Near the military medical camp, there were several large earthen stoves with several huge iron pots on them.

To make these iron pots without coal, it all depends on the blacksmiths working day and night with hammer after hammer. It is okay to make some light and small pots by forging, but how difficult is it to forge a super huge iron pot?

, it can be seen from the pot shape of several large iron pots with uneven thickness and uneven thickness.

However, no matter what, although the iron pot is ugly, at least it can be used.

On weekdays, several large iron pots are used to steam buns and fry meatballs, which is extremely convenient. But now, a group of craftsmen are busy around the stove, pouring some crushed sesame into the pot.

And stir the pot with a wooden stick from time to time.

The cooking process has been going on for some time. The stove is filled with firewood and the fire is roaring fiercely. The water in the pot is gurgling and white.

On the side, Guan Yu and Liu Bei stood side by side, silently watching the craftsmen at work.

Liu Bei suddenly turned around and asked, "Yun Chang, is this how paper is made?"

Guan Yu was silent for a moment and stared at the busy craftsmen beside the stove. Guan Yu said, "There are generally two methods of papermaking. One of the methods is to sink the paper-making materials such as hemp or bark into the pond for many years.

" Turning to look at Liu Bei, Guan Yu asked, "Brother, do you know why this is?"

Liu Bei didn't know anything about papermaking. He touched his chin and thought for a while, "Is it for retting hemp?"

Guan Yu nodded, "That's true. It's difficult to cook raw hemp and bark into pulp without retting them."

Having said this, Guan Yu stared at Liu Bei for a while. Guan Yu suddenly became very excited to show off his knowledge. He asked with a smile, "Do you know, brother, how to make hemp by sinking it into a pond, whether it is rolling rope or making paper?"

It’s all convenient, why is that?”

Liu Bei thought for a while and then replied, "If the hemp is soaked in the pond and rots, it will no longer be strong and strong. Therefore, it is convenient to rub the rope or boil the pulp."

Guan Yu nodded, with a smile on his face. There was a rare playful look in Guan Yu's eyes. He asked again, "Do you know, brother, why? As soon as the hemp is soaked, he loses his softness. Why is that?"

?”

Liu Bei frowned and glanced at Guan Yu. Guan Yu's probing question was strange.

After the hemp is soaked, it will no longer be strong. Everyone knows this, and everyone in the world knows it. However, when Liu Bei was asked to tell him why, Liu Bei thought he could answer casually, but when he opened his mouth, Liu Bei found that he could not answer.

Don't know how to answer.

Liu Bei opened his mouth several times, but said nothing. "This... the hemp that grows in the pond will become soft after retting. This is normal. How can it be done?" Liu Bei was puzzled and frowned.

As expected, Liu Bei answered like this. Guan Yu stroked his long beard, smiled happily, and shook his head with laughter.

When Liu Bei saw this, his face was full of doubts.

Without waiting for Liu Bei to ask, Guan Yu looked at the busy craftsmen coming and going and said quietly, "Brother, do you know something? There are people who sink raw hemp in ponds, but there are also people who sink raw hemp in mud ditches and manure pits. In this way, it is necessary to

The sinking pond has been numb for many years and can rot in a few months.

Brother, do you know this?"

When Liu Bei thought about it, it was indeed true. The trouble with retting in the countryside was indeed that if you put hemp in the mud ditch, the hemp would be retting faster. Liu Bei nodded, "That's true."

Guan Yu followed up and asked, "But why is this so? Why can hemp sink into silt ditches and manure pits faster than sinking into ponds? Why is this?"

Guan Yu's eyes were shining with concentration, which was extremely serious and not the look he had when casually chatting. This was like the solemn look when discussing academic matters.

Liu Bei didn't even know what happened to Guan Yu. Why did he keep asking questions? Liu Bei thought for a moment and shook his head, "I don't know! Retting in mud ponds is fast. It's like this. Who knows?" Liu Bei spread his hands, helpless.

Extremely.

Guan Yu sighed and looked at the busy craftsmen with a faint look, "Xi'er told a certain person that the most common things in the world often contain the mysteries of heaven and earth.

People in the world only wish to know what is happening, but do not understand why it is so. They regard it as ordinary and see it as a habit, without ever having the intention to go deeper into it. Therefore, all the mysteries are there, but they cannot pick them up."

Guan Yu felt this, sighed, and turned to look at Liu Bei, "It is common to grow hemp, and it is also common for hemp to sink into the pond. It can only be used after the hemp is grown and sinks into the pond. This is also common."

At the beginning of paper-making, Xi'er asked him about this matter, and he replied like a big brother. At that time, Xi'er asked again and again, which made him very annoyed. Xi'er just thought he had nothing to do to amuse himself, so he kept fussing.

Little did I know that not long after, the secret of papermaking would be revealed!"

As soon as Liu Bei heard Guan Yu talk about Li Mengxi, Liu Bei knew that this was something unusual. When he heard Guan Yu talk about papermaking, Liu Bei, who had never been more curious about papermaking, became very interested when he heard about papermaking. He stared.

Staring at Guan Yu with big eyes, he asked, "The secret of papermaking...if not, is it related to retting?"

"Yes!" Guan Yu nodded, "It's very relevant!"

