When people were in Qin, they captured Zhao and questioned Qin.

Chapter 57 Master Ban

Chapter 57 Master Ban

The east wing of the courtyard where Zhao Heng resided at the Chunping Jun residence had been quiet for some time, but today, sighs and murmurs could be heard from time to time.

Xu Fuzi and Zhao Heng, still covered in dust from their journey, stood side by side in front of the door, watching a short, stout old man inside who was half-squatting and half-crouching on the ground, facing a spinning wheel that had been disassembled and reassembled. The old man held a blueprint in his right hand, sometimes leaning closer to examine it closely, sometimes shaking his head and making incessant smacking noises.

The old man wasn't actually that old, about the same age as Master Xu, around forty years old, but his hair and beard were already turning gray, which, combined with his round face and red, bulbous nose, made him look quite weathered. He wore a light earth-colored robe, but on his head he wore a tall crown, giving him a somewhat comical appearance.

What's most peculiar is his left arm, which is a mechanical structure from the elbow down. It's a mechanical hand made of wood and metal components, yet it moves with a strange kind of dexterity.

As he looked at the blueprints, the mechanical hand suddenly clicked softly, and his index and middle fingers extended on their own, precisely probing into the mortise and tenon joint of the spinning wheel base.

"Is it mulberry wood? It's hard enough, but not very tough. I'm afraid it will crack if I walk on it for a long time."

"The gears aren't on? That makes sense. Let's test it first—this angle, hmm, the big wheel leading the small wheel, saves effort, but I'm worried the speed won't be enough, and the yarn will break easily—"

Master Xu stood at the door with one hand behind his back. Seeing this, he finally stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction. Zhao Heng stood quietly to the side, waiting patiently.

"Brilliant!"

The short, stout old man suddenly straightened up and slammed his hand on the half-dismantled spinning wheel frame beside him, sending wood shavings flying. He turned his head, his small eyes shining brightly as he stared straight at Zhao Heng: "Old Xu wasn't bragging! Little guy, how did you get your head?"

He strode to the wall, grabbed the wooden board Zhao Heng had sketched with charcoal, and quickly tapped his fingers on it: "Foot pedal drive, freeing up your hands, how many people have thought of this idea, but how to transmit the force steadily and evenly, and also drive three or five spindles at the same time? Your idea of ​​connecting rod and crankshaft — it is imaginative, but not just wild speculation!"

He put the wooden board down and pointed to a rough diagram of a jacquard loom in the corner: "And this, pattern control, program-based weaving—hey, just the word 'program' is enough to impress. Where did you learn all this tricks of the trade?"

Zhao Heng smiled shyly, but before he could answer, the short, fat old man took two steps closer and bent down slightly. He was short, so even though Zhao Heng was still a young man, the two of them were almost at eye level.

"Hey, little guy, how about joining our Mohist school?"

The old man grinned: "With your mind and your skills, you were born to be a member of the Mohist school. But never go and learn those pretentious classical Chinese texts. Come to the Mohist school, and you can learn whatever you want: mechanical arts, city defenses, or household appliances. I will personally teach you."

"Old Man Ban!"

Master Xu's voice suddenly rang out in dissatisfaction.

He stepped forward, separating Zhao Heng from the short, stout man, his brows furrowed, his already serious face now even more stern: "In front of the young master, do not speak nonsense or act improperly."

The short, stout old man shrugged indifferently and didn't continue the previous topic.

Master Xu then turned to Zhao Heng and solemnly cupped his hands: "Young Master, the reason I left the manor last time was to seek out this Master Ban. He has been studying the art of mechanisms for decades, and is especially skilled in the making of ingenious tools. In the Mo School, no one can surpass him in this skill."

At this point, he apologized, saying, "Master Ban was not in Zhao territory before, and I had to travel all the way to Wei to find him. The round trip took almost half a month, causing you to wait so long, and I'm afraid it delayed the matter entrusted to me by Lord Xinling. It was truly my oversight."

"You flatter me, Master."

Zhao Heng glanced at Master Ban, who had squatted back down to fiddle with the spinning wheel axle, and laughed, "Master, you've gone to great lengths and traveled a long way for my sake. Now you've even invited a master of mechanical arts like Master Ban. I'm overjoyed; how could I possibly blame you?"

As he spoke, he quickly added, "During the time that Master was away, I wrote down all the points of confusion I had in the book 'Mozi' on bamboo slips. Now that Master has returned and Master Ban is here, they can always spare some time to guide me. In fact, my studies have not been neglected or delayed."

Master Xu stroked his short beard, feeling quite pleased.

"Excellent. Young master, you are diligent in your studies and able to put your thoughts into writing, which is the foundation of learning. When I return, I will explain it to you in detail."

"Hey, Lao Xu."

Master Ban produced a small copper hammer from somewhere and was hammering the tenon of a connecting rod. He then said, "You can save your explanations of the scriptures for later. Young master, you have both the blueprints and this half-finished product, and your explanations are so thorough. I'm itching to get started. Stop nagging and getting in my way."

