The words of Fang Er before and after were a stark contrast.
Stepping forward was a bright future.
Staying put meant being left behind by those who moved ahead.
After the lecture, Fang Er left the workshop.
He didn't even spare Mo Ming, who was kneeling on the ground.
The words had been spoken; what he did next was up to him.
If he remained complacent, then such a disciple was not worth having.
After he left, some of the craftsmen blushed, their faces, usually tanned by sun and wind, couldn't hide the crimson hue.
Others clenched their fists, making silent resolutions.
Mo Ming slowly rose, picked up the steel ingot with the steel rod still inserted, and went to a corner to quietly ponder.
No one mocked him, for they were in no position to do so.
When they saw the steel rod fail to penetrate, their reactions were almost identical.
One craftsman shook his head with a wry smile, "The Duke's craftsmanship has likely reached the level of a Grand Artisan, hasn't it?"
"We only knew the Duke was skilled, but who would have imagined he was this good? Grand Artisan? Perhaps the title of Artisan God is more fitting for the Duke," another craftsman echoed with a bitter smile.
"Alright, everyone heard what the Duke said today. Let's work hard!"
"When I can no longer work, whether I achieve the rank of Grand Artisan or Artisan God, at least I can tell my descendants with pride that I gave it my all!"
"Effort!"
"Let us strive together!"
"Let's get to work!"
Hearing this craftsman's words, smiles appeared in the eyes of others.
These smiles were filled with self-encouragement and shone with the light of hope.
These craftsmen picked up their tools again and started the machines.
Resuming their work, they displayed unprecedented concentration.
After a day's hard work, when it was time to knock off, a few craftsmen gathered, discussed for a while, and found a wooden stake as thick as an arm.
After charring it with fire, they wrote two lines of text in awkward handwriting on a wooden board:
Aspire to be a Grand Artisan, to secure fortune for future generations!
Strive to be an Artisan God, to rest only in the grave!
When Zhao Gang returned from Taihe, he looked at the sign with some confusion.
He asked the craftsmen and learned what had happened that day.
He took the steel ingot from Mo Ming and was also stunned by its mirror-like smoothness.
He was the earliest to learn craftsmanship from Fang Er. Though without formal title, his seniority was unmatched.
"Tomorrow, send this steel ingot to the workshops for all to admire. No one is allowed to damage it!"
"Also, spread the Duke's words verbatim!"
"Write the words on this sign on the walls of all the workshops, in prominent locations!"
"You all came from Fangjiazhuang and are the most skilled craftsmen in the workshops."
"If none of us, including myself, reaches the level of a Grand Artisan within a year, we will all kneel outside for three days!"
After leaving these words, Zhao Gang put down the steel ingot and departed.
The next day, thirty craftsmen personally went to the Shenyang Market to buy paint.
Carrying oil cans and brushes, they appeared in the workshops. The craftsmen who had just started work and the foremen of each workshop looked at them curiously.
The thirty craftsmen each found suitable walls and used paint to write two sentences on them.
Aspire to be a Grand Artisan, to secure fortune for future generations!
Strive to be an Artisan God, to rest only in the grave!
All the craftsmen present recognized these lines of text. This was Fang Er's requirement: all recruited craftsmen must learn to read and write.
For a month before starting work, while training in skills, older craftsmen would teach them to read and write.
After starting work, they would also organize learning in their spare time.
Some could not recognize all the characters, but with explanations from their companions, they understood the complete message.
They understood the meaning of each character individually, but when put together, they were somewhat bewildered.
Gradually, more and more craftsmen gathered.
The foremen of the Shen Fei, Power, and Firearms workshops also came over.
"Old Zhou, what does this you wrote mean?"
Zhuang Feng, the foreman of the Shen Fei workshop, pointed at the still-wet paint on the wall and asked Old Zhou, who was holding a brush.
Old Zhou cleared his throat twice, then with his loudest voice, repeated Fang Er's words from yesterday.
Grand Artisan, Artisan God!
Blessing descendants!
Granting noble titles!
Founding schools of thought!
Writing books!
Fame for eternity!
It was like a series of thunderbolts striking their hearts.
Especially Fang Er's final question on behalf of his descendants, which made over a thousand craftsmen fall into deep thought.
Aspire to be a Grand Artisan, to secure fortune for future generations!
Strive to be an Artisan God, to rest only in the grave!
Suddenly, Zhuang Feng looked at his Shen Fei subordinates and shouted the slogan on the wall with his arm raised high.
"Aspire to be a Grand Artisan~~~"
The Shen Fei craftsmen responded in unison.
Their hearts were filled with a passion akin to soldiers about to go into battle.
The workshop was their battlefield!
The machines were their weapons!
Craftsmanship was their martial art!
"Let's get to work!"
With Zhuang Feng's command, the Shen Fei craftsmen rushed towards the workshop. Hundreds of them, though few, kicked up a cloud of dust.
Such a scene had never been witnessed before.
"Men of the Power workshop, what about you?"
Liu Yuan of the Power workshop surveyed his subordinates.
"Aspire to be a Grand Artisan~~~"
The craftsmen responded in unison.
"Let's get to work!"
Liu Yuan pointed towards the workshop, and hundreds of craftsmen, just like the Shen Fei group, rushed to their workstations.
Zhou Zhi of the Firearms workshop glared at his subordinates.
"Damn it, we were beaten to it! We've fallen behind!"
"Aspire to be a Grand Artisan~~~"
The remaining craftsmen quickly spoke up, fearing their boss's anger.
Zhou Zhi pointed in the direction of the Firearms workshop.
"Charge~~~!"
The scene resembled warriors charging into battle.
Old Zhou watched the three workshops' craftsmen disappear as if injected with adrenaline and said with a smile to his companion, "We need to step up our game. If we get left behind, we'll be utterly shamed."
Instantly, all of Fang Er's craftsmen entered an overdrive mode.
Not for quantity, but for quality!
This was the effect that the foremen of each workshop had tried their best to achieve without success.
"Every man for himself, and damn the rest!"
This saying was a truth.
Before, the craftsmen worked just to have enough to eat and to prevent their families from starving.
But now, tangible benefits lay ahead, and they knew that if they worked hard enough, they could seize them.
Such an opportunity was something their ancestors had never encountered in generations, otherwise, they wouldn't still be mere craftsmen!
For themselves and for their families, why not give it their all?
As Old Zhou said, even if they didn't ultimately become Grand Artisans or Artisan Gods, at least they had tried their best and had no regrets.
That was enough!