Chapter 284 The Emperor’s Letter

Accuracy determines so many things.

Now, Zheng Kui, the "Printing Press Project Huangming University Research Group" mold firing team, is also facing this problem.

Among the young masters, some are very knowledgeable about kiln firing - even though they are firing green bricks, Zheng Kui knows many tricks related to making fire. Some are very knowledgeable about melting and casting, but the ones they cast before were relatively rough.

guns.

Now they realize that even though they have the blueprints, this matter is still not easy.

Shen Zhongming explained to them personally.

"Knowing that these movable type molds have been around for hundreds of years, why are there still more volumes printed with engravings today?"

Zheng Kui and others naturally shook their heads in confusion.

"The main reason is that it is extremely difficult to make each character model the same size." Shen Zhongming also brought several models, "Look, these character models are thinner than your little finger, but you can't tell that they are different in width or height when held together.

But when you get on the board frame, you will find that some can be stuck in the slots, and some are loose, and the height is not exactly the same. Therefore, it is necessary to use soft grease to flatten and stabilize it."

Shen Zhongming showed it to them and asked them to compare it directly with each other. They found that there were still slight differences.

"Furthermore, these character models are all engraved in reverse Chinese characters, so it is difficult to find the characters. Although there are radicals now, there is an additional way to find characters, but it is still difficult to find." Shen Zhongming explained, "These character models are all four-dimensional characters.

If a character is placed upside down during plate making, it is often the case that it is square. Therefore, engraving is still the main method for folk engraving of books."

Zheng Kui seemed to understand but listened to the dean solemnly say: "If the printing machine can be trial-produced, if you want to make it easy to use for engraving in the future, the type molds that your majesty said are also extremely important. You must not accept this responsibility because of it."

I thought it didn’t matter, there is a lot of knowledge here!”

Now Zheng Kui understood. He thought the dean was just here to cheer up their fringe group.

In the imperial city, the inner court and the Ministry of Industry already had workshops, and they could go there to do experiments.

However, Shen Zhongming quickly gave them more clear and specific requirements for this new character model: the top and bottom of the character model must have positive inscriptions in Yin and reverse inscriptions in Yang respectively.

On the yin side, it will be easier for others to find and recognize the characters in the future. On the yang side, there will also be a small triangle missing in one place, so that when you put the characters into the slots on the board, you can confirm whether they are placed in the right direction.

As for the size of the fonts during casting, that depends on them.

How precise the mold should be, and how to mix the ingredients during casting so that they will not shrink to different sizes after cooling, all of this needs to be tried little by little.

Or after the casting is completed, there is a method of fine polishing - it should be simple, after all, there are a lot of fonts, and polishing them one by one will cause problems.

After receiving the task, the group felt overwhelmed.

"...Making projectiles is much simpler than this. It's like embroidering on iron."

"If you want to be so precise, you can only use the lost wax method." The young master of casting asked Zheng Kui, "Can you do it?"

"...How can a black kiln factory use the lost wax method?" Zheng Kui was helpless. He was just a green brick maker. "I understand what you are saying. Whether it is a clay model or an iron model, I am still a little unsure.

Burnt out."

In order to make such fine calligraphy molds, it is natural to make molds for the character molds first.

"Then let's discuss how to make this character model. I think that since printers have so much trouble making plates, it's better to think about the character model and the board they use to place the character model together, and then make a set of things.

.”

"Exactly! If we only make lettering, I'm afraid we won't be able to make it the same size and height as the dean said, and it will be smooth and stable after being placed!"

Zhu Houcong pays attention to this matter, mainly because of its driving role in machine production, precision manufacturing, process technology, etc.

Now the emperor attaches great importance to it, and many people below him have taken action to try to improve the details.

Zhu Houcong, who had experienced some things, naturally never forgot that there was another simple way: carving a wax paper seal.

But in essence, wax paper still requires a lot of manual engraving, which is tiring and error-prone. The so-called wax paper that already exists at this time is not a specialized engraving wax paper, and even if we do not consider the development of new ink to adapt to this kind of engraving wax paper,

In Zhu Houcong's impression, a piece of engraved wax paper could only print a small number of copies before being reimbursed.

This will cause great consumption of wax, and the problem is: after the wax found a way to extract white wax from the secretions of white wax insects in the Song Dynasty, although the cost was reduced a lot, the candles at this time were still at the "tribute" level.

The price is as high as over a hundred dollars.

At present, the white wax producers are all in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the method used is to breed white wax insects. Maybe the surge in demand will reduce the cost of wax, but the subsequent impact is: the income of white wax insects in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is about the same as that of silkworm breeding.

Breeding will definitely increase significantly.

It is a small matter to change rice into wax, and it is also a small matter to gain another economic dividend in Jiangnan, but how significant is the promotion of this method to the promotion of the entire technology?

On the contrary, screws, studs and nuts appeared in Ming Dynasty, and their significance is too great.

Things had been arranged, and the emperor finally turned his attention to the national policy meeting.

