The next day is the third day of the eighth lunar month.

Song Yongchen entered the palace and presented a sand table on the east and west roads of Beijing.

Shen Kuo also entered the palace and presented the first movable lead type that could be used for printing.

Yes, he finally chose lead alloy to make movable type.

Use lead, tin (actually antimony), and a cooled alloy after melting the tin to make movable type.

Mainly because of its cheapness.

Of course, the disadvantage of movable lead type is also obvious, that is, it is poisonous!

However, human life is very cheap in this era.

No one cared at all - after all, this was the feudal era when the average life expectancy was thirty or forty years old!

After placing the movable lead type with a square body on the desk and admiring it for a moment, Zhao Xu said to Shen Kuo: "You should also be careful about the ink issue!"

"We need to select ink that prints clearly, is cheap, and can be mass-produced..."

“It’s better not to use the traditional pine smoke making process!”

That's too expensive!

Of course the Song Dynasty had good inks!

For example, Huimo...

But this is not something ordinary people can afford!

Even in the Song Dynasty, the price of a stick of Huizhou ink was a luxury item that a middle-class family could not afford with a year's income.

It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive, it’s a big deal if you mass-produce it and spread the cost evenly.

The key is that it’s time-consuming and complicated!

It often takes two or three years to make a batch.

Shen Kuo frowned as he listened.

This requirement is not low!

Then, he remembered the oil he had discovered in Yanzhou.

That thing is quite cheap, and is available on the ground in Yanzhou. The printing is clear, but I still need to think of a way and experiment more.

Zhao Xu could almost guess it by the way he looked at him.

After all, when ink is linked to cheapness, what else can it be but oil?

At present, Yanzhou's oil production should be sufficient and it is just a matter of drilling wells.

We’ll talk about the future…the future!

After seeing off Shen Kuo, Zhao Xu called Song Yongchen to his side and asked about the affairs of the bureau that was now focused on manufacturing weapons.

It's mainly about the gunpowder testing facility outside the city.

I heard from Song Yongchen that the Gunpowder Laboratory now has more than a hundred craftsmen, and they were divided into more than a dozen different groups by Shen Kuo, each experimenting with different gunpowder ratios.

Zhao Xu nodded slightly, expressing satisfaction.

Then, Zhao Xu began to assign new tasks to Song Yongchen: "Zhaoxuan, the sand table in the west of Jing, and the sand table in the south of Jing. Let's send someone to take charge first. I have an important matter and I want to appoint Zhaoxuan!"

"Everyone, please give me your instructions!" Song Yongchen immediately bowed to listen.

"I want Zhaoxuan to promote Dongranyuan..."

Song Yongchen raised his head and looked at Zhao Xu.

"I found some secret recipes for pigments from ancient books..." Zhao Xu handed a piece of paper with several formulas written on it to Song Yongchen: "Zhao Xuan went to Dong Dyeing Institute, successfully mixed them, and secretly produced and stored them.

…”

"Maybe it will be useful when Song and Liao Jiaozi are released next year!"

Now, there are generally four types of anti-counterfeiting methods used by Jiaozi of the Song Dynasty.

First: Use special paper that is only controlled by the royal family to print.

Second: The special plate pressing technology makes Jiaozi's patterns complex.

Third: The special monogram design allows laymen to see through it at a glance, even if they imitate it.

However, the above three only constitute technical barriers and increase the difficulty, cost and energy for outsiders to forge.

It is impossible to completely eliminate counterfeiting.

So there is a fourth anti-counterfeiting measure: recycling old Jiaozi and issuing new Jiaozi every three years.

Each issue of Xinjiaozi has different patterns, monograms, and different paper.

This is equivalent to making all the hard work of the forger disappear in an instant!

However, the trade relations between Song and Liao were different.

Because this is issued once a year, and the face value is copper coins instead of iron coins.

Zhao Xu knew that after its release, he would definitely accept the challenge of "dynamic people" from Liao and Song Dynasties.

Therefore, we can only temporarily increase pigment anti-counterfeiting.

Use different coloring processes and new colors to increase anti-counterfeiting technology.

It happened that Zhao Xu had studied oil painting techniques in modern times, so he had learned many pigment mixing techniques.

Pigments prepared with orpiment are the best choice for rendering the sunset; grinding limonite ore into powder, calcining it and adjusting it, it can turn into caramel color, and further adjustment can turn it into deep black; in addition, during the Western Zhou Dynasty,

Some people have already calcined azurite and ground it to make green pigment...

Of course, these paints are very expensive, so it's impossible to cover them all.

Coloring can only be done in key places.

For example, where the value of the currency and the date of issuance are written, on the monogram, different pigments are used to prevent counterfeiting.

Zhao Xu feels that, combined with other existing anti-counterfeiting methods, it should be able to last ten years.

Ten years from now, there will inevitably be new anti-counterfeiting technologies.

Song Yongchen respectfully accepted the secret recipe given by Zhao Xu, and then took the order: "Old minister, I will obey the order..."

"Keep it confidential!" Zhao Xu warned.

"Old minister, I understand..." Song Yongchen bowed again.

Watching Song Yongchen leave, Zhao Xu said to Feng Jing: "Let's go... to Baoci Palace..."

…

Zhao Xu walked into Baoci Palace, and the two palaces were talking and laughing.

Zhao Xu stepped forward to say hello, and was pulled by Empress Dowager Xiang to sit next to her.

"Sixth brother summoned the minister again today?" asked the Queen Mother.

"Yes!" Zhao Xu told the story about Song Yongchen and Shen Kuo entering the palace and presenting movable lead type and a sand table.

He also asked Feng Jing to bring the movable lead type presented by Shen Kuo to the two palaces.

Neither of the two palaces understood it very well, but they were still very happy looking at the small lead type.

"According to the official opinion, in the future, only a few sets of movable type will be enough to meet most of the printing needs in the world?" the Queen Mother asked curiously.

Zhao Xu shook his head and said: "Mother, movable type can only meet the most basic needs..."

"If you really want to print the meanings of saints' scriptures or Buddhist scriptures, engraving is the most appropriate way!"

Shen Kuo and he reported on the printing experiments with lead movable type.

The handwriting is not as clear as the engraving!

At least for now, that's the case.

It is necessary to wait for future breakthroughs in ink technology and iteration of printing technology before it is possible to replace engraving.

After hearing this, the two palaces immediately exclaimed and lost interest in this movable type.

Only Zhao Xu still pays attention!

Not only because movable type is the future, but also because this thing can also play an important role now!

For example, Zhao Xu had asked Feng Jing to notify Song Yongchen that a printing office had been added to the Detective Department.

In a few days, we can try to publish a tabloid controlled and reviewed by Zhao Xu.

Let’s first take possession of Bianjing’s public opinion mouthpiece and then talk about it.

Of course, you have to be careful about this matter.

Therefore, after some time, Shi Deyi will change the printing location of the tabloid to outside the city.

Then choose a white glove and put it in front to act as a cover.
To be continued...