The workshop of Shaofu papermaking is not far from Weishui. An artificial ditch leads the Weishui south, gathering into a large pond in the workshop, which is then artificially divided into small pools.

Zhao Tuo walked along the road by the pool, looking at the raw materials soaked separately in the pool. Jute, cloth, mulberry, wood, and even bamboo, among others.

Because the papermaking project is not in a hurry, and there is no shortage of manpower and material resources, Zhao Tuo asked Zhang Han to separate each material to compare the quality and cost of the paper made from these different materials, as well as the time required, etc., in order to try to find the best solution.

"These hemp are soaked in ash water of plants and trees, and then repeatedly steamed and then made into pulp by Lirenchun, mixed with water and blended into pulp, and then fished out of paper, diluted and then dried." Zhang Han followed by his side and introduced the process of their first papermaking.

Zhao Tuo looked at the turbid pool water soaked in broken hemp in front of him, judging from the taste and color, it was indeed filled with plant ash.

"The wisdom of the working people should not be underestimated." Zhao Tuo secretly sighed in his heart that the pre-technology of papermaking had already been figured out, but no one had taken this step yet, so he took the lead.

"Poetry" cloud: The pool of the east gate can be soaked in hemp. Soaking hemp in a pond to remove harmful substances such as pectin in hemp to achieve the purpose of separating fibers is a technique that has been mastered hundreds of years ago in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

When it comes to soaking silk in the "Examination of Work", it is mentioned that the use of plant ash and mirage ash can greatly improve the speed of soaking.

Although the original purpose of these two technologies was to separate the fibers to make textiles, they are now being used to make paper.

With these two already mastered technologies, the entire papermaking process is easy. Especially for Shaofu, which brings together skilled craftsmen from all over the world, as long as Zhao Tuo puts forward the general direction, the remaining procedures are basically not difficult.

Zhao Tuo walked through the small pools soaked in various raw materials, and finally came to the drying place. It's April Mengxia season, and although the sun is not as hot as midsummer and seasonal summer, it is also quite powerful, and when it hits the ground, it can evaporate the water on the paper.

In addition to drying in the sun, Zhang Han also came up with some other plans, he told Zhao Tuo that the follow-up plan is to paste the paper on the fire wall and dry it, which will definitely be much faster than drying.

Zhao Tuo encouraged this, anyway, the first time to make paper, it is natural to try all kinds of methods, and finally choose the best solution.

"Shaofu, please take a look." Zhang Han waved his hand, and a small official stepped forward beside him, picked up the paper hanging on the bamboo sieve, and respectfully sent it to Zhao Tuo.

"Paper." Zhao Tuo took a deep breath and looked at the yellow paper in the hand of the little official in front of him, a little excited.

After seven years, he finally made the paper. Zhao Tuo still remembers it clearly. Just seven years ago, he first joined the Yanguo team.

At sunset, inside the withered grass, he suffered a heavy blow from the wood chips. At that time, Zhao Tuo limped out of the grass, and shouted to the sky angrily: "When Naigong is developed, you must make paper!" "That's his lost youth.

Now, after seven years of struggle, Zhao Tuo finally sat in the position of Shaofu and completed the ideal of the year.

"It's tough paper." Zhao Tuo pulled the paper in his hand, nodded and sighed. The raw materials of this paper are mainly jute, cloth and other materials, which is the hemp paper in the paper, which is yellow all over, and it is also quite thick, and the toughness is very good.

However, in addition to the advantages of toughness, hemp paper also has many disadvantages, such as the paper has a network of lines, horizontal and vertical lines intersect, which is very conspicuous.

In addition, there are some small bumps on the surface of hemp paper, which is probably due to the fact that hemp paper is made, its fibers are long and the pulp is coarse.

The front of the hemp paper is slightly better, but the back is very rough, and there are even unpounded jute and cloth on it that are clearly recognizable.

However, Zhao Tuo didn't just want to make hemp paper, he was also ready to do the improvements made by Cai Lun and others, and improve the papermaking technique to the level of later generations in one go.

"The hemp paper starts. Straw paper, bark paper, bamboo paper and so on are also fast. With these things, it will definitely benefit the whole of China. This feeling became even stronger when Zhao Tuo asked Zhang Han to take pen and ink and write the first word on this hemp paper with his own hands.

Paper! The characters are molded on hemp paper and are clear and legible. Zhang Han's eyes widened beside him, and his breathing became heavy.

Paper can really write! As the person in charge of the papermaking project, Zhang Han knows that the cost of paper is not expensive.

He mentally estimated the number of words he could write on a piece of paper, and then immediately calculated the price of writing the same amount of words.

"Shhh...... The cost of writing the same amount of text is only one-fifth of that of bamboo slips, and even more one-twentieth of silk than that of silk of the same length. ”

"And this is just the beginning, if you expand the scale of production, simplify the process, and save other costs, the cost of this hemp paper can be lower!" Zhang Han swallowed, this thing may replace the bamboo slips that have been used for thousands of years.

"Paper is the carrier of words and the cornerstone of civilization." Compared with Zhang Han's conjecture, Zhao Tuo is very clear about what role the paper can play when it appears in advance, and even after being improved by him, it can bring the paper to the level of future generations.

In addition to the influence of civilization, it will also play a huge role for the Qin State, which has just annexed the world.

