Jing Fan and the craftsmen thanked him, then stepped forward, raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, how will the people who built the ancient Chenggong Palace be accommodated in the future?"
"When the construction of Gucheng Palace is completed, I will order them to come here to join you." Ying Zheng said.
At this time, Li Si stood up and said: "How about this? Jing Kiln does not need so many manpower for the time being. The objects used for the king's wedding can be left to others to make. There are some skilled people left here to complete the work. I will go to Gucheng Palace to help with the remaining tasks assigned by the king so that they can be completed as soon as possible."
Ying Zheng nodded and said: "What you said is absolutely true. In this way, the construction period of Gu Cheng Palace can be shortened, and the craftsmen there can be released as soon as possible."
"In this case, both sides of the matter should be able to move forward." Li Si said.
"Then let's arrange it like this. The husband will be responsible for the people who go to Gu Cheng Palace." Ying Zheng said, "By the way, let me explain to the craftsmen over there that after the completion, don't go back to Lu Mansion. Come directly. here."
Jing Fan said: "Your Majesty is going to send some sergeants here. Just ask them to do some attacking. During the days in the Lu Mansion, we learned each other's skills, and we have already mastered all-round skills."
Li Si looked at Jing Fan and said, "The original ten people here stayed here, and those who came here later should go and do their work."
The hundreds of craftsmen who had just arrived from Lu Mansion responded in unison, then turned around and exited the hall.
Jing Fan turned his head and said to Tian Yi: "You go and select the craftsmen sent to Gucheng Palace first, and you will go back with the king later. The remaining people will renovate the houses first."
Tian Yi nodded and followed the others out.
Only Ying Zheng, Li Si and the first ten craftsmen were left in the hall.
Ying Zheng asked directly: "As for the flying crossbow and paint, do the craftsmen who went out know about it?"
Jing Fan cupped his hands and said, "Back to the king, Mr. Li told me to get the king's consent before letting everyone know. So so far, only ten of us know about it."
"So, how has the research of the ten of you been going during this period?" Ying Zheng asked.
"Your Majesty," Jing Fan said, cupping his hands, "We have studied and discussed the two scrolls separately, and have made some progress."
"Tell me about it," Ying Zheng said.
"We took the lead and carefully studied the flying crossbow, but we did not dare to dismantle the flying crossbow like smashing pottery figurines." Jing Fan said, "Corresponding to the content on the scroll, we discovered that the flying crossbow The manufacturing is completed by manufacturing various parts from various molds and then assembling them.”
Ying Zheng was slightly startled and said, "You mean, if you want to make a flying crossbow, you must first make the parts of each part, and each part is made from a different mold?"
"That's right." Jing Fan said.
"Isn't this step a bit troublesome?" Ying Zheng said.
"Your Majesty." Li Si said before Jing Fan could speak, "The mold that Jing Fan mentioned should not actually be called a mold, but should be called an instrument."
"Oh?" Ying Zheng asked, "How do you say this?"
"The so-called instruments are used to make a specific kind of parts." Li Si said, "Although the effect is not as fine as hand-made, the production speed is definitely several times that of manual work, and even faster. It will be higher. If you want to equip the entire Qin army with such weapons, if you rely solely on hand-made weapons, it may not be fully equipped in ten or eight years."
"So that's it." Ying Zheng nodded and said, "Does it mean that the more such equipment is produced, the faster the parts can be produced, and thus the more flying crossbows can be produced."
"That's right." Li Si said, "The number of flying crossbows is secondary. After all, if everyone has one, leaving some spares is enough. The most important thing is the number of crossbow arrows. A flying crossbow needs to be equipped with Only about dozens of crossbow bolts can be used in a battle."
Ying Zheng thought for a moment and then understood the key.
Compared with the longbow, the advantage of the flying crossbow lies not in the range and power, but in the accuracy of straight-line shooting and the frequency of firing, as well as the physical strength saved for the soldiers.
If manufacturing is done manually, everyone's skills are different, which will inevitably cause deviations of one kind or another, thus affecting accuracy. If the frequency of shooting is too fast, the number of arrows must be sufficient. If it is done manually with a slow production speed, the number of craftsmen engaged in making arrows must reach a certain scale.
If he were facing one country, it would be easier to say something, but Ying Zheng was facing six countries.
Coupled with those small Fan states, as well as Northern Hu and Southern Vietnam, the enemy forces Qin faced were not a small number, so the equipment of ordnance was a top priority.
"So, is it difficult to manufacture these devices?" Ying Zheng asked.
"Judging from the raw materials and manufacturing methods, it shouldn't be difficult." Jing Fan said, "But some places are a little cumbersome, and it may take a few more trials to succeed."
"Then go all out to develop it. The improvement of the Qin army's combat power depends on you." Ying Zheng said, "I will send Meng Tian here to help you with all our strength and ensure your safety."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Under the leadership of Jing Fan, ten craftsmen said in unison.
"What's the progress on the paint matter?" Ying Zheng asked instead.
"Back to the king, compared to flying crossbows, copying paint is a little more difficult." Jing Fan lost a little confidence when he spoke.
"What's so difficult about it?" Ying Zheng asked.
Jing Fan paused for a moment and said: "The main thing lies in the collection and storage of raw materials. Just like the last imitation of terracotta warriors, if the previous raw materials are used, the surface will appear very rough and fragile, and the color will not be the same. It’s very uniform, but what’s even more difficult is that it cannot be fired as a whole, and even if it is coated with those coatings, it may not be able to be preserved for a long time.”
"What kind of raw materials are missing?" Ying Zheng asked.
"Back to the king, we have never heard of the names of the raw materials recorded on the scroll. It must be because it was too old and the names were called differently." Jing Fan said, "It is probably a very common and common thing. , but it’s not called that in the world now, maybe.”
