Three Kingdoms

Zhuge Jin now serves as the chief bookkeeper under Jing Zhaoyin, in charge of correspondence and accounts, which is a very important position. He is equivalent to Pang Tong's deputy. It also gives Pang Tong a sigh of relief. Complain your sorrows.

But what Fei Qian didn't expect was that Zhuge Jin would bring a seal just a few days after taking office.

Strictly speaking, this seal does not belong to Zhuge Jin, but was forwarded by Zhuge Jin. However, if Pang Tong were to handle it, he might immediately throw this seal aside without even showing it to Fei Qian.

"Lord, you might as well take a look at what this table says..." Zhuge Jin handed it over and said.

"Oh?" Fei Qian took the watch stamp.

"Everything is not enough to tell a big story, and its materials are not enough to prepare tools for use, so the king will not use them. The king will accept the people in the rails. The story is to measure the rails, which is called 'rails'; to collect materials by Zhangwu. , it is called 'things'. If there is no rule or thing, it is called chaos. Chaos government must be carried out urgently, so it will fail..."

Fei Qian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He threw the seal on the table and said, "Is this the effect of a solar eclipse?"

Chang'an also saw the solar eclipse, so naturally there are people who are gossiping, professional people, and people who try to find hot spots, just like someone in later generations, when they see something hot, they want to take a bite...

Pang Tong glared at Zhuge Jin, quite dissatisfied. Pang Tong would throw aside such meaningless watch stamps for Qiaoqi and never take a second look at them. In the end, Zhuge Jin handed them to Fei Qian in a serious manner.

"The whole article is very long-winded, but in fact I only said one sentence: To compete with the people for profit is not a gentleman..." Fei Qian looked at Zhuge Jin and said, "Does Ziyu think so too?"

Zhuge Jin cupped his hands and said, "No. However, there are many people saying this in the market, so we must pay attention to it."

Pang Tong sneered and said: "It's the same old method again..."

Qingliu, who is in the opposition, habitually criticizes the ruling party. But among eggs, not only can bones be picked out, but dinosaur fossils can also be picked out. This time there is such a good opportunity as the solar eclipse, how could it be easily missed? , naturally they are taking part in the hot topic and expressing all kinds of opinions with flying tongues. A large part of them are saying that the hussar general is not doing his job properly, competing with the people for profit, and running various workshops...

Especially when it comes to papermaking, I believe that papermaking is a way of great benefit to saints, so it should not be a way for Hussar to make money, but should be widely disseminated so that everyone in the world can benefit.

Fei Qian pondered for a moment, stood up, and said to Pang Tong and Zhuge Jin: "It's better to see a thing than to hear it a hundred times. Let's go to the paper mill in the south of the city..."

……e=e=e=e=e=e=┌(;￣◇￣)┘……

A stream of clear water was drawn from a water tank made of bamboo, and then poured into a pool made of stone strips on the ground, which seemed a bit deep.

Fei Qian glanced at Pang Tong, pointed to several stone pools in front of him where bamboo pulp and wood pulp were being hammered, and said, "Shiyuan, do you want to try it out?"

Pang Tong shook his head like a rattle, "I feel tired just looking at it. I won't go, I won't go... Why don't we let Tzuyu go?"

Pang Tong thought he was just trying to avoid it, so he said it casually. Unexpectedly, Zhuge Jin was quite interested. He immediately tied up his lower skirt and sleeves, and then imitated the behavior of a papermaker, holding up the big wooden spine with both hands, exhaling loudly and then blowing it. Start hammering the slurry water.

Seeing Zhuge Jin pounding the pulp, Fei Qian stretched out his hand to signal the craftsman in charge of the paper mill to come over, and then asked: "Why are you still using only human power? Isn't the hydraulic pounding cone installed yet?"

The master craftsman in charge of the papermaking workshop said respectfully: "Reporting to Xiuxi, this is the second pounding, and it requires manual labor to be accurate... The hydraulic pounding cone has been installed long ago, but it is just the first pounding behind the yard..."

"Oh... I understand..." Fei Qian nodded and said, "How much paper can we produce now?"

"Reporting to Hussar, the moon can produce twenty square meters of paper..." the great craftsman replied.

"There are still too few..." Fei Qian said, "Recruit more people... Shi Yuan..."

Pang Tong nodded in agreement.

Papermaking is actually not complicated, but it is not simple either. Pudding is the most arduous task. After the pulping is completed, the pulp can be washed, then fixed, and finally the paper is released.

