Datang all-rounder

Chapter 308

Seeing that he asked Wang Ke for a long time, Wang Ke kept bowing his head in thought. Although Comrade Li Er knew what Wang Ke was thinking, he didn't believe that his request stumped Wang Ke. Asked, "What's the matter, boy. Is there a problem?"

Seeing that Comrade Li Er asked again, Wang Ke quickly raised his head and said: "Your Majesty, there is no problem with printing. Now I think that the time required for this printing plate is too long. It’s easy to keep. If you throw it away after using it up now, you will have to re-engrav the printing plate when you want to print again in the future. It’s really not cost-effective. I’m wondering if there are other ways to solve this problem.”

Immediately afterwards, Wang Ke also said what he thought just now, and only then did everyone present understand that it is not a question of whether it can be printed, but a question of how to use and store the printing plate. Regarding this question, Most people didn't think that it was really not a small problem until they heard Wang Ke say it now.

Comrade Li Er couldn't help being stunned when he heard it, and asked after a while, "Is there no other way?"

To be honest, Wang Ke had already thought of movable type printing when Comrade Li Er had just asked him to help Li Tai print these annotations, but Wang Ke had no idea what kind of type blanks the movable type printing used. , is really not clear.

Wang Ke remembered that the history books said that Bi Sheng used the clay to make the blanks, but Wang Ke didn't know how the clay was made. What he saw in later generations were typefaces, and he had never seen clay. What does the blank of the character look like, so Wang Ke didn't dare to say it directly for a while.

Now that Comrade Li Er asked this question again, Wang Ke had no choice but to say: "Yes, there is, but now there is a problem that needs to be solved before we can do it. If we really use this method to solve this key problem. , you can’t use this method to do it. However, once this method is used, it will definitely be much more convenient than engraving the printing plate like this.”

Wang Ke's words convinced everyone present. After all, they all knew that if Wang Ke didn't say it, he wouldn't say it. Difficult, otherwise Wang Ke would not have brought it up in such a serious manner, because they have never seen Wang Ke seriously address a problem that is not a problem.

Comrade Li Er is still relatively calm. Everything that Wang Ke has done now has not been so smooth, but I have inexplicable trust in Wang Ke, and I believe that he can solve these problems before him.

Comrade Li Er said to Wang Ke in a deep voice: "Boy, tell me the solution first, and tell me if you have any problems. Everyone think about it and see if you can think of a way to solve it. I I can’t believe it, so many people can’t think of a solution!”

Having said that, Wang Ke also knows that this matter is completely unfamiliar to these people now, and it is undoubtedly wishful thinking to let them solve the problem for him, but now he can't come up with any solution Come on, instead of sitting around like this, why not just talk, maybe you can find some inspiration.

Thinking of this, Wang Ke said: "That's right. Now the minister's idea is this. We make several blanks for each character separately, and each blank is made into the same size. It is no longer like before. Each article is restricted to one printing plate. We will type the characters into the plate when we use them. After the printing is completed, we will take out all the blanks and put them in categories. You can continue to use it, so you don’t have to make a new plate every time you want to print something. If the number of things to be printed is limited, wouldn’t it take time and money to make a new plate ?"

Wang Ke's words made everyone in the room wake up like a dream. This method is really unique. Every word is made into an activity, and it can be arranged when needed, and it can be taken down directly when it is not used. It is also convenient for storage. But it is much more convenient than engraving piece by piece like before.

Comrade Li Er couldn't help clapping his hands, and praised Wang Ke, "Boy, how did you come up with this idea? It's really a good idea!"

Wang Ke felt ashamed in his heart, this had nothing to do with him at all, he just used something that was not available in this era in advance, but there is no way to explain this clearly, if he directly told these people this method It will appear hundreds of years later, and no one will believe it. Wang Ke is not too willing to take all the credit for himself. After all, this is different from poetry and poetry. This is one of the four great inventions of China. Ah, I can't afford it!

Fortunately, Wang Ke knew that this method had actually appeared a long time ago, but he didn't know why it didn't develop, so he said, "Your Majesty, this method was not thought up by the minister. However, because of the problem that Xiaochen was worried that it could not be solved, it did not develop, and printing has always been the engraving printing."

Comrade Li Er saw that Wang Ke said so resolutely, and he was even more attracted to this problem that made Wang Ke a little distressed. Wang Ke's words can be regarded as very clear. What appeared in the Qin Dynasty, but The premature death due to a small problem shows that this problem is not so easy to solve, otherwise it would not be printing with such a troublesome engraving block now.

Comrade Li Er frowned, and asked without confidence: "Why is this problem so difficult? Could it be that there is really no solution?"

