Crowned the New Han Dynasty

Chapter 452 Paper?
That afternoon, under the guidance of Chen Duo, Chen Zhi met the more than 100 people and said a few words of encouragement in front of them.

However, wherever he looked, every person he saw looked nervous and uncertain.

It can be seen that this group of people feel uneasy about their fate and don't know what the future will be like.

Thinking about it, this group of people are not scholars who have read books and broadened their horizons, but ordinary subordinates and vassals. Their ancestors have lived in their hometowns for generations. Many people simply face the loess and back to the sky. Their ancestors have been honest and honest for generations, and even They haven't traveled far from their hometown.

In this case, it's not a matter of foresight, it's simply a question of how knowledgeable they are.

After a long journey from the ground close to the south of the Yangtze River to the northern border, from a place that can be said to be prosperous and wealthy, to a barren and barren land in the eyes of ordinary people, and coupled with the fatigue of the journey, this group of people can settle down. It's called strange.

In view of this, Chen Zhi had to put aside his thoughts for the time being and ordered: "You are tired from the journey, have I divided an area in the north of the city? You can live in those courtyards first until Zhuangzi outside the city is opened. Okay, let’s make further arrangements.”

After hearing what Chen Zhi said, everyone's expressions couldn't help but improve, and they felt a little relieved, but they still looked awkward and uneasy.

Chen Zhi looked at this scene and knew very well that the current situation could not be solved in a short while, so he did not say more. When these people feel their kindness and benefit from it in the future, they will naturally change their minds. Now It would be redundant to say more.

By the time these people were sent away, Chen Zi and Su Liao, who came after hearing the news, had also arrived.

"Prefect, how do you plan to use this group of people? I heard that there are many craftsmen among them." Looking at the retreating figures of everyone, Chen Zi asked, and he vaguely guessed Chen Zhi's plan.

Chen Zhi nodded, not intending to hide anything, and said: "I asked Chen Duo. Among the more than 30 people, more than 30 are craftsmen, including many industries, and some of the senior ones have been working for [-] or [-] years. Even the most inexperienced ones have five years of experience.”

When Chen Zi heard this, he was quite surprised: "They are all such experienced people."

Chen Zhi glanced at him and said with a smile: "My uncle has invested a lot of money. Such experienced craftsmen are a rare asset to any family. Our Pengcheng team has accumulated many craftsmen over the years." , I'm afraid it's not much more than this. The uncle sent so many people at once, which is really a favor. Besides these craftsmen, they are all educated people, and many of them have business experience. With these people With your help, you will save a lot of troubles in the future.”

Chen Zi nodded, and then asked: "I also heard about the conversation between the prefect and Wang Zhen and others today. Could it be that he had some thoughts and wanted to rely on these craftsmen to build something in Daijun, and through the exchanges A merchant, selling?"

"Yes, you can see clearly that this is exactly what I meant." Chen Zhi smiled and nodded.

Chen Zi then said: "This is not what I saw. It was Mr. Su who reminded me that when you were in Pengcheng, the prefect, you had done some research on peasant learning. When you were in Luoyang, in addition to sorting and compiling the index of the book collection, you also You are just writing a book on farming, but the most famous one is the curved shaft plow and other farm tools that were involved in Pengcheng. Now that you have summoned craftsmen, could it be that you want to start with farm tools?"

Chen Zhi did not say right or wrong, but asked: "What do you think?"

"If it's agricultural tools, I'm afraid it will be difficult to open the situation." Chen Zi was not polite, and immediately gave his own judgment, "No matter how good the agricultural tools are, they will not attract the interest of merchants. They bought them from us and sold them in the south. Going out may not make much money, because the people who buy farm tools are not those who can afford big prices, and no matter how exquisite these farm tools are, as long as they have the heart, they can still be imitated, even if only [-]% to [-]%.”

Su Liao also reminded from the side: "Moreover, if the farm tools are sold to merchants, they will not pay too much, and they will not collect much city tax."

"That's right, both of you got to the point." Chen Zhi didn't go around in circles with them anymore, "Farm tools are for people's use, not for sale. I edited agricultural books, which involved a lot of things. Farm tools, even if they are made in the future, should be used by farmers around them, not for profit."

"Then, what is the purpose of raising craftsmen, Prefect? ​​Where do you want to start?" Chen Zi asked again. He didn't necessarily need to know, but if he could figure out Chen Zhi's meaning, it would be easier to analyze the subsequent situation. .

"My idea is to take advantage of Luoyang's connections and at the same time have a ready opportunity," Chen Zhi said, but suddenly the topic changed, "Speaking of which, at the previous luncheon, three elders arrived , talked to me a lot, and asked me to write it down. This is an opportunity to bring Dai Jun’s new output to the table, let him make his debut, and at the same time, it can be widely publicized.”

"Could it be that..." Chen Zi and Su Liao were stunned when they heard this, "Prefect, are you planning to sell your calligraphy as a specialty of Dai County? This... this is not possible."

