When Shi left to be busy, an ink artist asked Mozi: "The suitable method has not been used before." Are those numbers really more accurate than the ears of a blind man? ”

Mozi did not answer yes or no, but asked rhetorically: "Do you remember that when the straw silk was made, the first thing it was suitable for was not writing?" ”

A long time has passed since that incident, but the ink man still remembers it clearly, and said yes.

"To put it mildly, arguing with your mouth is not the right way to do it. Sometimes, the human eye can deceive itself, so why can't the ear? The things that cannot be changed in the world are like clouds and sunshine, which cannot be seen, even if they are covered with dark clouds, as long as there is a calendar, you can know it. ”

The disciple asked, "Sir, do you think that the Heavenly Wills that Shi is talking about are like calendars?" Just like a calendar that can predict the waxing and waning of the moon in a few days? ”

Mozi nodded and sighed, "Many of the things he said don't sound right, and I even think it's unreasonable. But I believe that he said that if it can be verified, it is correct. ”

"After defending the city, if this thing is done, I will send people to Yandi and further north to see if the ones contained in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" are extremely short in the north."

If that is the case, it is a possible correctness to fit the interpretation in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Yes or no, it is unknown, but at least it is more verifiable than the current explanations. ”

"There are many possibilities for everything, but only when the truth is consistent with the facts can it be said that it may be true."

"If this matter is done, in the future, the ink will defend the city, and he will learn the art of geometry."

The disciple also said, "The disciple thinks the same way. If it can be done, the disciples must learn those boring geometry. ”

Mozi smiled and asked, "Do you have any doubts?" ”

The disciple shook his head and smiled: "It's not a doubt, it's really a bit strange. It's like a disciple is good at running, and he knows that people with thick legs and strong feet can run fast, but if someone says that he rides the wind and clouds, that is what the disciple thinks is mysterious. ”

Mozi pointed to the paper on the side and said, "Riding the wind and resisting the clouds, if you can learn, you will not be mysterious." Let's see if he is right or wrong, even if he is wrong, there is still time to remedy it. ”

…………

The artisans in Shangqiu City gathered, because of the defense of the city, all kinds of craftsmen were gathered together to make all kinds of strange city defense tools or armor spears.

This is not the workshop of the ink master, it is still the industrial and commercial food official system.

But those potters and masons were gathered together by the ink masters, and according to the rules and regulations of the ink masters, they made the instruments for defending the city.

The 2 feet 5 inches long, 6 large clay pipes are being fired in the furnace, and these potters can make some pottery pipes for drainage in the city, and these things are not difficult to make.

It's just that the size required by the ink artist must be the same, and some special rotary potter's wheel tools are used to strive for the same for each item produced, and someone specially uses a ruler to check it.

These clay pipes are cut in half, and then combined when they need to be used, so that they can be easily connected and transported, and only need to be closed with blended mud when needed.

The Inkman's workshop has special weights and measures to ensure that these utensils can be used interchangeably with connections, even if they are not a set.

It's just that the management methods of the ink people are really strict, to be precise, when defending the city, it is actually more stringent than the management under the previous industrial and commercial food official system.

Harsh methods can make good enough tools, but they are not sustainable, and if used to govern the country, the empire will become like "defending the city all the time".

The inkmen who made these clay pipes were busy checking and preparing charcoal, rice bran, and the like in order to stuff them into the clay pipes when the time came.

The huge wooden bellows and the pulling device of the orange lever device are all in full swing.

Correspondingly, Shi is also busy calculating the direction and approximate distance of the Chu people's excavation.

Without a trigonometric table, the calculation can only be done by the most stupid means, by a delicate measuring rope.

The location of the wells that listened to the sound of a few mouths was fixed, and the direction was basically fine, and a range was marked on the map of Shangqiu behind him, which was generally not wrong, but the error was slightly larger.

Most of the people who were busy with him didn't fully understand the truth of this, but they followed and learned a lot, and in their eyes, it was no longer a mystery.

When it was time to calculate with the precise measuring rope, I secretly cursed in my heart that it was too difficult to start everything from scratch, and when twenty or thirty years later, I must catch a group of the best ink writers in nine mathematics, and let them work hard to spend ten or twenty years to get out the function table, and it will not be so troublesome.

The calculated results are always more accurate than the measurements, but unfortunately those weird ones are not pi, and they are not so easy to remember.

