The Shaofu papermaking workshop is not far from the Wei River. An artificial ditch leads the Wei River southward, forming a large pool in the workshop, which is then manually divided into small pools.
Zhao Tuo was walking on the road beside the pond, looking at the raw materials soaked separately in the pond. Jute, cloth, mulberry bark, wood, even bamboo, etc.
Because the papermaking project was not in a hurry and there was no shortage of manpower and material resources, Zhao Tuo asked Zhang Han to separate each material so that he could compare the quality and cost of paper made from these different materials, as well as the time required, etc.
Try out the best solution.
"These hemps are soaked in plant ash water, and then repeatedly steamed and pounded into pulp by Li Renchun, mixed with water to make pulp, and then scooped out paper, thinned and then dried." Zhang Han followed, introducing the process of their first version of papermaking.
Zhao Tuo looked at the turbid pool water in front of him that was soaked with broken hemp. Judging from the taste and color, it was indeed added with plant ash.
"The wisdom of the working people cannot be underestimated." Zhao Tuo secretly sighed in his heart. The prerequisite technology for papermaking has actually been developed for a long time, but no one has taken this step yet, allowing him to take the lead.
"Poetry" says: The pond at the east gate can be used for retting hemp. Soaking hemp in the pool removes pectin and other harmful substances in the hemp to achieve the purpose of separating fibers. This was done in the Western Zhou Dynasty hundreds of years ago.
Technology that has already been mastered.
When talking about retting silk in "Kao Gong Ji", it also mentioned that blending plant ash and mirage ash can greatly increase the speed of retting.
Although the original purpose of these two technologies was to separate fibers to make textiles, they are now used to make paper.
With these two already mastered technologies, the entire papermaking process seems very easy. Especially for Shaofu, who has gathered the world's most skilled craftsmen, as long as Zhao Tuo puts forward the general direction, the rest of the process is basically not difficult.
Zhao Tuo walked through small pools where various raw materials were soaked, and finally came to the place where they were dried. Now is the Mengxia season in April. Although the sunlight is not as fierce as midsummer and early summer, it is still quite powerful and shines on the ground.
When applied, the water on the paper can be evaporated.
In addition to drying in the sun, Zhang Han also came up with some other plans. He told Zhao Tuo that he was going to stick the paper on the fire wall and dry it, which would definitely be much faster than drying it in the sun.
Zhao Tuo expressed his encouragement. Since it is the first time to make paper, it is natural to try various methods and finally choose the best solution.
"Young Master, please take a look." Zhang Han waved his hand, and a small official came forward, lifted up the paper hanging on the bamboo sieve, and respectfully sent it to Zhao Tuo.
"Paper." Zhao Tuo took a deep breath and looked at the yellow paper in the hand of the clerk in front of him, feeling a little excited.
After seven years, he finally made paper. Zhao Tuo still clearly remembered that just seven years ago, he first joined the Yan Kingdom's racing team.
Under the setting sun, in the withered grass, he suffered heavy injuries from wood chips. At that time, Zhao Tuo limped out of the grass, and shouted to the sky in grief and anger: "When Naigong becomes rich, we must make paper!" That was what he had lost.
Youth.
Now, after seven years of hard work, Zhao Tuo has finally taken the position of Shaofu and fulfilled his dream.
"This paper is very tough." Zhao Tuo pulled the paper in his hand and nodded. The raw materials of this paper are mainly jute, cloth and other materials. It is the hemp paper in the paper. It is yellow and quite thick.
, the toughness is very good.
But apart from the advantage of toughness, hemp paper also has many disadvantages, such as the mesh-like texture on the paper, where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect, which is very conspicuous.
In addition, there are some small bumps on the surface of the hemp paper. This is probably because the fibers of hemp paper are long and the pulp is thick.
The front side of the hemp paper is slightly better, but the back side is very rough, and even unmashed jute, cloth, etc. are clearly visible on it.
However, Zhao Tuo not only wanted to make hemp paper, he also planned to carry out the improvement work done by Cai Lun and others, and in one fell swoop, he would improve papermaking to the level of later generations.
"Hemp paper starts with straw paper, bark paper, bamboo paper and so on. With these things, it will definitely benefit the whole of China." With this feeling, Zhao Tuo asked Zhang Han to get pen and ink and write on the hemp paper with his own hands.
When I wrote the first word, it became more intense.
Paper! The words were formed on the hemp paper, clear and legible. Zhang Han beside him widened his eyes and his breathing became heavy.
Paper can really be written on! As the person in charge of the paper-making project, Zhang Han knows that paper is not expensive.
He mentally estimated the number of words that could be written on a piece of paper, and then immediately mentally calculated the price of a slip with the same amount of words.
"Hiss... to write the same amount of words, the cost of a piece of paper is only one-fifth of that of a bamboo slip. If compared with the same length of silk, it is only one-twentieth."
"And this is just the beginning. If we expand the production scale, simplify the process, and save other costs, the cost of this hemp paper can be even lower!" Zhang Han swallowed. This thing may replace the bamboo slips that have been used for thousands of years.
.
"Paper is the carrier of writing and the cornerstone of civilization." Compared with Zhang Han's conjecture, Zhao Tuo was very aware of the early appearance of paper, and even improved it to bring about the level of paper of later generations, which can play a great role.
What kind of effect.
In addition to its impact on the civilization level, it will also be of great use to the Qin State, which has just annexed the world.
