I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

The production base of Qiqiaoge.

After the model is transported back to the ceramic workshop, the gypsum is made into a slurry and poured into a fixed mold. Its gelling properties are used to slowly solidify it in the mold. After some of the water evaporates, a gypsum model of the product is made.

The blank is made into mud and then injected into the plaster model. The water absorption of the plaster model is used to absorb the moisture in the mud close to the mold wall to form a certain mud layer. The remaining mud is then poured out of the model, and the mud layer attached to the mold wall is separated from the model due to dehydration and shrinkage to form a green blank, which becomes a semi-finished product.

The green billet will slowly dehydrate and dry under certain conditions, and can only be dried naturally, allowing air and wind to take away moisture in a special awning.

After the green clay is dried, the key process of glazing begins.

During this period, Lu Fang continued to ponder the specific process flow and thought of several methods. Finally, after actual testing one by one, he finally decided to adopt the extraction method.

He ordered people to place the green blank on a special rack and repeatedly soak it in the glaze slurry until a layer of glaze was firmly attached to the surface.

Not only the appearance of the sanitary ware, but also the inside is glazed. The glaze on the inside is not for the sake of appearance, but to facilitate sewage drainage and prevent dirt from adhering and condensing. After the glaze is applied, it is put into the kiln for firing.

The first finished product was fired very quickly, but due to temperature control issues, its appearance was slightly deformed.

After several improvements, a product that was acceptable was finally produced.

When Li Jian and other craftsmen involved in the project learned that Lu Fang had spent so much effort only to make a toilet, they were dumbfounded.

Having never used a modern toilet, they really couldn't understand why a toilet had to be so complicated and made of white porcelain. It was simply too luxurious. It was simply like having money but nowhere to spend it. Could it be that the legendary Marquis Qi was such a extravagant person?

Therefore, when Wang Jing learned about the situation and came to see the finished product, Li Jian could not resist his curiosity and mustered up the courage to ask questions.

Wang Jing did not laugh at Li Jian. Instead, he patiently smiled and explained the reason to him: "Because flush toilets are cleaner and more convenient, and they can be sold at a high price."

Not only that, if Wang Jing really develops the flush toilet, he is confident that he can sell it as a luxury item!
After all, rich people are also human beings and they also need to eat, drink, defecate and urinate.

Li Jian understood the meaning of cleanliness and hygiene, but he was puzzled by the concept of making money.

In his opinion, it’s just a toilet. No matter how well it is made, how fancy it is, or how high-end the materials used, how much can it be sold for?

"What does the most luxurious toilet in Luoyang City look like?"

Wang Jing's sudden question made Li Jian and other old kiln workers look at each other in confusion.

Even though these craftsmen had worked for the emperor, they still lived in poverty. On weekdays, they usually went to the streets or the wild to relieve themselves. It was considered good if they had a chamber pot at home.

Li Jian is the oldest and therefore has the most experience.

He tried to recall that he had seen one about ten years ago in the sedan chair of a sea merchant who came to the kiln to look at porcelain. It was made of red lacquer and gold-plated, and the white copper barrel hoop was polished to a shine.

Wang Jing got the answer and immediately smiled and said, "That's right. You see, anyone with a little money will never be able to get enough of the pursuit of enjoying life. Since we can make a red lacquer and gold-plated toilet, we can also make one with white porcelain!"

In Wang Jing's opinion, a toilet without a flush toilet is soulless!
People are very willing to pay a premium for products in order to enjoy their daily lives, especially the wealthy and powerful families. They have so much money that they don't know where to spend it, so of course they need something to show off their so-called taste in life to distinguish themselves from ordinary people.

Wang Jing sneered at these so-called aristocrats who claimed to be superior, but this did not stop him from taking advantage of them.

"I understand what the general means, but..."

A younger kiln worker raised a new question in front of Wang Jing: "Since it is a toilet, why is the bottom not sealed, but has a strange curved pipe? If so, the waste will flow out. How to use it is a big problem."