After a few days, the blind men kept preparing the direction of the sounds they were hearing, using the results to correct the error.

According to his calculations, the speed at which the Chu people dig the hole is not fast, and the time is enough, but if they want to make another meritorious feat among the ink people, they can't always get the time when they can judge when they dig Mozi to come forward.

When the tunnel of the Chu people was still about seventy or eighty steps away from the wall of Shangqiu, Shi asked someone to carefully take down the map of Shangqiu and came to Mozi's side.

Most of the ink masters in charge of military city defense were there, and Shi pointed to a few points he had calculated: "Basically, it's here." ”

Mozi looked at it and asked, "How much is the difference?" ”

"Ten steps?"

All the ink scholars nodded one after another, ten steps is a completely acceptable error, even if Mozi came forward to let the Chu people get closer, it was within this range.

If it can be determined, then it is now possible to prepare to dig tunnels to counterattack, and when the time comes, as long as the inker's special stethoscope-like clay pot is prepared, the exact location of the Chu people can be determined after approaching, so as to strike first.

The inkman asked the potter-turned-inker, "How are those pottery pipes prepared?" ”

"Giant, it's enough for a hundred steps. If the inspection is qualified, it can be connected. The rest of the charcoal stove, wormwood, and the chili pepper skin and straw we brought are all ready. The bellows can also be used at any time, and there are many who can skillfully pull the bellows. ”

Mozi glanced at the location of the suitable painting again and said, "I believe in the suitable." ”

He said this not to the right people, but to the rest of the people who had the right to vote in charge of military operations, and everyone present agreed.

Or say, "Although I don't understand the appropriate means, I should be right." It is said that he is just a warlock, but I think he is quite astronomical and geographical. ”

The warlock here is talking about the warlock in "Liutao", not the alchemist. Astronomy and geography have been around for a long time.

"Yi" once said: Look up at astronomy, look down at geography. The original meaning is not astronomical geography as Shi thinks it is, but the meaning within the Mo Shi is closer to the understanding that Shi is familiar with.

Gong Zaoye quipped: "People who can write the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", don't they know astronomy and geography? Suitable, Mr. can say, if this time the calculation is accurate, in the future, the ink will learn to defend the city, and you will learn your geometry. He also said that if the defense of the city was completed, it was necessary to send people to the north of the land of Yandi, or to the north of the Minzi, to see if the days were longer on the night of midsummer. ”

At this time, there is not yet a statement that the sun shadow is one inch shorter, but the forged "Classic of Mountains and Seas" has already been proposed, and he said with a smile: "Even if Mr. doesn't say this matter, I will ask Mr. Yan to do it." I said that the test is the first, as long as this matter can be determined, the controversy between Lie Yukou, Yang Zhu and others about the geography of the world will be self-defeating. ”

"It's just that this matter not only requires us ink scholars to go, but also bring people from other schools to witness this. Money and food, I think we ink people can come out, this is a big thing for the benefit of the world, and they may not have so much money. ”

He said it casually, and everyone laughed, and said that it was so casual, and he didn't care whether the location of the crypt was correct or not, and it seemed that he knew it in his heart.

Now that he had decided to believe it, Mozi said: "In this way, we will prepare to dig a crypt to raid the Chu people." If you choose to smoke, let those who flee alive when the time comes, and do not kill them. ”

"A person who is alive and has listened to the righteousness of the ink man returns to the Chu camp, which is to kick the problem back to the Chu people and let the Chu people solve it, this is a good way to deal with the enemy."

"If this thing is done, the first work of this acupoint preparation should be suitable."

Everyone had no objections, and took a long breath, saying that the possibility of a mistake in mathematics was small, and this matter should be considered nine times out of ten.

Shi also selected some ink masters with sharp tongues and proficient in Chu, Chen, Yangxia, Fangcheng and other local dialects, and when the time came, they judged where the other party was and shouted.

Since it is unlikely that the diggers will be nobles, and that those who dig together will not be able to speak well, it is likely that only one dialect will be needed to shout.

After the matter was agreed, some details had already been mastered, and things such as digging pits and burying pipes had already been done, and various details had been practiced countless times in actual combat.

After determining the direction, he started near the city wall, so that the Chu army outside the city who was looking out from a high place would not notice the Moshi's actions because of the perspective.

