Starting from the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 106 Kill all the sheep for me

"Okay, let's discuss this later." Liu Che also knew in his heart that Li Huan really didn't know how to lead troops in war, and it would be boring to talk about it any more.

Seeing that the emperor was about to leave, Li Huan hurriedly bowed and said, "I respectfully send you off to Your Majesty."

Liu Che paused, glanced at Li Huan, nodded, and left with Wei Qing...

"Ah--"

On the training ground, Cao Xiang, who was screaming like a killing pig, actually climbed out of the obstacle pit...

The way Huo Qubing chased after him with a long bamboo pole looked a bit like he was herding pigs...

"Brother Huan - Qu Bing is going to hurt me!" Cao Xiang ran up to Li Huan with a squeak, frightening Li Huan to the point where his hands and feet became weak...

With such a mountain of flesh hitting him, he could immediately consider reincarnation.

"Look, I'm here to help you out of love." Huo Qubing threw away the bamboo pole and came forward: "What did your Majesty say?"

"Your Majesty told me to lead the Northern Expedition after the autumn harvest." Li Huan hurriedly didn't care.

However, Huo Qubing couldn't help but stepped forward and asked, "Didn't he tell you how many troops and horses we would give you?"

"I refused." Li Huan shrugged nonchalantly: "Soldiers, the most important thing of the country, are born after death. What's more, I have no experience in leading soldiers. If you give me tens of thousands of people rashly, I may just lead them into the army." Death place.”

Huo Qubing felt very sorry, but he also felt that what Li Huan said was reasonable.

"Who is herding the sheep over there?" Li Huan suddenly pointed at the distance and asked.

Several people looked over and saw a group of sheep.

But there's nothing wrong with the sheep. That area is just a wasteland for sheep.

"Slaughter all the sheep, leaving no one behind." Li Huan didn't know where the anger came from.

Huo Qubing wanted to persuade him, but when he saw Li Huan angrily going upstairs, he turned to look at Li Dadao, who was beside him.

Li Dadao responded and led the people to kill the sheep.

For a moment, the entire Anyang Marquis Mansion was filled with the joyful shouts of slaughtering sheep, and not long after, the entire Anyang Marquis Mansion was filled with the aroma of braised mutton...

"What's going on? Why does Brother Huan look like he has a grudge against the sheep? You didn't see him eating the sheep, as if he had a life-and-death feud."

Cao Xiang took a few sips of hot tea.

"This is indeed quite strange." Huo Qubing ate without thinking, "But that's not the point. I'm just talking about whether this braised mutton is fragrant, right?"

Cao Xiang chuckled: "It smells good!"

"Da Dao, where is this guy Li Gan? Why do I feel like I haven't seen him all the way here?"

"Going to Shuzhong." Huo Qubing said leisurely: "Zhuo Wangsun's wishful thinking still failed. The position of Princess Linqiong's minister fell to Zhuo Wenjun."

"Oh? Is there such a thing?" Cao Xiang laughed and said: "Old man Zhuo really doesn't take his daughter seriously... But what are you doing burning those pine trees over there? It's so weird. , and block the smoke from the pine trees?"

"That's not to block it, but to make a more advanced pine ink..." Huo Qubing stopped talking in the middle of his words.

Because Cao Xiang was really not a qualified listener, he was completely addicted to the braised mutton. "Go on, do you really think I can't do two things at once?" Cao Xiang hummed.

Huo Qubing rolled his eyes: "The noble man asked Junhou to find a way to solve the problem of insufficient manpower for copying newspapers. He thought of firing pottery characters..."

"Burning pottery characters? What is this? I've been here for a few days, how come I've never heard of it?"

Huo Qubing touched his mouth: "Li Dadao, take Cao Hou to the workshop behind to have a look!"

Cao Xiang really got excited and immediately asked his servants to bring a roast leg of lamb, and also asked two servants to carry a table over there. The table was filled with all kinds of food.

Huo Qubing seems to have become accustomed to this.

After turning to the workshop at the back, Cao Xiang saw clay-fired characters smaller than fingernails, laying flat in a bamboo dustpan to bask in the sun.

These fonts made of clay are as big as a palm, like small bricks, as small as thumbs, and even smaller, as fine as beans. They are all laid flat in a large dustpan and exposed to the sun.

Cao Xiang picked up a few words in surprise and looked at them from side to side: "This can actually be burned. It's so exquisite... But what's the use of it?"

Li Dadao chuckled: "Marquis Cao, please wait a moment."

He turned his head and whispered to the people next to him who were responsible for guarding the clay fonts, and these people immediately took action.

After a while, a row of words, all composed of clay characters, appeared in front of Cao Xiang.

"Today the wind is warm and the sun is shining brightly. Marquis Li is enjoying killing sheep."

Cao Xiang shook his head and said, "It still feels like nothing unusual. Okay, let's go to the front and continue drinking and eating meat."

Li Dadao was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then hurriedly said: "Liubu Cao, the text in the newspaper has a fixed layout. We select these texts, arrange them according to the requirements, and then paint them with ink, and the paper runs along the top. If you stick it on and then take it off, wouldn’t it mean that the words are completely printed on it?”

Cao Xiang was finally surprised this time: "Doesn't this mean that just by brushing it back and forth, you can copy a newspaper full of words?"

"Not only that, but patterns, patterns, and layouts can all be printed. The efficiency of newspaper production has been improved countless times."

Li Dadao's voice was full of respect.

Cao Xiang was very interested: "Then what are you waiting for? Print one now and let me see?"

Li Dadao smiled bitterly and said: "Marquis Cao, the ink we are using now is not very good. According to what Junhou said, after collecting the pine ink, we need to add other things, otherwise the ink will brush onto the words and the paper will be stuck. , that’s an oily mess.”

"Then what kind of things should be added to this? If it is not enough, I will have people prepare it." Cao Xiang's ancestor Cao Shen has been the top dignitary of the Han Empire since the founding of the country. After passing it down to Cao Xiang's generation, he has already accumulated With the terrifying wealth, the industry naturally spreads to everyone.

"According to what Junhou said, things like glue, tung oil, and sesame oil need to be added. But how to add them specifically? Junhou said that he can't estimate the amount himself. Everything is still being tried."

When Cao Xiang heard this, he immediately lost interest. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, the matter is done. I'll come back and see..."

Playing with a few small clay fonts, Cao Xiang couldn't help but marvel: "How did this come out... What is that? Why does it look like jade?"

Cao Xiang, who was about to leave here, suddenly noticed something piled up in another courtyard.

Li Dadao stretched his neck to look at it, and replied with a smile on his face: "Report to Marquis Cao, that was something made separately when Marquis Li fired the clay characters. Marquis Li called it porcelain."

"Porcelain - porcelain?"

(End of this chapter)