Wang Jing had no choice but to explain to these craftsmen some concepts about water supply and drainage, the siphon principle of flush toilets, and water sealing and odor blocking.

Although the kiln workers felt confused about the physical principles involved, after Wang Jing's careful explanation and their own reading of the newly revised version of "Mojing", they were able to understand the general meaning.

They couldn't help but express their sincere admiration, thinking that Wang Jing was a man of extraordinary learning, worthy of being a master who could create a school of thought, and could even come up with such an exquisite design with ease.

Thanks to Wang Jing's efforts, the design of the flush toilet was finally finalized. After that, the kiln workers began to make other sanitary ware, including bathtubs.

Although the structure of a bathtub is much simpler than that of a toilet, you will find that it is extremely difficult to make when you actually make it.

Bathtubs in later generations are actually mostly enameled. The raw materials are formed by metal stamping or casting, and then glazed and fired.

If you want to make exquisite porcelain, you need to have a smooth surface while ensuring a certain level of strength. It seems simple, but the technical requirements here are actually extremely difficult.

It is harder than you can imagine!
After Wang Jing had people conduct repeated trials, it took more than half a month and cost over a million dollars before he finally came up with a finished single bathtub.

After the water discharge test, the product was completely qualified, including the anti-overflow drain outlet, which made Wang Jing happy for a long time.

I used to take a bath in a big wooden barrel all day, but now I can finally use a bathtub. My life has taken a qualitative leap.

We found a skilled craftsman to make a bathtub, and other things like washbasins were no problem at all.

Of course, the final tiles are also indispensable.

Wang Jing thought to himself that he would be able to build a truly modern bathroom soon. In this era, wouldn’t it be a super luxurious and invincible version?

Not to mention the rich and powerful who live in luxury, even the emperor does not enjoy such enjoyment. At most he uses a golden toilet and a golden urinal. How can that compare to me?
Then Wang Jing thought of his beautiful family members. Girls all have aesthetic needs, so he did not forget to make a request: "Don't forget to add some beautiful patterns and decorative designs to these corners."

This kind of work is actually easier for the kiln workers. They used to do this for the rich and powerful, so their skills are quite good. Therefore, they are very familiar with the work and can do it a lot faster than before.

When these recruited kiln workers heard that they could finally put their skills to good use, they all worked very hard in order to win Wang Jing's appreciation.

The porcelain and pottery made by Wang Jing were all plain, with nothing added to them.

At first, everyone was a little confused, and even a little itchy, thinking that it would be a waste of such a fine piece of porcelain if they didn't add some carvings on it.

Now that he heard that patterns were to be added, he immediately brought out his unique skills, wanting to show off in front of Wang Jing.

Then Wang Jing saw a beautiful Han Dynasty celadon flush toilet and a black and red glazed pottery washbasin.

Wang Jing shook his head and laughed at this, saying jokingly: "Is this a toilet? How precious would your butt be if you sit on it?"

Having said that, when he saw the colorful plants, flowers and birds painted on every tile, he was unable to express his feelings in words.

Luxury, even the most extravagant emperor might not be so particular!

It is true that wealth kills. Rich people can even make a toilet so exquisite and beautiful. No wonder everyone yearns for a rich life.

In this way, the Luoyang Ceramic Workshop, which originally lacked a flagship product and could only sell ordinary porcelain before and had no competitive advantage over the Yangzhou products from Yuzhang County, now has a unique treasure.

toilet!

Maybe in a few years, Wang Jing can become the toilet king by selling this?
Wang Jing shuddered at the thought of this nickname. "Forget it, let's register the sales of toilets under the name of Qiqiao Pavilion. After all, I am an important official of the imperial dynasty, Marquis Qi, whose word is law. How can I be tied to a toilet?"

In the end, Wang Jing registered the newly established ceramic workshop under the name of Qiqiao Pavilion, and unified the allocation of resources and manpower for production and sales.

