Chapter 890: Part-Time Master of the Mohist School (Part 2) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"Let's take excavators as an example for now."
The Mohists nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes!"
Shen Tang's throat was dry from talking, and a perceptive Mo Zhe immediately brought her a cup of tea. Gu Chi and Kang Shi frowned at this gesture. Although the strength and physique of martial artists and scholars far surpassed those of ordinary people, it did not mean they were immune to poison; they had to be even more careful about what they ingested.
Even if these Mohists were indeed of innocent origin.
"Excavators are mainly used for digging and transportation, which is obvious to everyone. They are indeed more efficient than manual labor in reclaiming wasteland, but that's not the right approach! When people are sick, they need the right medicine for the right ailment, and the same applies to fields. Fields in different places are all different. Some fields are dry, some are wet, some are full of gravel, and some have intertwined root systems... Should all these fields be dug up by the same excavator? Furthermore, if a field is to yield a good harvest, it needs to be deeply plowed and carefully cultivated, with high fertility, so that the crops are not prone to lodging. Can an ordinary excavator handle all of these things?"
Bei Qiu was able to immediately apply what he learned to other situations.
"Does the lord mean that different prescriptions are needed for different fields? In other words, different excavators?"
Shen Tang nodded in satisfaction: "That's exactly right."
Hmm, he's a promising young man.
"We can think of today's excavators as a panacea, a prescription that can cure almost any ailment. We just need to add targeted ingredients to this prescription to amplify the effect of a particular ingredient, and the disease will be cured!"
If Dr. Dong heard Shen Tang's words, he would probably glare at her, but convincing a group of Mohists would be no problem. Looking at the thoughtful crowd, she continued, "If you are knowledgeable in agriculture, you should know how to cultivate the land. Tilling loosens the soil. Deep plowing and fine harrowing make wading through dry land no problem! You still need to loosen the soil with shovels from time to time, which is too labor-intensive. If an excavator could cut away all the soil in a field, shredding fertilizer and weeds and turning them into the soil, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Farmland is not easy to manage.
After doing all that, you still have to use a rake or similar tool to loosen the soil, clear away debris, and then slowly compact the soil.
"For a farmer to accomplish all of this, they would need to constantly change their farming tools, and it would take an unimaginable amount of time. They work hard all year round, but if the weather is uncooperative, all their efforts would be in vain. Alas, what if an excavator could meet all of these needs? Do you know how much effort and energy a farmer could save? Wouldn't the extra time allow them to tend to even more fields? One acre of land can't support one person, but what about ten, twenty, or thirty acres?"
"Only by cultivating more land can the common people have a way to survive!"
As she spoke, Shen Tang revealed a sorrowful expression: "Furthermore, not every household has able-bodied young people. Some families only have the elderly and weak left. How are they supposed to make a living? Even if we give them land, the old are too old and the young are too young. Can they handle the physical demands?"
These are all pain points!!!
How many people could be saved if these pain points could be resolved? And now, the hope of resolving these pain points rests on their shoulders!
Some people already have ideas, but others are still worried: "Mr. Shen's ideas are bold and innovative, but the excavator is Mr. Shen's masterpiece. We don't know much about it, let alone how to build a high-rise building on it. We are ignorant and humbly request Mr. Shen to give us some guidance."
Shen Tang did not show any displeasure.
He smiled and said, "I wouldn't presume to offer guidance, but I do have some ideas. For example, we could work on the boom and stick of the excavator. We could change the style of the bucket, replacing the shovel with a clamp."
To give everyone a clearer and more intuitive understanding, Shen Tang raised her hand and used her spiritual energy to draw the general outline of a small excavator in her palm. Then she cut off the bucket and drew a claw-like outline to fill in the original bucket position.
The gripper penetrates deep into the soil, its serrated teeth cutting through clods and bringing up debris beneath the soil. The Mohist who asked the question revealed a look of sudden realization, muttering to himself, "If that's the case, the serrated teeth can be arranged horizontally or vertically?"
Shen Tang said, "That depends on the situation."
It's easy to say, but controlling the "gripper" is a real headache, with its complex and precise internal structure. Even with such a daunting problem, these Mohists will work hard to overcome it. Shen Tang only needs to state his demands and make grand promises!
Making empty promises is easy enough; all you need is a mouth.
Shen Tang clenched his fist and shattered the illusory image that had been conjured.
"Of course, the needs of farmland are not limited to this. Cultivation is only the initial step. After that, there is sowing. Can we use similar tools for sowing so that farmers can take a break? When the crops are ripe, can we harvest them all at once? Of course, you can't get fat in one bite. We don't want to do it all at once. We can do it in small bites!" From this perspective, her requirements are not demanding.
