A candle was lit, and another was melted by it.
The wax dripped evenly onto the silk, a thin layer.
After the entire piece was coated with wax, the calligraphy written by Li Shimin was laid flat beneath the wooden frame.
He asked an eunuch for a small knife.
The layer of wax that overlapped with the writing was scraped away.
A simple silk screen stencil was thus completed.
Throughout the entire process, Li Shimin watched with curiosity, unsure of what Fang Er was doing.
The military uniform's upper garment was laid on the ground, the back facing upwards.
The silk screen was placed on top and its position adjusted.
From a wooden bucket brought by an eunuch, Fang Er picked up a lump of white paint with a knife and placed it onto the silk screen.
Then, using the back of the knife, he smeared the white paint evenly.
When the silk screen was lifted, the words "Da Tang Yang Wei" were imprinted on the back of the military uniform.
Li Shimin looked at the silk screen in Fang Er's hands and then at the military uniform with the imprinted words.
His face was filled with astonishment.
"You brat, where did you learn this technique?"
Fang Er said smugly, "A small trick, not worth mentioning."
Just then, Cheng Yaojin arrived.
As soon as he entered, he saw the military uniforms on the ground and the four characters printed on them.
He asked Li Shimin, "Your Majesty, are these the uniforms for my Yang Wei Army?"
Li Shimin nodded and pointed at Fang Er, saying, "Zhijie, you've arrived. You explain it. Why are these uniforms made in this style?"
Fang Er picked up the trousers and walked over to Cheng Yaojin.
"Brother, take off your outer garment and put this on."
Cheng Yaojin let out a sound of assent and began to strip.
Fang Er was dumbfounded.
"Good heavens! You actually dare to do this here, in the Liangji Hall? Didn't you see Li Shimin's face turning green?"
He quickly stopped him. "Brother Cheng, I didn't tell you to change here."
After speaking, he looked at the eunuch and shouted, "Hey, you! Take the Duke of Lu to find a room to change clothes. Have you no sense at all!"
This time, the eunuch didn't need to look at Li Shimin's expression. He knew the outcome without even thinking.
He quickly took the trousers, grabbed Cheng Yaojin, and led him out to find a place to change.
When Cheng Yaojin walked back into the Liangji Hall, holding the trousers with both hands, he looked quite comical.
Li Shimin's mouth twitched.
This fellow looked like a playful monkey.
Cheng Yaojin said with a mournful expression, "I say, brother, these trousers you made are too peculiar. They fall off if you let go!"
(Note: "ku" is pronounced "kù" and was a Tang dynasty term. It will be replaced with "trousers" hereafter.)
Fang Er chuckled.
He looked at the upper garments still drying on the ground.
Due to the hot weather, the white paint had already begun to harden in such a short time.
So he picked up the upper garment. "Come, put this on."
After putting on the upper garment, he took out the prepared leather belt and put on the holster.
He walked up to Cheng Yaojin and helped him fasten it.
Once the belt was fastened, Cheng Yaojin tried letting go of his hands.
His mouth split into a grin: "Heh heh, this is good, it won't fall off!"
With the belt fastened, his slovenly appearance was instantly transformed.
Neat and spirited!
He looked a bit like a modern soldier.
Only his long hair, paired with this military uniform, created a slight sense of incongruity.
But Fang Er didn't even dare to mention cutting hair.
"The body and hair are gifts from parents, and should not be harmed."
Except for monks who had transcended the three realms and were outside the five elements, no one would shave their hair.
This was a great taboo!
The incident during the Three Kingdoms period where Cao Cao's war horse trampled on crops and shaving the hair was used as a form of punishment illustrated this point!
Putting the hairstyle issue aside, Fang Er took out the epaulets from his懷.
He put them on Cheng Yaojin.
With everything done, Fang Er patted Cheng Yaojin. "Brother Cheng, turn around twice so His Majesty can see."
As Cheng Yaojin turned, Li Shimin immediately recognized the benefits of this set of clothes.
Clean and neat!
Compared to the current military uniforms, they appeared to be more convenient for the soldiers' movements.
On the back, the four white characters "Da Tang Yang Wei" were exceptionally striking against the blue fabric!
On the front, the glazed buttons shone brightly under the sun.
The two bronze eagles on his shoulders made Cheng Yaojin look very imposing!
Li Shimin couldn't help but clap his hands and say, "Good! Good! Good! It seems An Zhi has put a lot of thought into this!"
"However, is it appropriate for the entire army to wear the same attire?"
Hearing Li Shimin bring this up, Fang Er walked to Li Shimin's imperial desk and unceremoniously picked up his imperial brush.
On the paper, he drew the epaulets corresponding to the twelve ranks of military merit.
"Your Majesty, these are the insignia used to distinguish the soldiers. Previously, military merit, apart from salary and rewards, could not be specifically represented. In battle formation, once a commander fell, the soldiers would become scattered like loose sand. With these now, even if they don't recognize the person, they can discern the level of military merit. If a commander falls, the one with the highest military merit can directly take command! At the same time, these badges, always worn on the shoulders, can motivate soldiers to train diligently, fight bravely, and earn merit!"
Li Shimin pondered for a moment. "Good, we can try it. Let's start with the Yang Wei Army and the Mie Lu Army. How long will it take to complete the large batch of uniforms?"
Fang Er thought for a moment and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it will take about twenty days. These are summer uniforms, a total of twenty-five thousand sets."
Twenty days, averaging over a thousand uniforms a day. One hundred sewing machines producing over a thousand uniforms a day was already a conservative estimate.
Li Shimin neither agreed nor disagreed, and directly changed the topic. "When do you plan to set sail?"
When Fang Er heard him ask this, he spread his hands. "Your Majesty, the shipyards have just begun construction. It will be at least until the five-toothed great ships are launched, won't it? You can't expect me to take people and swim to the land of the rising sun, can you?"
Li Shimin was speechless. Last time, Fang Er had said that the ships obtained from Silla and Baekje were unreliable for sea voyages. They could only travel along the coastline, otherwise, a slight storm could capsize them! "How much longer will your ships take to build?"
Fang Er held up three fingers and then said, "The shipyards themselves will take a month, and building the ships will take another two months at the fastest. So, it will take at least three months in total."
Li Shimin was very displeased. He could see that mountain of silver even in his dreams. "Add more personnel, and make it fast! The faster the better!"
Fang Er also wanted to speed things up, but skilled shipwrights were hard to find! "I will do my best, but finding shipwrights is truly difficult."
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin walked behind the imperial desk, scribbled a handwritten decree, and affixed his imperial seal. "Have your people take this and find the Prince of Hejian. He has a group of shipwrights under him."
Fang Er was stunned. "Your Majesty, the dozen or so craftsmen I am currently using are from the Prince of Hejian's former staff."
Li Shimin glanced at him. "A dozen people are expected to build five-toothed great ships? Are you sure you're awake, you brat! He has plenty of shipwrights under him!"