Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 180 174. Skilled Craftsman
"Grand Commander, we really don't understand this..."

On this day, Feng Xi came to the warehouse responsible for making weapons to inspect the progress of the craftsmen.

The result is naturally self-evident. Although he has countless ideas that he wants to realize, the generation gap in some technologies is too great. It is okay to ask ordinary craftsmen to follow the drawings and build them, but it is a bit difficult for them to design and develop them.

After all, in this era, many craftsmen learned a craft just to make a living. Some of them could not read at all and were just doing hard labor. It was really difficult for them to develop something from scratch.

"It doesn't matter. Let's put aside these incomprehensible things for now and pick out what you can do first."

Feng Xi naturally would not blame them. He just asked them to pick some jobs they were capable of doing first, and they had to find other ways to do the rest themselves.

Feng Xi sighed more than once that it would be great if he could learn some math, physics and chemistry in the future. He only knew the principles and effects of many things, but didn't know the specific details, so he could only provide some ideas to the craftsmen.

However, providing ideas is not necessarily effective. After all, technological explosion is measured in decades, and we cannot suddenly enlighten these ordinary craftsmen and turn them into senior engineers in an instant.

"We still need to find some professionals..."

Feng Xi felt helpless. He had no shortage of ordinary craftsmen, but he had no "master craftsmen".

"So that's it. As a local of Jingxiang, Ji Chang, do you know if there are any famous families or people in the local area who have expertise in this area?"

Feng Xi called in Ma Liang, a local tyrant in Jingzhou. Although the Feng family was also a family in Jingxiang, they only had some influence in Nanjun. After the raids by Cao's army and Wu's army, the influence of the Feng family had long been reduced to one tenth of what it was.

In comparison, the Ma family was at least a prominent family in Jingzhou at that time. Although it could not be compared with the Cai and Kuai families, which were once the most powerful families, after these two families were moved to the north by Cao Cao, the Ma family was also considered a prominent family in Jingzhou.

"If we talk about these ingenious techniques, I'm afraid the Huang family is more famous. The Huang family's Grand Commander also knows that the Prime Minister's wife is from the Huang family. However, compared to other families, the Huang family has a small population and has no interest in participating in political affairs, so..."

Ma Liang also felt a little emotional when he talked about this.

Ever since Cai Mao and the Kuai brothers surrendered to Cao Cao with their entire clan, the power in Jingzhou has undergone a major reshuffle.

Without the pressure from these two families, and with many local people leaving north with Cao Cao after the Battle of Chibi, Jingzhou had actually become a mess.

The Ma family and the Huang family, which were once small and medium-sized families, can now be considered the decision-makers in Jingzhou.

The Huang family was considered a large family in the past when Huang Zu was still around. However, after the death of Huang Zu and his son Huang She, only Huang Chengyan's branch remained.

Huang Chengyan's branch is obviously sparsely populated, and they prefer to hide in the mountains and forests. Few people take up official positions. It is estimated that even if Feng Xi kowtows three times and nine times, no one will agree.

"I heard that in the past, because of Dong Zhuo and the wars among the warlords, many noble families moved south. Isn't there anyone else who is good at this?"

Feng Xi thought that the Bao family had come all the way from Bingzhou, so it was impossible that only the Huang family could do it, right? There must be some other families who knew something, right?

"That... I don't know. But the Grand Commander can talk to the Prime Minister's father-in-law, who is now the head of the Huang family. Even if the Huang family is unwilling to help, they may know other people who are good at this."

Ma Liang could only point out a possible path for Feng Xi. Birds of a feather flock together. Huang Chengyan's friends must be strange people like Mr. Shuijing, so he might be able to recommend a few people who are willing to serve.

Feng Xi nodded. This was the only way now. It would be difficult to continue to develop with just his half-baked skills and those craftsmen. It was not impossible, but it would take longer.

Feng Xi gave some instructions on how to turn the soil after the autumn harvest to avoid the locust plague next year, and asked the Treasury to continue forging new tools such as the curved plow. Then he found a time to visit Huang Chengyan in person. Now is the time when summer and autumn intersect, and the farmland outside the city is full of golden waves, and farmers are busy in it from time to time.

Feng Xi led a dozen personal soldiers, traveled lightly, and prepared to meet Zhuge Liang's father-in-law today.

As a famous scholar in Jingzhou, Huang Chengyan's residence is quite well-known, but unfortunately he is also known for being elusive. Although Feng Xi squeezed out time to visit him, Huang Chengyan had already gone out to travel, leaving Feng Xi with a empty-handed visit.

"Alas...it seems like it's God's will. Well, let's prepare to go home..."

Feng Xi and his guards passed through a small town and met an unexpected person.

"Where did Commander Feng go?"

The other person was smiling, but there was a hint of scrutiny in his words.

"Uh... why is Miss Guan here?"

Feng Xi felt cold sweat on his forehead again. Why did he feel that Guan Yinping was here to block him?
"I wanted to come and see you today, but I heard that you had to go out of town for something important, so I came here to see you."

Feng Xi understood what Guan Yinping said. He thought that Guan Yinping had suddenly thought of looking for him today, but he had already planned to go out today, so he let Guan Yinping think that he was out to travel or to look for a lover.

"Today I just came out to visit the head of the Huang family. I have heard for a long time that the Huang family has a lot of talent for ingenuity. Miss Guan also knows this. I also like this skill, so I hope to discuss it with you."

Feng Xi pulled Guan Yinping over and found a place where there were no idle ears and eyes to explain a few words to Guan Yinping, only then did he let Guan Yinping know his purpose.

"I see... I thought you had some hidden mistress to explain."

Guan Yinping smiled silently, like a tigress protecting her food.

"How dare I... Since you also know the situation, why don't you come back to Jiangling with us? Patriarch Huang is not here today, so my trip here is in vain."

Now that the misunderstanding was resolved, Feng Xi naturally invited Guan Yinping to join him so that they could get to know each other better.

"Speaking of the art of mechanical ingenuity, I have heard some rumors..."

Guan Yinping folded her arms across her chest, as if recalling something.

"When my father governed Jingzhou, some people said that they saw wooden men who could move by themselves in the Zhangshan area. They were wearing clothes, but their whole bodies were made of wood. They were extremely scary. But my father thought it was just a rumor spread by the people and was not credible."

Guan Yinping thought about it for a moment and told Feng Xi the news, which surprised him a little.

"A wooden man? Can he move?"

Although the Eight Formations and other things Huang Chengyan created were very mysterious and made Feng Xi somewhat yearn for them, the performance described by Guan Yinping, which was almost like that of a robot, surprised Feng Xi even more.

Later, Zhuge Liang created the wooden oxen and flowing horses that could move by themselves, which were both scientific wonders. Now, there are wooden men that can move by themselves, no matter how they move, the science and technology involved are self-evident.

(End of this chapter)