Chapter 135: Printing Technology
TL: Etude
After discussing with his two female advisors, Paul brought forth his innovative ideas during the routine meeting of the Administration Council. He emphasized two key areas: public health and the printing industry.
The officials from the Administration Council were astounded as they took turns looking through a microscope, unable to believe that a whole new world existed in such minute details invisible to the naked eye.
One of them said to Paul, This will cause a major upheaval in the academic world. I suggest you send your discovery to the headquarters of the Arcane Society. They will surely erect a statue in your honor in the Central Square of the Holy City.
Paul chuckled and scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed since he wasnt the true inventor of the microscope.
Beyond widely promoting hygiene awareness and the scientific methods of disinfection and antibacterial care, Paul also requested the Administration Council to provide material and financial support to the two female advisors for training a group of professional medical personnel. He proposed establishing health centers in every village and town, manned by these medical workers, albeit charging for the services at this stage.
However, compared to the technological aspects of microscopes and microorganisms, the officials were visibly more interested in the lucrative prospects of the printing industry.
Imagine, turning worthless pieces of paper into valuable books by printing text and images on them, eliminating the painstaking manual labor previously required for transcribing books. The difference in value between a single book and a stack of paper was immense.
The printing industry had two major advantages over hand-copied books:
First was quality. Copyists often made mistakes like typos and smudges while transcribing. With printing, as long as the printing plates were error-free, so would be the text in the books. Employing a skilled engraver to ensure the printed words were neat and aesthetically pleasing would definitely surpass traditional handwritten books.
Second was cost. The traditional copying industry required scribes who were literate and skilled in calligraphy. In an era where literacy was rare, employing such a large number of scribes was prohibitively expensive. Moreover, the time investment was significantly larger.
This was essentially a money-making scheme Ah, no, a great leap forward in human civilization.
Gentlemen, the printing technology we currently have is quite rudimentary, which I call block printing. Its a stopgap measure for now. Engraving blocks is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Printing large works like the Holy Scriptures might take a long time, Paul explained.
He introduced his improvement plan: My idea is to develop a tool that allows for the free combination and arrangement of words or letters, which I call movable type printing.
He explained the principle of movable type printing to the officials, who were amazed once again.
Finally, Paul handed a stack of papers to the officials of the Department of Industry, detailing the principles of movable type printing and the basic structure of a printing press, instructing, Hand these over to the craftsmen at the machinery factory. Gather manpower to cast a batch of movable type and build a printing press.
Casting metal movable type was challenging. If the cast was not uniform, it would severely affect the layout of the text. A special printing ink also had to be developed. In Pauls memory, Gutenbergs printing ink was made from linseed oil, lampblack, and varnish, which adhered well to both metal and paper.
If they only cast metal type, they would still need to manually apply ink and handle the paper. The nature of the ink made this process difficult, but a printing press could significantly save time and effort.
The earliest Western printing presses were adapted from screw-type linen presses, a simple mechanical structure. It had a heavy base, two vertical columns with a crossbeam on top, through which a wooden screw rotated, pressing down a reinforced plate or top plate between the columns. This simple device was ideal for applying uniform pressure on a flat surface.
Pauls design for the printing press was based on this mechanism.
He announced, Once the printing press is successfully developed, we will establish a printing factory and promote this technology to the public, vigorously advancing the educational and cultural development of our territory.
Furthermore, I have already commissioned Queller Foster to bring a large number of books from the south, including poetry, prose, and novels. We can mass-produce these books, beautifully bind them, and then sell them to the southern nobles and wealthy individuals who enjoy cultural sophistication.
This was yet another source of revenue.
At the regular meeting, Paul received three pieces of news that delighted him.
The first good news came from Hansel, who had again gone to the capital and sent a letter reporting the recruitment of more talent, including several alchemists. Besides the talents, he had also gathered a large number of refugees, preparing to send them to the Northwestern Bay.
The turmoil in the south had created many refugees heading north, causing headaches for the northern lords. Feeding their own people was already a struggle, let alone providing for these refugees. The influx of refugees was also worsening the security situation in various territories.
Hansel, under the guise of recruiting displaced people, set up reception stations on several major routes. The other lords, somewhat mockingly, organized to send the refugees from their lands to his stations.
Does the letter say the first batch might be as many as six or seven hundred people? Do we have the capacity to receive these refugees?
The Administration Council has made preparations for the reception of refugees. Considering potential conflicts with local people due to cultural differences, we have built temporary housing on the south bank of the Weiss River. Weve also notified factory and farm owners to recruit labor from them.
Ford, the steward, provided Paul with a satisfactory response on behalf of the Administration Council.
The second piece of good news was the improvement in gunpowder formula by the armory. Theoretically, the best gunpowder composition is 78.74% saltpeter, 11.84% sulfur, and 11.32% charcoal, producing the most gas, heat, and highest temperature, thus having the strongest lethality. The craftsmen, unaware of this chemical knowledge, still summarized the best formulas for firearms and cannons through extensive experimentation: 75% saltpeter, 10% sulfur, and 15% charcoal for firearms, and 78% saltpeter, 8% sulfur, and 14% charcoal for cannons.
This improvement not only increased the power of the gunpowder but also extended the lifespan of firearms and cannons.
The craftsmen also designed a water-powered system for grinding and mixing gunpowder, significantly enhancing production efficiency and reducing labor.
The third piece of good news was the successful manufacture of reliable springs by the armorys craftsmen, with significant contributions from craftsmen from the capital who brought advanced heat treatment techniques. With these springs, the first flintlock gun was assembled. Combined with the improved quality of gunpowder, the firing rate exceeded 80%.
Paul ordered continued improvements to the flintlock gun. With flintlocks, soldiers could stand closer together, greatly increasing firepower density, and reducing the impact of weather conditions. He was determined to equip his entire army with flintlocks eventually.
Suddenly, an idea struck Paul: I just thought of another way to make money. Now that we have good springs, cant we make a shock absorption system for our carriages? Riding in them is quite uncomfortable right now.
Using springs to create a shock-absorbing system for carriages was a lucrative idea for many cross-world travelers, and he couldnt miss it.
The officials from the Department of Industry immediately agreed to convey Pauls idea to the craftsmen at the machinery factory. However, implementing shock absorbers for carriages didnt necessarily rely on springs, as this world already had various shock-absorbing methods.
After arranging a series of matters, Paul decided to visit Port Fran again, as two new sailing ships had been built. One of them would soon head south to open new routes. He wanted to inspect the Expedition Team.
Unexpectedly, his female advisor Ladi volunteered to accompany him on this trip.
With a serious expression, she warned Paul:
Count, you might encounter some troubles on the road during your journey.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m