Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 175 Genius Inventor Ma Jun Comes to Apply for a Job
After returning to Chenliu, Cao Yan spent almost all his time in the workshop.

Now, we have to maintain military spending, develop people's livelihoods, and support the emperor and his officials in Xudu. If we don't expand our industries and broaden our sources of revenue, we'll probably have a tough time in the future.

At this moment, Cao Yan was instructing craftsmen on how to build distillation equipment. "We'll distill and purify the liquor to produce distilled spirits with a higher alcohol content. That's the idea."

Now that Yanzhou has abundant food resources, it's time to move from ensuring basic survival to improving the quality of life.

The emergence of distilled spirits was a natural consequence.

After all, the popular rice wine and yellow wine have very low alcohol content, taste bland and tasteless, while baijiu has a high alcohol content and tastes quite different.

Moreover, baijiu (Chinese white liquor) can not only warm the body in the cold winter, but high-purity baijiu can also be used to clean wounds and disinfect, making it very versatile.

Cao Yan only had a general idea of ​​distillation equipment, but that was enough; his many craftsmen were not just for show.

After explaining his ideas in general terms, Cao Yan left the rest to the experienced craftsmen to work on. He then went with Wei Zhen to inspect several other workshops.

"My lord, orders for soap and perfume are pouring in, and our inventory is running low. Should we expand production?" Wei Zhen asked.

Although Cao Yan was promoted to General of the Rear, his old comrades in Chenliu still habitually called him Lord of the Prefecture.

Cao Yan nodded and said, "Expand! We must expand! Now we have to support the emperor and a group of court officials, so we can't afford not to increase revenue."

"My lord, our glass products are nearing completion. When will we launch them on the market?" Wei Zhen asked expectantly.

Cao Yan smiled and said, "No rush. This is a rare item that can make a lot of money, so we need to choose a suitable time to promote it."

Wei Zhen nodded and accompanied Cao Yan towards the outside of the workshop.

The workshop was heavily guarded, with a large number of soldiers stationed outside the gate, but the specially set-up craftsman recruitment office was always bustling with activity.

No matter the time, even late at night, craftsmen come to apply for jobs in an endless stream. Some even sleep outside while waiting, even before the recruitment office is open.

When Wei Zhen came out, everyone stood up and bowed. Then, their eyes fell curiously on Cao Yan, wondering who this person, who was being treated with such respect by Chief Secretary Wei, was.

Wei Zhen nodded to the crowd, and then prepared to leave with Cao Yan.

Just then, a thin, ordinary-looking young man hurriedly came to Wei Zhen, carrying a roll of blueprints.

"Wei...Wei...Wei Chief Secretary! You...can...take a look...at...this humble...commoner..." He stammered as he handed the blueprint in his hand forward, seemingly wanting Wei Zhen to see the contents of the blueprint.

Wei Zhen shook his head helplessly before the young man could finish speaking, saying, "I've told you many times, if you want to apply for a job, you need to go through the proper procedures. You can't even speak properly..."

"But...but..." The young man became more and more anxious, and his stuttering became more and more severe, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

Cao Yan, however, was curious about the blueprints in the young man's hand, so he raised his hand to stop the guards from driving him away.

He reached out to the young man, smiling, and asked, "May I see your drawings?"

The young man had been focused solely on Wei Zhen until Cao Yan spoke, at which point he noticed the distinguished-looking man behind Wei Zhen.

Seeing that the young man seemed a bit dazed, Wei Zhen couldn't help but gently remind him, "Hurry up and pay your respects to General Hou!"

Seeing the young man looking somewhat dazed, Wei Zhen said softly, "Have you not yet paid your respects to General Hou?"

"Ah?! Ah!! The... the... the General of the Rear?!" The young man was greatly surprised to hear that the person in front of him, who looked to be about the same age as him, was actually the famous General of the Rear, Cao Yan.

He already had a stutter, and now that he was anxious, he couldn't speak at all, so he simply knelt down before Cao Yan.

Cao Yan reacted quickly. Seeing that the young man was about to kneel down to him, he hurriedly reached out and grabbed the young man's arm, saying, "A man's knees are worth gold; do not kneel down lightly."

"Thank...thank...after...after..." The young man was so anxious that a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead.

Seeing that he was still a little nervous, Cao Yan gently comforted him, "Don't rush, speak slowly, stuttering isn't a big problem."

The young man was taken aback by what he heard, and a look of gratitude flashed in his eyes as he felt respected and encouraged.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down before saying, "I...I am...Ma Jun, and I greet...General!"

Cao Yan nodded and continued, "Ma Jun, can I see your blueprints?"

“Of course! It’s an honor!” Ma Jun hurriedly handed the blueprints in his arms to Cao Yan.

When Cao Yan took the blueprints, he was suddenly stunned, and then asked in surprise, "You said your name is Ma Jun??"

After asking the question, Cao Yan threw a [Insight] at Ma Jun.

Name: Ma Jun (courtesy name: Deheng)

Hobbies: Invention, creation

Favorability: 30%
Entry: The Creation of Nature (Gold), Born Craftsman (Purple), Invention and Creation (Blue), Speechless but Dedicated (White), Social Anxiety (Gray)

"Ma Jun, Ma Deheng, it really is him, a great inventor no less than Zhuge Liang!" Cao Yan thought to himself with delight!
Cao Yan's reaction puzzled Ma Jun, but he still replied respectfully, "That's right...this humble subject."

