"Xianglihe, you did a good job, but don't put the cart before the horse."

"What we need right now is mass production speed. As long as it's not easily damaged, that's fine. As for what you said about it being whiter and smoother, that's secondary. We can study that later."

Xiang Lihe guessed his eagerness for paper and smiled, "In order to improve the paper's toughness and smoothness, we are researching better methods and efficiency. At present, we are mainly focusing on these yellowed papers."

The wicked man nodded slightly, then asked, "So, how much paper can you produce in a day?"

"If we ramp up production and add more lines, we can easily produce around 10,000 sheets a day," Xiang Lihe estimated before responding.

The wicked man looked at the bundles of paper piled up like a small mountain, unable to hide his joy. Although the paper was still yellowish and rough in texture, it was enough, especially given the current urgent need for the dissemination of large amounts of written materials; it was already a great improvement.

"How is the movable type printing progressing?" he asked again, his eyes filled with urgency.

Xianglihe dared not delay and immediately led the wicked man into a relatively spacious workshop. In the center of the room, there were several rows of wooden shelves, on which various kinds of small pieces were neatly stacked—wooden movable type, ceramic movable type, and metal movable type that was still being tested repeatedly.

"Grand Commandant, look!" Xiang Lihe pointed to one of the wooden movable type pieces. "It was originally carved from wood in the form of small seal script. Although the carving was relatively easy, it began to wear down after several printings, and the printed characters became unclear."

“Ceramic movable type is more durable, but it’s also easy to break if it’s dropped. As for metal movable type…” He paused, looking somewhat troubled, “It’s the most durable, but also the most expensive. Right now, copper and iron are in short supply, so the Imperial Household Department can’t allocate too much to us in the short term.”

"How many can be printed now?" The wicked man's gaze swept over the movable type, and he frowned slightly.

"If it's just a small-scale test, we can print hundreds or even thousands of copies a day. But if we want to go into large-scale mass production, we need dozens of times more type molds, and we also need specialized typesetting racks and ink-brushing craftsmen. The process is complicated. We have to remove the movable type from the rack, brush it with ink, press it on paper, let it dry, and then disassemble, reorganize, and reuse the typesetting."

As Xiang Lihe spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, clearly having been extremely busy with this matter for days. "However, we are also making improvements. For example, we use wooden frames to fix the type during typesetting and seal the gaps with rosin and wax oil, which allows for quick assembly and disassembly. If we can gather all the materials to make metal casting molds, and add a group of skilled craftsmen, printing tens of thousands of copies within two or three days is not difficult."

The wicked man nodded repeatedly, a hint of satisfaction on his face: "So, as long as the imperial court is determined to provide strong support in terms of craftsmen and resources, you can expand your scale as soon as possible?"

Xiang Lihe clasped his hands in a fist and said solemnly, "That's right. The quantity and quality of movable type molds, as well as related auxiliary equipment, have a great impact on printing speed and the quality of finished products. If we can standardize the specifications and cast them on a large scale, we can not only meet the needs of popularizing the imperial examination, government archives, military and political notices, but also lay the foundation for printing more books in the future."

The wicked man pondered for a long time, already making plans in his mind. At present, there are many discussions in the court about "popularizing the imperial examination". In order to implement the new policy, he must first set up schools in several major cities and recruit poor students.

However, without sufficient paper and textbooks, the so-called "popularization" will ultimately be difficult to achieve.

“Alright, I’ll handle things with the Imperial Household Department. The border has been temporarily secured, and although we still need to supply troops, things aren’t too strained.” He paused, his gaze falling on the rows of unfinished metal movable type. “Xiang Lihe, you need to hurry. Once the materials and craftsmen are in place, I hope we can complete a batch of usable metal type molds as soon as possible. Don’t worry about the fine details yet; just make sure the shape is good and the type is durable.”

"Don't worry, Grand Commandant." Xiang Lihe's eyes shone with enthusiasm. "Compared to papermaking, movable type printing is more in line with what my Mohist school has learned. Saying it's a piece of cake is a bit of an exaggeration, but it's almost effortless."

"Moreover, I have already begun to study the process of mass printing. If it can be successful, the printing speed will surely increase dramatically."

The wicked man patted Xianglihe on the shoulder with satisfaction: "Good, that's exactly what I've been waiting to hear. You do your best to create a prototype first, and then take the sample to see the King, so he can see that what we've painstakingly developed can indeed change the fate of the court!"

The two smiled at each other, both seeing anticipation for the future in each other's eyes.

Although the road ahead is still fraught with difficulties, once paper and movable type printing are mass-produced, those powerful and wealthy people will no longer be able to monopolize knowledge and career paths.

At that time, the rise of children from poor families will be unstoppable.

"That's settled then. I'll give the order after I leave, and have the Minister of the Imperial Household Department provide you with the materials you need as soon as possible." The wicked man said, lifting his robes as he prepared to leave.

Seeing this, Xiangli He didn't say much, but hurriedly followed to see them off. All the words in his mouth were condensed into one sentence: "Grand Commandant, our Mohist school... will definitely contribute to making everyone literate!!"

The wicked man turned around and smiled, his steps unwavering, leaving behind only the words: "Putting what you've learned into practice is what we need from you to give it your all."

Compared to the Mohist knights, people like Xiangli He can truly be considered Mohist students, inheriting the spirit of Mozi from the past.

Outside the courtyard, the sky was gradually darkening, and a gentle breeze carrying the chill of late autumn swept across the workshop, which was filled with piles of paper and tools.

The firelight and lamplight intertwined, illuminating the focused and resolute faces of Xiangli He and the Mohist disciples. It seemed to proclaim the transmission of the sage's truth.

It originates from the people and serves the people!

At this moment, the wicked man mounted his horse and quickly drove away with Zhang Erhe.

The wind whistled in his ears, and he sighed, "If all the schools of thought could be like the Mohists, the Agriculturalists, and the Medicalists, passing on their true skills and contributing to social progress... then why should we worry that China cannot stay ahead of the times?"

Zhang Erhe agreed with this statement and said in a low voice, "Compared to practical work, those theories that only shout slogans... should be abolished. They neither bring benefits to the people nor to the country; they are just empty names."

No one can judge right or wrong, merit or demerit; whether it is good or bad, future generations will bear witness.

In contrast, in later generations, there are many who give birth but do not raise their children, and it is not uncommon for children with many grandchildren to starve to death. There are hypocrites everywhere.

On the contrary, these poisons have produced countless scoundrels, while those who have not been influenced by these long-standing ideas are not necessarily disloyal, unjust, untrustworthy, or rude.

"Erhe, after you return tonight, send a message to Feng Jie and tell him to lower the threshold... Eight thousand is still a bit too little!" The wicked husband's voice, full of murderous intent, became somewhat ethereal in the wind.