Chen Zi shook his head and persuaded: "I know that your calligraphy skills are extraordinary, and you are involved in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and are highly praised by many people and celebrities. However, this kind of thing is rare and valuable, so how can it be sold easily? Furthermore, if this elegant thing is tainted with the smell of copper, people will avoid it, and even if merchants take a few paintings and send them to Luoyang, it will be difficult for anyone to buy them at a high price."

"I know this truth," Chen Zhi laughed, "Don't forget, I also sold calligraphy and paintings in Shulin Zhai at first. I know that once this kind of thing comes into contact with gold and silver, it will have a price. , it immediately becomes worthless. How can you go around in a circle and go back? You have misunderstood me. What I said is to spread the word, not the words, but the things that carry the words." "The things that carry the words?"

Chen Zi and Su Liao looked at each other, then suddenly woke up.

"Paper?"

Chen Zhi nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, it's paper. This thing still has great development prospects. Literati, scholars, celebrities, and even other high-quality people who want to recite poems, make paintings, and read calligraphy, Even sometimes when I feel something in my heart, I cannot do without paper, especially after the emergence of Chuchu paper, it was even more sought after by scholars. The whiter and smoother it is, the more people like it."

"I'm afraid there is a problem," Su Liao stepped forward and said: "Whether it is hemp paper or Chuchu paper, the price in this county is higher than that in the hinterland of the Central Plains. Not only paper, but also cloth, clothing and other items, Daijun Compared with the counties in the hinterland, the prices are much higher, but the prices of horses and livestock are lower than those in the mainland. When merchants go north, even if they purchase items in Daijun, they will choose horses, sheep and furs. I will choose those that are more expensive here but cheaper in the mainland.”

Chen Zhi smiled and said: "I have also considered these, so I said that I should use the words dedicated to the Zhu family to show them to the world, so that people can understand the benefits."

Chen Zi immediately heard the hidden meaning and asked: "Prefect, do you have a new method of making paper?"

Chen Zhi nodded and said with a smile: "Whether it can be made, I have to wait until I see the skills of some craftsmen before I can do it."

"This...if there is new paper, maybe there will be a turning point." Su Liao also hesitated, "But no matter how good it is, it should be better than Chupi paper. After all, this kind of paper is better than hemp paper from any angle. Paper is so much better.”

Chen Zhi did not explain. He knew that it was difficult to imagine something he had never seen before before seeing the real thing. It was like when he came into contact with a mobile phone for the first time in his first life and looked at that big man. , what he thought was that this thing was much better than a landline phone. There would be no more wonderful phone than this in the future.

At that time, he never thought that at some point in the future, mobile phones would have so many wonderful uses.

The same is true for Su Liao now.

So, Chen Zhi said: "Since there are craftsmen, we must try it. Compared with other objects, paper making is relatively simple."

Chen Zi was a little worried and wanted to remind him. After all, although he had not personally experienced papermaking, he had heard many rumors and knew that it involved a very complicated process and was not that easy.

But thinking of Chen Zhi's past deeds, he stopped dwelling on it and turned to ask about other things: "However, no matter how good the paper is, it is just a trivial thing after all. No matter how much it is sold, it may not make enough money." How much, and there won’t be much improvement in a short period of time, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to supplement our wealth.”

Chen Zhi nodded and said: "That's right, but this piece of paper is the thing most closely related to scholars. If a good paper is produced, it will be crowned with the name of Daijun. The praise of scholars can all fall into the name of Daijun." Above the head, a good reputation can be spread. It can create a famous paper, and it can also establish the name of a county. In today's world, a person's name is spiritual, and a county's name also has wonderful uses. In the future, this name can be used to promote other objects. I am all If you are prepared, you can wait to teach craftsmen. Moreover, although the profit from a piece of paper is thin, if I can make a name for myself and be recognized by others, I will produce all the paper used by scholars in several states, capitals, and even the north. , that is also a matter of great benefit, so there is no need to rush it."

Seeing that the two of them were still waiting to talk, he smiled again and said: "As for the difficulty of making money in the short term, don't worry, I have made arrangements in the Secretary's Office, and once let out a rumor, now I am closing the net and acting on paper.

"Since the prefect has thought carefully about it, we should obey it." Chen Zi and Su Liao looked at each other and said this.

Chen Zhi knew that the two of them still had doubts, but they were talking in vain. If it were him, he would not be able to believe it. He could only wait for things to be done before he could convince others.

When the news came from there that the craftsmen had been settled, Chen Zhi said goodbye to Chen Zi and Su Liao, returned to the Yamen, and handled some official duties in an orderly manner.

During the interval, he took out a stack of manuscripts from the table and sorted them out occasionally, calmly and calmly.

There was a boy named Chen Wu waiting by him. When he saw the stack of manuscripts, he couldn't help but pay attention. After a few glances, he knew the origin.

"This is the pile of manuscripts that several masters often inquired about when they were secretaries."

(End of this chapter)