The artisans of this era were quite skilled, and the designs possess a rustic and grand aesthetic. Any piece unearthed in later generations would be considered a rare treasure.
Even the most skilled tomb raiders are wary of the artifacts from this era; if caught, it's practically a capital offense!
That wretched man doesn't trust Zizhen and Xianglihe in front of him. He's afraid they think the key to this thing is its crafting rather than its shape, so he's emphasizing this point!
"Don't worry, Grand Commandant, we know!" the two said in unison, patting their chests to assure each other.
The wicked husband felt something was amiss, but seeing the two men's assurances, he said nothing more.
"Does the Grand Commandant have any further instructions? If not, we'll take our leave." The two seemed somewhat anxious.
"Don't rush, what's the hurry, you two?!"
The wicked husband was speechless. He glanced at the two of them and said irritably, "The two things we just talked about aren't urgent. Right now, there's one more thing that's the most urgent."
Upon hearing his words, the two men were startled. "Please speak, Grand Commandant!"
It should be noted that while the wicked man valued both the curved plow and the glass, he never described them in such a way, which shows how urgent the third matter was.
"You don't need to worry, this isn't difficult. I've made a promise to the King that it will be resolved within three days..."
this....
The two men were taken aback, then shook their heads with wry smiles, realizing that the so-called seriousness of the matter was only because they had given Ying Zheng a guarantee.
Seeing their expressions, the wicked husband couldn't help but laugh. "You two, really. But this matter really needs to be dealt with quickly, after all, it concerns the lives of the king and the whole family, including you two."
"Grand Commandant, what is it that can affect the lives of everyone in the world?" Zizhen and Xianglihe asked urgently, their eyes filled with solemnity.
"Salt!" The wicked man's smile vanished, his tone turning serious. "The current methods of refining salt are crude, resulting in impurities and toxins within it. Long-term consumption will shorten your lifespan!"
Zizhen and Xianglihe exchanged a glance, both seeing the worry in each other's eyes. They weren't Qin Shi Huang, and naturally knew that people couldn't live without salt.
This is poisonous if you eat it, and you'll die if you don't eat it. Isn't this a sure way to die?
"You two needn't be like that!"
Seeing how tense the two were, the wicked man comforted them, saying, "I have found several new refining methods that can remove impurities and toxins from the salt, making it pure and safe."
"But to make it widely available to the people, a huge amount of manpower is needed. I will personally operate the refining process later, and you two will assist and learn from me."
Upon hearing this, Zizhen and Xianglihe felt a great weight lifted from their hearts, but they couldn't help but ask curiously, "Grand Commandant, where did you get this refining method?"
The wicked man smiled slightly and casually made up an excuse: "I discovered this method by chance. After many attempts and improvements, I finally succeeded. But if we want to popularize and promote it on a large scale, we still need your help."
After hearing this, the two were greatly encouraged and expressed their willingness to do their best.
"Very good!" The wicked man nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this: "In that case, Erhe, quickly fetch the salt, the iron pot, and the wood ash..."
Zhang Erhe memorized what the wicked husband needed, repeated it several times to confirm, and then turned and quickly left. This matter was of great importance and could not be taken lightly.
After all, everyone has relatives and friends in this world, and even if it's not for yourself, you should still consider them.
After Nigawa left, Xianglihe took advantage of the break to discuss with Efu. Based on his twenty years of experience dealing with farm tools, he put forward several suggestions for improvement.
"Your suggestion is good, let's manufacture it according to your idea!"
Although the villain didn't understand the intricacies of various mechanisms, he was well-informed and, being a former special forces soldier, was proficient in various skills and crafts. Naturally, he could understand Xiang Lihe's advice.
Xiangli He smiled upon hearing this, feeling inexplicably refreshed. You see, these officials loved nothing more than pretending to know what they didn't and acting arrogantly.
They either read from the book or create trouble out of nothing, trying to assert their rights and status. How can they be like this wicked husband, who listens and is willing to relinquish power?
Just then, a series of footsteps sounded.
"Grand Commandant, everything you requested has been found!"
Zhang Erhe's voice came from outside the door. The three of them immediately got up and went out of the study. They saw Zhang Erhe standing outside the door with dozens of people carrying large and small bags.
"Very good, first set up these iron pots and heat them up!"
At the wicked man's command, Zhang Erhe and the others immediately sprang into action.
"Luckily, I made a lot of iron pots for my appetite, which saved me a lot of trouble!"
In this era, most items were made of bronze or clay, serving as containers and cooking utensils. Clay pots were definitely unusable, and bronze ware was barely acceptable, but ultimately not as convenient or inexpensive as ironware.
Since the Qin state was located inland with no sea, the method of salt production by sun-drying was definitely not feasible, and they simply couldn't obtain sea salt. Therefore, before unifying China, they could only use three methods: water dissolution, distillation, and caustic soda.
Water solubility is too slow, so it can be used as an auxiliary means of increasing production. The plan is to use distillation or caustic soda method as the main means to refine large quantities of refined salt.
First, the salt is steamed over a wood fire. The steam carries away the moisture, leaving behind a concentrated salt solution. The concentrated solution is then cooled and solidified to obtain purer refined salt.
Steaming and boiling require a lot of firewood, which is also quite expensive. Especially in winter, poor people can't even get firewood for heating, let alone the supply of refined salt.
Based on the principle of making the most of everything, the wicked man planned to collect the ashes from the burned plants and use them to refine mineral salts using the caustic soda process.
This method can only deal with ordinary salt, but the Qin state rose to power in the Three Qin regions, which are rich in mineral salt. In order to prevent it from attracting the covetousness of those with ulterior motives, the evil man plans to simultaneously and vigorously mine the mineral salt.
To refine mineral salt, the only method is the caustic soda process. This method is extremely effective for mineral salt. It involves mixing salt with substances such as wood ash and heating to produce a sodium hydroxide solution. This solution is then diluted with water, filtered to remove insoluble matter, and finally evaporated to obtain clean table salt.
In this way, the salt production can be guaranteed to proceed without any unforeseen circumstances.
He doesn't intend to hide the fact that he's refining salt; in fact, he wants to spread the word that the salt people eat is poisonous. He'll say either you pay for his refined salt or you suffer from the poison.
He even planned that the price of the refined salt delivery should be set high, preferably so that the poor people could not afford it, in order to provoke internal conflicts in other countries and prepare for the future subjugation of the four countries.
The people under the rule of Qin could buy refined salt for consumption at a price far lower than the current price of toxic salt.
At that time... the people of Shikoku will definitely be furious!
You powerful and wealthy people can afford to eat, but we ordinary poor people deserve to die?
Look at the Qin state; even the poorest people could achieve the freedom to consume refined salt.
Once a stark contrast is created and people's hearts are stirred, let's see how your four kingdoms will withstand the anger from the poor and needy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
