During the Warring States Period, because the manufacturing process of war preparation materials in some countries was more complicated, it often required different kinds of craftsmen to complete, such as bronze casting, car production, etc., which required craftsmen to live together, so there was a large area of hundreds of crafts. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

The area where the carpenters are concentrated is in the northwest of Handan, called "Baijia", this square area is built along the Niushou Water that passes through the main city of Handan, after all, it is a place where carpenters gather, so the woodworking workshop is very strong and tall, and there is nothing worth mentioning in addition. Adult men and women worked in the room, the old men hid in the shadow of the city walls, basking in the sun boredly, and outside the gate there was a large group of barefoot children, all in ragged clothes, holding wooden horses made by adults, playing war games.

Lively, dirty, messy, disorderly, this is the daily life of the hundred families, but today it was broken by uninvited guests, the children were playing and fighting, but a small group of capital guards suddenly opened at the inner door, all wearing armor and carrying spears.

Although it was the middle of August, the sun was shining today, and on such a hot day, the armor must have been sweaty, but the guards did not complain, they dispersed the children, drove the carts and pedestrians in the way, and cleared the road. Immediately a few horses came up on the street to the east, guarding a large cart, and on the carriage was a plainly dressed boy, who saw that the soldiers were fierce and vicious, and actually pushed the ignorant children into the muddy water, and hurriedly drank them.

"Don't disturb the people!"

This is the newly appointed Bangyou worker Yin Chang'anjun, he saw that the road here is narrow, although his horse cart can drive in, but it will occupy the entire road, thinking that he has just arrived, or make a "close to the people" posture, Mingyue simply got out of the car, and walked inside......

"Dirty and pickled place, how dare you dirty Chang'anjun's jade toes!"

This can be the bright moon to guide the way of the engineer frightened, this engineer is named Zhang Lao, is a forty-year-old middle-aged official, specifically responsible for the management of the work of wood, today I heard that the newly appointed Bang right worker Yin is going to come to inspect, so he hurriedly came out to greet, ordinary officials are okay, but this is the famous Chang'anjun, how dare he slack, let alone let Chang'anjun step into the muddy water, Zhang Lao couldn't dissuade him, he took off his coat directly, threw it in the muddy water, and wanted to step up for Chang'anjun.

Mingyue couldn't cry or laugh: "Master Zhang, you want me to compensate you for a new dress." He doesn't mind too much about brand-new shoes stained with muddy water and feces, there are many opportunities to go to the countryside in his previous life, and Mingyue hates the most, that is, there is that there is that kind of well-dressed leader in the same industry, he doesn't want to walk a few steps after getting out of the car, and he has to carry the elderly fellow to cross the river, I really don't know what to do.

So under the surprised eyes of Zhang Lao and the engineers who came to inquire, he waded through the muddy and dirty muddy water, and walked straight inside, and as he walked, he also looked around at the area under his own supervision and management. Speaking of which, Mingyue is not familiar with Handan yet, after all, she has only stayed for more than half a month and left in a hurry, and after coming back, she is just watching the flowers.

The situation here can indeed make people frown, the outside is dirty and narrow and not to mention, the alleys of the ancient city are basically like this, and when he gets inside, Mingyue finds that this is really what he imagined the handicraft workshop to look like.

Along the winding path, they walked on the edge of the Niushou Water, the low houses by the river were crowded together, Mingyue found that there was a small pier and dam here, not for boating, but for blocking driftwood from the upstream mountain forest, this is the most convenient way to get wood, when Mingyue walked to the side of the embankment, there were dozens of logs upstream, loaded on the dam stone, making a loud noise, splashing a burst of white waves......

The engineer said that now is a good time for logging, because spring and summer are the peak season for tree growth, so when felling, the sap overflows, which not only reduces the strength of the wood, but also causes difficulties to cutting, and is prone to tree cracking. This is not the case in autumn and winter, when the trees grow for a year and have a full texture, they are cut at this time, the sap will not flow out, and the trunk is not easy to crack, which is a good material for continued processing.

"This is what Mencius said, 'When the axe enters the mountains and forests, the timber and wood cannot be used'." Mingyue thought so.

China's carpentry can be regarded as a unique in the world, whether it is construction or life, this era is inseparable from wood, selling wood is very profitable, Mingyue heard that when Qi Guotian was only a doctor, it was by selling timber in the mountains and forests of the territory to make a fortune and buy people's hearts......

The farther you go, the wider the view, the louder the noise, and in the open-air workshops are groups of barearmed young men, who have a clear division of labor, some of them driving ox carts to transport large timber from the water's edge, stacking them like hills. Some sit on air-dried timber and work together in twos and threes, using axes, saws, planers and other materials to preliminarily process the wood, or remove the bark, or cut it into small pieces.

Then, the timber was transported to various workshops, some of which were specially baked to soften it, some of which were extremely skillful, and everywhere there was a slight chisel and sawing sound, and wood dust filled the air, and Mingyue coughed involuntarily, he understood that most of the people who worked here would not live long......

