Zhu Youzhen called the eunuch who managed the factory, and casually ordered: "In the future, arrange two people to be responsible for boiling water, the summer heat is hot, and it is easy to get sick when drinking raw water..."

After Zhu Youzhen instructed a few words of safety and summer heatstroke, he walked into the room where ink was developed.

Watching Zhu Youzhen leave, these craftsmen from the factory had a little more to talk about after they went back. However, in their eyes, the Ming Emperor, who had nothing to do with them, now made them feel that it was not so unattainable.

After an old craftsman went back, he sighed to his family: "I have been in the factory all my life, and it is the first time I have heard that some nobles are worried that we will get sick when we drink raw water. ”

Originally, the neighbors of those craftsmen thought that these craftsmen were daydreaming, how could the Ming Emperor go to the workshop, and still care about the problem of drinking water for these craftsmen.

But in the days that followed, these craftsman families, who had served for hundreds of years, finally found that the world had changed. The craftsmen who were bound by the Ming Dynasty's artisan household system and were passive and slacking off finally stimulated their enthusiasm for production after the system reform and became the most staunch supporters of Emperor Chongzhen.

Zhu Youzhen, who walked into the house, saw two craftsmen boiling something on a stove, and after seeing Zhu Youzhen come in, the two craftsmen were about to stop what they were doing and salute him.

Zhu Youzhen hurriedly stopped: "Don't salute, look at the stove." How's that, is this ink configuration a bit eyebrow-raising? ”

The two craftsmen, one old and one young, were two fathers and sons, and they carefully watched the fire and replied: "Back to Your Majesty, this is the 57th formula in three days, and we already have three ink formulas that can be used, but they are still not as good as the ink used in engraving." However, the lead type mentioned by His Majesty, Lord Zhao has already taken Lao Huang and them to successfully trial production. ”

When the old craftsman replied solemnly, a eunuch in his early 30s walked into the room with a board.

Zhu Youzhen saw that the small room was crowded, so he simply ordered: "Wang Dehua, what are you doing with you, you go back and keep an eye on the paper for me, except for Wang Chengen, you can do whatever you have to do, don't stand here in a daze." ”

Under Zhu Youzhen's bombardment, the room quickly became spacious. Zhao Deshang, the chief eunuch of the factory, put the board in his hand on the table. It turned out to be a typeset lead movable type printing plate.

Under Zhao Deshang's demonstration, a page of ink-printed paper came out. Zhu Youzhen took the paper and observed it carefully, and found that it was about the same quality as the exam papers printed with ink in his school when he was a child, and the effect of engraving printing could not be compared.

"How does this compare to the woodblock printing?" Zhu Youzhen asked with concern, as a project manager, cost performance is the most important.

"Wechen uses movable type made of a mixture of lead and tin, and as long as the font mold is made, it can be used at any time. Based on four different books, each with a hundred copies printed, the cost of movable type is one-twentieth of that of an engraving. The more types of books you have, the lower the cost. Zhao Deshang said calculatingly.

At this time, the two craftsmen who developed the ink had already cooled the mixed new ink, and the two of them printed a page again. The effect of this time made Zhu Youzhen feel a little surprised, almost the same as the effect of engraving printing.

"How is this ink formulated?" Zhu Youzhen looked at the paper and looked at it repeatedly, and the effect was indeed very good.

"This is made by blending flaxseed oil, rosin and carbon black, and thanks to His Majesty's reminder to experiment with several different vegetable oils, this can be successful." The old craftsman replied honestly.

"Well, I'm just saying that it's a credit to both of you to be able to make it happen. What's the name of your father and son? Zhu Youzhen looked at the bloodshot eyes of these three people, and knew that for his own words, these three people hardly rested.

"The villain Xu Cheng, the villain's son is called Xu Mao." Xu Cheng replied excitedly.

"Okay, this ink is called Xu Mo, Zhao Deshang wrote down the formula of this ink and filed it. Wang Chengen, give each of them 10 taels of silver, and in addition..."Zhu Youzhen suddenly stopped.

He originally wanted to improve the status of these two craftsmen, but in the Ming Dynasty, which was the official position, he could only give an official position to the two of them. This did not help to improve the overall status of the craftsmen, nor did it conform to his idea of motivating the craftsmen to produce.

The criticism of the craftsman system of the Ming Dynasty, he has almost understood it in the past few days, and he has kept a group of craftsmen as slaves in captivity, no wonder people are not motivated to work. However, with the high development of the Ming economy, the system of rotating pan craftsmen (craftsmen who serve for a few months a year) in various places has almost disappeared, and as long as a certain amount of labor silver is paid every year, this kind of labor is exempted.

However, the so-called seated craftsmen, that is, the lifelong service of the craftsman system, still exists, and these craftsmen in the factory are the seated craftsmen in the palace. Ordinary craftsmen give rice 3 buckets of salt a month to support their families, and they give food when they work, while master craftsmen give rice 1 stone salt a month.

With such a low salary, it is no wonder that the inferior products of muskets and cannons in the late Ming Dynasty always accounted for the majority. Zhu Youzhen knew that only by improving the status and life of craftsmen could the industrial age he wanted truly come.

The best way to deal with the Tunguska savages is to crush them with the amazing productivity of the industrial age, and Zhu Youzhen does not think that the Tunguska savages can stop the crushing of the modern army of mass production in the industrial age.

Therefore, simply elevating the status of one or two artisans and improving their lives will not help to change the situation of the artisan group. And a slave who sees no hope will not have the enthusiasm to create.

Zhu Youzhen has seen countless examples of this situation in the history of the industrial development of the Republic in his previous life. A country that had almost to import matches 49 years ago had laid the foundations of an industrial country in just a few years, and the contribution of the liberated workers was indelible.

Zhu Youzhen changed his words and said: "Do it well, I will remember you, Xu Cheng and Xu Mao, right?" ”

Zhu Youzhen's rewards and praises moved the two fathers and sons very much, and they forgot for a moment the pain caused by the artisan household system that had been inflicted on them.

When he left the factory, Zhu Youzhen said to Zhao Deshang, the director who came out with him: "You write me something about the life and production of these craftsmen in the factory, and you are talking about your suggestions for improvement." In addition, about movable type printing, in addition to ink and movable type, you can find more paper to experiment, which is more suitable for ink printing..."