A large number of ink carts were gathered, pretending to transport grain, and the carts were loaded with the soil that had been dug into the pits. This camouflage had already been prepared when it was discovered that the Chu people had begun to dig holes in the ground.

When the new iron tools are distributed, those tools such as copper, stone, and bone must be removed, and the efficiency will be several times faster.

How to straighten, how to prevent collapse, how to avoid the ground spring, these ink artists have talents who have practiced several times, and there is no need to come forward at all.

But after he still observed the movements of the Chu people in the distance, he went to the vicinity of the tunnel, wanting to turn those techniques into theories, so as to record them for future generations to learn.

A few days later, a grizzled inkman came to Mozi's tent in a hurry, and said in a loud voice: "What he said is right! I can already hear the movement of the Chu people's excavation! And the position of the appropriate measurement, only two steps off is insufficient! ”

When Mozi heard this, he just smiled, as if he had expected it.

Several ink artists were full of shock, looking at the picture of Shangqiu with a line, and they couldn't stop praising it.

Two steps, even if the enemy dug it close to the city wall, Mozi personally came forward and estimated it with decades of experience, it is already extremely rare!

As long as it is within ten steps, it is considered to be half successful, and within two steps, it can almost be said to be perfect.

Could it be that those strange numbers really have such capabilities? Is there really a means that is not weaker than Mozi's decades of experience?

Mozi just smiled, but said in his heart: "With decades of experience in defending the city like me, among the disciples, only Yu Slippery can be less than two steps behind the calculation. The appropriate means can be widely learned, and the art of defending the city of the ink is endless, and it will be spread! ”

The joy in his heart was far greater than digging through the matter itself.

Even if the calculation is wrong, there are iron tools, and he personally comes forward, he can still fight back against this siege of the Chu people.

And to do this, is to make Mozi excited in the ink of many means, maybe really as Shi said, as long as the book is organized, promote the eight strokes, you can spread it in the world, forever!

After continuing to observe the Chu camp on the city wall and measuring the distance between the camps, he hurriedly packed up and took a few ink men who were proficient in dialects to the vicinity of the tunnel under the city wall.

A huge stove was set up, filled with smoke-producing materials such as wormwood and chili pepper skin, ready to be lit.

The thick clay pipe was connected to the furnace and led into the dark cavern, with a large brass bell next to it, and if you were ready to attack it, you only needed to pull the brass bell to ignite it immediately.

The sturdy inkman is preparing all kinds of strange weapons, such as hook rejection, iron clothing, razor spear, chieftain spear, and other weapons that cannot be called.

The pre-configured eyewash potion was also transported in jars, and there were men and women in charge of digging the cave, and the division of labor was very fast.

The cave was very spacious, with long clay pipes stretching against the ground, and the top had been coated with mud to prevent air leakage.

In the first part of the cave, every twelve steps, a large chamber was dug on both sides for stationing soldiers, and there were small pottery pipes on it to ventilate.

Between the twelve steps, there must be a very small place, through which a man has just passed, and beside it there is a large shield-like wooden door, hollowed out, which can be attacked with a spear, and can be blocked at any time if necessary to prevent the smoke from coming here.

Near the end of the cave, there was only a faint light, and the inkman did not dare to use a large fire to prevent suffocation, so he could only use some small torches, fortunately, with pine resin and vegetable oil, which would be able to illuminate.

In some dangerous places, there are also wooden supports, and it seems that the ink man in charge of digging the tunnel must have been from a copper mine or something like that, and he was extremely skillful in doing it.

Shi walked to the last big room, where an inkman was holding a strange pottery urn covered with cowhide, and pressed his ear to it to listen to the movement.

Shi didn't dare to speak loudly, and the rest of the inkers were ready with tools at any time, and there were wooden shields behind them to block the enemy.

Shi secretly admired all this, and said that the ink man's means of digging pits are really skillful, with those pottery pipes, ventilation, air blows and other city defense equipment, if you want to smelt iron and mine in this world, there is indeed no more suitable than the ink man.

The inkman who listened carefully listened carefully for a while, and then whispered, "It should be Chen Ren, just two steps to our side." ”

The ink man in charge of the force inside nodded and motioned for a move.

Shi suddenly thought of something, and whispered: "Let them dig for a while, capture dozens of people alive, and then smoke the people behind them." ”