Zhao Tuo clenched the hemp paper in his hand and instructed Zhang Han: "Choose sixty-six of the best pieces of paper for me!" ”

"I want to present a treasure to the emperor!" …… In the Qin Palace, the First Emperor was sitting in front of the eucalyptus, his hands raised high, stretching his tired body.

He had just finished reviewing the twenty catties of slips, and he was a little tired from both his neck and waist, and the eucalyptus in front of him was full of slips like a hill.

At this moment, the palace people came to report, saying that Shaofu Zhao Tuo asked to see him, and there was a treasure to offer.

"Zhao Tuo wants to give me a treasure?" The First Emperor's brows furrowed slightly. When he heard the word "dedication", he couldn't help but think of the twelve magnificent golden men he had hoped for.

It's just that it's become an impossible dream to come true. The First Emperor sighed secretly in his heart, shook his head, expelled the fantasy of the Jin people from his mind, and ordered someone to let Zhao Tuo come.

At the same time, he turned his head to look at Zhao Gao, the commander of the CRRC Mansion who was standing on the side. When the emperor approved the slip, he liked to let Zhao Gao accompany him, because this CRRC Commander was proficient in the law, and if the emperor had forgotten the specific law, he could ask him on the spot.

At the same time, Zhao Gao's handwriting is also very good, and he often writes edicts for the emperor, and he is an inseparable confidant.

At this moment, seeing the first emperor's gaze, Zhao Gao smiled and said: "Zhao Shaofu is the descendant of the public and the loser, and he often has miraculous abilities. The previous giant cannon and the curved plough were all things he offered for the benefit of the country. Now that he has told His Majesty that he wants to offer treasures, it must be a good thing. ”

"Hmm." The First Emperor nodded, quite complacent. What Zhao Gao said, the First Emperor naturally knew it. This is also why he arranged Zhao Tuo to be a Shaofu before.

The young master of the mansion is a hundred workers, he just wants to see how many things are still hidden in Zhao Tuo's stomach. A month has passed, and I finally can't help but come to offer treasures.

Everything was as I expected! Thinking like this, the First Emperor's eyes couldn't help but show a trace of expectation.

A moment later, Zhao Tuo respectfully walked into the hall. As soon as he entered the palace, the eyes of the First Emperor and Zhao Gao were attracted by the stack of things they were holding in their arms.

Is it silk? But it looks a little strange.

"Minister Zhao Tuo to meet Your Majesty." Zhao Tuo stepped forward and saluted. The First Emperor responded, although he was curious, but he still said calmly on his face: "Shaofu said that he wanted to offer a treasure to me, but I don't know what kind of treasure he offered?" Zhao Tuo glanced at the pile of slips in front of the First Emperor's eucalyptus, and a smile flashed in his eyes.

He said sincerely: "Your Majesty is diligent in governance, reading hundreds of catties every day, and the ministers often look at it in their eyes, read it in their hearts, and worry about Your Majesty's body day and night. ”

"The minister meditated hard, recalled the last words he had read when he was a child, and the inspiration when he saw people on weekdays, and specially made paper to dedicate to His Majesty." Zhao Tuo's voice fell, and the First Emperor and Zhao Gao were stunned.

Paper? What is this? The First Emperor was curious, but it was not easy to ask, so he glanced at Zhao Gao on the side.

Zhao Gao understood and hurriedly asked: "Dare to ask Zhao Shaofu, what is paper?" Zhao Tuo said: "Paper is a kind of writing carrier, it is lighter than silk, cheaper than simple silk, and can write words on it." Saying that, Zhao Tuo didn't dare to sell Guan Zi in front of the emperor, so he hurriedly presented a stack of papers in his hand.

"These are sixty-six pieces of new paper, and please write them to Your Majesty." The First Emperor's face was calm, and he reached out to pick up a piece of paper.

Seeing that its whole body is yellow, it is three feet long and two feet wide, and it is really lighter than silk silk of the same area in the hand.

And because this is Zhao Tuo's selected tribute paper, after polishing and cutting, there are basically no traces of hemp head silk cloth and other traces behind it, which is quite smooth.

The First Emperor's fingers rubbed against the paper, a touch he had never felt before.

"Come on!" The First Emperor spoke.

"Yui." Zhao Gao, who was beside him, immediately moistened the pen and presented it to the emperor. The First Emperor held the ink and wrote a large one in the middle of the paper

The word "I". He squinted his eyes and saw that the handwriting on the paper was clear, condensed but not scattered, and it was a qualified writing carrier.

"How much does it cost?" Zhao Tuo said with a smile: "This thing is very cheap, compared with the same number of slips written, the cost of this thing is only one-fifth of it." And if the process is improved in the future, the price may be even lower. The First Emperor nodded.

He glanced at the mountains of slips piled up on the eucalyptus. In his left hand, he holds a bamboo slip, and in his right hand, he holds a piece of paper.

I closed my eyes and felt the contrast between the weights of the two. When he opened his eyes again, the emperor's eyes were already full of excitement.

"That's it, excited, right? Feel the charm of technology, right? You know how important I am, right? Zhao Tuo smiled secretly in his heart, and kept paying attention to the appearance of the First Emperor.

At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. With paper, the emperor will not be so tired in the future. It's just that in the next second, the words that came out of the mouth of the First Emperor made him stunned.

"Good stuff!"

"With this, I can review more paperwork every day!"