The ceramic workshop itself is one of the links in the industrial supporting system, and the workload is quite heavy. Originally, it provided bottles for the high-end wines produced by winemaking workshops. Ceramic products needed in the production process of some mechanical components also need to be manufactured by the ceramic workshop.

In order to ensure quality control, quickly train skilled technical workers and improve production efficiency, sanitary ware production lines have to be set up separately, production capacity has to be replanned and production tasks arranged.

However, plain white tiles were immediately put into large-scale production.

The mechanical workshop also built an automatic brick-making machine for the ceramic workshop to mass-produce ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles are easy to clean and are the best building material for maintaining environmental hygiene.

In the future, the clinics, pharmacies, large food factories and canteens that will appear one after another will need a large number of tiles to improve their working environment.

As for the first batch of sanitary ware samples, after Wang Jing's guidance, they were naturally used in the luxurious interior decoration of General Wei's Mansion.

In order to match these things, Wang Jingli even mobilized a large number of manpower to install a special drainage pipe, and asked Yang Xiu and Lu Fang to make an experimental small water tube boiler for boiling water according to his idea.

Custom cast iron water pipes, faucets and showers are made of bronze, and the shower is fixed directly to the wall just like in the bathroom. The walls are covered with colorful flower and bird tiles.

Completely different in style from the surrounding quaint buildings, what appeared in front of Wang Jing was a modern version of a bathroom.

Suddenly, Wang Jing seemed to have traveled back to his original time and space.

too difficult!
Some of the most inconspicuous gadgets in modern society, if they were in ancient times, even the best skilled craftsmen might not be able to successfully replicate them.

However, the water tank of the flush toilet in front of me is filled with water directly from the faucet, and then closed when it is full, which is very inconvenient.

Since we don’t have enough technical strength, we can only do this for now.

It's a time of chaos and there are refugees everywhere. The labor cost is actually very cheap. Given the conditions in General Wei's mansion, they can certainly afford such a manual toilet. It would probably not be a problem to have a servant dedicated to flushing the toilet in the bathroom.

As soon as the complete bathing system was installed, Xun You came to visit.

"Gongda is here? That's great. Let me show you something good. Come with me."

"My lord, I dare not refuse your kind invitation."

Xun You followed Wang Jing happily. He had heard that there had been a lot of construction work going on in General Wei's Mansion recently, so he was very curious about what new and interesting things Wang Jing had come up with, so he came over to take a look.

However, you won’t know it until you look at it, but you will be shocked when you look at it.

The modern bathroom that Wang Jing created shocked him directly.

Even though the bathroom Wang Jing built was just a monkey version from a technical point of view.

But Xun You was still stunned, his emotions were in turmoil and he couldn't calm down for a long time.

Although the Xun family of Yingchuan is a noble family, they have not had an easy life over the years, so they advocate frugality in terms of quality of life.

Have you ever seen a bathroom paved with tiles?

Porcelain is not cheap!
Considering the productivity of the Yanhan Dynasty at that time, it was a complete luxury!

Xun You's shock was like that of an ordinary person in the 21st century seeing someone cut an Hermès bag into pieces of leather and then use them to lay the floor.

Highlight one that is off the mark.

Wang Jing smiled and asked, "How is it, Gongda, is this bathroom I built pleasing to the eye?"

There is a toilet, a washbasin, a large bathtub that can accommodate three people, and a tiled floor. The sunlight shines in through the glass windows, making the entire bathroom look magnificent.

Luxurious, extravagant, and the aura of wealth that came to his face made it difficult for Xun You to describe his feelings at the moment with words. He could only smile bitterly: "It's good, but it's a bit too expensive."

Now that the great cause is not completed and the world is not at peace, yet Wang Jing is so extravagant. Xun You is worried that Wang Jing will be content with pleasure and forget his former ambitions.

Xun You was about to speak to persuade him, but he didn't know that the change in his expression had already been completely seen by Wang Jing.