Although Zhuge Jin was young, he was not used to such hard work like a paper worker, and he did not know how to save effort during the pulping process. After about one stick of incense, his breath became scattered, his muscles and bones were exhausted, and he breathed heavily. Coming down from the pulping pond, he said with an uneven breath: "Now... you have done it yourself, you know... how difficult it is..."

"Making paper is not easy, isn't it? Haha, Ziyu might as well take a rest first..." Fei Qian motioned for the guard to bring a water bag.

Zhuge Jin was sweating all over, and he was naturally thirsty. After thanking him, he unplugged the water bag and drank it in small sips.

The pulping process continues until the pulp water is finely crushed and the bamboo fiber and wood fiber are basically separated. Then add quicklime and stir at the same time. The quicklime will also heat the pulp water while bleaching, and then pour the pulp water while it is hot. Put it into a larger stone basin, then use a gauze to cut out the bamboo fibers and wood fibers, and fasten them on another prepared wooden board. Before they are completely air-dried, carefully separate these fibers from the wooden board, and then do the final step. After drying, if all the processes are correct, it can be made into paper.

Fei Qian and the other three people gathered around the finished paper and inspected the quality of the paper.

To Fei Qian, this kind of paper was actually similar to the papyrus of later generations. There was still a big gap between it and the copy paper that would be the most piled up in the office warehouse of later generations. However, in the eyes of Pang Tong and Zhuge Jin, it was already considered a high-quality product.

Zhuge Jin gently picked up a piece of paper. Perhaps because he had directly participated in part of the work just now, he had a special feeling and couldn't help but say: "If it is written in a small book, it may be worth a thousand words!"

Fei Qian nodded, pointed at the papers and said: "Printing a book on this paper can save ten times the price! But the price is also high... The so-called competing for profits with the people is not wrong..."

"Lord..."

Pang Tong was about to say something, but was stopped by Fei Qian.

"A certain person was stingy about spreading mulberry trees... Not only that, he also wiped out private shops everywhere and banned imitations..." Fei Qian laughed, looked at Zhuge Jin and said, "This is what Ziyu meant. ?”

Zhuge Jin cupped his hands and said: "This thing is the same as farming mulberry trees, both of which are beneficial to the world... My lord has a universal mind, so why..."

"In Ziyu's eyes, this thing is the same as Nongsang..." Fei Qian nodded, then shook his head, "However, there are differences..."

"Farming and mulberry matters are a matter of the world. Whether it is new plows or a new calendar, they are all directly given to the most common Han people in Guizhou... And these papers..." Fei Qian looked at Zhuge Jin and said, "The Han people will Is it useful?"

"This..." Zhuge Jin was stunned for a moment, and then said, "No."

Fei Qian nodded and said: "That's right. For ordinary people, these papers are not as convenient as the readily available bamboo and wood that can be found everywhere in the mountains and forests. Therefore, these papers are not used by ordinary people, so how can they be of great benefit to the people of the world?" ? If it is really beneficial to the people of the world, I will definitely not be stingy, but if something like this only benefits some people, how can you come to accuse me in the name of the people of the world?"

Common people's things are the least valuable, whether it is labor or time. For the people of the Han Dynasty, even if they had paper, things that could not be written repeatedly would definitely not be used for a long time. Ordinary people accept it. After all, there is free bamboo everywhere. You can make bamboo slips and wooden slips by yourself after cutting them down. If you make a mistake, just use a knife to scrape it. It is very convenient. As for wasting time and energy, this is not what ordinary people consider at all. question.

Therefore, in the short term, or perhaps in the long term, for ordinary people, paper cannot completely replace bamboo slips and wooden slips.

So, who are the users of paper?

There is no doubt that they are nobles, powerful people, and officials, but they are definitely not ordinary people.

So if Feiqian spreads the method of making paper and spreads it all over the world, will it reduce the cost of papermaking, and then cheaper and more paper will appear?

Totally impossible.

Why does Feiqian want to promote papermaking? This is because on the one hand, Feiqian wants to carry out more efficient administrative management, and on the other hand, he also wants to promote the popularization of knowledge. In these two aspects, bamboo slips and wooden slips have become an obstacle.

Today, the area under Fei Qian's control extends from south to north and from east to west. It has expanded several times compared to when he was in Bingbei. Correspondingly, the number of documents related to people's livelihood and government affairs submitted by various places has increased several times. Every day There are carriages and horses carrying cartloads of bamboo slips and wooden tablets to Chang'an...

