"Try to engrave another one with Yangwen."

Looking at the blurred words on the paper, Feng Yong frowned and said.

The ideal is plump, the reality is skinny.

Guan Ji heard the words and carved it again, this time in reverse, making the characters bulge out. Then she brushed the ink again and printed it again on the paper.

Although this time it is better than last time, it is also limited.

The font is still blurry, but the outline can be seen and the words can barely be recognized.

"Ink doesn't work."

"Paper won't do."

Feng Yong and Guan Ji said something at the same time. After finishing speaking, they looked at each other and smiled at each other.

"Sanniang, please speak first."

Feng Yong said.

"This paper is not good." Guan Ji shook her head and said, "The paper is too rough. To print like this, you need to apply as much ink as possible, but this paper absorbs ink very much. If it absorbs too much ink, it will easily become

Black group."

"I failed to consider it." Feng Yong nodded and said, "Paper is not good, and ink is not good either."

Most of the inks these days are made from natural minerals such as graphite. They have insufficient viscosity and poor quality. If they are used for writing, they are acceptable, but for printing, they are not competent.

"But why can the official seal be printed so clearly?"

Feng Yong seemed to be talking to himself, and seemed to be asking Guan Ji.

"Of course it's because of the mimeograph..."

Guan Ji replied casually.

"Oil?"

Feng Yong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Yes! Ink, why didn't I think of this?"

Don’t printers in later generations have to use ink to print?

School conditions in the countryside are poor. I remember when I was in elementary school, the teachers would set the questions for normal tests and final exams, then write them on wax paper, and finally print them out themselves.

It is absolutely purely manual, and the only mechanical equipment is the old-fashioned manual printing press.

That is to say, cover the written wax paper on the membrane board above, then put white paper on the bottom, and finally use a special roller brush dipped in some ink to brush it, and a test paper will come out.

This old-fashioned manual printing machine is simple to operate, but it also has major shortcomings.

In addition to being inefficient, if too much ink is applied, some areas on the test paper will turn into clusters of black dots, making it difficult to see what the questions are.

If the ink is applied too little, the fonts will be too light in some places or even invisible.

So pay attention to the amount of ink.

By the time they reach fifth or sixth grade, most people are already eleven or twelve years old.

At that time, teachers will often ask students with good grades in the class to help.

Because this kind of manual printing machine is too simple, it just prints and prints repeatedly.

Although simple and monotonous, this matter is a great honor in the eyes of all students.

Because Feng Yong had good academic performance, every time when it was time to take a test, he would follow the teacher to the office to print the test papers with envy from the whole class.

After each printing, there will always be some dark ink stains on my hands.

When you rub it, you can feel a lot of oil mixed in it.

And oil seems to reduce the speed at which the wood absorbs ink.

Feng Yong was trying hard to remember, thinking about the knowledge about ink he had read in later generations.

At this time, Guan Ji spoke again.

"I heard that Zuo Bo's paper has uniform thickness and fine texture, which is the best in the world. Zhongjiang's ink is as good as lacquer, and lasts as long as new. It is the best ink in the world. If you can get these two, I think you can make it.

Gotta be better.”

"Zuo Bozhi? Zhongjiang Mo?"

Feng Yong repeated doubtfully. Hearing this evaluation, he seemed to be very powerful.

Guan Ji nodded, and when she saw Feng Yong's expression, she couldn't help but feel a little surprised. She knew that these two people were both famous people in the world, but looking at her brother's expression, it seemed as if she had never heard of them before.

However, Feng Tibi was covered with a layer of tiger skin from the mountain gate, and the behavior of the people from the mountain gate was like a dragon in the clouds in the eyes of the world, and they could only detect their scales and claws.

So Guan Ji didn't think much about it, and immediately explained to Feng Tubeng, "Zuo Bo's surname is Ziyi, which is from Shandong. He is the most famous paper-making expert after Cai Hou."

"At that time, Cai Yong was very capable of writing, but he was not Zhang Yi's pen. Zuo Bozhi did not write rashly, which shows the wonder of Zuo Bozhi."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, who is Zhang Yi?"

