Great Ming: I Started by Escaping with the Emperor Grandfather 86

Zhu Shou looked at Shen Can with a look of disbelief, heartbroken as he exclaimed, “Lord Shen, you are a dignified Minister of Works! How could you not know about the assembly line?”

Shen Can’s face was filled with ignorance, his expression sorrowful as he replied, “Young Master Zhu, I truly do not know!”

“I can swear to the heavens that there is absolutely no assembly line in our Great Ming!”

Zhu Shou, with a look of skepticism, scoffed, “Lord Shen, don’t joke! The assembly line has existed since the Qin Dynasty!”

“Before Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, the powerful bows and military weapons of the Qin people were all manufactured in batches using the assembly line!”

“How could our magnificent Great Ming not have something as basic as an assembly line?”

As he spoke, he suddenly slapped his forehead and grinned, “Impossible, this absolutely cannot be! Lord Shen, you cannot be this ignorant!”

“Quickly, tell this commoner the truth—are you pretending to be stupid? Right?”

Shen Can’s old face flushed red with embarrassment, feeling as if he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself in it.

If only he could say he was pretending to be foolish!

He couldn’t help but shake his head in anger, gritting his teeth as he said, “I am truly sorry to have embarrassed Young Master Zhu… I really am that ignorant…”

“There is truly no assembly line in our Great Ming…”

Zhu Shou wore a dumbfounded expression.

What the—!

Could this be true? Such a good thing as the assembly line has actually been lost?!

Have craftsmen of all past dynasties failed to see the wonders of this method?

To sit idly by while such a good technique disappeared from the annals of Chinese history, only to be shamelessly appropriated by barbarians centuries later!

But then he suddenly thought it over and realized what had happened.

The chaos caused by the Five Hu!

The various barbarians, both internal and external, have destroyed our Han Chinese legacy!

In the tumultuous era where one would abandon family for food and the gentry fled south, the common people, craftsmen, and even emperors barely clung to life each day!

Since the rise of the Qin and the glory of the Han, many miraculous crafts, once lost during those chaotic times, became forever lost!

Thinking of this, he could not help but look at Shen Can and waved his hand, sighing, “Enough, this is not Lord Shen’s fault. It’s that old thief Sima’s heinous deeds at play!”

Old thief Sima?

Is he referring to the historically infamous Sima Yi?

What does this matter have to do with that wretched soul deserving of death a thousand times over?

What miraculous aspect does the assembly line possess to earn Zhu Shou such reverence?

Shen Can appeared confused.

But he understood that Zhu Shou was remarkably talented; if he said it was a good thing, it must surely be a national treasure for the benefit of the people!

So, he quickly cupped his hands and bowed, solemnly stating, “Young Master Zhu, please forgive my ignorance; I truly do not know what the assembly line is, and I hope you will enlighten me!”

Zhu Shou smiled slightly and said, “Just talking it out won’t make it clear in a short time.”

“Get ten craftsmen here, and once they practice, Lord Shen will understand.”

Shen Can dared not delay, promptly seeking out craftsmen, and soon returned.

Upon hearing someone was going to improve the procedure, all the craftsmen in the iron workshop set aside their work and swarmed over.

They regarded Zhu Shou with a mixture of surprise, curiosity, disdain, and indifference.

Zhu Shou didn’t beat around the bush; he directly pointed to the leading craftsman and commanded, “You, take charge of forging the blank. Don’t worry about the remaining procedures; just focus on making a fine iron blank. Do you understand?”

The other party nodded earnestly, saying, “Yes, Your Excellency, I understand!”

Zhu Shou then spoke to another blacksmith, “As for you, just take care of the soil burning!”

“After you finish burning the blade, pass the knife blank to the next colleague, then keep going with the soil and burn the blade again, understood?”

“Got it, Your Excellency!”

Zhu Shou nodded with satisfaction, looking at the third craftsman: “You are to handle the quenching!”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

“And you are responsible for attaching the handle!”

