In a large tent, a bonfire was lit in the open space in the middle. Two pheasants and a hare were roasting on the fire, exuding an alluring aroma.
The five brothers were busy on their own, and there was no general gathering for many days. Either Xiao Han was busy in the brick factory, or Xiaolong went to various cottages to patrol and enforce the law. Niu Ben and Shi Gandang returned to the castle every night, and they had to go back to protect their sworn brother's safety. This is their biggest task.
"Let me count," Niu Ben counted on his fingers, "it has been at least seven days since we brothers sat down to eat together."
"It's eight days, Daniel." Xiaolong corrected with a smile.
"Brother Niu, be careful. If you don't make progress, Anu may dump you," Shi Gandang joked, "Anu is the person in charge of the cultural department. Why do you think she fell in love with Brother Niu at that time?"
"Uh," Niu Ben choked on a sip of wine and challenged, "Little fat man, what are you talking about? Tell me, running or high jumping, you choose one and let's compete!"
Shi Gandang was about to choose one, but was stunned. He was not good at either.
The brothers laughed, and Niu Ben's mind became smarter and smarter, making great progress.
Zhang Yi told Shi Gandang that Anu and Yue Yaer were very smart to begin with. They used to be the female slaves who burned the alchemy furnace for Taoist Master Ma. They were sent to Zhang Yi to monitor him and later became his own. Zhang Yi remembered that at first they were still friends with each other. When they didn't trust each other, Niu Ben almost punched Anu, making Anu cry. As time went by, they got to know each other better and became two pairs of mandarin ducks.
"I know, Anu can't beat Brother Niu, so he wants to marry him and take care of him after marriage, hahaha!" Shi Gandang joked again.
Niu Ben giggled for a while, nodded and said, "Little fat guy, she's happy to hit or scold me if she wants."
Several people burst out laughing.
…
That was truly a friend in need.
In just a few months, earth-shaking changes have taken place. Anu and Yue Yaer have grown from poor slaves who could not read a single Chinese character to heads of the Ministry of Culture and Literature through diligent study and literacy.
Zhang Yi's trust is on the one hand, but the most important thing is the hard work of the two of them. In the entire region, the literacy level is only lower than Zhang Yi, Xiaolong and Xiao Han.
"Xiao Shi, don't make fun of Da Niu. You two have to work harder to read and read," Zhang Yi said with a smile. "When the army and horses grow stronger, you will both become generals and guard their respective sides. You can only exchange letters with each other." , at that time, you two can’t draw circles on the paper, right?”
The two realized that this was indeed a big problem. In addition to writing letters, they also needed to understand military orders, so they nodded vigorously.
Xiaolong said: "By the way, there is a serious shortage of paper now. All the cottages have sent us all the paper they can use, and they are about to run out. I wonder if Xiaohan can make paper?"
Xiao Han shook his head regretfully and asked: "Brother Yi can make telescopes, but I wonder if Brother Yi can make paper?"
The brothers looked eagerly at Zhang Yi.
Seeing him nodding, everyone was surprised and cheered.
"Papermaking, printing, compasses and gunpowder are the four great inventions of ancient China, which once promoted the development of civilization all over the world," Zhang Yi said, "Now that I have time, I can solve the three problems of papermaking, printing and compass. It’s just that gunpowder doesn’t work.”
"The gunpowder Yi Ge mentioned is pyrotechnic powder that explodes when it encounters sparks?" Xiaolong asked.
"Yes," Zhang Yi suddenly realized that gunpowder was actually developed by Taoists during the alchemy process, and asked hurriedly, "Can Xiaolong make gunpowder?"
"Our Longmen sect has a book called "Dragon and Tiger Returning Pill Jue", which records this formula. Master burned this book before he died, saying that if there were such fireworks in the world, there would never be peace, and sooner or later it would be like the last catastrophe. It burns down the heaven and the earth and brings misery to the world. I think this is the gunpowder that Yi Ge said."
Oh, it was burned, Niu ran, Xiao Han and Shi Gandang felt very sorry.
"Burn it, I don't want to see people use gunpowder in war again." Zhang Yi felt that Xiaolong's master was right and said, "No one is allowed to mention gunpowder in the future. There are only three major Inventions are papermaking, printing and the compass.”
The brothers were convinced and toasted to celebrate. They didn't expect that today's gathering would lead to three great inventions, and they didn't expect that the step-brother would be able to re-develop them.
…
The birth of every invention was extremely difficult at first, but for Zhang Yi, who understood the principles, it was much easier. He decided to complete the development of paper, printing and compasses as soon as possible and carry out large-scale production.
This is the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry, with Xiao Han assisting Zhang Yi. The entire process must be kept strictly confidential, and trustworthy people must be selected to participate in development and production.
It’s not that Zhang Yi doesn’t want to spread the word, he thinks from a strategic perspective and doesn’t want his enemies to master this technology. In addition, paper, books, compasses, telescopes, etc. can also be used as a commodity if they can be used by his own people. Exchange supplies such as iron, horses, salt, and sugar with hostile forces.
This is an important strategic resource.
Before, Zhang Yi wanted to use grain and other resources for trade, but now he has a better idea. Compared with the hard-earned grain, the cost of paper and other items is much smaller, and there are more raw materials. , the biggest cost is labor.
Mopan City and the People's Alliance have a large amount of surplus labor force, that is, women, and women can do jobs such as papermaking. In this way, their value and ability are reflected.
Why not?
Zhang Yi explained his ideas in detail and proposed a complete production plan and business plan. Now everyone has a role to play and can create value.
The brothers were very excited. This was a great idea, and they instantly felt like they were moving from the primitive era to the civilized era.
…
Just do what you say, Xiao Han explained the matter of the brick factory and coal mine, and then fully assisted Zhang Yi.
First solve the papermaking problem.
The raw materials for papermaking are actually very wide, including tree bark, discarded hemp rope, vines, straw, hemp plants, etc. Anything containing plant fiber can be used.
Zhang Yi found a large empty room in the castle and began to develop it. He soaked the collected raw materials in a water tank, swollen them, and mashed them into a slurry. Then he used a fine sieve to remove the pulp and dehydrated it. After drying, it becomes a large piece of paper.
It just looks wrinkled and rough compared to the paper left before, and you can't write normally with a brush.
He improved every link, adding cooking, fine pounding, rinsing and drying processes. After more than a dozen tests, he finally produced qualified paper. It cannot be compared with paper in the industrial era, but it fully meets the needs of writing!
At this moment, Zhang Yi and others were overjoyed. More than a month of time was not wasted.
Without writing, there would be no civilization. Without paper, there would be no writing. With writing and paper, civilization has the possibility of rapid spread.
"With paper, we also need to produce pen and ink." Xiaolong said happily.
"With paper and pen and ink, we can write many books and finally build a library." Anu said excitedly.
"You can also draw pictures like the Picture of Mountains, Rivers, and the State, and hang them at home." Yue Ya'er said with a smile.
From a piece of paper in front of you, countless new things can be extended, and everyone's inspiration bursts out, inspiring many good ideas.
Zhang Yi decided to keep this piece of paper forever.
This is the first piece of paper from which the wasteland world was born.