Feng Yong, Marquis of Cai, knew that Cai Lun had improved papermaking and made papermaking one of the four great inventions.

But this is wrong. A name popped up in Guan Ji's mouth, but it seemed like she had never heard of it before.

"Zhang Yi's pen, Zuo Bo's paper, and Zhong Jiang's ink are the first things in the world that are highly recommended by scholars all over the world. If you can write with these three at the same time, it would be a dream for scholars."

Guan Ji had to explain to Feng Tubeng in detail, "Zhang Yi became famous the earliest and was also the oldest. He passed away thirty years ago, and his method of making brushes has also been lost. But at that time, Cai Yong was famous all over the world for his writings, but he only used

Zhang Yi’s brushes show the beauty of the brushes he made.”

"As for Uncle Zuo, I heard that he is still alive today, and some people say that he has died of old age. According to the rumors heard by my younger sister, even if he is still alive, he is probably more than sixty years old. On paper, he is smooth and compact.

It looks like a glow covering it, the ink is not easy to penetrate into the paper, and the quality is excellent."

"The youngest is Wei Dan, whose nickname is Zhongjiang. He is from Guanzhong and is very good at making ink. His ink is fragrant, thick and dark, and does not fade over time. He is also good at calligraphy and can make pens.

, he is also a rare person, I heard that he is now a doctor with Cao Cao."

What is a doctor? Officials are not as big as me.

Seeing that Guan Ji spoke highly of Wei Dan, Feng Tubou felt bad.

At that moment, he said a little sourly, "It's just making ink, what does it count? Sanniang, just wait and see how I can make the best paper and ink in the world. Not only will I compare with Uncle Zuo, but also Wei Dan."

Everyone is willing to accept the defeat."

After hearing Feng Yong's childish words, Guan Ji thought he was just angry, so she laughed.

Seeing Feng Yong's angry look, Guan Ji said softly, "The elegance of pen and ink can only be seen in prosperous times. My brother's talent lies in governing the country and bringing peace to the country. In prosperous times, he can help a wise king, but in troubled times, he can bring peace to the world. So how can he be just a man?"

What can someone who knows how to write and ink compare to?"

"Besides, my brother has already achieved such achievements at such a young age. Think about Wei Dan, who is now over forty years old and is no more than a doctor. How can he compare with my brother?"

Oh, it turns out that Wei Dan is also a bad old man.

Saying this puts me at ease.

After listening to Guan Ji's words, Feng Tubao felt very happy.

The desire to compare disappeared, but when I saw the paper on the desk, I remembered that I had finally been slapped in the face by reality.

At this time, Feng Yong was finally able to calm down and think about printing.

The emergence of printing is inseparable from the improvement of fonts. Fonts such as Xiaozhuan are more suitable for lettering.

The official script used today is more suitable for writing.

As for regular script, it is a font that is more suitable for printing.

I remember that history books said that Zhong Yao invented the calligraphy style from official script. Zhong Yao was not dead at this time, but he should have developed regular script.

But Feng Yong had never seen anyone in Han Dynasty use regular script.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh again.

No matter Zuo Bo, Wei Dan or Zhong Yao, they were all Cao Cao thieves from the north, and none of them were from the south.

From a young age to a great age, the Central Plains in the north is the center of the world, with a wealth of talents that cannot be compared to the south.

"Brother, why are you sighing?"

Guan Ji asked with concern.

"Nothing." Feng Yong shook his head, shook away the distant things, and continued to bring his thoughts back to the present.

"This paper is easy. But the ink..."

As long as future generations have attended nine years of compulsory education, who knows that China has four great inventions?

Cai Lun improved papermaking, which is also recorded in history books.

They use bark, broken fishing nets and other widely sourced things.

The ancients may not be able to summarize the principle, but Feng Yong, who has learned physics, chemistry and biology, still knows it. The most important one is plant fiber.

Therefore, plants with the highest fiber content are the best sources of raw materials for papermaking under current technical conditions.

But one thing is that the source must be widespread and easily accessible.
To be continued...