“Certainly!”

“And you are to sharpen the edge!”

“Sure thing!”

One by one, they clasped their fists and patted their chests in agreement.

The remaining five craftsmen exchanged glances, completely puzzled.

Someone could not help but ask, “Your Excellency, what are we five supposed to do?”

Zhu Shou smiled cheerily and said, “You all, just continue as usual, whatever the standard procedure is for making the blanks, do that. Just forge a military weapon perfectly!”

Shen Can was momentarily taken aback, bewilderedly asking, “Young Master Zhu, why do it this way?”

Zhu Shou shot him a look of exasperation, replying, “Lord Shen, your mind is foggy; this commoner fears you won’t grasp the essence of the assembly line!”

“By dividing the craftsmen into two teams, it’ll be evident who forges faster and whose knife is better!”

“Isn’t that the way, Lord Shen?”

Shen Can suddenly realized, nodding vigorously, “Ah, yes! Young Master Zhu, your reasoning is indeed sound!”

After saying this, he urged the craftsmen, “Hurry! You all get to work! I must see what the assembly line is truly capable of!”

With his command, the ten craftsmen quickly split into two groups, methodically forging the same type of long military knife.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The crisp sound of hammering instantly echoed throughout the workshop.

These people were already adept at the refining process for military equipment, and very quickly, they forged the standardized long knives.

Zhu Shou immediately waved his hand and said, “Alright, everyone stop!”

The craftsmen hurriedly ceased their work, putting down their iron blanks.

Shen Can felt as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, immediately parting the crowd to look closer.

He saw that the team using the assembly line method had forged three long knives in just half an hour!

While the team employing the old method had only managed to reach the quenching stage at best!

The difference was clear!

Everyone stood dumbfounded!

Especially Minister of Works Shen Can, his eyes bulging like copper bells, nearly dropping his jaw in shock!

What the heck!

Clearly, they were forging the same standardized long knife, with the same level of craftsmanship and in the same time frame!

But after rearranging the refining process, the efficiency had increased by a full three times!

This was simply miraculous!

Suddenly, he thought of something and quickly shouted, “Quick! Verify whether these three long knives are qualified!”

For military equipment, the Ministry had a stringent verification standard.

One craftsman, upon hearing this, darted off without delay to test the three long knives against the standards.

Moments later, he returned, his expression excited as he reported, “Report to Lord Shen! All three long knives meet our Great Ming’s military equipment verification standard!”

Boom!

These words were like thunderclaps overhead!

Shen Can’s lips trembled in excitement, his entire body shivering!

Heavens!

This is a miracle!

A miracle happening right before his eyes!

How could he still be a Minister of Works, yet not even grasp the improvement of procedures at all? He had lived half his life without realizing anything substantial!

People are better than other people, pushing him to despair!

What a shame it is for his old face!

Seeing his face redden and remain silent for a while, Zhu Shou couldn’t help but ask, “Lord Shen, do you now understand what an assembly line is?”

“I understand, I understand everything…”

Shen Can regained his senses, suddenly invigorated as he excitedly clapped, saying, “Ah, Young Master Zhu is truly a gifted individual! I must enter the palace to seek a title for you!”

Zhu Shou was immediately taken aback, frantically grabbing his sleeve, exclaiming, “Lord Shen, what do you mean seeking a title?”

Shen Can, with an excited expression, passionately declared, “Young Master Zhu has contributed the superior steel method and the assembly line, creating great merit for the court!”

“I truly cannot bear to see Young Master Zhu remain beneath a merchant’s status! I must advise the emperor to grant you a title!”

“Rest assured, even if I die, I will make this happen!”

With that, he laughed heartily and was about to walk out.

Zhu Shou’s face turned pale.

Seeing that he couldn’t stop him, Zhu Shou kicked Shen Can hard, sending him sprawling.

“Old dog Shen!”

“I kindly help you out, yet you dare to put me in a pit?!”

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