Looking at Liu Bei, Guan Yu continued what he had just asked, "As I just asked, brother, do you know why retting sesame in mud ponds and manure pits is much faster than in sinking ponds? Why is this?"

Knowing the secret of papermaking, Liu Bei no longer took this common problem seriously. He thought about it seriously, frowning and thinking for a long time, but no matter how much he thought about it, he could not figure out the answer.

Liu Bei could only shake his head, "I really don't know why."

Guan Yu paused for a moment, "That's okay, think about it this way," Guan Yu stroked his long beard with his hand, smiled slightly, and said slowly, "Brother, you might as well think about it, what is the difference between this mud pit and a pond?"

Liu Bei thought for a moment, with doubts and hesitation on his face, "The pond is deep and wide, but the mud pit... is shallow?"

"...Hmm." Guan Yu was noncommittal, with a calm expression, and hummed, "Then does the elder brother think that this depth has something to do with Shen Ma?"

Liu Bei thought hard and frowned more tightly, "It seems..., nothing?"

"Hmm." Guan Yu still didn't know whether it was right or not, so he asked again, "Then, besides depth, width, and width, what's the difference between a pond and a mud pit?"

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Liu Bei replied, "The pond is clear, but the pit is dirty."

The answer is already close.

Guan Yu had a faint smile on his face. He looked at Liu Bei and asked again, "Aside from the clearing of the pond, what else is there?"

Liu Bei frowned and thought deeply. He couldn't think of any difference and could only shake his head.

Seeing Liu Bei was just one step away from seeing the truth. Guan Yu guided him without leaving a trace, "This pond is clear but dirty. What will happen to this clear pond? This pit is a dirty place. Every summer, especially this one, tsk...

…”

After Guan Yu's reminder, Liu Bei opened his eyes slightly and suddenly realized, "The pond is clear, so there are few insects, but the mud ditches and manure pits are full of bugs, insects, flies and the like, and are filthy. Is this true?" Liu Bei's eyes widened.

, staring closely at Guan Yu.

Guan Yu smiled but did not answer. He asked with a smile, "Do you think insects, flies and the like have anything to do with retting? Yes or no?" After asking, Guan Yu stroked his long beard and smiled lightly.

still.

At this time, Liu Bei hesitated.

Ponds and mud pits, there are fewer insects in ponds, but more insects in mud pits. These two are also the time for retting. Retting in ponds is slow, while retting in mud pits is fast.

The difference between the two is that one has fewer insects and the other has more insects, and one retting is fast and the other is slow.

If there is a relationship, it seems to be related.

Liu Bei was very surprised, "...could it be that the speed of retting has something to do with insects and flies?"

"Yeah," Guan Yu nodded, "That's almost it."

It was really like this. Liu Bei's eyes widened even more. Liu Bei scratched his head and couldn't figure it out. "...But, why?" Liu Bei even started to ask questions.

Guan Yu thought for a while and asked, "Brother, do you think retting is faster in spring and summer, and faster in winter?"

Liu Bei didn't even think about it, "It's spring and summer."

Life experience is like this: in the winter, the hemp sinks into the pond, and when it is dug out in the spring, the hemp is still green, but it cannot be retting in the winter.

Guan Yu then asked, "Then why is spring and summer fast, but winter is slow?"

Liu Bei replied, "Spring and summer are warm, winter is cold."

Guan Yu was silent for a moment and said, "When spring and summer are warm, hemp in the pond is nothing compared to hemp in the mud in autumn. Isn't it cold in autumn? Warmth and coldness are not the key."

Meeting Liu Bei's puzzled eyes, Guan Yu revealed the answer, "It's winter and there are no insects, but spring and summer are full of insects."

Following this, Guan Yu cited other examples, "Another example is, meat is perishable in spring and summer, or is it perishable in winter?

It's spring and summer.

It’s the same principle.”

Liu Bei is not someone who knows a little bit about biology. When talking about plague earlier, Li Mengxi had already told Liu Bei and others the general concept of microorganisms. Now, when the time of year was related to insects and flies, Liu Bei suddenly had an epiphany.

His eyes lit up, "I know! It is indeed insects and flies that grow on hemp-like grass. People cannot eat grass, but insects and flies can eat it."

If the pond is clear and there are few insects, the hemp will not be eaten hard, and the retting process will take a long time; but in the mud pits and other places, there are so many insects and flies that there are countless insects and flies, so the hemp will be eaten hard, and in March and February, it will be ruined, so the hemp will be grown.

It's very easy to turn softly, is that true?!"

Once he had a great realization and understood the great secret, Liu Bei was almost excited and jumping for joy. He stared at Guan Yu and asked Guan Yu what was going on.

Guan Yu smiled, "That's probably it! It's just insects and flies."

The doubts were cleared, Liu Bei stretched hard, kicked his legs a few times, and laughed heartily.

He smiled so happily that he attracted a lot of attention.

After Liu Bei laughed for a while, Guan Yu interrupted, "They say it's insects and flies, but actually, that's not entirely true."

Liu Bei suddenly choked on his laughter and looked back in shock.

"As Xi'er said, when an immortal looks at a drop of water, there are eighty-four thousand insects.

Who has ever seen insects and flies visible to the naked eye and eaten by them?

Those who eat hemp are other things, and those who eat hemp are just microscopic insects."
To be continued...