Chapter 263: Cotton-Padded Jacket
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“Your Highness, does it feel colder this winter than before?”
Inside the sleeping quarters, Luluo held a dark-colored, round-collared robe lined with blue floral silk. Inside the robe was a layer of cotton, making it feel a bit heavy.
In Great Yu, nobles usually wore fur in winter. Cotton clothes like this were mostly worn by merchants and commoners.
Luluo’s casual comment made Xiao Ming frown slightly. Though it sounded like small talk, it actually pointed to a historical truth: the Little Ice Age was starting.
According to history, the Little Ice Age lasted from 1350 to 1850. The coldest period came in the 1600s. During that time, many bad things happened—food shortages, uprisings, and people struggling to survive.
For example, the Manchus invaded the Ming Dynasty not only because of hatred, but also because they lacked food and clothes.
A similar thing happened earlier between the Yuan and Song dynasties. At first, warm weather allowed the Mongols to grow in number. Later, when it became cold again and grasslands shrank, they started to fight over resources. That’s when Temujin united the Mongol tribes and moved south to conquer.
Xiao Ming believed that while many things cause wars, climate had a huge impact on ancient people who relied on farming.
Last year, many animals on the grasslands froze to death. Now, another cold winter was coming. If the barbarians faced a big famine, they would likely resort to raiding to get food.
If the cold continued, the situation would become worse next year—and the year after.
Thinking about this made Xiao Ming worried. When a people are fighting to survive, war becomes a matter of life or death—not just about territory or power.