Wang Ke didn't say anything else, and directly explained the problem of making type blanks: It seems that it is completely feasible to make type blanks with wood, but as long as you think about the ink used now, it is not the real oil used in later generations. To reconcile, but use something like ink, which contains a lot of water. Once the water soaks into the wood, the wood type blank will be deformed. That is to say, after this type of type is used once, it will also If it is to be scrapped and there is no way to reuse it, it is no different from directly printing with engraving blocks, and it is absolutely unfeasible.

Then, we have to find a way to use other materials to replace the wood, but what to use?According to Bi Sheng's method is to use clay, but Wang Ke doesn't know how to make this clay, and he doesn't know whether several craftsmen under him can do it. In front of Comrade Li Er, Wang Ke himself is not sure whether it is Just say it out loud.

When using metal, Wang Ke has to consider the degree of adhesion of the ink. As far as he knows, apart from using copper to make the type blanks, the adhesion of other metals is not enough for the current ink. If you insist on using other metals, I am afraid that the printed books are not enough to read.

Let's use copper. Copper is already tight now. If I ask for some more, the copper mines that Datang mines every year may not be enough. At that time, I don't know what Changsun Wuji and the others will shout It looks like it!

Wang Ke laid out all the difficulties, and immediately silenced everyone. After all, Wang Ke was thoughtful enough. If Wang Ke couldn't solve it, then no one else would know. What should I do.

When everyone was thinking about it and couldn't find a way, Li Ji, who had been sitting there without saying a word, said, "Is it okay to do it this way? Make it with clay. Didn't we all play with clay when we were children? After making something with clay, we all know to dry it in the shade and not expose it to the sun, lest the finished thing will crack. After the thing dries in the shade, it will become very hard, that is, it will fall to the ground It is also not easy to break, can this typeface be considered to do the same?"

As soon as Li Ji's words fell, Wang Ke slapped his forehead hard. He always thought that he didn't know how to make this clay, and he couldn't do it well with metal, so why did he forget to use clay? What about this problem!
Clay in this era is completely soil, as long as a small amount of salt is mixed into the soil to prevent the mud from cracking, and then processed by firing porcelain, isn't it all right!
There is also a ready-made porcelain kiln in my place, and I can fire a kiln whenever I need it. Isn't this a very simple matter? How can I forget this stubble with my pig head!

Seeing Wang Ke's actions, everyone knew that Wang Ke had found a solution. As soon as they relaxed their hearts, they were all amused by Wang Ke's actions. Comrade Li Er was so happy that he pointed at Wang Ke and laughed. After all this problem was solved, Comrade Li Er felt that there was no problem anymore, and Li Tai's annotated notes should be printed.

On the contrary, Li Tai had some doubts at this time, after thinking about it for a while, Li Tai plucked up the courage and said to Wang Ke: "My lord, this problem can be solved, but I still have some doubts, and I would like to ask my lord to enlighten me! "

Wang Ke is also very happy that this problem has been solved. Now Li Tai has a question to ask himself. Wang Ke feels that there is nothing to trouble him. He can't think of it. What problem does Li Tai have that he didn't think of? of.

Wang Ke waved his hand casually, and said to Li Tai: "His Royal Highness Wei Wang has any doubts, just speak out, I know everything, and I can talk endlessly!"

Seeing Wang Ke's confident expression, Li Tai asked calmly: "Since ancient times, countless characters have been created by the sages. Now, at the beginning, we can make the blanks according to the needs. Over time, the number of typefaces produced increased, and they were all put together. If faced with so many typefaces when printing, how would Mr. Wang find the typefaces he needed quickly? "

It has to be said that Li Tai asked a very clever question. Anyone who thinks carefully about this question will immediately find this question, but other people are too happy to think about this question. It is about the books that I organize and compile, so I will think of these issues that need to be implemented immediately when I am happy.

As soon as the others heard Li Tai's question, they immediately suppressed their smiles and looked at Wang Ke together to see what solution he could come up with.

Wang Ke didn't need to think about this problem at all, but he knew how to solve this problem. This problem had been thought of as early as the Song Dynasty, so there was no need to figure out how to solve it by himself.

Wang Ke said with a smile: "It's very simple. Every word has a rhyme. You only need to place it according to the rhyme when storing it. When you need it, you can directly find the word by searching according to the rhyme. In this way, no matter how many characters there are, you can find it if you need it. If you find the word you need, you can find it right away!"

Wang Ke's words made people like Li Tai who deal with poetry all day long understand. When Li Tai was still applauding, Wang Ke said slowly: "When printing and typesetting, You can also take out all these characters and put them in several big discs. This kind of disc can be rotated. The typesetting person sits in the middle and searches by rhyme. In this way, the efficiency will be improved a lot. His Royal Highness King Wei should know about this method."

When Wang Ke said this, it wasn't Li Tai who applauded alone. Everyone in the room applauded together. Now that all the problems have been solved, this movable type printing technique was advanced by Wang Ke by hundreds of years. Got Datang to come.

(End of this chapter)