In addition to sighing with emotion, Mingyue found that what he was walking on was just the main road that crossed the workshop, and there were countless places next to it, and he didn't want to look at the flowers, so he stopped by a path and said with a smile: "Go in and have a look." ”

The engineer couldn't stop it, so he could only lead the way in front of him.

They just turned left and right, and walked into a small workshop, which is not big, only a few dozen steps square, and the wall is made of loess adobe, which is already very old, mottled badly, and there are many people who enter, and the slightest vibration will drop the soil particles.

Under the wall, there is a working craftsman, led by a white-haired old man, with his back bent, is reprimanding his children and grandchildren, suddenly a group of people broke in, and was suddenly shocked, seeing that it was the engineer Zhang Lao, he accompanied the laughter, bowed his head and waisted: "Engineer, the old man has a bad memory, and today has not reached the deadline for delivery?" I hope the engineer will be given a few more days......"

When he saw Zhang Lao shaking his head at him again and again, the old man saw the young gentleman looking around behind the engineer, and after learning that this was a prince, he hurriedly pulled his children and grandchildren to bow down to the head.

"Elders don't have to be polite." Mingyue helped the old man up, and found that the beard on his lower jaw was as white as air-dried ramie, and it was getting thinner, his hands were full of calluses, and every time he breathed, there was a phlegm in his lungs.

"I don't know what the elders do? Wheel? Mingyue looked into the courtyard, there were some round wooden rings in it, which had not yet had time to be spoken, and they had not been polished, but there were already rudiments of wheels.

"It's the wheel!" The old carpenter was full of teeth when he laughed, and he was still a little scared, but he was soon infected by this little boy who made people feel like a spring breeze, and pointed to all kinds of utensils and introduced them.

Under the wall are the tools lined up all the way, axes, chisels, ink fountains, saws, which are essential tools in the carpentry workshop. Of course, there is no shortage of carpentry benches, which face the doorway, so that the light is somewhat secured, and the old carpenter and his children and grandchildren ride on the benches every day to work, leaving many axe and chisel marks on the benches, as if each trace has a story.

The old man also demonstrated for him how they worked, rolled up their sleeves, and danced the shavings on the bench, the sound of planing echoing in the air. Occasionally grabbing the utensils, squinting his right eye to see if he had planed out, sometimes paused, followed by an old cough.

When it was finished, he introduced it with great interest: "Childe, please look, to judge whether this wheel is good, you must first look far away, the outer ring of the wheel should be bent and symmetrical, and the sides should be slightly inclined downward. This spoke is also exquisite, like a human arm from thick to thin. In addition, it depends on the height of the wheels, if it is too high, it is not easy for people to board the car, and if it is too low, when the carriage is drawn in a horse, it will be like climbing on flat ground......"

The old man of the Lun clan said that he was good at things that would inevitably nag, and Chang Anjun was not angry, but listened patiently, until the engineer Zhang Lao coughed again and again to remind him, and the old man of the Lun clan reacted, the young man in front of him was not his primary apprentice, but a royal son! He hurriedly bowed down and said, "Old decay...... Old and talkative. ”

"It's okay, I think it's funny." Mingyue smiled, asked people to leave some money as a reward and thanks, and then left the courtyard.

From the engineer Mingyue, I learned that this kind of carpenter basically lives in a clan unit, as the so-called "workers do not live in clans, it is not enough to give officials." "They have inherited their crafts and artisans for generations, have special household registrations, and many of them never leave the woodworking workshop and go outside Handan in their lives. They worked according to the requirements of the government, coughing in the slightly floating sawdust dust, and in their leisure time, they could also use leftovers to make something, and ask the merchants to step out and make a few small bucks.

Their creations, after another round of deep processing, are transformed into wheels, wheels, spear shafts, furniture, etc. Then it will be equipped in the army, or into thousands of homes......

In the evening, Mingyue has already inspected this piece of carpentry workshop, in addition to the craftsmen who specialize in making wheels, they also visited the work of five craftsmen, namely Yu, Lu, craftsman, car, and Zi, respectively, to make carriages, car covers, and assemble various parts into car bodies, this wood workshop, basically related to car making, boats.

After returning to his residence in the evening, it happened that his brother Zhao Tong, Lulingjun, came to visit, and he happened to see him at the door with muddy feet and sawdust on his head, and he couldn't help but be surprised.

Knowing that Mingyue actually went to see the carpenters working in person today, Lu Lingjun shook his head and said disappreciatively: "Chang'anjun, Zixia once said that craftsmen and farms are all small roads, although there are merits, but for a gentleman, paying attention to these things will delay the right thing, and Zhiyuan is afraid of mud, so it is not a gentleman's ...... Ordinary Confucian scholars and gentlemen disdain to be in the company of craftsmen, let alone our royal sons? ”

It can be seen that Lulingjun, who is deeply influenced by Lu Ru, looks down on those lowly craftsmen who are busy all day long.

Mingyue asked the attendant to help her shine her clothes and play her crown, and said with a smile: "Brother, I don't think so, your opinion is outdated!" ”

PS: That's it for today