On November 15th, we hope that the Japanese-North Korea meeting will still be the same, and those who have known in advance that the second issue of "Ming Pao" will be published on this day have naturally been waiting for this issue of the newspaper for a long time.

It is self-evident that the imperial court launched this newspaper at this time, which was to comply with the new law and publicize government decrees in the name of the imperial court.

There must be some important news in this issue!

When this issue of the newspaper got into the hands of many people, many of them frowned in unison.

How come it has only been fifteen days and this issue of the newspaper has been released like this?

…

The emperor did not pursue printing quality, and the Ming Pao Press worked frantically with limited manpower. The second issue of "Ming Pao" was far less beautiful than the well-prepared first issue.

Fortunately, although the handwriting is double-imaged, blurry and even slightly dragged out, every word on it is correct.

The focus is mainly on the content.

Many people still don't fully understand all the simplified characters, and they need to get used to the new style. However, there are not many copies of newspapers. Most of them read together, discuss with each other, and guess, but it can be understood from the context.

Barely able to read through.

In the Imperial College, Tang Shunzhi naturally asked for help from the dian book immediately and looked at it with his classmates.

He had a handwritten "Jiajing Dictionary" "privately kept" for a long time, and he basically knew all the simplified characters.

At this moment, he read softly: "A letter from His Majesty the Emperor to the people of the world."

Pointing to the many empty columns on the left side of the front page of this issue of "Ming Pao" under the new format of left to right and top to bottom based on the existing top grid format, Tang Shunzhi said: "Your Majesty has written for you."

The supervisors all pursed their lips and sternly said: Isn't this just like an imperial edict?

How exquisite is the imperial edict? How solemn was it when it was promulgated?

Before listening to the Holy Instructions, should we bow down first?

But there was no official announcement, only a newspaper that seemed a bit rough...

Tang Shunzhi read this letter, as if he was reading out an imperial edict. The atmosphere in the room seemed a little strange for a moment.

At this moment, after someone discovered that this was the emperor's writing, he first put the rough-printed newspaper down respectfully, and then made a big salute - most of them did this because they were in public places.

Or the middle and low-level officials in various government agencies.

Then, they stood up on their own and read the letter carefully.

[All the subjects of the world, read the newspaper as if you were in front of me.]

Isn’t it because of this sentence?

But everything needs to have a head to show solemnity.

After all, Zhu Houcong couldn't speak in plainer terms for this newspaper all of a sudden - printing was already so difficult, and purely oral language was not formal enough and had too many words.

[It has been five years since I ascended the throne, and I have already raised two princes. There is a proverb that goes, start a family and establish a career. My career is the welfare of the people of the Ming Dynasty. Every family is better off than before, and the country of the Ming Dynasty is richer and stronger than before. 】

【For this reason, many things have happened in the past five years.】

[The Westerners invaded in the 16th year of Zhengde, and Wang Shi won. In the first year of Jiajing, there was a typhoon, and last year there was a drought, and the provinces were able to provide relief. In the fourth year of Jiajing, Huguang rebelled and was put down.]

[My vassal, King Jitong, wants to use the new law to enrich the country, but I know it will be very difficult.]

[Fortunately, the central government of the imperial court, the monarchs and ministers, are united, and now the country is stable. The new law has been tried out in Guangdong and Shandong, and has been quite effective.]

[On the occasion of the National Policy Conference, I would like to use Mingbao to speak to the people of the world.]

[What the Jiajing New Law seeks is that enriching the country and enriching the people are not inconsistent with each other. Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce are all my subjects. I take them all in my heart and hope that everyone can live a good life. Only then can we call the country rich.]

[The new law has been tried out and has been effective. Starting from the fifth year of Jiajing, it will be gradually implemented in all provinces of the Ming Dynasty. At the national policy meeting, the monarch and his ministers will also discuss the priorities in detail. 】

[In order to implement the new law well, I have decided to establish a Prime Minister and Minister of State to take charge of many civil affairs of the Ming Dynasty.]

Seeing this, everyone opened their mouths.

This thing that only a few people know about is finally announced to the world here.

A prime minister reappeared in the Ming Dynasty, and he was still a prime minister with real power, not a title.

The meaning revealed from it is really too great.

The old Zhu family has held on to power much better than the old Zhao family, but now they are actually taking concrete steps to release some power.

[The Heavenly Family inherits the respect of all the subjects of the world, and I also respect the hard work of the people of the world, and the loyalty of the officials and gentry of the world. I hereby specify the titles, honorary titles, meritorious titles, and titles to tell the people of the world: under my rule, people

Everyone can think about the future. As long as he has contributed to the country, no matter how big or small, I can use these four titles to mark him down here.】

[I, the descendants of the Yan and Huang Dynasties, have been passed down for thousands of years, and dynasties in the world have changed. I also admit that the world is not owned by the emperor and his family. If I cannot let the people of the Ming Dynasty live and work in peace and contentment, the Ming Dynasty will eventually come to an end. ]
To be continued...