Diqin Designer

Chapter 24: No matter how good the technology is, it must adapt to the times
After finishing all the drawings, Li Nian shook his sore wrists, asked someone to bring the plow drawing, and asked the craftsman in front of him: "Can you understand it?"

The craftsmen looked at each other, and after a while, one of them, who looked to be in his forties, asked, "Sir, is that a plow?"

"Exactly! Can you guys make it?"

After hesitating for a while, the craftsman said, "It's not difficult to make, but I've never seen a plow like this before..."

These people were all excellent craftsmen of the Shaofu. When they saw the drawing, they had already figured out how to make the real thing. What they were worried about was not whether it could be made, but that this plow might not be as good as the current plows, and this young man insisted on promoting it to the whole country. Not only would the farmers in the world suffer, but they would also become criminals.

It’s not their fault. It’s normal to have worries and doubts about a new and unproven thing!
Li Nian smiled and said, "I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I won't promote this product to the world right away. You can make ten new plows for me first, and then make a decision after comparing them with the old plows."

Seeing that Li Nian was so reasonable and didn't act without thinking, all the craftsmen in the Shaofu saluted Li Nian in unison: "Young Master is wise!"

Those who work like them are not afraid of competition from their peers, but they are most afraid of outsiders commanding insiders, especially when some nobles come up with an idea that they think is great and then ask them to do it, which is simply a huge disaster.

If there are results, that's fine, the credit goes to the noble person, and even if they don't get any credit, they won't be guilty. The worst thing is that there are only faults and no credit, then the noble person may not be in trouble, but they have to bear the blame.

Fortunately, this young man is not that kind of nobleman.

Seeing that the craftsman had no problem with the plow, Li Nian asked someone to bring the tools and site drawings needed for papermaking, and said, "These are also the things I want you to make. Everyone come and take a look, and I will explain them to you."

Pieces of wood were presented to the craftsmen. Judging from the drawings on the boards, these things were not difficult to make, but they just didn't understand what they were for.

"The things you see painted on these wooden boards are what are needed to make paper. You will know what paper is after it is made."

"Now, I will explain the papermaking process. The first step is to 'cut the bamboo and soak it in the pond', which means putting the cut bamboo into the pond and soaking it..."

Li Nian felt as if he had returned to the future and was giving PPT presentations to people, except that now he was not using slides, but wooden boards.

"The second step is 'cooking the bamboo with enough fire', which means putting the soaked bamboo into the kiln for steaming. During the steaming process, someone has to constantly stir the bamboo to make it easier to be cooked, so the kiln has to be big enough."

After listening to Li Nian's explanation, the craftsmen understood that what was painted on the wooden board was a pond and a kiln. More than ten people perked up because they felt that Li Nian's explanation was quite realistic, as if he was really making something and not just thinking about it on a whim.

The process of papermaking is not complicated. Soon, Li Nian finished explaining and looked at the dozen or so Shaofu craftsmen. He said, "The above is the entire process of papermaking. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. To be honest, this is my first time making paper. I have only watched others make it before and am not familiar with it. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to raise them. If they are good, I will ask the king for credit for you!"

When it comes to technology, if you know it, you know it; if you are familiar with it, you are familiar with it. Never pretend to know it when you don't, or pretend to be familiar with it when you are not. Don't think that these craftsmen are a group of ancient people, look down on them, and refuse to communicate with them.

These people are not the best craftsmen in Daqin, but they are definitely one of the top ones. Compared with Li Nian, what they lack is only the knowledge and technology of later generations, not intelligence.

Although Li Nian can learn about the knowledge of later generations through search engines, he does not understand the workmanship of this era. On the contrary, these craftsmen are very knowledgeable and can provide him with a lot of good suggestions.

For example, where the pond should be arranged can more efficiently soak the bamboo, where the steaming kiln should be built and how big it should be built can enable better steaming... It is not that Li Nian says where to build it and how high or how big it should be, but we must consider the workmanship foundation of Daqin. No matter how good the technology is, it must conform to the environment of the times!

These craftsmen can just fill in this part for Li Nian. Li Nian provides knowledge and technology, and the craftsmen try to realize it based on Daqin's current situation and do their best.

When the craftsmen heard that Li Nian wanted to commend those who made good suggestions, they first thanked Li Nian and then began to speak. They raised quite a few questions and suggestions, which made Li Nian feel that it was a pity that he did not let people start working directly, otherwise there would definitely be problems.

'I still need to take the initiative to learn more about this era! Although I can find information about this era on search engines, it is not complete after all. I still need to understand some things myself. Otherwise, some things that I think are good for Daqin will turn out to be bad things if I really do them.'

After discussing with more than a dozen craftsmen, Li Nian roughly decided on the papermaking matters and only needed to notify Boss Zheng to arrange for people to start work.

After finishing the papermaking matter, Li Nian took the drawings of iron pots, tables, chairs and benches to ask the craftsmen of the Shaofu.

These things, like plows, are much simpler than papermaking. The craftsmen promised to deliver the objects painted on the wooden boards to Li Nian within half a month.

Although tables, chairs and benches are simple to make, they did not appear for a long time in history. First, people did not think of them, not because of lack of intelligence, but because the first discovery and creation is relatively more difficult than the subsequent transformation and development, just like the first person to eat crabs; second, there are items with similar functions in daily life, which do not need to be changed.

But Li Nian had used tables, chairs and benches before, and knew that they were more useful than the tables and desks that Daqin had at that time, so of course she chose to use them.

'I made two sets, and will give one set to Mr. Zheng. I wonder what Mr. Zheng will say after trying it? Will he continue to sit on his knees?'

Li Nian thought to himself that he really wanted to see Ying Zheng sitting on a chair, working and eating at the table.

"Actually, I want to see the reaction of Mr. Zheng after he uses toilet paper."

The main reason why Li Nian was so eager to make paper in Daqin was to go to the toilet!

Li Nian gathered up the messy thoughts in his mind and looked at the group of craftsmen who had not yet left. He thought of one thing: there were also people from the Mohist school in the Qin State, and they were called "Qin Mo"!
'I wonder if there are any Mohist disciples among these craftsmen?'

When talking about Mohist School, the first thing that came to Li Nian's mind was an old cartoon. He had been watching that cartoon since he was in elementary school. Even when he graduated and became a corporate slave, the cartoon had not yet been completed.

There was the Mohist school in that anime. Because of the anime, he also learned about the Mohist school in history. It can only be said that there are many differences between the Mohist school in the anime and the real Mohist school.

The real Mohist school was not as good as some people in later generations thought, just like the Legalists. But the Mohist school did have its merits, especially in natural science. Compared with the Hundred Schools of Thought, which mostly only thought about humans, the Mohist school was obviously more advanced in its exploration of nature.

'Although Mohist thought is unrealistic, this group of people explored natural sciences more than any other school of thought, so perhaps they can be used.'

(End of this chapter)