Whether it was the awakening of public consciousness or the new cultural movement of the late Han Dynasty.
Looking back now, it all still seemed so ethereal.
Of course, this was merely a tactic in Lu Yu’s plan to counter the aristocratic clans in the future!
At least, for now… it remained a beautiful vision, or perhaps… a grand promise.
As it currently stood…
This grand promise was enough to attract Zheng Xuan, and enough to pull such a crucial figure as Zheng Xuan onto the same path.
Perhaps…
Newspapers and periodicals were still a bit distant.
But… what lay before Lu Yu, the immediate priority, was the development of papermaking and printing techniques.
Speaking of these two inventions…
As a transmigrator, Lu Yu felt a pang of shame.
After so long, he hadn’t even improved papermaking! Nor created printing! He had truly cast aside the “tech tree” in his mind.
Speaking of which…
Cai Lun of the Western Han Dynasty was the first to improve papermaking.
The advent of Cai Hou Paper marked the entry of this great invention into its preliminary stage. However, in this era, the public’s perception of paper remained confined to the phrase "Luoyang paper is expensive."
To put it bluntly, ordinary people couldn’t afford it, nor could they dabble with it.
The reason was that the materials Cai Lun used for papermaking were too expensive, the process too cumbersome, and Cai Hou Paper was outrageously priced!
Tree bark, hemp waste, worn-out cloth, fishing nets…
Manufactured through processes like crushing, pounding, roasting, and drying, the costs were high, the manufacturing process complex, and most importantly, the texture was rough, and it wasn’t widely accessible.
In reality, the raw materials for papermaking were more abundant and much cheaper.
In Lu Yu’s memory, during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, mulberry bark and rattan bark began to be used for papermaking;
Then, by the Sui and Five Dynasties, bamboo, elm bark, wheat straw, rice straw, and other materials could also be used as papermaking raw materials, further reducing costs;
By the Tang Dynasty, the bamboo paper made from bamboo marked a significant breakthrough in papermaking technology.
To put it plainly, the papermaking process, after Cai Lun’s improvements, had been completely finalized…
Even in later generations, the principle of papermaking remained the same; the only difference was the materials!
Lu Yu could recall by heart the selection of these materials, the processes of papermaking, and printing…
Compiling them into a book and promoting them was not difficult…
But the specific details were somewhat tedious. It was like many cooking videos from his past life where the food looked and smelled delicious, but when he tried to make it himself, it was nothing like it; a standard "buyer's photos" versus "seller's photos."
The key to transforming buyer’s photos into seller’s photos lay in people… more precisely, in talent!
Thinking of this, Lu Yu’s eyes darted.
Not bad…
During the late Han and Three Kingdoms period, there was indeed such a person. He quietly summarized Cai Lun's papermaking experience and improved the papermaking process. The paper he produced was bright, clean, suitable for writing, and of extremely high practical value.
Along with "Zhang Zhi's brush" and "Wei Dan's ink," it was known as one of the "Three Treasures of the Study" of the time!
However…
It would be another ten years before this talent completed this papermaking improvement process!
Lu Yu had to help him speed things up!
As for… his name.
Lu Yu had seen it once when he visited the museum to admire the "Three Treasures of the Study" and had silently remembered it…
Immediately, Lu Yu gripped his brush and wrote his name on the bamboo slips – Zuo Bo!
"Where is Commander Dian?"
Lu Yu called out towards the outside of the study.
"Your subordinate is here…"
Dian Wei bowed and stepped forward…
"Send some men to Yexian, Donglai, to find someone for me!" Lu Yu instructed.
"Who?" Dian Wei pressed.
"His surname is Zuo, given name Bo, style name Ziyi!" Lu Yu’s tone was rather serious. "Tell the armored soldiers of the Dragon Gallop Camp to be extremely courteous when inviting this person…"
"Yes!" Dian Wei agreed and went to make arrangements.
At this moment, Lu Yu thought of a sentence mentioned in "History of the Southern Dynasties: Biography of Xiao Ziliang," attributed to Xiao Ziliang—"Ziyi’s paper, beautiful and shining; Zhongjiang’s ink, a dot like lacquer; Boying’s brush, expressing all thoughts."
Corresponding to these were the "Three Treasures of the Study"—"Zuo Bo's paper," "Wei Dan's ink," and "Zhang Zhi's brush"!
Thinking of this…
Lu Yu's eyes blinked slightly.
He mused that papermaking would shine ten years ahead of schedule.
…
…
Xudu City, Forge.
Under Cao Mu's management, more and more women joined the forge. The meticulousness of women combined with the exertion of men formed a unique spectacle.
