Chapter 176: Improving printing technology, Zhu Gang got another great talent, Gongshu Qi!

"No. I haven't thought about it. I haven't. Don't talk nonsense."

Zhu Biao's mouth twitched slightly when he heard Zhu Gang's words, and he directly denied the three consecutive attacks.

"Ah, yes, yes, you haven't thought about it. I just said it. We are brothers. How can I not believe you, boss?"

Zhu Gang chuckled and said to Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao: “.”

Why did Zhu Biao feel that Zhu Gang's face was full of disbelief?

"By the way, I see there are a lot of small hard clay and copper blocks for movable type printing in your house. Are you planning to move the printing factory to your house?"

Then Zhu Biao shook his head and asked Zhu Gang.

"Oh, you mean this? I plan to improve the printing technology and increase the efficiency of printing."

Zhu Gang said to Zhu Biao.

"Oh? Isn't movable type printing very efficient? We can just re-typeset it and print it directly."

Zhu Biao was slightly stunned and somewhat puzzled by Zhu Gang's behavior.

"Well, it's not low anymore, but it's still not enough."

"The rotary printing in our Ming Dynasty is basically made of wooden characters, which are weak and not wear-resistant."

“And it’s easily corroded by ink, so it has to be remade every once in a while.”

"Also, because there are many commonly used characters, the wheel has to be made very large, and it requires two people to operate it together to complete it."

Zhu Gang explained to Zhu Biao.

"So what are you going to do?"

Zhu Biao stared at Zhu Gang blankly. He was a little confused. In his opinion, the efficiency of today's rotary typesetting movable type printing was already quite high.

So is it really necessary to grab that little bit of time?

"Here's what I thought: put the commonly used characters in a square plate and sort them by pronunciation and rhythm."

"There are rods and gears underneath the square plate. When you press the desired word on the square plate, it will be mechanically transmitted to the corresponding word library."

"Just extract the corresponding word directly, so you can save the time of spinning the wheel."

Zhu Gang scratched his head.

His idea was the keyboard of later generations, but compared to keyboards that only needed to arrange letters, there were indeed many commonly used characters in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Gang also thought about directly arranging the pronunciation finals, so that a word can be opened by multiple triggers like opening a combination lock.

But ideals are full and reality is skinny, and Zhu Gang actually doesn’t have much knowledge in this area.

So when he told the craftsmen the idea of ​​triggering the finals multiple times, they were dumbfounded.

No, big brother, what are you talking about? We are ironworkers and woodcarvers, not gods. You can make such a complicated thing just by saying so?
At that time, there was even a leading craftsman who was very sure of his words.

"Your Highness, Prince Jin, this artifact is too exquisite. It cannot be made without Lu Ban's reincarnation."

After hearing what the craftsman said, Zhu Gang's heart finally died down and he gave up the idea of ​​making the keyboard directly.

Instead, they chose to simplify the design requirements, increase the workload during use, and directly place commonly used characters on a large "keyboard".

"So. Did you figure it out?"

Zhu Biao stared at Zhu Gang blankly, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"The first version of the product came out not long ago, but it's not very stable yet and it gets stuck from time to time."

"So, I am now asking the craftsmen to simplify the gear train structure and increase the reliability of the word selection machine."

Zhu Gang scratched his head slightly.

Although the product cannot be put into use directly, Zhu Gang firmly believes that "the simpler the structure, the higher the reliability."

As long as the craftsmen continue to optimize the structure, they will eventually be able to accomplish it.

As Zhu Gang spoke, he led Zhu Biao into a courtyard.

There was a machine that took up a large area in the courtyard. The entire machine was about ten feet in radius, and in front of it was a square plate the size of a small tea table, which was filled with words.

Craftsmen were coming in and out of the courtyard, debugging and replacing parts.

"Sometimes I really want to pry open your head and see what you are thinking."

"This design is so exquisite that it might even surpass Lu Ban's work, right?"

Zhu Biao walked forward and took a breath when he looked at the word selection disk.

"Not really. This design is not my ideal version. I am currently recruiting locksmiths to work together on the design of the next one."

Zhu Gang shook his head.

"No. Third brother, you are a printer and typesetting man. Why do you need a locksmith? Are you afraid that your machine will be stolen?"

Zhu Biao stared with his big eyes, full of confusion.

"this."

"Anyway, if it really works in the future, you will understand it when you see the real thing."