Bei Qiu was a little dumbfounded: "Sowing...sowing?"
Can tools be used to replace sowing?
Shen Tang said, "Yes! According to my initial idea, this thing will definitely need a box for storing grain seeds."
Some scholars began to ponder: "How are seeds separated?"
If you're using a tool to sow seeds, you can't put all the seeds in one hole at once, right? How can you control the number of seeds?
Another Mohist, resting his chin on his hand, said: "In that case, the grain seeds certainly cannot be sown directly on the soil; we must first dig pits at equal intervals?"
Someone countered, "Do we need to dig a hole first?"
Doing this takes a lot of physical and mental energy? Is there any way to slack off?
One of the scholars scratched his head: "We could make a tool similar to an arrowhead for digging holes. Farmers could just take the tool and poke a hole in the ground, one after another? No, that's not as good as using a hoe. Why not make a row of arrowheads?"
Someone crossed their arms and sneered, "How many in a row? Is that thing on your neck a human brain? Even a single arrowhead won't easily penetrate the ground, let alone several in a row! What ordinary person has that kind of strength? With that kind of strength, you could dig a whole row of holes with a hoe. What a crooked idea!"
Her face flushed with anger at the mockery: "You—"
Clearly, no one cared that she was being attacked. Her fellow disciple sitting next to her murmured, "Actually, arrows would work too. We can't bother two people at once. Why don't we also put the arrows on the seed-planting tool? It's just that a row of arrows would definitely require a lot of strength."
The woman representing Shen Tang lifted her eyelids.
"Are you all just staring at one row?"
Seeing her disdainful look, the Mohists, whose minds were already focused on the feasibility of a "row of arrows," instantly exploded. They couldn't accept such a contemptuous gaze. One of them immediately jumped up and shouted, "What do you mean by that look? Do you have a better idea?"
The voice was shrill and cracking, and it looked like he was about to roll up his sleeves.
Shen Tang and the other two were dumbfounded. Where did this tension come from?
She spoke softly, "Let's communicate amicably—"
The Mohist's attention wasn't on her; he couldn't hear her!
Even if they hear it, they choose to ignore it, because it concerns the dignity of the Mohists! There is zero tolerance for this!
The woman sneered as she pulled a round pad from her bosom, stood up, and said arrogantly, "Why must a row of arrows be laid out evenly? Why can't they be attached separately to a disc? As the disc rolls, only one arrow will hit the ground at a time. Do you accept this?"
The Mohists who were arguing instantly turned pale.
He couldn't utter a single word for a long time, then plopped down in frustration. The woman snorted and sat down as well, but her posture was as proud as a general who had won a great victory, drawing admiration from all the Mohists around her. Her thinking was excellent; she could indeed solve the problem beautifully.
Bei Qiu offered another idea: "Uncle-Master, I don't think we need to worry about using arrowheads to dig holes. We can actually just dig trenches and attach a trenching knife to the tool. We can also continue using the disc idea. We can make grooves at equal intervals on the disc, allowing the seeds to flow out of the grooves. As the disc rolls over the grooves, all the seeds will fall into the grooves, and then we can just cover them with soil!"
The woman never expected that Bei Qiu would sabotage her.
The Mohists who proposed the arrowhead idea were even more displeased.
"No, no—"
Suddenly, the camp was filled with chatter and tension.
"You should listen to me on this!"
"My ideas are clearly more suitable for the present moment!"
"What's wrong with your brain? This is like taking off your pants to fart!"
"I've disliked you for a long time..."
"Hmph, after fighting for half your life, you envy me for having 'qi'? Let me tell you, I can definitely dissolve this bit of energy!"
"Who's envious? Who can survive without breath?"
"Harvest! Harvest!"
"Don't even mention your idea for a harvesting tool! Is that how you harvest crops? One swipe and the field is empty!"
Unbeknownst to anyone, Shen Tang and his two companions had already moved outside the tent. Inside, the Mohists went from exchanging pleasantries to verbal sparring, and then escalated to physical fights. They argued heatedly, their faces red and necks bulging, trying to persuade each other with reason and force.
Shen Tang, the culprit, looked utterly terrified.
She covered her head with both hands, while Gu Chi covered his ears with both hands.
"Are the Mohists really this fierce?"
Shen Tang cautiously peeked out and peered inside.
A sharp-eyed person spotted someone displaying "Non-Aggression"! "Non-Aggression"! This is utterly disrespectful to the name "Non-Aggression".
Gu Chi said, "They can curse with their mouths, but they're even more irritable inside."
This experience alone made him decide to avoid the Mohists from now on; the fighting power of those fifty-six was beyond even his lord's reach. Especially Bei Qiu, who seemed as gentle and mild-mannered as a rabbit, was like a candle that had infiltrated an army of fireflies!