As the saying goes, a man and a woman working together makes the labor less tiring…
Cao Mu had truly experienced this.
The reason Cao Mu boldly employed these women was because… she had asked Lu Yu how to further enhance the efficiency of the forge.
After all, as Cao’s army grew larger, the pressure for weaponry naturally increased, and the pressure on the forge was considerable.
Lu Yu's answer was simple, just one sentence… increase the artisans' motivation.
He even cast a devilishly charming glance.
Lu Yu taught Cao Xiu…
To mix male blacksmiths with female artisans, forming groups of a few people, roughly one woman paired with several men!
The male artisans’ wages were determined by the quantity and quality of the weapons forged, while the female artisans’ wages were determined by these male artisans…
Thus…
At first hearing, Cao Mu found this idea somewhat outlandish, but after a small-scale trial, the efficiency was surprisingly good.
Thus, what was witnessed was this scene…
Within the entire forge… a large number of men and women mixed together working.
The male artisans diligently forged steel, smelted steel, and crafted weapons and armor, while the female artisans… carefully brought water and wiped sweat for the male artisans!
The efficiency of the entire forge had indeed increased exponentially.
At this point, Cao Mu didn't understand…
It was mainly because she was too naive, only focused on the business… unaware of the true meaning behind "a man and a woman working together makes the labor less tiring."
This time, it was as if a new world had opened up.
In fact, this principle was not complicated!
Thinking of herself, Cao Mu, why did she work so hard to manage this forge? Wasn't it just to… impress Lu Yu? To impress her father, to make them utter the phrase, "Who says women are inferior to men?"
And this…
Transformed into boundless motivation.
The blacksmiths didn't have so many complex thoughts; what they sought was nothing more than wages and the gazes of the women around them…
With the women’s solicitous inquiries, not only did their hands forging steel become stronger, but their entire bodies felt as hard as steel. Furthermore, their level of effort not only determined their own wages but also played a decisive role in the wages of the women around them…
Several couples even found partners!
How could the efficiency be low?
"This fellow, he always has a knack for these little tricks!"
Cao Mu pouted, muttering a complaint.
Just then…
"Miss Cao, please take a look…" Two blacksmiths carried a newly forged weapon and presented it to her.
"This is…" Cao Mu's eyes swept over the weapon, which was entirely different from the weapons forged previously.
It wasn't quite a sword, nor quite a saber. The entire weapon was divided into two parts: the lower part was the "sheath," accounting for about sixty percent of the entire weapon, and the upper part was the long "blade," accounting for forty percent.
If it were just this, there would be nothing remarkable, but for such proportions to appear on this three-meter-long weapon, it was somewhat inconceivable.
It could be said…
The forge had never forged such a bizarrely shaped weapon.
"This is the Mo Dao…" the blacksmith reported truthfully.
Cao Mu then recalled that during her last conversation with Lu Yu, besides mentioning "a man and a woman working together makes the labor less tiring," Lu Yu had also brought up the Mo Dao again.
Now that the Central Plains were pacified, the previously scarce refined iron was now… much more abundant. Large quantities of high-quality steel were being forged with great fervor, and the conditions for large-scale forging of Mo Dao were met!
Of course…
This was what Lu Yu said…
But Cao Mu had not taken the forging of Mo Dao too seriously. After all, the "bizarre" Mo Dao diagram provided by Lu Yu looked rather unreliable!
When she returned to the forge, she had merely instructed a few blacksmiths to try forging one!
Unexpectedly, it had already been forged…
Tiptoe…
Cao Mu approached, carefully observing the Mo Dao from various angles. She even tried to lift it, but… her slender arms were nowhere near strong enough to lift it!
"This must be at least fifteen jin?" Cao Mu inquired…
"It's a full twenty jin!" the blacksmith replied. "The blade is three chi long, the handle is four chi long, and it's fitted with an iron drill at the bottom… When disassembled, it's a broadsword inserted into a long handle, with the iron brick at the bottom serving as a counterweight. The entire broadsword is forged from high-quality steel. This single Mo Dao consumes enough refined iron to forge fifty spearheads!"
Huff…
Hearing this, Cao Mu let out a sigh. Initially, she had calculated who could wield such a heavy weapon.
But upon hearing that the material cost of one Mo Dao was equivalent to fifty spearheads, she immediately felt a pang of heartache!
Moreover…
Cao Mu, being a master blacksmith, immediately spotted the Mo Dao’s biggest flaw!
This Mo Dao looked incredibly sharp, but under such sharpness, it was bound to have the drawback of all sharp blades – it was prone to chipping.