For a moment, Zhu Gang didn't know how to explain it to Zhu Biao.

To be honest, a man always has a special obsession with the keyboard, so Zhu Gang has not completely given up on his "keyboard".

Isn't it just a combination lock?
In theory, this thing doesn't have any circuits. Zhu Gang felt that with the skills of the Ming Dynasty locksmiths, there was a chance he could make it if he explained the principle to them.

As long as the combination lock comes out, it can be directly stuck in the output port of the prompter to allow the combination lock and keyboard to be mechanically linked.

This not only simplifies the structure, reducing the gear system from hundreds to dozens, but also significantly reduces the size of the typesetter.

It can improve utilization efficiency, increase reliability and reduce costs.

Of course, there is one most critical point. He has to put the "Enter" button on all the password locks and connect a password resetter shared by all the password locks to directly return them to their initial state. Otherwise, the password will still be messed up after typing a word, which will be useless.

"Okay then. I look forward to hearing from you."

Zhu Biao grinned.

Sure enough, there are some things that not everyone can understand.

Most of the apprentices couldn’t even get in the door and could only see a few gods flying in the sky.

There is no doubt that in Zhu Biao's eyes, Zhu Gang was that "god-like" figure.

"You go ahead and do your work. I should go back and get the school things done."

"After all, this is related to the foundation of the country. While improving the basic literacy of the people, it can also improve their farming ability. It is better to do it sooner rather than later."

Zhu Biao said to Zhu Gang.

Zhu Gang nodded, accompanied Zhu Biao to the door, got on the prince's carriage, and sent Zhu Biao out of his own Prince of Jin Mansion.

In the following period, Zhu Biao was very busy with the affairs of the school. He first enclosed a piece of land in Jinling City as the site for the school.

Then, while recruiting people from all walks of life, notices were posted throughout Yingtian Prefecture.

The people were notified that they could send their children to study without any fees, and all educational expenses would be borne by the court.

"Look, the court has issued another notice. Is there anyone who can read? Take a look at what is written on it?"

Soon, curious people gathered together and whispered.

"Wang family's second kid, don't you know how to read?"

"Can you show us what the court said? Is there any good news?"

An old man pulled a young man out of the crowd and pushed him in front of the notice.

"Yes, the last time a notice was posted was when His Royal Highness Prince Jin got married." "The Queen Mother promised us common people to wear official uniforms for the groom and a phoenix coronet and bridal robe for the bride, and that His Majesty would host a grand banquet."

"If you ask me, His Majesty and the Queen are indeed from ordinary people's families. They are so kind to us."

Someone answered.

"Stop arguing, don't disturb Wang Er from reading the notice."

The old man who had pulled out the scholar earlier spoke up and stopped the noisy crowd.

"I, the Crown Prince Zhu Biao, am grateful..."

"To establish..."

Wang Er read it slowly. Because it was not an imperial decree issued by the court but just a notice, it did not have the beginning of "Feng Tian Cheng Yun" added, nor was it stamped with the imperial seal. Instead, it was stamped with Zhu Biao's own prince's seal.

"Wang Er boy, read it, why don't you read it?"

The old man who pulled Wang Erxiao out heard that Wang Erxiao stopped reading after reading "欲建立", and could not help but urge him.

Gudong!

"The Crown Prince said that he would set up a school to teach the children of Yingtian Prefecture for free."

"And regardless of gender, as long as you go there, you will have books to study. And..."

Wang Erxiaozi said this with shock in his eyes and paused.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince really cares too much about us ordinary people, but we can barely make ends meet by farming and eating."

"Besides, it's OK for boys. They can read it if they tighten their belts. But what's the point of a girl reading this book?"

Some people expressed gratitude and regret.

Thankfully, in the past, if you wanted to study, it would cost a lot of money to hire a teacher, but now Zhu Biao covers it all.

Unfortunately, the family's financial situation was really tight. Even if he had read books and recognized a few words, he would have no chance to pass the imperial examinations. It would be better for him to stay at home and learn how to farm.

"Stop arguing! I haven't even finished talking yet, and you can think of it. How can His Royal Highness not think of it?"

Wang Erxiaozi said with a stern face.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that he was grateful for the people's hard life and that the Ming Dynasty had not yet completed its work, except for the teacher who taught the words of the sages."

"There are also farming experts, great craftsmen, and skilled women workers. You can learn whatever you want."

"I guess this is why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that both men and women should go."

