Section 026: The Improved Loom

“What do you mean, it’s succeeded?”

As these words were spoken, Li Zhan had already stepped into the carpentry workshop, standing before Wang Hui and young Feng.

Wang Hui’s face was alight with excitement as he replied, “Chieftain, the loom has been successfully developed—please take a look!”

With that, Wang Hui stepped aside, revealing the loom behind him for Li Zhan to see.

Hearing that the loom was finally complete, Li Zhan was filled with delight. The most crucial link in the entire clothing plan had been conquered; now, at last, the whole plan could become reality.

Stepping over scattered wooden parts on the floor, Li Zhan approached the loom, gently running his hand along its frame as he closely examined its construction. His gaze paused beneath the loom, where he noticed a treadle connected to a wooden rod—clearly serving some purpose.

Li Zhan recalled having looked up information and images of looms on the official website before. In his memory, there had been no such treadle beneath the loom. What was this about?

He turned to Wang Hui with a question.

Wang Hui scratched his head sheepishly and explained, “Chieftain, to be honest, I finished building the basic loom some time ago. But as I worked, I was inspired by the principle of combining waterwheels with mills to maximize utility: I realized that while weavers use only their hands to operate the loom, their feet remain idle. That not only wastes energy and time but also lowers efficiency. So I thought, why not let the feet operate some frequently used part of the loom—making things easier and more efficient? After some analysis and design, I decided to let the feet control the beater. The modification went smoothly except for a few key parts, which had me stumped. This morning, I happened to mention my troubles to Master Liu in the workshop. Amazingly, without even seeing the actual machine, he sketched a design for me. Following his drawing, I made the parts, installed them, and suddenly the loom worked perfectly! Master Liu is truly remarkable!”

Li Zhan silently marveled—clearly, Wang Hui’s master was indeed a man of talent, worthy of being a workshop team leader.

Yet, Li Zhan still underestimated Master Liu; this was one reason why it would be months before this capable man would pledge allegiance to him. It was no wonder—Li Zhan’s attention was wholly absorbed by the clothing project, leaving him little time for other matters. Had it been any other time, just hearing Wang Hui’s description would have made Li Zhan realize Master Liu’s extraordinary abilities.

Before Li Zhan could respond, Wang Hui continued, “Chieftain, I didn’t mention this improvement before because I wasn’t confident it would work… I hope you can…”

Wang Hui trailed off, but Li Zhan understood his meaning: he hoped his contribution could offset his boldness, and that he’d be forgiven this time.

Wang Hui’s improvement increased weaving efficiency by about twenty percent. With a regular loom, the weaver must constantly push and pull the beater by hand to compact the fabric. Though each stroke takes only two or three seconds, a single bolt of cloth requires nearly a thousand repeats—adding up to half an hour or more. The constant bending and straightening leaves weavers’ backs sore and aching. Controlling the beater with the feet not only saves time and energy, increases efficiency, but also relieves the physical strain on workers.

Li Zhan was thoroughly pleased with Wang Hui’s innovation.

Yet, from a political standpoint, Li Zhan knew he needed to issue a warning—lest Wang Hui grow accustomed to acting on his own.

After weighing his thoughts, Li Zhan smiled and said, “Strictly speaking, taking it upon yourself to modify the loom should be punished.”

He paused deliberately, watching Wang Hui, who nodded earnestly while cautiously glancing up at Li Zhan. He was no fool; he could tell Li Zhan did not intend to blame him harshly.

After a moment, Li Zhan continued, “However, your improvement is indeed excellent and increases efficiency. Even if we didn’t implement it now, sooner or later we’d have to study such improvements. In a way, you’ve simply completed a future project ahead of time. So, on the principle of merit offsetting fault, I won’t punish you this time. But in future, if you have any new ideas or plans—whether or not you’re sure of success—you must inform me and Zheng Jun at once. Is that clear?”

“Clear, very clear! Thank you, Chieftain, for your forgiveness—I will remember your teaching and never act on my own again.”

Li Zhan smiled, satisfied that his warning had achieved the desired effect. He approached the loom once more, and with Wang Hui and Feng’s explanations, he inspected the overall structure, focusing especially on the newly added foot-operated beater system.

It was a single-action mechanism that reset by gravity. Pressing the treadle caused the beater to be pushed forward by a transmission lever, while the stone weight on the rocker arm (how crude, Li Zhan thought, but with no iron or lead in the tribe, blue stone would have to suffice) was lifted to store energy. Releasing the treadle, the stone fell naturally by gravity, resetting the beater.

Just as Li Zhan finished examining the foot-controlled system, Zheng Jun hurried into the workshop. “Chieftain, a fishing boat has come up the Han River and wants to dock in our shipyard. They say they’ve come to trade dyes with us.”

Li Zhan immediately left the workshop with Zheng Jun, heading straight for the shipyard.

From a distance, they could see a fishing boat moored at the mouth where the Han River met the bay. Without permission, it could only hold steady in the water, waiting. On deck stood a man shading his eyes, surveying the layout of the Yanhuang Tribe. When he spotted Li Zhan, he called out, “Brother Li Zhan, is that you?”

Quickening his pace, Li Zhan replied, “Yes, and you must be Brother Wu Fan on the other side?”

“That’s right, it’s me!” the man answered with a hearty laugh.

Li Zhan also laughed, “Forgive me, Brother Wu, I was occupied and didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”

As he spoke, he reached the dock. Zheng Jun took the mooring rope from the fisherman and tied it to a bollard, then set a plank between the boat and the dock.

Wu Fan appeared about twenty-five or twenty-six, a few years older than Li Zhan. His face was tanned, his voice hearty, and he gave an impression of steady sincerity.

Crossing the plank to the dock, Wu Fan exchanged polite greetings with Li Zhan. Then, taking another look at the overall layout of the Yanhuang Tribe, he turned to Li Zhan and said, “Brother, your settlement is thriving indeed.”