Master Xu clearly disagreed with the phrase "getting in the way," but ultimately just gave Zhao Heng a helpless smile: "That old man has always been like this, young master, please don't take offense. However, since he said that, he probably already has some plans in mind."

Master Ban stopped hammering, straightened up, and habitually wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead with the back of his wooden hand, then patted the wooden frame of the spinning wheel.

"Young Master has laid out the framework to a great extent, and explained the key techniques thoroughly. If I still can't see the key points, wouldn't I have wasted decades of my life? I'm not bragging, but just now, as I walked in, listening to your conversation with Old Xu, how to compile the flower book and how to propose the whole piece, I've already come up with three or four ways to improve it."

As he spoke, he subconsciously raised his mechanical hand, his five fingers opening and closing flexibly a few times, making a slight "click" sound at the joints.

Zhao Heng then cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I will not disturb you two masters any longer. I have already instructed that servants are at your service at any time. If you need any materials or tools, or if there is anything that needs my explanation, please feel free to call me at any time."

Master Xu bowed respectfully to see him off, and before leaving, he glanced at Master Ban. Master Ban then raised his peculiar left hand and waved casually as a farewell.

After Zhao Heng's footsteps faded into the distance, Master Ban chuckled, extended his intact right hand, and patted Master Xu's lower back.

"Old Xu, now I really believe what you said."

Master Xu turned around and looked at him.

Master Ban walked to the spinning wheel frame, bent down again to examine it closely, and said, "This young fellow is indeed someone who can speak of the unity of knowledge and action. His ingenuity is secondary; what's rare is that he's flexible yet grounded, has ideas, and is willing to put them into practice. No wonder even the Grand Master has taken notice of him."

Master Xu approached with his hands behind his back, and asked in surprise, "Have you already informed the Grand Master about the young master's concept of 'unity of knowledge and action'?"

"You know where the Grand Master is. He's like a dragon, appearing and disappearing without a trace. I haven't seen him in person for a while."

Master Ban pulled a flat copper wine flask from his pocket, uncorked it, took a sip, and exhaled a satisfied breath: "However, since I've heard this, how can I not report it? Before I set off for Handan, I had already sent out the message through my channels. Judging by the days, the Grand Master should have received my message by now."

Master Xu remained silent for a moment, stroked his beard, walked to the wall, looked at the jacquard loom sketch drawn by Zhao Heng, and after a while, suddenly said, "What a pity, this boy's teacher is Wei Jia."

Master Ban wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve: "Wei Jia? That name sounds familiar—what's wrong with him?"

"It's not that the person is wrong," Master Xu shook his head and said, "It's just that Wei Jia is a disciple of Su Dai."

"Su Dai?" Master Ban blinked his small eyes, then suddenly realized, "The Strategist Alliance? You mean, this little guy might have the Guigu School's influence behind him?"

But he immediately shook his head, waving his mechanical hand: "That's unlikely. While the art of diplomacy does indeed include 'the art of rulership,' there's never been a precedent of royal children formally becoming its disciples. The Guigu lineage is extremely selective and secretive in accepting disciples, and they certainly wouldn't easily get involved in a nation's succession struggle."

"It doesn't mean he was a disciple of Guiguzi."

Master Xu frowned slightly: "What I mean is, given Gongzi Heng's background and lineage, his ambitions and path have probably already been guided and planned by his teacher. Even if his temperament and philosophy are quite compatible with our Mohist school, it will not be easy for us to bring him into the Mohist school. It involves not only scholarship, but also the times and our stance."

After listening, Master Ban was stunned for a moment, but then suddenly laughed.

"Oh, why are you thinking so much? Our founder clearly stated that the Mohist school has no boundaries; it unites people by shared aspirations. As long as our hearts are aligned and our aim is to help the world and benefit the people, what does it matter whether someone is a disciple of the Mohist school or whether their name is on their register?"

He looked at the spinning wheel parts and said, "I think this little fellow has the will, that's enough. As for those winding paths—"

He waved his hand, clearly unwilling to discuss it further: "Come on, lend a hand. Talking will only make things worse. First, help me plane the groove on this main bearing housing accurately. If it's even a millimeter off, the subsequent gear meshing will be off-center."

As he spoke, he stretched out his left arm, and the forearm of the wooden mechanical hand suddenly emitted a very slight mechanical sound. The palm part extended forward more than a foot out of thin air, and then, as if propelled by invisible bones, it swept across half the room and grabbed a curved, thin-bladed plane from the tool shelf in the opposite corner.

The mechanical arm retracted smoothly, steadily handing the plane to Master Xu.

Master Xu looked at the creation before him, then at Master Ban's face which seemed to say "Stop talking nonsense and get to work," and finally shook his head, sighed softly, and took the plane.

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms, and squatted down.

The rustling sound of the plane cutting into the wood soon filled the room.

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