Cao Yan looked Ma Jun up and down, then recalled that Ma Jun did indeed have a stutter. However, a stutter shouldn't be a big problem for Ma Jun, especially for a scientific researcher like him who was focused on invention.

Historically, Ma Jun was a genius in the manufacture of machinery. He was a renowned inventor not only during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, but also throughout history.

Ma Jun came from a poor family and had a stutter, making him poor at speaking and he dared not communicate much with others, which led to his extreme social anxiety.

However, he himself was a genius, especially in the invention of machinery, where he possessed unparalleled talent.

As Cao Yan recalled relevant information about Ma Jun, he unfolded the blueprints in his hand.

The blueprints were filled with scattered parts, and it would be difficult for an ordinary person to figure out what they represented.

Although the blueprints were very complex, Cao Yan could still roughly tell from the patterns and instructions that this was a silk weaving machine improved by Ma Jun.

Cao Yan vaguely remembered that the silk weaving machine improved by Ma Jun was smaller in size than before, but its work efficiency increased by four or five times.

Moreover, Ma Jun also developed a dragon-bone waterwheel for agricultural irrigation and invented a rotary stone-throwing machine that could continuously launch stones with a range of hundreds of steps.

Such a talented person with such skills actually came to apply for a job at the Chenliu workshop!
But on second thought, this is quite normal.

After all, the reputation of Chenliu workshops has gradually spread with the production of local specialties such as soap and perfume, and many artisans from all over the country are eager to join them.

Ma Jun came from a poor family, so it was understandable that he came to Chenliu to apply for a job.

"Since historical figures in machinery manufacturing have all arrived, wouldn't it be reasonable to add a historical figure in forging as well?" It has to be said that when it comes to greed, Cao Yan is the best.

Especially for a modern person like him, who has played countless Three Kingdoms games, his obsession with collecting talent is almost obsessive...

While Cao Yan was focused on studying the blueprints, Ma Jun was also secretly and curiously observing Cao Yan.

Cao Yan dressed simply, like a scholar, but his illustrious military achievements had already spread throughout the land.

Not only his direct confrontation with the Xiliang army, but also his past battles against Lü Bu in Juancheng and Yuan Shu in Puyang are widely talked about.

Many storytellers even adapted Cao Yan's deeds into stories.

He claimed to be a single man with a sword, slaying three thousand armored soldiers, or that he repelled Lü Bu from amidst a vast army—the claims were as fantastical as possible…

Ma Jun thought to himself, "This is General Hou! Such an important figure is examining my blueprints so carefully; this must be a blessing I earned in my past life!"

Cao Yan studied the drawing for about a few minutes. After confirming that he couldn't fully understand it, he returned the drawing to Ma Jun and said, "Not bad. Your improved silk weaving machine will surely greatly increase the weaving speed!"

When it comes to silk fabrics, most people probably think of "brocade and satin" first.

Since Aya is ranked first, she naturally has her own unique value.

Silk is divided into "plain silk" and "flower silk". "Flower silk" is more exquisite than "plain silk". The "Shiming" states that "silk is characterized by its pattern resembling the texture of ice crystals", which mainly refers to "flower silk".

Upon hearing what Cao Yan said, Ma Jun's eyes lit up instantly!
He didn't expect that Cao Yan could actually understand his drawings!

He standardized the traditional brocade loom, which often had fifty, sixty, or even over a hundred treadles, to twelve treadles.

His improvements are not something everyone can understand.

Moreover, his improvements not only simplified the production process of silk fabric, but also increased the production speed by four to five times. In the past, it would often take several months to weave a single bolt of silk fabric, but after the improvement, it could be completed in less than a month or even ten days.

At the same time, his improvements made the woven jacquard patterns more unique and the variety of patterns available more diverse.

"With this improved silk weaving machine, we can have another considerable source of income, and it's a high-end luxury item with huge profits! It's like a pillow delivered just when you're sleepy!" Cao Yan thought to himself with delight.

Cao Yan has always loved these kinds of luxury goods because they not only make him a lot of money, but also allow him to "scam" those rich and powerful people. It's a win-win situation!
Thinking of this, Cao Yan immediately felt relaxed and comfortable, even more so than slacking off at work!
Furthermore, Ma Jun also made significant contributions to the field of arms manufacturing.

With him here, various military equipment can be improved, or even new equipment can be added.

Repeating catapults, crossbows, and the like are all deadly weapons.

Once these equipment are developed and deployed to the military, the army's combat capabilities will be greatly enhanced once again.

Cao Yan looked at Ma Jun with a smile in his eyes and asked, "Great talent, Deheng! Your presence here is truly a blessing for Chenliu."

However, the emperor has just moved the capital to Xuchang, and the affairs of the court have not yet been sorted out.

There are currently no official positions in the workshop, so your arrangements will have to wait a while. Are you willing to wait?

Upon hearing this, not only Ma Jun was astonished, but even Wei Zhen was stunned. He thought to himself, "Good heavens, I spent more than a year to become a chief clerk, and you, with your stutter, have already won the favor of the general."

However, those familiar with Cao Yan know that he possesses an extremely formidable ability to judge character.

Therefore, Wei Zhen felt more envy than jealousy towards Cao Yan's favor towards Ma Jun.

(End of this chapter)