340. Return To Xiapi, Turning Focus On Technology

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As for the accounting method, he feels that they should implement it as soon as possible starting in Xiapi as their testing site, and if it proves to be successful then it would be spread to all parts of his domain and even be put on the curriculum of Xiapi's Academy, to teach the bright minds that managed to enroll in the academy of this new method, and this receive agreements from all of his advisors.

Still astounded by Lie Fan's new calculating method, Sima Lang asked Lie Fan's permission to make a copy of this book and to implement it as well on Guangling, which could help in gaining more data and they could compare the results from Xiapi and Guangling.

Lie Fan gave Sima Lang permission after thinking that what Sima Lang just said made sense, and he was also stimulated by what Sima Lang said about copying his book and realized that he could also invent the woodblock printing press from the Northern Song Dynasty in 1040 AD.

This could massively help him in spreading and raising the average level of the commoner's intellect and also make it easier for him to then create a newspaper department, where everyone could more or less know what was happening in the land or his domain.

While everyone returned to eating the delicacies and drinking tea that was served to them, Lie Fan checked the system store and searched for the printing press.

There he founded two types of the earliest printing press, which were the Woodblock Printing Press by Bi Sheng from the Northern Song Dynasty in 1040 AD and the other one was the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg from Germany in 1440.

The first one was priced at 250,000 SP and the second one priced was priced at 450,000 SP. The two were very pricey in their own way, and Lie Fan decided to buy both of them spending 700,000 SP in one click.

He buys the two of them and not just the woodblock printing press because he looks to the future, if China in the future was still stuck on the woodblock printing press when he passed away and his dynasty was long gone, maybe his future descendants could invent the movable-type printing press.

So that in the future the world wouldn't just revolve around Europe, giving the countries in Asia not just China earlier role in the world and not just from War or Conquering.

After buying both schematics, he stored them inside his inventory and continued to enjoy the banquet until evening, as for Sima Lang he left the hall after receiving the accounting book from Lie Fan to copy it.

The next day, Lie Fan and his party continue their journey to return to Xiapi. They spent around a month before reaching Xiapi, and Lie Fan immediately headed to the Governor's Castle while his family, Lu Lingqi, and Lady Yan returned to the Lie Clan residence and the Lu Clan residence respectively.

In the Governor's Castle, Lie Fan followed by Jia Xu, Sun Qian, Chen Qun, Sima Yi, and his bodyguards were welcomed by Chen Gui and Xun You who were informed of Lie Fan's arrival and were free to meet him.

Lie Fan informed the two of them that he wanted to hold a meeting with all of his advisors that was present in Xiapi currently, he also told them that he invited the three deans of Xiapi Academy which was Zhuge Xuan, Cai Yong, and Lu Zhi to join the meeting.

Both Chen Gui and Xun You cupped their hand receiving Lie Fan's order, Xun You glanced at Jia Xu and gestured to Jia asking him if there was an emergency, to which Jia Xu replied by shaking his head saying that there was no emergency.

Xun You could only leave the hall alongside Chen Gui with questions lingering in their mind, thinking about what reason could have possibly caused Lie Fan to hold a meeting the second he returned back from the Sun Clan's Capital.

Lie Fan took a seat in his chair while waiting for all of his advisors who were present at Xiapi, he took out the schematics of the Salt Evaporation Pods Schematics & Techniques and Sugar Making Techniques, alongside the woodblock printing press schematic.

He already has an explanation for the woodblock schematics that he hasn't shown to Jia Xu, Sun Qian, and Chen Qun during the banquet at Guangling, and it was that this is a schematic that he stored inside his office and he ordered an Oriole member to took it out from his bookcase where the hidden it.

Lie Fan waited for around an hour before all of his advisors who were present in Xiapi alongside the Three Dean of Xiapi Academy arrived, and then Lie Fan began the meeting by thanking everyone who managed to join in the meeting.

Lie Fan: "I'm sure that all of you were confused as to why I suddenly held a meeting after returning from Sun Ce's enthronement, first let me explain that there was nothing wrong and everything went smoothly during my stay there, the reason I call all of you here is to discuss our focus for this year which was technology."

Chen Gui: "It's good to hear that everything there went smoothly My Lord, and if I may ask My Lord representing everyone, what does My Lord mean by focusing on technology?"

Lie Fan: "Just like what I have said, Master Chen Gui. Our focus would be on developing our technology this year, of course not just on military invention but also on domestic invention that could improve our government efficiency and the livelihood of our people."

Zhuge Xuan: "That's wonderful news to hear My Lord, many lords focused on developing military inventions but abandoned domestic inventions, and I'm happy to hear that My Lord focused on both."

Lu Zhi: "If My Lord convened all of us to this meeting, I think My Lord should have an invention or two that My Lord would like to present to us and needed our advice?"