Not only that, in the governance process of various counties and counties, retaining archives is also an important tool. It can be used as a reference for successors and can also be the basis for superior management. The establishment of archives and as detailed records as possible are also needed. Lightweight paper that can hold more words.

Not to mention the role of paper in the dissemination of literary knowledge...

In the early days of paper promotion, would the powerful nobles be willing to take on this responsibility?

Obviously it was impossible. The powerful nobles wanted to get the papermaking technology from Fei Qian, but they wanted to save money on the one hand, and they also wanted to make money on the other. They didn't have much interest in promoting the use of paper. For these people, it is already very good for ordinary people to use bamboo and wood, so what paper should they use?

Zhuge Jin was silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "My lord is very worried. Jin was wrong about what he thought before..."

Pang Tong curled his lips and said, "Next time you encounter this, don't pay attention at all!"

Zhuge Jin bent down and saluted, indicating that he had done a little wrong.

Fei Qian touched the beard on his chin, thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, Tzuyu's move reminded someone..."

Transportation in the Han Dynasty was inconvenient, so once the local officials in various counties and counties were sealed off, it was basically difficult to control them. This was also the source of many problems. On the one hand, the power of local officials should not be too small, otherwise they would not be able to fight against the local government. On the other hand, big families and big surnames should not be too big, otherwise there will be various situations where the tail is too big to lose. Therefore, the emperors of various dynasties walked cautiously on the road of balance.

Moreover, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. Even though Fei Qian, like Zhuge Jin now, can control public opinion and speak clearly in Chang'an or the Sanfu area, what about other places? If the same seal as the one sent by Zhuge Jin appears, how can the county guards in various places ensure that they are in step with the central government and there will be no problems in implementation?

Or, in a situation where it is impossible to completely avoid it, try to reduce it as much as possible?

"Let's have a meeting..." Fei Qian thought for a while, and it seemed that this was the only way at the moment.

"What?" Pang Tong's eyes widened, as if he had a bad premonition.

"Hey, let's come out. Let's go to Qinglong Temple. We'll talk there..." Fei Qian patted Pang Tong on the shoulder, then left the papermaking workshop, and came to Qinglong Temple with his guards. engineering site.

After arriving at Qinglong Temple, Fei Qian summoned the officials who were supervising the construction of Qinglong Temple and inquired about the progress and project status. Then he took Pang Tong and Zhuge Jin to a high slope nearby, looked at the busy construction scene, and said: " If you don’t come to the site to see it in person, if you are the one, how can you know the status of the project here and ensure that there are no deviations here?”

"What's so difficult about this? Either send someone to take a look, or have someone report it after a while..." Pang Tong shook his head and said.

Fei Qian turned to look at Zhuge Jin.

Zhuge Jin thought for a while, then raised his hand and said, "Or it can be calculated based on changes in the number of surrounding civil works, labor mobilization, etc..."

Fei Qian nodded and said with a smile: "Exactly, it is feasible for Shi Yuan to employ people and for Ziyu to talk about things... However, this does not guarantee that the craftsmen will build according to the requirements... You two might as well think about it again. What makes these craftsmen understand what to do? How far should it go?"

Pang Tong rolled his eyes and said: "Building plan? My lord's intention is..."

Fei Qian said with a smile: "That's right! If you want to build a palace, you have to have a plan. Only then will you know where to build it and what shape it will take... However, the world is so big and has thousands of buildings, how can it be without a plan? ?”

Pang Tong took a breath of cold air.

Zhuge Jin's eyes shone, and he looked a little excited.

Pang Tong grimaced and said, "I can't do this... Lord..."

Zhuge Jin cupped his hands and said, "My lord's plan will be a great success! Jin should work hard to achieve it!"

Pang Tong snorted, "You alone can't do it... This... God, I have enough things to do..."

"Haha..." Fei Qian patted Pang Tong on the shoulder and said, "I didn't say that one person would do it all, so couldn't you find more people? Just when the Qinglong Temple was built..."

"Find more people?" Pang Tong said doubtfully, "In this case... wouldn't it be..."

Fei Qian knew what he meant, so he shook his head and said, "The world is where people live... just observe it and tolerate it, so what's the harm?"

Pang Tong was thoughtful, but still shook his head, sighed, and touched his belly. Zhuge Jin on the side was excited and his eyes were bright.

Fei Qian laughed, then stood with his hands behind his back facing the slight mist. Anyway, this world is completely different from the original one, so what’s the harm in trying some new methods? Is it possible that after knowing about China's muddy road for thousands of years, we still step on it? Throw two stones, even if you can't cross the river by feeling the stones, you can still use your feet...