Wang Jing understood his thoughts and laughed immediately: "Don't worry, Gongda. Enjoying life is one thing, but I haven't forgotten about conquering the world. But now annexing Yanzhou is the limit, so it's better to use less force in the next few years. I have to take advantage of this opportunity to find more ways to make money and consolidate my foundation."

Wang Jing has a very clear mind. Fighting for world domination is not just a simple game of territorial disputes.

You must know that it is easy to conquer the world, but difficult to rule it.

The conquered territory needs to be governed, and to govern the territory, officials are needed.

Where do officials come from in this day and age?

Those who can afford to read are either from aristocratic families or wealthy families.

It is difficult for a poor family to produce a noble son. This has almost become an iron rule.

To put it bluntly, the crux of the problem is the lack of money, food and people.

Historically, the Sima family was able to successfully usurp the Wei throne, undoubtedly because of the promotion and support from the aristocratic families behind the scenes; otherwise there wouldn’t have been the saying “The Wang and the Ma family share the world”.

But the most fundamental problem is that whether it is Cao Wei, Shu Han or Eastern Wu, most of their officials come from aristocratic families and powerful families.

The power thus established is more like a huge community of interests among aristocratic families than a certain family or surname.

In this huge community of interests, aristocratic families and powerful clans are the main body. The so-called emperor and the so-called celebrities and heroes are just spokespersons for the interests of the aristocratic politics.

If Wang Jing blindly expanded his territory, he would only follow the old path of the Cao Wei regime. After all his hard work, he would still be reaped the fruits of victory by the aristocratic families and clans behind his back.

Just like entrepreneurs in later generations, if you have no money and use angel investors’ money to start a business, you have to give up your company’s shares from the very beginning.

As the number of subsequent investors increases, the shares in one's hands will become fewer and fewer, and in the end there is a high possibility that one will be kicked out of the board of directors.

After working so hard to establish a company, the founder was kicked out. If capitalists can do it, why can't the aristocratic families do it?

Wang Jing had long seen through the nature of the aristocratic families and the powerful, and if he wanted to reverse this situation and get rid of the control and kidnapping of the aristocratic families and the powerful, the only way was to promote education, promote the imperial examination, and select a large number of officials from humble backgrounds or even the common people to manage the country.

Wang Jing had started planning the education system very early on, but if he wanted to promote it to the entire population, the most important thing was massive amounts of money and food.

What's more, Wang Jing also intends to promote the progress of civilization and science and technology. Therefore, in recent times, he has turned a deaf ear to the outside world and focused on making money.

Wang Jing told him all his thoughts, and Xun You finally felt relieved. He sincerely admired Wang Jing and said, "My lord, you are indeed far-sighted. I was wrong."

"Haha, it's good to talk things out."

Wang Jing didn't care about it. After all, in troubled times, the king chooses his ministers and the ministers also choose their king. Especially for a talent like Xun You, if the king thinks you are not capable of being trained, he will really just walk away.

In history, Xun Yu and Guo Jia once abandoned Yuan Shao and chose Cao Cao. In addition to geographical relations, the personal character and mind of the monarch are also very important considerations.

At Wang Jing's invitation, Xun You tried it out and was immediately very interested. After learning that the price was not too expensive, he immediately placed an order and customized five sets for his home.

It's hard to conquer the world with Wang Jing, so what's wrong with enjoying yourself?
Each set includes a flush toilet, bathtub and sink, plus matching hardware and ceramic tiles, floor tiles and more.

Obviously, Xun You was born in the Xun family of Yingchuan, and now he is a popular figure around Wang Jing. Naturally, he has no shortage of money to spend, and he is also happy to pay for things that can improve his living conditions.

Not only that, Xun You is also quite sentimental. Each set he customizes has a different pattern, including celadon, glazed pottery, and pure white with flowers. He is not extravagant, but he knows how to enjoy life and would never treat himself badly in such matters. (End of this chapter)