I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 423: The ingenious technique shocked the capital
If Cai Hou's paper is like this, then is there no other usable paper in the Han Dynasty?

No.

Among the Han people, there are many talented and famous people.

More than ten years ago, Dong Lai Zuo Bo improved it.

It uses tree bark, hemp heads, rags, etc. as raw materials. The paper made with this new technology is bright and clean, suitable for writing, and has higher value. It was very popular among literati at that time and was called "Zuo Bo Paper".

Nowadays, as soon as it was born, it was called one of the "three famous products" of the study along with Zhang Zhi's pen and Wei Dan's ink.

Cai Yong, a famous scholar skilled in calligraphy, “would always write on paper other than Zuo Bo Paper”, which shows how high the reputation of “Zuo Bo Paper” was.

but!

The paper is difficult to make and the cost is high, so it is far from being popularized.

Therefore, during the Han and Three Kingdoms periods, although paper already existed and the technology was mature, bamboo slips and silk were still the main writing materials and were used in large quantities.

However, when Liu Hong opened the Analects, he was immediately shocked by the exquisiteness of the paper.

The paper was white and delicate, thin and flexible, with an excellent touch. It was far superior to the previous Cai Hou paper, but it was also different from the Saeki paper he was familiar with.

This was undoubtedly a great surprise for Liu Hong, who had been an artistic youth since childhood, and he kept asking where the paper came from.

Upon seeing this, Chen Zhi bowed and replied:
"Your Majesty, this is Suhou paper that was specially made by the craftsmen who gathered the strengths of various families and can be used for mass printing."

"You, what did you say?!"

After hearing what Chen Zhi said, Liu Hong came to his senses and looked at the book again. He saw that the handwriting on the paper was clear and neat, the ink was evenly distributed, without any seepage or smudges, it actually looked like a rubbing!

He couldn't help but be shocked.

You know, in this era, whether it is Cai Hou paper or Saeki paper, it is difficult to make rubbings.

Otherwise, the Chinese dynasties would not have spent so much money and effort to carve stone scriptures in the next few hundred years.

Liu Hong opened his eyes wide, looking in disbelief at the copy of The Analects in his hand and the strange little wooden blocks neatly arranged beside it. He realized that what he had in his hand was not just a book, but also a great invention that could change the entire era.

"Movable type. Printing?"

"That's right, your majesty."

Seeing this, Chen Zhi quickly explained further:

"The printing technique invented by Guanjun Hou was able to print books in batches using these wooden blocks with inscriptions, which greatly improved the efficiency of book production and enabled classics to be spread more widely."

“Let more people understand the teachings of the saints.”

"You said, just rely on these little gadgets???" Liu Hong grabbed a wooden block and looked at it left and right in his hand.

"If your majesty allows, I can demonstrate it to you and the ministers on the spot."

When Liu Hong heard this, curiosity and excitement flashed in his eyes. He took a deep breath and nodded:

"Okay, demonstrate it for me and let my beloved ministers open their eyes."

Chen Zhi took out a flat wooden board from his sleeve and placed it on a piece of Su Hou paper that had been prepared long ago. Then, he carefully arranged the wooden blocks engraved with words on the board in order, making sure that every word was aligned neatly.

After completing all this, Chen Zhi took out a small inkwell from his side and shook it gently so that the ink was evenly distributed in the inkwell.

Then, he held the ink fountain and gently wiped it along the wooden block, and the ink was evenly stained on the words engraved on the wooden block.

"Next, it's time to witness a miracle."

Chen Zhi's face was full of pride. He picked up a clean cotton cloth and gently covered the wood block with ink. He held the two ends of the cotton cloth tightly with both hands, pressed it gently, and then slowly lifted it up. When the cotton cloth was uncovered, the Suhou paper clearly showed the same words as those on the wood block. The handwriting was neat and the ink was bright, as if it was written directly on it.

"This...how is this possible?!" There was a sudden burst of exclamations in the hall.

All the civil and military officials opened their eyes wide and looked at the scene in disbelief.

Among them, there are many well-educated people who have a deep understanding of the value of books and the difficulty of producing them.

However, at this moment they witnessed the miracle of mass production of books with their own eyes, and their hearts were filled with unprecedented shock and excitement.

Liu Hong was so excited that he stood up. He had already tightly grasped the copy of "The Analects of Confucius" in his hand, as if he was afraid that it would drop if he was not careful.

Liu Hong is very clear about the significance behind this technology.

As an emperor, it is true that he was foolish, dissolute, selfish and greedy.

However, combating powerful families and promoting cultural education were also his lifelong pursuits.

Not only did he have a good level of education, he also loved books and poetry, and wrote many works such as "Huang Xi Pian" and "Zhui De Fu".

During his tenure, he engraved the "Xiping Stone Classics", promoted the emergence of "rubbings", and even founded the world's first literary and artistic college "Hongdumen School", promoting the development of literature and art, promoting ideological emancipation, breaking through the barriers of the "Confucianism as the Only Orthodoxy" policy, and opening up a new era of official colleges in the history of world education.

It not only enriched the teaching content of schools at that time, but also enabled Hongdu's students, who came from humble backgrounds and were good at writing letters and poems and bird-shaped seal script, to break the monopoly of aristocratic families and become the highest local officials, or work in the central departments of the court, or even be granted titles and honors, "each receiving the most favorable rank", which even the doctors of the Imperial College could not catch up with.

Even the Hongdumen School in Luoyang was once prosperous, with thousands of students, and a grand scene of "students competing for profit and authors coming in droves".

Although this scene was widely attacked by the establishment aristocratic families at that time, it embodied the tendency to value people's talents, and opened up a new direction for selecting officials based on poetry and prose in addition to Confucian classics as the main basis for selecting officials in ancient my country.

As a result, the political status of the poets was transformed from the lowly "actors" to those who were granted titles and honors and were praised with images.

This literary trend directly influenced a group of writers represented by Cao Cao, Chen Lin and Kong Rong.

How could Liu Hong, who was such a person, not know the significance of this movable type printing technique and this paper that was not easily stained when he saw it?

"Champion Hou is truly a genius!"

"It's amazing that they can come up with such an idea. This movable type printing is far superior to stone carving and rubbing techniques!"

In the main hall, Liu Hong tightly grasped the book "The Analects of Confucius" in his hand, his eyes flashing with excitement and shock.

He looked around and saw that all the civil and military officials had expressions of surprise on their faces, and they were obviously deeply shocked by the miracle of movable type printing.

"If this technique can be promoted, our Han culture will surely prosper, the people will be educated, and the country will prosper!"

All the officials echoed and praised Su Yao's invention.

No matter what their attitude towards Su Yao was before.

But as long as you are an educated person, there is absolutely no way to criticize this matter.

Lu Zhi, who had just stepped down as a general and was given the title of Shangshu Ling, could not help but sigh:
"I never thought that besides being extremely brave on the battlefield, this Champion Marquis actually has such ingenuity."

"You must have put a lot of effort and thought into carving the woodcarving and improving the paper."

"Is today's treasure offering just a treasure offering?"

Lu Zhi's words instantly reminded the emperor and everyone.

Yes, when did Su Yao plan such a thing?
Now that they have just returned, they are offering treasures. Is there any deeper meaning behind this?
Chen Zhi, who became the focus of attention in an instant, suddenly felt sweaty.

(End of this chapter)