 years old, cannot be unmoved by this.

Keeping a good fortune forever is one of the important choices in making merit, establishing virtue, and making words. As long as you have the opportunity, Chen Dujing will not give up the opportunity to establish virtue and achieve meritoriousness.

Again, Xu Zixian is a rising star after all. It is conceivable that the future will be more prosperous for decades, and even his status will not be below the current King of Qi in the future.

The two families have become in-laws, and considering Xu Zixian's future situation is huge, Chen Dujing and others are of course making a move here in Dongfan.

It is impossible for Chen Dujing to make a decision alone. Among the people present, Chen Duguang and others did not object.

At this point, it is a decision. How to start, manpower, financial resources, and materials can be planned and prepared slowly.

"How much should I invest in advance?"

There was only one Chen Zuocai, Jin Jian, and Gao Shilai and a few sat aside, just listening and not talking. Chen Zuocai stared under the lamp and asked Xu Zixian with his eyes wide open.

"How many do we have now?" Kong He has always been responsible for finances, and General Manager Li Yizhang and Chen Zuocai will also assist. I still know the approximate number.

"It's a public official. From November to December, business transactions have gradually decreased in the past two months. Of course, the group training donation has been reduced, only less than 30,000 guan. After all the expenses, there are still about 6,000 guan left. Fortunately, after the war, a lot of donations from various places were sent, otherwise, the annual reward would not be very favorable. After the spring, I don't know if the dock will be built in February or March. The port terminal was opened in the name of Nan'an group training. The income is considered a group training. How much can it be earned? There is no plan yet..."

Xu Zixian nodded slightly. Currently, the bulk income from group training is only group training donations. The Jiangtan battle has gained a lot and the loss is also very large. The more than 30,000 guan donated by the commercial banks of various towns, plus the thousands of guans given by Yang Shiwei.

After February, the group training donation will be restored to the level of more than 15,000 jin per month. Before that, it can only barely maintain the expenses.

The expenses for going north, including repairing the blessing ship, and of course Xu Zixian's bride price of 30,000 guan, were all withdrawn from the private warehouse of the Hou Mansion's villa, and had nothing to do with the donation of the group training.

Next, the dock warehouse area is put into operation. Because it is opened in the name of a group training, the income of the dock warehouse area is included in the public account, not the income of the marquis' mansion, and the accounting is also recorded from the public account.

This is Xu Zixian's insistence, with clear public and private accounts, so that they will not cause chaos.

Going down, the ducks, sheep, pig pens, chicken coops, and vegetable fields in the Hou Mansion will also be supplied to the camp at the time. The group train pays for purchases, because the cost of vegetable fields and breeding is all the pockets that Xu Zi first took himself, and these lands are also the lands of the Hou Mansion.
Chapter completed!