Does Yun Yuanmou know about this?
Shen Tang felt a pang of sympathy, and then became distressed.
"I still have a lot of big plans to make."
Gu Chi and Kang Shi both cast horrified glances at each other.
"For example?"
Shen Tang spoke quickly: "These tools can't all be used for downward operations. We can try a different approach and use them for upward operations! An ordinary person simply can't lift a log as thick as a person, but if we modify an excavator, can't we lift it up?"
Since we're just making empty promises anyway, why not make them bigger?
Seeing their expressions, she said matter-of-factly, "In the past, when setting up military defenses and building towers on the front lines, didn't we use pulleys and similar things to save effort? Why can't we just save effort completely? If it weren't for the fact that we could directly use morale to create siege weapons like catapults in battle, we would still have to spend manpower to manufacture them..."
Even in war, they can slack off like this.
Why can't ordinary people be lazy when building houses?
Gu Chi said, "It's not that it's impossible..."
Anyway, it wasn't his responsibility to turn the lord's cake into reality.
These Mohists are so energetic; the capable are always the ones who do the most work.
When things calmed down, the Mohists in the tent seemed to have reached a temporary consensus. Shen Tang and her two companions quietly returned to their original positions as if nothing had happened, as if they had never left. The Mohists, their minds now cleared, finally remembered their presence and apologized profusely, but Shen Tang simply and gently forgave their rudeness. What was there to blame them for? These were all precious treasures.
The Mohists admired Shen Tang's magnanimity even more.
She remained calm and composed, saying, "I have carefully considered your discussion just now, and each of you has your own strengths, which is truly admirable! However, I have a suggestion—you might as well give it a try. After all, practice makes perfect!"
Does practice yield true knowledge?
The Mohists pondered this statement.
These five words, a mere few words, are a wake-up call!
Some Mohists felt that the "qi" in their bodies flowed more smoothly, without the previous slight stagnation. Others felt that their ears and eyes were clear and they entered a mysterious state that was neither real nor unreal. Many more Mohists clapped their hands and shouted "Good!"
Shen Tang's smile was slightly stiff.
She has been staying here for quite a while.
Just as she was about to find an excuse to leave, she saw the woman from before exchange glances with the others, finally passing the message to Bei Qiu. Bei Qiu took a deep breath and stepped forward before Shen Tang could speak.
"My lord, we have a request that we cannot make."
Shen Tang was very agreeable at this moment: "Tell me, as long as it's within my power, I will definitely try my best to satisfy you."
This promise is incredibly important!
Many Mohists were moved to tears.
Bei Qiu: "I wonder what the lord's opinion is on the Grand Prince?"
Shen Tang knew that the "Grand Master" that Bei Qiu mentioned was the leader of the Mohists. It was also because the former Grand Master had foresight that the Mohist organization was able to survive to this day, enduring the cold winter and welcoming the warm spring: "He has great wisdom and foresight that is beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"I dare to ask that you, my lord, become our Grand Master!"
For the Mohists, the Lord and the Grand Master are different. Although both identities are those of a commander, the Mohists may leave their Lord in the future because of their ideals, but they will never betray their Grand Master! They made this request for three reasons: first, they admired their Lord's abilities; second, they were grateful to her for saving the Mohist tradition; and third, there was also a little... no, a great deal of personal motive.
If the lord could become the Grand Master and acknowledge this status, even if they, the Mohists, were unable to expand her territory or establish her authority in the future, their situation wouldn't be too bad out of consideration for this bond of kinship. This was selfishness, and also a calculation. Bei Qiu blushed with shame when she said it. She felt ashamed and guilty for her actions. The lord had already forgiven her and pardoned her for abusing her power for personal gain, yet she had schemed against the lord.
How could the lord not be disappointed by such a despicable and ugly act?
However, for the sake of the Mohists—
Bei Qiu gritted her teeth and stood up resolutely.
She kept telling herself—
Bei Qiu, just this once, this is the last time!
From this day forward, your life belongs to the lord!
Everyone held their breath, anxiously awaiting the final result.
Is it life?
Or die?
Perhaps it was a few breaths, perhaps it was longer, but a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the benevolent monarch sitting on the throne, which then transformed into a drowning tenderness that melted the hearts of all who saw it.
She said, "Okay."
|ω`)
I'm going to sleep now.
The mechanical content in the article is all made up; I will revise any problematic parts tomorrow.
I don't know if it's because the website's anti-theft measures are ineffective or because of the start of the school year, but starting from September 1st, the number of new users has plummeted.
The two chapters were combined into one update, and the new content barely reached last month's average.
(End of this chapter)
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