Chipping refers to…
The Mo Dao, already forged with a large amount of refined iron, would chip, crack, or even become scrap after a fierce battle due to intense friction, thus further increasing the usage cost of the Mo Dao.
"This…"
Cao Mu’s eyes darted back and forth… she would occasionally purse her lips, her thoughts entirely focused on this Mo Dao?
This thing? Should it… be forged or not?
"This is truly a dilemma!"
If she didn't forge it, it was something Lu Yu had personally mentioned. Although Cao Mu was the manager of the forge, the current forge belonged to the Dragon Gallop Camp, and Lu Yu was her superior!
But if she did forge it… who had such strength? To charge into battle wielding a weapon weighing over ten jin, and furthermore… once put into use, the consumption of refined iron in the future would be extremely "terrifying"!
For a moment, Cao Mu fell into a dilemma.
Just then.
Stomp, stomp, stomp…
Footsteps sounded…
"Reporting… Manager Cao…" An armored soldier from the Dragon Gallop Camp quickly approached Cao Mu and announced, "General Gao Shun of the Vanguard Camp and General Zhang Liao of the Dragon Gallop Camp are looking for you!"
Hmm…
Cao Mu's eyes darted.
Before she could even give instructions, she heard two gruff voices.
"Manager Cao, the Vanguard Camp is still short of two hundred sets of refined steel armor. The current situation is dire, and a major battle is imminent. Manager Cao must prioritize forging them for our Vanguard Camp, otherwise… how can our Vanguard Camp earn merit for Commander Lu?"
"Manager Cao, within our Dragon Gallop Camp, there are only three hundred of us from the Bing Province cavalry, yet the promised three hundred refined steel war halberds have not been delivered. Manager Cao surely won't send them to us just before we depart, will you? At least let the soldiers adapt to them… these three hundred refined steel war halberds must also be delivered as soon as possible!"
The first voice belonged to Gao Shun, the commander of the Vanguard Camp.
The second voice belonged to Zhang Liao, Zhang Wenyuan. Logically, he, who commanded three hundred Bing Province Wolf Cavalry, now all belonged to the Dragon Gallop Cavalry, but… Lu Yu still allowed him to command these three hundred men, maintaining relative independence within the Dragon Gallop Camp.
At this moment…
Their tones were quite gentle.
After all, they had come to request a favor.
Those outside the Dragon Gallop Camp didn't know, but within the Dragon Gallop Camp, who didn't say? The reason the Dragon Gallop Camp was invincible and victorious in every battle, besides Commander Lu’s tactics of attacking the mind and his flawless strategies, was also the crucial role played by these refined steel armors and weapons.
For this reason, let alone the Dragon Gallop Camp, even all the generals in Cao’s camp treated Cao Mu with great courtesy.
If it were Cao Hong who came, perhaps… he might even come with tears and snot, and act shamelessly!
Zhang Liao and Gao Shun were already quite good.
At least…
In Cao Mu’s opinion, they still belonged to "their own people"!
"The armor and war halberds required by the two generals are being fully forged by the workshop, but… smelting steel requires a lot of time, so I hope the two generals will not be impatient… If they are forged, I will immediately send someone to notify the two generals."
Cao Mu recited this phrase proficiently…
She had grown accustomed to it; how many generals visited her daily, ten or eight? To deal with them, Cao Mu had long prepared one hundred and eight sets of talking points.
This…
Zhang Liao and Gao Shun exchanged glances. They remembered that last month… Cao Mu had used the same set of talking points to dismiss them!
But a month had passed, and where were the refined steel war halberds or sets of refined steel armor?
Perhaps, by now, Cao Mu had even forgotten… that she had dismissed them?
Gao Shun furrowed his brow.
Before coming, he had made up his mind that this time he must be "shameless"…
Like Cao Hong, he would pester them relentlessly until he got what he wanted.
Although… doing so was quite embarrassing, and it didn't fit Gao Shun's usual character, a set of refined steel armor on the battlefield was equivalent to a soldier's life. Upholding righteousness and the spirit of breaking through, he dared not be the slightest bit negligent.
"Manager Cao…"
Gao Shun spoke. He, who was always clumsy with words, was about to resort to shamelessness.
Just as he was about to speak, Gao Shun suddenly noticed the "Mo Dao" beside Cao Mu. He didn't know what this thing was called "Mo Dao," but the length and sharpness of this weapon immediately caught his attention.
"This is?"
While asking, Gao Shun picked up this Mo Dao.
"Good heavens, it’s quite long, and quite heavy too!"
