Looking back on the past few days, Pang Tong nearly felt like crying.
People in later generations talked about it so lightly, as if it were nothing. Only after actually doing it himself did Pang Tong realize just how hard it truly was.
The alkali making process itself was not unfamiliar. Heat it here, let it settle there, stir at the right moment. Every step had rules to follow.
But soap?
The instructions had simply said that adding oil would do the trick.
What kind of oil? Pork fat or sesame oil? Strong alkali or weak alkali? Did it need to be boiled, or merely mixed and left to dry?
Pang Tong had no answers to any of it.
All he could do was keep going back to Zhuge Liang, following his guidance, experimenting with different materials and methods, observing the results, and then choosing what seemed best.
After discarding countless unreliable and failed attempts, what remained were these white objects that looked suspiciously like chunks of stone, now placed before Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang tapped one lightly with a small iron rod. It made a solid knocking sound.
Naturally, he asked the most important questions.
"What does it do? And how is it used?"
"Uh…"
Pang Tong froze on the spot.
He had been so absorbed these past two days, working without sleep, finally producing something tangible. In his excitement, he had completely forgotten this part.
Zhuge Liang was already used to such moments. Following his usual habits, he began reasoning from the name itself.
"'Fei' can mean richness or abundance. 'Zao' refers to dyeing or coloring."
"Judging by the name, this thing might be related to coloring hemp or ramie cloth."
But if it were merely for dyeing, it would hardly be worth such effort.
From the tone of that future descendant, even papermaking techniques that could enrich a region for a hundred years were treated as troublesome. That left only one explanation. Soap had to be far more valuable and useful than fine paper.
With a hypothesis in mind, the next step was simple. Test it.
Zhuge Liang already had experience from researching soil acidity and alkalinity. After giving instructions, more than a dozen fabric items were quickly brought in.
Hemp, ramie, silk, undyed and dyed pieces alike.
Zhuge Liang pulled out a stiff pen and opened the small notebook he carried with him, standing to the side and gesturing politely.
Pang Tong stepped forward without hesitation.
Unfortunately, the results disappointed everyone.
This "soap stone" showed no magical effect on the fabrics.
Dry rubbing did nothing. Adding water changed little.
After testing fabric after fabric, Pang Tong stared at his own hands uncertainly.
"They seem… cleaner than before?"
Jian Yong, who had been quietly watching, immediately understood what needed to be tested. Laughing, he pulled off his outer robe.
"Then try it properly, Shiyuan."
During the earlier banquet with their lord to host Xiahou Yuan, Jian Yong's clothes had picked up quite a few stains.
Before long, the stains on Jian Yong's robe vanished like snow under the sun.
Zhuge Liang calmly wrote in his notebook.
"Not for dyeing. It removes grime. And it seems suitable for bathing as well."
Looking at Pang Tong's hands, now pale and flushed with a healthy redness, Zhuge Liang finally understood why this thing could surpass fine paper in the eyes of future generations.
Paper allowed one to write. But bamboo slips, wooden tablets, and hemp paper could also serve.
Cleanliness, however, was something everyone desired. And soap had very few substitutes.
He glanced at Pang Tong, still deep in thought about further uses, then at the pile of failed products stacked nearly as tall as a person in one corner of the workshop. The hardship behind this success was obvious at a glance.
After taking a few steps, Zhuge Liang stopped again, curiosity returning.
"What is this?"
In another corner of the workshop were basins filled with something that looked like oil but not quite. It was thick, viscous, and carried a faint fragrance that immediately soothed the mind.
"This is glycerin, a byproduct from making soap. It has many remarkable uses as well."
"Glycerin?" Zhuge Liang repeated the name.
Pang Tong explained, "It has a faint sweetness and fragrance. I first thought of calling it fragrant oil, but feared confusion with actual scented oils, so I named it glycerin instead."
"As for its uses…"
Pang Tong picked up a bowl of darker, purer glycerin and led everyone outside, walking nearly two hundred paces.
Only after Jian Yong loudly protested did Pang Tong finally stop. He carefully placed the bowl on the ground, then pulled out a smoldering fire stick, blew it into flame, and tossed it toward the bowl from a distance.
With a loud boom, a column of fire nearly as tall as a man shot upward, illuminating their shocked faces.
Pang Tong took two more steps back to ensure safety, then explained calmly.
"This substance ignites easily, far more so than tung oil. It will surely have great use."
"After producing it, I also gave a bottle to Physician Zhang. He said it may even be used medicinally."
For Zhuge Liang, today had already delivered more surprises than he could count. In his excitement, he slapped Pang Tong's shoulder hard.
"This soap and glycerin will be invaluable."
"With these alone, Shiyuan, your name will surely be recorded in history."
Pang Tong immediately beamed, grinning from ear to ear.
Zhuge Liang, meanwhile, fell silent, already envisioning the future. Chang'an would likely need to reestablish a Department of Crafts soon.
The Department of Crafts in Gong'an County had faded into formality after Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang left for Chengdu, as there had simply not been enough projects to justify it.
But now, Zhuge Liang was certain. An engineering discipline had to be established at the Imperial Academy.
Even setting aside distant goals, soap alone could be refined further, enhanced with color and fragrance, and would never lack demand.
Glycerin was even more troublesome.
If it already had such properties, what would happen if sugarcane syrup were added? Or if it were combined with gunpowder? And if it could be used medicinally, as Physician Zhang suggested?
Each of these possibilities required hundreds of people, countless trials, and meticulous records.
Finally, Zhuge Liang sighed, recalling words from the future.
"Knowledge can change a person's fate, revive a state, and shape a nation."
"To rebuild Shu Han, the Imperial Academy must be established across every commandery."
"To strengthen the state and enrich the people, education must come first."
Pang Tong and Jian Yong both nodded in deep agreement. Such principles did not even require validation from the future. They themselves were living proof.
…
By the time August arrived, Bu Zhi finally left Chang'an, turning back repeatedly as he went.
Thinking back on the shift in his mindset before and after this journey, Bu Zhi nearly wanted to shout at the heavens.
Sun Quan had sent him across great distances to seek a ceasefire, offering sincere terms.
These included restoring amicable relations, arranging marriages between younger relatives, promoting commerce to resist Cao Cao together, and even sending troops to Hefei to support Guan Yu's position north of Jing Province. Every condition was negotiable.
For example, if the Left General were willing to provide some funds and grain, Jiangdong acknowledging the Imperial Uncle was not impossible.
Unfortunately, after several rounds of talks, Bu Zhi came to a clear conclusion.
Sun Quan was brimming with sincerity. The Left General showed very little interest.
Bu Zhi knew as well that after prior betrayals, Sun Quan's sincerity was questionable at best.
But considering that Lady Bu had only entered Sun Quan's household less than a year ago, and that the expectations of the entire Bu clan rested on his shoulders, Bu Zhi could only grit his teeth and persist.
In the end, Liu Bei did agree to a ceasefire.
Bu Zhi suspected it was due to Lu Su's careful analysis of gains and losses, or perhaps because Lady Sun still retained some lingering sentiment.
The terms themselves were not harsh. In fact, they were generous.
Sun Quan only needed to agree to open river crossings along the Yangtze and refrain from interfering in commercial trade.
That was all.