Lie Fan: "Yes! What Master Lu Zhi said is correct, during my stay at Guangling I showed Wenhe, Gongyou, and Changwen some of it which was an Accounting method that I created myself, Salt Evaporation Pods Schematics & Techniques, and Sugar Making Techniques. What I haven't shown yet to all of you is a schematic called the Woodblock printing press."

Jia Xu: "My Lord I think My Lord should let the others read the Accounting method that My Lord created, Salt Evaporation Pods Schematics & Techniques, and Sugar Making Techniques, as I, Sun Qian, and Chen Qun could help My Lord explains it, as for the Woodblock Printing Press My Lord can show and explain it to us first."

Hearing what Jia Xu said, Lie Fan agreed and began to explain the Woodblock Printing Press schematics alongside the impact it could have on a large scale, not just on his domain but the land as a whole.

Listening to Lie Fan's explanation, everyone was surprised and in shock because if what Lei Fan said was true, then this Woodblock Printing Press could help and improve the literary world massively.

Books and Scrolls could be mass produced at a cheaper cost, which could help in decreasing the upkeep of Xiapi's Academy. The mass production of famous books of knowledge could help scholars that come from middle class backgrounds acquire them.

Of course, this also has a downside, Zhuge Xuan and Cai Yong were the first to notice, that this invention could reduce the writing and even calligraphy skills of many scholars because they would train and do it less due to many books and scrolls being circulated at a more cheaper price.

There's also a chance that people with bad intentions can use this invention to spread bad teachings, or even steal someone's manuscript and then mass copy it and then sell it under their name.

They raised this concern to Lie Fan, where not all of the people present shared their concerns. Lu Zhi, Chen Gui, and Mao Jie supported Zhuge Xuan and Cai Yong's concerns after hearing what they said.

As for the rest, they don't share the concern that Zhuge Xuan and Cai Yong raise, especially Jia Xu and Mi Zhu who see the value of this invention at a much larger scale.

Jia Xu where could see that with this invention, the speed of spreading false information on enemies' domains would be much easier and faster, and announcements would be spread much faster on Lie Fan's domain as there's no need to copy by hand.

While Mi Zhu of course sees it from the economic side, he sees that Lie Fan could save many expenses, especially in Xiapi Academy where they need to buy many books and scrolls every two months for the students.

He also sees the benefit of having the printing press, where new business will definitely created from the appearance of this invention, which possibly could boost the economy even though the downside of the price of books and scrolls will be much lower.

Jia Xu and Mi Zhu alongside the others actually could understand the concerns shared by Zhuge Xuan and Cai Yong, but in their mind, the gain outweighed the losses they could incur so the two of them argued against their concern and supported this invention.

Debates soon occurred between both sides, where each had a valid point and Lie Fan let this happen for some minutes before stopping them, after everyone stopped he then began to address Zhuge Xuan and Cai Yong's concerns.

He explained to them that this invention wouldn't be spread publicly and only the government could have possession of the printing press, to ensure that it wouldn't be used by people with bad intentions, and the Oriole would guard every single printing press that was made to ensure its safety.

As for lowering the skill level of writing and calligraphy as a whole, if those scholars were truly focused on raising their writing and calligraphy level, then this invention wouldn't have any impact and only lazy scholars would be impacted.

Hearing Lie Fan's words, both Zhuge Xuan and Cai Yong nodded their head and decided to trust Lie Fan, because they knew that Lie Fan wouldn't budge even if they protested to the end, and it would not cause a strain in their relationship with Lie Fan.

Seeing that both Zhuge Xuan and Cai Yong accepted Lie Fan's reasoning, the others who supported them soon followed suit in their step, and everyone agreed on the printing press that Lie Fan ordered for Jia Xu and Xin You bringing this to their secret hideout.

Next, the accounting methods, Salt Evaporation Pods Schematics & Techniques, and Sugar Making Techniques were introduced and Jia Xu, Sun Qian, and Chen Qun helped in explaining this to everyone in the hall.

Listening to the benefits described everyone was surprised and ecstatic, especially Mi Zhu, as he could the economic value of all of these three holds. He has taken a keen interest in Salt Evaporation Pods Schematics & Techniques and Sugar Making Techniques.

Lie Fan's Accounting method also became a big hit with everyone, and they praised Lie Fan for his ingenuity in creating such a method that could revolutionize the economic sector and other sectors that have numbers as their base structure of operation, and since everyone's reaction was very positive Lie Fan then declared that their focus this year will be with four of these inventions.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Three Heroes Who Defeat Lu Bu

Age: 30 (197 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 825

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,821,700 -> 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 936 (+20)

VIT: 598 (+20)

AGI: 583 (+10)

INT: 587

CHR: 96

WIS: 509

WILL: 397

ATR Points: 0