Soon, Mo Shang and the Mo family disciples arrived outside Deyang Palace, and Zhang Rang, who was waiting there, hurriedly came into the palace.

"Your Majesty, Supervisor Mo and the others have arrived!"

"Quickly, let them in!"

When Mo Shang and the others arrived inside the hall, they found the emperor circling around the plow and harrow, examining it. They quickly approached and bowed to Liu Hong.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

"No need for formalities! Come quickly and tell me about the uses of this plow."

"promise!"

Then Mo Shang got up and came to Liu Hong's side, and began to explain in detail the advantages of the new plow and some small adjustment devices installed by their Mo family.

It not only speeds up and deepens tillage, but also allows the plow to be moved up, down, left, and right according to different soil types. Its superiority and advanced features have completely surpassed those of ordinary curved plows.

"Your Majesty, these are the measurement data obtained from our numerous experiments. Please take a look!"

Liu Hong took the blueprints handed over by Mo Shang and examined them carefully. All the data of the new plow had been recorded in detail, including even the comfort of the handle, which showed how meticulous and rigorous Mo Shang and others were in their research.

"Great! You did a very good job!"

Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Based on your estimation, how much land can this kind of plow and harrow cultivate in a day?"

Mo Shang thought for a moment, then said, "Normally, it should be able to reach about four mu. If we spare no effort, it might be able to reach five and a half mu, or even more!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Liu Hong excitedly exclaimed "Good!" three times. This new type of curved plow, after being improved by Mo Shang and his team, actually had such a fast tillage speed, which immediately delighted Liu Hong.

"Jian Shuo, go tell Lü Qiang that everyone in the Research and Development Department has made a contribution to developing the new plow. Mo Shang will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver, and the rest will each be rewarded with fifty taels of silver!"

"promise!"

Without hesitation, Jian Shuo hurriedly left Deyang Palace to find Lü Qiang to collect the rewards for Mo Shang and the others.

"Your Majesty, we thank you for your divine grace!"

Mo Shang and several Mo family disciples hurriedly bowed and expressed their gratitude.

"You have rendered great service to me and the Han Dynasty. What is this reward?"

"We owe everything to Your Majesty's guidance and support; we dare not take credit for it!"

Mo Shang said respectfully, "Without Liu Hong's blueprints, they wouldn't have been able to make the curved plow, let alone improve upon it."

"Even with my support, it still depends on your actions, doesn't it?"

Liu Hong waved his hand with a smile. "In the past there was the combine harvester, and now there's this new type of curved plow. The emergence of these two tools will greatly reduce the land's binding force on the people."

Moreover, it will accelerate the development of Guanzhong, Guanxi, and even the Northeast and South in the future. Once these are completed, the overall size of the Han Dynasty will achieve a qualitative leap.

The importance of these two items is self-evident. Liu Hong then looked at Zhang Rang and ordered, "I hereby summon the Grand Tutor, the Minister of Works, the Minister of Agriculture, and oh, the Minister of Public Works, to present their memorials in the palace!"

"promise!"

"Hurry!!"

"promise!"

Zhang Rang, who had just stepped out of the palace, heard the emperor's voice and immediately dashed out of the palace like the wind.

At this moment, only Liu Hong, Mo Shang, and a few Mo family disciples remained in the hall.

Liu Hong looked at Mo Shang and asked, "By the way, how's the papermaking improvement going?"

"Your Majesty, we have improved the papermaking tools, which has increased the papermaking speed, but the proportions of some raw materials are not yet complete! The quality of the paper produced is not ideal!"

"This matter cannot be rushed; it requires a step-by-step approach. I believe you will succeed!"

Liu Hong then asked Mo Shang about some details of papermaking, only to discover that at that time, papermaking still used the process of soaking, cooking, and then crushing to produce pulp.

This method is time-consuming and laborious, which explains why, even after Cai Lun improved it and reduced the cost of raw materials, it still could not be mass-produced and promoted.

Liu Hong thought for a moment, then said, "Has Mo Qing considered improving the production process? I believe that the cost of soaking and boiling far exceeds the value of the paper itself. No matter how cheap the raw materials are, it will be difficult to reduce the cost of papermaking!"

Liu Hong's words made Mo Shang fall into deep thought. Just as the emperor said, no matter how they improved the tools, they were always stuck on the pulp production process. From selecting raw materials to the formation of pulp, it would take at least a month, which undoubtedly greatly reduced the experimental progress and production process.

Mo Shang had a flash of inspiration, then looked at Liu Hong and asked, "Does Your Majesty mean to use another method instead of soaking and steaming?"

"good!"

Liu Hong nodded, then added, "Also, regarding the process of crushing raw materials, don't you think that crushing by hand is not only a waste of manpower, but also results in uneven crushing? You are all experts in mechanical engineering, so you could try to improve it by using machinery instead of manpower, such as a water forging machine!"

"Your Majesty, we are foolish and need Your Majesty's guidance in everything. We have truly failed to live up to Your Majesty's high expectations!"

At this moment, Mo Shang and the Mo family disciples were not only loyal to Liu Hong, but also truly admired him wholeheartedly.

Because every time they spoke with the emperor, the emperor could always find the most crucial point of the problem and then give them hints, which made the Mohists, who prided themselves on their expertise in craftsmanship, feel ashamed.

"My lords, there's no need for this."

Liu Hong smiled and then said, "As the saying goes, 'Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly.' Since you are all so focused on your research, it's inevitable that you'll overlook some things. You should go out more, travel around, and communicate with others!"

Mo Shang nodded and said humbly, "Your Majesty is right. As Confucius said, 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.' It is our lack of knowledge that has led us to this situation!"

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