Wang Erxiaozi stopped everyone who wanted to make a noise and continued to explain.

After Wang Erxiaozi said this, the people around him fell silent.

"Wang, Wang Er boy, are you telling the truth? Are there farming masters to teach us? Are there master craftsmen who will teach us the craft for free? Are they really willing to teach?"

The old man who pulled Wang Er out at the beginning was trembling a little.

In this era, no one knows better than them the importance of having a skill. It can be said that the temptation of having a skill is second only to gaining fame.

"Mr. Li, what do you mean? Since you let me read it, why don't you trust me? If that's the case, you can just ask someone else to read it again."

"As for whether he can teach me, I think he can. After all, this is a notice issued by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who is the crown prince."

"His words also represent the royal will. If they don't teach him, they are committing the crime of deceiving the emperor."

Wang Er snorted coldly and walked away.

Because the young boy Wang Er also planned to go to school. He was not very old and had just come of age this year. He wanted to pass the imperial examination and get a good academic degree, but he couldn't find a famous teacher to guide him.

I think that anyone who is chosen by the Crown Prince Zhu Biao to teach must have good skills, but I don't know whether his age meets the standards of the school.

"Long live His Majesty! Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

...

It was a long time after Wang Er left that the crowd burst into excited voices.

Those who reacted quickly have already run back home, preparing to send their children, regardless of gender, to register for school.

After all, it is not appropriate for girls to show their faces in this era.

However, the teachers who taught needlework to female workers and all the students were women, so there was nothing to be taboo about.

Their idea is simple. With the guidance of skilled female workers, they can learn better skills and be more confident when getting married in the future, right?
Jin Palace.

Half a month had passed since Zhu Biao's visit. During this period, Zhu Gang directed the craftsmen to debug his character selection machine several times, and it finally stopped getting stuck as it did before.

Although the structure is still complex, it is much simpler than the original one.

The only regret is that the locksmiths hired during this period are either limited by their talent or have preconceived ideas due to inertia.

I have not yet fully understood the combination lock theory proposed by Zhu Gang.

This made Zhu Gang less enthusiastic than before when explaining the principles of the combination lock to the new locksmith.

However, it still needs to be explained. After all, the first group of locksmiths who arrived only had a vague understanding of the principles of combination locks. We can't let this group of people with only a vague understanding teach each other, right?
"Your Highness, are you saying that by using the transmission of the gears and the mechanism inside the lock to set a specific sequence, the lock can be unlocked according to the secret code?"

"My God, what a genius idea! His Highness the Prince of Jin is truly a rare genius in the Ming Dynasty. He is not only good at both civil and military affairs, but also has extraordinary ideas. I admire him!"

Among the locksmiths below, one stood up excitedly after listening to Zhu Gang’s speech.

"So, you understand?"

Zhu Gang looked at the excited locksmith and suddenly became energetic, sweeping away his previous boredom, and his eyes lit up.

"Well, Your Highness, your idea is amazing. I am shocked. To be honest, I have thought of a similar idea before."

"But every time I came to the key code settings, I was at a loss. Today, after hearing your teaching, it suddenly became clear."

As the locksmith spoke, he bowed deeply to Zhu Gang.

"Can you do it?"

Zhu Gang looked at the locksmith in front of him, suppressed his inner joy, and asked tentatively.

"Of course you can. Your Highness has figured out the key ideas. If you still can't do it, wouldn't you be useless?"

The locksmith said as a matter of course, and his words made the other locksmiths feel embarrassed.

"What's your name?"

Zhu Gang asked the locksmith.

"In reply to your Highness, I am Gong Shuqi."

The locksmith spoke respectfully to Zhu Gang. In addition to awe for his status, his expression was also mixed with admiration for Zhu Gang's craftsmanship and design capabilities.

"Gong Shu."

"You are the descendant of Gongshujia!"

Zhu Gang was somewhat surprised.

"Your Highness, I am a descendant of Gongshu clan."

Gongshu Qi continued respectfully.

"No wonder, no wonder you can understand Gu's design."

"However, how come you, a descendant of Gongshu, have become only a locksmith?"

Zhu Gang nodded, then asked curiously.

"Ahem! The skills of our ancestors are quite complicated and difficult to master. I have been obsessed with locksmithing since I was a child, so I became a locksmith."

Gongshu Qi spoke with a hint of embarrassment on his face.

(End of this chapter)