Ying Zheng looked back at Li Si and asked, "Sir, is this the case?"
"Wei Chen didn't ask too much before. We still need to investigate the scroll to know the reason." Li Si said.
Ying Zheng nodded and said to Jing Fan: "It's better to take out the two scrolls, the flying crossbow and the paint."
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment while we get the things." Jing Fan said and left the hall with nine craftsmen.
Ying Zheng couldn't help but be a little confused. It was just two scrolls, a bucket of paint, and a flying crossbow. How could it be used to kill so many people? So he turned to Li Si and asked, "Why are they all gone? Is it possible that there are a lot of things?"
Li Si smiled and said, "I think Jing Fan wants to show the king the samples he made these days."
"Oh, that's right." Ying Zheng said clearly.
In about one stick of incense time, the craftsmen came back one after another.
Jing Fan held the two scrolls in his hands, and the two people next to him held flying crossbows and the bucket of paint.
Some of the remaining people were holding a stack of pottery bowls in their hands, some were holding a strange-shaped wooden utensil, and some were holding copper utensils.
Everyone put what they were holding in front of them, and Jing Fan brought another table and placed it in front of Ying Zheng.
Jing Fan first took the two scrolls and laid them flat on the table.
The one on the left is Fei Nu's scroll. What does each picture and text mean? Jing Fan explained it to Ying Zheng in detail.
Ying Zheng listened carefully and asked some questions from time to time.
Those who are difficult don’t know how to do it, and those who know how to do it are not difficult.
If Ying Zheng had to understand the content on this scroll by himself, he would not be able to figure it out no matter how hard he thought. However, if a proficient person was there to explain it, it would be easy to understand. Of course it's impossible to reach the level of a craftsman in a short period of time, but it's probably no problem to understand.
Jing Fan pointed out several graphics and words that even the craftsmen could not understand, and showed them to Ying Zheng and Li Si.
Ying Zheng looked at Li Si.
Li Si also shook his head and said, "Wei Chen really doesn't know the meaning of these figures."
"Sir, you really don't know?" Ying Zheng looked at Li Si doubtfully.
Li Si smiled bitterly and said: "Weichen really doesn't know. Weichen has never seen this scroll before taking it out, not to mention that Weichen is not familiar with the art of making utensils."
"What should we do?" Ying Zheng was not panicked. He knew that Li Siding would find a way.
Sure enough, Li Si found some pen and ink, some cotton and silk, spread them on the scroll, and started copying.
While writing, Li Si said: "Has the king forgotten your dictionary? These graphics are not necessarily parts of making tools, they may also be a kind of writing."
After hearing what Li Si said, Ying Zheng suddenly realized.
Yes, the origin of this scroll cannot be explained in what era it is, and it is a heavenly inheritance, passed down by the heavenly inheritors of the past dynasties. The understandable part may have been translated, but in order to prevent theft or protect secrets, it is normal to record some key things in ancient writing.
Not long after, Li Si finished copying.
Jing Fan picked up the wooden instrument from the ground and placed it on the table. Another person picked up the copper instrument in front of him and placed it on the corner of the table.
"These two instruments look the same in appearance." Ying Zheng observed the two instruments carefully and said softly.
Jing Fan nodded and said: "It is indeed the same. The reason why I did this is to ask the king for instructions on what kind of material should be used to make the instrument. If wood is used as the material, it will not be very difficult, but the wear and tear will be very serious. It is large, and it is expected that it will no longer be used after a period of use; and if copper instruments are used, although it is time-consuming and laborious to make, they are durable and wear-resistant, but the cost is higher."
"Don't think about it. Of course it is made of copper. If there is a material more suitable than copper, no matter how expensive it is, you can use it." Ying Zheng said firmly.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jing Fan raised his hand and moved the two instruments down.
Returning to the table, Jing Fan introduced another scroll to Ying Zheng.
The content recording the production of paint was relatively obscure, but Ying Zheng still listened carefully.
Jing Fan also pointed out the graphics and words in this scroll that the craftsmen could not understand, and Li Si also copied them.
Jing Fan waved his hand, and several people holding pottery bowls took out one of the pottery bowls in front of them and placed them side by side in front of Ying Zheng.
At first, Ying Zheng thought that the craftsmen were holding ordinary pottery bowls, but after taking a closer look, he discovered the difference.
The color of the first pottery bowl is a little dark, with a faint green light; the color of the second pottery bowl has not changed, but the surface looks smoother; the third pottery bowl is slightly deformed; the surface of the fourth pottery bowl is a little whitish. , is also very smooth and reflects soft light.
When Ying Zheng saw the fourth bowl, he couldn't take his eyes away and reached out to pick up the pottery bowl.
"Your Majesty, although there is a shortage of materials, we gathered some materials based on what we have already interpreted. We combined and fired the materials in different ways and tried to make some pottery bowls. These are the samples."
Ying Zheng touched the smooth surface of the pottery bowl with his hand and said, "In my opinion, this one should be the most successful, right?"
"Indeed." Jing Fan nodded and said, "We named this incomplete coating glaze according to the method on the scroll. After coating it on the surface of the pottery bowl and then firing it, it became The current appearance, if we think about it more, should look better."
Li Si smiled and said, "If the king likes it, he can make a batch of utensils for the wedding according to this craft."
"Okay." Ying Zheng put down the bowl and said, "Then I will give this kind of vessel a name, porcelain. You can design some patterns and make some. When I get married, I will also let all countries The envoy opened his eyes.”
"Follow the king's order." Jing Fan said with cupped hands.
In this way, by accident, Jingjiaban fired porcelain.