Zhao Tuo held the hemp paper in his hand tightly and told Zhang Han: "Choose the sixty-six best pieces of paper for me!"
"I want to present my treasure to the emperor!"... In the Qin Palace, the First Emperor was sitting in front of the eucalyptus, with his hands raised, stretching his tired body.
He had just finished reviewing twenty kilograms of slips, and his neck and waist were a little tired. The pile in front of him was piled like a mountain of slips.
At this moment, the palace servants came to report that Zhao Tuo, the young master, wanted to see him and had a treasure to offer.
"Zhao Tuo wants to offer me a treasure?" The First Emperor frowned slightly. When he heard the word "offer a treasure", he couldn't help but think of the twelve magnificent golden figures he had hoped for.
However, that had become a dream that could no longer be realized. The First Emperor sighed secretly in his heart, shook his head, drove the Jin man's fantasy out of his mind, and ordered Zhao Tuo to come.
At the same time, he turned to look at Zhao Gao, the official of the CRRC who was standing by. When the emperor reviewed the slips, he liked to have Zhao Gao by his side, because this official of the CRRC was proficient in laws. If the emperor forgot any specific laws, he would
You can ask him on the spot.
At the same time, Zhao Gao's calligraphy was also very good, and he often wrote edicts for the emperor, making him an inseparable confidant.
At this moment, seeing the First Emperor's gaze turning, Zhao Gao smiled and said: "Shaofu Zhao is the descendant of Gongshuzi, and he often has miraculous abilities. The giant cannons and plows before were all donated by him to benefit the country. Now that we have given him
Your Majesty said he wanted to present a treasure, and I think it must be something good."
"Yes." The First Emperor nodded, feeling quite pleased with himself. Naturally, the First Emperor knew what Zhao Gao said. This was why he had arranged for Zhao Tuo to be the Young Master before.
Master Baigong, the young master, just wanted to see how much more things Zhao Tuo had hidden in his belly. A month had passed, and he finally couldn't help but come to offer the treasure.
Everything is as I expected! Thinking of this, the first emperor couldn't help but have a look of expectation in his eyes.
After a while, Zhao Tuo walked into the palace respectfully. As soon as he entered the palace, the eyes of the First Emperor and Zhao Gao were attracted by the pile of things in his arms.
Is it silk? But it looks a little strange.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Tuo, pays homage to Your Majesty." Zhao Tuo stepped forward and saluted. The First Emperor responded. Although he was curious in his heart, he still said calmly: "The young master said that he wanted to present a treasure to me, but I don't know what treasure he presented to me?" Zhao Tuo looked at it.
Looking at the mountain of slippers in front of the First Emperor, a smile flashed in his eyes.
He said sincerely: "Your Majesty is diligent in running the government and reads hundreds of catties of slips every day. I often see it in my eyes, think about it in my heart, and worry about your Majesty's health day and night."
"I thought hard and recalled the public documents I had read when I was a child. In addition, I was inspired by seeing people retting hemp on daily basis. I made a special paper to present to Your Majesty." After Zhao Tuo finished speaking, both the First Emperor and Zhao Gao were stunned.
Living.
Paper? What is this? The First Emperor was curious, but he couldn't ask, so he glanced at Zhao Gao who was standing aside.
Zhao Gao understood and hurriedly asked: "May I ask Mr. Zhao, what is paper?" Zhao Tuo said: "Paper is a writing carrier. It is lighter than silk and cheaper than bamboo slips. It can be used to write words on
Above." As he said that, Zhao Tuo did not dare to show off in front of the emperor and hurriedly presented a stack of paper in his hand.
"These are sixty-six new pieces of paper. Please write on them, Your Majesty." The First Emperor, with a calm face, reached out and picked up a piece of paper.
The whole body is yellow, and it is three feet long and two feet wide. It is indeed lighter in the hand than a piece of silk of the same area.
And because this is the tribute paper selected by Zhao Tuo, after polishing and cutting, there is basically no trace of hemp silk cloth on the back, and it looks quite smooth.
The First Emperor's fingers rubbed the paper. This was a touch he had never felt before.
"Here comes the pen!" the First Emperor said calmly.
"Wei." Zhao Gao, who was beside him, immediately moistened his pen with ink and presented it to the emperor. The first emperor held the ink and wrote a big word in the middle of the paper.
The word "I". He squinted his eyes and saw that the writing on the paper was clear, condensed and not scattered. It was considered a qualified writing carrier.
"What's the price of this thing?" Zhao Tuo said with a smile: "This thing is very cheap. Compared with writing the same number of slips, the cost of this thing is only one-fifth of it. And if the craftsmanship is improved in the future, maybe the price will be higher.
Cheaper." The First Emperor nodded.
He glanced at the mountains of bamboo slips piled on the bed. He held a volume of bamboo slips in his left hand and a piece of paper in his right hand.
He closed his eyes and felt the contrast of the weight of the two. When he opened his eyes again, the emperor's eyes were full of excitement.
"That's it, are you excited? Do you feel the charm of technology? Do you know my importance?" Zhao Tuo secretly smiled in his heart, always paying attention to the appearance of the First Emperor.
At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. With paper, the emperor would not be so tired in the future. But the next second, the words coming from the mouth of the First Emperor made him stunned.
"Good stuff!"
"With this thing, I can review more documents every day!"