Chapter 24: No Matter How Advanced the Technology, It Must Align with the Times

After finishing all the drawings, Li Nian shook his slightly sore wrists and gestured for the plow designs to be brought forward. He asked the craftsmen from the Shaofu (the imperial workshop) standing before him, "Can you all understand these?"

The craftsmen exchanged glances. After a short while, a craftsman who appeared to be in his forties spoke up: "Is what the Young Master has drawn a plow?"

"Exactly! Are you capable of building it?"

The craftsman hesitated before replying, "Building it is not difficult, but we have never seen a plow of this design before..."

These men were the finest craftsmen in the Shaofu. Upon seeing the diagrams, they had already deduced how to construct the objects. Their concern was not whether they could build them, but rather that if this plow proved inferior to current models—and the Young Master insisted on promoting it to the whole empire—it would not only bring hardship to the farmers but also make the craftsmen complicit in a failure.

This was understandable; it is only natural to be wary of a new, unverified invention.

Li Nian smiled and said, "I understand your concerns. Rest assured, I will not immediately promote this to the entire empire. Please craft ten of these new plows first. We shall decide after comparing them to the old ones."

Seeing that Li Nian was so reasonable and not acting on impulse, the Shaofu craftsmen bowed in unison: "The Young Master is wise!"

Working men do not fear competition from their peers; they fear being directed by laymen—especially when a nobleman has a sudden, "brilliant" idea and forces them to execute it, which often leads to endless trouble. If the project succeeded, the glory went to the nobleman, but if it failed, the craftsmen were the ones left to shoulder the blame. Thankfully, this Young Master was not that type.

Seeing the craftsmen had no further questions about the plow, Li Nian brought out the drawings for the tools and facilities needed for papermaking. "These, too, are items I require you to produce. Please come closer and take a look; I will explain them to you."

A series of wooden boards were displayed. Based on the diagrams, the items did not look difficult to build, though the craftsmen were confused about their purpose.

"What you see on these boards are the tools required for papermaking. As for what 'paper' is, you will know once we have produced it."

"Now, I will explain the process step by step. The first step is 'bamboo cutting and pond soaking,' which involves soaking the harvested bamboo in a pond..."

Li Nian felt as if he were back in the modern era giving a PowerPoint presentation, only using wooden boards instead of slides.

"The second step is 'boiling with ample fire,' where the soaked bamboo is placed into a kiln to be steamed. During the steaming, someone must constantly stir the bamboo to ensure it breaks down thoroughly; thus, the kiln must be sufficiently large."

As Li Nian explained, the craftsmen began to understand—the boards depicted ponds and kilns. The dozen or so men became attentive; they realized Li Nian’s explanation was sound. It seemed he was truly attempting to create something rather than just indulging in a passing whim.

The papermaking process was not complex. Soon, Li Nian finished his explanation and looked at the craftsmen. "That is the entire process. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I will be honest: this is my first time making paper as well. I have only seen others do it, so I am not entirely familiar with the nuances. If you have any suggestions, please speak up. If they prove useful, I will petition the King to reward you!"

In technical matters, knowledge and experience are paramount. One should never pretend to be an expert when one is not, nor should one look down on these craftsmen just because they lived in an ancient era. While they might lack modern knowledge, they were certainly not lacking in intelligence; they were among the finest craftsmen in the Great Qin.

Although Li Nian could access modern knowledge through search engines, he lacked an understanding of the era's manufacturing constraints. These craftsmen, however, were experts in their field and could offer valuable advice—such as where to position the ponds for maximum efficiency or how to size and locate the kilns for better steaming.

It wasn't just about what Li Nian ordered; it was about considering the manufacturing foundation of the Qin Dynasty. Regardless of how good a design was, it had to be compatible with the environment of the time.

The craftsmen, having heard that Li Nian would reward them for their contributions, thanked him and began to offer feedback. Their questions and suggestions were insightful, making Li Nian silently grateful that he hadn't rushed into production without consulting them first.

*I still need to be more proactive in understanding this era,* he thought. *While search engines can provide information, it is never complete. Some things must be learned through direct experience, or else a project that seems beneficial to Qin on paper might turn into a disaster in practice.*

After consulting with the craftsmen, Li Nian finalized the plans for papermaking. All that remained was to notify the King to arrange the manpower.

With the papermaking matters settled, Li Nian brought out the designs for iron pots, tables, and chairs to consult with the craftsmen. These were far simpler than papermaking, and the craftsmen guaranteed that everything on the boards would be delivered within half a month.

While the manufacturing of tables and chairs was simple, they had not appeared in history for a long time. This was not due to a lack of intelligence, but because the initial leap to create them was harder than subsequent improvements, and because daily life already featured items with similar functions that people saw no need to change.

However, having already experienced tables and chairs, Li Nian knew they were superior to the low mats and tables of the Qin era.

*I’ll have two sets made, and I'll send one to the King. I wonder what his reaction will be? Will he still insist on kneeling?* Li Nian mused, imagining Qin Shi Huang sitting in a chair, working or eating at a table.

*Actually, I’m even more curious to see his reaction after he uses paper in the latrine.* This, in truth, was Li Nian's primary motivation for wanting to invent paper in the Qin Dynasty: the bathroom!

Collecting his scattered thoughts, he looked at the craftsmen and remembered something: the State of Qin also had members of the Mohist school, known as the "Qin Mohists."

*I wonder if any of these craftsmen are disciples of the Mohist school?*

When he thought of the Mohists, he was reminded of an old animated series he had watched since elementary school—a show that hadn't even finished by the time he became a working adult. Through that show, he had studied the historical Mohists, only to find that the reality was quite different from the fiction.

The real Mohists were not as "good" as some modern people imagined, much like the Legalists, but they certainly had their merits. Especially in natural sciences, they were far more advanced in exploring the physical world than the other schools of thought, which focused primarily on human affairs.

*The Mohist philosophy may be unrealistic, but their exploration of natural science exceeds that of the other schools. Perhaps they can be put to good use.*