Gao Shun exclaimed…
At first, he thought this Mo Dao was a one-handed weapon, but with a weight of over twenty jin resting on one arm, even he, Gao Shun, felt it was somewhat heavy!
He tried to lift it with both hands, and it was still a bit heavy…
However… his gaze began to slowly move from the "iron drill" at the bottom, up to the "handle," then to the blade resembling a "broadsword," and then he observed it as a whole…
After a moment…
He seemed to have understood something…
So, he began to try to wield it. It wasn’t agile, but… the gust of wind that accompanied his swings roared, indicating the weapon’s immense destructive power.
However…
Gao Shun’s eyes gradually narrowed, and suddenly, a bold idea occurred to him.
The weakness of this weapon was its weight and lack of agility, but perhaps its advantage was also these very points?
Even.
For a moment, Gao Shun's eyes flashed with brilliance.
It should be known that Gao Shun was a weapon master of this era, proficient in all eighteen types of weapons.
The Vanguard Camp he commanded was, before the Dragon Gallop Camp, the most excellently equipped legion of this era.
Ordinarily, the armor used by the Vanguard Camp was "black fish scale armor." The weapon in the right hand was either a "hooked spear" or a "ring-pommel saber," depending on the opponent, while the weapon in the left hand was chosen from either a "round shield" or a "hooked tweezers."
According to Gao Shun's idea, he wanted to transform the Vanguard Camp into a legion that could endlessly restrain its opponents by using weapons that matched and countered different enemy troop types.
Of course, this ideal was excellent.
But… the reality was that infantry had a pain point that could never be avoided: it was difficult to withstand the charge of cavalry.
For this reason, Gao Shun had tried numerous weapons…
Even though… the Vanguard Camp later became formidable enough to contend with cavalry through its equipment and formations, it still couldn't avoid the pain point of difficulty in withstanding cavalry!
The reason…
Was still the weapons, the weapons were not long enough, not sharp enough…
If there were a weapon that could sever a horse’s head with a single chop, then cavalry would no longer be able to act arrogantly in front of infantry!
Currently…
Doesn't this bizarre weapon before him perfectly match all of Gao Shun’s fantasies, all his fantasies of "severing a horse’s head with a single chop" on the battlefield?
"This… what is this weapon called?"
Gao Shun's heart was already stirred.
"Mo Dao." Cao Mu replied casually, not noticing Gao Shun's expression. "General Gao, don't you think this Mo Dao is too heavy and impractical? Wielding such a heavy object on the battlefield would not allow one to act freely, nor could one easily dodge the opponent's attacks? Although it is somewhat sharp, it ultimately has more drawbacks than advantages…"
"Somewhat sharp?"
What did "somewhat sharp" mean?
Gao Shun was startled. He hadn't expected… Cao Mu to underestimate the Mo Dao so much!
However, upon careful consideration.
It was understandable.
Cao Mu had never been on the battlefield. Her understanding of weapons was mostly derived from soldiers' accounts. Her understanding was at most that "an inch longer is an inch stronger, an inch shorter is an inch more dangerous."
How could she know that the length, combined weight, and sharpness of the Mo Dao had surpassed the previous understanding of "sharpness" and "power"?
Just then, Cao Mu's words continued.
"I don't know… why Commander Lu insisted on designing such a useless weapon. Isn't this just a waste of refined iron and high-quality steel? Really!"
Cao Mu even complained…
Uh…
Commander Lu?
It was Gao Shun who, upon hearing the words "Commander Lu," his eyes flashed with brilliance.
If Cao Mu hadn't mentioned Lu Yu, it would have been fine, but since she attributed the creation of this Mo Dao to Lu Yu, then… then Gao Shun's understanding of this Mo Dao would have to go a layer deeper and become even bolder!
Gao Shun had heard…
The previous "steel forging" was completed under Commander Lu's guidance, and it was completed when everyone was pessimistic.
With such a precedent.
Perhaps…
This time, Commander Lu's original intention and purpose in designing this Mo Dao… let alone the length, weight, and sharpness of the Mo Dao, were all deliberate!
The purpose, perhaps, was for this Mo Dao to crush enemies with absolute power!
Yes, if this Mo Dao could sever a horse's head in one chop when facing cavalry? If a person and a horse were shattered by one blow? Then… where would there be a need for agile dodging? Where would there be a need for defense!
Previously…
In his conversations with Lu Yu, Lu Yu had raised a concept… "Strength overcomes all skill."
No!
To be precise… Young Master Lu had mentioned – "Great strength creates miracles!"
…
…